Minor League Barometer: September Roster Expansion

September is right around the corner, meaning roster expansion and a plethora of promotions from the minors will soon be coming. The San Diego Padres figure to promote both of their highly touted outfield prospects, Hunter Renfroe and Manuel Margot. Strikeout phenom Jose De Leon will likely make his big league debut for the pitching-starved Los Angeles Dodgers. Meanwhile, Joey Gallo of the Texas Rangers should make his return to the majors as an extra bat off the bench as the club pushes towards the playoffs. It remains to be seen if the Philadelphia Phillies will let shortstop JP Crawford get his first taste of MLB action.

The following players featured in this week's Minor League Barometer are likely not on the verge of seeing the big leagues. They are also less well known. Nevertheless, they have been making noise in the minors and deserve attention in some capacity.

UPGRADE

Edwin Rios, 1B, LAD – A fifth-round pick out of FIU in 2015, Rios possesses a powerful left-handed bat that has allowed him to scorch play at three different levels in 2016. He started off the season with a modest showing at Low-A, hitting .252 with six home runs in 33 games. Still, the Dodgers felt the need to promote him to High-A, where he really hit his stride. Taking advantage of the friendly hitting confines of the California League, Rios slashed an absurd .367/.394/.712 with 16 home runs and 46 RBI in 42 games. That led to a promotion to Double-A, where the 22-year-old Rios has only slowed down a tad. Through 20 games at Double-A, Rios is hitting .289 with five home runs and 13 RBI. That gives Rios 27 home runs in 95 games in 2016. While his plate discipline is not the greatest, the potential for 30-plus home runs makes strikeouts less concerning. Rios is sharing first base duties with Cody Bellinger, who is considered a higher ceiling prospect. However, Bellinger can play the outfield as well. Adrian Gonzalez is not getting any younger, and eventually a replacement will be needed at first. If Bellinger is not the solution, Rios very well could be.

Tyler Beede, P, SF – A massive uptick in strikeouts has placed Beede back on the prospect map. The first-round pick from 2014 has fanned 66 batters in his last 62 innings for Double-A Richmond. Beede has 116 strikeouts in 127 innings in all at this level in 2016. By contrast, Beede had just 49 strikeouts in 72.1 innings at this same level just one year ago. Beede has had a few wild outings, including back-to-back six-walk starts in the middle of July. Nevertheless, he managed to limit the damage, posting a 2.76 ERA over his last 10 starts. It certainly appears that Beede is trending in the right direction, and the 23-year-old may even have a shot at the big league rotation in 2017.

Michael Gettys, OF, SD – Gettys rebounded from a poor first full season in the minors with a stellar campaign in 2016. The toolsy outfielder has nine home runs and 33 stolen bases between Low-A and High-A, batting .304 in 120 games. Gettys has more speed than power, but as witnessed by the above-referenced numbers, he is certainly not deficient in the home run category. Still, he strikes out an awful lot. In fact, Gettys has 136 strikeouts in those 120 outings. Combine the strikeouts with just 33 walks, and Gettys absolutely needs to work on his plate discipline. However, it is difficult to quibble with a player's approach when he is hitting .304 on the year. The Padres have plenty of outfield prospects ahead of him but Gettys remains a hitter to watch due to his diverse skill set.

Domingo Acevedo, P, NYY – The Yankees acquired a bevy of talented minor leaguers at the trade deadline, including high-upside hurlers Justus Sheffield and Dillon Tate. However, despite the influx of fresh talent, it would be foolish to overlook Acevedo, who may have the most upside of any pitcher in the organization. A dynamic fastball, above-average changeup and developing slider have made Acevedo into a weapon in 2016. Though at one time the 6-foot-7 righty appeared ticketed for the bullpen (think of him as a skinnier Dellin Betances), Acevedo has not battled control problems as anticipated. In fact, the 22-year-old has a 102:22 K:BB in 93 innings between Low-A and High-A this season. As long as Acevedo's command does not falter, and his slider continues to improve, he could end up as a frontline starter for the revamped Bronx Bombers.

CHECK STATUS

Kevin Newman, SS, PIT – Newman is a polarizing prospect in the eyes of fantasy owners. The polished college shortstop from Arizona is already 23 years of age, so what you see now is likely what you will get in the big leagues. On the plus side, Newman is hitting .335 with a .397 On-Base Percentage in 90 combined games between High-A and Double-A. On the downside, Newman has just five home runs and 10 stolen bases over that span, making him a mediocre contributor in power and speed at best. Newman is one of the purest hitters in the minors, but his impact in the fantasy realm may not be as great as his real-life baseball value.

Jack Flaherty, P, STL – With Luke Weaver and Alex Reyes hitting the big leagues, the argument could be made that Flaherty is the best remaining pitching prospect for the Cardinals. Though Sandy Alcantara, Junior Fernandez and others may have greater upside, Flaherty has the consistency that the other hurlers lack. At just 19 years of age, Flaherty baffled hitters at Low-A, posting a 2.84 ERA and 97:31 K:BB in 2015. He has had similar success in 2016, notching a 3.84 ERA and 114:40 K:BB in 121 innings for High-A Palm Beach. Flaherty's best stretch of the season may have come in his last two outings, as he fanned 10 batters in six innings this past Friday. In the start prior, Flaherty tossed seven scoreless innings. Flaherty's stock is climbing, he is still on the young side, yet has been anything but overmatched. He may only be scratching the surface of his future potential.

Trevor Clifton, P, CHC – Clifton is flying under the radar for the Cubbies, but has put together a sterling season for High-A Myrtle Beach. Clifton is enjoying his best success in the minors since being drafted in the 12th round in 2013. Clifton has a 3.05 ERA and 112:39 K:BB in 106.1 innings. Opposing batters are hitting just .235 against the 21-year-old righty. Clifton does not have the upside of some other pitching prospects in the Chicago system (Dylan Cease and Oscar De La Cruz), but he mixes in four pitches and has proven he can miss some bats. Clifton has the chance to be a middle-of-the-rotation starter as long as he continues to pound the strike zone.

Brandon Woodruff, P, MIL – Woodruff has been battered over his last two starts, but prior to that had gone seven -straight outings allowing one earned run or fewer for Double-A Biloxi. In fact, his ERA was 2.87 in 15 starts at that level prior to his last two poor starts. Woodruff has shown strikeout potential in 2016, fanning 147 batters in 136 innings between High-A and Double-A. The Brewers are desperate for some starting pitching, and while Josh Hader and the recently acquired Luis Ortiz and Phil Bickford will certainly help the cause, Woodruff is a home-grown talent who has enjoyed a breakout 2016 campaign.

DOWNGRADE

Justin Williams, OF, TB – Williams is a 21-year-old outfielder whose raw skills are still ahead of his on-field production. He has struggled since a recent promotion to Double-A. In 29 games at Double-A, Williams is slashing just .245/.276/.464. He does have five home runs and 24 RBI over that span, though also boasts a 24:4 K:BB. Williams had just 14 walks in 2015, and has drawn just 10 walks overall in 2016. His left-handed power stroke has also not quite yet developed, as the nine home runs slugged in 2016 represents a career best. Williams did hit .330 in 51 games prior to the promotion, though, and has plenty of upside. However, he is a ways away from hitting the big leagues despite being drafted in 2013.

Michael Chavis, SS/3B, BOS – The Red Sox have done so much right in terms of the farm system in recent years, but Chavis has been one of the few duds. He limped to a .223 average at Low-A in 2015, then got off to a quick start before suffering a thumb injury at the beginning of the 2016 season. Since his return from injury, the 2014 first rounder has scuffled. Chavis is slashing just .250/.326/.401 in 72 games at Low-A. He has been even worse of late, batting just .186 with 13 strikeouts in his last 10 contests. In addition, Chavis was supposed to have big power potential, but has just eight dingers in 2016. While Yoan Moncada and Andrew Benintendi looks like future stars, the 21-year-old Chavis has been pretty much a bust.

Nick Williams, OF, PHI – Williams does not have horrific overall numbers, but the biggest red flag has been his regression in terms of plate discipline. Each season with the Texas Rangers, Williams seemed to improve at least a bit in terms of his approach at the dish. Less strikeouts, more walks, better at-bats. That has not been the case in 2016, as Williams has 117 strikeouts as compared to just 19 walks in 113 games. Those numbers are more similar to his first full season in the minors in 2013 as compared to his stellar 2015 campaign. Williams has been particularly dreadful of late, hitting a putrid .125 with 16 strikeouts and just one walk over his last 10 contests. With Dylan Cozens absolutely raking at Double-A, Williams may be feeling the pressure to perform. Perhaps more realistically, though, Williams simply does not have the appropriate strike zone judgment. Though Cozens has an even worse strikeout rate than Williams, Cozens also has 37 home runs and 21 steals. Williams has just 12 home runs and five thefts in 2016. It will be interesting to see how the two prospects fare next season in their attempts to reach the big leagues.

Christian Arroyo, SS, SF – Arroyo will be an everyday player for the Giants one day. Call it a gut feeling, but he may end up being a better actual player than fantasy performer, though. Arroyo is batting .273/.317/.366 as a 21-year-old at Double-A Richmond. Arroyo is young for this level yet has not been overwhelmed. That being said, he has just two home runs and one stolen base in 110 games. He hit a career-high nine home runs in the hitter friendly confines of the California League in 2015. His career best in stolen bases is seven, set in 2014. Arroyo does have the ability to hit .300, but with limited power and average speed at best, he does not have the fantasy upside of some other shortstops currently honing their craft in the minors.