When it comes to prospects, there's no perfect formula or set time when a player is major league ready, for two reasons: (1) Every player is different; and (2) the timetable is constantly changing. A player can appear to be two to three years away from the majors, then all of a sudden appears to be two to three months away after making drastic adjustments and/or showing more maturity on and off the field. Every front-office executive is eager to get his top prospects to the major league level, but they're also always wary of rushing a player, which could set him back or in some instances ruin his career.

Today we look at how teams evaluate their prospects and what factors they must consider before deeming a player major league ready.

Position players

The most important tool to consider before promoting a position player is the "hit" tool.