MLB Draft

That silence you feel is coming from every Major League Baseball scouting department, as farm directors and talent evaluators have put their pen to the paper to fill out their 2014 draft boards. 

Like any draft, the MLB version has undergone several drastic changes this spring.

With the 2014 MLB Rule 4 draft less than a month away, it’s time to take a look at the top prospects in this year’s class.

The noticeable lack of impact hitters on board (especially from the college ranks) highlights the pitching-heavy nature of this year’s class, as teams will have an endless list of promising arms to choose from in the early rounds.

While it will be several years until most of the 2013 draft picks are ready for the major leagues, there exists a small contingent of players with the potential to contribute at the highest level in 2014.

The Chicago Cubs' collection of top prospects is among the best in baseball, with four players who will rank in next week’s top 50 prospects update and a few more who would land in the top 100.

Leading the pack is shortstop Javier Baez, who is arguably the most exciting offensive prospect in the game. Last season, the now-21-year-old posted a .920 OPS with 37 home runs and 20 stolen bases in 537 plate appearances between High-A Daytona and Double-A Tennessee.

While it was a down year for San Francisco Giants pitchers, the same can’t be said for the organization’s promising young arms in the minor leagues.

With four World Series appearances in the last decade, the St. Louis Cardinals are baseball’s closest thing to a dynasty. 

However, rather than procuring talent during the offseason like most large-market franchises, the Cardinals continue to produce winning teams the old-fashioned way: by developing players.

That being said, a strong case can be made that the Cardinals would not have reached the postseason—let alone the World Series—if not for their impressive young arms.

The Los Angeles Dodgers system took a hit last season with the graduation of top prospect Yasiel Puig to the major leagues. However, the organization had a slew of other promising young players step up in his place.

Many of baseball’s top prospects are playing in the Australian, Dominican, Mexican, Puerto Rican and Venezuelan winter leagues this offseason as they look to get a head start on the 2014 season and improve their chances of cracking an Opening Day roster. 

If we learned anything from last year’s MLB offseason, it’s that blockbuster trades are more likely to happen when previously untouchable prospects are made available.

By this time last year, the Royals had already dealt Wil Myers and three other prospects to the Rays in exchange for right-handers James Shields and Wade Davis.

Similarly, the Blue Jays' last-minute decision to include top prospects Travis d’Arnaud and Noah Syndergaard in the trade for R.A. Dickey ultimately brought the deal together.

Many of baseball’s top prospects are playing in the Australian, Dominican, Mexican, Puerto Rican and Venezuelan winter leagues this offseason as they look to get a head start on the 2014 season and improve their chances of cracking an Opening Day roster.