The Honorable Mentions who didn’t quite make the Top 30
It’s time to reveal the five players who made it the closest to the mid-season 2024 top 30 Purple Row Prospects (PuRPs) list as voted on by the Purple Row community recently. For each player, I’ll include a link to individual stats and contract status (via Baseball-Reference), as well as notes on their 2024 season if applicable. For the sake of full disclosure, I’ll also include where I put each player on my ballot. All ages are as of the day the article is posted.
35. Zach Agnos (51.8 points, 9 ballots), 2022 10th Round, RHP at Double-A (24)
Agnos played both ways at East Carolina, thriving as their starting shortstop while coming out of the bullpen. Indeed, until his draft year, Agnos wasn’t on the mound much at all. In fact, he even hit a very respectable .330/.405/.479 over 312 PA in 2022 while throwing 23 1⁄3 innings of relief with a 2.31 ERA. Nonetheless, since getting drafted and signing for an over slot $165k bonus, Agnos has been a pitcher only — and with great results.
After a draft year cameo in the Arizona Complex League, Agnos pitched well in full season ball at Low-A Fresno in 2023. He posted a 2.06 ERA with a 1.01 WHIP, 11.7 K/9 rate, and 2.2 BB/9 rate in 52 1⁄3 innings with 27 saves (which led all of Minor League Baseball) at a league average age. This year, Agnos took a step up to High-A Spokane and raised his game even more. In 24 2⁄3 innings across 21 games, the 6’0” righty had a minuscule 0.73 ERA and 0.69 WHIP with a 10.9 K/9 rate, 0.7 BB/9 rate, and 10 saves, again at a league average age.
The Rockies promoted Agnos to Double-A Hartford in late June, where he is 1.5 years younger than league average. In 14 appearances there, he has pitched 15 1⁄3 innings with a 1.76 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 10.6 K/9 rate, and 3.5 BB/9 rate with four saves. Double-A is commonly thought of as the biggest proving ground for prospects, and thus far Agnos has responded well to the challenge.
MLB.com ranks Agnos 30th in the system as a 40 FV prospect with a well rounded arsenal and good command:
A 6-foot right-hander, Agnos now looks very much like a pitcher now, not a shortstop who happens to pitch. And he does so with feel for a four-pitch mix. His fastball sits around 94 mph and can touch a tick or two higher. He can miss bats with a mid-80s slider, and his changeup at around the same velocity has been effective as well, especially against left-handed hitters. He’s incorporated a hard, late cutter into his repertoire as well.
While none of his pitches jump off the page as plus, they play up because Agnos commands all of them well. His size and a little effort in his delivery mean he’s a bullpen guy only, but it’s looking more and more likely that he’s going to get to do that in the big leagues in the near future.
Eric Longenhagen of Fangraphs ranked Agnos as a 40 FV prospect in April, currently 34th in the system:
A rock solid two-way player at East Carolina and on Team USA, Agnos has focused on pitching in pro ball, and has added three ticks of velo. He’s also begun to incorporate a cutter into his pitch mix. Agnos is sitting 93-94 with uphill angle early in 2024, and in part because of his consistent command, he’s capable of missing bats with both his slider and changeup, which descend and diverge from Agno’s high arm slot. His changeup in particular has movement that looks like a lefty’s slider. His repertoire and command are perhaps good enough to consider a move to the rotation, but for now Agnos is the closer at Spokane. He’s a good middle relief prospect.
Agnos is moving quickly and seems like a strong candidate for the bullpen in 2025 and beyond. For me, he’s in a large cluster of similar valuable relief prospects in the 40 FV tier that rank just outside my top 30.
34. Braiden Ward (52.5 points, 9 ballots), 2021 16th Round, 2B/OF at Double-A (25)
The lefty hitting, righty throwing outfielder has for most of his minor league career been a utility outfielder, caught behind some of the PuRPs that now litter the top 20 of the system. Drafted as a college senior out of Washington, Ward has consistently been old for the level, but he’s put up good numbers when given a chance to play.
The 5’9” outfielder crushed the ball in the Complex League in his draft year (150 wRC+) and in Low-A in 2022 (170 wRC+), then upon a High-A promotion in the back half he struggled a bit (87 wRC+). In a repeat campaign at Spokane in 2023, Ward was again a reserve player behind a strong prospect group, but this time he improved to a 116 wRC+ and dabbled a bit at second base to find more playing time. The prospect crush was still a factor entering 2024, and Ward was sent back to Spokane again for a third time (2.5 years older than league average).
This time, Ward made it impossible to ignore him, hitting .340/.426/.550 with 13 XBH and 18 steals in 22 attempts in 115 PA (174 wRC+) to start the season while mostly playing second base. He was promoted to Hartford in late May (where he is 1.4 years older than league average), a few weeks after Benny Montgomery was lost for the year, and he has mostly played center field to fill that void. So far with Hartford, Ward has a .257/.360/.388 line in 246 PA with 14 XBH and 23 steals in 27 attempts, good for a 118 wRC+.
Back in 2023, Fangraphs listed Ward as an “Up the Middle Depth” prospect:
Ward, 24, was Colorado’s 16th rounder in 2021 out of Washington. He can fly and has begun to see time at second base in addition to all three outfield spots. He’s performed at a near league-average level in A-ball, for which he’s pretty old.
Ward’s positional versatility will serve him well in the future, as Colorado remains stuffed with high profile outfield prospects. He could carve out a role at the big league level as a utility player, a profile that is a 35+ FV player for me.
33. Yujanyer Herrera (66 points, 9 ballots), 2024 Trade (MIL), RHP at High-A (21)
Herrera just turned 21 over the weekend, but he has been a professional for five years, having been signed in August 2019 out of Venezuela by the Brewers for only a $10k bonus. Due to the pandemic though, Herrera didn’t throw a pitch in affiliated ball until 2021 and he didn’t come stateside until the next year. Indeed, the 6’3” right-hander was Rule 5 eligible last off-season but he wasn’t selected. I don’t blame other teams for not selecting Herrera though, as he truly didn’t pop up on the prospect radar until this year.
Herrera began 2024 back in Low-A Carolina for the third straight year (though he was still 1.6 years younger than league average), where he quickly showed that he was ready for a new challenge with 17 innings of 2.12 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, and 14.3 K/9 rate ball over four games. A promotion to High-A Wisconsin followed, where he was 3.1 years younger than league average. In 12 games there, Herrera threw 51 innings with a 3.18 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 8.8 K/9 rate, and 3.0 BB/9 rate. That was enough for the Rockies to acquire Herrera as part of the Nick Mears trade.
Since the trade a few weeks ago, Herrera has made three strong starts with Spokane, throwing 18 innings with a 3.00 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 10.0 K/9 rate, and 2.5 BB/9 rate.
At the time of the trade, MLB.com had this scouting report on Herrera (though he isn’t in the top 30 currently):
Herrera has the makings of a solid three-pitch mix coming from a 6-foot-3 frame. The right-hander’s fastball sits in the 92-94 mph range and he backs it up with an above-average slider with good dropping action and he can backfoot lefties with it. He also has a below-average changeup.
Herrera has missed a lot more bats in 2024 than he has previously, thanks largely to that breaking ball, and he continues to do a good job of getting ground-ball outs and throwing a good amount of strikes. If the changeup comes, he could have the chance to start, with the fastball-slider combination likely ticking up if he ends up in a bullpen.
While there are no guarantees when it comes to injuries, Herrera is listed at 6-foot-3 and 175 pounds, and the Rockies see a physical frame that can handle the rigors of a long season. With his natural extension down the mound, the ability to mix speeds with his fastball-slider combination, and a ground-ball pitching style, he makes sense for the Rockies.
Longenhagen of Fangraphs was even more bullish on Herrera, ranking him as easily the best of the prospects Colorado received at the deadline (11th out of 92) as a 45 FV prospect despite not even ranking him in the Brewers system back in March. Herrera is currently ranked 9th in the system:
Herrera is going to be a starter and even though he’s just about to turn 21 he’s a pretty good bet to be put on the 40-man his offseason. He’s up to 98 but sitting 93-95 with both a two- and four-seam fastball that help one another play due to their distinct movement. His best pitch is a two-plane slider in the 83-87 mph range and Herrera also has a cutter. Herrera is listed at 175 pounds but is closer to 240. He’s graceful for his size and has lovely touch and feel command of his fastballs and slider. While he’s definitely less projectable than the typical 20-year-old pitcher, Herrera is very advanced and is a high-probability no. 4/5 starter.
Herrera represents the kind of pitching prospect the system needs more of and I’m excited to see how he reacts to the challenge of Double-A next year. As is mentioned above, he’s a likely 40-man roster add this off-season given his progression in 2024, though he’ll probably be closer to a 2026 debut. I ranked Herrera as a 40+ FV prospect, 20th on my ballot, due to the likelihood he remains in the rotation and the quality of the stuff.
32. Luichi Casilla (66 points, 12 ballots), 2022 International Free Agent (DR), LHP at Complex League (19)
Casilla has been a pop-up arm this year after signing for $160k back in 2022. The 6’2”, 180 pound Dominican lefty was electric in a seven start season in 2022 (1.19 ERA, 11.1 K/9 rate, 22 2⁄3 innings) in the Dominican Summer League, then got more playing time in 2023 in the DSL. That year, he threw 40 2⁄3 innings in 11 games with a 3.32 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 9.7 K/9 rate, and 3.8 BB/9 rate.
That performance wasn’t necessarily the catalyst for his rise into Purple Row’s prospect consciousness. Rather, it was Longenhagen’s glowing scouting report this spring, categorizing him as a 40+ FV prospect with 60 future grades on the fastball and curveball, ranking him 21st in the system:
Casilla has been one of the more exciting pop-up arms of early 2024 backfield action, as the teenage lefty has routinely been in the 95-98 range with his fastball and flashes a nasty two-planed breaking ball. Casilla is a high-waisted, bubble-butted southpaw with a rectangular frame. His body composition is similar to Framber Valdez and Jake McGee — he’s not skinny or sculpted, but he’s still powerful and athletic. Casilla pitches at the top of the zone with his fastball, which sinks down into the zone and finds barrels. He was frustratingly wild and hittable during my in-person look and for the many scouts who have seen him during the spring. Some adjustment needs to be made to Casilla’s fastball or its usage, either something about grip/release that helps it play at the belt the way he seems inclined to use it, or something that leans into his ability to sink the ball. Purely a dev project with a ton of relief risk at this stage, Casilla’s arm strength and raw breaking ball quality are still an exciting foundation for a prospect his age. He has sizable upside if the Rockies can develop him.
Here’s the video accompanying the above report.
Casilla still looks like a project this year in the Arizona Complex League, where he has a 7.00 ERA, 1.72 WHIP, and 7.0 BB/9 rate in 36 innings across 12 games. On the other hand, Casilla has struck out 57 hitters in those 36 innings and his 4.50 xFIP indicates some poor fortune so far in the results he’s received. I’m enough of a believer in the potential to rank Casilla as a 40 FV player, 27th on my list, though it’ll be a while before we see what amount of that potential is realized.
31. Bradley Blalock (73 points, 19 ballots), 2024 Trade (MIL), RHP at MLB (23)
The other player acquired in the Nick Mears trade is Blalock, who had made his Major League debut in relief in late June, but who otherwise was pitching in Double-A as a member of the Brewers’ 40 man roster.
The 6’2” right-hander had originally been drafted in the 32nd round of the 2019 draft by Boston and given an over slot $250k bonus out of high school. Blalock got a few appearances in his draft year, then lost 2020 to the pandemic. He had a decent Low-A campaign as one of the youngest players in the league in 2021, then lost all of 2022 to Tommy John surgery. 2023 was a year of change for Blalock, as he moved between Boston’s Low-A and High-A affiliates, then was moved for Luis Urias to the Brewers at the deadline. After a few appearances for Milwaukee’s High-A affiliate to close the season, the Brewers added Blalock to their 40-man roster this past off-season.
Blalock was assigned to Double-A by Milwaukee to begin 2024, where he was 1.6 years younger than league average. He made 16 starts and threw 75 innings for them. posting a 4.08 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 7.7 K/9 rate, and 3.2 BB/9 rate. After the trade in late July, Blalock made two starts in Hartford, allowing eight earned runs on 16 hits and two walks while striking out 12 in 11 2⁄3 innings.
The Rockies called up Blalock last week for his first Major League start and he fell one out short of a quality start in a losing effort. Yesterday he had his second MLB start and had the same result (5 2⁄3 innings) but the Rockies got the win. Combined that’s 11 1⁄3 IP with four runs on 12 hits, three walks, and six strikeouts (and 0.5 rWAR). Between the minors and majors this year, Blalock has thrown 99 innings in 21 games and he looks comfortable in the Show.
MLB.com ranks Blalock 24th in the system as a 40 FV player:
Blalock flashed a 92-96 mph fastball in his return from surgery, and the pitch featured enough ride up in the zone to play above average velo at times. His 78-82 mph power curveball drew immediate praise from Brewers higher-ups following the trade as another potential above-average offering, though it hasn’t been as sharp in 2024, while his mid-80s slider gives batters another breaking ball to ponder. He added an upper-80s splitter and that was showing solid development in 2023, though lefties still enjoyed much better success against him than righties.
The fact that Blalock’s control returned so quickly post-TJ was a promising sign, and that was one of the reasons why the Crew didn’t want to risk losing him via the Rule 5 Draft, though that’s another area of his game that regressed a bit this season. Still just 23, time is on his side, with hope that Blalock can continue to trend up the farther he gets from surgery.
[Blalock] checks many boxes in the Rockies’ current profiles for pitchers. The fastball that can play high in the zone, plus a couple of breaking pitches that allow for changes of speed. The split-finger pitch could also help at Coors, as veteran Cal Quantrill has demonstrated. Blalock is a solid 6-foot-2, but he gets above-average extension down the mound — something the organization has keyed in on during recent Drafts.
At Fangraphs, after ranking Blalock 13th in the Brewers’ system pre-season, their evaluation backed up by the time of the trade to a 40 FV grade, 23rd in the system and 44th of the 92 prospects traded at the deadline:
Blalock is a below-average athlete and his long-ish arm action makes his delivery look somewhat relievery, but he has four viable pitches and starter-quality command. He’ll show you a mid-90s downhill heater, two distinct breaking balls (which are tough to parse from Blalock’s fastball and one another), and a mid-80s changeup that succeeds because of Blalock’s command of it rather than its movement. Aspects of Blalock’s upright delivery that detract from his fastball’s effectiveness aid in hiding his breaking balls, which he can land for a strike when he wants. It’s average stuff that sings because of Blalock’s command, and he should be a José Urquidy type of backend starter who shifts into a long relief role on a great team’s playoff roster.
Blalock was 15th in the Athletic’s pre-season Brewers system rank:
[Blalock is] 90-94 mph, touching 96, with a slider that pushes plus and a solid-average changeup, coming right over the top to drive the fastball down in the zone. He throws a ton of strikes and has the three pitches to start if he can handle a full season’s workload.
He was 12th in the pre-season ESPN.com look at Milwaukee’s system as a 45 FV player:
Blalock’s fastball has ordinary velocity at 93-95 mph but plays up as a plus pitch due to shape and command and he supports it by commanding three solid off-speed pitches.
Blalock has already experienced some success in the big leagues in a starter role, though it of course is a small sample. That utility and proximity has considerable value, which is why I ranked him as a 40 FV player and 29th on my list.
★ ★ ★
To see the players that did make the cut, check back over the next week or two as I unveil the mid-season 2024 PuRPs list five at a time!