Hailed by Michael Salfino of the Wall Street Journal and Yahoo! Sports for its “insightful and often contrarian viewpoint to prospect rankings,” the Prospect Digest Handbook is a perennial favorite among baseball enthusiasts, minor league fans, and fantasy general managers. Now back for its fifth season, the Prospect Digest Handbook is the definitive guide to the minor leagues.

1. Kyle Lewis, CF

Background: The 2016 Golden Spikes Award Winner, Lewis was an offensive dynamo throughout his collegiate career at Mercer University. The 6-foot-4, 210-pound tools laden outfielder began his career with the Bears by batting .281/.340/.382 with three doubles and a pair of homeruns in limited time as a true freshman, but it was just a harbinger of things to come. Lewis busted out in a big way during his follow-up campaign, slugging .367/.423/.677 with 19 doubles and 17 homeruns for Head Coach Craig Gibson. But it was his work in the Cape Cod League that summer that forced scouts and personnel to look beyond his small school stature. Playing for the Orleans Firebirds, alongside fellow top prospects Ronnie Dawson, Bobby Dalbec, Sean Murphy, Eric Lauer, and Corbin Burnes, Lewis battered the elite collegiate competition to the tune of .300/.344/.500 with 15 extra-base knocks (seven doubles, one triple, and seven homeruns). The Georgia-born outfielder raised the bar even further during his junior season in 2016. In a career best 61 games, Lewis walloped 11 doubles, a pair of triples, and a career best 20 homeruns en route to hitting .395/.535/.731. The best part, though, was that his questionable plate discipline blossomed into a viable plus-skill: he posted a videogame-esque 48-to-66 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

The Mariners grabbed him in the opening round, 11th overall, and conservatively sent him to the Northwest League for his debut. Unsurprisingly, Lewis made the transition against inferior pitching look easy: he hit .299/.385/.530 through his first 30 games. But a gruesome knee injury knocked him out for the remainder of 2016 and a significant portion of 2017. He tore his ACL and medial and lateral meniscus.

Finally healthy in late June, Lewis made a couple rehab appearances before being pushed all the way up to High Class A for the second half of the season. He would string together a decent .255/.323/.403 triple-slash line with the Modesto Nuts.

Projection: Per the usual, here’s what I wrote about Lewis heading into the 2016 draft:

“Just to kind of put Lewis’ production into perspective a bit, considering the following: Since 2011 there have been three other instances of Division I players that have batted .400/.500/.700 in a season in which they’ve slugged more than 15 homeruns in at least 180 at bats – D.J. Peterson, a former first round pick, C.J. Cron, another first round pick, and Trenton Moses, who wasn’t grabbed until the 26th round in 2012.

But this also highlights something quite concerning: Peterson hasn’t solved Class AA across parts of two seasons, Cron’s been essentially a league average hitter, maybe a touch better, and Moses never made it above High Class A. Lewis is clearly feasting off of inferior, low level-ish DI competition, and while he’s made tremendous strides in the plate discipline department he’s fanned in nearly 16% of his plate appearances – a staggeringly high number for a player in the Southern Conference. Lewis’ power potential is quite tantalizing, but there’s an awful lot of risk involved in selecting him early in the draft as well.”

Obviously, I was a bit apprehensive about Lewis’ nutty offensive numbers coming out of college. And that was before an ultra-serious knee injury. But he was able to allay some of those concerns in his debut in High Class A, for a few reasons:

He essentially jumped from short-season ball to High Class A without any major red flags popping up. And, more importantly, he did so while missing significant time due to a substantial knee injury. Ignoring the final four-games in which he went 2-for-18, here’s his overall numbers after he returned from his rookie ball rehab: .277/.338/.438. Finally, Modesto’s home field tends to depress offensive production. Adjusting for the pitcher-friendly park, according to StatCorner.com, Lewis’ production jumps to .266/.332/.429.

When Lewis wasn’t DH’ing, which was the majority of the time, he was patrolling center field. It wouldn’t be overly surprising to see him shift into a corner outfield position, likely right field, in the coming years. Despite the lack of overall minor league experience, Lewis is likely ready for the minors’ toughest challenge, Class AA, at the start of 2018.

Ceiling: 3.5-win player

Risk: Moderate

MLB ETA: 2019

2. Evan White, 1B

Background: Pop Quiz # I: In franchise history, the Mariners have selected just one other collegiate first base in the first round; Name him. The answer: Tino “The Bambino” Martinez. Pop Quiz # 2: Other than White, name the three other University of Kentucky prospects that were chosen in the first round (bonus points for the years they were drafted). The answer: Joe Blanton (Oakland Athletics, 2002), Alex Meyer (Washington Nationals, 2011), and Chad Green (Milwaukee Brewers, 1996). As a true-freshman White batted a respectable .318/.369/.418 – though he managed to slug just 15 extra-base hits (12 doubles, one triple, and a pair of dingers). His Isolated Power sat at a paltry .092. The following season, 2016, his offensive production exploded: he posted an impressive .376/.419/.535 with career bests in doubles (15), triples (3), homeruns (5), Isolated Power (.159), and stolen bases (10). Last season, White’s game took another huge leap forward. In 53 games for first year Head Coach Nick Mingione, White slugged .373/.543/.637 with new career highs in doubles (24) and homeruns (10). Seattle grabbed him with the 17th overall pick and put him on the Kyle Lewis Development Plan and sent him to Everett in the Northwest League. He batted .277/.358/.532 in 14 games.

Projection: Per the usual, here’s what I wrote about him heading into the draft last season:

“The immediate comparison will be to former Kentucky bopper A.J. Reed, so let’s take a look:

Player PA AVG OBP SLG ISO BB% K% Evan White 693 0.358 0.414 0.527 0.169 6.78% 14.86% A.J. Reed 771 0.306 0.415 0.559 0.253 12.84% 18.16%

Obviously, White isn’t the prolific slugger that Reed was during his collegiate days, there’s a massive gap in terms of power and patience. So, then, what exactly is White in terms of big league prospect?

Well, let’s talk about what he isn’t first. White has never taken a particular keen interest in grabbing first base via the walk. As stated above, he’s only walked in roughly 6.8% of his career plate appearances. And his walk rate this season, 8.91%, is still slightly below-average for a top collegiate slugger. White also hasn’t shown a tremendous amount of power in terms of the long ball at any point in his collegiate career: he slugged just 15 total homeruns, eight of which happened in 2017. Both the lack of patience and power are pretty damning for a polished slugger at a run-producing position.

So, then, what does he do well?

Makes hard contact. He batted .376 and .385 over the previous two seasons.

He makes consistent contact. He’s fanned in just under 14% of his plate appearances this season.

He’s sneaky fast, having swiped 17 bags in 23 total attempts – or a 73.9% success rate.

His power – while lacking the prototypical long ball potential – has improved in each of his last two seasons, going from .092 ISO to .159 ISO to .276 ISO.

White looks like a line-drive slashing first baseman in the professional ranks. And, luckily for him, one that could hear his name called in the late first round thanks to a weak collegiate hitting class.”

Ceiling: 2.0- to 2.5-win player

Risk: Low to Moderate

MLB ETA: 2019/2020

3. Sam Carlson, RHP

Background: After taking University of Kentucky first base Evan White in the opening round, Seattle opted to take prep right-hander Sam Carlson out of Burnsville High School, with their second selection, 55th overall.

Projection: It took quite a bit of money to secure the services of Carlson last June – $2 million, to be exact. Only four other second round picks received at least a $2 million bonus: Michael Mercado (Tampa Bay Rays), Gavin Sheets (Chicago White Sox), M.J. Melendez (Kansas City Royals), and Matt Sauer (New York Yankees). Carlson’s slotted bonus, by the way, was nearly $800,000 less than the amount he signed for. The big, lanky, projectable right-hander made just two brief appearances in rookie ball, throwing 3.0 innings with three punch outs and zero walks.

Ceiling: Too Soon to Tell

Risk: N/A

MLB ETA: N/A

Background: Coming into the season the knock against Jimenez wasn’t his production, it was his age relative to his level of competition. A late comer in terms of foreign rookie league debuts, Jimenez batted .294/.388/.417 as an 18-year-old in the Venezuelan Summer League. The 5-foot-11, 165-pound center fielder followed that up with a .287/.370/.426 showing in the Dominican Summer League in 2015 a year later. And then in 2016, at the ripe ol’ age of 20, he slugged .312/.358/.441 with 11 doubles, five doubles, one homerun, and 14 stolen bases as he moved stateside to the Arizona Summer League. Again, he’s hit at every level, but he’s never truly been challenged.

Until, that is, 2017. The Seattle front office decided – correctly – to remove the developmental training wheels and pushed him directly up to the Midwest League. And he flourished. Well, at least before he hit the DL. In 64 games with the Clinton LumberKings, Jimenez batted .298/.362/.482 with 17 doubles, a pair of triples, and seven homeruns. Oh, yeah, he managed to swipe 24 bags during that time as well. His overall production, according to Weighted Runs Created Plus, topped the league average mark by an impressive 38%.

Projection: A newcomer to the club’s organizational analysis. Jimenez, simply put, was dominant in every facet of the game during his injury-shortened campaign. He ran like the wind – though he still lacks the efficiency top base threats possess; he hit for power and average; showed a decent, average-ish eye at the plate. The only red flag, outside of his injury, was his punch out rate; he fanned in 28.5% of his plate appearances.

Still, though, there’s an awful lot to dream upon. Consider the following:

Incredibly gifted with tools just oozing from every pore, it wouldn’t be surprising to look back in five years and either say, “Wow, how come no one was talking about this guy?” Or it could just as easily be asked: “Who?”

Ceiling: 2.5-to 3.0-win player

Risk: High

MLB ETA: 2019/2020

5. Luis Liberato, CF

Background: Showcasing an inconsistent, but promising toolkit, Liberato continued to offer up glimpses of his ceiling while frustrating a few moments later. Splitting his time between the Midwest League (for a second tour) and the California League, Liberato hit a combined .246/.312/.438 with 44 extra-base hits: 16 doubles, 14 triples, and 14 homeruns. He also swiped 12 bags in 20 tries as well. His overall production, according to Weighted Runs Created Plus, topped the league average mark by just 2%. For his career, the 6-foot-1, 175-pound outfielder is sporting a .244/.324/.387 triple-slash line, with 60 doubles, 34 triples, 25 homeruns, and 55 stolen bases.

Projection: Ridiculously equipped with the type of tools that the highest paid players in baseball own. Liberato just began to tap into his power potential last season, enough to suggest he might be capable of slugging 25 or more homers in a season. Throw in above-average to plus-speed, an incredible ability to leg out triples, strong defensive metrics, and a keen eye at the plate. That’s not a recipe for success, but one for superstardom. The two issues that may – or likely will – keep him from achieving that ceiling: he’s never batted higher that .258 at any level and, more importantly, lefties give him all kinds of trouble. Bet on the talent and hope for the best. We could easily be talking about Liberato among the game’s best 50 prospects come this time next. And we could just as easily be discussing his name among the most disappointing MiLB’ers.

Ceiling: 2.5-win player

Risk: High

MLB ETA: 2020

Background: Fun Fact Part I: Rosa, a 5-foot-10, 165-pound switch-hitting middle infielder, turned in the best offensive performance among all Northwest League players; his overall production, according to Weighted Runs Created Plus, topped the league average mark by a whopping 51% (min. 200 PA). Fun Fact Part II: Since 2006, only 38 players – including Joseph Rosa – have posted a 150 wRC+. Fun Fact Part III: of those aforementioned 38 players, only seven have accomplished the feat before the age of 21: Rosa, Daulton Varsho, Greg Halman, Kevin Padlo, Tony Thomas, Drew Rundle, and Ryan Wheeler. Overall, Rosa batted an impressive .296/.374/.531 with 16 doubles, four triples, and four homeruns. For his brief career, he’s sporting an impressive .298/.369/.436 with 34 doubles, 16 triples, and eight homeruns.

Projection: A member of the Keep An Eye On section in last year’s book. Rosa did a little bit of everything last season, hitting for average and power, finding first base via the walk, and swiping a few bases. Defensively, he was a bit…raw – at both middle infield positions. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Rosa begin the year up in High Class A. He’s a very intriguing prospect, one who could develop into an offensive-minded second baseman at the big league level.

Ceiling: 1.5- to 2.0-win player

Risk: Moderate to High

MLB ETA: 2020

7. Daniel Vogelbach, 1B

Background: Acquired along with Jordan Pries from the Cubs in exchange for lefty Mike Montgomery near the trade deadline two years ago. Vogelbach, continued to do the one thing he’s done since entering pro ball as a second round pick in 2011: hit. The hefty, lefty-swinging first baseman spent last season in Class AAA, for his third tour, slugging .290/.388/.455 with 25 doubles and 17 homeruns en route to topping the league average mark by 22%. For his career, the seven-year minor league vet is sporting an impressive .287/.390/.476 triple-slash line with 143 doubles, seven triples (an impressive feat for a guy tipping the scales at 250+), and 100 homeruns.

Projection: At this point in his career, there’s nothing new to write about Vogelbach. Well, except the fact that he’s yet to receive an extended look at the big league level. He’s one of the minors’ top judges when it comes to balls and strikes. He offers up a solid amount of power – not game-changing, but something along the lines of 15- to 17-homeruns. And, of course, lefties continue to confound him a little bit. Big Dan Vogelbach is now entering his age-25 season with virtually nothing left to prove in the minors. Whether or not the front office wants to give him a chance, at least as a platoon bat, remains to be seen.

Ceiling: 1.0- to 1.5-win player

Risk: Low to Moderate

MLB ETA: Debuted in 2016

8. Braden Bishop, CF

Background: The club’s third round pick out of the University of Washington in 2015. Bishop, a 6-foot-1, 190-pound center fielder, looked underwhelming – to put it kindly – in his first full season of minor league action two years ago. He batted a combined .273/.338/.326 with just 15 extra-base hits (11 doubles, one triple, and three homeruns) in 104 games between Low Class A and High Class A. The former Huskie had a nice little bounce back in 2017, though, first batting .296/.385/.400 in 88 games back with Modesto and then absolutely catching fire in the Texas League. Overall, he finished 2017 with an aggregate .306/.393/.413 with 34 doubles, four triples, and three homeruns. He also managed to swipe 22 bags in 27 total tries.

Projection: A newcomer to the team’s Top 20 list this year. The conversation about Bishop’s ceiling will ultimately come down to two separate aspects: power and his ability to run ‘em down in center field. The power – or lack thereof – is a well below-average skill. Since his freshman season in college, Bishop’s slugged just 12 total homeruns. But on the other hand he’s been a terrific defensive outfielder. So can his value in the outfield outweigh his offensive inefficiencies? Probably not enough for him to develop into a league average starter. Bishop runs well, works the count, and makes consistent contact. Kind of like a starter-kit for a fourth outfielder, right?

Ceiling: 1.0- to 1.5-win player

Risk: Low to Moderate

MLB ETA: 2018

9. Joe Rizzo, 3B

Background: Fun Fact: the last time a player out of Oakton High School (Vienna, Virginia) was selected as early as Rizzo was all the way back in 1973 when the Twins grabbed shortstop Michael Beck in the fourth round. Rizzo, a second round pick two years ago, turned in a solid pro debut when he batted .291/.355/.392 with seven doubles, one triple, and a pair of homeruns in 39 games with the organization’s Arizona Summer League affiliate. Convinced that the short, stocky third baseman could handle a more aggressive assignment, the front office pushed him up the Midwest League at the start of the 2017 season. The lefty-swinging Rizzo responded by hitting .254/.354/.346 with 17 doubles and seven homeruns in 110 games with Clinton. His overall production, according to Weighted Runs Created Plus, was 4% better than the league average. Rizzo also got hid feet wet in the California League for five games as well.

Projection: So let’s add a little context to Rizzo’s 2017 season:

Between 2006 and 2013, there were only 16 prospects that met the following criteria in the Midwest League: 450 plate appearances and 100- to 110-wRC+ during their age-19 season.

Of those aforementioned 16 prospects, five of them made the big leagues before the end of the 2017 season: Cedric Hunter, Chris Parmelee, Gorkys Hernandez, Joe Benson, and Renato Nunez.

Clearly, those are pretty solid odds. But here’s a list of career wRC+ totals of five players: -6 (Hunter), 98 (Parmelee), 72 (Hernandez), 67 (Benson), and 18 (Nunez). Now, to be fair, Nunez is still only entering his age-24 season, so there’s time to turn it around. But it also doesn’t paint a rosy picture for Rizzo’s future either.

Ceiling: 1.5-win player

Risk: Moderate to High

MLB ETA: 2020

10. Max Povse, RHP

Background: The epitome of a Jerry Dipoto trade: Seattle acquired a pair of productive, ceiling-limited minor league arms in Povse and Robert Whalen for risky, high ceiling prospects in Alex Jackson and Tyler Pike in November 2016. Povse, a third round pick of the Braves out of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 2014, split his time between organization’s Class AA and Class AAA affiliates last season. He threw a combined 70.2 innings while working out of the rotation and bullpen, posting a decent 61-to-26 strikeout-to-walk ratio en route to tallying a not-so-great 5.22 ERA. The behemoth beanpole also appeared in three games for the Mariners, as well, tossing 3.2 innings while recording a pair of punch outs, one walk, and a 7.36 ERA. For his career, Povse has thrown 354.0 minor league innings with 297 strikeouts and just 89 walks.

Projection: Povse showed off a better-than-average fastball during his brief tenure in the big league’s during his debut, averaging a shade over 94 mph – something that certainly plays up given his 6-foot-8 frame. But it’s also a double-edged sword as well: he’s huge, shows an above-average heater, and, for some reason, doesn’t miss many bats. He’s entering his age-24 season and projects as an up-and-down starting pitcher – though he’s likely to find a home as a nice little seventh-, maybe even eighth-, inning arm.

Ceiling: 1.0-win player

Risk: Low to Moderate

MLB ETA: Debuted in 2017

Author’s Note: All statistics mentioned were gathered from Baseball Reference, FanGraphs, ClayDavenport.com, or Baseball Prospectus.