10 Young Players on the Verge of Making MLB Impact
Every year, a handful of young players across the Major League Baseball landscape step into key roles and wind up making a significant impact for their respective teams.
Oftentimes, it's a team's top prospect finally getting the call and establishing himself as an everyday contributor, but occasionally it's a less-heralded young player who breaks through to make his presence known.
With that in mind, what follows is a look at 10 young players on the verge of making a big impact at the major league level.
I focused on players who have recently arrived in the big leagues or are still in the minor leagues and on the cusp of earning a big league promotion.
These players have not yet established themselves as significant everyday performers, but all 10 could make a major impact before the 2015 season comes to a close.
SP Alex Colome, Tampa Bay Rays
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After dealing with visa issues during spring training and then a bout with pneumonia to start the year, Tampa Bay Rays right-hander Alex Colome finally made his first start of the season Friday.
It was a good one too, as he allowed just three hits and fanned six in five scoreless innings. Moving forward, he could give the pitching staff a real shot in the arm.
The 26-year-old entered the season with 39.2 big league innings under his belt, and he had solid numbers in that limited action, pitching to a 2.50 ERA and 1.311 WHIP.
Blocked at the major league level, Colome spent most of the past seasons pitching in Triple-A, but with Alex Cobb and Matt Moore sidelined and David Price gone, he finally has a clear path to a rotation spot.
Few teams have enjoyed as much success developing pitching over the years as the Rays have, and Colome could be the next in a line of terrific homegrown arms.
SS Carlos Correa, Houston Astros
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With veteran shortstop Jed Lowrie expected to be sidelined until after the All-Star break with a torn ligament in his right thumb, it may be only a matter of time before the Houston Astros call on top prospect Carlos Correa.
The No. 1 pick in the 2012 draft, Correa hit .320/.405/.467 with 45 extra-base hits and 10 stolen bases during his first full professional season at the Single-A level in 2013.
He was putting up similarly impressive numbers last season before a broken fibula abruptly ended his season in June, but he's back healthy now and annihilating Double-A pitching.
Entering the week, the 20-year-old was hitting .371/.451/.697 with 12 doubles, five home runs, 22 RBI and 10 stolen bases through his first 22 games.
General manager Jeff Luhnow spoke about the timetable for a potential call-up last week. "He’s definitely a special player, so his time will come faster than it would for other guys," Luhnow said, per Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle. "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."
We'll see how long that lasts with the light-hitting duo of Marwin Gonzalez and Jonathan Villar manning the position.
SP Mike Foltynewicz, Atlanta Braves
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A strong showing in the high minors in 2013 made Mike Foltynewicz the No. 59 prospect in baseball heading into the 2014 season, according to Baseball America.
He regressed a bit last season, posting a 5.08 ERA in 102.2 innings of work in Triple-A, but his future remained bright thanks to one of the best fastballs in minor league baseball.
The Atlanta Braves acquired him in the offseason in the deal that sent Evan Gattis to the Houston Astros, and he made his first start of the season Friday after Trevor Cahill was demoted to the bullpen.
He picked up the win in his Braves debut, allowing six hits, three runs (two earned) and three walks with two strikeouts in five innings of work.
With Braves vice president John Hart telling reporters over the weekend that "there has not been any measurable improvement" for left-hander Mike Minor as he deals with a rotator cuff injury, the Braves could really benefit from the 23-year-old Foltynewicz stepping up.
It remains to be seen if his long-term future will be as a starter or reliever, but for now he'll get a chance to stick in the Atlanta rotation.
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SP Michael Lorenzen, Cincinnati Reds
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A two-way star during his time at Cal State Fullerton, Michael Lorenzen was taken with the No. 38 overall pick in the 2013 draft and turned his attention to pitching full-time upon starting his pro career.
The right-hander entered the season as the No. 4 prospect in the Cincinnati Reds' organization, according to the Baseball America Prospect Handbook. He was 4-6 with a 3.13 ERA and 1.293 WHIP in 120.2 innings of work in Double-A last season.
Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com's Prospect Watch wrote about the upside of the 23-year-old:
"The one thing Lorenzen didn't do is miss a ton of bats, but he has the stuff to do that when he needs to. His athleticism, clean delivery, makeup and feel for pitching have the Reds very excited about his future as a potential No. 3 type starter.
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With veteran Homer Bailey lost for the season to Tommy John surgery, the team turned to Lorenzen to fill his rotation spot on Wednesday, and he did enough to earn another start.
He took the loss, but in five innings of work he allowed eight hits and three earned runs, walking one and striking out five.
His leash will be relatively short, with Raisel Iglesias, David Holmberg, Matt Magill, Keyvius Sampson and a few others capable of stepping into the rotation, but Lorenzen has the stuff to stick in the rotation the rest of the way.
C J.T. Realmuto, Miami Marlins
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It didn't take long for incumbent catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia to lose his job as the Miami Marlins' primary catcher this season, despite the fact that he signed a three-year, $21 million deal prior to last season.
Saltalamacchia hit just .069/.182/.207 with 12 strikeouts in his first 29 at-bats this season, and that was enough for the team to designate him for assignment on April 27.
In his place, 24-year-old prospect J.T. Realmuto has assumed the primary catching responsibilities, and he has the tools to emerge as the long-term answer at the position.
A third-round pick in 2010, Realmuto hit .299/.369/.461 with 39 extra-base hits and 18 stolen bases in his second go-round at the Double-A level last year.
That vaulted him onto the top prospect radar, as he entered the season as the No. 76 prospect in the sport, according to Baseball America.
For better or worse the job appears to be his for the rest of the season, and in 53 at-bats so far he's hit .245/.250/.340 with three doubles, one triple, six RBI and six runs scored.
RP Carlos Rodon, Chicago White Sox
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As the No. 3 pick in last year's draft, some believed Carlos Rodon could reach the majors down the stretch last season, but instead he settled for an early-season promotion in 2015.
Rodon certainly did enough in his pro debut to warrant a call-up, posting a 2.96 ERA and striking out 38 in 24.1 innings of work and reaching Triple-A for three starts to close out the season.
A strong spring training performance was not enough to land him a rotation spot, but it did earn him some high praise, with Jim Callis of Baseball America comparing him to teammate Chris Sale, via CSN Chicago: "You’re talking about lefty who, his pure stuff is going to be right up there with Chris Sale. He maybe needs to tweak the command a little bit, but I think Carlos Rodon will be ready to help the White Sox pretty much whenever they need him to this season."
Rodon was called up on April 20, and he's made three appearances out of the bullpen with a 2.84 ERA in 6.1 innings of work since joining the big league club.
The White Sox starting rotation outside of Jose Quintana was an absolute disaster last week, as the pitchers combined to allow a staggering 32 hits and 23 earned runs in 14.2 innings (14.11 ERA) in the week's other four games.
John Danks (1-3, 6.20 ERA) and Hector Noesi (0-3, 6.75 ERA) in particular have struggled mightily, and it may not be long before Rodon is asked to replace one of them in the rotation.
2B Addison Russell, Chicago Cubs
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For all the attention that has been heaped on Kris Bryant this season, and understandably so, second baseman Addison Russell is one of the game's elite prospects in his own right.
Acquired from the Oakland Athletics last summer in the Jeff Samardzija trade, the 21-year-old Russell entered the season as the No. 3 prospect in baseball, according to Baseball America.
He spent the bulk of last season in Double-A, hitting .295/.350/.508 with 14 doubles, 13 home runs and 45 RBI in 68 games and establishing himself as an elite prospect on the cusp of making a big league impact.
Russell started the season in Triple-A, but with the Cubs getting virtually nothing in the way of production out of the second base position, he was called up for his major league debut on April 21.
He's off to a relatively slow start, hitting .211/.231/.368 with three doubles and one home run in 38 at-bats, but the tools are there for him to be a bona fide superstar.
Just how good can Russell be?
One rival executive called him "Barry Larkin with power" shortly after last year's trade, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.
C Blake Swihart, Boston Red Sox
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The Boston Red Sox' plans at the catcher position seemed relatively cut-and-dried heading into spring training.
Christian Vazquez would serve as the primary catcher with newly acquired veteran Ryan Hanigan backing him up, and those two would keep the position warm for Blake Swihart to take over in 2016.
Those plans changed, however, when Vazquez was lost for the season to Tommy John surgery shortly before spring training and Hanigan landed on the disabled list last week with a fractured hand.
That led to Swihart earning an earlier-than-expected promotion last week, and he made his major league debut Saturday.
Swihart, 23, entered the season as the top catching prospect in the sport and the No. 17 prospect overall, according to Baseball America.
A first-round pick out of high school in 2011, he hit .293/.341/.469 with 26 doubles, 13 home runs, 64 RBI while splitting the season between Double-A and Triple-A last year.
He's gone just 1-for-7 with four strikeouts in his first two games, but he was the game's top backstop prospect for a reason, and he could wind up being another weapon in a loaded Red Sox lineup before too long.
SP Noah Syndergaard, New York Mets
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Prior to the 2013 season, the New York Mets acquired Noah Syndergaard and catcher Travis d'Arnaud in a seven-player deal that sent reigning NL Cy Young winner R.A. Dickey to the Toronto Blue Jays.
The 6'6" Syndergaard quickly emerged as one of the top pitching prospects in the game, as he went 9-4 with a 3.06 ERA, 1.147 WHIP and 133 strikeouts in 117.2 innings between High-A and Double-A.
His numbers were down this past season, as he had a 4.60 ERA in 133 innings, but a lot of that had to do with pitching in the hitter friendly Pacific Coast League in the hitter's paradise that is Las Vegas. Even with the spike in ERA, he still managed to lead the league with 145 strikeouts, and his prospect stock didn't take much of a hit.
The No. 11 prospect in the league heading into 2015, according to Baseball America, Syndergaard is 2-0 with a 1.66 ERA, 1.062 WHIP and 26 strikeouts in 21.2 innings over his first four starts.
The Mets rotation has been terrific so far this year, as they rank third in the league with a 3.11 ERA, so there's no pressing need to promote Syndergaard. Still, expect the big right-hander to get a look at some point in 2015.
SP Chase Whitley, New York Yankees
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Injuries forced Chase Whitley into the New York Yankees rotation last season, and he showed some flashes, going 3-3 with a 4.76 ERA in 12 starts.
He had a less-than-stellar 6.88 ERA in 12 relief appearances, putting him at 4-3 with a 5.23 ERA (4.14 FIP) in 75.2 innings of work overall.
The 25-year-old opened this season in the minors, but New York called him up on April 28 to replace Masahiro Tanaka in the rotation.
He picked up the win, going five innings and allowing six hits and one earned run against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Whitley may not have ace-caliber upside, but he has a chance to be an important arm for Yankees team that is thin on starting pitching depth and needs someone to fill the void if Tanaka is going to be shelved for an extended period of time.
All stats up to date through May 3 and courtesy of Baseball-Reference, unless otherwise noted.
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