Development isn’t always linear. In the world of MLB prospects, things don’t always work out the way they’re supposed to or in the timeline you anticipate. Just when you think you have something figured out, you realize you don’t.
Every season top prospects underperform, sometimes it can happen for consecutive seasons before a player finally figures something out and then takes a big step forward. There are plenty of examples of top prospects who struggled and dropped in rankings only to recapture their prospect status in the future. Last season, it was players like Orelvis Martinez and Brady House who taught us to be patient.
Below, you’ll find five players all showing signs of rekindling their prospect pedigree early in 2024.
Zac Veen, OF, Rockies: After climbing into the Top 50 of the Top 100 prospects entering 2022, Veen has seen a string of unimpressive seasons and injury as he dropped off of Top 100 lists almost universally. Veen struggled to open 2023 as he played through a left wrist tendon injury that eventually required surgery. The problem beyond just the injury was Veen had been well below-average at Double-A dating back to the summer of 2022. Over Veen’s first 80 games at Double-A, he hit .196/.287/.277 with 16 extra-base hits over 80 games. Over his first 20 games of 2024, Veen is looking more like his pre-2022 self. He’s hitting .313/.418/.567 with nine extra-base hits and seven stolen bases on eight attempts. The quality of Veen’s at-bats have been noticeably better, and he’s showing the ability to hit for more impact than at any point in his career. His 90th percentile exit velocity of 104.1 mph points to a return to health, while his skill-based metrics like contact, approach and bat speed all grade out as average or better. Veen looks on the road to recovering his former high prospect status with further production.
Marcelo Mayer, SS, Red Sox: Marcelo Mayer currently holds the hopes of New England in his hands. After a forgettable 2023 marred by injury and ineffective play, Mayer looks like he’s in the midst of spinning a bounce-back campaign in 2024. Over his first 23 games of the season, Mayer is hitting .276/.314/.429 with two home runs and five stolen bases. While his slashline is just okay, Mayer’s underlying data is good. His 90th percentile EV of 106.5 is well above-average and unlike in 2023, the power looks to be coming with average or better plate skills across the board. If Mayer is able to keep…