Since MLB Pipeline began ranking prospect talent before the 2015 season, the top-rated systems have sparked big league success. The Cubs (pre-2015) and Red Sox (mid-'15) won World Series, the Dodgers (pre-2016) advanced to consecutive World Series, and the Brewers (mid-'16) and Braves (pre-'17) have made multiple playoff appearances. The

Since MLB Pipeline began ranking prospect talent before the 2015 season, the top-rated systems have sparked big league success. The Cubs (pre-2015) and Red Sox (mid-'15) won World Series, the Dodgers (pre-2016) advanced to consecutive World Series, and the Brewers (mid-'16) and Braves (pre-'17) have made multiple playoff appearances.

The White Sox (mid-2017) and Padres (pre-'18, mid-'18, pre-'19, mid-'19) haven’t reached the postseason in more than a decade, but those droughts could end as early as this year -- thanks in large part to the talent their systems have sent (and continue to send) to the Majors. The Rays, our latest No. 1, won 96 games and an American League Wild Card berth a year ago, and their system could push them to greater heights.

We expanded our system rankings from a Top 10 at the start of 2019 to a Top 15 at midseason, and now we’re lining up all 30 organizations for the first time. Our evaluations are based on a variety of factors, including potential impact talent, depth, proximity to the big leagues and balance between position players and pitchers as well as ceilings and floors.

1) Tampa Bay Rays

2019 preseason rank: 2

2019 midseason rank: 2

Top 100 Prospects: Wander Franco, SS (No. 1), Brendan McKay, LHP/DH (No. 15), Vidal Brujan, 2B/SS (No. 45), Xavier Edwards, 2B/SS (No. 72), Shane Baz, RHP (No. 90), Brent Honeywell, RHP (No. 91)

Top 2020 rookie: Brendan McKay, LHP/DH

Led by No. 1 overall prospect Wander Franco and an MLB Pipeline-high six Top 100 prospects, the perennially deep Rays system has the depth to survive the next roster turnover while keeping their playoff aspirations alive.

2) San Diego Padres

2019 preseason rank: 1

2019 midseason rank: 1

Top 100 Prospects: MacKenzie Gore, LHP (No. 5), CJ Abrams, SS (No. 25), Luis Patiño, RHP (No. 27), Luis Campusano, C (No. 50), Taylor Trammell, OF (No. 57)

Top 2020 rookie: MacKenzie Gore, LHP

Down from the No. 1 spot in 2019, the Padres have begun to push some of their top prospects to the Major Leagues but still have plenty of talent on the farm.

3) Los Angeles Dodgers

2019 preseason rank: 7

2019 midseason rank: 3

Top 100 Prospects: Gavin Lux, SS/2B (No. 2), Dustin May, RHP (No. 23), Josiah Gray, RHP (No. 67), Keibert Ruiz, C (No. 73), Brusdar Graterol, RHP (No. 83)

Top 2020 rookie: Lux

A World Series title has proved elusive, but no franchise does a better job of winning in the Majors and developing impact talent in the Minors than the Dodgers.

4) Miami Marlins

2019 preseason rank: unranked

2019 midseason rank: 4

Top 100 Prospects: Sixto Sanchez, RHP (No. 22), JJ Bleday, OF (No. 28), Jazz Chisholm, SS (No. 66), Jesus Sanchez, OF (No. 80), Edward Cabrera, RHP (No. 85)

Top 2020 rookie: Nick Neidert, RHP

The Marlins had arguably baseball’s worst farm system two years ago, but trades and a strong 2019 Draft have resulted in a dramatic improvement.

5) Detroit Tigers

2019 preseason rank: 10

2019 midseason rank: 6

Top 100 Prospects: Casey Mize, RHP (No. 7), Matt Manning, RHP (No. 24), Riley Greene, OF (No. 31), Tarik Skubal, LHP (No. 46)

Top 2020 rookie: Casey Mize, RHP

Help is on the way thanks to the Tigers’ wave of upper-level pitching prospects, and the club also has a promising crop of young hitters that could move faster than originally thought.

6) Arizona Diamondbacks

2019 preseason rank: unranked

2019 midseason rank: 5

Top 100 Prospects: Kristian Robinson, OF (No. 43), Alek Thomas, OF (No. 49), Daulton Varsho, C (No. 76), Geraldo Perdomo, SS (No. 82), Corbin Carroll, OF (No. 89)

Top 2020 rookie: Daulton Varsho, C

The Paul Goldschmidt and Zack Greinke trades netted the D-backs some upper-level talent, and they also flooded the system with high-ceiling prospects thanks to having seven of the first 75 picks in the 2019 Draft.

7) Minnesota Twins

2019 preseason rank: 8

2019 midseason rank: 8

Top 100 Prospects: Royce Lewis, SS (No. 9), Alex Kirilloff, OF/1B (No. 32), Trevor Larnach, OF (No. 81), Jordan Balazovic, RHP (No. 86)

Top 2020 rookie: Lewis Thorpe, LHP

More often than not, the Twins have had a Top 10 system, and this year is no different, with a trio of first-round bats creeping closer to the big leagues and some exciting arms in back of them -- even after trading Brusdar Graterol to the Dodgers.

8) Atlanta Braves

2019 preseason rank: 3

2019 midseason rank: 7

Top 100 Prospects: Cristian Pache, OF (No. 13), Drew Waters, OF (No. 26), Ian Anderson, RHP (No. 37), Kyle Wright, RHP (No. 52), Shea Langeliers, C (No. 70)

Top 2020 rookie: Kyle Wright, RHP

They’re not quite as deep as they once were, with some graduations, but it’s still really strong up top with one of the best outfield prospect duos in all of baseball.

9) Seattle Mariners

2019 preseason rank: unranked

2019 midseason rank: 11

Top 100 Prospects: Jarred Kelenic, OF (No. 11), Julio Rodriguez, OF (No. 18), Logan Gilbert, RHP (No. 38), Evan White, 1B (No. 56), George Kirby, RHP (No. 100)

Top 2020 rookie: Evan White, 1B

The decision to restock the farm has gone well with some good drafts and trades to turn this into a top 10 system that has some guys starting to show up in the big leagues.

10) San Francisco Giants

2019 preseason rank: unranked

2019 midseason rank: unranked

Top 100 Prospects: Joey Bart, C (No. 14), Marco Luciano, SS (No. 35), Heliot Ramos, OF (No.65), Hunter Bishop, OF (No. 71), Seth Corry, LHP (No. 99)

Top 2020 rookie: Mauricio Dubon, SS/2B

Landing a pair of potential superstars (Bart, Luciano) and following up with a deep 2019 Draft has the Giants system stronger than it has been in a decade.

11) Chicago White Sox

2019 preseason rank: 4

2019 midseason rank: 9

Top 100 Prospects: Luis Robert, OF (No. 3), Andrew Vaughn, 1B (No. 16), Michael Kopech, RHP (No. 20), Nick Madrigal, 2B (No. 40)

Top 2020 rookie: Luis Robert

A top-heavy system features four of baseball’s 40 best prospects but falls off quickly behind them.

12) Cleveland Indians

2019 preseason rank: unranked

2019 midseason rank: 12

Top 100 Prospects: Nolan Jones, 3B (No. 42), Tyler Freeman, SS (No. 96)

Top 2020 rookie: James Karinchak, RHP

This system is very much on the rise, with seven of its 10 best prospects playing this season at age 20 or younger (led by C Bo Naylor) and featuring a slew of sweet-swinging middle infielders (headlined by Freeman).

13) Baltimore Orioles

2019 preseason rank: unranked

2019 midseason rank: 13

Top 100 Prospects: Adley Rutschman, C (No. 4), Grayson Rodriguez, RHP (No. 36), DL Hall, LHP (No. 69), Ryan Mountcastle, 1B (No. 94)

Top 2020 rookie: Austin Hays, OF

In a relatively short amount of time, this once barren system has been built up, particularly via the Draft, with top prospect Adley Rutschman the obvious headliner.

14) Oakland Athletics

2019 preseason rank: unranked

2019 midseason rank: unranked

Top 100 Prospects: Jesus Luzardo, LHP (No. 12), Sean Murphy, C (No. 33), A.J. Puk, LHP (No. 60)

Top 2020 rookie: Jesus Luzardo, LHP

The big league club is going to be impacted in a big way by this solid system, with the top three all expecting to make major contributions.

15) Pittsburgh Pirates

2019 preseason rank: unranked

2019 midseason rank: 15

Top 100 Prospects: Mitch Keller, RHP (No. 39), Ke’Bryan Hayes, 3B (No. 41), Oneil Cruz, SS (No. 64)

Top 2020 rookie: Mitch Keller, RHP

The trio at the top are elite-level guys, but this system has more depth than it does impact talent right now.

16) Toronto Blue Jays

2019 preseason rank: 5

2019 midseason rank: 10

Top 100 Prospects: Nate Pearson, RHP (No. 8), Jordan Groshans, SS (No. 75), Simeon Woods Richardson, RHP (No. 98)

Top 2020 rookie: Nate Pearson, RHP

Though Toronto’s system took a hit with the graduations of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette, they still have one baseball’s premier pitching prospects headlining a system that stands out more for its depth than high-end talent.

17) Kansas City Royals

2019 preseason rank: unranked

2019 midseason rank: unranked

Top 100 Prospects: Bobby Witt Jr., SS (No. 10), Brady Singer, RHP (No. 59), Daniel Lynch, LHP (No. 61)

Top 2020 rookie: Brady Singer, RHP

A strong, pitching-heavy 2018 Draft has the Royals’ system on the rise, and they added one of the 2019 Draft’s highest-ceiling players in No. 2 overall pick Bobby Witt Jr.

18) St. Louis Cardinals

2019 preseason rank: unranked

2019 midseason rank: unranked

Top 100 Prospects: Dylan Carlson, OF (No. 17), Nolan Gorman, 3B (No. 47), Matthew Liberatore, LHP (No. 58)

Top 2020 rookie: Dylan Carlson, OF

Carlson is one of many Cardinals prospects poised to contribute in 2020, though the real gems of the system are still several years away from making an impact.

19) Philadelphia Phillies

2019 preseason rank: unranked

2019 midseason rank: unranked

Top 100 Prospects: Alec Bohm, 3B/1B (No. 30), Spencer Howard, RHP (No. 34), Bryson Stott, SS (No. 87)

Top 2020 rookie: Spencer Howard, RHP

The Realmuto trade, along with some others during the 2019 season, obviously thinned things out a bit, but both Bohm and Howard could make a big splash this year.

20) New York Mets

2019 preseason rank: unranked

2019 midseason rank: unranked

Top 100 Prospects: Ronny Mauricio, SS (No. 62), Francisco Alvarez, C (No. 63), Andres Gimenez, SS (No. 84), Brett Baty, 3B (No. 93)

Top 2020 rookie: David Peterson, LHP

The Mets’ Top 10 is teeming with high-ceiling young hitters and arms, though, outside of that group, it’s mostly young, wild-card-type international pitchers and depth pieces.

21) Texas Rangers

2019 preseason rank: unranked

2019 midseason rank: 14

Top 100 Prospects: Josh Jung, 3B (No. 55), Sam Huff, C (No. 74)

Top 2020 rookie: Nick Solak, 2B/3B/OF

Jung is an exception, but most of the Rangers’ best prospects stand out more for their ceilings than their floors and will need time to develop.

22) New York Yankees

2019 preseason rank: unranked

2019 midseason rank: unranked

Top 100 Prospects: Jasson Dominguez, OF (No. 54), Clarke Schmidt, RHP (No. 88), Deivi Garcia, RHP (No. 92)

Top 2020 rookie: Clarke Schmidt, RHP

The much-hyped Dominguez headlines a deep contingent of high-upside international players who will need a few years in the Minors.

23) Chicago Cubs

2019 preseason rank: unranked

2019 midseason rank: unranked

Top 100 Prospects: Nico Hoerner, SS/2B/OF (No. 51), Brailyn Marquez, LHP (No. 68), Brennen Davis, OF (No. 78), Miguel Amaya, C (No. 95)

Top 2020 rookie: Nico Hoerner, SS/2B/OF

The Cubs continue to have more success developing hitters than pitchers, with Marquez a notable exception.

24) Cincinnati Reds

2019 preseason rank: 9

2019 midseason rank: unranked

Top 100 Prospects: Nick Lodolo, LHP (No. 48), Hunter Greene, RHP (No. 53)

Top 2020 rookie: Tyler Stephenson, C

Some top guys graduated off this list and some prospects left via the trade that netted the Reds Trevor Bauer, though getting Greene back on the mound will help boost this system.

25) Boston Red Sox

2019 preseason rank: unranked

2019 midseason rank: unranked

Top 100 Prospects: Jeter Downs, 2B/SS (No. 44), Triston Casas, 1B (No. 77)

Top 2020 rookie: Bobby Dalbec, 3B/1B

After fueling a 2018 World Series championship, the Red Sox system is in a rebuilding phase, with most of its best prospects at the lower levels.

26) Los Angeles Angels

2019 preseason rank: unranked

2019 midseason rank: unranked

Top 100 Prospects: Jo Adell, OF (No. 6), Brandon Marsh, OF (No. 79)

Top 2020 rookie: Jo Adell, OF

Starting with the two guys at the top, this organization has a lot of toolsy, athletic types that are of the high-risk, high-reward variety.

27) Colorado Rockies

2019 preseason rank: unranked

2019 midseason rank: unranked

Top 100 Prospects: Brendan Rodgers, 2B/SS (No. 29)

Top 2020 rookie: Brendan Rodgers, 2B/SS

There’s not a lot of elite-level talent right now, but keep an eye on the lower levels of the system for young guys who could take a big step forward and move this organization up this list.

28) Houston Astros

2019 preseason rank: 6

2019 midseason rank: unranked

Top 100 Prospects: Forrest Whitley, RHP (No. 19)

Top 2020 rookie: Jose Urquidy, RHP

Graduates and trades have severely thinned out the Astros system, but it’s hard to argue with the big league success they’ve created.

29) Washington Nationals

2019 preseason rank: unranked

2019 midseason rank: unranked

Top 100 Prospects: Carter Kieboom, SS/2B (No. 21), Luis Garcia, SS/2B (No. 97)

Top 2020 rookie: Carter Kieboom, SS/2B

The Nationals won the World Series in 2019, though the cost of remaining competitive via trades and free-agent signings has depleted the system of countless future big leaguers.

30) Milwaukee Brewers

2019 preseason rank: unranked

2019 midseason rank: unranked

Top 100 Prospects: none

Top 2020 rookie: Drew Rasumussen, RHP

The only organization without a Top 100 prospect, the Brewers quietly have assembled an interesting crop of young, up-the-middle prospects and left-handed pitchers via both the Draft and the international market.