Five Appalachian League Organizations among 21-and-under Top 10

Braves, Cardinals, Rays, Mets, and Yankees ranked among the top 10 farm systems in 21-and-under talent.

10. New York Mets
    The new Mets regime has been vocal about its intention to "win now," and while that usually indicates the loss of top prospects and the depletion of a farm system, New York has managed to maintain an impressive core of young talent, even after losing Jarred Kelenic . Three of the team's top four prospects are currently in the lower levels of the system. Ronny Mauricio  (Kingsport 2018) (No. 62 overall) spent last season in the South Atlantic League, where he drove in 37 runs and scored 62 times in 116 games. Francisco Alvarez  (Kingsport 2019) (No. 63 overall) and Brett Baty  (Kingsport 2019) (No. 93 overall) both played the bulk of their games in the Appalachian League. Alvarez, 18, is a catcher who can hit for average and power as well as be an agile defender behind the dish with a plus, accurate arm. Baty was promoted to the New York-Penn League and played at his third level of the year. The Mets also have Mark Vientos  (Kingsport 2017-2018), Shervyen Newton  (Kingsport 2018), and Junior Santos  (Kingsport 2019) who all finished 2019 among the organization's top 20 prospects. Queens native Jaylen Palmer  (Kingsport 2019), a 2018 Draft selection, put together a standout year at Rookie Advanced Kingsport and could crack the team's top 30 in the upcoming season.
    7. New York Yankees
    In many cases of high-risk, high-reward prospects, New York's young system has potentially the highest ceiling in the league. The Yankees finished 2019 with 12 of their top 20 prospects 21 or younger, something no other organization can say. The talk entering this season is focused on right-hander Deivi Garcia  (Pulaski 2017) (No. 92 overall), who climbed three levels last year and finished at the Minors highest level. However, a trio of fireballers -- Luis Gil  (Pulaski 2018), Luis Medina  (Pulaski 2017-2018), and Yoendrys Gomez  (Pulaski 2019) -- pitched at Class A Charleston and lit up radar guns across the SAL. Gil and Medina earned promotions to Class A Advanced Tampa, where they finished the season. Former first-round picks Anthony Seigler  (Pulaski 2018) and Anthony Volpe  (Pulaski 2019) are primed to make quick ascensions, and in the lower levels Everson Pereira  (Pulaski 2018), Antonioa Cabello (Pulaski 2019), and Ezequiel Duran (Pulaski 2018) all loom.
    5. Tampa Bay Rays
    There really isn't much that Tampa Bay doesn't do well, but you could argue that developing young talent is at the very top of that list. And this conversation has to begin with Wander Franco  (Princeton 2018). Still 18 for another week, the top overall prospect in baseball has come roaring through the Rays system since he was signed in July 2017. After starting 2019 at Class A Bowling Green, Franco seemed to only get better after a promotion to Class A Advanced Charlotte, where he compiled a .339/.408/.464 slash line with 40 runs scored over 52 Florida State League games. The Rays historically practice a patient approach in developing young talent like his; however, Franco could force their hand into a rapid promotion to The Show. Right-hander Shane Baz  (Bistol 2018; Princeton 2018) (No. 90 overall) is a work in progress, but provides a high ceiling for the organization. Acquired from Pittsburgh, the 6-foot-2, 190-pounder possesses electric stuff but pairs it with below-average control. He's already added a four-seam fastball to his arsenal since joining the Rays, one that routinely touches triple digits, and pitched to a 2.99 ERA over 17 Midwest League starts last year. Moises Gomez  (Princeton 2017), Nick Schnell  (Princeton 2019), and Seth Johnson  (Princeton 2019) were all also among the team's top 20 prospects at the conclusion of last season.
    3. St. Louis Cardinals
    The Cardinals are one of those teams that never seem to rebuild. They just reload, and the pivotal reason behind that is the young talent that the organization consistently acquires. Nolan Gorman  (Johnson City 2018) (No. 47 overall) was the organization's first-round selection in 2018 and, after an impressive pro debut, the 19-year-old played his way to the Florida State League. On the mound, Matthew Liberatore  (Princeton 2018) (No. 58 overall) was acquired from Tampa Bay in a trade on Jan. 9 after the lefty posted a 3.10 ERA over 78 1/3 frames last year. He was also taken in the first round of the 2018 Draft, and he automatically became the highest-ranked pitcher in the St. Louis system. Jhon Torres  (Johnson City 2019) was a top-10 prospec within the organization last year. Eighteen-year-old Trejyn Fletcher  (Johnson City 2019) was a second-rounder last year out of Maine and could be ready for takeoff with plus speed, a plus arm and good defensive work in the outfield.
    2. Atlanta Braves
    In another year, this might be No. 1. The Braves system is loaded with talent, and a lot of it is quite young. Those who were able to get to a game at Triple-A Gwinnett toward the end of last season got a good preview of it. Cristian Pache  (Danville 2016) -- the top Braves prospect -- is 13th overall in baseball and is knocking on the door of The Show after finishing the year with the Stripers, where he hit .274 with 10 extra-base hits and 13 runs scored in 26 games. The five-tool standout shined brightest in the field, though, where his 70 grades for speed, arm and fielding were all on display. Sharing the outfield with Pache in Gwinnett, and possibly in Atlanta in the not-so-distant future, was Drew Waters  (Danville 2017). The 26th-ranked overall prospect finished the year with a combined .309 average, nine triples and 40 doubles over 134 games. Right-hander Ian Anderson  (Danville 2016) (No. 37 overall) made his final five starts in the International League and averaged a strikeout per inning. Those are three Top-40 overall prospects who are all under the age of 22 and should open 2020 one step away from the Majors.