Top Prospects on the Verge of 2017 MLB Stardom
The 2017 MLB amateur draft is less than a week away, which will upend prospect rankings across the baseball landscape.
What about the players who currently sit at the top of the minor league heap? Who among that group is poised to make a big league splash in the immediate future?
To qualify for our list, a player needs three things:
- MiLB success: We're only considering guys who boast the stats to justify a near-term promotion, but we're also excluding anyone who's already gotten the call.
- High-ranked status: This is about the cream of the minor league crop, with MLB.com's top-10 prospect list serving as the arbiter.
- A path to playing time: Gaudy numbers and a high ranking matter, but there needs to be an area of need—or plausible future need—on the big club.
Brendan Rodgers, SS, Colorado Rockies
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MLB.com Prospect Rank: No. 10
In late May, yours truly argued the Colorado Rockies could soon promote Brendan Rodgers.
The 20-year-old has done nothing to dispel that notion, as he's hitting .390 for High-A Lancaster with a 1.096 OPS.
With incumbent shortstop Trevor Story hitting a scant .214 in his sophomore season, pressure could build for Colorado to fast-track Rodgers through the system.
The Rockies, who sit in first place in the National League West at 37-23, could also use Rodgers as a trade chip come the July 31 deadline.
That's unlikely, however, as FanRag Sports' Tony DeMarco outlined.
Given a choice between Rodgers' donning a different uniform in 2017 and making an impact at Coors Field, bet on the latter.
Ozzie Albies, 2B, Atlanta Braves
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MLB.com Prospect Rank: No. 7
Ozzie Albies landed on the seven-day disabled list Monday with a left foot contusion, per David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, so he's not going to join the Atlanta Braves right now.
That said, the 20-year-old switch-hitter is hitting .262 with 15 stolen bases in 54 games at Triple-A and is poised to join shortstop Dansby Swanson as half of the rebuilding Braves' up-the-middle duo, especially if Atlanta jettisons impending free agent Brandon Phillips.
"Ozzie is a very special talent and person," Braves general manager John Coppolella said in March, per O'Brien. "We are excited for him to finish off his development at Triple-A. We expect him to be here soon and for a very long time."
Austin Meadows, OF, Pittsburgh Pirates
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MLB.com Prospect Rank: No. 6
It's been a tough season for the Pittsburgh Pirates, who lost Starling Marte to an 80-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs and have witnessed the continued, troubling struggles of former National League MVP Andrew McCutchen.
Oh, and the Bucs are mired in last place in the NL Central.
However, there's a beacon of hope in the minor leagues in the form of Austin Meadows, who owns a .317 average over his last 10 games.
With second-year man Adam Frazier hitting .301 for the Pirates in 38 contests, Meadows may have to wait his turn for a call-up.
If Pittsburgh manages to trade McCutchen, though, expect the 22-year-old 2013 first-round pick to get his shot sooner than later.
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Amed Rosario, SS, New York Mets
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MLB.com Prospect Rank: No. 3
The New York Mets are 12.5 games out in the NL East at 24-32. Their shortstop, Asdrubal Cabrera, is having a ho-hum season at the plate and has committed eight errors in 43 games.
Shortstop Amed Rosario, New York's top prospect, is slashing .345/.385/.500 at Triple-A.
Add it together, and you've got a call-up that seems inevitable.
As Newsday's Steven Marcus reported, general manager Sandy Alderson recently made the trek to Salt Lake City to watch Rosario in action. The 21-year-old's Queens debut is coming.
The Mets have a number of impending free agents. An infusion of youth could light a match and/or signal a new direction.
"We're certainly aware of the contractual status of the players that we have," Alderson said, per Marcus. "And interestingly, I think the players that we have are aware of Rosario's performance."
Gleyber Torres, SS, New York Yankees
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MLB.com Prospect Rank: No. 2
With right fielder Aaron Judge doing a credible Babe Ruth impression and catcher Gary Sanchez back in the swing of things, the New York Yankees don't need any more MLB phenoms.
They've got another in the wings, however, in Gleyber Torres.
After becoming the youngest player to win Arizona Fall League MVP honors at age 19 in 2016, Torres tore through spring training.
He began this season with Double-A Trenton before ascending to Triple-A, where he owns an impressive .408 on-base percentage in 12 games.
Torres has logged the bulk of his minor league innings at shortstop. According to Randy Miller of NJ Advance Media, the Yanks are grooming him at third base, where veteran Chase Headley is hitting a scant .225.
As Miller outlined: "The Yankees' plan, according to [a] source, is contingent on Torres becoming major league-ready sometime over the next two months, which the organization fully expects to happen."
Yoan Moncada, INF, Chicago White Sox
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MLB.com Prospect Rank: No. 1
After making his MLB debut with the Boston Red Sox last season, Yoan Moncada was dealt over the winter to the Chicago White Sox in the package that sent ace Chris Sale to Beantown.
So far in 2017, Moncada has marinated in the minors, slashing .285/.366/.436 with six home runs and 12 stolen bases in 45 games for Triple-A Charlotte.
The 22-year-old, five-tool Cuban spent some time on the disabled list with a bruised left thumb in May. Clearly, Chicago sees no need to rush his development.
At some point, though, the White Sox will want to get a look at the centerpiece of their rebuild, especially if and when they trade a veteran such as third baseman Todd Frazier.
As Colleen Kane of the Chicago Tribune noted: "I would expect the Sox to give him time to get back on track [from the injury] before considering the big league call, but I don't think sometime in July is out of the question."
All statistics current as of Tuesday and courtesy of Baseball Reference and MLB.com.
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