In my time covering prospects at Amazin’ Avenue, we have had a tendency to over-rank relievers in our offseason top-25 list. In 2023, we ranked Bryce Montes de Oca and Eric Orze. In 2022, we also had Orze along with Thomas Szapucki, Brian Metoyer, and Josh Walker. In 2021, it was Sam McWilliams and a bevvy of other guys destined for the bullpen. We could go further back, but you get the point; ranking relief prospect is something of a fool’s errand, and maybe we should stop doing that.
And yet, like either Goofy or Krombopulos Michael, here we go ranking relievers again; 24-year-old leftie Nate Lavender ranked 22nd on this year’s top-25 after an extremely impressive 2023 season.