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.

Background: The 2016 third round pick out of Jacksonville University belongs in the conversation for best start to a professional career – of all time. Hays began his collegiate career at JuCo Seminole State, hitting a robust .382/.425/.576 with 12 doubles, one triple, and six homeruns in 42 games. Following the 2014 season he transferred to small Division I school Jacksonville University. And after a bit of an adjustment period during his sophomore season, the 6-foot-1, 195-pound outfielder righted the ship during his junior campaign: in 54 games for Head Coach Tim Montez, Hays slugged .350/.406/.655 with 16 doubles, a pair of triples, and 16 homeruns; he also swiped 15 bags in 20 tries. Impressive production, sure, but no one – and I do mean no one – could have foreseen the next year-and-a-half.

After the Orioles made Hays the 91st overall selection two years ago, they sent him to the New York-Penn League. And, well, he dominated. In 38 games, he slugged .336/.386/.514 with nine doubles, a pair of triples, and four homeruns. His overall production, according to Weighted Runs Created Plus, topped the league average mark by more than 68% – a repeating theme moving forward, by the way. It’s easy to dismiss that initial production. He was a polished collegiate player taken near the top of the draft squaring off against inexperienced, often times less talented pitching. Until he did it again. Twice.

Baltimore aggressively pushed Hays directly up to High Class A to begin the 2017 season – an assignment that lasted all of 64 games. He battered the Carolina League pitching to the tune of .328/.364/.592 while topping the league average by…you guessed it…67%. Baltimore promoted the budding star up to Class AA for another 64 games. And Hays proved – once again – to be the best bat in the Eastern League: he slugged .330/.367/.594 with a 161 wRC+.

He also got a brief 20-game tryout in Baltimore down the stretch as well, struggling for the first time in his young career as he hit .217/.238/.317. Overall, Hays batted a combined .329/.365/.593 with 32 doubles, five triples, and 32 homeruns between both minor league stops.

Projection: Before delving into the actual skill set, let’s put his actual production into some proper context. Consider the following:

Now, to be fair, the home ballparks of Frederick and Bowie tend to inflate offensive numbers. But even after adjusting for the favorable hitting environments, his dominance is still quite clear. He hits for average and power, makes consistent hard contact, has average-ish speed, and performed against the minors’ toughest challenge (Class AA). His walk rate was a bit depressed, but that’s to be expected – partially – for a player putting up his kind of numbers. Defensively, he’s miscast in center field, but his offense more than makes up for it. Ultimately, Hays went from being supremely underrated to a potential future All-Star with the ceiling of a .290/.350/.450-type hitter.

Ceiling: 3.5- to 4.0-win player

Risk: Low to Moderate

MLB ETA: Debuted in 2017

Background: From highly touted to mostly forgotten about. It’s been a couple rough years, not only for a lot of young, promising arms in the Orioles’ system, but Harvey in particular. It wasn’t too long ago that many thought that the dynamic duo of Harvey and Dylan Bundy would be pushing the big league club regularly to the top of the ultra-competitive American League East. But Harvey, just like his hard-throwing counterpart, succumbed to a strained flexor mass in 2014. Unlike Bundy, though, the front office opted to take a rest-and-rehab approach with Harvey. He eventually makes it back, but a comebacker slightly fractured his fibula in early 2015 – during a minor league spring game. As I noted in last year’s book, he eventually finds his way back to Instructs – and his elbow promptly flares up again. This time, though, the team opted for Tommy John surgery. Got all that? Finally healthy, Harvey started down the track of rehab assignments in mid-July. He would make eight appearances across three different leagues (Gulf Coast, New York-Penn, and South Atlantic), throwing a combined 18.2 innings with a laughably ridiculous 30-to-6 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Projection: There’s essentially no new data to analyze. But he looks healthy. And dominant. It’s hard to believe, but he’s only entering his age-23 season. He’s likely slated for a workload between 110- and 130-innings next year. If all goes well, he could be pitching in the Orioles’ rotation by the start of 2019 – though that’s ad admitted long shot.

Ceiling: 4.0-win player

Risk: Moderate to High

MLB ETA: 2019/2020

Background: Outside of Hays, no other O’s prospect saw their status rise more than Mountcastle’s in 2017. Originally taken by the club in first round, 36th overall, in the 2015 draft, Mountcastle had been showing signs of inching his way towards a big offensive breakout, something he achieved last year. Beginning the season with Frederick in the Carolina League, the shortstop/third baseman slugged an impressive .314/.343/.542 with a whopping 35 doubles, one triple, and 15 homeruns. In just 88 games. His overall production, according to Weighted Runs Created Plus, topped the league average mark by 46%. Baltimore promoted the 6-foot-3, 195-pound infielder up to the Eastern League in late July. And after a 23-game adjustment period – one in which he batted a putrid .169/.185/.258 – Mountcastle found his footing and slugged .297/.313/.516 over his final 16 contests.

Projection: Here’s what I wrote in last year’s Handbook:

“Between 2006 and 2016, there have been just 23 other 19-year-old shortstops to make at least 450 trips to the plate in the South Atlantic League. It’s a rare group, certainly, but one would have to assume that if a prospect is seeing that much time at a premium position against significantly older competition then he’d be a legitimate big league prospect, right? Wrong. Big time.

The only tangible prospects of the bunch were Trevor Story, Tim Beckham, Brendan Rodgers, Alen Hanson, Javier Guerra, and Jose Peraza. So let’s tighten the constraints a bit, shall we?

Now of those 23 teenage shortstops, nine of them – including Mountcastle – finished their respective seasons with at least a 100 wRC+. Guess who makes up the majority of that list? Yep, all six of the above list players. So the fact that Mountcastle joined such an elite group suggests he has a very promising shot at developing into some type of big leaguer down the line. He doesn’t walk all that much, but he has surprising power with a little bit of speed and a solid hit tool. If the defense grades out as at least average, which the raw data suggests, then it wouldn’t be surprising to see him develop into a league average starter. And just in case you needed further convincing, consider the following: Mountcastle slugged .302/.332/.455 with a 123 wRC+ from May 1st through the end of the year.”

So let’s update this a bit, shall we? Consider the following:

Since 2006, here’s a list of players younger that were 20-years-old and posted a wRC+ between 140 and 150 in the Carolina League (min. 350 PA): Mountcastle and Clint Frazier.

As I mentioned in Austin Hays’ analysis, Frederick’s ballpark tends to inflate offensive production. According to StatCorner.com, his overall numbers decline from .314/.343/.542 to .300/.331/.499. On the other hand, Mountcastle hit better on the road than at home. Mountcastle has plenty of power potential with terrible walk rates and so not-so-stellar defensive numbers. Expect his pathetic walk rate to creep back over the 5% threshold in Class AA in 2018.

Ceiling: 3.0- to 3.5-win player

Risk: Moderate

MLB ETA: 2019

Background: For the second consecutive season – as well as the third consecutive stop on the minor league ladder – the former Florida State Seminole improved his production. A career .344/.481/.570 hitter with FSU, Stewart looked completely underwhelming during his first 120+ minor league contests: he batted a lowly .218/.288/.345 in short-season ball during his debut and then managed a meager .230/.366/.352 mark in the Sally in the first part of 2016. Since those initial struggles, though, Stewart’s looked like the hitter the O’s thought they were getting when they selected him with the 25th overall pick in 2015.The short, stocky, sneaky-quick corner outfielder batted .279/.389/.448 in 59 games in the Carolina League to close out the 2016 campaign. And he pick up right where he left off in 2017. Making his first – and presumably only – tour through the Easter League, the lefty-swinging Stewart slugged .278/.378/.481 with 21 doubles, two triples, and a career-high 21 homeruns. He also managed to swipe a personal best 20 bags (in 24 tries) as well. His overall production topped the league average mark by 37%.

Projection: Per the usual, here’s what I wrote about Stewart prior to the 2015 draft:

“An OBP-machine. Through his first 165 games Stewart owns a .488 OBP. To put that into perspective a bit, look at some of the more notable careers of some past collegiate hitters: Kris Bryant (.486), Michael Conforto (.376), Colin Moran (.452), D.J. Peterson (.463), Mike Zunino (.393), Dustin Ackley (.489), Pedro Alvarez (.451). Stewart owns an elite eye at the plate – he’s walked in 18.4% of his career plate appearances and a staggering 25.8% this season – and enough pop to develop into an annual 15-HR threat. At 6-foot and 230 pounds, he’s not overly quick, but his above-average hit tool helps compensate. He won’t be your prototypical run-producing corner outfield bat, but has better-than-average production.”

Three years later and the analysis looks spot on. He’s still an OBP machine – he’s sporting a career .359 mark – and he’s still walking. A lot. Through parts of three seasons, Stewart’s found first base via the free pass 166 times in 1310 trips to the plate – or just about 12.7%. The power came surging back, as did the speed, in 2017. Defensively, he’s been above-average, sometimes borderline plus. Stewart looks like a solid, league average or better left fielder. With respect to his production last season, consider the following little tidbit:

Between 2006 and 2014, only one 23-year-old hitter – former top prospect Jason Donald – met the following criteria in the Eastern League (min. 350 PA): 132-142 wRC+, a double-digit walk rate, and at least a .180 ISO.

Donald, for what it’s worth, for a league average bat during the 2010 and 2011 seasons. Again, that seems like a reasonable approximation for Stewart as well.

Ceiling: 2.5-win player

Risk: Moderate

MLB ETA: 2018

5. D.L. Hall, LHP

Background: Fun Fact: Hall’s alma mater, Valdosta High School, has been home to two other high round draft choices: Dave White and Benjamin Belue, both second round picks by the White Sox in 1978. Baltimore grabbed Hall, a 6-foot, 180-pound southpaw, with the 21st overall pick last June. Hall agreed to a contract worth roughly $3 million, forgoing the opportunity to play at Florida State. He made five appearances with the club’s Gulf Coast affiliate, throwing just 10 innings, recording 12 strikeouts but handing out 10 free passes and surrendering eight earned runs.

Projection: Per the usual with incoming prep players, there’s very little – practically none – data to go off of. So it’ll be wait-and-see approach. The initial return on investment, though, wasn’t overly positive for both Hall and the O’s.

Ceiling: Too Soon to Tell

Risk: N/A

MLB ETA: N/A

Background: A second round pick out of Santiago High School in Corona, California, five years ago. Sisco quietly became one of the top catching prospects in the game. Heading into last season, I ranked him as the third best minor league backstop. The lefty-swinging Sisco spent the majority of the year with the Norfolk Ties in the International League last season, hitting .267/.340/.395 with 23 doubles and seven homeruns in 97 total games. He also earned a brief 10-game call-up from the parent club, slugging .333/.455/.778 in limited action. Overall, the soon-to-be 23-year-old owns a .311/.390/.426 career minor league line with 98 doubles, seven triples, and 25 homeruns in 455 games.

Projection: First, here’s what I wrote in my book two years ago:

“Just to add a little bit of context to Sisco’s dominant showing with Frederick last season, consider the following: no 20-year-old catcher with 300 or more plate appearances in the Carolina League topped Sisco’s 140 wRC+ mark since 2006, the first year FanGraphs’ minor league data is available. He has a very promising offensive foundation in place, particularly for a catcher: an above-average eye at the plate, 15- to 17-homer potential, and a hit tool that could threaten a .300 average annually. He’s always shown some platoon splits so that’ll bear watching. Defensively, he…remains a work in progress.”

And I followed that up with this in last year’s tome:

So there’s a few points that I want to make here:

Despite some tremendous production at each stop of his minor league career – especially for a catcher – Sisco’s been incredibly overlooked as a prospect. After doing some digging only ESPN’s Keith Law had the baby basher listed among his Top 100 list heading into last season (he ranked Sisco as the 81st overall prospect). He failed to crack the lists of Baseball Prospectus, Baseball America, and MLB.com. This despite the fact that he topped the league average mark in High Class A by 40% as a 20-year-old. I had him ranked as the 63rd overall MiLB’er and the top prospect at the position. With that being said, he’s still showing some platoon splits in smaller sample sizes. But the overall production, peripherals, and offensive toolkit are just too good to ignore. And it might just be a case of not getting enough at bats against southpaws.

Simply put: Sisco is one of the best catching prospects in minor leagues; it’s time to start taking notice. In terms of offensive ceiling, think something along the lines of .290/.380/.420. His defense remains a work in progress for sure; according to Clay Davenport’s defensive runs saved, Sisco posted a -15 last season.

He’s very likely the reason the O’s didn’t lock Matt Wieters up to a long term deal. Don’t expect him to step in and become an instant contributor on day one with the big league club. He’s going to struggle for a bit before things start to click.”

Even in a down year – his worst as a professional, actually – Sisco still remained a better-than-average bat at the minors’ last stop before the big leagues. Lefties still give him all kinds of fits; he batted just .214/.295/.229 against them in 2017. But the power and overall offensive package remains enough to guarantee him a starting spot. Defensively, he’s been like Swiss Cheese behind the plate. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him turn into a John Jaso-type bat, peaking as a .280/.380/.440-type bat in the right environment. Finally, with respect to his production in the International League last season, consider the following:

Between 2006 and 2015, here’s the list of 22-year-old hitters to post a wRC+ between 102 and 112 in the International League (min. 350 PA): Austin Jackson, Yolmer Sanchez, Lars Anderson, and Ryan Sweeney. And here are their respective big league career wRC+ totals: 103 (Jackson), 75 (Sanchez), 28 (Anderson), and 94 (Sweeney).

Ceiling: 1.5- to 2.0-win player

Risk: Low to Moderate

MLB ETA: Debuted in 2017

Background: The Orioles already hit an absolutely no-doubter with their third round selection of Austin Hays two years ago. But the early returns on Akin, the 54th overall player chosen that same year, are overwhelmingly positive. After becoming one of the major pop-up guys in the college ranks two years ago, Akin’s hardly lost a step as he’s transitioned from pitching for Western Michigan University in the Mid-American Conference to squaring off against minor leaguers. The hefty, 6-foot, 225-pound southpaw, who hails from Midland, Michigan, dominated the New York-Penn League during his professional debut, posting a 29-to-7 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 26.0 innings of work. Baltimore aggressively pushed the portly lefty up to the Carolina League to begin 2017. And he handled it with aplomb. In 21 starts with the Frederick Keys, Akin tossed an even 100 innings, recording 111 strikeouts and issuing 46 free passes.

Projection: Here’s what I wrote in last year’s book following Akin’s dominant debut:

“It’s obviously pretty easy to dismiss gaudy numbers from a player hailing from a non-traditional baseball school, but Akin handled himself quite well during his jaunt through the Cape Cod League two summers ago. In 33.1 innings with the Bourne Braves, he fanned 39, walked 13, and posted a 2.70 ERA. He looks like a tremendous value pick in the second round with the upside of a mid-rotation caliber arm with the floor of a dominant relief arm. Oh, by the way, he finished third among all Division I pitchers with 133 strikeouts as well.”

The ceiling still seems about right: he looks like a mid-rotation caliber arm. But consider the following:

Ceiling: 1.5- to 2.0-win player

Risk: Moderate

MLB ETA: 2019

Background: The left-handed version of Kansas City’s Josh Staumont. Or would Staumont be the right-hander version of Scott? The big southpaw from Howard College can rack up whiffs with the best of them, at any level of baseball, both professional and amateur. The problem: Like Staumont, Scott has no idea where the strike zone is located. Phrases like this are often thrown around with some levels of levity. But, literally, Scott couldn’t hit the strike zone on three consecutive pitches if the fate of humanity relied on it. Now for the numbers: A 2014 sixth round pick, Scott, who checks in at 6-foot-2 and 220-pounds, made 24 starts for the Bowie Baysox in the Eastern League last season, throwing just 69.0 innings while still recording 87 punch outs and a whopping 46 base on balls. Baltimore, for some reason, called up the enigmatic lefty near the end of September for a two-game cameo; he promptly fanned two and walked a pair in just 1.2 innings of work. For his minor league career, Scott has thrown 198.2 innings across four seasons, posting a 251-to-145 strikeout-to-walk ratio during that time.

Projection: Standing atop a mountain of absurdity that only NASA could scale, the former JuCo star turned in one of the most bizarre, memorable seasons I’ve ever seen in my entire life – going all the way back to my first year in Little League. The impressive: 30% of the hitters he faced whiffed. The horribly bad: He walked nearly 16.0% during that same span. The bizarre: despite allowing so many damn base runners, Scott’s ERA was a tidy 2.22; his FIP was only slightly higher (3.17); his xFIP a notch above that (3.45). Every single one of those metrics are well above-average totals. One more impressive feat: throughout his four-year career, Scott’s surrendered just three long balls, roughly 0.1 HR/9.

Let’s have a little more fun with his numbers. Consider the following:

The fact that Scott posted a 30% strikeout percentage is hardly a rare feat. In fact, there are 35 other instances in which an Eastern League pitcher accomplished the feat since 2006 (min. 50 IP). However, what is impressive is his age: 22. Of those 35 hurlers, only four of them – Reynaldo Lopez, Clay Buchholz, Tony Sipp, and Scott – were 22-years-old. On the other hand, his walk percentage, 15.9 BB%, was about double that of the three other arms.

If Scott could ever get his walk rate around four free passes per nine innings, he’d be in the conversation of one of the Top 10, maybe five, left-handers in baseball. Ultimately, though, he’s likely going to end up becoming – potentially – a dominant, hard-throwing reliever.

Ceiling: 1.5-win player

Risk: Moderate to High

MLB ETA: Debuted in 2017

9. Cameron Bishop, LHP

Background: It’s not often that a recent 26th round pick cracks a club’s Top 20 prospect list – let alone making a club’s Top 10. Then again, it’s not often that the aforementioned 26th round pick is a big, lanky, projectable hard-throwing southpaw with a borderline strong sophomore season under on his resume either. That’s exactly what we have were. Bishop, who stands 6-foot-4 and checks in at 215 pounds, entered the 2017 season with some favorable hype, but an oblique injury a week before UC Irvine’s first game knocked him out the entire year. The Orioles bet on Bishop’s strong performance in 2016 – he posted 79-to-33 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 70.1 innings of work – and signed him to a well above-slot bonus of $607,000. A few months later, it’s looking like quite the bargain. In 37.2 innings, all but 3.0 coming in the New York-Penn League, Bishop rattled off a 39-to-16 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Projection: According to a USA Today article on July 17th, Orioles Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations Dan Duquette said that Bishop “was projected to be a third-round pick” heading into the season. It’s difficult to believe that a big lefty with plenty of gas on his fastball and better-than-average peripherals as a sophomore wouldn’t go before the third round with just a bit of added improvement.

Ceiling: 1.5- to 2.0-win player

Risk: Moderate to High

MLB ETA: 2019/2020

Background: The highest pick out of A B Lucas Secondary School, home to minor league vet – and former fourth round pick – Jamie Romak. Hall, a 6-foot, 170-pound shortstop, made just nine trips to the plate in the GCL, going 6-for-9 with a double and a triple.

Projection: Most incoming prep players – usually young arms – barely see the light of day in the rookie leagues after signing. Put Hall into that group as well. Per the usual, it’ll be a wait-and-see approach for the 60th overall pick.

Ceiling: Too Soon to Tell

Risk: N/A

MLB ETA: N/A

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