The deadline has come and gone. Each team has submitted a list of names to be included in its 60-player pool for the 60-game 2020 season.
Aaaaand ... most of them are incomplete.
What's a deadline between friends, am I right? It's more of a suggestion than a rule, and when you look at the actual rules for these de facto minor-league systems, you'll see that they're pretty flexible.
Basically, every player on the 40-man roster is already presumed to be in the 60-player pool. Another 20 can be added with the presumption that most will be prospects since it's their only chance at getting any development time this year. Of the 60, 30 will make the major-league club (a number that will eventually be reduced to 26) and the rest will report to a nearby minor-league venue to train and scrimmage. And that's who will serve as each team's reserve pool for the 2020 season — again, a de facto minor-league system.
Being such, an expected contender can't sell out completely for development, needing to build up a deep stable of arms in case disaster strikes the pitching staff. There is a competing tension between long-term goals and immediate needs, in other words.
But if you're shocked to see that a certain prospect was excluded from these initial lists, again, the rules are pretty flexible. A team can add a player to its 60-player pool at any time. Removing one gets to be more difficult, which is why some teams may be reluctant to devote a spot to a long-term asset if it's not confident all its immediate needs are being met first. But rest assured that more will be added in due time.
Here's how each team's player pool looks as of now, though. For as many as I could, I've nominated three players on the fringes who could make an impact this year. Not every team has enough potential contributors to bother with such a list, though.
Diamondbacks
The most notable prospect not to make the cut here is Kristian Robinson, a high-upside bat who may simply be held up in his return from the Bahamas. The two other buzzed-about outfielders, Corbin Carroll and Alek Thomas, are both in, as is catcher/outfielder hybrid Daulton Varson, who may be ready to contribute at some point this year.
Players who could make an impact:
Kevin Cron, 1B
Josh Rojas, OF
Daulton Varsho, C
Braves
The Braves managed to fit basically all of their top prospects — including this year's first-rounder, Jared Shuster — so this is one organization that isn't having to sacrifice its long-term goals to meet its immediate contention needs. Having a deep stable of young pitchers no doubts helps in that regard.
Players who could make an impact:
Kyle Wright, SP
Cristian Pache, OF
Touki Toussaint, SP
Orioles
As one of maybe only seven teams with no hope of contending in 2020, the Orioles have the luxury of dedicating their taxi squad almost entirely to development. And yet they've excluded almost all of their prospects, both near- and long-term, including catcher Adley Rutschman, first baseman Ryan Mountcastle, outfielder Yusniel Diaz and pitchers Grayson Rodriguez, DL Hall and Dean Kremer. Since the Orioles have so far named only 44 players, though, there's a good chance those prospects ultimately make this list, as this tweet from one of their beat writers would suggest:
The Os are focusing on the 44 pool players at Camden Yards for OpDay. But other 16 spots will be filled. Some will be top prospects for instructional purposes. Elias said he "would not rule out 2020 draft picks" being part of that mix. Some of the 16 will be able to help in 2020
— Dan Connolly (@danconnolly2016) June 29, 2020
Red Sox
The Red Sox appear to be another another organization that's slow-playing this whole thing, having so far named only 47 players to their 60-player player. So let's not freak out about the exclusion of top prospects Triston Casas, Jeter Downs, Bryan Mata or Jarren Duran just yet.
Players who could make an impact:
Bobby Dalbec, 3B
Darwinzon Hernandez, SP
Brian Johnson, SP
Cubs
The Cubs are slowly rebuilding their farm system after going all-in a couple years back, which means their biggest prospects are pretty far down the ladder. But they're prioritizing the development of starting pitcher Brailyn Marquez, outfielder Brennen Davis and catcher Miguel Amaya enough to include them in their player pool.
Players who could make an impact:
Nico Hoerner, SS
Adbert Alzolay, SP
Robel Garcia, 2B
White Sox
Like the Orioles, the White Sox have only declared just 44 of their 60 spots, but unlike the Orioles, they've still managed to get most of their prospects in there, including 2019 first-rounder Andrew Vaughn. As a team nearing the end of its rebuild cycle, the White Sox's best assets are all on the verge of contributing. Obviously, top prospect Luis Robert was already a lock for a job.
Players who could make an impact:
Nick Madrigal, 2B
Michael Kopech, SP
Zack Collins, C
Reds
The Reds have left out top prospect Hunter Greene, who's still working his way back from Tommy John surgery, but have included all of the others worth noting like infielder Jonathan India, starting pitcher Nick Lodolo, catcher Tyler Stephenson and shortstop Jose Garcia, who was generating headlines with a surprising power display during the first spring training.
Players who could make an impact:
Aristides Aquino, OF
Jonathan India, 3B
Jose De Leon, SP
Indians
The Indians have included almost all of their top prospects, such as third baseman Nolan Jones, who could push for a job at some point, and teenagers George Valera, Daniel Espino and Aaron Bracho, who will be there strictly for development purposes.
Players who could make an impact:
Bradley Zimmer, OF
Bobby Bradley, 1B
Logan Allen, SP
Rockies
The Rockies have come most of the way to their full allotment with 51 declared players, but they've passed over notable prospects like first baseman Michael Toglia, shortstop Ryan Vilade and third baseman Colton Welker. There's still time to add them.
Players who could make an impact:
Brendan Rodgers, 2B
Dom Nunez, C
Brian Mundell, OF
Tigers
All of the important prospects are there, including stud pitchers Casey Mize, Matt Manning and Tarik Skubal, infielder Isaac Paredes and outfielder Riley Greene, the team's first-round pick last year. Spencer Torkelson, the top overall pick just a few weeks ago, is not there as of yet but is expected to be added once he signs.
Players who could make an impact:
Isaac Paredes, 3B
Travis Demeritte, OF
Zack Godley, SP
Astros
The Astros made more of an effort to include their pitching prospects than their hitting prospects, wanting to ensure they had enough arms stretched out should the need arise. The organization's prospect pool has thinned out so much that none of the exclusions are exactly big names in the prospect world.
Players who could make an impact:
Abraham Toro, 3B
Forrest Whitley, SP
Cristian Javier, SP
Royals
Last year's No. 2 overall pick, Bobby Witt, will be there, but strictly for developmental purposes. This year's No. 4 overall pick, Asa Lacy, will not. Pitchers Daniel Lynch, Jackson Kowar, Brady singer and Kris Bubic will also be on hand and might have a chance to contribute if they played for a contender, but the rebuilding Royals probably just want them around for the experience.
Players who could make an impact:
Bubba Starling, OF
Chance Adams, SP
Richard Lovelady, RP
Angels
The Angels have left off some of the younger prospects further down the minor-league ladder, but their trio of high-end outfielders — Jo Adell, Brandon Marsh and Jordyn Adams — will be there.
Players who could make an impact:
Jo Adell, OF
Jared Walsh, 1B
Taylor Ward, OF
Dodgers
The Dodgers included their most well-known prospects, many of whom are close to contributing in the big leagues, but left off a couple personal favorites, infielders Kody Hoese and Michael Busch, who were both first-round picks last year. Realistically, neither would have a chance of contributing this year, and the need for game-ready pitchers is simply too great.
Players who could make an impact:
Dustin May, SP
Tony Gonsolin, SP
Brusdar Graterol, RP
Marlins
All the big-name prospects are there, from pitchers Sixto Sanchez and Edward Cabrera to volatile position players Jesus Sanchez, Jazz Chisholm and Monte Harrison. The Marlins are of course deep in rebuilding mode and can use their player pool mostly for development purposes.
Players who could make an impact:
Monte Harrison, OF
Jesus Sanchez, OF
Jorge Guzman, SP
Brewers
A lot of their top prospects are missing, but that means something different for an organization with so few to begin with. Shortstop Brice Turang is the most glaring exclusion, but with only 45 spots in use, he'll probably join the taxi squad eventually.
Players who could make an impact:
Logan Morrison, 1B
Jake Faria, SP
Jacob Nottingham, C
Twins
All three of the Twins' prospects in my personal top 100 — Alex Kirilloff, Royce Lewis and Trevor Larnach — are there, but next up for me would probably be Jordan Balazovic, a right-hander who broke out with a 2.69 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 12.4 K/9 while rising to high Class A last year. It's an especially odd omission given that contenders shouldn't be limiting their potential sources of pitching help, but with only one unused spot remaining, Balazovic may legitimately be out.
Players who could make an impact:
Willians Astudillo, C
Brent Rooker, OF
Nick Gordon, SS
Mets
A lot of the Mets' top prospects — like shortsop Ronny Mauricio, catcher Francisco Alvarez and third baseman Brett Baty — are far down the minor-league ladder, so their exclusion is a little different than what we're seeing from the Orioles. Then again, like the Orioles, the Mets have only declared like 45 of their spots, so there's still a chance some, if not all, of those young prospects could make it. No Tim Tebow as of yet, for those who care about such things.
Yankees
Jasson Dominguez, a 17-year-old who some scouts have described as the best international prospect they've ever seen, will have to wait even longer for his first experience with pro ball, but Clarke Schmidt and Deivi Garcia, who were fringe contenders for rotation spots this spring, are of course both there.
Players who could make an impact:
Mike Ford, 1B
Clint Frazier, OF
Clarke Schmidt, SP
Athletics
The Athletics don't have any glaring omissions — well, maybe 2017 first-rounder Austin Beck — but then again, many of their top prospects have already gotten major-league experience, putting them on the 40-man roster. The ones already on that list are basically automatic for this one.
Players who could make an impact:
Seth Brown, OF
Jorge Mateo, SS
Sheldon Neuse, 2B
Phillies
The Phillies top two prospects, Spencer Howard and Alec Bohm, are both close to major league-ready, so of course they're on the list. Few of the Phillies' other top prospects are, though. It's not the most talent-rich system, so there are no massive oversights except for maybe shortstop Bryson Stott, the team's first-round pick last year, who is already 22.
Players who could make an impact:
Spencer Howard, SP
Alec Bohm, 3B
Damon Jones, SP
Pirates
The biggest prospects — Mitch Keller (who already has a rotation spot), Ke'Bryan Hayes and Oneil Cruz are all there — but not shortstop Nick Gonzalez, the seventh overall pick in this year's draft, and not Tahnaj Thomas, a hard-throwing 21-year-old who was beginning to gain traction in deeper dynasty leagues.
Players who could make an impact:
Ke'Bryan Hayes, 3B
Cole Tucker, SS
Will Craig, 1B
Cardinals
The Cardinals are another one of those teams that filled only 40-something of their 60 spots, so let's not get up in arms about them leaving off notables like Matthew Liberatore and Nolan Gorman. Both are too far away to make an impact in 2020, so maybe the expected contender just wants to leave its options open for now.
Players who could make an impact:
Dylan Carlson, OF
Alex Reyes, SP
Daniel Ponce de Leon, SP
Padres
The Padres are bringing basically all of their prospects with them, which includes several of the best in the game (Luis Patino, C.J. Abrams, Taylor Trammell and Luis Campusano) and then the best of all, MacKenzie Gore, who actually has a chance of contributing this season.
Players who could make an impact:
MacKenzie Gore, SP
Ty France, 3B
Jake Cronenworth, SS
Giants
The Giants have several younger prospects they could have included for development's sake, but apart from their No. 1 prospect, 18-year-old shortstop Marco Luciano, most of their player pool is closer to big-league ready. Left-hander Seth Corry, a personal favorite after he delivered a 1.76 ERA at low Class A last year, didn't make the cut. Neither did outfielder Hunter Bishop, their first-round pick a year ago, who recently tested positive for COVID-19.
Players who could make an impact:
Joey Bart, C
Darin Ruf, OF
Jaylin Davis, OF
Mariners
The Mariners are bringing basically all of their top prospects, and it's an impressive group headlined by outfielders Jarred Kelenic and Julio Rodriguez as well as starting pitchers Logan Gilbert and George Kirby. They've invited most of their 2020 draft class, too, including sixth overall pick Emerson Hancock.
Am I optimistic any will get to contribute in 2020 for a club that obviously won't be contending? No, I am not.
Rays
The Rays have both a deep system and an eye on contention, which means some of their longer-term prospects are going to miss out on a chance at development this year. They've still managed to fit in most of the big names, including the biggest of all in shortstop Wander Franco, but middle infielder Xavier Edwards, the prize of the Tommy Pham deal, is on the outside looking in with all 60 spots filled.
Players who could make an impact:
Nate Lowe, 1B
Brendan McKay, SP
Randy Arozarena, OF
Rangers
The Rangers' most exciting prospects are especially young. Their top pitcher Hans Crouse barely advanced to full-season ball last year, and recent international signings Maximo Acosta, Luisangel Acuna and Bayron Lora are all still teenagers. None of the four are in the 60-player pool. Meanwhile, third baseman Josh Jung and catcher Sam Huff, who are both a little older but nonetheless still unlikely to contribute in 2020, have indeed made the cut.
Players who could make an impact:
Joe Palumbo, SP
Greg Bird, 1B
Andy Ibanez, 3B
Blue Jays
Another team with a deep farm system but also short-term aspirations, the Blue Jays are forced to have some of their younger talent skip a year of development, including infielders Orelvis Martinez and Miguel Hiraldo. Naturally, top prospect Nate Pearson makes a cut, potentially even stepping into the rotation right away, and other top-100 prospects like Jordan Groshans and Simeon Woods Richardson are there as well.
Players who could make an impact:
Nate Pearson, SP
Anthony Kay, SP
Anthony Alford, OF
Nationals
The Nationals' top prospect, Carter Kieboom, was already a virtual lock for the big-league roster as the heir to Anthony Rendon at third base. It's not the most talent-rich organization otherwise, but the two other prospects who Dynasty leaguers might care about, infielder Luis Garcia and starting pitcher Jackson Rutledge, are both included even though neither has a realistic shot to contribute this year.
