30 reasons to be thankful — 1 for each farm system

12:30 AM UTC

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Thanksgiving arrives in the United States on Thursday, and while we know football tends to rule the day, we know baseball will still be on the minds of fans as they give thanks between rounds of turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce. Some will be dreaming of the days when they can give thanks for the additions of Juan Soto and Roki Sasaki. Others will look to prospects already in-house to provide hope for the future.

We don’t want anyone feeling left out at the beginning of the holiday season. Here’s a reason why fans of each farm system should give thanks this week:

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AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST

Blue Jays: Arjun Nimmala exploded for Single-A Dunedin after a brief midseason hiatus in the Florida Complex League, slugging .564 with 13 homers in 53 games from June 27 onward. The 2023 20th overall pick has the plus power to be Toronto’s next hitting prospect star.

Orioles: Baltimore still boasts a deep pipeline of hitting talent, headlined by Top 15 overall prospects Coby Mayo and Samuel Basallo, and that depth could help the franchise pull off another Corbin Burnes-style trade for a frontline starter.

Rays: Internal development of Top 100 prospects Carson Williams, Xavier Isaac and Brayden Taylor and a busy Trade Deadline that brought in Aidan Smith, Brody Hopkins, Jackson Baumeister and others put Tampa Bay at the top of MLB Pipeline’s Farm System Rankings at midseason.

Red Sox: The Big Three (Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer, Kyle Teel) added a Major Fourth with Kristian Campbell’s breakout in his first full season, and Boston ended 2024 with four Top 25 overall prospects. No other organization has more than two.

Yankees: George Lombard Jr., the club’s 2023 first-rounder, made louder contact at Single-A Tampa than his .348 SLG would indicate (110.3 max exit velocity, 102.7 90th percentile EV), and his fielding ability routinely impressed scouts at shortstop, making him one of the best defenders in the Minors.

AMERICAN LEAGUE CENTRAL

Guardians: Cleveland continues to play into its type with eight Top 10 prospects with hit tools of 55 or above. At the top of the list: No. 1 overall pick Travis Bazzana and his 70-grade bat.

Royals: Jac Caglianone had the most prodigious power in this year’s Draft class, and his exit velocities in the Arizona Fall League were special, adding to the belief that he can be a one-way star even if his pitching doesn’t translate as well to the pro side.

Tigers: Deadline pickup Thayron Liranzo and Triple Crown winner Josue Briceño were talks of the Arizona Fall League after packing a serious punch at the plate. They’ll be two of the most closely followed prospects in next year’s Spring Training as they compete to be Detroit’s backstop of the future.

Twins: Walker Jenkins climbed to No. 2 overall in our Top 100 rankings at the end of the season after working around hamstring issues to show high-ceiling upside during a climb to Double-A in his age-19 season.

White Sox: Noah Schultz and Hagen Smith are the top two left-handed pitching prospects in the game, and they play in the same system, making pitching a major point of strength during the South Side rebuild.

AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST

Angels: Christian Moore’s post-Draft run (.347/.400/.584, six homers in 25 games) was one of the biggest stories of the Minors’ second half, and the former Tennessee star could easily be the Halos’ next quick climber to The Show.

Astros: Brice Matthews’ first full season, in which he hit 15 homers and stole 32 bags in only 79 games across four levels including Triple-A, should give Houston fans at least some hope for the future of third base if Alex Bregman departs in free agency.

Athletics: The owner of a 70-grade hit tool, 2023 sixth overall pick Jacob Wilson retains rookie eligibility heading into ’25, and his ability to hit for a high average and play a solid shortstop could put him in line for a Rookie of the Year run and a possible PPI pick.

Mariners: Seattle has three Top 100 prospects at shortstop in Colt Emerson, Cole Young and Felnin Celesten, and it should be fun to see them sort themselves out at different levels again in 2025.

Rangers: Sebastian Walcott has No. 1 overall prospect upside as an 18-year-old shortstop with plus power, above-average speed and a cannon of an arm.

NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST

Braves: Travis d’Arnaud’s departure to the Angels opens a catching spot on Atlanta’s roster. Good thing 23-year-old Drake Baldwin is practically ready for The Show after showing an all-around skill set behind the plate in the Minors, AFL and Premier12 tournament.

Marlins: Thomas White’s K-heavy first full year gives the system a crack at a left-handed ace, while the midseason acquisitions of Agustin Ramirez and Deyvison De Los Santos provides hope that there could be a ton of power coming to Miami’s lineup in the future.

Mets: Be thankful Brandon Sproat granted the Mets permission to draft him a second time after not signing out of the third round in 2022. The 2023 second-rounder posted a 3.40 ERA and 131 strikeouts in 116 1/3 innings across three levels this year, including Triple-A Syracuse.

Nationals: James Wood’s graduation would have left many other systems without a superstar outfield prospect. The Nats still claim Dylan Crews atop their mantle, and after showing steady improvements at each stop in the Minors, the 2023 second overall pick could explode as a Rookie of the Year candidate next summer.

Phillies: Pitching for the first time in games since spring 2023, Andrew Painter looked like his old self as the AFL Pitcher of the Year, and his upper-90s fastball and special control could contribute to Philadelphia’s pitching depth next year.

NATIONAL LEAGUE CENTRAL

Brewers: Jesus Made looks like Milwaukee’s next big international development story after slashing .331/.458/.554 with 21 extra-base hits, 28 steals and a 28/39 K/BB ratio in 51 games in the Dominican Summer League. The under-the-hood data is just as good for a 17-year-old, kicking the hype into another gear.

Cardinals: Look to the middle infield. JJ Wetherholt might turn out to be a huge steal for St. Louis at the seventh slot in the 2024 Draft, and No. 4 prospect Thomas Saggese should be in play for the team’s starting second-base job after tamping down his aggression at the plate in the AFL.

Cubs: Chicago has eight Top 100 prospects in Matt Shaw, Owen Caissie, Cade Horton, Moises Ballesteros, James Triantos, Kevin Alcántara, Cam Smith and Jefferson Rojas. No other organization has more than six.

Pirates: What do you get a system that’s already produced Paul Skenes? How about another high-quality right-hander in Bubba Chandler, who shows upper-90s heat as part of a four-pitch mix that dominated Triple-A?

Reds: The Wake Forest pitching lab. The Demon Deacons gave the Reds 2023 seventh overall pick Rhett Lowder, who debuted in Cincy in late August, and also developed Chase Burns into a No. 2 overall pick by the same club in July.

NATIONAL LEAGUE WEST

D-backs: Yu-Min Lin was the starting pitcher in Chinese Taipei’s 4-0 upset win over Japan in the Premier12 gold-medal game on Sunday. It was a terrific way for the 21-year-old left-hander to end 2024 after he missed six weeks with facial fractures suffered from a foul ball with Double-A Amarillo.

Dodgers: Los Angeles remains one of the best organizations for identifying and developing talent despite low Draft picks. The AFL served as a reminder of that after Zyhir Hope (acquired from the Cubs in the Michael Busch trade) and Eriq Swan (2023 fourth-rounder) caught industry attention in the desert.

Giants: Bryce Eldridge’s climb through four levels in his age-19 season gives the San Francisco system the shining star it so desperately needs. The 2023 16th overall pick has at least plus power from the left side, and his propensity for loud contact should help his average too.

Padres: Breathe easy, San Diego. Ethan Salas rebounded from a rough season at High-A Fort Wayne with a solid Fall League, buoying his status as a future All-Star catcher who can impress from both sides of the plate.

Rockies: After striking out 169 in 118 innings between High-A and Double-A in his first full season, Chase Dollander could be the high-end arm the Colorado system has always craved. His fastball, in particular, has the velo and carry to dominate at all levels.