Let us begin. 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.
Anyway, let us get to the other prospects:
1) Rhys Hoskins, Philadelphia Phillies AAA, ETA: May
Rhys Hoskins takes the top spot from Yoan Moncada. This is more of an ETA assumption that Rhys is close while Yoan is a couple more months away. The Phillies continue to struggle at 1B as Brock Stassi and Tommy Joseph continue to hit below the Mendoza line. Rhys Hoskins continues to mash the ball for Lehigh and is at seven HRs now while hitting north of .300 and an OBP north of .400. He is not an advanced bat like Cody Bellinger but he could have a significant impact hitting in the middle of the Phillies line up.
2) Yoan Moncada, Chicago White Sox AAA, ETA: July
Yoan’s batting average continues to climb up. He is doing everything you want from your top prospect and more. The impact is undeniable but the time line is questionable. He needs to stay down until July for the super two deadline but the White Sox are winning ball games. Do the White Sox care more about this year’s success over future salary obligations? We shall see. If they go the win now route, he should be up soon.
3) Franklin Barreto, Oakland Athletics AAA, ETA: June
Barreto is starting to look more and more like Rougned Odor for me. He is a power hitting middle infielder that will strikeout a lot and not walk all that much. He has solid contact skills though and will likely be a solid SS addition to a fantasy team near you. I am counting down the days until I can add him in our Pitcher List league, I need a SS bad and Barreto could be that person. In points leagues, you might want to wait for Amed Rosario. Barretto will strikeout a lot and could make you suffer.
4) Amed Rosario, New York Mets AAA, ETA: June
Amed Rosario had a hitless day this week going zero for four. His batting average dropped over 30 points. Do not worry though as he is still hitting quite well in AAA. He added a couple doubles this week, which is good to see. I still think he looks similar to Elvis Andrus without 30 SB speed but his contact abilities is undeniable at this point. He could be a good person to add but his prospect rankings do not match his future fantasy output. Id sell him if I owned him in a Dynasty League. For Points and redraft leagues, he looks very appeasing and he’s a person I’d add.
5) Dominic Smith, New York Mets AAA, ETA: June
The bat, the pop, the plate discipline, I love Dominic Smith. He has more in game power to develop but he looks like he will be manning the Met’s first base bag for years to come. His timeline for the call is up in the air, Lucas Duda should be returning to the Mets soon and Smith is not to man another position. He is a bit blocked for now but the skills are there to be an impact bat in the majors.
6) Ian Happ, Chicago Cubs AAA, ETA: June
Many scouts talked about Ian Happ as a Ben Zobrist clone. A middle infielder who can play OF and has good plate discipline. The stats this year are looking more like Adam Dunn though. He is hitting a HR in every 10.5 at bats, and his walk and strikeout rate are quite high. He is an interesting person to watch and could be a great fantasy baseball add.
7) Clint Frazier, New York Yankees AAA, ETA: June
Jumping back on this list after a week in the people to watch area, Clint Frazier is showing some impressive power in AAA. He only has four homeruns but he has 13 extra base hits for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. His batting average and lack of stolen bases will keep him from being an elite prospect but he has very good power and could pair with Aaron Judge in the middle of the Yankees line up for years to come.
8) Lewis Brinson, Milwaukee Brewers AAA, ETA: June
The Brewers are 2nd in the NL in Runs per game and have an outfield of Ryan Braun, Keon Broxton and Domingo Santana. Broxton and Santana started the year a bit slow but have destroyed the ball lately. It is early in the year, but the brewers look like they will outperform their win projections and I do not think they will deal Braun while they are winning ball games. This could affect Brinson’s ETA, as I do not believe the Brewers would add him to ride the bench. Brinson is doing his part though and continues his hot start into May. He has done everything you want from your top prospect but that OF is crowded.
9) Bradley Zimmer, Cleveland Indians AAA, ETA: June
Some people love Zimmer, I am not one but he is starting to make me see the light. I fear he is going to have some good years and bad years and will be very streaky. He is a person I would love to have if the price is right. As a midseason free agent addition, that would be the right price for me. He has been hitting pretty well in 2017 showing some pop and speed. I do not expect 30+ SB a year from him, but he could be a 20/20 threat. The average will not be great but for a free agent pick up, you cannot have everything.
10) Jorge Alfaro, Philadelphia Phillies AAA, ETA: June
The Phillies need Alfaro and Hoskins and they need them sooner rather than later. Alfaro is doing his part hitting north of .300 in AAA and somehow has two triples. When he gets the call, I believe Alfaro could be in the top 10 for the rest of season. His average should be decent and he has some pop. Ideally, you would like to see him walk more, only has 2 bases-on-balls on the year, but he is making decent contact and is getting on base. He is a super two deadline add.
Players to watch:
Austin Meadows PIT and Derek Fisher HOU