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Roman Anthony is the universal No. 1 prospect in baseball. He hits the ball as hard as anyone at Triple-A, despite having only turned 21 last month, and he could be a Major League regular tomorrow if he got the call.
But we’re not here to talk about Anthony’s Major League opportunities. That’s being discussed everywhere else. Instead, there’s a more interesting debate that has us thinking as the calendar turns to June.
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Who’s the No. 1 prospect after Anthony graduates?
That’s not as cut-and-dry. The way it looks right now, there are six candidates who could take the mantle. That’s not counting prospects with MLB experience already (Jordan Lawlar, Marcelo Mayer) or those who have just been called up (Jac Caglianone) and would likely graduate before Anthony. We’re also excluding Walker Jenkins, who has played only two games this season due to left ankle stiffness.
Instead, these are the future No. 1 candidates in a post-Roman world:
The case for: Only 22 years, Chandler has dominated Triple-A since last year with a 1.94 ERA and 123 strikeouts in 88 innings with Indianapolis. His four-seam fastball averages 98.0 mph and gets tons of whiffs up in the zone thanks to a flat approach angle. His low-90s changeup is another weapon, moving 17-18 inches armside, that helps him dominate lefties.
The case against: There’s the whole pitching thing -- both in the limitation modern starters have and the increased likelihood that arms break down in today’s game. There’s also the fact that Chandler has thrown more than five innings only once in 11 starts this season and has eclipsed 90 pitches twice. From a stuff standpoint, his slider (.306 average-against) and curveball (.465 xSLG) have proven more touchable than his other offerings.
The case for: Age relative to level can be a useful predictor of future success. De Vries is the only player aged 18 or younger to get more than seven plate appearances at High-A; he’s gotten 182. He’s one of only nine players in that age bracket to post a wRC+ above 100 (116 in his case) over at least 180 PA since 2006. Among those ahead of him on that list: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Mike Trout, Sebastian Walcott. He’s also swinging and missing a little less than he did last year at Single-A Lake Elsinore and holding onto decent chase rates, on top of playing solid defense at a premium position.
The case against: De Vries has a .972 OPS at Fort Wayne (a hitter-friendly ballpark by Midwest League standards) and a .619 OPS away from it. He’s also batting just .233 in 139 plate appearances as a left-handed hitter, compared to .342 over 42 from the right. Finally, he’s coming off a cooler month of May, in which he slashed just .232/.319/.280 as High-A pitchers begin to figure him out.
The case for: Painter was trending toward early graduation in 2023 before the elbow issues/Tommy John surgery that held him off a Minor League mound until this April. The numbers have been solid during his stays at Single-A Clearwater and Triple-A Lehigh Valley (3.18 ERA, 32 strikeouts in 28 1/3 innings), and the repertoire has been deep with five different pitch types, including a four-seamer that has averaged 96.6 mph and touched 100.2 mph. His control has been fine for a pitcher with so much missed time, and at 6-foot-7, he cuts a dominating figure on the mound.
The case against: Painter is still building himself back up, topping out at five innings and 81 pitches in a start. That’s all part of the plan, but he has significantly more missed time than anyone else on this list.
The case for: Already a solid on-base performer, the 2023 third overall pick has taken another step forward this year at the plate, cutting down on his whiff rate against non-fastballs and decreasing his chase rate from 25 percent in ‘24 to 15 percent through 43 games with High-A West Michigan. He owns a 32/44 K/BB ratio in that span. Throw in the plus-plus speed, and Clark looks like a throwback leadoff man. His defense and arm strength only add to the dynamism up the middle.
The case against: The power production remains in question. Only 10 of Clark’s 42 hits have gone for extra bases, and his .111 isolated slugging percentage ranks 145th among 210 High-A qualifiers. The plurality of his batted balls have gone the opposite way too in a switch from 2024 when he was more pull heavy. It’s still an impressive profile overall, but there is a clear tool in fifth place.
The case for: Along with Nelson Rada, Walcott is one of only two teenaged qualified hitters in Double-A this season. Power is very much the 6-foot-4 right-handed slugger’s calling card, and it’s shown with eight homers in 47 games with Frisco. More to the historical point, his .200 isolated slugging percentage is third-best among qualified teens at Double-A since 2006; only Fernando Tatis Jr. (.221) and Mike Trout (.218) posted higher marks. Walcott is also an above-average runner with 70-grade arm strength.
The case against: Walcott is proving vulnerable to breaking pitches, whiffing on 44 percent of his swings against both sliders and curveballs this season per Synergy, and that might lead to just an average hit tool even for a player capable of hitting the ball so hard. He has also been seen as a potential mover off shortstop, which would ding his profile a bit, and has already mixed in some third base in recent weeks.
The case for: Last year’s second overall pick is taking a buzzsaw to the Minor Leagues with a 1.93 ERA, 0.79 WHIP, 69 strikeouts and only nine walks in 46 2/3 innings between High-A and Double-A. His 34.9 K-BB% and 1.66 xFIP are tops among MiLB qualifiers, while his 40.1 percent K rate places third. Burns is pumping upper-90s fastballs past hitters with impressive ride from an over-the-top delivery, and his upper-80s slider is getting a 47 percent whiff rate. His low-90s changeup is showing the makings of a weapon, but he hasn’t needed it much.
The case against: Burns threw six innings for the first time in his last time out for Chattanooga, and he still hasn’t thrown more than 82 pitches in a start in 2025. Pitchers hold a larger burden of proof that their tools can hold up compared to their hitting counterparts.