As we come to the start of May and begin getting the excitement that comes with big name call-ups, like that of Cody Bellinger last week, it’s time to start looking at position groups. This week I will breakdown several names of first baseman and catchers that I am following. Over the next few weeks I will do the same for different position groupings and tell you what their path to the majors looks like. So let’s start delving into all those prospects.

First Baseman

Philadelphia took Rhys Hoskins (PHI AAA) in the fifth round of the 2014 draft out of Sacramento State and since then all he has done is improved. Through 23 games at Lehigh Valley this season he is hitting to a slash line of .338/.427/.636 with a 1.063 OPS, six homers, 12 RBI, and 15 runs scored. Even going to the advanced numbers he has a .466 wOBA mark, a .357 BABIP and .299 ISO. 2016 was his first full season and he launched 38 homers with 116 RBI, granted he played in a hitter-friendly park in Reading, but that’s still amazing production. Tommy Joseph, and potentially Howie Kendrick, is currently blocking him, but if he keeps swinging like this, it’ll be hard for Philly to keep him down on the farm.

The 895th overall pick of the 2013 MLB draft makes his way into the report in the form of Rowdy Tellez (TOR AAA). Since being drafted, all he has done is hit. Culminating in his best season in 2016 as he hit .297/.387/.530 with 23 homers, 81 RBI, 71 runs and even four steals to boot at Double-A. His walk rate over the last 145 games played (21 at Triple-A this season) is a very good 12.5%. The downside is that he has gotten off to a sluggish start in the first month of 2017 with a .194 AVG and a .139 ISO mark given he has just three homers in 21 games. When his bat comes around, the fifth-best 1B prospect should get the call later this year.

The 21-year-old first base prospect for the Mets, Dominic Smith (NYM AAA) is also the second-best first prospect in baseball. A first round pick in the 2013 draft, the left-handed hitting and fielding corner infielder is now garnering a lot of attention with Lucas Duda being oft injured. Smith is off to a very good start, though the PCL is hitter-friendly, hitting .343/.393/.515 through 25 games with three homers, 16 R, and 18 RBI. Matching numbers in .395 wOBA and .392 BABIP indicate his numbers could stay in that range, though a higher than 7.5% walk rate would be good to see from him. The only things standing in Smith’s way of a promotion are time, power numbers, and Duda, though not if he keeps getting hurt.

We look to Kansas City’s system for the least heralded prospect on the list in Ryan O’Hearn (KC AAA). The 23-year-old first baseman is a former eighth round pick in the 2014 draft but has worked his way into the conversation for replacing Eric Hosmer. That’s right I said it. O’Hearn is carrying a .298/.352/.536 slash line into May with five home runs, six runs scored, and 11 RBI. His .387 wOBA and .351 BABIP indicate he’s actually hitting better than he’s being credited with but each fit in with his previous career numbers. He does tend to strikeout a fair amount (24.2% K-rate) but he does take walks. If Eric Hosmer doesn’t re-sign with the Royals at the end of 2017, O’Hearn could be looking at the everyday starting job next year.

Catchers

Baltimore used their second round pick in 2013 on a high school catcher named Chance Sisco (BAL AAA) in the hopes he would be the backstop of the future. Well that hope is taking shape. He has a .230/.319//.344 slash line at the moment with 11 RBI and six runs through 18 games. Now his BABIP and wOBA are both significantly higher at .359 and .325 respectively, so he’s getting somewhat unlucky so far. Over the course of 376 career minor league games, over four levels, he has a .319 career average but just 18 total homers. Sisco will be a catcher more in the mold of Joe Mauer than Buster Posey, though I don’t think he will win a league batting title. The power could come in time but hitting 15 round-trippers in a year would be the ceiling for him.

Garrett Stubbs (HOU AA) maybe the perfect name for the 5’10”, 175 lb. catcher that Houston took with in the eighth round of the 2015 draft out of USC. He has played just 11 games this year due to a hamstring injury but is hitting .341/.413/.634 in that span with three homers, six RBI, nine runs, and two steals with a .458 wOBA and .324 BABIP. He has yet to play more than 86 games in a pro season and because of that his status are a bit deflated. In 2016 he hit 10 homers between two levels and stole 15 bags. His smaller stature gives him better speed and athleticism than what is typical for the position. Stubbs likely won’t see the majors until mid-2018 but he has the chance to be a J.T. Realmuto type with more pop.

Texas took a jack-of-all-trades type in the 2014 draft in Jose Trevino (TEX AA) and is turning him into a catcher. He played Short, Third, and Catcher at Oral Roberts before being turned into an everyday backstop in the farm system. He is hitting .289/.319/.356 through 12 games in 2017 but did have a .303/.342/.434 line over 109 games in 2016. Trevino may not have typical power for a catcher, a career high of 14 homers in 112 games in 2015, but he does hit for average and has a very good 48% rate of throwing out would-be base stealers. I see Trevino hitting 9-12 dingers a year in the majors while toting a .280-plus average.