By Peyton Wesner
1. Houston Carlos Correa (SS)
This Season's Stats
---.348 BA, 0 HR, 1 RBI, & 1 SB (Fresno-AAA)
---.385 BA, 7 HR, 32 RBI, & 15 SB (Corpus Christi-AA)
Stats from 2014
---.325 BA, 6 HR, 57 RBI, & 20 SB (Lancaster-A Advanced)
Probable Major League Arrival:
September 2015
When initially taken with the first overall pick in 2012, MLB analysts were unsure if Carlos Correa, a shortstop from the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy and High School, was the right selection with college talent such as Kevin Gausman and Mike Zunnio still on the board. But at the levels of Single A and Advanced A, he has proven that he is the future middle infielder to play with All-Star Jose Altuve. So far, this season, Correa has obliterated Texas League pitchers for power and contact while being on-base 45.9% of his at bats. In addition, he made his Pacific Coast League debut on May 12 for Fresno. If the twenty year old stays hot against Triple-A pitchers, he may be drinking Minute Maid Lemonade on a plane ride to Houston prior to September.
2. Texas Joey Gallo (3B)
This Season's Stats
---.329 BA, 4 HR, & 15 RBI (Frisco-AA)
Stats from 2014
---.232 BA, 21 HR, & 56 RBI (Frisco-AA)
---.323 BA, 21 HR, & 50 RBI (Myrtle Beach-A Advanced)
Probable Major League Arrival:
Opening Day 2016
How would I describe Texas prospect Joey Gallo? Bang! Gone! Yes, it is that simple. The first basemen turned third basemen because of the presence of Prince Fielder in Arlington, has bombed forty plus homeruns in his first two full seasons in the organization while cranking twenty-two long balls in his pro debut season in only fifty-nine games! This season Gallo is behind his normal pace due to a surgery to remove his os trigonum bone in his left ankle. The procedure ended up costing him the first fourteen games of the season, but now the future big league slugger has rediscovered his power stroke with four homeruns in his last nine games. High batting average? Check! Power? Check! Call-up to Triple-A? Soon!
3. Pittsburgh Tyler Glasnow (RHP)
This Season's Stats
---2-1 record with 1.40 ERA and 28 Ks in 25.2 IP (Altoona-AA)
Stats from 2014
---12-5 record with 1.74 ERA and 157 Ks in 124.1 IP (Bradenton-A Advanced)
Probable Major League Arrival:
June 2016
The top pitching prospect in Minor League Baseball is Tyler Glasnow, and amazingly he was a fifth round pick in 2011 as Pirates' General Manager Neal Hunnington stole the right hander with the 152nd overall pick. I bet many teams wish they had a time machine to go back and select the six foot, eight inch hurler as he has impressed scouts with a fastball, curveball, changeup repertoire. Unlike other top Pirates' prospects of the past like Gerrit Cole and Gregory Polanco, Glasnow has made full season stops at West Virginia (A) in 2013 and Bradenton (Advanced A) in 2014 with no known indication of Pittsburgh wanting to rush him to the Major Leagues. But I bet he will get his feet wet in Indianapolis (Triple-A) very soon as he has been great through five starts by holding Eastern League hitters to a batting average of .169 with an ERA of 1.40 and a WHIP of 0.82.
4. Los Angeles (NL) Corey Seager (SS)
This Season's Stats
---.288 BA, 0 HR, & 5 RBI (Oklahoma City-AAA)
---.375 BA, 5 HR, & 15 RBI (Tulsa-AA)
Stats from 2014
---.352 BA, 18 HR, & 70 RBI (Rancho Cucamonga-A Advanced)
---.345 BA, 2 HR, & 27 RBI (Chattanooga-AA)
Probable Major League Arrival:
Opening Day 2016
Baseball runs in the Seager family like football runs in the Manning family as another is on the cusp of a Major League call-up. Corey Seager, the younger brother of Seattle third basemen Kyle, is unlike the everyday shortstop, but in a good way! He has the power of a homerun hitter shown in eighteen home runs at Rancho Cucamonga and the ability to hit for average like a lead-off man. The best of both worlds! To begin the year, Seager heated up Tulsa with his bat as he cracked five homeruns and hit .375 in eighty at bats prior to a move in level. Although he has gotten off to a less than Seager-like start at Oklahoma City, there is no need to worry considering his track record of overcoming struggles in his first pro season and in 2013 Arizona Fall League.
5. Los Angeles (NL) Julio Urias (LHP)
This Season's Stats
---1-2 record with 3.00 ERA and 46 Ks in 36.0 IP (Tulsa-AA)
Stats from 2014
---2-2 record with 2.36 ERA and 109 Ks in 87.2 IP (Rancho Cucamonga-A Advanced)
Probable Major League Arrival:
June 2016
Climbing the ladder to Chavez Ravine with Seager is the eighteen year old flame thrower Julio Urias. Urias was signed as a sixteen year old from Mexico and since his debut for Great Lakes (Single A) in 2013, he has struck out an average of 1.25 batters per inning! Unfortately for opposing batters, Urias has a great three pitch selection featuring a fastball that tops out at 96 miles per hour with movement, a breaking curveball and a misleading changeup. Just imagine a Dodgers' rotation with Kershaw, Greinke, and Urias as one, two, and three! If that image doesn't have Los Angeles salivating for the future, then I don't know what would.
6. Cleveland Francisco Lindor (SS)
This Season's Stats
---.268 BA, 1 HR, 16 RBI, & 7 SB (Columbus-AAA)
Stats from 2014
---.273 BA, 5 HR, 14 RBI, & 3 SB (Columbus-AAA)
---.278 BA, 6 HR, 48 RBI, & 25 SB (Akron-AA)
Probable Major League Arrival:
June 2015
Three All-Star Futures Game appearances while being the youngest player to start opening day in the Eastern League (Double A) and play in the International League (Triple A) in 2014. The previous is just a short summary of what Francisco Lindor has done so far in his minor league career. The future shortstop of the Cleveland Indians has always been known for his glove--and to some he is considered the best defensive player in minor league baseball--but for him to be a great MLB player, his bat must be able to meet ball. After a 2013 season where Lindor batted .303 between Carolina (Advanced A) and Akron (Double A), he hit a solid .276 between Akron and Columbus (Triple A). So I am not sure what to exactly expect from the Gold Glove talent inside the batter's box, but the time is growing closer for us to find out what he can do against big league pitching.
7. Boston Henry Owens (LHP)
This Season's Stats
---2-2 record with 3.41 ERA and 30 Ks in 37.0 IP (Pawtucket-AAA)
Stats from 2014
---3-1 record with 4.03 ERA and 44 Ks in 38.0 IP (Pawtucket-AAA)
---14-4 record with 2.60 ERA and 126 Ks in 121.0 IP (Portland-AA)
Probable Major League Arrival: September 2015
How soon will Henry Owens be in the rotation for the Boston Red Sox? This season! Owens, who led the minor leagues in wins (17) and was fourth in strikeouts (170), is unlike pitchers ahead of him in my prospect rankings as the best pitch from the lefty is not a fastball, but a change-up. His heater is his second best option as it ranges from 88-94 miles per hour, which is followed by a curveball. In addition, Owens's delivery is decipitive to batters due to his lanky frame and pitching angles. So far in 2015, the top pitching prospect for the Red Sox has struggled in Pawtucket, but on Friday night he showed his talent with a six inning shutout start in which he struck out five (one was Francisco Lindor) against the Columbus Clippers.
8. Minnesota Byron Buxton (OF)
This Season's Stats
---.248 BA, 4 HR, 25 RBI, & 10 SB (Chattanooga-AA)
Stats from 2014
---.000 BA, 0 HR, & 0 RBI (New Britain-AA)
---.240 BA, 4 HR, 15 RBI, & 6 SB (Fort Myers-A Advanced)
Probable Major League Arrival:
April 2017
Did the Minnesota Twins make a mistake by taking Byron Buxton with the second overall pick in 2011 instead of Mike Zunnio or Kevin Gausman? This could be the year that we get a definitive answer. The former high school star from Georgia, had a great 2013 season at Cedar Rapids (Single A) and Fort Myers (Advanced A) as he batted a combined .334 with twelve homeruns and seventy-seven runs batted in to go along with eighteen triples and fifty-five stolen bases. Ultimately, that season landed him as the the number one prospect on many analysts top prospect board, but why is he at eighth on mine? HE CANNOT STAY HEALTHY! Due to a variety injuries that has included a bruised right wrist, a concussion, and a jammed finger, the former number two overall pick was limited to a total of thirty-one games in the regular season and only thirteen games in Arizona Fall League last year. In fact, he has already played more games this year in the regular season than last year! Therefore, if Buxton can stay healthy, this will be the year that the management for the Twins could get some insight if their lottery ticket is a big winner or a dud.
9. Washington Lucas Giolito (RHP)
This Season's Stats
---0-2 record with 5.23 ERA and 16 Ks in 10.1 IP (Potomac-Advanced A)
Stats from 2014
---10-2 record with 2.20 ERA and 110 Ks in 98.0 IP (Hagerstown-A)
Probable Major League Arrival:
September 2016
Intially considered the best prep pitcher heading into the 2012 MLB Draft, Lucas Giolito's stock fell drastically after being sidelined due to a sprained ulnar collateral ligament that eventually resulted in him having to have Tommy John surgery. After, in his first full professional season (2014), Giolito was spectacular as he dominated the Southern Atlantic League for Hagerstown. Although the former California high school pitching prospect looked awful in his season debut at Potomac (five earned runs in 4.1 innings pitched), he bounced back with six innings of one run ball in which he collected a career high eleven strikeouts. The six foot, six inch righty has a fastball that has been clocked at triple digits in addition to a nasty 12-to-6 curveball that has been said to be just as effective as the heater.
10. Minnesota Miguel Sano (3B)
This Season's Stats
---.235 BA, 8 HR, 20 RBI, & 3 SB (Chattanooga-AA)
2014-Missed entirity of season due to Tommy John surgery on right elbow.
2013
---.236 BA, 19 HR, & 55 RBI (New Britain-AA)
---.330 BA, 16 HR, & 48 RBI (Fort Myers-A Advanced)
Probable Major League Arrival:
June 2016
Don't you know, Miguel Sano!!! You don't? Well, I guess that is understandable since he had Tommy John surgery and missed all of last season. Despite the fact, Sano is one of the top third basemen prospects in the minors as he has pure power seen in his thirty-five homerun season in 2013. With power comes strikeouts though, and the six foot, four inch slugger is very prone to Ks as he has eight more punch-outs (36) than hits (28) thus far for Chattanooga (Double A). The opportunity is definitely there for Sano to be the future of the hot corner in the Twin City though, but his average must stay around .250 for the big fella to take "Target" practice in Minneapolis.
No comments:
Post a Comment