I’m not entirely sure how it happens, but it seems like every year we accidentally leave a couple of guys off this list on accident that had no business being off of the list. We cover them extensively at the site, and somehow forget to add them to the list when we do our aggregate rankings. Before I get into the two guys we forgot on our preseason top 75, here is the list we have released in full:
| 1 | Bobby Witt Jr. |
| 2 | Jackson Kowar |
| 3 | Daniel Lynch |
| 4 | Brady Singer |
| 5 | Erick Pena |
| 6 | Kris Bubic |
| 7 | Khalil Lee |
| 8 | Kyle Isbel |
| 9 | MJ Melendez |
| 10 | Austin Cox |
| 11 | Jonathan Bowlan |
| 12 | Michael Gigliotti |
| 13 | Carlos Hernandez |
| 14 | Yefri Del Rosario |
| 15 | Yohanse Morel |
| 16 | Daniel Tillo |
| 17 | Brad McConnell |
| 18 | Kelvin Gutierrez |
| 19 | Gabriel Cancel |
| 20 | Josh Staumont |
| 21 | Nick Heath |
| 22 | Brewer Hicklen |
| 23 | Evan Steele |
| 24 | Seuly Matias |
| 25 | Zach Haake |
| 26 | Jeison Guzman |
| 27 | Nick Pratto |
| 28 | Vinnie Pasquantino |
| 29 | Emmanuel Rivera |
| 30 | Alec Marsh |
| 31 | Zuber |
| 32 | Gavin |
| 33 | Mejia |
| 34 | Capellan |
| 35 | Blewett |
| 36 | Kaufman |
| 37 | Heasley |
| 38 | Massey |
| 39 | Rivero |
| 40 | W Candelario |
| 41 | T Jones |
| 42 | O Florentino |
| 43 | Gambrell |
| 44 | Griffin |
| 45 | Burt |
| 46 | Rave |
| 47 | Eaton |
| 48 | Perkins |
| 49 | Garabito |
| 50 | Gomez |
| 51 | Arnaldo Hernandez |
| 52 | Yunior Marte |
| 53 | Janser Lara |
| 54 | Dante Biasi |
| 55 | Adrian Alcantara |
| 56 | Drew Parrish |
| 57 | Juan Carlos Negret |
| 58 | Rubendy Jaquez |
| 59 | Andres Stotillet |
| 60 | Jose Marquez |
| 61 | Clay Dungan |
| 62 | Eric Cole |
| 63 | JC Cloney |
| 64 | Josh Dye |
| 65 | Anderson Paulino |
| 66 | Anderson Miller |
| 67 | Jimmy Govern |
| 68 | Marlin Wills |
| 69 | Nathan Webb |
| 70 | Nick Dini |
| 71 | Michael Emodi |
| 72 | Anthony Veneziano |
| 73 | Tyler Tolbert |
| 74 | Burle Dixon |
| 75 | Justin Hooper |
You can check out the individual write-ups here:
Now here are the two guys we accidentally left off of the list.
Somewhere between #40-30: Charlie Neuweiler, RHP
- Age: 21
- Bats/Throws: R/R
- Ht: 6′ 1″ Wt: 205
- Acquired: 2017 MLB Draft
- 2019 stats (LEX): 148.2 IP, 4.36 ERA, 4.45 FIP, 9.26 K/9, 3.81 BB/9, 1.03 HR/9
After leaving Neuweiler off of our midseason list last summer, I made a note to myself to make sure to add him back this preseason. That obviously did not happen. It was not intentional and I feel really dumb for doing it twice. We had Neuweiler on our preseason list at #24 to begin 2019, and in no way did he pitch himself out of the top 75.
Neuweiler had a rather odd season in 2019. Over his first eight starts, Neuweiler threw 44 innings to the tune of a 2.86 ERA with 45 K to just 20 BB. Over his last 12 starts, he threw 73 IP with a 3.08 ERA and 77 K to just 25 BB. All of that suggests he’s close to a top 30 prospect in this system, given he was a 20-year old pitching in A-ball.
But over a seven start stretch from May 18th through June 21st, Neuweiler threw just 31.2 IP, posted a 9.38 ERA, and only struck out 31 batters while walking 18. I’m not entirely sure what happened during this stretch, but this is the concern for a prep pitcher that doesn’t have plus-plus stuff. Neuweiler has a very good curveball (the pitch is arguably a 55-grade pitch), but his fastball lives around 90-91 without elite spin and can be extremely hittable in the zone.
Such is the question about Neuweiler’s future. If he can refine his command and add some sink to his fastball, he can easily continue climbing the organizational ladder. If he adds some significant velocity or spin to his fastball, he’s arguably a top 25 prospect in this system. If neither of those things happen, he probably doesn’t make it past AA and ends up around the ranks of Gerson Garabito. 2020 ought to be a big year for Neuweiler, as he’ll get a chance to prove himself with High-A Wilmington.
Somewhere between #30-25: Darryl Collins, OF
- Age: 18
- Bats/Throws: L/R
- Ht: 6′ 2″ Wt: 185
- Acquired: International Free Agent
- 2019 stats (AZL): 208 PA, .320/.401/.436/.837, 0 HR, 14 XBH, 1 SB, 0.73 BB/K, 132 wRC+
Darryl Collins burst onto the prospect scene in a big way as a 17-year old in 2019. Collins’ 132 wRC+ was good for 7th best in the AZL last season among hitters that were either 17 or 18 years old, his BB/K was good for 5th, and his 17.3% SwStr% good for 4th. Collins shows some flashes of insane potential, and while we don’t have much to go off of just yet, FanGraphs has already given the 18-year old a FV grade of 60 for his raw power, meaning he must have an immense amount of strength. Collins projects to play a corner outfield spot as he moves up the ladder, but his bat appears more than capable of playing there. We’ll get a better look at Collins in 2020 if he can make his way to Lexington, where he could potentially vault himself into top 100 consideration with an outstanding showing.
Photo Credits: PLPhoto2015 (@PPhoto2015)
Royals Farm Report 
Collins is one of my follow players. I hope he is able to do enough in ST to start at Lexington but that’s a big jump for an 18 year old. An outfield of Erick Pena and Collins could be fun to watch if they both start at Burlington. Neuwiler is easy to overlook with all the college guys making head lines. He can pitch and should be helped with Wilmington’s ballpark. Frawley has been an aid to many KC pitching prospects over the years.
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Thank you the work put in on doing this list. Three prospects who had outstanding seasons are missing and I’m wondering why. Rito Lugo, Tad Ratliff and Brandon Marklund.
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Thanks for reading!
Totally understand the questions. They’re all relievers and I think a bit over hyped in the long run.
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