We conclude our Top 10 RDBL Prospects by Position Series with pitchers, a group loaded with high-end talent that is ready to dot Roger Dorn Baseball League Active Rosters to start 2024.
The group is headlined by 2023 Reserve Draft pick Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the Lake Merced Goutfish right-hander who is expected to sign a blockbuster deal in the coming weeks after being posted by his Japanese club.
Our Prospect coverage will continue later this week as the 2023 RDBL Top 100 Prospect List is revealed.
1. RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Lake Merced Goutfish
Acquired: 2023 Reserve Draft, 2nd Round | ETA: 2024
Absolute dominance has been the storyline of Yamamoto’s 2023 season in Japan following a stellar World Baseball Classic that heightened his profile in the US. Lake Merced Goutfish GM Ryan Atkinson didn’t wait around in the 2023 Reserve Draft, selecting Yamamoto with the first pick of the second round. Set to be posted soon, Yamamoto is in line for a 200M+ deal with the ability to step to the front of the Goutfish rotation immediately.
2. RHP Eury Perez, Maltese Falcons
Acquired: 2022 Reserve Draft, 1st Round | ETA: 2024
The baseball world expected Pérez to debut at some point in 2023, but not nearly as soon as he did. But with injuries to starters Trevor Rogers and Johnny Cueto, plus a revolving door of non-roster arms to fill out the rotation, Miami decided to promote MLB Pipeline's top pitching prospect straight from Double-A Pensacola on May 12. Pérez lived up to the hype. His 2.36 ERA through 11 starts (minimum 50 innings) was the lowest for a pitcher 20 years or younger in the Live Ball Era. Miami temporarily shut him down before the All-Star break in order to monitor his workload, then brought him back on Aug. 7. Pitching through a shoulder injury in September, Perez saw a dip in his numbers but nothing damaging enough to take the shine off the league’s most high valued young asset.
3. RHP Paul Skenes, Burlingame Blue Ducks
Acquired: 2023 Reserve Draft, 7th Overall | ETA: 2025
The Ducks placed a heavy emphasis on scouting the college ranks over the last two seasons and it has paid off in spades. Skenes was selected 1st overall by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2023, reaching Double-A in short starts. While he’s expected to start 2024 in the Minors, a quick move to the big leagues is certainly in the picture for an arm that profiles as a true top of the rotation starter.
4. RHP Grayson Rodriguez, Lunatic Fringe
Acquired: 2021 Reserve Draft, 1st Round | ETA: 2024 (‘23 Playoff Activation)
Rodriguez, entering the year as baseball’s highest-ranked pitching prospect, pitched like it in the second half. In his last 12 regular-season starts from July 22 on, he went 5-2 with a 2.26 ERA. He was even better late in the year, posting a 1.80 ERA over his last six starts while earning a post-season start. Rodriguez should have the handcuffs off on 2024 as he’s already set as an Opening Day activation after being added to the Active Roster for the 2023 RDBL Playoffs by GM Tony Guglielmi.
5. RHP Gavin Williams, Las Vegas Aristocrats
Acquired: 2023 Trade from Idaho Taters | ETA: 2024
In a season filled with many pitching prospect arrows pointing down, Williams pointed straight up in 2023. After beginning last season with High-A Lake County, the Guardians right-hander made 16 starts for the Guardians this season, finishing with a 3.29 ERA, 81 strikeouts, and a 1.26 WHIP in 82.0 big league innings. He’s set to join an emergingly young and talented Las Vegas Aristocrats Active Roster in 2024.
6. RHP Roki Sasaki, St. Joseph Jokers
Acquired: 2023 Reserve Draft, 1st Round | ETA: 2026
The Jokers knew they would have to exercise patience with Sasaki, who remains one of the world’s best pitching prospects. But for a Franchise looking for impactful players to build around, Sasaki’s hopeful arrival in 2026 from Japan holds him back from being higher on this list. Each pitch thrown in Japan is one that won’t add to the Jokers point total for the next two seasons, with the club crossing their fingers the future star remains healthy.
7. RHP Bobby Miller, Lake Merced Goutfish
Acquired: 2022 Reserve Draft, 2nd Round | ETA: 2024
Injuries begot opportunity for Miller, who rose to the top from a talented group of Dodgers prospects and rookies expected to make a leap at some point in 2023. Miller came out of the gates in historic fashion this year, posting a 0.78 ERA in his first four major-league starts. After the league adjusted to him in June and July, Miller responded and went at least six innings in nine of his final 10 regular-season starts. He tallied a 3.25 ERA in that span while cutting his walks from 1.88 to 1.20 from the 1st to the 2nd Half. He’s ready to help immediately in a crowded Goutfish starting rotation that should see some trade activity this Winter.
8. RHP Triston McKenzie, Lunatic Fringe
Acquired: 2017 Reserve Draft, 3rd Round | ETA: 2024
McKenzie entered 2023 as one of the most decorated pitching prospects under a Minor League contract in League History. The right-hander already had a 571.0 point season under his belt, earning the Pitching Prospect of the Year Award in 2022. Activated by Fringe GM Tony Guglielmi before 2023, McKenzie was pulled back on Draft Day due to an elbow injury that limited him to just four starts in 2023. He came back in September with his health in check and looks poised to regain his spot among the top pitching prospects in the RDBL in 2024, entering the year with the most points of any player still under a Minor League contract (971.0).
9. RHP Brandon Pfaadt, Honolulu Hammerheads
Acquired: 2022 Reserve Draft, 11th Round | ETA: 2024
No pitcher saw a bigger rise in value over the MLB Playoffs than Pfaadt who dazzled in five post-season starts with a 3.27 ERA and a 26:5 strikeout to walk ratio. It was a significant step forward after he posted a rollercoaster Regular Season that finished with a 1.41 WHIP. The talent has been apparent, with five 20+ point starts in 2023, but they were matched with six starts of -10 or worse. If Pfaadt can continue to produce at the clip he has in the Playoffs and show more consistency, GM Ross Horiuchi will have a close eye on the eight pitchers ranked ahead of him on this list and certainly let the league know about it.
10. RHP Taj Bradley, Burlingame Blue Ducks
Acquired: 2023 Trade from Cloverdale Clovers | ETA: 2024
It was a rollercoaster of a season for Bradley in his Rookie campaign for the Tampa Bay Rays with plenty to improve on (5.59 ERA, 1.39 WHIP), but plenty to build on as well (129 strikeouts in 104 2/3 IP). Bradley certainly has the stuff to compete at the big league level and reach his potential as a #2 or #3 starter. He'll enter 2024 with a clear cut path to a rotation job for a Rays group that was decimated by injury along with a strong innings count to build on that should have him firmly in the Ducks 2024 plans.
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