Stock Up, Stock Down on MLB's Top 5 Prospects After 1 Month
Early arrivals by some of baseball's top prospects turned out to be a major storyline during the season's first month.
The Chicago Cubs captured all the headlines with their decision to promote phenoms Kris Bryant and Addison Russell, but we've also seen the big league debuts of other highly regarded prospects such as Carlos Rodon (White Sox), Kevin Plawecki (Mets), A.J. Cole (Nationals) and Michael Lorenzen (Reds).
However, those are just a few players in what should be a steady influx of young talent into the majors throughout the season.
Using Bleacher Report's ranking of the 100 Future MLB Stars, here is an in-depth look at the early returns on baseball's five-best prospects in 2015.
5. Julio Urias, LHP, Los Angeles Dodgers
1 of 5
2015 Stats (Double-A Tulsa)
4 GS, 20.2 IP, 2.18 ERA, 0.77 WHIP, .181 BAA, 3 BB, 26 K
The Skinny
The much-deserved hype surrounding Julio Urias brought on unreasonable expectations for his 2015 season, or at least they were perceived to be unreasonable. Amazingly, the 18-year-old left-hander has managed to set the bar even higher in his first taste of the Double-A level.
On Monday, Urias allowed just one hit in six scoreless innings against Arkansas, throwing 52 of 70 pitches for a strike, and he fanned exactly 10 batters for the second time in his last three starts. Overall, he leads the Texas League with 26 strikeouts, while his 0.77 WHIP ranks fourth among qualified pitchers.
The Verdict: Up
Urias has been scored on in just one of his four outings this season and boasts a 0.77 WHIP and a 26/3 strikeout-to-walk ratio through 20.2 innings. That being said, it’ll be interesting to see what adjustments he makes when facing Texas League teams for a second or third time.
The sky is the limit with Urias, the consensus top left-handed pitching prospect in baseball, but it’s difficult to envision the Dodgers rushing him to the major leagues this season, even with the growing concerns regarding the big league rotation.
4. Kris Bryant, 3B, Chicago Cubs
2 of 5
2015 Stats (Chicago Cubs)
12 G, .318/.455/.409, 4 2B, 10 RBI, 10 BB, 13 K
The Skinny
The billboard didn't lie: Kris Bryant was worth the wait.
The Cubs’ new cleanup hitter has thrived during his first 12 games in the major leagues, batting .318/.455/.409 in 55 plate appearances to produce a 149 wRC+. While he’s yet to leave the yard, Bryant, 23, has looked very comfortable at the plate since arriving, as he’s averaged 4.2 pitches per plate appearance and demonstrated a mature feel for using the entire field.
Bryant’s refined approach and plate discipline have impressed manager Joe Maddon, who, for what it’s worth, isn’t concerned about his young slugger’s homer draught in the early going.
""[Opposing pitchers] are going after him pretty hard right now," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "To his credit, he's not just swinging at everything. He's taking his walks. If he continues to do that, he's going to continue to hit at a high pace.
"[The walk-to-strikeout ratio] absolutely is [impressive]. Normally, these [power] guys should strike out over 100 times and if they walk even 50 or 60 times, that'd be fabulous. But for right now, he's just doing a nice job of not biting. They keep trying to expand the strike zone and he's not doing it."
"
The Verdict: Up
Duh. But in all seriousness, it says something that Bryant has excelled in the big leagues in every facet of the game except for his forte—hitting for power. I know it’s cliche, but Bryant doesn’t look like a player who’s been in The Show for all of 12 games.
As for those dingers, here’s more from Maddon: "The home runs are going to come. Guys like that, when they start hitting them, they start hitting them in clusters."
3. Carlos Correa, SS, Houston Astros
3 of 5
2015 Stats (Double-A Corpus Christi)
18 G, .387/.452/.760, 17 XBH (5 HR), 4 SB, 8 BB, 15 K
The Skinny
Carlos Correa seemed bound for a midseason promotion to Double-A last year before suffering a season-ending fibula injury in late June while sliding into third base. Fully recovered for 2015, the 20-year-old shortstop has quickly reminded the baseball world exactly why he’s one of baseball’s premier prospects with a torrid first month at Double-A Corpus Christi.
Headed into Thursday, Correa paced all qualified hitters in the Texas League in batting average (.387), OPS (1.212) and total bases (57). He’s also riding a five-game hitting streak during which he’s batting .524 (11-for-21) with three homers and eight RBI.
The Verdict: Up
Correa’s big league debut might come earlier than expected this season, as earlier this week we learned shortstop Jed Lowrie will be sidelined past the All-Star break following thumb surgery. Meanwhile, that the Astros currently sit atop the American League West after the first month of the season only strengthens the case to promote Correa.
Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow doesn’t deny that Correa’s time is coming, but he’s more concerned about upholding his future shortstop’s developmental process.
“There is no magic number (of games ahead of a promotion), and I think that’s one thing you realize after being in this game for many years, because different players react differently,” Luhnow said on Tuesday, per Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle.
“He’s definitely a special player, so his time will come faster than it would for other guys," Luhnow continued. "But having—he’s got 70 at-bats above Class A, and we feel like he needs some more. But how many more, I don’t know. And it’ll be a different number for him than it would be for someone else.”
.png?w=256)
2. Lucas Giolito, RHP, Washington Nationals
4 of 5
2015 Stats (High-A Potomac)
N/A
The Skinny
Lucas Giolito has yet to appear in a game this season, but don’t worry—there’s nothing wrong with baseball’s top-ranked pitching prospect.
Adhering to the recovery timeline implemented by the Nationals following his Tommy John surgery, Giolito, 20, has spent the last month pitching at the team’s spring training facility along with fellow right-hander Reynaldo Lopez. Once his work there is complete, the right-hander will report to High-A Potomac of the Carolina League.
"It's about building volume, building a foundation for the season, for the length of the season," said Mark Scialabba, the Nationals’ director of player development, via Byron Kerr of MASNsports.com. "We just want to do that. It's about monitoring the development process for them.
"The reports have been very positive so far. They'll continue to build their volume as any pitcher would to get ready for the season. Hopefully we'll see them up at affiliate in the near term."
The Verdict: Holding Pattern
There’s not much to go on here, unfortunately. Hopefully it won’t be long until the immensely talented right-hander makes his Carolina League debut.
1. Byron Buxton, CF, Minnesota Twins
5 of 5
2015 Stats (Double-A Chattanooga)
18 G, .221/.312/.353, 4 XBH (2 HR), 5 SB, 9 BB, 15 K
The Skinny
After an injury-plagued 2014 campaign, Byron Buxton got off to a slow start this season at Chattanooga with a .180 batting average through his first 15 games. His lone standout performance during that span came on April 13, when the 21-year-old went 4-for-6 and showcased his elite speed on a stand-up triple.
Buxton has shown signs that he’s settling in at the plate, with a .333 batting average, one home run, six runs scored, five RBI, three steals and a 5/1 strikeout-to-walk ratio in his last five contests.
The Verdict: Holding Pattern
The Twins have no reason to rush Buxton after he played in just 31 games last season, especially when just one of them was at the Double-A level. That being said, the team’s center field situation in the major leagues is dire, and a strong case could even be made that Buxton is currently its best option at the position.
While I fully expect him to finish the year in center for the Twins, the thought of him being promoted this early in the season into a losing environment is unappealing on all fronts.
.png?w=480)
