Most times, you'll see a lot of agreement between different evaluators regarding the potential of a particular prospect. Sure, one outlet might rank a particular player as a club's No. 4 prospect, and another publication might peg him at No. 5, but typically, there isn't much variance. Every once in a while, however, we're reminded how inexact a science prospect evaluation truly is. That's the case here with Cincinnati Reds youngster Jose Franco.
Franco is No. 24 on MLB Pipeline's list of top Reds prospects behind a plethora of more highly-regarded hurlers. However, FanGraphs recently dropped their own list of the top 39 Reds prospects heading into 2026, and their view of Franco's value differs wildly, with them naming him as the sixth-best prospect in the system.