Farm Futures: 136 AL West Prospects You Need To Know

Farm Futures: 136 AL West Prospects You Need To Know

This article is part of our Farm Futures series.

Usually I use these divisional articles to write up every fantasy-relevant prospect in each team's farm system, but given the lack of a minor-league season in 2020, there's just not much new to say about a large percentage of the prospect universe. I am still going to rank the fantasy-relevant prospects in all 30 systems, and I've already written outlooks on the site for the majority of the top-250 prospects on my top 400. I'm also providing a list of prospects in each org. that could contribute in 2021 along with an overview of each system. 

Feel free to ask me any prospect-related questions in the comments or on Twitter.

ASTROS

 NamePositionDOBSigned
1Forrest WhitleyRHP9/15/19972016 Draft
2Pedro LeonOF5/28/19982020 J-2
3Luis GarciaRHP12/13/19962017 J-2
4Jeremy PenaSS9/22/19972018 Draft
5Alex SantosRHP2/10/20022020 Draft
6Richi GonzalezOF12/29/20022019 J-2
7Colin BarberOF12/4/20002019 Draft
8Jairo SolisRHP12/22/19992016 J-2
9Tyler IveyRHP5/12/19962017 Draft
10Hunter BrownRHP8/29/19982019 Draft
11Brett ConineRHP10/16/19962018 Draft
12Shawn DubinRHP9/6/19952018 Draft
13Blair HenleyRHP5/14/19972019 Draft
14Taylor Jones1B/DH12/6/19932016 Draft
15Korey LeeC7/25/19982019 Draft
16Zach DanielsOF1/23/19992020 Draft
17Jordan BrewerOF8/1/19972019 Draft
18Chas McCormickOF4/19/19952017 Draft
19Elvis GarciaRHP9/24/20022019

Usually I use these divisional articles to write up every fantasy-relevant prospect in each team's farm system, but given the lack of a minor-league season in 2020, there's just not much new to say about a large percentage of the prospect universe. I am still going to rank the fantasy-relevant prospects in all 30 systems, and I've already written outlooks on the site for the majority of the top-250 prospects on my top 400. I'm also providing a list of prospects in each org. that could contribute in 2021 along with an overview of each system. 

Feel free to ask me any prospect-related questions in the comments or on Twitter.

ASTROS

 NamePositionDOBSigned
1Forrest WhitleyRHP9/15/19972016 Draft
2Pedro LeonOF5/28/19982020 J-2
3Luis GarciaRHP12/13/19962017 J-2
4Jeremy PenaSS9/22/19972018 Draft
5Alex SantosRHP2/10/20022020 Draft
6Richi GonzalezOF12/29/20022019 J-2
7Colin BarberOF12/4/20002019 Draft
8Jairo SolisRHP12/22/19992016 J-2
9Tyler IveyRHP5/12/19962017 Draft
10Hunter BrownRHP8/29/19982019 Draft
11Brett ConineRHP10/16/19962018 Draft
12Shawn DubinRHP9/6/19952018 Draft
13Blair HenleyRHP5/14/19972019 Draft
14Taylor Jones1B/DH12/6/19932016 Draft
15Korey LeeC7/25/19982019 Draft
16Zach DanielsOF1/23/19992020 Draft
17Jordan BrewerOF8/1/19972019 Draft
18Chas McCormickOF4/19/19952017 Draft
19Elvis GarciaRHP9/24/20022019 J-2
20Jojanse TorresRHP8/4/19952015 IFA
21Bryan AbreuRHP4/22/19972013 IFA
22Dauri Lorenzo2B10/29/20022019 J-2
23Kenedy CoronaOF3/21/20002019 IFA
24Yohander Martinez2B/SS1/8/20022018 J-2
25Brayan NolascoOF9/24/20032020 J-2
26Jairo LopezRHP11/21/20002017 J-2
27Shay Whitcomb2B9/28/19982020 Draft
28Tyler BrownRHP10/2/19982020 Draft
29Freudis Nova3B1/12/20002016 J-2
30Austin HansenRHP8/25/19962018 Draft
31Richel Del RosarioOF2/27/20042020 J-2
32Juan SantanderC12/9/20022019 J-2

Players We Could See In 2021: Forrest Whitley, Pedro Leon, Luis Garcia, Tyler Ivey, Brett Conine, Shawn Dubin, Taylor Jones, Chas McCormick, Bryan Abreu

Dynasty Overview: At the very top are two players I'm most excited to watch this spring. With Whitley, we know the story at this point, and many prospect rankers are out or almost out on him after a tumultuous last few years. He's still just 23, and you almost never see a 6-foot-7 starting pitcher with electric stuff figure it out at 21 or 22, so I'm more concerned about the health issues than the poor performance. I don't think anyone outside the Astros organization knows exactly how close to the majors Leon is. He turns 23 in May, so it's not crazy to think he could be up this year if he's as good as I think he might be. He is already getting rave reviews for his defense at shortstop, which is a pleasant surprise, although I still think it's more likely he ends up in the outfield. Richi Gonzalez is one of my favorite power/speed lottery tickets in the minors and Conine is a sneaky pitchability/command guy in a system flooded with high-velocity arms.

ANGELS

 NamePositionDOBSigned
1Brandon MarshOF12/18/19972016 Draft
2Chris RodriguezRHP7/20/19982016 Draft
3Jordyn AdamsOF10/18/19992018 Draft
4Reid DetmersLHP7/8/19992020 Draft
5David CalabreseOF9/26/20022020 Draft
6Denzer Guzman3B2/8/20042020 J-2
7Kyren ParisSS11/11/20012019 Draft
8Jeremiah Jackson2B3/26/20002018 Draft
9Arol Vera3B9/12/20022019 J-2
10Werner BlakelySS2/21/20022020 Draft
11Jack KochanowiczRHP12/22/20002019 Draft
12Jose Bonilla3B/SS4/2/20022019 J-2
13D'Shawn Knowles2B/OF1/16/20012017 J-2
14William HolmesRHP12/22/20002018 Draft
15Hector YanLHP4/26/19992015 IFA
16Jose Alberto RiveraRHP2/14/19972016 IFA
17Stiward AquinoRHP6/20/19992016 IFA
18Erik RiveraLHP2/4/20012019 Draft
19Adrian Placencia2B/SS6/2/20032019 J-2
20Alexander RamirezOF8/29/20022018 J-2

Players We Could See In 2021: Brandon Marsh, Chris Rodriguez, Reid Detmers, Jose Alberto Rivera

Dynasty Overview: Jo Adell would still rank first in this system and in the top 15 overall if he were eligible. The Angels have had such an outfield-heavy system in recent years that they've converted guys like Jahmai Jones (now with Baltimore) and D'Shawn Knowles to second base in an effort to get them on a track toward a potential big-league role. Rodriguez is one of the bigger wild cards in the minors, as he has frontline stuff and is on the 40-man roster. After Dylan Bundy and Shohei Ohtani, Rodriguez's stuff is the best in the entire organization, and with the Angels in perpetual win-now mode, I think we see him (and Detmers) at some point this summer. David Calabrese and Denzer Guzman are two of my favorite late-round FYPD picks, while Jack Kochanowicz and Jose Bonilla are strong candidates to join the top 400 at some point this season.

ATHLETICS

 NamePositionDOBSigned
1A.J. PukLHP4/25/19952016 Draft
2Tyler SoderstromC/3B11/24/20012020 Draft
3Daulton JefferiesRHP8/2/19952016 Draft
4Pedro PinedaOF11/6/20032020 J-2
5Robert PuasonSS9/11/20022019 J-2
6Luis BarreraOF11/15/19952012 J-2
7Brayan BuelvasOF6/8/20022018 J-2
8Ka'ai TomOF5/29/19942015 Draft
9Junior PerezOF7/4/20012017 J-2
10Jeff CriswellRHP3/10/19992020 Draft
11Colin PeluseRHP6/11/19982019 Draft
12Michael GuldbergOF/2B6/22/19992020 Draft
13James KaprielianRHP3/2/19942015 Draft
14Logan DavidsonSS/2B/3B12/26/19972019 Draft
15Cody ThomasOF10/8/19942016 Draft
16Jordan Diaz3B/1B8/13/20002016 J-2
17Nick AllenSS10/16/19982017 Draft
18Buddy ReedOF4/27/19952016 Draft
19Austin BeckOF11/21/19982017 Draft
20Greg DeichmannOF5/31/19952017 Draft
21Tyler BaumRHP1/14/19982019 Draft
22Grant HolmesRHP3/22/19962014 Draft

Players We Could See In 2021: A.J. Puk, Daulton Jefferies, Luis Barrera, Ka'ai Tom, James Kaprielian, Cody Thomas, Buddy Reed, Greg Deichmann, Grant Holmes

Dynasty Overview: Oakland never seems to have an overly deep or exciting farm system, but they've developed a handful of high-end players over the past few years and have been able to remain competitive at the big-league level. Puk has frontline upside and is big-league ready, yet I have him ranked No. 75 overall due to durability concerns. After the top seven guys, there's not much to get excited about here, although I'm monitoring Peluse and Guldberg as potential breakout players for really deep leagues. Jefferies, Barrera and Tom are a few guys I've liked for a while and they should all see time in the majors this year.

MARINERS

 NamePositionDOBSigned
1Julio RodriguezOF12/29/20002017 J-2
2Jarred KelenicOF7/16/19992018 Draft
3Noelvi Marte3B/SS10/16/20012018 J-2
4George KirbyRHP2/4/19982019 Draft
5Logan GilbertRHP5/5/19972018 Draft
6Emerson HancockRHP5/31/19992020 Draft
7Jonatan ClaseOF5/23/20022018 J-2
8Taylor TrammellOF9/13/19972016 Draft
9Zach DeLoachOF8/18/19982020 Draft
10Brandon WilliamsonLHP4/2/19982019 Draft
11Jake FraleyOF5/25/19952016 Draft
12Juan ThenRHP2/7/20002016 J-2
13Sam DelaplaneRHP3/27/19952017 Draft
14Luis BolivarOF 2020 J-2
15Cal RaleighC11/26/19962018 Draft
16Levi StoudtRHP12/4/19972019 Draft
17George FelizOF9/21/20022019 J-2
18Austin Shenton3B/OF/1B1/22/19982019 Draft
19Tyler KeenanDH/1B2/27/19992020 Draft
20Adam MackoLHP12/30/20002019 Draft
21Starlin Aguilar3B1/26/20042020 J-2
22Isaiah CampbellRHP8/15/19972019 Draft
23Connor PhillipsRHP5/4/20012020 Draft
24Milkar Perez3B10/16/20012018 J-2
25Andres MesaSS/2B/OF10/16/20022019 J-2
26Gabriel GonzalezOF 4/1/20042020 J-2
27Sam Haggerty2B5/26/19942015 Draft
28Alberto RodriguezOF10/6/20002017 J-2

Players We Could See In 2021: Julio Rodriguez, Jarred Kelenic, George Kirby, Logan Gilbert, Taylor Trammell, Jake Fraley, Sam Delaplane, Cal Raleigh, Sam Haggerty

Dynasty Overview: Kelenic and Gilbert should spend most, if not all, of the season with the big club, while Rodriguez and Kirby are long shots to debut this year. However, I like Rodriguez more than Kelenic and Kirby over Gilbert long term. I just buy Rodriguez being one of those rare .300 AVG, 100+ runs, 100+ RBI, 30+ homer hitters and think he'll chip in 8-15 steals. Kirby has all the ingredients to be an SP1 in fantasy. Jonatan Clase and Brandon Williamson could be breakout prospects while Levi Stoudt and Adam Macko are trending up after strong showings in the fall instructional league.

RANGERS

 NamePositionDOBSigned
1Josh Jung3B2/12/19982019 Draft
2Leody TaverasOF9/8/19982015 J-2
3Luisangel Acuna2B3/12/20022018 J-2
4Maximo AcostaSS/2B/3B10/29/20022019 J-2
5Dane DunningRHP12/20/19942016 Draft
6Justin Foscue2B3/2/19992020 Draft
7Sherten Apostel3B/1B/OF3/11/19992015 J-2
8Ricky VanascoRHP10/13/19982017 Draft
9Cole WinnRHP11/25/19992018 Draft
10Sam HuffC/DH1/14/19982016 Draft
11Chris SeiseSS1/6/19992017 Draft
12Keithron Moss2B8/20/20012017 IFA
13Demarcus EvansRHP10/22/19962015 Draft
14Anderson Tejeda2B/SS5/1/19982014 IFA
15Joe PalumboLHP10/26/19942013 Draft
16Evan CarterOF8/29/20022020 Draft
17Davis Wendzel3B/2B/OF5/23/19972019 Draft
18Owen WhiteRHP8/9/19992018 Draft
19Ronny HenriquezRHP6/20/20002017 J-2
20Bayron LoraDH9/29/20022019 J-2
21Yeison MorrobelOF12/8/20032020 J-2
22Jonah HeimC6/27/19952013 Draft
23Danyer CuevaSS5/27/20042020 J-2
24Hans CrouseRHP9/15/19982017 Draft
25Jose CorniellRHP6/22/20032019 J-2
26Bubba ThompsonOF6/9/19982017 Draft
27Kyle CodyRHP8/9/19942016 Draft
28Steele WalkerOF7/30/19962018 Draft
29Yerry RodriguezRHP10/15/19972015 IFA
30Marcus SmithOF9/11/20002019 Draft
31Ryan GarciaRHP1/24/19982019 Draft
32Keyber RodriguezSS/2B10/24/20002017 J-2
33Zion BannisterOF9/9/20012019 J-2
34David GarciaC2/6/20002016 J-2

Players We Could See In 2021: Josh Jung, Leody Taveras, Dane Dunning, Sherten Apostel, Sam Huff, Demarcus Evans, Anderson Tejeda, Joe Palumbo, Jonah Heim, Kyle Cody, Steele Walker

Dynasty Overview: Somewhat reminiscent to what's going on in Baltimore, the Rangers are going to be cycling prospects up and down from Triple-A and the majors all season long. Jung and Taveras are the only players (including big leaguers) I'm confident will be a part of the next good Rangers lineup, and they should get plenty of reps this year. It's difficult to say whether to blame the organization or the pitchers, but Texas has done a terrible job of developing pitching over the past decade. Ricky Vanasco was my bet to break that trend, but he'll miss the year recovering from Tommy John surgery and will need to be added to the 40-man roster after the season, which hopefully doesn't negatively affect the way he is developed. Chris Seise could be a huge riser this season if he comes back as good as advertised.

Want to Read More?
Subscribe to RotoWire to see the full article.

We reserve some of our best content for our paid subscribers. Plus, if you choose to subscribe you can discuss this article with the author and the rest of the RotoWire community.

Get Instant Access To This Article Get Access To This Article
RotoWire Community
Join Our Subscriber-Only MLB Chat
Chat with our writers and other RotoWire MLB fans for all the pre-game info and in-game banter.
Join The Discussion
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
James Anderson
James Anderson is RotoWire's Lead Prospect Analyst, Assistant Baseball Editor, and co-host of Farm Fridays on Sirius/XM radio and the RotoWire Prospect Podcast.
Collette Calls: Thinking About Pitchers Returning From Injuries
Collette Calls: Thinking About Pitchers Returning From Injuries
MLB DFS Picks: DraftKings Plays and Strategy for Wednesday, October 30
MLB DFS Picks: DraftKings Plays and Strategy for Wednesday, October 30
MLB DFS Picks: FanDuel Plays and Strategy for World Series Game 5 on Wednesday, October 30
MLB DFS Picks: FanDuel Plays and Strategy for World Series Game 5 on Wednesday, October 30
MLB World Series Game 5 Best Bets: Expert MLB Picks for Wednesday, October 30
MLB World Series Game 5 Best Bets: Expert MLB Picks for Wednesday, October 30