Top 10 Uncarded Prospects Omitted From 2016 Draft

By Matt Eddy

The 2016 MMDA draft promises to echo through the ages with one of the deepest crops of first-round talent ever. Astros shortstop Carlos Correa, Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant and Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor will figure prominently at the top of the draft, while a second wave of talent—Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager, Mets righthander Noah Syndergaard, Twins third baseman Miguel Sano and Cubs left fielder Kyle Schwarber—would be in the conversation for No. 1 overall in most years.

The depth of this year's major league rookie crop is semmingly boundless, such that even a list of rookies who did not play enough to receive a Strat-O-Matic card is more robust than usual. Just think how much better this year's rookie class would look with some of the following players eligible for selection. But alas, no card means no go as far as the MMDA draft is concerned.

To repeat: The following players made their big league debuts in 2015 but are not eligible for the MMDA draft in February.

Max Kepler hit .322/.416/.531 with 54 XBH, 18 SB and 67 BB
in 112 games at Double-A in 2015

1. Max Kepler, rf/1b, Twins. The German-born Kepler scored the largest bonus ever by a European amateur when he signed with the Twins in 2009. Given that he was 16 years old at the time, his baseball development only seems like it's unfolded at a glacial pace.

Still just 22 in 2015, Kepler broke through in a big way at Double-A Chattanooga, winning the Southern League MVP award after leading the circuit in on-base percentage (.416) and slugging (.531). The Twins called him up in mid-September after the Lookouts won the SL title, and while Kepler went 1-for-7 in his cameo, he owns skills worth chasing, including strike-zone awareness, some power, some speed and a strong glove in the outfield.

2. Gary Sanchez, c, Yankees. Don't let the home-run total fool you. Sanchez hit 18 bombs in 2015 while playing in power-suppressing parks at Double-A and Triple-A in the Yankees system, but he has big-time power. He also has a strong arm, meaning that he has a promising Strat career in front of him.

3. Jorge Lopez, rhp, Brewers. Lopez could become the best Puerto Rican starter since the heyday of Javier Vazquez—or at least since Jonathan Sanchez. He won Southern League pitcher of the year honors in 2015 while showcasing a killer breaking ball and enough fastball command and feel for a changeup to strike out a career-best 8.6 per nine innings and allow a .205 average.

4. Frankie Montas, rhp, White Sox (now Dodgers). Montas man can hit 100 mph, but he's now been traded as many times (twice) as he has started big league games. He can miss bats and limit hits, but his high walk rate probably consigns him to the bullpen, where he could become a nasty closer.
 
5. Tom Murphy, c, Rockies. The University at Buffalo product missed most of 2014 but rebounded in a big way to mash 20 homers in the high minors in 2015 and make his major league debut. 

6. Jose Peraza, 2b/cf, Dodgers (now Reds). He has no power, little plate patience, a funky throwing motion and questions about his ability to stay on the infield ... but Peraza excels in two areas: making contact and running really fast. He hit .293 with 33 steals at two Triple-A stops in 2015, and now he's angling for Brandon Phillips' job in Cincinnati following a real-life offseason trade.

7. Michael Feliz, rhp, Astros. Much as with Frankie Montas, Feliz has an electric arm but perhaps not enough feel for the strike zone or secondary stuff to throw 100 pitches 30 times a year. We could, however, be seeing the first act for two pretty good future closers.

8. Scott Schebler, lf, Dodgers (now Reds). The real-life Dodgers-Reds-White Sox deal this offseason sent Todd Frazier to Chicago, but more pertinent to this discussion is the fact that prospects Jose Peraza and Schebler now are Reds and Frankie Montas now is a Dodger. As toSchebler, he may lack the standout tool or ability to dominate Strat, but he hits for enough power, runs well enough and takes enough walks to be interesting.

9. Austin Barnes, c, Dodgers. The Marlins never really committed to Barnes as a catcher before trading him to the Dodgers after the 2014 season, but he blossomed as the everyday Triple-A catcher in 2015, batting .315/.398/.479, and making his big league debut.

10. Socrates Brito, of, Diamondbacks. From the organization that brought you Gerardo Parra, Ender Inciarte and David Peralta comes the next entry in Arizona's prototype fourth-outfielder cloning program. Brito mixes appropriate levels of power, speed and defense to warrant attention as a speculative future play.