Farm Futures: Top 10 Prospects: AL West

For the next four weeks we will continue releasing the top-10 prospect rankings in each organization, moving this week to the teams in the A.L. West. These rankings will be updated throughout the course of the season on RotoWire.com when players switch organizations, lose their rookie eligibility, or when a player's development dictates a change in where they are ranked within their team's system. These rankings are intended for dynasty league owners, as many of the players mentioned will not contribute in 2015.

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Rank, Name, Position, Age, Projected Level For Start Of 2015

ASTROS

1. Carlos Correa, SS, 20, Double-A
2. Mark Appel, RHP, 23, Double-A
3. Vincent Velasquez, RHP, 22, Double-A
4. Derek Fisher, OF, 21, Low-A
5. Brett Phillips, OF, 20, High-A
6. Colin Moran, 3B, 22, Double-A
7. Domingo Santana, OF, 22, Triple-A
8. Teoscar Hernandez, OF, 22, Double-A
9. Michael Feliz, RHP, 21, High-A
10. Tony Kemp, 2B, 23, Double-A

Overview:

Houston's system gets a lot of love when systems get ranked, but there is way more depth than impact here. Carlos Correa is a stud, and a surefire top-five overall prospect, but after that, there is not a player in the upper levels of the minors who profiles as an impact fantasy option. The starting pitchers all look like mid-rotation arms, with the caveat that it would not be surprising to see Mark Appel or Vincent Velasquez take a jump in 2015, flashing No. 2 starter potential. After Correa, Derek Fisher is the only other hitter with star potential, but he is a few years away from the big leagues. We often talk about prospects as being better in reality than in fantasy, but the Astros' system as a whole fits that bill as well.

Most Upside:

Carlos Correa - The Astros continue to graduate notable prospects, but Correa is the biggest prize in the system, so the future won't officially be here until he makes his way to the majors. Correa is a five-tool shortstop who will be able to stay there, at least for the next few seasons. If he does eventually move to third base, it will be because he got too big for shortstop, and that will also likely mean that his plus power will be starting to materialize in games. When he does eventually claim the everyday shortstop gig for the Astros at some point in 2016, Correa will immediately be someone who can hit close to .300 with speed and power in the No. 2 or No. 3 hole in Houston's lineup. Correa is in the conversation to be the third best dynasty league prospect after Kris Bryant and Byron Buxton.

Best Bet For 2015:

Domingo Santana - This is a process of elimination pick, not an endorsement, as I don't buy the idea of Appel seeing any significant time in the majors this season and Tony Kemp is blocked at second base (and I'm probably on an island in my support for him because I love scrappy second basemen with a hit tool). Santana failed in spectacular fashion during a brief mid-season callup, striking out in 14 of his 18 plate appearances (77.8%). It's impossible to argue with Santana's raw power, but it is also pretty difficult to sort through his ridiculously high BABIP at almost every stop in the minor leagues. He will probably get called back up sometime this season, but the Astros now have five outfielders who are arguably better than Santana, and the Evan Gattis acquisition may signify that Houston is essentially moving on from the idea of Santana as an everyday option in a corner outfield spot.

ANGELS

1. Andrew Heaney, LHP, 23, Majors
2. Sean Newcomb, LHP, 21, Low-A
3. Kyle Kubitza, 3B, 24, Triple-A
4. Joe Gatto, RHP, 23, Short Season
5. Roberto Baldoquin, SS, 20, High-A
6. Chris Ellis, RHP, 22, Short Season
7. Alex Yarbrough, 2B, 23, Triple-A
8. Taylor Featherston, 2B/SS, 25, Majors
9. Nick Tropeano, RHP, 24, Triple-A
10. Cam Bedrosian, RHP, 23, Majors

Overview:

After Andrew Heaney, there is very little to see here, and after Kyle Kubitza, there is literally nothing to see here unless your league rosters more than 300 prospects. The Tigers may have a worse system, because they don't have anyone who projects to be as impactful as Heaney, but it's certainly a two-horse race for last place in farm system rankings heading into 2015. The Halos sent four prospects to San Diego in the Huston Street trade last summer, and two of the four (Jose Rondon and Taylor Lindsey) would have ranked in the top five here and the other two (R.J. Alvarez and Elliot Morris) could have been considered at the bottom of this list. It is a testament to how bad a system is when it takes four potential top-10 prospects to land a 31-year-old reliever who rarely touches 90 mph.

Most Upside/Best Bet For 2015:

Andrew Heaney - Heaney quite easily tops the Angels' system for both upside and the ability to help in 2015. He is the front-runner to break camp with the final spot in the rotation, and could be a solid mid-rotation arm in future seasons. He had an ERA just shy of 6.00 in 29.1 innings with the Marlins last season, so this is a perfect time to buy Heaney while the price is low. The 23-year-old lefty has a strong three-pitch mix, and while expectations should be slightly tempered in 2015, he is well worth a late-round flier in mixed league drafts this year. In his prime Heaney could realistically offer a sub-3.50 ERA and slightly less than a strikeout per inning.

ATHLETICS

1. Matt Olson, 1B, 20, Double-A
2. Franklin Barreto, SS, 18, Low-A
3. Renato Nunez, 3B, 20, Double-A
4. Sean Nolin, LHP, 25, Majors
5. Yairo Munoz, SS, 20, Low-A
6. Chad Pinder, 2B/SS, 22, Double-A
7. Dillon Overton, LHP, 23, Low-A
8. Matt Chapman, 3B, 21, Double-A
9. Raul Alcantara, RHP, 22, Rehab (Tommy John surgery in May 2014)
10. Kendall Graveman, RHP, 24, Triple-A

Overview:

The A's have recently traded away some significant pieces from atop their farm system in Addison Russell and Daniel Robertson, leaving dynasty league owners to pick through the scraps. Matt Olson and Franklin Barreto should both be owned in dynasty leagues that roster 100 prospects, but after that, there are a lot of question marks. Olson and Renato Nunez are very similar in that they both have 30-homer pop at a corner infield spot, except Olson has a much better approach at this point. The pitchers on this list will likely end up as back-end starters or swing men, and after Barreto, the odds are stacked against the rest of the position players making it as everyday players in the big leagues.

Most Upside:

Franklin Barreto - With Russell and Robertson out of the picture, Barreto now carries the tag of shortstop of the future for Oakland after being acquired from Toronto in the Josh Donaldson trade. Granted, there's no guarantee that he will be able to stay at the position, but for now there is a lot to dream on. Barreto's dynasty league value seems a bit inflated right now as he has been labeled the key to the Donaldson trade on Oakland's end, but he has yet to play in a full-season league, and owners could be waiting at least three years before he debuts in the big leagues. That said, his .311/.384/.481 slash line with six homers and 29 steals in 328 plate appearances at short-season Vancouver last season illustrates why there is so much excitement here. His bat speed is impressive and more power could surface in the coming years, making it very difficult to project the numbers Barreto could put up in the majors. If he has a strong first half at Low-A, he could be considered a top-50 dynasty league prospect by mid-season. For teams in win-now mode, selling high on Barreto this season may make the most sense in dynasty leagues.

Best Bet For 2015:

Sean Nolin - Of the two starting pitchers the A's got back from Toronto in the Josh Donaldson trade (Kendall Graveman was the other), Nolin is the one who has a small chance of being a useful fantasy starter. In the minor leagues his K-rate was fairly impressive, but that is not expected to carry over against big league hitters. However, he is a flyball generating southpaw in the mold of Tommy Milone, and Milone used to be a useful option to stream when he was pitching in the spacious home confines in Oakland. Look for Nolin to win the No. 5 starter job out of camp, and even with Jarrod Parker and A.J. Griffin due back before the All-Star break, Nolin could have a Jesse Chavez-like run of being useful in deeper leagues for a few months.

MARINERS

1. D.J. Peterson, 1B/3B, 23, Double-A
2. Gabriel Guerrero, OF, 21, Double-A
3. Alex Jackson, OF, 19, Short Season
4. Ketel Marte, 2B/SS, 21, Triple-A
5. Edwin Diaz, RHP, 20, High-A
6. Austin Wilson, OF, 23, High-A
7. Patrick Kivlehan, 1B/3B/OF, 25, Triple-A
8. Luiz Gohara, LHP, 18, Short Season
9. Tyler Marlette, C, 22, Double-A
10. Victor Sanchez, RHP, 20, Triple-A

Overview:

The star of the system might be Alex Jackson, who was taken with the sixth pick in last year's draft. However, Jackson is forever away from helping at the big league level, so D.J. Peterson is the de facto face of the system for now. Peterson, along with Gabriel Guerrero (the nephew of Vladimir Guerrero) and Ketel Marte offer three hitting prospects with a chance to be everyday players for the Mariners at some point in 2016, although none of those three have the combination of upside and probability to realistically project as much more than a complementary fantasy piece. Luiz Gohara has the most upside among the arms in the system, but he might be even further away than Jackson. All told, this is the third best system in the division behind Houston and Texas, but nobody is likely to make much of an impact in 2015.

Most Upside:

Alex Jackson - Jackson has the potential to be a fantasy star. He also might be four years away from the big leagues. It speaks to his upside and the lack of high probability impact talent behind him that he is ranked third on this list. Guys like D.J. Peterson and Gabriel Guerrero could be top-100 overall fantasy players if everything clicks, but Jackson could be a top-25 guy in time. There is very little speed here, but he could hit third or fourth in a big league lineup, and could put up Evan Longoria-esque numbers, even while playing half his games in Safeco Field.

Best Bet For 2015:

Patrick Kivlehan - This is a gun-to-my-head pick, because I do not expect any of the Mariners' notable prospects to make any impact at the big league level in 2015. Kivlehan hit 20 homers with 11 steals in 138 games between High-A and Double-A last season, but realistically, he probably won't make it as an everyday player, and he may not even get a chance to be one in Seattle. Taijuan Walker is just four innings over the cutoff for rookie status, otherwise he would not only be the pick here, but he would be the pick for most upside and would rank as the top prospect in the system.

RANGERS

1. Joey Gallo, 3B, 21, Double-A
2. Nomar Mazara, OF, 19, Double-A
3. Jorge Alfaro, C, 21, Double-A
4. Alex "Chi-Chi" Gonzalez, RHP, 23, Triple-A
5. Nick Williams, OF, 21, Double-A
6. Jake Thompson, RHP, 21, Double-A
7. Luke Jackson, RHP, 23, Triple-A
8. Travis Demeritte, 2B, 20, High-A
9. Luis Ortiz, RHP, 19, Low-A
10. Lewis Brinson, OF, 20, High-A

Overview:

Few systems can match the Rangers' collection of high-upside bats in the upper levels of the minors. This year's Double-A Frisco lineup will boast four players who could realistically hit 20-plus homers in the big leagues, two of which could hit 30-plus homers with regularity in Joey Gallo and Nomar Mazara. They also have two high probability arms in Chi-Chi Gonzalez and Jake Thompson, with both pitchers offering the realistic floor of a No. 3 starter. The last three names on the list have major fantasy upside, but that upside is accompanied by a distant ETA and plenty of risk. If the Rangers are not looking like contenders in July, look for even more talent to flood the system via trades, making the Rangers a sneaky candidate to be the No. 1 farm system in baseball next season.

Most Upside:

Joey Gallo - Watching Gallo take batting practice is akin to watching a great white shark leap from the sea with a seal in its mouth. Powerful. Effortless. Destructive. Gallo has 80-grade power all the way. The only guy I would pick to be on the same field as Gallo in a home run derby would be Giancarlo Stanton. But of course there are also some reasons to be skeptical. He had a 37 percent K-rate at Low-A in 2013 and a 39.5 percent K-rate at Double-A in 2014. His propensity to whiff led to sub-.250 batting averages at both stops, despite posting a BABIP above .300. However, sandwiched in between those two stops, Gallo slashed .323/.463/.735 with 21 homers and an acceptable 26 percent K-rate in 246 plate appearances at High-A. The 21-year-old slugger made adjustments last winter and was able to become a complete hitter before failing to take that same approach with him when he was promoted to Double-A. I'm betting on Gallo coming into 2015 with a similarly adjusted approach against Double-A arms, and having a great deal of success, before eventually getting tested at Triple-A or the majors, where he may struggle mightily once again. The key here is patience, because if he can continue to make adjustments, in 2017 Gallo could be viewed as one of the top power sources in fantasy.

Best Bet For 2015:

Alex "Chi-Chi" Gonzalez - Gonzalez gets overlooked on occasion in dynasty leagues because he does not have the big strikeout profile that other top pitching prospects have, but he still has the arsenal and command to be a No. 3 starter in the big leagues very soon. He had a 2.67 ERA in 138 innings across High-A and Double-A last season as a 22-year-old, and has yet to really stumble at any point against minor league hitters. The Rangers have Ross Detwiler and Colby Lewis lined up to start the season at the back of the rotation, and there's a chance that by June or July, Gonzalez will start to look like a legitimate upgrade. It's not worth drafting Gonzalez in most single-season formats, but he's a player to track and will presumably start 2015 at Triple-A.