Every weekend, I will be posting about the minor leaguers you should be stashing on your team. This list will be arranged by impact for this year only. Players that will be called up sooner will be ahead of players with more talent who might only be called up late in the year.
We already have our first call up from the list. Jesse Winker was called up by the Reds. I don’t think he’s an immediate add unless you are in a NL only format but he is a guy to watch. If he plays regularly, I can see a him being a decent add as he will be plugged into the middle of that line up.
Anyway, let’s get to the other prospects:
1) Yoan Moncada, Chicago White Sox AAA, ETA: June
Yoan Moncada has two homeruns and two stolen bases to go along with his .308 Avg. He is everything you thought he was. He is striking out a lot though and Id like to see that cut down but he is going to be an immediate fantasy impact when he gets the call. We just dont know when that will be.
2) Cody Bellinger, Los Angeles Dodgers AAA, ETA: June
Bellinger is off to a hot start in AAA which has him jump from 6th on this list to #2. I think ETA wise, he isnt far behind anyone on this list. He has two homeruns, and two stolen bases to go along with a 1.057 OPS. He might have the most polished bat on this list and is an immediate add when he gets the call.
3) Clint Frazier, New York Yankees AAA, ETA: May
I thought Aaron Judge might need more time in the minors and so Frazier could get an earlier call than others on this list. Judge is off to a hot start though and that should affect Fraziers timeline. He hasnt had that great of a start to the year either with a .217 batting average but now he has time to make the adjustments as the Yankees likely wont be rushing him up.
4) Austin Meadows, Pittsburgh Pirates AAA, ETA: June
The Pirates have three all star caliber players in their outfield blocking Austin Meadows from a major league call up. He is next up if any of them get hurt but thats the only way he gets the call right now. He isnt doing too well in AAA but has done better in the past 3 games going 4 for 11 with 1 HR and 4 RBIs.
5) Ozzie Albies, Atlanta Braves AAA, ETA: June
He might have the best contact on this list and could be a high average guy with some pop while being a stolen base threat. He is off to a decent start in AAA with 12 hits in 9 games. He also has four stolen bases and five extra base hits. He could be a good 2B option when he gets the call for teams that waited on that position.
6) Tyler O’Neill, Seattle Mariners AAA, ETA: June
O’Neil has started the AAA year going 7 for 31, .226 avg. O’Neil isnt a high average player, so im not too worried about that stat. His bread and butter is his raw power and He does have a nice ISO Power of .258. Im not sure he is an immediate add in all formats should he get the call but he could have the best raw power on this list and that is saying something.
7) Franklin Barreto, Oakland Athletics AAA, ETA: June
Franklin Barrerto didnt make my preseason Top 25 Hitting Prospects for 2017 but he probably should have been. He is a shortstop for Oakland and has some pretty good pop and speed. He could be a 15-20 HR guy in his prime and can steal 25+ bases. His avg wont kill you either. With the wrist injury to Marcus Semien, Barreto could be up sooner than we think.
8) Alex Verdugo, Los Angeles Dodgers AAA, ETA: July
Verdugo doesnt have a Homerun just yet but he does have two triples and a .356/.400/.607 slash line through 28 ABs in AAA. He is doing everything well, he just needs a trade, or injury to open up a spot for him.
9) Amed Rosario, New York Mets AAA, ETA: July
Amed Rosario is making contact in AAA, owning a .361 batting avg through 36 ABs but the results are singles, singles, and more singles. All 13 of his hits are singles. While contact is great, you want to see a bit more pop. I am still not sold on his bat yet. Id like to see him walk a bit more, and show some more pop. I’m worried he is Elvis Andrus with less speed.
10) Dominic Smith, New York Mets AAA, ETA: July
Lucas Duda is swinging the bat like his 2014/2015 self. However, the Mets have a good 1B in the wings with Dominic Smith. He is swinging a hot bat and has a .417 batting average in AAA. He has Four double and a Homerun as well. He might not be up for awhile but he is is a guy to watch if Duda gets hurt.
Players to Watch: Bradley Zimmer CLE OF, Ian Happ CHC 2B and Rhys Hoskins 1B PHI