Every weekend, I post about the minor leaguers you should be stashing on your team. These rankings are done solely for prospects with the potential to impact the 2019 season. Their ranks are predicated on when they will be called up and raw talent—we want to give you an edge in building your team throughout the year. Prospects are a great way to stay ahead of the curve once the most notable prospects are called up. Not all prospects need to be stashed in every league, as not all league compositions are made equally.
1. Isan Diaz, 2B/SS, (Miami Marlins) – ETA Mid August
A week removed from Manager Don Mattingly saying that Isan Diaz will be up before September and a few days past the trade deadline that saw Starlin Castro stay put, the question of when of Diaz’ promotion rests on how much Miami feels it owes Castro who is in the final year of his contract. Diaz is an MLB ready player who is hitting .306 on the year with 26 home runs. He has strung together a few impressive hitting streaks this year, including at 12-game streak that ended this past week.
2. Carter Kieboom, 2B/SS, (Washington Nationals) – ETA Early September
As with most blue-chip prospects, Carter Kieboom stayed put – an indication Washington sees him as its future second baseman. In the short-term, however, it muddies his chance of another call-up before September. Kieboom has been taking reps at second base, shortstop, and third base and while he would certainly not be ready to start at third base defensively, it could be enough where he acts as the team’s super infield utility player this fall – garnering enough at-bats to be fantasy relevant.
3. Luis Robert, OF, (Chicago White Sox) – ETA Early September
Luis Robert was named the White Sox’ Minor League Player of the Month, having recorded a hit in 30 of his last 35 games including an eight-game hitting streak that ended on Thursday. Robert is hitting better in Triple-A than in Double-A, walking more, striking out less, and has nearly as many home runs despite 150 fewer at-bats. He is slashing, in Triple-A, .337/.402/.698 with seven home runs and five stolen bases. 2020 will not be a rebuilding year the same way 2019 was for Chicago and that starts with a Robert promotion in September as the team gears up to be a middle of the road team next season as its rebuild begins to realize.
4. Jo Adell, OF, (Los Angeles Angels) – ETA Early September
Los Angeles is crashing and burning, dropping seven of its last nine games, pushing them to eight games out of a Wild Card spot. Jo Adell was promoted to Triple-A after tearing up High-A and Double-A so far this year. If promoted, Adell’s playing time in 2019 on a forgone Los Angeles team boils down to how it handles Kole Calhoun has a club option in 2020. If Los Angeles feels that Adell is ready for a full-time role, Calhoun could be a cost-cutting measure for a team that already has $115 million on the books for just five players in 2020. Adell’s upside is enormous.
5. Jorge Mateo, SS/2B, (Oakland Athletics) – ETA Late August
After a dismal 17 games of hitting .106 with an 18:1 K:BB ratio, Oakland once again demoted Franklin Barreto. While Jorge Mateo was not promoted as the team’s corresponding move, he certainly next in line to get a crack at sticking as Jurickson Profar remains a stopgap. Mateo is up to 17 home runs and 21 stolen bases with a .294 batting average, breaking out this year after an underwhelming 2018 in Triple-A. Mateo’s strikeouts are a concern as is the PCL inflating his countable statistics, but he looks to be a good bet to inject some speed into Oakland’s lineup.
6. Jaylin Davis, OF, (San Francisco) – ETA Mid August
Jaylin Davis was one of three prospects included in the trade that sent Sam Dyson to Minnesota. Between Double-A and Triple-A Davis is slashing .306/.400/.579 with 25 home runs and nine stolen bases – he features an elite 164 wRC+ this season. Farhan Zaidi, San Francisco’s President of Baseball Operations said Davis was sent to Triple-A for evaluation, but would not be surprised to see him promoted before the end of the month.
7. Kyle Tucker, OF, (Houston Astros) – ETA Early September
Kyle Tucker also stayed put as Houston leveraged its deep farm system to net Zack Greinke. It is difficult to project Tucker the remainder of the year as short of an injury (and even with an injury) there is not a clear path to consistent playing time. Houston has long-term plans for Tucker and while his short term prospects may be unclear, he may be suited to be an outfield utility player with Tony Kemp now traded to Chicago. Tucker is only hitting .212 since July 1 further complicating his usage once rosters expand in September.
8. Joshua Rojas, 2B, (Arizona Diamondbacks) – ETA Early September
Included in the aforementioned Zack Greinke trade, Joshua Rojas has been tearing it up in Triple-A this season, .310/.402/.586 with 12 home runs and 19 stolen bases. Rojas walks nearly as often has he strikes out (12.3% to 14.8%) and has presented this same profile as he shot up Houston’s farm system. While Rojas was not the star of the package, Arizona acquired him with the intent to utilize him. A promotion would allow Ketel Marte to slide back to his natural position at shortstop after two years at second base, replacing Nick Ahmed.
9. Mauricio Dubon, OF, (San Francisco Giants) – ETA Early September
After spending two games promoted in Milwaukee, Mauricio Dubon was traded for Drew Pomeranz and Ray Black. Dubon will spend time in Triple-A as San Francisco allows him to get more reps at second base, but could be an addition when rosters expand. The acquisition of Scooter Gennett from Cincinnati makes playing time for Dubon tougher in the short term, but with the team owing Brandon Crawford $30 million over the next two years and Gennett playing on an expiring contract, it is clear where Dubon fits in.
10. DJ Stewart, OF, (Baltimore Orioles) – ETA Late August
Dwight Smith Jr. suffered a calf strain this week, but DJ Stewart was not recalled to fill in the role as the injury is not expected to keep Smith Jr. sidelined long. Stewart has had a rough go of it over the past month, hitting only .220 since July 1, but he is still hitting .284 on the season and is on the 40-man roster, having played in Baltimore earlier this season and in the fall of 2018. Stewart more than any other Baltimore prospect seems to be a guaranteed promotion in 2019.
Graduated
Fell Out
Jumped In
Jaylin Davis
Joshua Rojas
Mauricio Dubon
Graphic by Michael Haas (@digitalHaas on Twitter).
Was Trent Grisham ever on this list?