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Get ready, because MLB Pipeline will reveal its 2024 Top 100 Prospects list at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, Jan. 26. You won’t want to miss the one-hour show on MLB Network and MLB.com. Leading up to the release of the Top 100, we’ll be diving into baseball’s top 10 prospects at each position.
Shortstop – the captain of the infield. It’s the premium position that everyone is watching. Everyone wants a star shortstop, after all, they help bring championships. Just ask Corey Seager, who topped this list in 2016, and the Texas Rangers or the Dodgers for that matter.
Based on the ETAs for this year’s Top 10 shortstops, we’re going to start getting a sense of just how much the bulk of this group can contribute to winning at the highest level, with seven of the 10 expected to at least reach the big leagues this year.
It’s always a ridiculously stacked group, and as is often the case, the Top 10 will all be found in the top half of the Top 100 list revealed on Jan. 26. So, stay tuned to find out exactly where!
1. Jackson Holliday, Orioles (2024)
2. Colson Montgomery, White Sox (2024)
3. Jordan Lawlar, D-backs (2024)
4. Jackson Merrill, Padres (2024)
5. Marcelo Mayer, Red Sox (2024)
6. Brooks Lee, Twins (2024)
7. Carson Williams, Rays (2025)
8. Adael Amador, Rockies (2025)
9. Cole Young, Mariners (2025)
10. Marco Luciano, Giants (2024)
Complete list »
Top 10 prospects by position:
1/16: RHP
1/17: LHP
1/18: C
1/19: 1B
1/22: 2B
1/23: 3B
1/24: SS
1/25: OF
1/26: Top 100
Top tools
Hit: Holliday (70)
If someone made the claim that he’s the best pure hitter among any prospect in baseball, it would be hard to argue against it. While playing at all four full-season levels of the Orioles’ system last year, Holliday hit .323 with a ridiculous .442 on-base percentage. He walked (101) nearly as many times as he struck out (118), with incredible bat-to-ball skills to go along with his advanced approach.
Power: Holliday, Montgomery, Williams, Luciano (60)
Holliday hit 12 homers, but had 51 extra-base hits, with much more over-the-fence pop to come. Similarly, Montgomery’s power is just starting to show up, and he was slowed by injury in 2023, but the Corey Seager comps are made for a reason. Williams slugged 23 homers in ’23, and there’s even more raw pop to get to if he can cut down on his strikeout rate. Luciano might have the most raw power of this group with crazy bat speed, but he can get too aggressive at the plate.
Run: Lawlar (70)
The 2021 first-round pick knows how to use his wheels to wreak havoc on the basepaths. He’s stolen 35-plus bases in each of his two full seasons of pro ball,