Top MLB Prospect Call-Up Radar Report, Week 11
It looks as if 2015 is shaping up to be the "Year of the Prospect," as rosters around the majors are littered with some of the game's most highly touted youngsters.
A quick look at MLB.com's top 100 prospects list heading into the season proves that point. Five of the top 10 prospects on that list—and 12 of the top 20—are either on a major league roster or have been at one point this season.
Those are staggering numbers, especially when you consider that we've not yet reached the All-Star break, the season's unofficial halfway point.
Nearly all of the most highly touted position players—Kris Bryant, Byron Buxton, Carlos Correa, Joey Gallo and Francisco Lindor—are in The Show, as are top pitching prospects like Archie Bradley, Eduardo Rodriguez and Noah Syndergaard.
Which begs the question—who's next?
That's what we'll try to figure out as we continue down the list of top minor league talent, with an eye on those we expected to make their MLB debuts in 2015. We'll see where each player falls on our prospect call-up radar, using the following classification scale:
- Red: September call-up at best
- Orange: Second-half call-up
- Yellow: Call-up within a month
- Green: Call-up within a week/call-up is imminent
Will Minnesota be calling on Miguel Sano shortly? Is Steven Matz on the fast track to Queens, New York? Read on to find out.
SP Mark Appel, Houston Astros
1 of 10
2015 Stats (AA): 4-1, 56.1 IP, 4.79 ERA, 4.72 FIP, 1.54 WHIP, 3.7 BB/9, 6.9 K/9
Mark Appel hasn't come remotely close to meeting the expectations that come along with being the first player taken in the 2013 draft. The selection looks even worse for the Astros considering what Chicago's Kris Bryant, who was taken second overall, is doing for the Cubs.
While he's shown signs of life over his last two starts, allowing four earned runs (all on solo home runs) and nine hits over 11.1 innings of work, Appel seems to have stalled at Double-A. His walk rate is up, his strikeout rate is down, and he's become susceptible to the long ball.
Only 23 years old, it's too early to write Appel off as a bust. But with a 5.57 ERA and 1.49 WHIP over parts of three minor league seasons, it's fair to wonder whether he'll ever show the form that had convinced most pundits he was the best college arm available in his draft class.
Radar: Red
With Houston looking like a legitimate contender, there's no chance that it's going to take a chance on Appel in the big leagues, even with the need for additional rotation help.
Both Lance McCullers Jr. and Vincent Velasquez have passed him on the organizational depth chart, and at this point, it wouldn't at all be surprising if the Astros included Appel as part of a package to obtain the experienced, front-line starter that they seek.
That's assuming another team has interest, of course, which is far from a sure thing.
SP Dylan Bundy, Baltimore Orioles
2 of 10
2015 Stats (AA): 0-3, 22 IP, 3.68 ERA, 1.85 FIP, 1.18 WHIP, 2.0 BB/9, 10.2 K/9
If pitching was just about pure talent, Dylan Bundy would already be at the front of Baltimore's rotation. But durability and health are a big part of the equation, and both have eluded him since Tommy John surgery forced him to miss all of 2013 and limited him to only 41 innings of work in 2014.
The 22-year-old hasn't thrown a pitch for Double-A Bowie since May 21, as he's been sidelined by tendinitis in his right shoulder. MASN Sports' Roch Kubatko recently reported that he'd be undergoing a MRI arthogram on the injured joint to make sure that diagnosis is correct.
Radar: Red
Baltimore had been bringing Bundy along slowly this year, as he only surpassed three innings in one of his eight starts, so you can't really point the finger at the organization as the reason for his injury.
That said, there's little chance that Bundy will be able to help the Orioles in any way this season if he's able to get past this latest setback and stay healthy the rest of the way. Maybe—maybe—the club calls him up in September. But even that seems like a stretch at this point.
SP Jon Gray, Colorado Rockies
3 of 10
2015 Stats (AAA): 3-5, 74 IP, 4.62 ERA, 4.57 FIP, 2.7 BB/9, 6.5 K/9
What started out as a season to forget for Jon Gray has turned into the breakout campaign the 23-year-old needed to receive serious consideration for a promotion to the big leagues.
In the midst of a six-game stretch that's seen him deliver one quality start after another, Gray has looked like the dominant force Colorado believed he could be when it selected him third overall in the 2013 draft. Over his last 40.1 innings, he has pitched to a 2.01 ERA and 1.14 WHIP with 2.5 walks and 5.6 strikeouts per nine innings.
That's a drastic turnaround for a pitcher who allowed 21 earned runs over his first four starts of the season. While it's helped to put Gray back on the major league radar, the Rockies aren't quite ready to officially welcome him to The Show.
"There's still a bit left in development for him," Rockies manager Walt Weiss said on MLB Network Radio, "(though) the consistency is starting to show up."
Radar: Yellow
Colorado's rotation is, as usual, one of the worst in baseball by nearly any statistical measure. What exactly the Rockies are looking for Gray to show on the mound (more strikeouts, perhaps?) remains to be seen, but with each successive start, he moves closer to the major league rotation.
.png?w=256)
SP Andrew Heaney, Los Angeles Angels
4 of 10
2015 Stats (AA): 6-2, 73.2 IP, 4.40 ERA, 3.08 FIP, 1.45 WHIP, 2.9 BB/9, 8.8 K/9
Traded from the Marlins to the Dodgers to the Angels in the span of a few hours last winter, Andrew Heaney was expected to break camp with Los Angeles as the injury replacement for Garrett Richards. But after pitching to a 7.03 ERA, he was assigned to Triple-A Salt Lake City.
While his ERA and WHIP aren't terrific, it's important to remember that he's pitching in the Pacific Coast League, one of the most hitter-friendly leagues around. He's kept his walk rate low and is still striking out nearly a batter per inning—proof that his spring issues are behind him.
“I think what I showed in spring training wasn’t what I could do, or where I am,” Heaney told the Deseret News' Griffin Adams in May. “I felt like I was doing some things wrong there that was causing me not to succeed. It wasn’t necessarily that it was against big-league hitters, but just that I was fighting myself. So down here, I feel like I’ve gotten those things lined out and I'm becoming more comfortable with myself.”
Jeff Bandy, one of Salt Lake City's catchers, was effusive in his praise of the 24-year-old southpaw.
“(Heaney’s) got electric stuff, he’s just really fun to catch,” Bandy told Adams. “He’s learning, he’s getting better every day, he works real hard and he’s a blast. I love catching for him. His stuff is just unbelievable.”
Radar: Orange
While most figured that ineffectiveness would have forced the Angels to call upon Heaney by now, the fact is that the starting rotation has been surprisingly solid, pitching to the American League's fifth-lowest ERA (3.92) and the 10th-best in all of baseball.
Unbelievable stuff or not, it's going to take an injury to one of the current starters for Heaney to get the call before rosters expand in September.
SP Steven Matz, New York Mets
5 of 10
2015 Stats (AAA): 6-4, 78.1 IP, 2.11 ERA, 3.53 FIP, 1.15 WHIP, 3.4 BB/9, 9.3 K/9
If there was any concern about Steven Matz's ability to bounce back after a rough outing, there isn't anymore.
After laboring through an 83-pitch, four-inning start against St. Louis' Triple-A affiliate last Thursday, allowing four earned runs and five hits while walking three, Matz tossed seven scoreless innings against the Angels' Triple-A club on Wednesday, scattering four hits and one walk while fanning five.
Last week, ESPN.com's Adam Rubin cited team sources that said Matz would be up with the big club "within the next three weeks," and there's no reason to believe that timeline has changed.
In fact, with the team designating Dillon Gee for assignment—removing one obstacle from his path to Queens—the only thing standing between Matz and Citi Field appears to be...Jon Niese.
Radar: Green
Matz is coming, and when he arrives, the Mets will have (arguably) the most talented crop of young pitchers that we've seen in quite some time.
SP Alex Meyer, Minnesota Twins
6 of 10
2015 Stats (AAA): 3-3, 50 IP, 5.76 ERA, 3.45 FIP, 1.76 WHIP, 5.4 BB/9, 10.1 K/9
After leading the International League (Triple-A) with 153 strikeouts in 130.1 innings of work while pitching to a 3.52 ERA and 1.38 WHIP in 2014, it looked as if Alex Meyer had silenced those who wondered whether his spotty command would relegate him to the bullpen.
But the 25-year-old struggled out of the gate this year, allowing 31 earned runs and 51 hits over his first eight starts spanning 39.1 innings and walking 24 while fanning 41. That works out to a 7.09 ERA and 1.91 WHIP, and Meyer found himself out of the rotation and in the bullpen in mid-May.
Meyer has found his groove in the bullpen, pitching to a 0.88 ERA and 1.22 WHIP. His command remains shaky (six walks in 10.2 innings of work), but he's been able to limit the damage the opposition does against him while still racking up 15 strikeouts along the way.
Radar: Orange
Twins assistant general manager Rob Antony told the Pioneer Press' Mike Berardino that the plan was for Meyer to only spend a little time in the bullpen so he could regain his confidence and get out of the rut he was in, though Antony acknowledged that a full-time switch to relief was a possibility.
With Minnesota's rotation providing decent results and offseason acquisition Ervin Santana working himself into form after serving an 80-game suspension, Meyer's best chance of reaching the big leagues this season is as a reliever.
Should he do a better job of limiting his walks, the Twins could call upon Meyer when a need arises in the bullpen.
SP Aaron Nola, Philadelphia Phillies
7 of 10
2015 Stats (AA): 7-3, 76.2 IP, 1.88 ERA, 2.91 FIP, 0.89 WHIP, 1.1 BB/9, 6.9 K/9
You won't find anyone in the Eastern League (outside of the Reading Fightin Phils clubhouse) who was sorry to hear that Aaron Nola had been promoted to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
The seventh overall pick in the 2014 draft, Nola has been terrorizing batters on the Double-A circuit for parts of two years, going 9-3 with a 2.06 ERA and 0.97 WHIP, walking 14 and striking out 74 in 100.2 innings of work.
Now set to begin his Triple-A career (perhaps as early as Thursday night), Nola welcomes the opportunity to show what he can do—and to learn as much as he can at the highest level of the minor leagues, as he explained to LehighValleyLive.com's Greg Joyce:
"More learning is what I need to get better at. I'm not saying I didn't learn at Double-A – I learned a lot from the coaches and the pitching coach and all the staff. Especially watching the guys over there when I'm not pitching, watching how they handle themselves and handle the game and how they go about hitters. I think in that area I learned a lot.
It's a lot of people's goal to move up as quick as they can. I'm just going to take it day-by-day over here. ... I'm trying to take advantage of the days I had and the days I get to go out and play baseball and try to get better.
"
Considering how easily and quickly he's moved through Philadelphia's farm system, there's little reason to believe that Nola will falter as he faces his toughest competition to date.
Radar: Orange
While he's moved quickly through Philadelphia's farm system, it would be a mistake to say that Nola is on the fast track to the big leagues. The Phillies would be wise to avoid exposing him to the negativity surrounding the big league club.
That said, if Nola continues his impressive showing at Triple-A, the Phillies will be hard-pressed to keep him down on the farm for much longer. That's especially true if they trade Aaron Harang and/or Cole Hamels at the trade deadline, which would open a rotation spot for the team's top pitching prospect.
SP Henry Owens, Boston Red Sox
8 of 10
2015 Stats (AAA): 2-5, 70.1 IP, 3.45 ERA, 4.20 FIP, 1.29 WHIP, 5.5 BB/9, 7.4 K/9
Command issues are nothing new for Henry Owens, owner of a career 4.2 BB/9 across parts of five minor league seasons. Even so, the 22-year-old southpaw has always been thought of highly and has been a consensus selection as one of baseball's 100 best prospects in each of the past two years.
It looked as if Owens had figured things out in 2014, when he walked only 59 batters over 150 innings of work, maintaining his ability to make batters swing and miss with 170 strikeouts. This year, he's already walked 43 batters and fanned only 58 in roughly half as much time on the mound.
Radar: Orange
One can argue that even with shaky command, Owens couldn't possibly be any worse than Boston's starters, so the team has nothing to lose by giving him a shot.
But there's an equally strong case for him to spend a full season at Triple-A, working out his command issues without the added pressure of doing so under the spotlight and pressure that comes with playing for the Red Sox.
Ultimately, Owens figures to get a look at some point after the All-Star break, especially if Boston decides to sell off some pieces at the trade deadline with an eye toward better results in 2016.
3B Miguel Sano, Minnesota Twins
9 of 10
2015 Stats (AA): .257/.358/.505, 25 XBH (12 HR), 38 RBI, .863 OPS
With Byron Buxton making the jump from Double-A to the major leagues, speculation has begun to run rampant that Miguel Sano will soon follow his former teammate to Minnesota. It's speculation that Twins manager Paul Molitor did nothing to silence when asked.
"Sure, it's possible," Molitor told the Pioneer Press' Mike Berardino. "Every day that goes by he's closer to getting here, whether it's in a couple weeks or September."
Part of the problem may be that the Twins have a quality third baseman in Trevor Plouffe, and while he's not hitting for average, he is producing at the plate and playing solid defense.
It's unlikely that the club would want to use Sano strictly as a designated hitter, though Minnesota could use a boost from that spot in the lineup. While the players in that spot have combined for a 90 wRC+, which is only slightly below-average, it's the 12th-lowest mark in the American League.
So if he's not going to play third base or be a full-time designated hitter, where could the Twins stick him?
A move to left field isn't out of the question, says Molitor. "He moves better than people think he does once he gets going. It's a big body to get moving; we all know that. I think he's athletic enough to where that wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility."
Radar: Orange
Buxton's promotion was made out of need, as the three-headed monster the Twins have used in center field (Aaron Hicks, Shane Robinson and Jordan Schafer) hasn't produced. Without a current need at third base, the urgency to promote Sano simply isn't there.
Yet it sure sounds as if Molitor would like to see him in the big leagues at some point this year. If and when we see Sano start to spend some time in the outfield for Double-A Chattanooga, it'll be time to start talking about his imminent arrival.
SS Corey Seager, Los Angeles Dodgers
10 of 10
2015 Stats (AA/AAA): .321/.369/.526, 28 XBH (9 HR), 34 RBI, .894 OPS
It's true—Corey Seager isn't crushing the ball at Triple-A like he has at every other stop he's made during his rise through Los Angeles' farm system. But his .292/.349/.448 slash line is still darn good, and with Jimmy Rollins struggling in the big leagues, the calls for Seager's promotion are getting louder.
But despite Seager's continued production and Rollins' putrid .198 batting average and .593 OPS, the Dodgers aren't convinced that the 21-year-old prospect is ready for prime time, as team president Andrew Friedman explained to ESPN.com's Mark Saxon: “We feel like he’s in a really good place to be a really good major league player for a long time, but when that is will be determined by when he’s ready to do it, when we feel like it will put him in the best position to be as good as he can be as quickly as he can be.”
Radar: Yellow
In a perfect world, the Dodgers would keep Seager down on the farm until rosters expand in September, giving him a taste of the big leagues with an eye toward him taking over at shortstop on a full-time basis in 2016.
But this team is under immense pressure to make a deep playoff run, and the Dodgers are not running away with the National League West, with less than nine games separating them from last-place Colorado.
That's likely one of the reasons that Yahoo Sports' Jeff Passan recently tweeted that he "wouldn't be shocked" to see Seager with the Dodgers soon, though he noted that he doesn't believe his arrival is imminent.
Unless otherwise linked or noted, all statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and FanGraphs and are current through games of June 17.
Hit me up on Twitter to talk all things baseball: @RickWeinerBR.
.png?w=480)
