Top 10 OBP First Base Prospects

10. Ivan Melendez - Age 24.000 - Diamondbacks

Height: 6’3“ Weight: 225lb Bats: Right Throws: Right

A 2nd rounder in 2022 out of Texas, no one can doubt the big man’s power. He hits them hard and he hits them far. The problem comes with hitting them at all. Melendez is the ultimate risk/reward prospect. His plate discipline is awful. He walks at a below average rate (7.3%), he strikes out an insane amount (34.3%), but he also has the 6th best HR rate (7.04%) for any minor leaguer that’s still worthy of being called a “prospect” (min 200 PA). In 96 games (379 PA), Melendez slugged 30 HR, but it’s worth noting that over half of that production came in High A, a league he was older than the average age level. It’s also worth mentioning that Melendez is playing in an organization with the 2nd most hitter-friendly minor league ball parks. Their Double A team (Amarillo Sod Poodles) plays in the most hitter-friendly park in all of minor league baseball, and when he gets promoted to Triple A, he’ll be in the 5th most hitter-friendly park in the PCL. Taking everything into account, there are major doubts that Melendez can ever be a viable major leaguer, but there’s just too much power to ignore. If, and it’s a big “if”, he can somehow shave that K% below 30%, there’s a lot of upside from the power and run production standpoint. For that reason alone, he’s worthy of being in my Top 10 1B rankings.

I think there’s a good chance he starts 2024 in Triple A and he would only be an injury away from getting his first big league crack, assuming he’s still crushing in hitter-friendly Reno. I’m betting he never amounts to much, but I’ll give him a punchers chance he can hit enough bombs to be relevant. His peak projection,