International League

Adam Frazier (Indianapolis) leads the International League with a .342 average. The Pirates drafted him in 2013 and he’s moved quickly through the minors, but he’s viewed as more of a utility man or fifth outfielder than anything else. His versatility in the field could net him a bench spot for Pittsburgh at some point, but he has just three total home runs in four minor league seasons.

Jesus Aguilar (Columbus), Steven Moya (Toledo), and Adam Walker (Rochester) sit atop the home run leaderboard with 13 dingers apiece. This is Aguilar’s third season in Triple-A and it’s pretty clear the Indians don’t view him as their 1B of the future. Moya is a player that can hit plenty of homers, but his plate discipline leaves a lot to be desired. His BB/K ratio at Triple-A this season is 9-to-44—not good. Walker is cut from the same cloth as Moya, but has an even higher power grade. In five minor league seasons, Walker has hit 110 bombs. Impressive.

Pirates’ prospect Josh Bell is batting .421 over his last 10 games and has multi-hit games in six of those. He has also gone deep four times over that span. With only John Jaso ahead of him in Pittsburgh, he could get the call sooner rather than later.

I have already highlighted two players in the Pirates’ system, so I might as well make it three. Tyler Glasnow is absolutely itching for a promotion with his lights out numbers at Triple-A. He has a 1.90 ERA and 86 strikeouts in 71 innings pitched. If only that Super Two deadline would pass a little quicker!

Thirty-one year old journeyman Wade LeBlanc leads the IL with a 1.51 ERA. Very solid for LeBlanc, but for some reason I’m not seeing him on any top prospect lists.

Pacific Coast League

Dillon Overton had yet another quality start for Triple-A Nashville on Wednesday. He’s pitching in the hitter friendly Pacific Coast League and has lowered his ERA from 4.89 on May 11 to 3.30 as of yesterday.

Jharel Cotton (Oklahoma City) has 70 strikeouts in 57.2 innings pitched so far this season and he’s both started and pitched in relief. His 4.68 ERA is shoddy, but he’s a potential arm that Los Angeles can use out of their bullpen.

Jon Singleton (Fresno) still can’t get his average up (.216), but he does have 14 homers, good for third in the PCL.

Remember Mike Zunino? He’s the catcher that’s wasting away in Triple-A because he has yet to show the ability to hit for average. With Tacoma this season, he’s batting .260 with 13 home runs. A change of scenery would do him well.

A swiper I’d like to highlight is Manuel Margot (El Paso). Margot has really excelled at Triple-A El Paso this season and could be in line for a promotion rather quickly. He’s already stolen 16 bags and legged out six triples. He’s batting a stellar .299 and has a 19-to-28 BB/K ratio. It would appear that with a bit more seasoning, he could be batting atop the Padres’ lineup sometime around the All-Star break.

Recent Call-ups

Willson Contreras, C, Cubs

The Cubs announced they were making the call to Triple-A and bringing Contreras up prior to Friday’s game against Pittsburgh. The team is going to use three catchers indefinitely. Contreras is slashing .350/.439/.591 with nine home runs and 43 RBI at Triple-A Iowa. This is a well-deserved promotion.

Tyrell Jenkins, SP, Braves

Jenkins doesn’t have eye-popping numbers at Triple-A Gwinnett, but that’s mostly due to his lackluster strikeout rate (6.6 K/9). Still, he’s managed to post a 2.91 ERA over 14 appearances (nine starts). Atlanta recently moved Jenkins to the bullpen to get him to the big leagues faster, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll stay there. For now, his only value is in dynasty leagues and deep NL-Only formats.

Peter O’Brien, OF/1B, Diamondbacks

It was nice to see O’Brien get the call to the big leagues last week. He was murdering the ball at Triple-A with a slash line of .330/.356/.670 and 17 home runs. Unfortunately, O’Brien has just one hit in his first 15 at-bats with Arizona, though that one hit was a mammoth 433-foot shot. You could do worse if you’re scouring for power.

Blake Snell, SP, Rays

Snell struck out 90 batters in 63 innings pitched and was recalled to start Thursday’s game for Tampa Bay. He’s likely up for good at this point and should be owned in all leagues.

Jameson Taillon, SP, Pirates

Taillon is another arm that needs to be owned in all leagues. He threw seven shutout innings against the Mets on Tuesday night and will be a fixture in Pittsburgh’s rotation going forward.