Ignacio "Nacho" Alvarez
There is no more intriguing positional prospect, at least in 2024, than Ignacio "Nacho" Alvarez who also lands on Fangraphs list. Nacho, drafted in the fifth round of the 2022 draft out of Riverside Community College, was an incredibly intriguing draft pick. There was no denying his overall potential as his defensive floor is that of a league-average infielder to go along with a good arm, so any kind of offensive production makes Nacho more and more intriguing as a prospect.
Nacho played in 30 games in 2022 where he hit a combined .287/.451/.394 showcasing his very good bat-to-ball skills and a very advanced approach at the plate which was highlighted by his 26.8%, yes, 26.8%, walk rate in 15 games in A-ball which opened a lot of eyes and made him a sexy pick to be at the top of the positional rankings for the Braves.
So, how did Nacho respond to that very strong 2022 campaign? Well, he showed even more, playing in 116 games at A+ Rome where he hit .284/.395/.391 and that was good for a 123 wRC+ while playing fantastic defense at shortstop, a position that is his best. With plus defense, a plus arm, and the ability to play shortstop - you can imagine Nacho is just on the outside of the Top 100 lists and is looking to rocket up those rankings with a strong 2024 campaign.
He already has an advanced approach at the plate and is more than capable of staying at shortstop, the last box that Nacho has to show is if he can tap into that average to fringe above-average raw power as well as improve his slugging. If he does that, Nacho will be the talk of the town coming into Spring Training 2025, where he looks to secure the shortstop role at the big league level for the foreseeable future.