We’ve already had quite a few prospect called up to the majors for good this year and that doesn’t include those that came up for a brief time and then went back down, most notably Carter Kieboom. However, that doesn’t mean that the young guns are done being called up, especially as we get nearer to the typical Super Two timeframe in early June. This week, I will try and give you a jump on the next guys who are likely to come up and stay long-term with the team, so you get the jump on potentially claiming them.
Hitters
Yordan Alvarez (OF HOU) – Alvarez has been the talk of those who hunt for prospects and the questions have grown about why he hasn’t gotten the call yet. The simplest explanation is that the Astros outfielders haven’t faltered yet. The outfielder has played 29 games at Triple-A Round Rock this year and played 45 games at Triple-A Fresno last year for a combined .310/.402/.613 slash with 21 homers, 66 RBI, 54 runs, and a steal in those 74 games. Alvarez is a big framed 6’5” left-handed swinging corner outfielder but it’s not just all power and luck keeping his numbers up high, he’s posted two straight years of double-digit walk rate and now he’s got under a 20-percent K-rate this year. A 55-grade Hit and Power tool mean he should be able to hit better than .280 in the majors with 30-plus homer pop in his bat. Ultimately, he may wind up at first base instead of left field as his speed, which is already fringy, will continue to drop as he continues to physically mature.
Daz Cameron (OF DET) – Cameron is one of the top prospects in the Tigers’ system and perhaps the best offensive prospect in the system as well. He is starting at Triple-A Toledo this season after getting a taste of it last year and so far, he’s looked overmatched in the brief, 42-game, sample we have at that level. This year in 27 games with Toledo he’s hitting .217/.323/.406 with four homers, 17 runs, 12 RBI, and three steals. He has posted a .284 BABIP and .323 wOBA though the 29-percent K-rate is way too high to be sustainable at a season-long rate. However, he has the skillset to turn it around as he did jump three levels in 2018 from High-A to Triple-A. The toolsy outfielder has a few plus-tools in his bag including a Hit and Speed tool that will produce a high batting average and have already posted a 32-steal season in the minors. If he gets it going for a month or so at Triple-A, expect the Tigers to call up Cameron with them needing all the help they can get on offense right now.
Ryan Mountcastle (1B BAL) – Mountcastle is a former first round pick of the Orioles back in 2015 and since then he has been progressing fairly consistently through their farm system one level at a time. Originally drafted as a shortstop, they moved him to third base nearly immediately as his speed and range don’t grade out as MLB quality at short. Now however, the Orioles have moved Mountcastle to first base this year where his fringy arm strength isn’t a big issue and his bat still profiles well. In his first taste of Triple-A at Norfolk, Mountcastle is hitting .333/.359/.528 with five home runs, 22 runs, 22 RBI, and a steal in 30 games. Overall, the 22-year-old corner infielder has 55-grade Hit and Power tools which should produce a .290 or higher average and 25-home run seasons in the bigs when all is said and done which more than profiles at first or third. With this being his first taste of Triple-A, he may not be up until August but he’s still worth watching in case an injury occurs with the big league club.
Ke'Bryan Hayes (3B PTI) – Pittsburgh has a need at third base for sure since Jung Ho Kang and Colin Moran aren’t cutting it and there are injuries further shortening their depth. However, Hayes isn’t currently ready to fill that need just yet as he is currently hitting .245/.333/.373 over 27 games at Triple-A with one homer, 13 runs, 13 RBI, and four steals though his BABIP is .325 and his wOBA is .319 suggest he’s actually having a better season than his slash line shows. This is his first taste of Triple-A so Pittsburgh will want to make sure that he is fully ready for the call before bringing him from Indianapolis to Pittsburgh full-time. Tools-wise the 22-year-old third baseman has all the tools you want to see from your future hot corner man in a 60-grade hit tool and a 50-grade power plus a bonus of a 55-grade speed component that should allow him to steal 15 bags a year in the majors as well as hitting 20-25 homers when he fully matures and finds his power stroke. Defensively, he is a gold glove caliber defensive third baseman with a cannon for an arm attached to his 6’1”, 210-pound frame as well. August looks like the timeframe for him to be up with the Pirates full-time.
Brendan Rodgers (2B COL) – Would it surprise you to know that the Rockies second base position ranks worst offensively in baseball right now? Sure, Daniel Murphy has been hurt, but he started slow and then Ryan McMahon and Garrett Hampson didn’t exactly swing hot bats in his place. Meanwhile, in 31 games at Triple-A Albuquerque, Rodgers is slashing a .339/.409/.603 line with seven homers, 31 runs, and 18 RBI while striking out just 14.6-percent of the time and walking 10.2-percent in that span. If you’re thinking, well those stats are in the PCL and one of the best hitter’s park in the PCL, you’d be right. However, at Double-A Hartford, one of the most pitcher-friendly Eastern League parks, Rodgers hit .271/.336/.469 with 23 home runs, 79 RBI, 69 runs, and 12 steals in 133 games over parts of two seasons. He is in the mold of the high-average, power-hitting middle infielders we’ve come to expect from Colorado and knowing the need at second base that they have, it shouldn’t be much longer before the former third overall pick of 2015 is up in the majors.
Pitchers
Mitch Keller (RHP PIT) – Keller has long been viewed as the Pirates top pitching prospect and even more so once Tyler Glasnow and Jameson Taillon graduated from the system and now it’s the latter of those that might have created an opening for Keller to come up. Taillon is dealing with a Flexor Tendon strain which could result in Tommy John surgery, though that’s not known at this time, and so an opening in the rotation would likely lead to Keller getting his taste of the big leagues full-time. However, right now he has to get it together a bit more at Triple-A Indianapolis first. Between his 52.1 innings last year and his now 34 innings pitched this year over a combined 17 starts, Keller has produced a 4.49 ERA, 3.72 FIP, 10.3 K/9, 4.06 BB/9, .281 BAA, 1.57 WHIP, and a 99:39 K:BB ratio. None of that jumps off the page for a guy who has frontline starter potential and plus stuff including his 65-grade 94-96 mph fastball and the 60-grade 11-to-5 curveball. Once his numbers come down some more, especially the WHIP and average against, he should take a rotation spot in Pittsburgh later this summer.
Dylan Cease (RHP CWS) – Cease has really been the talk of the early season and for good reason. He’s got a 3.33 ERA, 3.35 FIP, 11.1 K/9, 2.59 BB/9, 30.6 K-percent overall in his first 24.1 innings at Triple-A this year. The 23-year-old righty is a future ace caliber pitcher for the White Sox with an arsenal anchored by perhaps the best fastball in the minors that routinely hits triple-digits and has remarkable run and that doesn’t include his two other plus pitches in his curveball and slider. The changeup keeps batters off kilter and is average right now with the potential to get above-average eventually. There is no doubt that Cease will be up in Chicago this year, he needs more innings at Triple-A first though and more innings in general with just over 300 innings pitched as a pro total since 2015. He might be up later than anyone else on this list since the White Sox are really not competitive this year and have no interest in wasting a year of control until the rest of the top-flight prospects are ready.