Prospect Ratings

[Snider]

I have alluded to this question a few times but let me ask more directly. I have never quite understood how to interpret the rankings. I can understand what an "8" rating is on a standalone basis represents. I can understand what a "B" or "C" rating means as far as the probability of achieving that rating is on a standalone basis. What I don't understand is - Is a prospect who is rated as the number 2 prospect of a given team with an 9C or 9D rating preferable to another team's prospect who might be rated 8A or 8B?

What is better or preferable - 8A or 9C
What is better or preferable - 7A or 7B versus 8C or 8D or even a 9E

Thank you

[JonE]

As with a lot of things, it depends on your league settings. There aren't any hard and fast rules.

If you are allowed to carry a lot of minor leaguers, for instance, then you might prefer players with higher upsides (the 8s and 9s). If you get to take a lot of chances, you can afford to gamble on a 9D rather than a 7B.

If you can only carry a few minor leaguers, or get a small number of picks per year, then you may want to lean towards players with the better reliability (the As and Bs). If you absolutely need all your picks to pay off, then you might prefer that 7B to the 9D.

I will also sometimes treat pitchers differently than hitters. Since a lot of pitchers lose their way in the minors, I tend to avoid pitchers unless they are 8As or 9Bs, whereas I'm more open to hitters who are 9Ds.

Hope this is helpful.

[Penfold]

There's a good explanation at the foot of the Organization Reports Primer.

As to who is better or preferable between 8A or 9C, the answer is neither because the grades are nothing more than a forecast.

Where the grades help is deciding whether you would prefer/value 8A, ie a 90% chance of getting a Potential Solid Regular (eg Bryan Reynolds, Josh Naylor, Xander Bogaerts), over 9C, ie a 50% chance of getting a Potential Elite Player (eg José Ramírez, Julio Rodríguez, Freddie Freeman); or the other way around.

[ToddZola]

....________________ projected range of outcomes of 9C
.............______ projected range of outcomes for 8A

[RAY@HQ]

https://www.baseballhq.com/articles/scouting/organization-reports/2025-organization-reports-primer

[Snider]

Thank you all for your responses. Let me ask the question another way. Historically when you have compiled your top 100 list after completing your organization reports - are the top 10 or top 20 prospects more likely to be an 8A prospect or something like a 9C or 9D prospect? Should I expect that Matt Shaw who is graded as an 8A to be ranked above or below JJ Wetherholt who is graded a 9C? Both are ranked as their number 1 prospect. And yes with the Kyle Tucker trade - Matt Shaw might make the opening day lineup so he is very close compared to Wetherholt,

[omal800o64]

I don't know if this helps, but I play in a league where we only have a three round minor league draft (NL only league). When I do my prospect rankings I typically rank them in this order 1) Number Grade 2) ETA 3) Letter grade. I also "try" to draft based on weaknesses too. So if I am light on pitching I might take a 9D pitcher over an 8B hitter.

[RAY@HQ]

Thank you all for your responses. Let me ask the question another way. Historically when you have compiled your top 100 list after completing your organization reports - are the top 10 or top 20 prospects more likely to be an 8A prospect or something like a 9C or 9D prospect? Should I expect that Matt Shaw who is graded as an 8A to be ranked above or below JJ Wetherholt who is graded a 9C? Both are ranked as their number 1 prospect. And yes with the Kyle Tucker trade - Matt Shaw might make the opening day lineup so he is very close compared to Wetherholt,

You can review previous HQ100s here if you want an answer to this: https://www.baseballhq.com/articles/scouting/hq100

[raider65]

When I review, I look for any 10's, any 9's and 8A, 8B, and 8C's. My leagues only need 3 minors or 5 minors and this usually taps the most desired players.

Raider65