Top Prospect Promotions

Orioles To Promote Chance Sisco, Pedro Alvarez

By Jeff Todd | August 31, 2017 at 10:04pm CDT

We’ll see a number of promotions beginning tomorrow, as active rosters will expand to include any and all players on the 40-man. The Orioles have some particularly notable players slated to come up, per David Hall of the Virginian-Pilot (Twitter links): Baltimore will call up top catching prospect Chance Sisco along with veteran slugger Pedro Alvarez.

Sisco, 22, was seen as a consensus top-100 prospect league-wide entering the season. He hasn’t hit a ton this year at Triple-A, his first full season at that level, but does own a solid .267/.340/.395 batting line with seven home runs through 388 plate appearances.

Despite that modest slash line, Baseball America still rated him as the game’s No. 29 overall prospect on their midseason top 100. Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com ranked Sisco as baseball’s No. 50 prospect on their own summer top 100, while Fangraphs’ Eric Longenhagen pegs him 83rd.

For the time being, Sisco will likely see only limited duty behind Welington Castillo and Caleb Joseph. But with Castillo facing an opt-out decision after the season — one which he seems fairly likely to take in the affirmative — the O’s could end up relying on Sisco quite a bit next year.

As for Alvarez, he’ll function as a bench bat against right-handed pitching for the O’s. He has swatted 26 homers in his 590 plate appearances at Norfolk on the season, though he does carry only a .293 on-base percentage.

Baltimore is also bringing up outfielder Joey Rickard and righty Jimmy Yacabonis for September, according to Hall. For now, at least, the team doesn’t plan to promote veteran third baseman Chris Johnson. He has slashed .307/.336/.517 over 253 trips to the plate, but would (like Alvarez) require the opening of a 40-man roster spot.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Dodgers To Promote Alex Verdugo

By Steve Adams | August 31, 2017 at 12:28pm CDT

The Dodgers will promote top outfield prospect Alex Verdugo to make his Major League debut, tweets J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group. The 21-year-old will need to be added to the 40-man roster, though the Dodgers could create space for that move simply by moving lefty Grant Dayton to the 60-day DL. (Dayton had Tommy John surgery recently.)

Notably, Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register tweets that Joc Pederson will not immediately be called up when rosters expand tomorrow. Pederson, unlike Verdugo, will remain in Triple-A for the time being — likely until the minor league season comes to a close, according to Plunkett.

Verdugo is batting .314/.389/.436 with six homers and nine steals through 495 plate appearances in Triple-A Oklahoma City this season. He’s currently ranked as the game’s No. 22 prospect, per Eric Longenhagen of Fangraphs. Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com rated him 28th on their summer top 100, while Baseball America pegged him 35th.

The free report from Callis and Mayo praises the former second-round pick as an “extremely advanced hitter for his age,” noting that contact comes so easily for Verdugo that some wonder if it will cut into his walk rate. Verdugo uses the opposite field well and has average speed with the instincts to handle center field, the MLB.com duo adds.

Verdugo’s name has been oft-mentioned in trade rumors over the past year, though never in the sense that the Dodgers were shopping him or even willing to move him. To the contrary, teams such as the Twins, Tigers, Rangers and Orioles have all reportedly eyed Verdugo when marketing established veterans to the Dodgers, but president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and his staff have steadfastly refused to make Verdugo available in talks.

Given the timing of his promotion, the earliest that Verdugo could qualify for arbitration would be upon completion of the 2020 season. He’s controllable through at least the 2023 season for the Dodgers, though those timelines could both be delayed if the team ultimately decides that Verdugo requires further minor league refinement and gives him some more work at Triple-A in 2018.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Cardinals To Promote Jack Flaherty

By Steve Adams | August 30, 2017 at 4:20pm CDT

The Cardinals will promote right-hander Jack Flaherty from Triple-A Memphis to make his MLB debut by starting Friday’s game against the Giants, per a team announcement. He’s not on the 40-man roster, but this morning’s unexpected trade of Mike Leake to the Mariners opened both a 40-man roster spot as well as a spot in the St. Louis rotation.

Flaherty, 21, was the 34th overall pick in the 2014 draft and ranked as the game’s No. 53 prospect on MLB.com’s midseason top 100 list. Both Baseball America and Fangraphs rated Flaherty comparably, at No. 57, on their own summer rankings of baseball’s top 100 prospects.

Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com note in their free scouting report that Flaherty’s velocity has ticked up to the mid-90s this year, adding that he has three “usable” secondary offerings, with his changeup the best of the bunch as a potential plus pitch down the line. Fangraphs’ Eric Longenhagen calls him a potential above-average starter, offering a similar take on his improved arsenal in 2017.

The 6’4″, 205-pound Flaherty is a product of Harvard-Westlake High School in Los Angeles — the same program that produced top picks Lucas Giolito and Max Fried. Flaherty opened the 2017 season at Double-A and dominated Texas League opponents to the tune of a 1.42 ERA through 63 1/3 innings before being bumped up to Memphis. His results in the Triple-A International League were similarly impressive, as Flaherty has logged a 2.94 ERA with 9.0 K/9, 2.5 BB/9 and a 41 percent ground-ball rate through 85 1/3 frames there.

The Cardinals’ clear hope is the Flaherty, Luke Weaver and currently injured but high-ceilinged Alex Reyes can occupy spots in their rotation for years to come. Flaherty is the last of the bunch to arrive in the Majors, and if he’s here to stay, he won’t qualify for arbitration until after the 2020 season. The earliest that Flaherty could become a free agent, given his current trajectory, would be upon completion of the 2023 campaign.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Rockies Promote Ryan McMahon

By Connor Byrne | August 11, 2017 at 2:29pm CDT

The Rockies announced that they’ve promoted infield prospect Ryan McMahon to the majors. In corresponding moves, the team optioned outfielder Raimel Tapia to Triple-A and designated left-hander Sam Moll for assignment.

Colorado chose to select McMahon’s contract because of first baseman Mark Reynolds’ left hand injury, tweets Nick Groke of the Denver Post. McMahon’s primary position has been third base since the Rockies used a second-round pick on him in 2013, but the 22-year-old has seen plenty of action at first in recent seasons with Nolan Arenado holding down the hot corner in the majors.

The lefty-swinging McMahon is the sport’s 64th-best prospect, according to MLB.com, while Baseball America has him at No. 91. MLB.com’s scouting report credits McMahon’s natural power, but the outlet notes that there are questions as to whether he can handle good pitching. McMahon has held his own offensively this year at Triple-A Albuquerque, though, with a .375/.409/.625 line in 269 plate appearances, to go with a .250 ISO and 13 home runs. His output has been a whopping 61 percent better than the Pacific Coast League average, per FanGraphs’ wRC+ metric.

Moll, 25, joined the Colorado organization back in 2013 as a third-rounder. He hasn’t yet reached the majors, and has posted so-so Triple-A results in a tough league for pitchers over the past couple years. Moll threw 47 1/3 Triple-A frames of 4.94 ERA ball in 2016 and has amassed the same amount of innings this season. Thus far, he has logged a 4.18 ERA with 7.42 K/9, 3.42 BB/9 and a 50.3 percent ground-ball rate.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Mets To Promote Dominic Smith

By Connor Byrne | August 10, 2017 at 4:20pm CDT

The Mets will promote first base prospect Dominic Smith to the majors on Friday, general manager Sandy Alderson told reporters, including Marc Carig of Newsday (Twitter link). Smith will follow shortstop Amed Rosario as the second well-regarded prospect to join the out-of-contention Mets since the non-waiver trade deadline passed July 31.

The extended wait for Smith came thanks in part to the Mets’ logjam of veteran position players, but they mitigated that in recent weeks by trading first base options Lucas Duda and Jay Bruce. When they dealt Bruce to the Indians on Wednesday, it became obvious that the 22-year-old Smith would be bound for the majors sooner than later.

Smith is among the game’s top 50 prospects, according to MLB.com and Baseball America, with the former noting in its free scouting report that he has lived up to the hype that accompanied him as a first-round pick in 2013. The lefty-swinger owns “a very advanced approach at the plate” with “outstanding defensive ability,” per MLB.com, which touts Smith as a potential everyday first baseman.

Smith got his first taste of Triple-A action this year and slashed a terrific .330/.386/.519 with 16 home runs in 500 plate appearances. While he had the benefit of playing in both the extremely hitter-friendly setting of Las Vegas and the offense-driven Pacific Coast League, Smith still posted a line 33 percent better than the PCL average, according to FanGraphs’ wRC+ metric. He was similarly effective at lower levels from 2013-16.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Phillies Promote Rhys Hoskins

By Jeff Todd | August 10, 2017 at 10:24am CDT

The Phillies have promoted young slugger Rhys Hoskins to the active roster for the first time today, as MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki first reported (via Twitter). It had been anticipated that he’d receive a promotion at some point in the near future, but the precise arrival date was not yet clear.

Hoskins, 24, has raked in obscurity for most of his minor-league career since going to the Phils in the fifth round of the 2014 draft. But prospect evaluators have come around on his future outlook as Hoskins has continued to dominate opposing pitchers into the upper minors. He’s currently considered one of the game’s hundred-best prospects by both Baseball America and MLB.com.

While Hoskins could surely have drawn an earlier call-up, the Phillies were not willing to bump him up in place of fellow young first baseman Tommy Joseph. Instead, the Phils have decided to give Hoskins a run in left field. Whether he can handle the position in the long run remains to be seen, but he’ll get a shot to do so in the majors and will test his bat against top-level pitching — allowing Philadelphia to assess both him and Joseph for the future.

At some point, production is hard to deny. In Hoskins’s case, he has impressed more than ever this year at Triple-A. Over 475 plate appearances, he’s slashing a robust .284/.385/.581 with 29 long balls. That’s impressive in and of itself, but what’s especially encouraging is the fact that he’s walking nearly as much as he’s striking out (13.5% versus 15.8%).

It’ll be interesting to see how Hoskins looks in left and how the Phils handle the logjam over the winter. For now, the rebuilding club will be content watching its top young talent compete in the majors. Several other players have filtered up this year, and long-awaited shortstop J.P. Crawford may not be long in making his own move — depending upon how the organization decides to handle incumbent middle infielders Freddy Galvis and Cesar Hernandez.

White Sox To Promote Reynaldo Lopez

By Steve Adams | August 8, 2017 at 4:45pm CDT

The White Sox announced today that touted pitching prospect Reynaldo Lopez will make his 2017 debut on Friday. The 23-year-old right-hander will step into the rotation spot of veteran righty Mike Pelfrey, who is being moved to the bullpen.

[Related: Updated Chicago White Sox depth chart]

Chicago acquired Lopez alongside right-handers Lucas Giolito and Dane Dunning in the offseason trade that sent center fielder Adam Eaton and his highly favorable contract to the Nationals. Of the three righties acquired in that swap, Lopez has separated himself from the pack as the most impressive of the bunch thus far.

In 121 innings with Triple-A Charlotte this season, he’s averaged 9.7 K/9 against 3.6 BB/9 with a 36.3 percent ground-ball rate en route to a 3.79 ERA. However, Lopez has been utterly dominant as of late, working to a collective 2.70 ERA with a 63-to-15 K/BB ratio in his past 46 2/3 innings (12.2 K/9, 2.9 BB/9). Both Baseball America and MLB.com listed Lopez as the game’s No. 59 overall prospect on their midseason rankings of baseball’s top 100 prospects.

Friday won’t mark the MLB debut for Lopez, as he first surfaced in the Majors as a 22-year-old with the Nats last season. However, in six starts, he struggled to a 4.91 ERA, issuing 22 walks and reeling off five wild pitches in his 44 innings of work. Lopez picked up 44 days of service time last year, and he’ll have the opportunity to accrue another 52 days of service in 2017 if he sticks on Chicago’s roster. That best-case scenario of 96 days of MLB service will leave him shy of Super Two projection, so Lopez presently would not be eligible for arbitration until after the 2020 season. As it stands now, the earliest he could become a free agent would be upon completion of the 2023 season.

Braves To Promote Ozzie Albies, Lucas Sims

By Jeff Todd | August 1, 2017 at 2:37pm CDT

2:37pm: Atlanta has announced that Johnson and righty Akeel Morris were optioned to create roster space. With Albies in the lineup at second base tonight, it could well be that the Braves are readying to move on from Phillips — who could be traded or allowed to depart through a waiver claim, though he does have 12-team no-trade protection.

12:34pm: The Braves will promote top infield prospect Ozzie Albies for tonight’s game, according to MLB.com Pipeline (Twitter link) and MLB.com’s Mark Bowman (via Twitter). Pitching prospect Lucas Sims is also heading to the majors to make his first start, as David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported yesterday on Twitter.

The move on Albies comes as something of a post-deadline surprise, as the Braves’ infield mix currently includes veterans Brandon Phillips and Sean Rodriguez as well as younger players Johan Camargo and Micah Johnson (who was himself just promoted).

Albies has long been considered one of the organization’s best prospects and drew consensus top-twenty billing leaguewide entering the season. Though he scuffled a bit in his first attempt at the highest level of the minors in 2016, Albies has turned in solid results there in the present season. Through 448 trips to the plate, the 20-year-old switch-hitter carries a .285/.330/.440 batting line with 21 steals and nine home runs. That’s a nice jump in the long ball department for a player who launched just one ball out of the yard in his first two professional seasons and hit just six in 618 plate appearances last year.

It’s unclear how Atlanta intends to line up with Albies on the roster. He’s capable of playing both middle infield positions, but has spent most of his time in recent years at second. The thought had long been that Albies would form a double-play pairing with shortstop Dansby Swanson, and he may yet, but Swanson is currently back at Triple-A Gwinnett after struggling early on this year. The corresponding move isn’t yet known, but may be expected shed some light on the situation. Unless this is planned only as a quick trip up, though, the Braves will presumably be clearing the way for Albies to receive regular playing time.

As for Sims, his promotion comes with somewhat less fanfare but is notable in its own right. The former first-rounder had seen his prospect star fade somewhat in recent years, but he has turned in intriguing results this season at Gwinnett. Through 115 1/3 innings, Sims carries a 3.75 ERA with an excellent 10.3 K/9 against 2.8 BB/9 — marking a notable reversal from the control problems that have plagued him at times in the past.

While Sims already had a spot on the 40-man roster, Albies will still need to be added. Atlanta does appear to have some free slots available, though, so it may not be necessary for the club to risk control rights over any existing players. It remains to be seen who’ll depart the active roster to make an opening.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Mets To Promote Amed Rosario

By Steve Adams | July 31, 2017 at 4:21pm CDT

The Mets will promote top prospect Amed Rosario for tomorrow’s game against the Rockies, general manager told reporters this afternoon (Twitter link via Newsday’s Marc Carig). He’ll play shortstop at Coors Field in his Major League debut. Tyler Kepner of the New York Times tweets that the GM said first base prospect Dominic Smith is “not far behind.”

Rosario, 21, was ranked by ESPN’s Keith Law as the No. 1 prospect in baseball in his midseason update of the game’s 50 best prospects. He rated fourth on Baseball America’s midseason Top 100 and second on the midseason top 100 over at MLB.com.

Thus far, Rosario has slashed an impressive .328/.367/466 with seven homers, 19 doubles and seven triples in 425 plate appearances while playing in the hitter-friendly Triple-A Pacific Coast League (specifically, in a favorable Las Vegas setting). He’s also swiped 19 bases in 26 tries, showing off the wheels that have earned him plus ratings in many scouting reports.

Rosario is regarded as a plus defender at shortstop with a plus hit tool and some potentially emerging power. (His seven home runs are already a career-high.) Scouting reports agree that he’s a slam dunk to stay at shortstop where he should provide the Mets with anywhere from above-average to superlative defense for the next several years.

While the Mets’ somewhat crowded infield picture still features veterans Jose Reyes, Asdrubal Cabrera and Neil Walker, it seems all but certain that Rosario will be given the chance to play on a daily basis in the Majors. Walker and Cabrera are definite August trade candidates via the trade waiver process. However, even if that pair remains in Queens for a good portion of the month — or even all of the month — it’s in the Mets’ best interest to ensure that Rosario takes the field at shortstop on an everyday basis as opposed to navigating the difficulties of inconsistent playing time as a part of a time share.

Even if Rosario is in the Majors for the remainder of the 2017 season, the most service time he can accrue will be 62 days. That’ll leave him well short of Super Two trajectory and will put him on pace to reach arbitration eligibility following the 2020 season and free agency upon completion of the 2023 season.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Nationals To Promote Erick Fedde, Place Stephen Strasburg On DL

By Steve Adams | July 27, 2017 at 8:11am CDT

July 27: The Nationals are officially terming Strasburg’s injury as a nerve impingement in his right elbow, per this morning’s announcement of Strasburg’s DL placement. Left-hander Sammy Solis has been recalled to give the bullpen some extra depth for the time being, while Fedde is slated to start in place of Strasburg on Saturday.

July 26, 9:36pm: Manager Dusty Baker confirmed after the game that Fedde is coming up and that Strasburg will be placed on the 10-day disabled list (Twitter link via Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post). The skipper was “adamant” that Strasburg will only miss one start, Janes adds.

8:05pm: The Nationals are calling up top pitching prospect Erick Fedde, reports Joel Sherman of the New York Post (on Twitter). The former first-round pick, who ranked 70th on Baseball America’s midseason list of the game’s top 100 prospects, will likely start in place of Stephen Strasburg, Sherman adds.

Fedde, 24, was Washington’s first-round selection in the 2014 draft. The Nats made him the No. 18 overall pick that season despite the fact that he had Tommy John surgery not long before the draft. He’s spent most of his career in the minors as a starter but was briefly moved to a relief role in part to limit his innings but also given the potential for a midseason promotion to help a struggling Nationals relief corps.

The Nationals recently moved Fedde back to a rotation role, and while he was torched for six runs without recording an out in his initial return to the rotation, he’s allowed just three runs on 10 hits and no walks with eight strikeouts in his past 11 2/3 frames. Overall, he’s worked to a 3.72 ERA with 8.0 K/9 against 2.4 BB/9 with well above-average ground-ball tendencies in 77 1/3 innings between Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Syracuse this season.

Fedde dropped out of the top 100 on MLB.com’s midseason rankings, but Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo still rank him third among Washington farmhands. Their report notes that he sits 91-94 mph with his fastball and can run his velocity a bit higher when needed. He pairs that with a plus slider, average changeup and above-average control, giving him a third starter’s ceiling, per Callis and Mayo.

While this seems like it could very well be a spot start for Strasburg, whose injury isn’t believed to be serious, there’s an obvious opening at the back of the Washington rotation as well. Joe Ross underwent Tommy John surgery earlier this month, and the Nats have since relied on veteran Edwin Jackson to make a pair of starts. Jackson has been serviceable in those two outings, but Jackson struggled with the Orioles earlier this season and hasn’t enjoyed big league success as a starting pitcher since 2012 (his last run with the Nationals).

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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