Week five! Throughout the year, this will be a weekly series that will outline the prospect movers from the previous week.
The minor league season has begun and we have seen more and more prospect promotions as the season has progressed. I expect even more now that the minor league season is underway.
All stats are of May 6.
April 30
Mark Payton, OF, CIN (preseason PL team rank: UR): Payton has a career .816 OPS in the minors, so there is some talent in the bat. The outfielder clubbed 30 home runs in Triple-A in 2019 and has solid walk and strikeout rates. The Cincinnati outfield is crowded, though, so he’s not likely to see much action.
Monte Harrison, OF, MIA (preseason PL team rank: 14): Harrison was once hyped up as a prospect but he has had major strikeout problems in the majors. He offers intriguing power and speed but if the strikeout concerns continue he will not be able to carve out an everyday role.
Rafael Marchan, C, PHI (preseason PL team rank: 17): Marchan is a contact-oriented bat with limited power. He’s unlikely to get a lot of run for the Phillies, who have one of the best catchers in the league in J.T. Realmuto.
Ben Rortvedt, C, MIN (preseason PL team rank: 50): Rortvedt is a defense-first backstop but could have a window of opportunity with Mitch Garver and Ryan Jeffers both struggling at the plate to start the year.
Louis Head, P, TB (preseason PL team rank: UR): Head made this series last week. He’s coming off of a great spring and seems to be an arm that the Rays will call upon when an extra one is needed in the bullpen.
Kodi Whitley, P, STL (preseason PL team rank: 34): Whitley is a relief-only prospect but he’s a good one. Whitley recorded a 24% K-BB rate in 23.2 Triple-A innings in 2019 and has been effective in limited Major League opportunities. Several of the Cardinals’ relievers have had their fair share of issues with walks so it wouldn’t be surprising to see Whitley become a more permanent part of the team in the near future.
Nick Sandlin, P, CLE (preseason PL team rank: 29): Sandlin is a submarine relief-only prospect. He was lights out in Spring Training and has a 2.68 career ERA in the minors. Cleveland has a good bullpen so it may be tough for Sandlin to stick in the majors long term.
May 1
Wyatt Mills, P, SEA (preseason PL team rank: 29): Mills is a relief-only prospect with a 3.57 ERA in the minors. He had good strikeout numbers in the minors and could find a spot in a questionable Seattle bullpen.
Lucas Gilbreath, P, COL (preseason PL team rank: UR): The 25-year-old Gilbreath had a tough Spring Training, allowing six runs in 9.1 innings. He has a 5.35 ERA in the three minor league seasons.
Mickey Moniak, OF, PHI (preseason PL team rank: 14): The former No. 1 overall pick returns to the Major League Club. Moniak’s stock has been a roller coaster since he has been drafted but he’s still looking more like a bench bat. An injury to Bryce Harper and a slow start to the season for Andrew McCutchen could provide some opportunities for Moniak.
Alex Vesia, P, LAD (preseason PL team rank: 27): Vesia came over to the Dodgers as part of the trade for Dylan Floro. He struggled in a brief cup of coffee with Miami last year, but there is potential for a high-leverage reliever here given Vesia’s minor league track record.
Patrick Weigel, P, MIL (preseason PL team rank: 21): Weigel features a starter’s mix but figures to be a low-leverage option for now.
Mario Feliciano, C, MIL (preseason PL team rank: 7): Felciano is the top-catching prospect in the Brewers system. He has big power but strikeout concerns. He should be up until Omar Narvaez comes off the IL.
Cristian Pache, OF, ATL (preseason PL team rank: 3): Pache is a defense-first prospect but has top-end speed and some power potential. Thus far he’s been overmatched by big-league pitching and playing time should be sporadic in the short term.
Keegan Thompson, P, CHC (preseason PL team rank: 13): Thompson is a strike-thrower that profiles as a starter, but this call will put him in the bullpen for the time being.
Daniel Johnson, OF, CLE (preseason PL team rank: 21): Johnson has an interesting speed/power profile but has struggled in limited opportunities in the big leagues. He is a bench bat and/or platoon bat when in the majors in 2021.
May 2
Riley Adams, C, TOR (preseason PL team rank: 25): Alejandro Kirk was placed on the IL and Danny Jansen has been ice cold at the plate, so Adams could get a decent number of looks here to prove himself. He’s a bat-first catcher with a career .773 OPS in the minors.
Dylan File, P, MIL (preseason PL team rank: 24): File was recalled by the Brewers as a management move as he was immediately put on the 60-day IL. File had surgery in February and should be back about midway through the season. He profiles as a starter and has sneaky good upside given his elite walk rates.
William Contreras, C, ATL (preseason PL team rank: 9): Contreras had already been up a few times this year but should get an extended look now that Travis D’Arnaud has been placed on the 60-day IL. Contreras possesses some intriguing offensive upside but it remains to be seen how his aggressive approach will hold up in the bigs.
May 3
Sebastian Rivero, C, KC (preseason PL team rank: 19): With Salvador Pérez signing an extension this offseason, it’s likely going to take an injury for any Royals catching prospect to see extended time. Rivero is a defense-first backstop and gets the call following backup backstop Cam Gallagher hitting the IL.
Isaac Mattson, P, BAL (preseason PL team rank: 44): Mattson is a relief-only prospect but a solid one. He has a career 2.89 ERA in the minors and posted a 35% strikeout rate across three levels in 2019.
Nabil Crismatt, P, SD (preseason PL team rank: UR): Crismatt is seemingly in this series every week. He’s being used as a depth arm by San Diego for now but they clearly like him enough to keep giving him run.
Christopher Sánchez, P, PHI (preseason PL team rank: 26): This is the first call to the bigs for the lefty arm and he offers intriguing upside. He should be a reliever for the time being but could rack up some strikeouts.
Brandon Waddell, P, MIN (preseason PL team rank: UR): Waddell came over from Pittsburgh, where he made limited appearances in 2020. He’s a low-leverage relief-only arm for now.
Daniel Lynch, P, KC (preseason PL team rank: 2): It was a ho-hum MLB debut for the top pitching prospect for the Royals, allowing three runs in 4.2 innings while striking out three against Cleveland. He was wild at times and walked four batters. The consensus top-100 prospect will stick in the rotation for now and he’s worth monitoring in most leagues given the upside but he will continue to have a relatively short leash for his next few outings.
May 4
Nick Gordon, 2B/SS, MIN (preseason PL team rank: 24): The former fifth overall pick still has some speed to offer but has mostly seen his stock drop in recent years. He could see some opportunities with Luis Arraez on the IL.
Aaron Fletcher, P, SEA (preseason PL team rank: HM): Fletcher looks to bounce back from a tough 2020 debut where he allowed six runs in 4.1 innings. The 25-year-old is likely suited for the bullpen.
Tyrone Taylor, OF, MIL (preseason PL team rank: 27): Taylor has been a pleasant surprise for the Brewers, triple slashing .303/.410/.545 to start the year. With Christian Yelich back on the IL, Taylor could be a near-full time bat with power and speed to boot.
Luke Raley, OF, LAD (preseason PL team rank: UR): Raley got the call as an extra bat for a doubleheader.
Joey Bart, C, SF (preseason PL team rank: 2): The same goes for Bart. This was just a temporary call-up. Expect him to get a bunch of reps at Triple-A, especially with Buster Posey mashing.
Johan Oviedo, P, STL (preseason PL team rank: 5): Oviedo makes the jump to the bigs for another spot start. He appears to be the go-to for the Cardinals for these situations and could begin to earn himself a full-time role if he continues to perform well.
Keibert Ruiz, C, LAD (preseason PL team rank: 6): Ruiz it a home run in his first plate appearance following this promotion. He’s not likely to stick around for an extended period quite yet.
Jason Vosler, 3B, SF (preseason PL team rank: UR): The 27-year-old prospect posted a .765 OPS in six minor league seasons. He should get a handful of plate appearances until Tommy La Stella returns.
Conner Menez, P, SF (preseason PL team rank: 39): Menez is a lefty relief-only prospect. He had a 2.38 ERA in 11.1 innings in 2020. He could carve out a big-league role.
Keegan Thompson, P, CHC (preseason PL team rank: 13): See his May 1 summary.
Enyel De Los Santos, P, PHI (preseason PL team rank: UR): Coming into 2021, De Los Santos had recorded a 5.70 career MLB ERA. He’s a relief-only arm with some control questions.
Hunter Owen, 3B/OF, PIT (preseason PL team rank: UR): Owen has some pop in his bat. He has a career .814 OPS in four minor-league seasons. He’s a bench bat for the Pirates.
Andy Ibáñez, INF, TEX (preseason PL team rank: UR): The 28-year-old infielder gets his first call to the show. The versatile infielder provides Texas with some positional depth following an IL trip by Brock Holt.
Anthony Bender, P, MIA (preseason PL team rank: UR): Bender is a relief-only prospect. He will likely be used in low-leverage situations.
May 5
Wyatt Mills, P, SEA (preseason PL team rank: 29): See his May 1 summary.
José Mujica, P, COL (preseason PL team rank: UR): Mujica is a relief-only prospect. He struggled in 2020, allowing six earned runs in 4.1 innings. He doesn’t have big strikeout stuff.
Patrick Mazeika, C, NYM (preseason PL team rank: 50): Mazeika is a baseball unicorn: a lefty catcher. Coming into 2021 he had not played above Double-A and this looks to be a depth call-up for a doubleheader.
Edwin Uceta, P, LAD (preseason PL team rank: 29): The Dodgers are suddenly searching for arms following a string of injuries to their pitchers. Uceta profiles as a backend with strikeout stuff but will likely be in a relief role for now.
Bernardo Flores, Jr., P, STL (preseason PL team rank: 36): A lefty arm that came over from the White Sox, Flores, Jr.will chew up some innings out of the St. Louis bullpen. He doesn’t have big strikeout numbers in the minors but has been successful at keeping runs off the board.
Mickey Moniak, OF, PHI (preseason PL team rank: 14): See May 1 summary.
May 6
Jack Kruger, C, LAA (preseason PL team rank: UR): Kruger got the call following an IL stint for Max Stassi. Kruger has a .673 OPS in the minors and will be a depth piece until Stassi returns.
Photo by Ric Tapia/Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Ethan Kaplan (@DJFreddie10 on Twitter and @EthanMKaplanImages on Instagram)