2024 WFBL FUTURES RANKINGS

The WFBL Organizational Futures Ranking for 2024 have been based on an evaluation of the total number and ranking position of your Minors system prospects on the top prospect lists of the following industry expert websites: MLB Pipeline Top 100, Baseball America Top 100, The Athletic Top 100, CBS Sports Top 100, Fantrax Top 100 Dynasty, Fantasy Alarm Top 100, Bleacher Report Top 100, and Baseball Prospectus Top 101. Players listed below each appeared as individually ranked with at least one of these resources for 2024. 

The rankings of your prospects on these lists as to the total number of players showing up, as well as how highly those prospects are ranked by the experts was considered in formulating the final WFBL rankings. Your opportunity to improve with high draft picks over the next couple of years was also given consideration. If you have a problem with where your franchise is ranked, you can generally blame these evaluation services - but also may need to review your own moves and your attention to prospects and the Minors Draft. 

Players who have Minors options and Majors experience were only considered if they were ranked by the previously mentioned sources. If your club is near the bottom of the rankings, especially if you have been in the lower tiers for a few years, you should take some time to evaluate your Minors system and Minors Draft strategy more carefully.

In parentheses next to each team name are the last five years organizational "WFBL Futures" rankings, with 2023 on the far left and through 2019, from left to right. 

Following the player listings, you can find each organization's WFBL Minors Draft status. The overall number of picks which each club controls in the 2024-27 Minors Drafts, with the number of first round picks during those years in parentheses. 

Last year's top Minors Draft pick at second overall, Wyatt Langford is part of a talented group ready to help lead the A's back to relevance

The A's have the deepest and most talented minor league system in the league, but that really shouldn't be surprising. GM Matt Veasey undertook a full rebuilding program over the last year-and-a-half and acquired a number of high-value prospects and high draft picks. It all resulted in the club's worst-ever regular season a year ago. But a few youngsters arrived in 2023, more will arrive this coming season, and the future certainly looks bright in Philadelphia.

Jackson Chourio, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Wyatt Langford, Ethan Salas, Paul Skenes, James Wood, Andrew Painter, Walker Jenkins, Marcelo Mayer, Colson Montgomery, Colt Keith, Cade Horton, Jacob Misiorowski, Dalton Rushing, Curtis Mead, Shane Baz, Xavier Isaac, Termarr Johnson, Luis Morales, Gavin Stone, Aidan Miller, Druw Jones

2024-27 Minors Draft: 1 (1)

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Pete Crow-Armstrong is part of the next wave coming from a Cubs farm system that has been ranked highly for years now

2. VANCOUVER CUBS (4-4-1-1-7)

The streak of seven straight years without reaching the postseason should be ending soon for a Cubbies team that nearly snuck into the playoffs a year ago. GM Josh McGlohn has built a strong and deep minor league system that should see a few more pieces graduate in the coming season. Vancouver also has an enviable draft position that should keep them contenders for years to come.

Evan Carter, Jordan Lawlar, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Jackson Jobe, Chase DeLauter, Sebastian Walcott, Kyle Teel, Chase Hampton, Ronny Mauricio, Brayden Taylor, Robert Gasser, Kevin McGonigle, Jonatan Clase, Daniel Espino

2024-27 Minors Draft: 20 (8)

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Nolan Schanuel will try to force himself into the talented Ems lineup as the club looks to push for its first WFBL championship

3. EUGENE EMERALDS (3-1-3-3-3)

Repeating last year's opening line on the Emeralds: "Ho-hum. Another prospect rankings, another top three finish for the Ems." GM Dave Fackrell and the Ems won their fourth Mack/West pennant in the last five years and maintains deep prospect pool talent. This is a team that could capture their first-ever WFBL championship at any time and should contend for years to come. Now, can they finally get over the postseason hump?

Jasson Dominguez, Max Clark, Robby Snelling, Mason Miller, Brady House, Everson Pereira, Nolan Schanuel, Thayron Liranzo, Elijah Green, Carlos Jorge, Justyn-Henry Malloy, Chase Petty, Bryan Ramos, Arjun Nimmala

2024-27 Minors Draft: 15 (5)

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Detroit should be finding room soon for the powerful Junior Caminero as the Drillers look to return to contention 

4. DETROIT DRILLERS (1-3-6-4-4)

It's yet another top five finish in the prospect evaluations for GM Ryan Hreben. Since capturing three straight Kalas/Central pennants culminating in the 2020 WFBL championship, the Drillers have been one of the league's more frustrating teams with losing records in each of the last three seasons. But the young talent will continue to come and a return to contention appears imminent in the Motor City.

Junior Caminero, Rickey Tiedemann, Noelvi Marte, Kyle Harrison, Dylan Lesko, Harry Ford, Tyler Soderstrom, Tink Hence, Andy Pages, Lazaro Montes, Kyle Manzardo, Luisangel Acuna, Connor Norby, Miguel Bleis, Cam Collier

2024-27 Minors Draft: 25 (4)

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Shortstop Marco Luciano appears ready to push his way into the Tribe starting lineup as the Tribe looks to rise back up from the bottom

5. SPOKANE INDIANS (11-10-14-15-15)

GM David McNickle's club collapsed to register the league's worst record a year ago following back-to-back 13-win seasons and a Mack/West pennant. The prospect pool has floundered in the bottom half of the rankings for years, but that changes this time around. If enough of the youngsters can push their way to the Majors quickly, the Tribe could find themselves right back in contention in this increasingly tough division.

Jeferson Quero, Marco Luciano, Bryce Eldridge, Bubba Chandler, Tekoah Roby, Brayan Rocchio, Carson Whisenhunt, Ryan Clifford, Kevin Alcantara, Moises Ballesteros, Zack Veen, Anthony Solometo

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A talented group of impact bats should arrive soon for the Cajuns, including near-ready infielder Jace Jung

6. RAYNE RAJIN' CAJUNS (15-15-17-14-17)

No organization has increased the talent depth in their minor league system more impressively than the Cajuns from last year to this year. Much of that comes from a strong 2023 Minors Draft group. While there is still work to be done in order to get the Bayou Boys back to the championship levels of 2017, GM Perry Sanchez has a growing foundation of youngsters in place to help make that happen in the coming years.

Dylan Crews, Adael Amador, Jace Jung, Tommy Troy, Enrique Bradfield, Blake Mitchell, Ignacio Alvarez, Juan Brito, Sal Stewart

2024-27 Minors Draft: 22 (4)

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Spencer Jones hopes to power his way to Brantford quickly

7. BRANTFORD BISONS (9-13-7-7-13)

GM Bob Turner's club has made the playoffs in each of the last two years. Though last year's Bisons finished in fourth place and with a losing record, they went on a Cinderella postseason run before falling just short of the league crown. With just one winning campaign in the last six, Brantford will look to regain the form that saw them nearly capture the Owens/East pennant just two years ago as their position player prospect pool talent continues to take a step forward.

Jackson Merrill, Jett Williams, Brooks Lee, Carson Williams, Spencer Jones, Jacob Wilson, Max Meyer

2024-27 Minors Draft: 17 (5)

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Mick Abel is one in a parade of young arms that Omaha hopes will arrive sooner than later to bolster the Royals rotation

8. OMAHA ROYALS (5-9-15-18-16)

The Royals reached the .500 mark for the second time in three years last season and reached the playoffs before getting knocked out via a tie-breaker in the Wildcard round by division rival and eventual league champion Las Vegas. GM Aaron McGlohn now has a group of young prospect arms he hopes will develop quickly to help one of the league's top young outfield groups back to the postseason. Omaha also has one of the top draft pick situations in the league over the next few years.

Heston Kjerstad, Rhett Lowder, Chase Dollander, Justin Crawford, Mick Abel, Austin Wells, Orelvis Martinez, Leodalis De Vries, Cade Cavalli

2024-27 Minors Draft: 24 (8)

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Jackson Holliday is the top prospect in baseball and will own the Bolts starting spot at one of the middle infield positions for years to come

9. HORSHAM CHARGERS (6-6-10-9-14)

Thanks to a few graduations, the prospect pool in the Horsham system is not as deep as it looked the last couple of years. But when you control the top prospect in the game, its tough to fall too far. With a pair of talented young shorstops already in the Majors, GM Patrick Gordon might like to see ultra-talented Jackson Holliday qualify at second base. The game's top-ranked youngster could end up qualifying at both spots in the end. Getting him to the Majors this year and into the lineup is the most important thing.

Jackson Holliday, AJ Smith-Shawver, Colt Emerson, Jacob Melton, Caden Dana

2024-27 Minors Draft: 10 (2)

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Veteran southpaw Shota Imanaga arrives from Japan to help bolster the Cardinals already solid starting rotation 

10. SAINT LOUIS CARDINALS (10-8-9-2-10)

It was a fourth winning season in the last five years for GM Tom Burniski's squad in 2023, and they were narrowly edged out in the playoff Semis. But the club suffered a potentially devastating long-term blow with the off-season controversy surrounding shortstop Wander Franco. The organization minors talent remains deep. But how that Franco situation plays out could prove pivotal in the long and short terms.

Shota Imanaga, Samuel Basallo, Matt Shaw, Tyler Black, Yanquiel Fernandez, Chase Davis, Brock Wilken, Gabriel Gonzalez, Nick Nastrini, River Ryan, Cole Carrigg

2024-27 Minors Draft: 17 (4)

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The dynamic Victor Scott II could emerge quickly to bring further excitement to the league champion lineup at Sin City

11. LAS VEGAS HIGH ROLLERS (12-16-4-6-2)

GM Steve Haws captured his first WFBL championship last season and his High Rollers have the talent to contend for a repeat title. While the prospect group lacks that one major carrying talent at this point, they appear deeper than a year ago. Vegas still has never won a pennant in the 21-year history of the franchise. The defending league champs are talented enough to finally make that happen in what is an increasingly tough Mack/West Division.

Noah Schultz, Emmanuel Rodriguez, Victor Scott, Christian Scott, Blaze Jordan, Dustin Harris, Parker Meadows, Jonny DeLuca

2024-27 Minors Draft: 18 (4)

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Roman Anthony is a rising star in a Boston farm system that is beginning to show improvement after years floundering at the bottom

12. BOSTON BULLDOGS (18-18-16-11-8)

GM Chris Mitchell has almost exclusively focused on the present more than the future for a long time. The minor league system paid for that apparent lack of attention by falling to the bottom of the rankings the last few years. However, the prospect group is beginning to improve, and the Dawgs make a move up these rankings for the first time in years. There have been no losing seasons in Beantown since 2006. But the Dawgs also have won just one playoff game in the last five years, and have not captured an Owens/East pennant since their last WFBL championship back in 2016. They remain contenders, and young talent is coming to keep it that way.

Roman Anthony, Coby Mayo, Masyn Winn, Jared Jones, Thomas Saggese, Denzel Clarke, Diego Cartaya

2024-27 Minors Draft: 14 (4)

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The Pines are looking to add young impact to their lineup and a switch to the outfield last summer could accelerate James Triantos' timetable

13. GEORGIA PINES (16-17-13-16-11)

The Pines haven't finished above fourth place since their last winning season back in 2017, and GM Joe Clark's boys dropped to the bottom of the Kalas/Central Division a year ago. The organizational minor league talent depth has improved from the last few years and will need to keep adding more talent and depth over the next couple in order to get back to contending status. In fact, it just might be time to cash in a couple veteran talents for some high-level prospects in order to brighten the future outlook at Peach Tree Park.

Noble Meyer, Zach Dezenzo, Josue De Paula, Yu-Min Lin, James Triantos, Robert Hassell, Jairo Irarte

2024-27 Minors Draft: 11 (2)

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Big-time slugger Owen Caissie could be adding his booming bat to the Knights already powerful lineup mix by some time this coming season

14. NEW YORK KNIGHTS (13-2-2-5-18)

GM Clay Haymart masterfully built up the Knights into a contender, finally guiding the club to its first winning season since 2005 and the first-ever WFBL championship in franchise history just two years ago. But a year ago they took a step backwards, finishing with another losing campaign. They nearly salvaged things in the postseason before getting edged out by eventual champs Las Vegas in the Semis. There are plenty of impact bats to return to contending status and more are coming from the minors. But an aging starting rotation could really use a few younger arms to bolster it for the future.

Owen Caissie, Drew Gilbert, Sammy Zavala, Gavin Cross, Garrett Mitchell

2024-27 Minors Draft: 24 (9)

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Jung Hoo Lee arrives from Korea to add veteran depth to a Farmers lineup that just needs health from its pitching staff to contend once again

15. ALABAMA FARMERS (8-11-8-12-5)

The Farm Boys were in contention for the Kalas/Central pennant a year ago, finishing second before getting eliminated in the Wildcard round. GM Jeff Crisler's farm system had been ranked around the middle for years, but takes a hit this time around. There is plenty of talent at both the Majors and Minors levels for 'Bama to remain a contender. Adding more impact-type talent to the system over the next couple years will be key to maintaining that status.

Jung Hoo Lee, Colton Cowser, Cole Young, Cedanne Rafaela, Edwin Arroyo, Nick Yorke

2024-27 Minors Draft: 15 (3)

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Ben Brown may be ready to add more depth to Montreal's talented starting pitching rotation this coming season

16. MONTREAL EXPOS (17-7-12-13-9)

Les Expos tied the franchise record with 18 wins last season in capturing their second Owens/East pennant in four years. But Montreal has won just one playoff game since their last WFBL championship a decade ago. A farm system that has been treading water for years could begin seeing that change after nice Minors Draft hauls the last two years. GM Patrick Murphy's squad remains a strong 2023 contender. He may finally be putting the prospect pieces in place to remain that way over the longer term.

Hurston Waldrep, Jordan Beck, Daylen Lile, Sterlin Thompson, Ben Brown

2024-27 Minors Draft: 12 (6)

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The Pack system is stacked with lower level talent that may take a few years, but pitcher Connor Phillips is ready to help as soon as 2024

17. PORTLAND WOLFPACK (14-14-18-17-6)

The Pack enjoyed a winning season a year ago before getting immediately dumped out of the playoffs in the Wildcard round. GM Keno Leighty again has an interesting talent mix that could contend with the right breaks. The prospect pool may not be highly rated right now. But the GM has keyed on adding very young talent over the last two or three years. How well that younger talent fully develops over the next couple years will determine the long term success of the franchise.

Roderick Arias, Connor Phillips, Jordan Wicks, Paulino Santana, Tyler Locklear

2024-27 Minors Draft: 27 (1)

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The talent is thinning out in the Cleveland minors, but Michael Busch appears ready to step in and help out this coming season

18. CLEVELAND SPIDERS (7-12-11-10-1)

It was a third consecutive Kalas/Central pennant in 2023 for GM Rick McCullough and the Spiders. But a prospect pool that made a move up the rankings a year ago plummets to the bottom this time around. Part of that is due to important prospect graduations. There are a few talents who should arrive in the short term. Adding longer term help will become increasingly difficult without big trades due to a poor Minors Draft situation. Still, plenty of talent is here overall for Cleveland to remain contenders over the next few years.

Michael Busch, Drew Thorpe, DL Hall, Joey Ortiz, Matt Mervis

2024-27 Minors Draft: 9 (0)