Baltimore is built for the long run. The Orioles are coming off a 101-win season, have the No. 1 overall prospect in Jackson Holliday and five Top 100 Prospects.
Plenty of talent has settled in the American League East. The Orioles, Rays and Yankees rank inside the top 10 of our Organization Talent Rankings, and the Red Sox aren’t far behind.
Elsewhere, the defending World Series-champion Rangers enter 2024 with two of the five best prospects in baseball.
The Cubs rank among the top five farm systems for the first time since 2015, and the Tigers tie for their highest ranking in the 40-year history of this exercise.
A green light beside the team name indicates an organization that has moved up in the ranking compared with last year.
A red light means a move down in the ranking, while yellow indicates minimal year-over-year change.
Teams moving up or down more than 10 places receive two lights.
1. BALTIMORE ORIOLES
Top 100 Prospects: SS Jackson Holliday (#1), C Samuel Basallo (#10), 3B Coby Mayo (#25), OF Colton Cowser (#34), OF Heston Kjerstad (#41)
Until 2023, the Orioles had never topped our Organization Talent Rankings. Now, they’ve ranked No. 1 in back-to-back years. And in our estimation, there’s still a solid gap between the Orioles and the other 29 organizations. Jackson Holliday leads the way, but the Orioles are also deep in close-to-themajors prospects.
2. MILWAUKEE BREWERS
This story is from the March/April 2024 edition of Baseball America.
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This story is from the March/April 2024 edition of Baseball America.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
NOBODY'S PERFECT
No. 1 prospect Jackson Holliday has one flaw in an otherwise airtight profile
ORGANIZATION REPORTS
At nearly every level of his professional career, outfielder Colton Cowser has taken time to acclimate. His major league debut last season was no different.
ORGANIZATION TALENT RANKINGS
For the second consecutive year, the Orioles enter the season with the best farm system in baseball.
WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN WITH NEW ROSTER LIMITS
No one can fully predict what will happen with the reduced 165-player minor league roster limits, but baseball officials weighed in with predictions for 2024, some of which we heard repeatedly.
NO MORE SLACK IN THE SYSTEM
The in domestic minor leagues creates consternation for farm directors
INTERNATIONAL TREASURES
Why MLB teams value foreign professionals more than ever
HIGH-FLYING BIRDS
Learning from past success and failure in Houston, Mike Elias and his united front office remade the Orioles into winners— and they got there ahead of schedule
ARIZONA COMPLEX LEAGUE TOP 10
Early promotions of star prospects led to a bit of a down season for the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League.
FLORIDA COMPLEX LEAGUE TOP 10
Even before the Rookie-level Florida Complex League season began, scouts who saw extended spring training gushed over the Yankees' talent, starting with shortstop Roderick Arias and 6-foot7 pitchers Henry Lalane and Carlos Lagrange. Outfielder John Cruz mashed 10 home runs as a 17-year-old.
SALAS COULD BE SPECIAL
When Ethan Salas arrived in the California League on May 30, he immediately displayed talent well beyond his years.
