Pirates' Carlos Munoz makes Baseball America's list of top Appalachian League prospects

Pirates first base prospect Carlos Munoz has made Baseball America's list of the top 20 prospects in the Appalachian League, coming in at No. 20. He's the only player from the Bucs' Bristol affiliate to make the list.

Nobody in the Appy League had better hitting stats than Munoz, who batted .325/.427/.587 with 32 extra-base hits in 206 at bats and just basically destroyed the ball all summer. Still, it isn't all that surprising that he'd rank behind so many prospects with lesser statistics. At a level as low as the Appalachian League, potential is more important than performance, and many of the higher-ranking prospects were former top draft picks or big-bonus signings like Kyle Tucker, Austin Riley, Daz Cameron, Luis Carpio, Mike Soroka, Ashe Russell and Nolan Watson. Also, Munoz doesn't have the type of body traditionally regarded as projectable, and we already know he'll be a first baseman.

Still, his numbers are outstanding, and the ones that are most encouraging regarding his future are his 21 strikeouts and 34 walks. His ability to control the strike zone suggests he has a chance of continuing to hit as he moves up. He'll still be 21 by the start of next season, which he'll likely begin with the West Virginia Power.

Via John Dreker.