2014 September Prospect Call-Ups Who Will Be Full-Time MLB Starters in 2015
The 2014 Major League Baseball season is down to the final stretch, with contenders battling for playoff positioning and postseason berths. But September also, in some ways, is about next season—as in which young players promoted to The Show this month will be there again at the start of 2015.
Some prospects can use a strong September as a springboard to a starting job—or at least a 25-man roster spot—next spring. Others have a clear path to playing time next year because of their standing in the organization or their team's lack of other options.
While some of this September's young talent will ascend to regular roles during the course of 2015, the focus here is on those who actually could be on Opening Day rosters come next March/April.
What follows is a group of highly regarded prospects listed in order of least to most likely to be in the majors from the very start of 2015.
To be considered, players have to meet a few criteria. First, they still must be prospect-eligible, meaning they have not exceeded 130 at-bats or 50 innings pitched in the majors.
That disqualifies the likes of right-hander Jimmy Nelson of the Milwaukee Brewers, lefty James Paxton of the Seattle Mariners or Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Gregory Polanco, each of whom surpassed those marks earlier this season.
Second, players actually must be on a major league roster, having been called up by Friday, Sept. 5 or the week prior.
In other words, young studs like third baseman Kris Bryant and left-hander Carlos Rodon aren't here because the Chicago Cubs and White Sox, respectively, ultimately decided not to promote them.
If you want to read more about that pair, as well as a handful of other premium prospects who could make a major impact next season despite having not been called up this month, Bleacher Report's own prospect maven Mike Rosenbaum recently highlighted a batch that fits that bill.
As for the prospects who are up—and could stay up—they're just a click away.
Other 2015 Potential Regulars or Midseason Call-Ups
1 of 9
- Rafael Montero, RHP, New York Mets
- Daniel Norris, LHP, Toronto Blue Jays
- Cory Spangenberg, 2B/3B/OF, San Diego Padres
- Nick Tropeano, RHP, Houston Astros
- Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez, RHP, Philadelphia Phillies
- Dalton Pompey, OF, Toronto Blue Jays
- Cam Bedrosian, RHP, Los Angeles Angels
- Dilson Herrera, 2B, New York Mets
Christian Bethancourt, C, Atlanta Braves
2 of 9
Because the Atlanta Braves' incumbent backstop Evan Gattis will be sticking around, Christian Bethancourt might not be the everyday, full-time starter at the outset of 2015.
But Bethancourt, who just turned 23 on Sept. 2—the day he was recalled—plays stellar defense and possesses a rocket arm, which makes him well worth at least being a backup who sees plenty of action. That role belonged to veteran Gerald Laird this year, but his contract is up, which should open a clear path.
But what about Bethancourt's bat? Well, he owns a decent .270 career average in the minors and makes plenty of contact, but he's walked just 4.2 percent of the time. In two stints with the Braves this year, he's hitting .278 (15-for-54) and got his September off to a solid start, as Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes: "Bethancourt was recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett Tuesday [Sept. 2] and made an immediate impact with three singles and two RBI against the Phillies on Wednesday. Bethancourt’s RBI in the fifth inning put the Braves up for good in the 7-4 victory."
That's a good sign, but even if Bethancourt takes a while to adjust at the plate, he'll be a stud behind it. Plus, he and the powerful Gattis could make a dynamic tandem.
Alexander Guerrero, INF, Los Angeles Dodgers
3 of 9
Heading into 2015, Alexander Guerrero's position on the Los Angeles Dodgers' depth chart isn't so simple to determine. While it's possible shortstop Hanley Ramirez could head elsewhere as a free agent this winter, it's unlikely Guerrero would take over that role on a regular basis. Second base now belongs to Dee Gordon after his breakout season, and Juan Uribe is signed on to handle third base through 2015.
Even with all that, however, Guerrero should have a spot on the 25-man roster. Not only is the Cuban defector already 27 years old, but he also showed he was too good for Triple-A in his first year in America (.329/.364/.613).
Beyond that, the Dodgers inked him to a four-year, $28 million deal, so they have incentives marked by both time and money to see what Guerrero can do in the majors. That might be as a utility player who covers two or three infield positions and can step in as a starter when needed.
.png?w=256)
Joc Pederson, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers
4 of 9
While on Dodgers prospects, Joc Pederson needs to be covered too. Although he actually has more players—not to mention, more money—ahead of him than Guerrero does, the 22-year-old has been too good to ignore.
As currently constituted, the Dodgers won't be able to fit Pederson into their outfield easily. But if they can find a way to unload one (or more) of Andre Ethier, Carl Crawford and/or Matt Kemp in a trade, then Pederson would have a better chance of playing alongside Yasiel Puig every day.
That is what lies ahead for Pederson, who is not only the best (only?) center fielder in the organization but also was the Triple-A Pacific Coast League MVP and put up the first 30-30 campaign in that circuit since 1934.
Frankly, coming off that kind of campaign at the highest level of the minors, Pederson deserves a roster spot next year even if that only adds to the overcrowding in the Dodgers outfield.
Maikel Franco, 3B, Philadelphia Phillies
5 of 9
Despite his slow start at Triple-A this year, Maikel Franco turned his season around over the past two months and now is just about in position to man the hot corner for the Philadelphia Phillies in 2015.
After hitting just .209 with five homers and 31 RBI in 78 games through June, the just-turned 22-year-old batted .324 with 11 homers and 47 RBI in 55 games thereafter.
Franco would give the club's lefty-heavy lineup, including Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Domonic Brown and Cody Asche, a much-needed right-handed bat with the ability to knock extra-base hits. Beyond that, Franco unquestionably has a higher ceiling than Asche, the 24-year-old who has slashed .249/.310/.384 in his first full MLB season.
Manager Ryne Sandberg told Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer about a possible position switch for Asche to avoid a hot-corner logjam: "Typically, a position change is more for instructional league and winter time. It's just a more relaxed situation. A player can make some mistakes and learn from them. That's the proper way to go about a position change, for me."
That indicates the Phillies consider Franco—and not Asche—to be the third baseman of the future. And that future could begin at the start of next season.
Anthony Ranaudo, RHP, Boston Red Sox
6 of 9
There's a strong likelihood the Boston Red Sox will go after a starter—or three—in free agency because of the state of their rotation after trading away Jon Lester, John Lackey and Jake Peavy this year.
As is, the two most secure starters going forward appear to be Clay Buchholz, who has a 5.29 ERA this year and hasn't looked the same since the middle of 2013, and Joe Kelly, who was acquired from the St. Louis Cardinals in the Lackey swap.
Other than those two, Boston is going to have to figure out between now and next spring which one or two of the following youngsters are worth rolling with as possible members of the five-man rotation: Rubby De La Rosa, Allen Webster, Brandon Workman and Anthony Ranaudo.
That's a lot of competition for what could be only one spot, if that, but Ranaudo had the best 2014 of all of them, posting a 2.61 ERA and 1.20 WHIP in earning the Triple-A International League's most valuable pitcher. Ranaudo, 24, has held his own in his first four big league starts, with a 4.63 ERA and two quality starts so far, although he's given up five homers and struck out only eight in 23.1 innings.
Andrew Heaney, LHP, Miami Marlins
7 of 9
At least four spots in the Miami Marlins rotation appear settled at the start of 2015, with Henderson Alvarez, Nathan Eovaldi, Tom Koehler and newcomer Jarred Cosart in line to continue their roles. Eventually, ace Jose Fernandez will be back to round out the group once he returns from Tommy John surgery by the middle of next season.
But Andrew Heaney is going to get some serious consideration during spring training. He has a great chance to break camp as a starter, given his pedigree (No. 9 overall pick in 2012) and strong minor league track record (3.28 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 9.4 K/9 in 2014). Also in Heaney's favor? The fact that he's the only lefty of the bunch.
While Heaney wasn't especially impressive during his four midseason starts with the Fish (6.53 ERA), the 23-year-old has done about all he needs in the minors and is a big part of the club's very-near future.
Taijuan Walker, RHP, Seattle Mariners
8 of 9
Almost the exact same thing can be said about Taijuan Walker now that was being said about the Seattle Mariners' top prospect this time last year: The 22-year-old is ready to take on a full-time job in the club's rotation.
Blame Walker's semi-setback 2014 on an early-season shoulder injury and occasional blips in control and command—developments that combined to keep him out of the majors for much longer than expected.
The good news for Walker is that he should have a position waiting for him to join Cy Young front-runner Felix Hernandez, the underrated Hisashi Iwakuma and rookie left-handers James Paxton and Roenis Elias.
Even though 2014 didn't go as Walker hoped, he remains one of the top pitching prospects, having struck out 91 batters in 82.1 frames in the minors. And his performance in the four games he has pitched for the M's this year (3.00 ERA, 8.1 K/9) had manager Lloyd McClendon recently considering the possibility of installing Walker in the five-man in place of 35-year-old Chris Young, as John Underwood of SeattlePI.com writes.
Jorge Soler, OF, Chicago Cubs
9 of 9
Although he was called up not in September but the final week of August, Jorge Soler is taking the top spot here as the recently promoted prospect most likely to have a starting spot in his back pocket heading into 2015.
Hamstring injuries halted the 22-year-old in the first half, but he returned with a vengeance, slashing .340/.432/.700 with 15 homers and 57 RBI in 62 games in the minors. That earned him the bump to begin his Chicago Cubs career.
And Soler is showing he's ready now. Through his first nine games, the right fielder has gone 13-for-34 (.382) with eight extra-base hits and three homers—one in his first MLB plate appearance and two more in his third game. Soler has been playing strong defense, too, and showing off his big arm.
Besides, Chicago's outfield positions are very much up in the air, so expect to see Soler start alongside fellow rookie Arismendy Alcantara in center.
Statistics are accurate as of Sept. 7 and come from MLB.com, Baseball-Reference.com and FanGraphs.com, except where otherwise noted.
To talk baseball or fantasy baseball, check in with me on Twitter: @JayCat11
.png?w=480)
