The 2023 Activation Class is shaping up to be one of the best in League History led by Julio Rodriguez of the Spokane Fightin' Fish and Adley Rutschman of the Cloverdale Clovers while we calculate as many as 56 players in line for a potential addition to Active Rosters by Opening Day.
That's an eye-opening number that shows the level of depth across the upper Minor Leagues and the strength of RDBL Front Offices who have annually improved their Reserve Draft strategies over the last 10 seasons.
Asti Grape Stompers (2)
RHP Hunter Greene, C Francisco Alvarez
The Grapes aggressively promoted Bobby Witt, Jr. in 2022 and have a wave of high-end talent on the way to join him, starting in 2023 with Hunter Greene and potentially Francisco Alvarez. Greene was electric to finish a rollercoaster 2022 season, allowing just 13 hits and two earned runs over his final 29.0 innings and will look to build on that heading into 2023.
It's unclear if the Mets will hand over an everyday role at catcher and DH to Alvarez, but the bat is certainly the carrying tool that could make him an exceptional value quickly. While the Grapes want to be aggressive during Witt, Jr.'s contract, the group of Jordan Walker, Kyle Harrison, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Jordan Lawlar, Curtis Mead and Mick Abel all look on track for 2024 activations giving GM Terry Shelley a number of options in their contention window.
Alamo Short Stacks (3)
OF Corbin Carroll, 3B Miguel Vargas, C Luis Campusano
Carroll is a lock to be activated while early indications are that the Los Angeles Dodgers plan to give their young players a chance at every day roles with Miguel Vargas currently slotted in as the starting third baseman. Things could certainly change with Justin Turner remaining in Free Agency, but if Vargas holds down the starting spot, the Stacks plan to activate him as well.
Luis Campusano is currently slotted in as the backup catcher for the Padres with only Austin Nola standing in the way for a primary role. The Stacks would love to have both catcher spots filled with Campusano joining Will Smith (2/$30) who is expected to be retained.
Burlingame Blue Ducks (1)
2B Luis Garcia
The Ducks aggressively pursued and captured a RDBL Playoff spot in 2022, trading away some of their top prospects and leaving their 2023 options somewhat limited. Luis Garcia will be given a long leash next season in Washington after receiving consistent at-bats from June on last year. He hit a strong .275 with eligibility at second base and shortstop but walked just 11 times in 243 at-bats, producing one of the worst walk rates in the big leagues. He will need to show a strong approach and eye at the plate to become a viable annual option in the middle infield.
Nolan Jones will be a player to watch following his trade to Colorado (and Coors Field). It's not a great sign that the Cleveland Indians were so willing to part with the young hitter, but he should get a chance to prove himself at the big league level at some point in 2023 for the Rockies.
Cloverdale Clovers (4)
C Adley Rutschman, OF Alek Thomas, RHP Edward Cabrera, SS Oneil Cruz
Adley Rutschman will step into a starting role and could enter 2023 as the highest projected player behind the plate with 400+ point seasons well within reach for the young star.
GM Chris Shelley will face some difficult decisions for the remainder of the group, but the expectation is for the Clovers to be aggressive with promotions while freeing up cap space to add star-level talent in Auction. Shortstop Oneil Cruz is a safe bet to be activated. While he's a human highlight reel, he will need to improve on his .294 on base percentage to be a plus starter in the infield. But with 600 at-bats expected in 2023, he'll be given that chance on the Active Roster.
Alek Thomas faces some outfield depth in the Arizona Diamondbacks lineup and didn't set the world on fire in 2022 with a .275 OBP in 381 big league at-bats. He currently is viewed as an activation but that could change depending on the remainder of the D'backs off-season plans.
Edward Cabrera has been electric at the big league level but has struggled to stay healthy. The Clovers are staring at five exceptional options in the rotation already and could leverage Cabrera as a mid-season shot in the arm if they elect to keep the current group together.
While the group above is all but locked into Opening Day roles for their respective big league clubs, the Clovers possess the best "next in line" group in the RDBL with Elly De La Cruz, Andrew Painter, Taj Bradley, Ricky Tiedemann, Nick Pratto and Liover Peguero all knocking on the door soon with some potentially jumping into early season roles for Shelley.
Honolulu Hammerheads (3)
OF Jarren Duran, RHP Drew Jameson, RHP Ryne Nelson
While many RDBL Organizations have shied away from selecting pitching prospects, GM Ross Horiuchi is hoarding them with half of their Farm System devoted to arms. That group should start to help at the Active Roster level in 2023 but much will depend on the direction of the Arizona Diamondbacks. While Quinn Priester is likely the top pitching prospect of the group, the three arms most ready to help this season for the Heads will all be fighting for spots in the Diamondbacks rotation. Ryne Nelson and Drey Jameson both finished 2022 in the big leagues with strong results while Brandon Pfaadt led the Minor Leagues in strikeouts and finished the year at Triple-A.
Duran will need a strong Spring Training to secure a starting spot for the Hammerheads after producing just a .645 OPS in 223 big league at-bats last season.
Idaho Taters (5)
3B Josh Jung, 2B Nolan Gorman, RHP Matt Manning, LHP Matt Liberatore, RP Nate Pearson
The Taters will again face some difficult decisions on activations as they did entering 2022. The club elected to aggressively promote Jo Addel and Spencer Torkelson to rough results while Casey Mize went down with Tommy John surgery. A breakout season from Sean Murphy prevented the activation class from being a complete mess for GM Mike Friedrich.
They enter 2023 with a number of young options yet again as Josh Jung, Nolan Gorman, Matthew Liberatore, Matt Manning and Nate Pearson are all projected to have big league roles to start the season. Jung is likely the safest bet for activation followed closely behind by Manning who posted a strong 3.43 ERA but was limited by multiple injuries over 2022.
Lake Merced Goutfish (3)
SS Oswald Peraza, RHP Bobby Miller, RHP Roansy Contreras
The Goutfish have annually activated elite-level contributors in recent years but are expected to take a step back in that space this season. Right-hander Roansy Contreras is the safest bet for an uninterrupted big league season in 2023 after a long look in Pittsburgh last year.
Both Oswald Peraza and Bobby Miller have substantial upside, but playing in New York and Los Angeles could make their big league roles in 2023 less stable.
Las Vegas Aristocrats (4)
C William Contreras, C Shea Langeliers, SS/2B Bryson Stott, OF Garrett Mitchell
The addition of Russ Colburn to the 'Crats Front Office has placed an increased emphasis on the development of the club's Farm System. They will start to see the fruit of those efforts in 2023 as the club could add four activations to their Active Roster for Opening Day led by slugging backstop William Contreras, a 2022 mid-season acquisition from the Mission Viejo Maulers.
The club is carefully monitoring the potential trade of Sean Murphy of the Oakland Athletics with hopes Shea Langeliers can take over the starting role and leave both catching spots full for the 'Crats. Bryson Stott will make the move over to second base for the Phillies following the Trea Turner signing and will look to continue his ascent into a strong middle infield contributor.
Garrett Mitchell currently projects as a starter in Milwaukee in could get a look at an Opening Day role for the 'Crats while Austin Martin will be another name to watch following a strong Arizona Fall League appearance.
Lunatic Fringe (6)
RHP Triston McKenzie, OF Brandon Marsh, LHP Reid Detmers, RHP Josiah Gray, RHP Grayson Rodriguez, RHP Clarke Schmidt
GM Tony Guglielmi will be feeling the pressure from the Fringe fanbase following their patient approach with prospects last season. It's not a stretch to assume that an activation of Triston McKenzie on Opening Day last season would have resulted in a Playoff berth. McKenzie, the 2022 Pitching Prospect of the Year in the RDBL, is a lock to added to an already potentially dominant rotation led by Pitching of the Year Sandy Alcantara.
The options at pitcher hardly stop at McKenzie as Josiah Gray, Reid Detmers and potentially Grayson Rodriguez could all make a case for Opening Day spots while Clarke Schmidt could emerge as a potentially activation at RP.
Brandon Marsh had a disappointing season at the plate but came on strong during the Playoffs and looks to be set for another starting role in Philadelphia next season.
Maltese Falcons (3)
*1B Jose Miranda, 1B Triston Casas, SS Royce Lewis
The Falcons have a wave of elite upside talent on the way with Daniel Espino, Eury Perez, Druw Jones and Zac Veen ranking among the best prospects in baseball, but each carrying ETAs of 2024 or later. That puts Jose Miranda and Triston Casas on the front-line of the 2023 Activation class for the Falcons. Miranda is already locked into his activation after joining the Active Roster for the 2023 Playoffs. With Eric Hosmer still in Boston, there's some risk with an Opening Day activation for Casas if the slugger gets off to a slow start.
The timeline for Royce Lewis' return from his second major knee surgery will likely leak into the middle part of 2023, but he could immediately be an activation candidate based on his strong sample last season.
Meinert Hops (3)
SS CJ Abrams, 3B Brett Baty, LHP Daniel Lynch
The Hops are fresh off their best season in Franchise History and looking to ride the wave of Shohei Ohtani, Shane McClanahan and Zac Gallen along with the final years of control for Andrew Vaughn and Luis Robert. The hope is that middle infielder CJ Abrams can live up to the high expectations that have been placed on him as he's set to hold down an every day spot in Washington while bringing dual eligibility at second and shortstop.
Brett Baty and Daniel Lynch are stretches, but big Spring Trainings could place them right in the mix for Opening Day roles.
Mission Viejo Maulers (3)
*SS Nico Hoerner, OF Josh Lowe, OF Drew Waters
The Maulers will at least add shortstop Nico Hoerner to the fold entering 2023 after adding him to their Active Roster for last year's Playoffs. That leaves outfielders Josh Lowe and Drew Waters as players to watch in Spring Training as they try and fight for a starting spot on their respective clubs. While Lowe has more proven track record, Waters impressed in September and has an easier path to consistent playing time with the rebuilding Royals.
Mt. Diablo Devils (6)
OF Riley Greene, LHP Nick Lodolo, RHP Cade Cavalli, RHP James Kaprielian, SS Geraldo Perdomo, IF Michael Busch
The Devils received a strong season out of 2022 activation Cal Quantrill, but Wander Franco failed to live up to expectations in his first full season in the big leagues. While a bounceback is expected, it will be interesting to see how aggressive GM Jason Watson is this season with six potential options to consider for Opening Day activations.
The group is led by Riley Greene who comes with major prospect pedigree and cut his teeth with 376 big league at-bats last season. The results were mixed for the 22-year-old, giving Watson a lot to think about for how to plan for 2023.
Nick Lodolo's dominant second half has likely earned him a safe spot in the rotation with Cade Cavalli being an arm to watch in Spring Training with an expected spot in the Nationals rotation to open 2023.
The Dodgers continue to be a team to watch with Michael Busch who has proven all he needs to in the Minor Leagues and could fulfill a super-utility role at the big league level to open the season.
Spokane Fightin' Fish (2)
*OF Julio Rodriguez, *1B Vinnie Pasquantino
GM Michael Tirabassi played the Julio Rodriguez situation perfectly, riding their talented core to a 3rd place finish while leveraging Julio Rodriguez in the Playoffs and earning extra time on his three year contract. Rodriguez enters 2023 as the top prospect and activation in the RDBL after a 388.5 point Rookie season and looks primed to take over as the face of the Fightin' Fish for the next three seasons as one of the league's best values.
While Rodriguez was an obvious activation for the Playoffs, Vinnie Pasquantino earned his nod with an excellent year at the plate. Despite posting a .391/.440/.739 line in the spring, Pasquantino opened the season with Triple-A Omaha, but a .932 OPS with 40 walks to just 39 strikeouts in 73 games earned him a late June promotion. Pasquantino began just 4-for-30 with six walks, but the Royals patience was rewarded as Pasquantino hit .316/.392/.478 the rest of the way, with a two-week interruption for shoulder discomfort. Pasquantino's discipline translated to the majors as he walked 35 times with just 34 strikeouts in 298 plate appearances and he looks set for a full plate of at-bats in 2023.
St. Joseph Jokers (8)
RHP Kyle Wright, IF Gunnar Henderson, C Joey Bart, OF Trevor Larnach, C Gabriel Moreno, C/OF MJ Melendez, OF JJ Bleday, LHP DL Hall
The Jokers are on tap for the most interesting off-season of any Franchise in the RDBL. The club has a pair of front-line players in Trea Turner and Jose Abreu to pair with as many as eight activations for the 2023 season and nine of top 44 selections in the Reserve Draft. The group is led by Kyle Wright and Gunnar Henderson, two 400+ point potential players for 2023 while the trio of Joey Bart, Gabriel Moreno and/or MJ Melendez could cover both catching spots.
Outfielders Trevor Larnach and JJ Bleday will be ones to watch in Spring Training while DL Hall will need to show improvement in command in order to step into a stable role in the Orioles rotation.
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