Big Hype Prospects: Neto, House, Kjerstad, Bibee, Pages

This week on Big Hype Prospects, we take stock of the latest early-season top performers. Please note, BHP will return after a three-week hiatus.

Five Big Hype Prospects

Zach Neto, 22, SS, LAA (MLB)
(AA) 34 PA, 3 HR, 3 SB, .444/.559/.815

The Angels recently called up Neto in an attempt to improve their shortstop situation. The 2022 draftee skipped Triple-A and only has 201 minor league plate appearances to his name. He’s shown a BABIP-forward hitting approach predicated on ground ball contact. While he can hit for power, there’s reason to question his ability to consistently elevate the ball. Should he remain in the Majors, it’s possible he’ll look overmatched this season. Nothing he does is particularly smooth or easy. His swing is high effort, and his fielding footwork runs counter to the economical mechanics we’re accustomed to seeing. He entered play Monday 0-for-8 with two strikeouts through his first two big league games.

Brady House, 19, 3B, WSH (A)
24 PA, 2 HR, 1 SB, .333/.500/.833

Considered one of the most powerful prospects in the minors, House has controlled the strike zone well through an Alfonseca-handful of games. Four of his six hits have gone for extra bases. His 2022 campaign was a tale of two seasons. He handled A-ball pitchers early in the season before injuring his back. When he returned, he limped through the remainder of the campaign. At this rate, he’ll find himself in High-A within a few weeks. Public scouting reports tend to focus on whether or not House will achieve enough contact to get to his prodigious power. Opinions remain mixed.

Heston Kjerstad, 24, OF, BAL (AA)
42 PA, 5 HR, 3 SB, .314/.429/.800

A former second-overall pick – the sort selected in order to save money to spend on later rounds – Kjerstad entered the 2022 Arizona Fall League in desperate need of proving himself. He was named AFL MVP and has continued to show well this season. The early returns are offset by a career-worst swinging strike rate. As yet, it hasn’t been a problem. Due to a health scare, major hamstring injury, and the lost COVID minor league season, Kjerstad has missed a lot of development time. He’s already a tad on the old side for Double-A. We should see him advance to Triple-A within the next couple months. In the last half-season, he’s morphed into a high-probability big leaguer. Now the question is whether he’s a regular or mashtastic, strong-side platoon bat.

Tanner Bibee, 24, SP, CLE (AAA)
11 IP, 12.27 K/9, 2.45 BB/9, 0.00 ERA

A fly-ball pitcher known for missing bats and limiting walks, Bibee’s first two turns in Triple-A have gone about as well as possible. Of 41 batters faced, he’s allowed five hits and three walks compared to 15 strikeouts. He’s considered both highly polished and Major League-ready by two evaluators I surveyed. Health allowing, we’ll see him in Cleveland sometime this season. His fastball and slider are his primary weapons. He commands them well and generates plenty of swinging strikes. His curve isn’t expected to improve and will mostly be used for called strikes early in the count when hitters are trying to ambush a high heater. The scouting report available on FanGraphs notes his changeup is still a (promising) work in progress.

Andy Pages, 22, OF, LAD (AA)
41 PA, 2 HR, 2 SB, .393/.561/.750

The Dodgers made the curious decision to return Pages to Double-A after he hammered 26 home runs in 571 plate appearances last season – possibly because he managed a modest 102 wRC+. He’s angling for a quick promotion. In addition to the heady results, he has more walks than strikeouts and a 6.4 percent swinging-strike rate. We’re dealing with a tiny sample, but there’s cause for optimism. He’s always been an extreme pulled, fly-ball hitter. The profile led naysayers (myself included) to consider him a future second-division player. While he continues to pull the ball (at a comical 68.2 percent rate), his fly-ball rate has dropped to a normal 40.9 percent. He’s yet to hit an infield fly. Inching down his launch angle even a little could help to explain the surge in contact rate and also lead to more consistently positive results. For now, this is a developing story to watch. I have no intel on him purposely adjusting his swing. This is merely an observation of his small sample statistical outcomes.

Three More

Emmet Sheehan, LAD (23): One of the best pitching prospects to appear in the 2022 AFL, Sheehan has tasty stuff and poor command. He’s credited with a feel for making adjustments, leading internal evaluators to frequently praise his work. The Dodgers appear to be managing his workload in the early going.

Gage Workman, DET (23): Workman has… worked… to improve his swing decisions as a professional, manifesting in early success this season. He’s also trimmed his swinging-strike rate to a tolerable 12.3 percent. Questions regarding his hit tool – he ran a 40 percent strikeout rate last season – have most observers assuming he’ll top out as a toolsy utility guy. If he’s drawing free passes and cutting down on whiffs, he could turn into a Chris Taylor-like talent.

Andrew Abbott, CIN (23): Abbott’s early results are noteworthy (0.00 ERA, 71.4 K%, 2.9 BB%). Scouts tend to downplay his potential due to a long history of command issues and inconsistent mechanics. Solving the mechanics could lead to rapidly improving command. His fastball and curve work well together, suggesting a floor as an innings-eating middle reliever.