With the MLB season in its first month, it’s still not to early to start thinking about minor-league callups.
Prospects, man, they’ll break your heart, or so goes the old baseball adage. There’s plenty of truth to that statement. Think of all the prospects who have gone bust over the years despite great hype.
But, this is meant to be a positive post where we think about everything good that prospects around the league could become. And why not?
Major League Baseball has never been blessed with so many young superstars who come up and seem to immediately succeed. It’s never too early to start thinking about which players might emerge to be the Carlos Correa, Kris Bryant, Francisco Lindor, Gary Sanchez, or Trea Turner of 2017. These 30 prospects all have a chance to make their big-league debuts in 2017 and help their teams win.
Arizona Diamondbacks: Anthony Banda
The Diamondbacks have all sorts of problems in their starting rotation. Signing Zack Greinke to the richest annual contract in MLB history has been a bust so far. Same goes for trading Dansby Swanson and Ender Inciarte for Shelby Miller. For all their successes developing hitters, the Diamondbacks have very little to show in terms of starting pitching, and it is the last big hurdle for the franchise.
Anthony Banda is the team’s top-rated arm, and should arrive in the big leagues at some point this season. The left-hander should be the first prospect to arrive later this year. He has a good fastball that moves well. Banda commands the fastball well, and has an easy, repeatable delivery. His curveball and changeup still need some refining in the minor leagues.
Arizona has not been able to develop a frontline ace of its own, and that inability will hold them back no matter how many All-Star bats dot the lineup. Banda projects as a number-three starter at best, but that’s a start for the Diamondbacks.
Atlanta Braves: Ozzie Albies
The Braves will continue rebuilding in 2017, but went out in free agency and added several veteran players to make the on-field product a little easier for fans to swallow as the new ballpark opens for its inaugural season. One player the team acquired who does not figure in the long-term plan is second baseman Brandon Phillips. He is merely a stopgap measure until Ozzie Albies is ready to take over at second base in the big leagues.
Albies was signed as a shortstop, but he will have to slide over to second base next to Dansby Swanson. Regardless of which position Albies eventually occupies for the Braves, expect him to have no problem hitting MLB pitching. In parts of three seasons in the minors, the 20-year-old infielder is a .310/.377/.419 hitter with 81 stolen bases. He reached Triple-A at the age of 19 last season, and handled the age difference well. Albies was almost eight years younger than the average player at Triple-A.
The rebuild in Atlanta is mostly focused on the mound, with very little top talent in the field. Albies has the highest upside of all the hitters in the system, and should see the big leagues at some point this season, unless the Braves decide to delay the start of his service time.
Baltimore Orioles: Gabriel Ynoa
There really isn’t much worth writing about in the Orioles farm system. Top prospect Hunter Harvey is out for the year while he rehabs from Tommy John surgery. Harvey has barely pitched in three years as he battles through injuries. The team’s top offensive prospect is catcher Chance Sisco. His bat projects well enough, but he is still lacking defensively, and may not stick as a catcher in the big leagues.
Gabriel Ynoa actually has some potential to help the big-league rotation or bullpen. He is a sinkerballer who lacks outstanding secondary pitches, but does have outstanding command and control. His fastball can edge up closer to 95 when he reaches back for something extra, but Ynoa typically throws in the low-90s. At Triple-A last season, the right-hander went 12-5 with a 3.97 ERA in hitter-friendly Las Vegas. Ynoa does have a tendency to nibble at the edges of the strike zone, and must improve his breaking pitches to stick in the big leagues as a starter.
Ynoa will get a shot with the Orioles at some point this season. He appeared in ten games with the New York Mets last season. If starter Chris Tillman is down with a shoulder injury for longer than anticipated, Ynoa could get the first crack at claiming his spot in the rotation.
Boston Red Sox: Sam Travis
The Red Sox are nearly complete at the big-league level. The farm system has been weakened by trades over the past two years for Craig Kimbrel, Drew Pomeranz, and Chris Sale, but Boston still has a solid group of prospects waiting in the wings. Andrew Benintendi can no longer be viewed as a prospect. The Red Sox could use some reinforcements in their starting rotation, but their top pitching prospect, Jason Groome, still needs at least one more full season in the minor leagues before a callup is even a remote possibility.
One position of weakness for the Red Sox at the MLB level is first base. Hanley Ramirez will DH most of the time this season, with Mitch Moreland playing the field. Focusing only on hitting will help Ramirez stay healthy, while Moreland is one of the best defenders in the league at first base.
Moreland is also working through injuries of his own as the Red Sox start the regular season. He also leaves something to be desired offensively, especially against left-handed pitching. A possible solution would be to call top prospect Sam Travis up to the big leagues. Kyle Schwarber’s running mate at Indiana is nearly ready for the big leagues, and has batted over .300 since being drafted.
If there is a knock on Travis, it is that he does not have enough power for a first baseman. That might work if his glove were better, but he is just an average defender. Travis has gotten an extended run with the big leaguers in Spring Training the past two years, and is a .378 hitter in 43 games. He will get a shot at some point this season.
Chicago Cubs: Ian Happ
Theo Epstein and elite prospects go together like peanut butter and jelly. So, it’s hardly a surprise that even after trading their top prospect, Gleyber Torres, last summer, the Cubs still have one of the deepest farm systems in baseball. Epstein will be able to draw on the system for reinforcements this season, or use his depth to make a trade to fill whatever need pops up for the Cubs.
Happ is the most MLB-ready hitter in the system, but his defense still needs some polishing. He played second base at times in college and has played the position in the minor leagues, but his overall athleticism has not translated well to the field. When he sticks in the big leagues with the Cubs, it could be in the outfield. For now, there is no room in the big-league outfield at Wrigley Field, so look for Happ to spend most of — if not the entire — season in the minor leagues, with an eye on starting the 2018 season with the Cubs.
The Cubs are up to their eyeballs in top talent in the minor leagues, and could use their depth to make a trade for a reliever at the trade deadline. Right now, Joe Maddon is attempting to find at-bats for Kyle Schwarber, Javier Baez, Albert Almora, Jon Jay, and Ben Zobrist. The last thing he really needs is a minor-league callup to further complicate matters on the bench. Ultimately, this is a good problem to have.
Chicago White Sox: Reynaldo Lopez
There are a few options the White Sox should consider calling up at some point this season. The front office absolutely hit the jackpot by trading away Chris Sale and Adam Eaton this winter, and could move Jose Quintana, Todd Frazier, or Jose Abreu at some point this season. They are looking at one of the best farm systems in all of Major League Baseball.
The three options that stand out as most nearly MLB-ready are Yoan Moncada, the best offensive prospect in baseball, Lucas Giolito, and Reynaldo Lopez. For the Sox, there is little point in calling Moncada up to accrue MLB service time for a bad team. Look for his arrival in September as was the case last year when he was in the Red Sox organization. Giolito is very polished, but struggled in his brief MLB stint with the Nationals last season. Lopez performed fairly well.
Of the two pitching prospects, Lopez would stand to benefit the most by working with Quintana before he is traded. His command has made great progress the past three seasons, but the right-hander still struggles to locate his curveball and changeup at times. Let him learn from Quintana for a few months. With or without Lopez, the White Sox are going to be a very bad team, with James Shields, Derek Holland, and Miguel Gonzalez making up the bulk of their rotation.
Cincinnati Reds: Jesse Winker
The Reds have one corner spot in the outfield locked down with Adam Duvall, one of the best breakout stories of the 2016 season. Duvall should be given every opportunity to show last season was not a fluke. It is time to find a running mate for him in the other corner, and top prospect Jesse Winker has the tools to be a big-time hitter in the big leagues.
Winker was a first-round pick in 2012 out of high school, and has hit at every level of his six-year career so far. He has a career line of .296/.399/.454. Winker has walked nearly as many times as he has struck out in his career. That type of approach at the plate is impossible to teach to young hitters, but it comes naturally for this prospect.
Power will continue to develop for Winker as he fills out his 6-foot-3 frame. He has hit over 20 doubles in each of the past three seasons, but only hit three homers in 106 games at Triple-A last year. Great American Ballpark will help goose out a few more home runs from Winker’s bat, especially if he can leave his wrist issues in the past. With patience at the plate and a mature approach, Winker should not have a steep learning curve when he arrives in the big leagues.
Cleveland Indians: Bradley Zimmer
The loaded Indians lineup has very little need for reinforcements at this point of the season. After missing an entire season, Michael Brantley appears to be fully healthy. The only position with real uncertainty for the Tribe is center field, which is currently being patrolled by Tyler Naquin and Austin Jackson. Naquin had his fair share of defensive issues last season, most notably in the World Series, and Jackson cannot be counted on to be productive for a contending ballclub.
Luckily for the Indians, their top prospect is a center fielder, Bradley Zimmer. In three seasons in the minor leagues, he is a .268/.372/.445 hitter who has shown good power and speed. Zimmer is a consensus top-30 prospect in all of baseball. He is a heady player with good instincts in the field and on the bases. His instincts allow him to take off with good jumps, and he has stolen 82 bases over the past two years.
A team with its eye on the World Series does not need to be calling up rookies who are not ready to handle the pressure, but Zimmer plays with poise. As a college draft pick, he is closer to being ready for the big leagues than most, and should not struggle if the Indians have to throw him to the fire of a playoff race. There is 20-20 potential in his bat and legs, and if Naquin and Jackson struggle to hold down center field, expect the Indians to turn to their top prospect.
Colorado Rockies: Jeff Hoffman
Jeff Hoffman got a brief taste of Coors Field last season, and the results were somewhere between impressive and underwhelming. The 24-year-old right-hander went 0-4 with a 4.88 ERA while allowing seven home runs in only 31.1 innings of work. His location and command must improve if he is going to have success pitching in the Mile High City.
Hoffman does not have overwhelming velocity, sitting at 92 or 93 mph, but can generate good sink on his fastball. He throws a big, looping curveball and a harder slider, as well as a changeup that is still in the early stages of development. The Rockies obviously thought highly of Hoffman to accept him as one of the main pieces in the trade that sent All-Star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki to Toronto.
It was a rough debut at times for Hoffman because he does not have the type of stuff that will allow him to miss bats. If a pitcher cannot do that at Coors Field, he better live on the edges of the strike zone and avoid walks at all costs. Hoffman did not make the rotation out of Spring Training, but will probably get a shot at some point this season. He is further along than Riley Pint and German Marquez, the two other big-name pitching prospects in the Colorado farm system.
Detroit Tigers: Christin Stewart
The Tigers do not have a deep farm system. The front office has mostly preferred to build the roster through free agency and trades over the past five years. A mini rebuild in 2015 brought back some huge pieces that are contributing in the big leagues – Michael Fulmer and Daniel Norris will anchor the rotation this year.
Detroit has already called up their most MLB-ready pitcher, Joe Jimenez, to help the bullpen. While waiting for J.D. Martinez to recover from another injury, the Tigers should seek additional outfield depth that can provide better production than Jacoby Jones, Mikie Mahtook, and Tyler Collins. Christin Stewart is closest to breaking through and reaching the big leagues this season. The 23-year-old left fielder is coming off a 30-homer season and reached Double-A last year.
As a college draft pick, Stewart does not have much more upside, but he has power to all fields. Strikeouts will always come with his approach at the plate, but he has shown solid on-base skills in the minor leagues. Defensively, he is limited to left or right field with below-average range and a fringy arm. Stewart’s big impact will never come with the glove, and he can be close to an average defender in the right situation. That will be good enough for the Tigers if his power translates to the big-league level.
Houston Astros: Francis Martes
Props to the Astros for doing their homework and plucking Francis Martes from the depths of the Marlins system in 2014. At the time, the right-hander was 18 years old and pitching in rookie ball. More often than not, players like that are merely thrown in to get trades moving and finalized. Martes has come from relative obscurity to take the title of top prospect in a very deep Houston system.
In four seasons in the minors, Martes is 23-15 with a 2.97 ERA, striking out 8.6 per nine with his innings total climbing gradually every year. He reached Double-A last season at the age of 20 and went 9-6 with a 3.30 ERA in 125.1 innings, adding 131 strikeouts while allowing only four home runs. Martes is the fifth-ranked right-handed pitching prospect and a consensus top-20 prospect across all positions.
His arsenal profiles similarly to Lance McCullers — 98 mph fastball, power curveball, hard slider, improving changeup. It’s an impressive package in a 21-year-old starter. Command can be an issue for Martes at times, but he repeats his delivery well, and has no major red flags in his medical history. The Astros could call Martes up at some point this year if the need arises in the rotation, or they could wait for September and bring him out of the bullpen where his power stuff should play up even more.
Kansas City Royals: Eric Skoglund
Having made it through their rebuild and a solid championship window that included a World Series win in 2015, the Royals are almost back to square one. The flaws that could be overlooked when they were making back-to-back runs to the World Series now appear much more glaring. The bullpen is weakened after losing Wade Davis and Greg Holland, and can no longer cover for a mediocre starting rotation. It is very possible that the Royals will be out of contention by the middle of July and will be auctioning off Lorenzo Cain and Eric Hosmer.
While they await the arrival of new top prospects at the trade deadline, the Royals have slim pickings in their farm system. That’s one downside to making big trades for Ben Zobrist and Johnny Cueto. When the Royals starting rotation does need a boost, expect them to turn to big left-hander Eric Skoglund who stands 6-foot-7.
Skoglund draws comparisons to Chris Sale as a gangly southpaw, but he does not have nearly as much fastball velocity. He sits more around 91-95 and has a good changeup. So, where you migth look at a tall pitcher and expect a blazing fastball and biting slider, Skoglund is more of a finesse lefty. He has a fairly low ceiling, but a higher floor than most pitching prospects thanks to his solid command and approach on the mound.
Los Angeles Angels: Keynan Middleton
For years now, the Angels have elected to build their roster mostly through free agency and trades. Unfortunately, very few of those moves have paid off, and Mike Trout is still looking for his first postseason series win. Los Angeles could really use some help from the farm system this year, but there is not much MLB-ready depth that is ready to make an impact.
The Angels do have one pitcher who is close to big-league ready in Keynan Middleton, a converted starter who pitched out of the bullpen all of last season. Command issues held him back as a starter, but in the ‘pen, Middleton was able to run his fastball up to 99 at times. As he grew into the role of reliever, Middleton’s mechanics were improved throughout the year, and he was able to climb all the way to Triple-A. The right-hander finished the year with 12.0 strikeouts per nine.
Middleton is a former college shooting guard, and has good athleticism for a pitcher. He has swing-and-miss stuff. Buying into a move to the bullpen may have saved his career. It will definitely be his ticket to the big leagues this season.
Los Angeles Dodgers: Cody Bellinger
Julio Urias is the obvious answer here, but he doesn’t really count. The Dodgers do not consider him a “prospect” at this point. Urias is in the minor leagues right now just to keep his innings low. Hard to blame the Dodgers for treating him with kid gloves when there is no real need to rush him into the rotation.
Having spent close to $300 million for this year’s roster, there is not much room on the Dodgers 25-man for a prospect. They are already up to their eyeballs in left-handed hitters and outfielders, but what the heck! Let’s add Cody Bellinger to the roster and see what happens.
Bellinger impressed in Spring Training with the big leaguers, and is hitting close to .500 in his first week at Triple-A. Drafted out of high school in 2013, this son of a former big leaguer, hit only four homers in his first two seasons of pro ball. The power has come as he grows into his 6-foot-4 frame. Over the past two seasons, Bellinger has hit 56 home runs. Adding muscle and looking to pull and lift the baseball have helped make the first baseman into a power hitter. He has still managed to maintain his batting average while keeping strikeouts in check and drawing his fair share of walks.
Bellinger also plays the field exceptionally well. He will eventually win Gold Gloves at first base, but is blocked there for now by Adrian Gonzalez. If A-Gon goes down with an injury, or one of the many outfielders spends time on the DL as is usually the case, Bellinger will get the first look.
Miami Marlins: Brian Anderson
The Marlins have a rapidly improving farm system, but it is still young. Their top two pitching prospects are both at least two years away from the big leagues. Immediate impact may be hard to come by from their prospects this season, but Brian Anderson is one player who could come up leagues and help the Fish out in multiple ways.
Drafted out of Arkansas in 2014 Anderson has relatively low upside as a hitter, as is the case with most college players taken in the third round of the draft. In four years in the minors, he is a .260/.333/.390 hitter who is just now getting his first taste of Triple-A. Anderson does not fit the power profile of an MLB third baseman, and has not slugged better than .400 since rookie ball.
Anderson is not looking at a long career as a starter in the big leagues, but he could develop into a solid utility player. The Marlins can be plenty happy about getting that from a third-round pick, as many teams often get far less than that. Brian Anderson will happily add his name to the long list of other Brian Andersons who have played in the big leagues at some point later this season. The bigger names are coming to Miami in 2019 or 202, but Anderson could contribute this year.
Milwaukee Brewers: Lewis Brinson
Outfielder Lewis Brinson was the headlining name in the trade that sent catcher Jonathan Lucroy to Texas. The 2012 first-round pick is still 22, and was very raw when the Rangers drafted him out of high school. His swing has made great progress in his five full years in the minor leagues.
In Brinson’s first full season in the minors back in 2013, he struck out 191 times in only 122 games, but still managed 21 home runs and 24 stolen bases. By 2015, he was slashing .332/.403/.601 with 98 strikeouts in 100 games. Last season, Brinson’s numbers took a bit of a hit, but he batted .382 in 23 games for Milwaukee’s Triple-A affiliate in Colorado Springs after the trade. Take those altitude-inflated numbers with a small grain of salt, though.
Brinson has had some difficulty staying healthy in the minor leagues, and he has never played more than 125 games in a season. True to form, he left Colorado Spring first game of the year with a jammed finger. He may need to tone down his hard-charging style of play when he reaches the major leagues. The adjustments he has made to his swing to go from raw high schooler striking out close to twice a game to a potential 30-30 big leaguer have been impressive. Provided Brinson can stay healthy and hitting for a few more weeks in Triple-A, the Brewers may be ready to give him his first taste of the big leagues.
Minnesota Twins: Kohl Stewart
The Twins have one of the more dynamic and exciting young farm systems in baseball, but the key word is young. Minnesota’s best prospects are all at least two years away from the big leagues. Having seen top prospect Byron Buxton struggle to hit in the majors after being rushed up, expect the Twins to take it slowly, especially as they continue to rebuild for 2018 and 2019.
Kohl Stewart was the number-four overall draft pick for the Twins in 2013, turning down a chance to be a two-sport star at Texas A&M. Stewart would have contended for the Aggies starting quarterback job had he chosen to go the college route. In his time in the minor leagues so far, he is 22-22 with a 2.80 ERA in close to 400 innings of work. Stewart was given his first taste of Double-A last year and went 9-6 with a 3.03 ERA in 16 starts.
The knock on Stewart is that he relies too heavily on his fastballs — a classic four-seamer and a two-seamer with sink. He does not throw with overwhelming velocity, and mostly pitches to contact. Stewart does throw a slider, but it is not a strikeout pitch. He has averaged only 5.8 strikeouts per nine in the minor leagues, making number-three starter a better projection for when he does reach the major leagues. For what Stewart lacks in raw stuff, he makes up for with an ability to generate weak contact. The Twins should take a look this season and see if this plays in the big leagues.
New York Mets: Amed Rosario
With Jose Reyes registering only one hit in close to 30 at-bats to start the 2017 season, the Mets will have to decide how much longer they wait on the past-his-prime infielder to find his stroke. Reyes is a shell of the player who terrorized the NL East during his first stint with the Mets from 2003 to 2011. If Reyes can no longer contribute at the MLB level, New York should consider calling up their top prospect, Amed Rosario, to play third base.
Rosario is naturally a shortstop, and he will be an elite defender at the position in the big leagues — certainly better than incumbent Asdrubal Cabrera. He has great range, great feet, a great arm, and good hands. The Mets would not be sacrificing anything defensively by having a rookie at shortstop.
Offensively, Rosario really broke out last season, hitting .324/.374/.459 across two levels with 42 extra-base hits and 19 stolen bases. He has room to add muscle to his frame, which could turn some of his doubles and triples into home runs. Rosario has an impact glove and bat, and the Mets may not be able to keep him down much longer, especially if Reyes continues to struggle. No need to rush him if Reyes turns it on, but Rosario may soon prove there is no reason to keep him in the minor leagues.
New York Yankees: Clint Frazier
After an impressive stint in Spring Training, Gleyber Torres is the popular callup request for the Yankees, but he is only 20 years old and has not played above Double-A. Torres’ time will come in 2018, as there is no reason for the rebuilding Yankees to start his service-time clock a year earlier than they have to.
In the outfield, though, the Yankees have plenty of need for an injection of youth in the outfield. Enter number-two prospect Clint Frazier, the main piece in the Andrew Miller trade last July. Frazier has exceptional bat speed and raw power as well as the mental makeup to thrive in the Big Apple. Strikeouts can become a problem for him at times, as his swing gets long and his strike zone expands. Frazier will need to improve against breaking pitches and dial back his aggressiveness to really hit his full potential in the big leagues. Given his first taste of Triple-A last year, Frazier struck out 36 times in 30 games while drawing only seven walks.
Defensively, Frazier has played center field early in his career, but made the move to the corners last year. His speed and strong arm will make him an even more valuable defender in left or right field. Frazier also has good base-stealing instincts. He will be occupying left field opposite Aaron Judge in right at some point this season.
Oakland Athletics: Grant Holmes
The Moneyball A’s were built on an outstanding group of young starting pitching. As they cycle through a rebuild, Billy Beane and his front office have another blossoming group of aces led by Jharel Cotton and Sean Manaea. Frankie Montas could join them in the rotation at some point this season if he shows an ability to command his 101-mph heat and stay healthy.
Beane draws sharp criticism for trading Josh Donaldson, but he made some quality trades to bolster the farm system at the trade deadline last season. He got two of the Dodgers’ best pitching prospects for Josh Reddick and Rich Hill. Montas was in that deal, but it is Grant Holmes who is ranked higher in the eyes of talent evaluators.
Holmes throws a heavy two-seam fastball that generates plenty of ground balls. He can also miss bats with the fastball and backs it up with a power curveball that breaks like a hook but is thrown with the velocity of a slider. The fastball and curveball give Holmes two plus offerings, but he needs to improve his changeup and overall command to break through in the big leagues, but he is a top-100 prospect for good reason. Holmes has struck hitters out at every level so far in his career, and a strong full season in the Oakland system should earn him an audition at some point this year.
If not Holmes, the A’s should call up infielder Franklin Barretto. He is blocked by Marcus Semien at shortstop, but Oakland should not be married to Jed Lowrie at second base. Barretto has the potential to make the Donaldson trade much less painful.
Philadelphia Phillies: J.P. Crawford
Phillies fans have been eagerly waiting for J.P. Crawford through years of rebuilding. Prior to the full teardown of the roster, he was the only real hitter of note in the farm system. That has changed after the Ken Giles and Cole Hamels trades, but Crawford is still the jewel of the system at a premium position.
Crawford’s career .276/.370/.385 line in the minor leagues might not leap off the page, but he has been close to four years younger than the competition in every year of his career. He reached Triple-A last year at the age of 21, and was nearly six years younger than the rest of the league. Through five years in the minors, Crawford has not hit for much power, but he has shown plenty of maturity at the plate, avoiding strikeouts and drawing plenty of walks. As he grows into his body, he should develop a power stroke capable of hitting 15 balls out a year.
Crawford’s numbers, age, and rise through the minors are very similar to those of Francisco Lindor — now an MVP candidate for the Indians. Don’t get ahead of yourself and project Crawford for that type of meteoric rise when he debuts for the Phillies, but the potential is there. He is also a slick defender at short with excellent range. Crawford will be a dynamic player in all facets of the game, with All-Star upside.
Pittsburgh Pirates: Austin Meadows
The Pirates were aggressive in shopping Andrew McCutchen this winter because Austin Meadows is ready for the big leagues. In his five years in the minors, the Georgia native is a .297/.365/.474 hitter with good walk and strikeout totals. He reached Triple-A last season in his age-21 season, but struggled slightly.
Meadows has had his career interrupted on and off by injuries — hamstring, oblique, broken orbital bone — but has not suffered at the plate. His approach is focused more on contact than power, but he hit a career-high 12 home runs last year with 25 doubles and 11 triples in only 87 games.
The Pirates have utilized the speedy outfielder in center to date, where his speed and range make him an excellent defender. Starling Marte has that position locked down at the MLB level, but his ability to read balls off the bat and take solid routes will play in left or right. Wherever the Pirates stick him, Meadows will go get the ball.
Finding a position for this talented outfielder in the big leagues will prove difficult. The Pirates made no effort to hide their desire to trade McCutchen this offseason. If Meadows were not ready, that move would not have been made. If McCutchen can hit like an All-Star (MVP levels may be out of reach at this point), the Pirates should be able to find a trade partner and insert Meadows into their lineup.
San Diego Padres: Anderson Espinoza
The Padres have graduated two of their top prospects, Manuel Margot and Hunter Renfroe — to the big leagues. Both are starting in the outfield this season. The farm system took a hit during A.J. Preller’s grand entrance to San Diego, and is short on MLB-ready talent this year. After blowing his shot at contending in Year One, Preller has done an outstanding job revamping his prospect pool.
Getting Anderson Espinoza for Drew Pomeranz last year could go down as one of the biggest steals in recent MLB history. The best hypothetical comparison for the tiny right-hander is Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez. Sure, that’s a big, big projection, but Espinoza’s 160-pound frame is able to run a fastball up to 100 mph with a biting curveball and a fading changeup. Those are three plus pitches for the 19-year-old pitcher.
Even at 19, Espinoza has good command, walking only 2.6 per nine so far in his short career. Reasonably speaking, calling him up this season would be a huge stretch for the Padres, and they probably will keep him down all season. Espinoza needs to bulk up in order to stand up to the rigors of starting for an entire season. Even if he does not stick as a starter, Espinoza has the raw stuff to dominate the late innings as a reliever. If everything goes better than planned this year, perhaps the Padres will give him a few innings at the end of the year.
San Francisco Giants: Tyler Beede
By now, it is painfully obvious that Matt Cain is running on fumes as a useful MLB starting pitcher. The veteran right-hander was rocked in his 2017 debut, and has not been himself since 2012 due to injuries. If the Giants want to continue contending in the beefed-up NL West, they need a better answer at the back of their rotation.
Tyler Beede has been gradually climbing the ladder in the farm system since being drafted in the first round in 2014 out of Vanderbilt. The right-hander dealt with command issues in college, but the Giants have begun reining him in. Beede went 8-7 with a 2.81 ERA last year in Double-A.
Beede is the best starting pitching prospect the Giants have in their farm system, which is not saying much. His fastball sits in the low-90s, but he can crank it up to 97. Beede also throws a changeup, curve, and cutter. The Giants have had to force him to attack hitters instead of nibbling at the edges of the strike zone. Number-five starter may be the highest upside Beede has to offer, but that’s exactly what the Giants need right now. If Cain continues to struggle, expect Bruce Bochy and Bobby Evans to be on the phone down to Triple-A calling up Tyler Beede.
Seattle Mariners: Tyler O’Neill
Developing hitters drafted in the early rounds into useful MLB producers has proven almost impossible for the Seattle Mariners over the past decade. Looking at the current lineup, only Kyle Seager is a homegrown star. Mike Zunino has been a massive disappointment.
General manager Jerry Dipoto has made tinkering with his outfield depth his offseason obsession the past two years. All of his moves have left the Mariners with a starting outfield of Jarrod Dyson, Leonys Martin, and Mitch Haniger. There’s really no way that group of outfielders can do enough to push a team into the playoffs.
Tyler O’Neill could help rewrite the narrative that the Mariners cannot grow their own power hitters. He has hit 56 home runs over the past two seasons in the minor leagues, and has made dramatic strides in approach and plate discipline. O’Neill is strong with great bat speed, and his improved approach at the plate has led to a lower strikeout rate and higher walk rate.
O’Neill also has enough raw athleticism to project into Dipoto’s defensive-minded outfield. He was a catcher in high school, and has a strong enough arm to play right field in Safeco Field. O’Neill is aggressive in the field and at the plate, and could be a middle-of-the-order force for the Mariners in years to come. That’s in the future, but the Mariners should bring O’Neill up and put him in a lower-pressure slot in the lineup.
St. Louis Cardinals: Luke Weaver
For the Cardinals, top pitching prospect Alex Reyes is down for the year as he works back from Tommy John surgery. That was a major blow for a team with a rotation that is still very much up in the air. Adam Wainwright, long the horse of the staff, is entering the twilight of his career. Michael Wacha and Lance Lynn both have their own injury risks. Without Reyes to fall back on, Luke Weaver is the next man up in St. Louis.
Weaver made nine appearances for the Cardinals last season and struggled. He went 1-4 with a 5.70 ERA in 36.1 innings of work. Weaver did strike out 45 in his time in the big leagues, so that points to ace potential going forward.
The 2014 first-round pick out of Florida State dominated the minor leagues. He is 15-9 with a 1.76 ERA in close to 200 innings down on the farm. Weaver throws a sinking fastball and a cutting fastball, both approaching 95 mph. He backs up those pitches with an excellent changeup, but his breaking pitches need more work to be effective against MLB hitters. With the Cardinals last year, Weaver nibbled around the plate too much instead of trusting the movement of his fastball. He will need to trust his stuff when the call comes this year.
Tampa Bay Rays: Jose De Leon
Trading away dependable veteran second baseman Logan Forsythe on the eve of the season did not sit well with several Rays players, but the return from the trade, Jose De Leon, has high upside. The right-hander made his debut for the Dodgers last season, with mixed results.
De Leon struggled with fastball location in the big leagues last season, and he allowed five home runs and a 6.35 ERA in his 17 innings in LA. Those numbers pale in comparison to his 2.92 ERA and 11.6 strikeouts per nine in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.
There is not much more for De Leon to accomplish at Triple-A. He throws a fastball that tops out at 96 mph with good life. De Leon also throws a changeup that is his best pitch and a slider that is effective to right-handed hitters, especially when he starts it in the zone.
The Rays have started the season off fairly well, but to have any chance at contending, they need solid contributions from De Leon this season. Current number-five starter Matt Andriese is a nice placeholder for now. Tampa Bay can only keep De Leon in the minors for so long.
Texas Rangers: Yohander Mendez
No team in Major League Baseball has mined the Latin American market for top talent better than the Texas Rangers. All around the field, the Rangers boast international free agents found by their scouting department — Elvis Andrus, Rougned Odor, Jurickson Profar, Nomar Mazara, just to name a few. It’s this core that makes the Rangers a strong contender in the American League, but only if their starting rotation can keep it together.
Behind the duo of Yu Darvish and Cole Hamels, the Rangers are short on starting pitching. If it gets much worse, they will have to turn to the farm system to bolster the rotation, and the top choice should be another of the international finds, Yohander Mendez. The 22-year-old left-hander made his debut last season and allowed six earned runs in three innings. Not an ideal big-league debut for a top prospect.
Mendez does have what it takes to start in the big leagues. Elbow problems have bothered him since his signing in 2011, but he was finally healthy in 2016 and climbed up the system quickly. Mendez has a sinking fastball that sits anywhere from 90-93 mph but can touch 95. That is his best pitch, and his breaking pitches lag behind, perhaps due to slowed development due to injuries. He projects as a number-three starter, but the Rangers could use one of those in a rotation filled with number fives on the back end.
Toronto Blue Jays: Rowdy Tellez
With Justin Smoak continuing to struggle batting much higher than .200, the Blue Jays may be forced to continue finding another left-handed bat to work into their first base platoon. It just so happens that their most MLB-ready hitter, Rowdy Tellez, is a left-handed hitting first baseman. Obviously, Smoak would really have to struggle for the Jays to eat his money and turn the job over to Tellez.
Tellez was a 30th-round pick out of high school, but scouts thought highly of him and the Blue Jays gave him a big bonus to sign and skip college. Tellez hit 23 homers in his first season at Double-A in 2016 and was one of the top hitters in the Eastern League in terms of on-base and slugging percentage.
The 6-foot-4 first baseman is not a great defender, but has worked hard to improve his footwork around the bag and his body. His defense will at least be passable at the big-league level, and his approach at the plate oozes confidence. Tellez will hit his way to Toronto, but he will not embarrass himself in the field. When the first big injury strikes the Jays this year, Tellez could be the first one called up.
Washington Nationals: Erick Fedde
The Nationals have reached an in-between moment with their farm system. They have many homegrown stars contributing in the big leagues, but no immediate reinforcements. Trading three top pitchers for Adam Eaton doesn’t help matters either, but it had to be done to fill a void in the outfield.
Passing Michael A. Taylor, Wilmer Difo, and A.J. Cole back and forth between Triple-A and the big leagues is the most likely what will happen in Washington this year. If the Nationals want to shoot bigger, they could go for Erick Fedde, who has higher upside.
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Fedde did not debut in the minors until 2015 after recovering from Tommy John. The surgery has done little to impact his status as a top prospect, and he topped 120 innings last year. Fedde has a lively fastball that gets up on hitters quickly. He has good command and a solid slider. The Nationals have not been shy about pushing their top arms through the system, and if Fedde acuits himself well to start the year at Double-A, he could get the call at some point this season.