Regan's Rumblings: Prospects Set to Contribute

Here's my take on the big Yankees/White Sox trade that went down Tuesday…

White Sox: Someday someone will write about how Rick Haun has managed the White Sox's rebuild. Assuming Ian Clarkin and Blake Rutherford are indeed included, that only adds to what may now be baseball's top farms system.

Yankees: They added a needed piece for third base and massively upgraded the bullpen and still held on to Clint Frazier and Gleybar Torres. The Yankees also have plenty of ammo left to deal for a starting pitcher without trading either of those guys. This probably will result in Garrett Cooper hitting the bench or being sent to Triple-A, as either Chase Headley or Frazier could play first base.

On that note, here are my takes on several prospects who could contribute in the second half of the season…

Hitters

Amed Rosario, SS, NYM

This is starting to border on the absurd if it hadn't already a month ago. Rosario is batting .435 in his last 10 games with four stolen bases. That leaves him with a .330/.368/.473 batting line with seven homers and 17 stolen bases. We'd certainly like to see better than a 5.2% BB%, but with his speed and 84% contact rate, Rosario is the safest guy in the minors to project as a perennial .300+ hitter. I guess though when your infield already boasts Asdrubal Cabrera (.250 BA), Jose Reyes (.230/.294/.397), and the great T.J. Rivera, a dynamic prospect like Rosario isn't needed.

Yoan Moncada, 2B, CHW

The "call him up" campaign has died down after Moncada hit .236/.357/.406 in June, but July has been better (.310/.370/.452) and for the year, Moncada is hitting .285/.381/.452 with 12 home runs and 17 stolen bases. With his power/speed combination, Moncada has elite fantasy potential. He draws plenty of walks, with the only real issue being strikeouts, with his strikeout rate this year being 28.6% in Triple-A a year after he fanned in 60% of his 20 MLB plate appearances. I still see him taking over second base sometime in the next 2-3 weeks.

Rafael Devers, 3B, BOS

Despite being just 20 years of age, it's easy to see Devers getting a look as the Red Sox third baseman, and soon. Devers was just promoted to Triple-A Pawtucket after batting .300/.369/.575 with 18 home runs in 77 Double-A games. Maybe Triple-A will prove too tough and lead to him staying there all year? Maybe, but in his first game, Devers went 4-for-4 with a double and home run, so the hype will only get louder. The Red Sox are looking at trade options to upgrade from Deven Marrero and Tzu-Wei Lin, but if they find the asking prices on guys like Todd Frazier too steep, they may just promote Devers. If Devers continues to mash Triple-A pitching over the next couple of weeks, I think he gets a look. From a fantasy perspective, I wish he was running like he was last year. Stolen bases: 2016 – 18, 2017 – 0.

Alex Verdugo, OF, LAD

Chris Taylor has been function as the primary left fielder, and with an .861 OPS, he's had a breakout season. Taylor hit just .227 in June but is now batting .364 in June, and with Joc Pederson and Yasiel Puig also performing well, there's really no room for Verdugo. That leaves him as a pretty good trade chip or if the Dodgers want to make Taylor into a super-utility guy, perhaps Verdugo gets a look. The lefty swinger is batting .339/.409/.456 in Triple-A. He's hit just three home runs, but does have eight stolen bases. Having just turned 21 in May, Verdugo's power is still developing, but the hit tool is big league ready. I just don't think we'll see him until September unless he's traded.

Rhys Hoskins, 1B, PHI

As we will see below, the future of the Phillies' infield looks very bright. At first they will soon have the 24-year-old Hoskins, currently batting .286/.381/.559 with 20 home runs, this after mashing 38 homers in Double-A in 2016. In addition to the power, Hoskins also has a strong 12.7% BB% while fanning in an excellent 15.3% K%. He won't run much, but he does have three steals. Tommy Joseph has 36 career home runs in 684 PA's, but he doesn't hit for average and is a poor defender. I'm pretty bullish on Hoskins and think the Phillies will trade Joseph by the deadline and install Hoskins as their regular first baseman.

Scott Kingery, 2B, PHI

Kingery is a tough case. On one hand, between Double-A and Triple-A this season, the 23-year-old is batting .308/.366/.588 with 22 homers and 25 stolen bases. Those are "he's big league ready" numbers. At the same time, the Phillies have Cesar Hernandez back, though Hernandez has also been mentioned as a trade candidate. Even more notable is that Kingery is not on the organization's 40-man roster. Calling him up this year would mean dropping someone from the roster in a year in which the team is not competing. So while Kingery deserves as least a September call up, I don't see it coming until 2018.

J.P. Crawford, SS, PHI

Crawford's prospect status has taken a massive dive this year. He got a bit of a free pass after batting .244/.328/.318 in Triple-A last year, but It's been more of the same in 2017 given his .221/.334/.362 slash. On the plus side are his ratios, including a 14.5% BB% and 16.5% K%, but the lack of consistent hard contact is troubling. Crawford does have eight homers after hitting just four last year in a few more at-bats. That all said, since missing time in June with a groin injury, Crawford has returned like a man possessed. In 15 games this month, Carl's cousin is batting .308/.400/.768 with six home runs. The time off appears to have done him well. Like Kingery, Crawford is not on the 40-man roster, so it's possible we won't see him until 2018 unless he keeps up this pace and forces the issue.

Lewis Brinson, OF, MIL

Brinson struggled to a 3-for-31 effort in his first taste of big league pitching, but the playing time was sporadic, and he's not exactly the first top prospect to struggle initially. Brinson continues to crush Triple-A pitching and is now batting .344/.413/.573 with 10 home runs and 10 steals at that level in 61 games this season. The Brewers' surprising season could keep him in Triple-A until September, but at .225/.301/.444, current CF Keon Broxton is already losing some playing time to Brett Phillips, so don't be shocked if the Brewers pivot back to Brinson should Phillips not be an adequate replacement.

Derek Fisher, OF, HOU

Fisher posted a .939 OPS in 21 MLB PA's back in June, so he should be back in some role any day. Current LF Jake Marisnik has actually had a solid season, batting .259/.335/.531, but Marisnik's track record is less than consistent. Fisher meanwhile in Triple-A is batting .302/.367/.572 with 20 homers and 14 stolen bases. He's an intriguing power/speed combo for fantasy purposes, but the path to playing time looks sketchy. Given the presence of an even better OF prospect in the system, Kyle Tucker, Fisher looks to me to be trade bait for a pitcher. I think that happens prior to 7/31 and that Fisher plays regularly for the season's final two months.

Chris Shaw, 1B, SF

Shaw sits at #169 on our Top-400 prospects list, so he's not exactly an elite prospect, but between Double-A and Triple-A, Shaw is batting a combined .298/.359/.518 with 15 homers in 83 games. If you look at the Giants' depth chart in LF, it's not like Barry Bonds is out there. Austin Slater is out until September. Gorkys Hernandez has yet to hit a home run in nearly 200 PA's. After that it gets worse. Shaw would be an immediate upgrade and he's already on the 40-man roster. He's scuffling a bit lately in Triple-A, but I think he'll force his way to the big leagues within a couple of weeks unless the Giants trade for an outfielder, something that makes little sense given how their season is going.

Ozzie Albies, 2B, ATL

I've never been a huge Albies fan, but I do have to admit that batting .321/.391/.467 in Double-A as a 19-year-old is pretty impressive. He hasn't been nearly as good in Triple-A, but this year's .289/.332/.443 slash isn't awful by any means, and he's swiped an impressive 21 bags in 23 attempts, so he's improved his base-running efficiency this season. Listed at 5'9", 150 lbs., Albies has been compared to Elvis Andrus in terms of fantasy value, though given how young he is, there's still a chance he could be something more. Albies has a shot at a 2017 debut despite not being on the 40-man roster, but with Brandon Phillips hitting well, he may be more of a 2018 fantasy option.

Ryan McMahon, 1B/3B, COL

After three consecutive seasons with an OPS of .860 or better, McMahon saw his prospect status crumble last season in Double-A when he hit just .242/.325/.399. Returning to that level this season, McMahon blew through Double-A in 2017, batting .326/.390/.536 in 49 games before getting promoted. In Triple-A he's been even better, batting .390/.415/.667 in 37 games. Overall he's hit 15 homers and stole 11 bases to put him on the cusp of the big leagues. The issue however is playing time. The Rockies have a pretty good third baseman already in Nolan Arenado, so McMahon's future could be at first where he's played sparingly this year. He's even been getting time at second base on occasion, but that spot is occupied by a guy who led the majors in hitting last year (.348) and who is batting .315 this season (DJ LeMahieu). Of course a guy hitting .390 could force the issue and perhaps even take over for Mark Reynolds at some point this year.

Willy Adames, SS, TB

A .235 July has brought Adames' slash down to .266/.355/.413 with seven homers and seven steals, but he's still on the cusp of the big leagues. Adames is looking up at Tim Beckham and Brad Miller on the depth chart, but while Beckham has shown improvement this year, neither looks like the long term answer at shortstop. Adames is on the club's 40-man roster, making a 2017 highly likely at this point. How much he will play is an open question, but I can see him as the regular shortstop sometime in August.

Jake Bauers, OF, TB

"24" is one of my all-time favorite shows, but this is Jake Bauers, not Jack Bauer, so let's talk baseball. Bauers' numbers don't jump out at you, but a .276/.376/.423 Triple-A slash line for a 21-year-old is pretty impressive. Bauers has eight homers and 11 steals, so he runs enough to have some fantasy appeal in deeper leagues. Any player this young with this sort of plate discipline (13.6% BB%) is a safe bet to at least contribute at the big league level, but I think Bauers can be an above-average player, likely hitting out of the two-spot. I don't see where he can get regular playing time this year barring an injury or a Steven Souza trade, but both of those scenarios are certainly possible.

Pitchers

Brent Honeywell, TB

Honeywell has yet to show the consistency necessary to make his MLB promotion a no-brainer, but he's probably the most MLB-ready top pitching prospect yet to make his debut. Honeywell was promoted to Triple-A after just two Double-A starts (13 IP, 2.08 ERA, 20:4 K:BB). He's yet to find consistency in Triple-A as evidenced by a 4.54 ERA and 1.44 WHIP in 15 starts. An 11.3 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 evidence his fantasy appeal and if he can build upon his last start (6 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 K), Honeywell will make his way to the big leagues this year. It may take a trade or lack of improvement from Blake Snell for Honeywell to get his shot, but it's coming.

Walker Buehler, LAD

The Dodgers have treated Buehler with extreme caution after August 2015 Tommy John surgery, but he's now in Triple-A and could be an option to help the big club in the second half. Buehler ranks as RotoWire's #5 pitching prospect with an arsenal that includes a fastball that can reach the upper-90s, a sharp slider, curve, and improving changeup. Given Buehler seems to be topping out at around five innings, Buehler's contributions in 2017 may well come from the bullpen with an eye on a 2018 rotation debut. That would certainly limit his current year fantasy value.

Lucas Giolito, CHW

With a 5.00 ERA and 1.44 WHIP, Giolito may get a September cup of coffee at best, but he's certainly capable of going on a run and forcing the issue sooner. In one recent start, Giolito tossed seven two-hit innings with 10 strikeouts. This however came right after a seven-inning blowup, so the consistency just isn't there.

Reynaldo Lopez, CHW

Lopez had a 4.91 ERA in 44 MLB innings last year, and he's had his ups and downs in 2017, but his last four starts have him pushing for another big league run. In those four starts over 25 innings, Lopez has put up a 1.80 ERA and 33:5 K:BB. The only member of the current big league rotation that is a lock to be part of the team's 2018 rotation is Carlos Rodon, so guys like Lopez, Lucas Giolito, and Carson Fulmer should get their chances in the second half. Expect Lopez to be up first.

Chance Adams, NYY

It stood to reason that Adams had a good shot to replace Michael Pineda (elbow) in the Yankees' rotation, but at least for now, Adams will remain in Triple-A. After blowing through Double-A with a 1.03 ERA in 35 innings, Adams has posted a 2.45 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 9.7 K/9, and 3.8 BB/9 in Triple-A. He's been at best, a five-innings per start sort of guy for the most part this year, as the lack of MLB-level control has led to the high pitch-count that has prevented Adams from going deep into games. A closer in college, Adams only converted to the rotation last year, so it seems he's still working on refining his ability as a starting pitcher. We should see him in August and he has the stuff to be a fantasy contributor, but temper your expectations.