We’re back here at Pitcher List to detail every prospect promotion in 2022. That’s right, every Friday we will have to update you with every call-up from the week leading up. That’s every prospect, every Friday, all season long.
Our first week was filled with a number of the game’s top prospects getting the call. Now that we are into the beginning stages of MLB action, we are seeing a lot of prospects coming up to fill in for an injury or for added depth.
April 22
Alfonso Rivas, 1B/3B, CHC – Rivas is a hit-over-power corner infielder. That means he will have to hit for a high average at the MLB level. He’s done that in the minors, but he’s likely more of a bench bat that bounces between the majors and minors this season.
Ray Kerr, P, SDP – Kerr is a relief-only arm that posted some nice strikeout rates in the upper minors the last few seasons. The Padres already have a bunch of relief arms that they call upon, but Kerr being a lefty could help him see more opportunities.
Luis Gonzalez, OF, SFG – Gonzalez was a somewhat interesting, relatively under-the-radar prospect for the White Sox the last season. He’s got some power and speed, and also knows how to take a walk. Now that he’s with the Giants and they are dealing with some injuries to their outfield, Gonzalez is a sneaky add in some fantasy formats given how successful San Francisco’s player development has been the last few seasons, though he’s likely to see the bulk of his action against righties.
Packy Naughton, P, STL – Naughton tossed 22.2 innings with the Angels last year and struggled, posting a negative K-BB rate and an ERA north of six. Historically, he hasn’t walked a lot of batters in the minors, so he could find some success at the MLB level, though it’s likely as a reliever.
René Pinto, C, TB – Following this callup, Pinto got his first taste of MLB action and promptly hit a home run. He belted 20 home runs across Double-A and Triple-A a year ago, but his worrisome walk and strikeout rates profile him as more of a backup backstop.
April 23
Beau Brieske, P, DET – Briske is a somewhat under-the-radar starting pitcher prospect. He’s had some success in the minors, finishing with a 3.12 ERA across 106.2 innings between High-A and Double-A in 2021. He allowed three runs in five innings in his MLB debut and could stick around as the Tigers deal with some injuries.
José Godoy, C, MIN – Godoy is a defense-first backup backstop profile who has bounced between a few organizations the last few seasons.
Adonis Medina, P, NYM – Medina will probably be up and down throughout the year, depending on the Mets needs, and he’s already been optioned back to Triple-A. He made the most out of his 2022 MLB debut, throwing a perfect inning and striking out all three batters.
Vidal Bruján, INF/OF, TB – At this point, you are probably familiar with Bruján. He’s a burner who racked up 44 stolen bases in Triple-A season again. He got a taste of the big leagues in 2021 but went just for 2-for-26. He’s always been successful at the plate in the minors but it’s still to be determined if he can handle MLB pitching. On any other team, he might get a longer leash, but it’s difficult to find time on a deep Rays team that doesn’t utilize many everyday players. He’s already been optioned back to Triple-A.
April 24
Beau Sulser, P, PIT – It’s unclear what kind of role Suler will have for the Pirates. He looked like a relief-only prospect for much of his career before spending the majority of 2021 as a starter in Triple-A in 2021. He wasn’t efficient there, posting an ERA north of five, but he tosses 2.2 scoreless innings in his MLB debut as an innings-eating reliever.
Luis Campusano, C, SDP – Campusano has been up a few times the last few years so there may be some prospect fatigue here. He’s struggled in his brief tastes of MLB action, but he’s only 23 and hit for a high average with good power in the minors. The designated hitter being added to the NL could lead to some increased opportunities in the big leagues for the backstop.
April 25
Tyler Gilbert, P, ARI – Gilbert is oh-so-close to exceeding prospect eligibility and there is a good chance this is the last time he ever makes this series. He’ll continue to serve the role he did a year ago – a backend spot starter and/or multi-inning reliever for the Dbacks.
Tyler Danish, P, BOS – Danish has bounced around a few organizations in his career but might finally be finding his footing in an MLB role with the Red Sox this season. The Boston bullpen has had some struggles early and with Garrett Whitlock potentially sticking in the rotation, Danish should continue to see work if his production allows.
Richie Palacios, INF/OF, CLE – Palacios is a hit-over-power bat with good speed. More encouragingly, he’s been able to apply that speed on the basepaths in the minors, successfully swiping 30 bags in 34 attempts in his career. Palacios’ 2021 had plenty of good indicators – he hit .301 across Double-A and Triple-A to go along with a double-digit walk rate and a sub-20% strikeout rate. It looks like the Guardians are transitioning him more and more to the outfield, and while this might not be a permanent promotion, Palacios is an interesting enough prospect to keep an eye on.
Andre Jackson, P, LAD – Jackson tossed 11.2 innings of relief for the Dodgers a year ago, finishing with a 2.31 ERA. On the flip side, he only has an 8% K-BB rate. The Dodgers used him as a multi-inning bulker last year and that’s likely his role again this season when he’s with the big league club.
Brendan Donovan, INF/OF, STL – Donovan’s defensive home is up in the air – so far in Triple-A this season he has spent time at first, second, third, left and right. He’s an under-the-radar bat who played across three minor league levels in 2021, triple slashing .304/.399/.455 while walking 10% of the time and striking out at a clip under 17%. He hit for more doubles power than home run power, but it wouldn’t be the first time a Cardinals prospect went from relative unknown to productive MLB player.
Bowden Francis, P, TOR – Francis is a 26-year-old righty who has spent his minor league career as a starter. He had a career-worst 10% walk rate in Triple-A a season ago, though he was consistently much lower than that in years prior. At the MLB level, he might be a reliever who sees an occasional spot start.
April 26
William Woods, P, ATL – Woods hasn’t pitched much above Low-A, so to see him in the majors is a bit surprising. The Braves must think he can help now by calling him, though he’s likely in low-leverage relief to start.
Seth Martinez, P, HOU – Martinez is a relief-only arm but he had a very nice 2021, finishing with 2.81 ERA and a 25.2% K-BB rate in 57.2 innings. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the 27-year-old carve out a big-league role.
Damon Jones, P, PHI – Jones is a relief-only arm. He’s posted double-digit strikeout rates at every level along the way, so he may struggle against big-league hitters.
Jack Suwinski, OF, PIT – This is a jump from Double-A for Suwisnki, so he’ll probably struggle with strikeouts given he had relatively high strikeout rates in the minors. He profiles as a left platoon bat, but that’s probably a year or two from now.
Tucupita Marcano, INF/OF, PIT – Marcano was a prospect on the rise a few seasons ago but is a bit of a forgotten man despite being just 22 years old and seeing some MLB action. Marcano knows how to take a walk and has speed but it comes with minimal power.
Kervin Castro, P, SFG – Castro is a relief-only prospect. He posted a strikeout rate north of 30% in Triple-A a season ago but it came with a career-high walk rate of 12%. He’s likely in low-leverage roles for now.
April 27
Ryan Feltner, P, COL – Feltner is a starting pitcher prospect but profiles as a back-of-the-rotation arm. He had a nice 2021 at Double-A, finishing with a 2.85 ERA and strikeout rate near 27% in 13 starts. He hasn’t pitched much above that level so there may be an adjustment period at the MLB level, especially pitching at Coors Field.
Andrew Vasquez, P, TOR – Vasquez has posted high strikeout rates and high walk rates throughout his career. The strikeout rates have been good enough that he could be a feast or famine reliever in the bigs.
April 28
Tyler Holton, P, ARI – Holton has struggled at almost every level of the minors, so it’s difficult to envision that changing against the best hitters on the planet.
Luis Frías, P, ARI – Frías has been a starter throughout the but made a handful of appearances as a reliever at the MLB level in 2021. That looks to be the thought with this call-up here, and his stuff could play up out of the pen.
Emmanuel Rivera, 1B/3B, KCR – The Royals have a bunch of highly-touted bats in their system so Rivera has flown a bit under the radar. He posted a 144 wRC+ at Triple-A a season ago and his bat may be good enough for him to find some playing time even if he doesn’t have a definite position in the field.
Kyle Isbel, OF, KCR – Isbel had a nice Triple-A season in 2021, hitting 15 home runs and swiping 22 bags while triple slashing .269/.357/.444 in 105. He also posted a 116 wRC+ in 28 MLB games. With Adalberto Mondesi now out for the season, Isbel might get a look at a near-everyday role. His all-categories potential is intriguing from a fantasy POV.
Wyatt Mills, P, SEA – Mills is a relief-only arm and was dominant at Triple-A a season ago, punching out batters an eye-popping 44% of the time. He spent some time in the bigs and struggled, though, with an ERA near the double digits in 12.2 frames. Seattle has plenty of bullpen arms, with Ken Giles likely returning in a few weeks too, so Mills probably doesn’t have a permanent big-league role unless he really performs.
Sam Huff, C/1B, TEX – Huff has big power and big strikeout rates. He played 10 games in the majors in 2020 and hit three home runs but strike out a third of the time. That’s a perfect snapshot of what can be expected from Huff at the plate. He gets the call here with Jonah Heim hitting the paternity list, so this is likely a temporary promotion.
Photo by John Cordes/Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Ethan Kaplan (@DJFreddie10 on Twitter and @EthanMKaplanImages on Instagram)