The Next Crop of MLB Prospect Call-ups Set to Impact 2023 Season
Between Jordan Walker's slugging, Miguel Vargas' on-baseing, Kodai Senga's ghost-forking and so many other exploits, 2023 is already shaping up to be a great year for rookies in Major League Baseball.
Oh, and there are more on the way.
We've shined a spotlight on 10 impact prospects who are knocking on the door to The Show. They may only be at Triple-A right now, but they're making strong cases for major league jobs that are either already available or potentially soon to be.
Some prominent prospects won't appear here, including guys recovering from injuries such as Elly De La Cruz and Bobby Miller and others who are suddenly struggling, such as Kyle Harrison and Masyn Winn.
As for the players who did make the cut, we've counted them down in descending order of where they showed up in our most recent top 100 rankings. We also gave our best guess as to when they might get the call to the majors.
2B Edouard Julien, Minnesota Twins
1 of 10
Age: 23
2023 Stats (AAA): 8 G, 36 PA, 2 HR, 1 SB, .276 AVG, .417 OBP, .517 SLG
Preseason Rank: No. 100
Upon getting an up-close look at Edouard Julien in spring training, Carlos Correa had a straightforward review.
"My god, the kid can hit, man," the Twins' star shortstop said, according to Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic.
No kidding. All Julien, a native of Quebec, did in eight appearances with the Twins this spring was post a 1.114 OPS and three home runs, plus a 1.821 OPS and two homers for Canada in the World Baseball Classic.
Julien has since continued to add to a minor league track record that notably includes a 20.3 walk percentage and a .437 on-base percentage. Even if won't necessarily come with other standout tools, on-base acumen like should play just fine in the majors.
To this end, Julien's road to playing time with the Twins is complicated by Jorge Polanco's impending return at second base. But the longer Julien keeps refusing to make outs, the harder it will be for the Twins to avoid getting him involved in some way.
Best Guess ETA: July 2023
RHP Brandon Pfaadt, Arizona Diamondbacks
2 of 10
Age: 24
2023 Stats (AAA): 2 GS, 8.1 IP, 8 H (5 HR), 12 K, 2 BB, 6.48 ERA
Preseason Rank: No. 88
Brandon Pfaadt came out of 2022 riding high after leading the minor leagues in strikeouts, and thus went into 2023 with a real shot to make the Diamondbacks' Opening Day rotation.
Though that shot fizzled when Pfaadt was optioned to minor league camp in mid-March, it wasn't because he had failed his test.
"We loved what we saw," manager Torey Lovullo told reporters. "It was just time to get him back to the Minor Leagues, get him stretched out and get him moving in the right direction so he can prepare for the season."
What the Snakes specifically saw was a right-hander with four quality pitches—including a sneaky-good rising fastball—and the ability to throw them for strikes, resulting in 15 strikeouts against only four walks in 12 innings.
Pfaadt was lit up in his season debut for the Reno Aces but promptly rebounded with 4.2 innings of one-run ball his next time out. With the Snakes getting a 5.14 ERA out of their starters, it may not be much longer before they look to Pfaadt for a boost.
Best Guess ETA: May 2023
RHP Gavin Stone, Los Angeles Dodgers
3 of 10
Age: 24
2023 Stats (AAA): 2 GS, 7.2 IP, 8 H (1 HR), 8 K, 3 BB, 8.22 ERA
Preseason Rank: No. 69
It would be a reach to say that all is not well in the Dodgers rotation, but things could be better at the back end. That's where Michael Grove, he of the 14.73 ERA, resides.
This could end up being good news for Gavin Stone, who's much better than his early line for the Oklahoma City Dodgers indicates.
Much like Pfaadt, Stone followed a rough 2023 debut with a dominant outing his second time out, wherein he punched out five and walked nobody over five one-run innings.
Prior to the start of this season, Stone posted a sparkling 1.48 ERA across three minor league levels in 2022 and then put forth an ace-like performance in spring training. His 6.2 innings yielded no runs on five hits, two walks and 14 strikeouts.
His fastball and slider are solid, but what really allows Stone to thrive is a changeup that's among the nastiest pitches of any prospect. So when the Dodgers do call him up, he'll have at least one thing with which to achieve staying power in the majors.
Best Guess ETA: May 2023
C Bo Naylor, Cleveland Guardians
4 of 10
Age: 23
2023 Stats (AAA): 9 G, 41 PA, 2 HR, 0 SB, .276 AVG, .488 OBP, .586 SLG
Preseason Rank: No. 57
The Guardians have called on Bo Naylor once before, but it only resulted in him seeing action in five games late in 2022. His prospect eligibility is firmly intact.
As for what Naylor has been up to lately, he was right there alongside Julien in making an impression with Canada in the World Baseball Classic. Partially with his bat in hitting a long home run, and also with his arm with this terrific throw:
That was nothing that Guardians manager Terry Francona didn't already know about, as he had previously been fawning over Naylor's arm: "He has a cannon. I didn't realize it was that good."
Meanwhile, Mike Zunino's arm isn't looking any better following thoracic outlet surgery. Whereas he averaged 1.91 seconds on throws to second base as recently as 2020, he's up to 2.09 seconds this year.
It's therefore conceivable that the Guardians could eventually look to the younger Naylor—whose older brother, Josh, is already stationed at first base in Cleveland—as a defensive upgrade over the veteran. Though, to be sure, his powerful stick would be a nice bonus.
Best Guess ETA: May 2023
CF/RF Sal Frelick, Milwaukee Brewers
5 of 10
Age: 22
2023 Stats (AAA): 8 G, 35 PA, 0 HR, 3 SB, .226 AVG, .314 OBP, .323 SLG
Preseason Rank: No. 55
The last thing the Brewers would seem to need is another outfielder. Between Christian Yelich in left, Garrett Mitchell in center and Joey Wiemer in right, their outfield already leads the majors with 1.3 rWAR.
Still, it'll be hard for them to keep Sal Frelick down for long.
Albeit with neither a home run nor a walk, Frelick made an impression in spring training by hitting .385 in 10 games. He's also yet another guy who did well in the World Baseball Classic, batting .304 and driving in four runs for Italy.
Though Frelick, who's a career .326 hitters in the minors, hasn't been quite as hot out of the gate for the Nashville Sounds, he has made his presence felt on the bases and on defense with fine work in center field. Like so:
Neither Mitchell nor Wiemer has anything to worry about right now, but they nonetheless need to keep the proverbial pedal to the metal. If either begins to struggle, the Brewers figure to be that much more tempted to call on Frelick.
Best Guess ETA: June 2023
2B/1B/3B Michael Busch, Los Angeles Dodgers
6 of 10
Age: 25
2023 Stats (AAA): 9 G, 44 PA, 0 HR, 0 SB, .333 AVG, .409 OBP, .359 SLG
Preseason Rank: No. 44
Speaking of contenders who wouldn't seem to need help in key areas, any Dodgers prospect who's not a shortstop will look up the infield and see Freddie Freeman, Max Muncy and Miguel Vargas in the way.
That must be especially frustrating for Michael Busch, for whom the only recourse is to just keep hitting.
After cranking 32 home runs in the high minors last season, Busch arrived at spring training and put up a .937 OPS and a pair of home runs for the Dodgers.
The power hasn't yet come for Busch with Oklahoma City, but that's not where really where he needs to prove himself anyway. The task before him is to get more versatile on defense, where he's already played second and first base with action at third still to come.
The better Busch fares in the field, the harder it may be for the Dodgers to keep him down. Barring an injury that would open up an everyday gig for him, he could potentially work in tandem with Vargas at second base and J.D. Martinez at designated hitter.
Best Guess ETA: July 2023
C/1B Tyler Soderstrom, Oakland Athletics
7 of 10
Age: 21
2023 Stats (AAA): 8 G, 37 PA, 2 HR, 0 SB, .293 AVG, .324 OBP, .618 SLG
Preseason Rank: No. 34
It was this time last year that Shea Langeliers was well regarded as a catching prospect in his own right, but his first 49 games with the Athletics have yielded just a .670 OPS and minus-0.1 rWAR.
Advantageous for Tyler Soderstrom? Maybe.
Even if he's only 17 games into his Triple-A career, the A's can be bullish on his bat. Even before he got off to a hot start for the Las Vegas Aviators this year, he had cranked 29 long balls across three levels of the minors in 2022.
The real question is whether Soderstrom has the defensive chops to stick at catcher, but the A's liked what they saw in spring training. To quote manager Mark Kotsay, Soderstrom improved in "every aspect of the game that we watched from the beginning of Spring Training up until the last game he played."
Should Soderstrom's defensive progress stall out, he'll still have another clear avenue to playing time in the majors. He can also play first base, which is currently in the hands of .191-hitting Ryan Noda in Oakland.
Best Guess ETA: July 2023
3B Curtis Mead, Tampa Bay Rays
8 of 10
Age: 22
2023 Stats (AAA): 7 G, 36 PA, 0 HR, 1 SB, .226 AVG, .306 OBP, .355 SLG
Preseason Rank: No. 29
How high are the Rays on Curtis Mead? Apparently high enough to be willing to entertain a contract extension even though he hasn't yet debuted in the majors.
Who can blame them after what Mead has done over the last two seasons? He followed a 2021 campaign in which he hit .321 across three levels with more of the same in 2022, wherein he hit .298 in the high minors.
Albeit with just a .227 average, the Australia native then slugged .546 in spring training. And as much as it looks like he's been cool out of the gate with the Durham Bulls, he does have a couple of multi-hit games.
Aspects of Mead's game that don't pertain to the batter's box are more suspect. He's a below-average runner and defender, with an arm that was weak even before he injured his right elbow last season.
Yet as long as Mead keeps hitting, the Rays will have to keep their attention firmly on him. And because he can play second base in addition to third base, an injury at either spot could be what prompts his promotion.
Best Guess ETA: June 2023
3B Brett Baty, New York Mets
9 of 10
Age: 23
2023 Stats (AAA): 5 G, 22 PA, 2 HR, 2 SB, .333 AVG, .455 OBP, .722 SLG
Preseason Rank: No. 26
The Mets have a problem at third base, where Eduardo Escobar is hitting just .125 and is already down to minus-0.5 rWAR. By all accounts, they're not blind to this problem.
So, how much longer until they give Brett Baty his chance to be the solution?
He's indeed already seen time in the majors by way of an 11-game cup of coffee with the Mets last season. More recently, he outperformed Escobar in spring training by seeing his .352 OPS and raising him an .885 OPS.
Baty has since pretty much picked up where he left off after hitting .315 with 19 home runs in the minors last season, including with this impressive left-on-left, opposite-field grand slam on April 1:
As for what's not to like about Baty, it suffices to say that the Mets aren't alone in not being sold on his defense. But even knowing that, it's not unreasonable to think that he could get the call and simply hit his way over the low bar Escobar has set at the hot corner.
Best Guess ETA: April 2023
RHP Taj Bradley, Tampa Bay Rays
10 of 10
Age: 22
2023 Stats (AAA): 2 GS, 7.0 IP, 6 H (1 HR), 8 K, 3 BB, 5.14 ERA
Preseason Rank: No. 14
Whereas it might take an injury on the infield to open up a spot for Mead, the No. 5 spot in their rotation isn't quite as clad in iron. The Jalen Beeks-Josh Fleming tandem worked on Monday against the Boston Red Sox, but is nonetheless flimsy-looking on paper.
So...Taj Bradley, anyone?
The right-hander is coming off a strong season in the minors in 2022, wherein he made 28 starts and racked up 108 more strikeouts than walks in the process of putting togethera 2.57 ERA. And while he only handled 3.1 innings in spring training, he still earned rave reviews.
Like Pfaadt and Stone, Bradley is yet another hurler whose 2023 debut in the minors went south. But he also righted the ship in his second outing, pitching five one-run innings with five strikeouts and no free passes.
Bradley can dial his fastball up to the high 90s, but his cutter is to his arsenal what Stone's changeup is to his. If Fleming continues to struggle, it's perhaps possible that Bradley will be throwing that pitch for the Rays before Tyler Glasnow is healthy enough to rejoin the rotation.
Best Guess ETA: May 2023
Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference, FanGraphs and Baseball Savant.
