MLB The Show 19: Best Prospects

While the MLB rosters of each team on MLB The Show 19 is accurate, the Minor League teams are not. The game uses a randomly generated cast of characters to fill out the Single-, Double-, and Triple-A rosters and then assigns them stats. We could get over the loss of Vladimir Guerrero Jr and other elite prospects by latching onto new ones within the game, but unfortunately the quality of the prospects is not consistent across Franchise Mode saves. St. Louis' starting Triple-A starting pitcher Andres Munoz could be a 73 OVR with A potential in one save, or a 71 OVR with B potential in another, or completely disappear in a third.

This makes focusing in on a crop of young players difficult to do. But since the MLB rosters are fixed and standardized across all Franchise Mode saves we can look at the young players there to see who you should be targeting in trades.

How to choose the best prospects in MLB The Show 19's Franchise Mode

This article will focus on how to find the best prospects in any Franchise Mode game in MLB The Show 19. What we are looking for primarily is youth and potential. These guys also can't be established stars on the roster, then they aren't really prospects. So while Ronald Acuna is young and full of potential he won't be appearing here because he is already an MLB star. These players will be on the MLB roster, aged 23 or under, have an OVR of 72 or under, and A potential. So who are the best prospects MLB The Show 19 has to offer?

*For a full list please see the table below

Tyler O'Neill, St. Louis Cardinals (OVR 72)

Age: 23

Position: Left Field

Throws/Bats: R/R

Hitter Tendency: Whole Field

Best Stats: Speed (87), Durability (78), Arm Strength (75), Fielding (70), Power vs R (68), Reaction (68)

A third-round pick for the Seattle Mariners in 2013, Tyler O'Neill was traded to St. Louis in July 2017. He got his MLB debut in 2018, playing 61 games for the Cardinals with a .254/.303/.500 slash line, hitting 9 homers, stealing 2 bases, and playing pretty good defense.

In The Show 19 O'Neill's terrific speed (87) underpins his ability to create outs in the field and be a plus on the basepaths. At the plate he has solid contact skills (55/59) and more power than you'd think (68/64). With his A potential O'Neill should develop well with game time and could become a star.

Amed Rosario, New York Mets (OVR 72)

Age: 23

Position: Shortstop

Throws/Bats: R/R

Hitter Tendency: Whole Field

Best Stats: Durability (94), Speed (86), Contact vs L (69), Arm Accuracy (68), Arm Strength (67), Reaction (63)

Amed Rosario got his MLB debut in 2017 and played nearly every game for the Mets in 2018. With all that experience you'd expect him to be on the verge of stardom, but Rosario is still some way off. He comes into the 2019 season with a career average of .255 and just 13 home runs in his 200 games. His defense hasn't been good either.

In The Show 19 Rosario has the durability (94) to play every day and the speed (86) to be a menace on the basepaths and reach balls in the field. However, his fielding (56) is poor and his arm isn't great either (arm strength 67, arm accuracy 68). Rosario has reasonable contact ability against lefties (69) but his hitting isn't too hot either. With A potential Rosario can become a good shortstop in time. It's a position that requires defensive mastery so focusing on that development will be key with Rosario.

Willy Adames, Tampa Bay Rays (OVR 72)

Age: 23

Position: Shortstop

Throws/Bats: R/R

Hitter Tendency: Whole Field

Best Stats: Durability (75), Arm Strength (74), Speed (70), Discipline (69), Contact vs R (67)

Willy Adames got his MLB debut in 2018, playing 85 games for the Rays with plus-defense and a .278 average. He also hit 10 homers and stole 6 bases and had a solid .348 on-base.

In The Show 19 Adames has good durability (75) and a strong arm (74) which helps him field the position well. His speed (70) is solid which will help is disappointing fielding (59) improve. At the plate Adames has solid contact against righties (67) and discipline (69) to produce runs at a reasonable rate.

Rafael Devers, Boston Red Sox (OVR 72)

Age: 22

Position: Third Base

Throws/Bats: R/L

Hitter Tendency: Whole Field

Best Stats: Durability (74), Power vs R (71), Contact vs L (67), Arm Strength (64)

Boston's third baseman Rafael Devers qualifies as a prospect for us. He got his debut in 2017 and played the majority of games at third for Boston in 2018 as they won the World Series. Devers wasn't spectacular for Boston, with a .240 average, a .298 on-base, and 21 homers while his defense was shaky.

In The Show 19 Devers' A potential means his relatively low stats should improve with time. For the moment though his durability (74) is his best attribute. He has good power vs righties (71) and can still hit lefties too (contact vs L 67). Devers' fielding (52) is poor, and at third it will need work.

Michael Kopech, Chicago White Sox (OVR 71)

Age: 22

Position: Starting Pitcher

Throws/Bats: R/R

Pitches: 4-Seam Fastball, Slider, Changeup, 2-Seam Fastball

Best Stats: Arm Strength (99), Velocity (97), K/9 (77), Stamina (72)

Michael Kopech was a first-round pick for the Boston Red Sox in 2014 and was a part of their trade with Chicago for Chris Sale in 2016. Kopech got his MLB debut in August last season and made 4 starts, registering a 1-1 record with a 5.02 ERA and 15 strikeouts in 14.1 innings. He balanced one excellent game against the Tigers (6IP, 4K, 1ER) with a bad game against the Tigers (3.1IP, 6K, 7ER). Kopech's strong arm is as yet unpolished but he is one of the most exciting prospects in baseball.

In The Show 19 Kopech's strong arm has all the velocity (97) you could want. His stamina (72) isn't great but it will develop with time. Likewise his break (66) is in need of work. Kopech can start right away but should maybe get just 20-25 starts rather than 30+.

All MLB prospects with A potential, under 23 years, & under 72 OVR