Minor League Barometer: Risers & Fallers

As predicted, the wheeling and dealing prior to the trade deadline has already resulted in several notable prospects changing organizations. At the time of this writing, the Reds have acquired Noelvi Marte - among others - from the Seattle Mariners in a deal for Luis Castillo. The Padres parted ways with this year's biggest riser, Esteury Ruiz, along with hurler Robert Gasser and two big leaguers to the Brewers in exchange for reliever Josh Hader.  In a smaller move, the Yankees shipped Hayden Wesneski to the Cubs for some bullpen help in the form of Scott Effross.  Wesneski has much less competition in the Chicago organization, meaning he could see the majors as a starter down the stretch for his new club. There's sure to be even more prospect movement before Tuesday's deadline.

Let's take a look at some other movers and shakers in this edition of the Minor League Barometer.

UPGRADE

Zac Veen, OF, COL – For whatever reason, Veen seems to be getting overlooked when it comes to discussing the top outfield prospects. His power is viewed as only average and he does strike a bit too much, but the latter is how the game is played now and the former is less of a concern given his future home outings will be played at Coors. In July, Veen slashed .298/.366/.440 with two homers, 14 RBI and 19 steals in 20 games at High-A. And on the season, he's hitting .275 with a .372 OBP. As a 20-year-old, Veen has produced 11 home runs, 58 RBI and 47 steals in 84 games.  Perhaps now is a buy-low opportunity before he gets any closer to the big leagues and others come to their senses.

Yiddi Cappe, SS, MIA – The teenager from Cuba has some helium as he may only just be scratching the surface of his potential. Viewed initially when signed as a glove-first prospect, Cappe hit over .300 with six homers and six steals in 30 games at the Rookie Level to begin 2022. He recently received a bump to get his full taste of full-season ball and hasn't disappointed going 11-for-31 through his first eight games at Low-A. Cappe stands at 6-3, 180 and there may be more power and bat-to-ball skills than expected. Track his progress at Low-A for the remainder of the season.

Yosver Zulueta, P, TOR – Zulueta is also Cuban, but is already 24 and underwent both Tommy John and ACL procedures in recent years. Finally healthy, he began the year at Low-A but quickly showed he belonged elsewhere by fanning 23 batters in only 12 innings. Zulueta was bumped to High-A, where he achieved similar success as a starter by posting a 3.80 ERA and 31:11 K:BB over 23.2 innings. He's currently at Double-A and is splitting time between the starting rotation and bullpen. Toronto could choose to use Zulueta as a multi-inning reliever down the stretch. That being said, the hurler with the blazing fastball has shown promise with secondary pitches and the Blue Jays could ultimately decide to stretch him out as a starter for 2023 and beyond.

Deyvison De Los Santos, 3B, ARI – De Los Santos just turned 19 in June, but already overwhelmed the competition at Low-A having slashed .329/.370/.513 with 12 homers and 67 RBI in 78 games. He was recently promoted to High-A, where he hasn't stopped hitting going 15-for-39 along with four home runs and eight RBI through nine appearances. The one red flag to watch for De Los Santos is his lack of patience at the plate, which could come back to haunt him at the higher levels. But it's difficult to argue with the current results, especially given his youth.

CHECK STATUS

Will Benson, OF, CLE – Benson's long-awaited arrival to the big leagues is finally here. At Triple-A, the Guardians had its own version of the "Killer B's" with Benson, Will Brennan and Bo Naylor.  While Naylor boasts the pedigree and likely the most upside of the trio, Brennan has been white-hot since being promoted to Triple-A and Benson was once a highly touted prospect in his own right. Now 24, Benson slashed .278/.426/.522 with 17 homers, 45 RBI and 16 steals across 89 games at this level. He cut down on his strikeouts significantly while maintaining his penchant for walks with 26 in June compared to 17 Ks. Benson got the call Monday and could be a sleeper addition to any squad.

Alexander Canario, OF, CHC – Canario is another prospect from the "Lost & Found". He received some hype pre-COVID while still a teenager in the Giants organization, but struggled in his first exposure to full-season ball in 2021. Canario was shipped to the Cubs with Caleb Kilian as part of last year's Kris Bryant deal. This season, he's shown exceptional power belting 24 home runs between High-A and Double-A and has added 11 steals. While it doesn't appear Canario will be able to hit for much average, he takes the occasional walk and has been able to at least keep his strikeouts at bay. With his power and production and still 22, he's a prospect whose stock has improved as the Cubs fully embrace a rebuild.

Xavier Edwards, 2B/SS, TB – Edwards has lost some of his prospect luster the last couple of seasons. Though he does have a career-best four homers this season, power will simply not be much of the equation for him as a hitter. Edwards has only produced two steals in 45 games at Triple-A this season despite hitting .282. His K:BB has also taken a bit of a hit as he navigates this level for the first time. From a fantasy perspective, the fact remains that most of the value for Edwards lies in his ability to put the bat on the ball. With mediocre speed, limited power and residence in an organization rife with middle infield prospects, Edwards simply doesn't have the draw he once had.

Diego Cartaya, C, LAD – One of the top hitting prospects, Cartaya left Sunday's contest in the middle of an at-bat due to injury. It marks the second time in a month he's experienced an issue.  It remains to be seen what the current injury is or whether it's considered serious. At just 20, Cartaya has had his way with pitching at both Low-A and High-A this season by posting an over .400 combined OBP while smacking 17 homers in 70 games. Often included in trade rumors, an injury should not ding his value as he's still a couple of years away from the majors.

DOWNGRADE

Will Bednar, P, SF – A first round selection in 2021, Bednar was given a conservative assignment to Low-A given his relative youth to other college picks. It was a mixed bag at that level having recorded a 4.19 ERA and 51:22 K:BB across 43 innings. The walks were clearly the biggest red flag with the opposition batting only .167 against. But when Bednar got hit, he got hit hard giving up seven home runs in 12 starts despite only pitching as many as five innings on two occasions. And at the end of June, he was placed on the Injured List with a back injury and hasn't returned since.  The Giants will likely proceed cautiously with their prized pick, so we may have seen the last of Bednar this year.

Hendry Mendez, OF, MIL – Mendez suffered a scary head/shoulder injury after colliding with the right-field wall Sunday at Low-A. One of the youngest players at Low-A, he displays plate discipline and bat-to-ball skills far beyond his years. He was hitting .260 with a .371 OBP prior to the injury with almost as many walks (51) as strikeouts (54), incredibly impressive numbers for a teenager.  Mendez is still only beginning to scratch the surface of his power potential and remains a project who's years away from making a big-league impact, but his polish at the dish makes him intriguing. Here's hoping the injury isn't serious while the Brewers are likely to exercise extreme caution with him as the season winds down.