It’s Thanksgiving Week in the United States. Before tucking into a big meal on Thursday, folks from coast to coast may express their gratefulness for the joys of life around them.
If you’re like us at MLB Pipeline, that includes another season of baseball (one that felt as close to “normal” as we’ve had since 2019), another class of stellar prospects and the bounties of the spring/summer ahead. If you’re a fan of a particular Major League club, your reasons for thanks might be even more specific.
Here’s a reason why fans of all 30 organizations should be thankful for their farm systems this November:
Baltimore Orioles: The No. 1 farm system in baseball and the Major League proximity of Gunnar Henderson, Grayson Rodriguez, Jordan Westburg and DL Hall.
Boston Red Sox: The already strong position-player core of Marcelo Mayer, Triston Casas and Ceddanne Rafaela and the hope Miguel Bleis could be a Top 100 prospect himself soon.
Chicago White Sox: The powerful showings of Colson Montgomery and Oscar Colas that gave a once rough-looking system two Top-100 talents.
Cleveland Guardians: A deep system that could help Cleveland build a sustainable winner or cash in for a blockbuster trade after capturing the AL Central.
Detroit Tigers: Three promising right-handers in Jackson Jobe, Wilmer Flores and Ty Madden and the hope that the latter two can impact the Major League rotation in 2023.
Houston Astros: The internal development of Jeremy Peña into a World Series MVP and the hope that another overlooked prospect can join a similar path.
Kansas City Royals: Outfield depth after Gavin Cross joined as a first-rounder, Tyler Gentry broke out when healthy and Drew Waters turned his bat around following his trade from the Braves.
Los Angeles Angels: Tandem backstop options in Logan O’Hoppe and Edgar Quero and the hope that one of the two can be the long-term answer behind the dish.
Minnesota Twins: Edouard Julien and Austin Martin looked like the most productive middle-infield duo of the Arizona Fall League.
New York Yankees: THAT shortstop problem. Two near-MLB-ready shortstops in Anthony Volpe and Oswald Peraza are better than none.
Oakland Athletics: Mason Miller throws triple-digits hard, and he finally looked healthy enough in the AFL to give hope that he could put his velo to good use over a longer span in 2023.
Seattle Mariners: The next wave. Harry Ford, Gabriel Gonzalez and Co. give hope that the conveyor belt is continually in motion in the Pacific Northwest.
Tampa Bay Rays: They’re the Rays. Player development is how they thrive. Taj Bradley and Curtis Mead might graduate early in 2023, but you can bet more Top 100 prospects will step in to replace them by summer’s end.
Texas Rangers: The future rotation reunion of former Vanderbilt right-handers Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker, who each have hopes of returning to former glories.
Toronto Blue Jays: Ricky Tiedemann’s breakout 2022 season could make him a big piece of future Toronto rotations right alongside Alek Manoah.
Arizona Diamondbacks: Wondering how Corbin Carroll, Alek Thomas and Jake McCarthy might all work in the Arizona outfield? Throw No. 2 overall pick Druw Jones to the mix for added ceiling.
Atlanta Braves: You can never have too many arms, and the Braves boast pitchers with nine of their top 10 prospects, including No. 1 Kyle Muller.
Chicago Cubs: Trades brought in Pete Crow-Armstrong, Kevin Alcantara and Ben Brown among others, and the shrewd Draft pick of College World Series star Cade Horton at No. 7 adds to the high-end talent.
Cincinnati Reds: Elly De La Cruz brings elite power, run and arm tools to the table and has a legit claim as the most electric prospect in the game.
Colorado Rockies: Eight of the Rockies’ top nine prospects are hitters, and there are some enticing high-end talents among them in AFL Offensive Player of the Year Zac Veen and exceptional shortstop Ezequiel Tovar.
Los Angeles Dodgers: The Dodgers, boast seven Top 100 prospects, most of any organization, and six of the seven may help the club next year. The rich could get richer.
Miami Marlins: Eury Pérez already looks like the truth after spending his entire age-19 season at Double-A. The 6-foot-8 right-hander is expected to work out with unanimous Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara this offseason.
Milwaukee Brewers: Brewers fans got a look at outfielders Garrett Mitchell and Esteury Ruiz last season, and Top 100 prospects Jackson Chourio, Sal Frelick and Joey Wiemer all play on the grass too. As loaded as the Arizona outfielder group is, Milwaukee’s might be just as deep.
New York Mets: Offensive production from the catching position was far from a strength for the Mets in 2022, but No. 1 overall prospect Francisco Álvarez could change that with his plus-plus raw power if/when he arrives for good early next year.
Philadelphia Phillies: Andrew Painter (1.56 ERA, 155 K in 103 2/3 IP) was as dominant as any pitcher at any level in his first full season and gives Phillies fans the future ace of their dreams.
Pittsburgh Pirates: The ever-rebuilding Bucs needed to take a big swing at No. 4 overall in July and got to take one when arguably the best overall prep hitter in the class, Termarr Johnson, was still available.
San Diego Padres: San Diego’s blockbuster move for Juan Soto decimated the system, but it still has a big talent in 19-year-old shortstop Jackson Merrill, who looked well-rounded when healthy in his first full season.
San Francisco Giants: Who is Vaun Brown anyways? Giants fans found out when the 2021 10th-rounder broke out with a .346/.437/.623 line, 23 homers and 44 steals in 103 games across three levels in his first full season.
St. Louis Cardinals: The 2020 Draft was shortened to five rounds, and the Cards still came away with current Top 100 prospects Jordan Walker, Masyn Winn, Alec Burleson and Tink Hence. A master class in drafting.
Washington Nationals: Say what you will about the Soto deal, but the Nationals’ system is certainly deeper and more dynamic with the additions of prospects Robert Hassell III, James Wood and Jarlin Susana. Elijah Green’s Draft selection added another potential superstar.