Man, this is a fun time of year in the minors. All-star games are being played and plenty of high-profile prospect promotions are happening. Some are to the Majors, while others are just stepping up a rung on their organizational prospect ladder. We have several of those promotions this week, headlined by a universal top-10 prospect getting the call to the big club and the top prospect in the entire world FINALLY getting promoted to Triple-A. Grab some popcorn, we got a lot to get to.
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Minor League Headlines/Notes
Happy Kyle Tucker Day
Finally! All it took was a batting average over .300 and near 30/30 pace at Triple-A for the Astros to call up Kyle Tucker. Granted, they didn’t really have a spot for him earlier in the season and Tony Kemp has actually been hitting well of late. Roadblocks be damned. Tucker is the type of prospect that blasts right through.
Like I mentioned, Tucker was having a fine season at Triple-A before his promotion to Houston. In 80 games, he was slashing .306/.371/.520/.891 with 24 doubles, 14 home runs, and 14 steals on 17 attempts, which is an accurate representation of his upside at the Major League level. Tucker’s power, speed, and hit tool are all above-average to plus and he doesn’t have any big flaws in his swing or plate approach. He doesn’t walk a ton, but puts plenty of balls in play and makes hard contact to all fields.
The Astros didn’t bring Tucker up to be a bench bat, folks. He’s going to play regularly and needs to be owned in all fantasy leagues.
Vladdy Finally Promoted
I need your help. For the first two months of the season, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit .407 with a 1.124 OPS but wasn’t deemed ready for a promotion to Triple-A. Okay, he’s 19-year-old, experiencing his first taste of Double-A. I can see your reasoning Toronto, even if I don’t necessarily agree with it. But now that Vladdy has been on the DL for over a month with a knee injury, he’s magically ready for a promotion. Okay, got it. I’m not complaining, because this is well deserved, just very odd. Regardless, once Guerrero returns, likely by the end of July, he will be taking the field for Triple-A Buffalo. A September call-up is still very much in play for the young phenom.
Forrest Whitley Hurt
In not so good Astros news, Forrest Whitley landed on the DL with a mild oblique strain. Baseball’s top pitching prospect was just getting his footing this year, but will now be out for the next couple of weeks, if not longer. Obliques have a tendency to be quite finicky. In six starts before the injury, Whitley had a 4.29 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 3.4 BB/9, and 12.9 K/9. Even if he returns quickly, the chances of him making his Major League debut are slim.
Chris Paddack & Yordan Alvarez Promoted
The two biggest non-Vlad prospect promotions of the past week were San Diego’s Chris Paddack to Double-A and Houston’s Yordan Alvarez to Triple-A, both of whom are top-50 overall prospects according to yours truly.
Let’s start with Paddack. Video game numbers are an accurate way to describe the season he’s been having thus far. In 10 starts with high Class-A Lake Elsinore, Paddack had a 2.24 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 0.7 BB/9, and 14.3 K/9. No, those walk and strikeout rates aren’t typos. Those 10 starts were more than enough reason for the Padres to promote Paddack to Double-A where he allowed just one run on one hit while walking one and striking out five in his first start at the level. Only five strikeouts Chris? Paddack features a fastball that sits around 92-96 with life and pairs that with an above-average curveball and plus-plus changeup. As you can see from his stats, Paddack has plus control and command of his entire arsenal. A 2018 debut is highly unlikely, as this is his first year back from Tommy John surgery, but a mid-2019 debut is well within reach.
On the other side of the ball, Yordan Alvarez is quietly becoming one of the top hitting prospects in the minors. For his career (559 AB), Alvarez has a .309/.385/.517/.902 slash line with 25 home runs, 119 RBI, 92 runs, and 15 stolen bases. If he did that over the course of a full Major League season, he’d likely be a top-25 player at season’s end. In 2018, his numbers have been even better with an OPS currently north of 1.000. Alvarez’s plus hit tool and power are going to make him a very good Major League hitter, just not in 2018 with the Astros stacked lineup. I mean, look how long Tucker had to dominate at Triple-A before getting the call.
Oscar De La Cruz Suspended
The Cubs don’t have much top-end talent in their system and now they’ll be without arguably their top pitching prospect, Oscar De La Cruz, for the remainder of the minor league season after he tested positive for Furosemide. What the heck is Furosemide you ask? Good question, I had to look it up. It is a diuretic and masking agent. De La Cruz was struggling this season at Double-A with a 5.24 ERA and 1.38 WHIP.
Prospect Power Rankings
Prospects currently in the minors that can make the biggest 2018 impact.
1. Michael Kopech (SP – CHW)
I’m starting to think Kopech’s favorite number is four. That’s not a bad number to have as your favorite, it’s mine too, but when you decide to constantly have your walk totals match that number, it can be a problem. Kopech once again allowed four walks in his last start but did strike out six in three innings.
2. Christin Stewart (OF – DET)
Since returning from injury, Stewart has socked dingers in two of three games and remains on the cusp of a call-up. Mikie Mahtook and his .208 average aren’t going to hold Stewart back much longer.
3. Willie Calhoun (OF – TEX)
Calhoun has really hit his stride over the last 10 games, hitting .417 with one home run, two steals, five RBI, and seven runs scored. A promotion within the next few weeks is likely.
4. Austin Riley (3B – ATL)
Riley has collected five hits in his first six games back from injury, with one of those clearing the fence. The Johan Camargo emergence has been nice, but Riley will likely still take over later this season.
5. Mitch Keller (SP – PIT)
Triple-A has been rough for Keller thus far, allowing 23 hits and 14 earned runs in just 12.2 innings spanning three starts. The strikeouts have still been there, but Keller will need to start limiting contact better to get a promotion to the Steel City.
6. Peter Alonso (1B – NYM)
Saying Peter Alonso is in a funk is like saying Mike Trout is really good at this baseball thing. Over his last 10 games, Alonso only has three hits in 36 at-bats, dropping his Triple-A average below the Mendoza line to .171. Ouch. A call-up isn’t out of the question later this season, but Alonso is going to need to turn this frown upside down in a hurry.
7. Enyel De Los Santos (SP – PHI)
See below for more on De Los Santos.
8. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (3B – TOR)
See headlines section for more on Vladdy.
9. Griffin Canning (SP – LAA)
Like with Keller, Triple-A hasn’t been too kind to Canning through his first four starts at the level. His K/9 is still appealing at 12.7, but the rest of his stat line leaves much to be desired. However, the Angels still need pitching more than ever with Garrett Richards now having damage once again to his ulnar collateral ligament in his throwing elbow according to a recent MRI. As long as he can string together a couple strong starts in a row, Canning will be up with the Angels at some point.
10. Kolby Allard (SP – ATL)
Allard has now gone three straight appearances without a quality start, but at least that low strikeout rate is beginning to rise thanks to 20 strikeouts over his last three starts (16.1 IP).
Call-Up City
Fantasy-relevant prospects that have recently gotten the call or a call-up is imminent.
Kyle Tucker (OF – HOU)
See the section about Tucker in the headlines.
Enyel De Los Santos (SP – PHI)
For the last several weeks, I’ve been clamoring for a De Los Santos promotion. Thanks for finally listening Philadelphia. Well, at least for a couple days anyway. De Los Santos got the call for Tuesday’s start against the New York Mets but was promptly sent back down to Triple-A afterward. The Dominican right-hander allowed three runs on five hits over 6.1 innings while walking three and striking out six. Boom, a quality start. Even though he’s back down with the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs (love that name), De Los Santos will likely get another crack at the Phillies rotation, sooner rather than later.
Corbin Burnes (SP – MIL)
We’re getting into the part of the season when pitching prospects get called up for bullpen help. It’s a long season and bullpens usually hit a wall right about now in the dog days of July. Burnes wasn’t having the greatest of seasons in Triple-A, posting a 5.15 ERA and 1.45 WHIP in 13 starts and six relief appearances. However, he has the upside of a mid-rotation arm thanks to three above-average pitches and plus control and command of his entire arsenal. Burnes has some decent long-term appeal, but for 2018, his upside is limited without a spot in the rotation. He’s also been mentioned a few times as a person of interest in Manny Machado trade talks between Milwaukee and Baltimore.
Jalen Beeks (SP – BOS)
Jalen Beeks, Major League pitcher, take two. Action!
If you recall, Beeks’ first go around in Boston was both short and unsuccessful. After getting shellacked in his Major League debut, Beeks wound back up at Triple-A where he picked up right where he left off. The Red Sox needed another bullpen arm for Hector Velazquez’s start Tuesday and brought up Beeks to pair up with Velazquez. Once again, the results were subpar (3 ER in 2.1 IP) and Beeks finds himself back in Triple-A. He’ll likely get another shot later in the season, but it’s unlikely that it will be as a starter.
Cionel Perez (SP – HOU)
Here’s another example of a starter being used as a reliever down the stretch. The Astros rotation is as stacked as the Golden State Warriors. Cionel Perez is a fine pitcher and all, but he’s got about as much chance of cracking this rotation as Chris Davis does at hitting .300. Perez hasn’t even pitched in Triple-A yet, though his 1.98 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and 10.9 K/9 at Double-A sure are impressive. If he sticks in the pen for the rest of the season, Perez can provide strong strikeout numbers, but the overall upside is limited. It’s likely that he’s not up for long.
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Eric Cross is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Eric, check out his archive and follow him on Twitter @EricCross04.