Best tools winners are voted on by league managers.
WALKER MAKES AN IMPACT
When looking at exit velocity data for hitters, it’s important to look beyond average exit velocity. Because so many of a hitter’s EV values are clustered around the median, paying attention to the extremes tells us more about high-end power.
That’s why 90th percentile exit velocity data is so valuable. It shows the average EV of a hitter’s the top 10% batted balls and is a far more robust sample than max exit velocity.
When it comes to 90th percentile EV leaders in the minor leagues, Cardinals 20-year-old third baseman Jordan Walker stood tall at Double-A Springfield. His 90th percentile EV of 108.1 mph would rank among the top 15 qualified MLB hitters.
He also was the only qualified minor league hitter with a 90th percentile EV above 108 mph and a weighted on-base average above .360.
As the youngest player at Double-A, Walker has a realistic case as the best power hitting prospect in the minors.
Beyond his raw power, Walker shows a combination of barrel accuracy and optimal attack angles that allow him to get the most out of his natural physicality. Of batters with at least 400 plate appearances this season, Walker ranked 16th with an 18.4% barrel rate, which would rank him among the top five in MLB.
Walker’s combination of tremendous power, barrel accuracy and average contact skills at such a young age puts him on a course for stardom.
—Geoff Pontes
PEREZ SHOWS ADVANCED COMMAND AND POWER AS A TEENAGER
Age may be just a number, but it’s difficult to ignore age when discussing the prodigious Eury Perez.
At just 19 years old, the Marlins righthander was the youngest player at Double-A this year by 11 months, and spent the entire season with Pensacola before going on the injured list with a shoulder issue in early August.
To put this in perspective, Perez is so young that he would be among the five youngest players at High-A and among the three youngest players on the Marlins’ Low-A Jupiter affiliate.
How does Perez do it? The answer lies in his unusually powerful four-pitch mix that he executes with precision.
Few starters in baseball generate the velocity Perez does from his lanky 6-foot-8 frame. Sitting 96-97 mph, he gets his fastball up to 99 with heavy ride and run and raw spin rates between 2,500 and 2,600 rpms.
Beyond his raw velocity, Perez’s ability to control his fastball sets him apart. Among minor league starters who had thrown at least 500 fastballs this season,…
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