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About our rankings

With the Rivals.com Minor League Database, TeamOneBaseball.com introduces the all-new T1 Rating for minor league prospects. This rating system has become a staple of our amateur scouting reports and we are excited to bring this innovation to our minor league analysis.

The T1 system is two-tiered; the first grade reflects the player’s Ceiling Rating and the second is the player’s MLB Arrival Rating. Both grades are from 0-5 as described below.

Through its' exclusive T1 Ratings, TeamOneBaseball.com is the first to answer these two questions in a very simple, yet sophisticated way.

CEILING RATING How good can this player be?
5	Can be one of baseball's elite players at his position
4	A solid Major League starter but not a perennial star; could have one or two big seasons but won't be considered one of the elite players at his position
3	A lower-end Major League starter or a strong role player
2	A role position player or spot relief pitcher; a utility-type player who may start at some point in his career
1	Fringe Major League player/4A player
-	Minor League organizational player
MLB ARRIVAL RATING When will this player get to the Big Leagues?
5	Likely Major League starter this year
4	Has a chance to become a productive Major League player this year
3	A possible Major League call-up this year and could become a permanent Big League player in the next two years
2	Will not likely compete for a Major League job for the next three years
1	At least five years away from the Major Leagues
-	Unlikely to compete in the Major Leagues at any point

The first number is our Ceiling Rating, which reflects our opinion of the player’s talent and what role he is capable of playing at the major league level. Is he a potential ace starting pitcher or more likely a middle reliever? Is he a star third baseman or a utility player in the long run? The Ceiling Rating identifies those differences between in talent.

The MLB Arrival Rating is an indication as to when we feel the player can become a permanent major leaguer. Is he likely to get to the big leagues this year to stay? Is he more likely arriving in 2003 or 2004? Or is he a long-term, five-year projection who just got into pro ball?

These grades are given on the same scale to every player, based completely on the player’s abilities and not clouded by circumstances within the organization. So a player we deem ready to be a solid starter in the big leagues this year will get a 4|5 rating, even if he has a hall-of-famer at his position who will keep him in Triple-A or on the bench. The player is, by our evaluation, capable of starting and contributing, whether or not the circumstances allow it.

On the other hand, a player whom we feel has the potential to be a solid starter, but is 1-2 years away in development would be a 4|3 regardless. Sometimes these players will be in organizations that have no one in front of them, or just like to rush their young talents to the big leagues. But we will refrain from giving a "5" or "4" because we don’t feel that they have already developed to the point where they are ready to contribute to the major league team.

Our first example is an outfielder for the Orioles who played at all three levels from Single-A to Triple-A last year. He is a former first-rounder who is only 23, and a very good defensive outfielder. He also has a chance to hit enough to start in rightfield for the Orioles one day, but the bat isn’t quite there, yet. He will be graded a 4|4. We think he can become a solid starting outfielder one day, but some questions about his hitting development keep us from putting him in the "star"/upper-third outfielder stratosphere. That is why his Ceiling is a "4" and not quite a "5". He’s likely to start this season in Triple-A and we think his overall development is such that he’ll be able to contribute to the Orioles some time during the year. We don’t see him as a definite starter this year ("5") nor, on the other hand, do we think he’ll have to wait until next season to be of use to a big league team ("3"). So we settle on a "4" for his MLB Arrival as well.

A second example is a pitcher in the Chicago White Sox chain who was drafted in the first round last June. He will be graded a 4|2. He already has a major league fastball and curveball, and we think he can project into a solid major league starter. Can he become a premium starting pitcher in the big leagues, hence warrant a "5" Ceiling? Maybe, but he is still just 18 years old and there’s a long way to go before we’d feel comfortable making such an assessment. Young players are risky to have expectations for, so we’d stick with a "4" until he took it up another level pitching higher in the White Sox chain. We feel that his timeline could bring him to the majors in about four years, which would coincide with an Arrival Rating of "2". The second number helps to separate a player with a "4" ceiling who is on the verge of the majors from someone who has many years to go.

Another example is a pitcher in the Brewers system. We feel the 21 year-old has the most dominating arm in the minors, and the potential to be a front-line starting pitcher. His T1 Rating is a 5|4. The first "5" reflects his immense ceiling. The "4" is given because we think that at some point later in the year, he’ll be an asset to the big league club. He’s coming off a shoulder injury right now, and his command isn’t quite refined enough to make him a real major league asset on opening day; that’s why we didn’t give a "5" for his Arrival. But we feel he will be able to make his presence felt this season and won’t have to wait until next, so we don’t go as far down as "3", either. In this case, "4" seems the perfect Arrival Rating.

Last example, we’ll choose a third baseman/outfielder in the Chicago Cubs organization. He has hit at every level and had a banner season in Double-A last year. We evaluate him to be a quality hitter at the big league level, but are not sure that he can be a middle-of-the-order slugger type. This player's glove at third base has a chance to be adequate, but it’s not a "plus" tool. We give him a 3|4 rating. We think he can be a very good part-time player, maybe start for some clubs, which earns the "3" Ceiling. His versatility in playing different positions helps his cause. We feel he can get to Wrigley Field to stay this summer, and that earns a "4" Arrival.