It’s been a while since the likes of Vladimir Guerrero, Fernando Tatis, Dante Bichette, and Delino DeShields have made an impact in a MLB ballpark. But in the near future, we will probably see all four names make significant impacts in the majors, as their sons are all top young players on the up in professional baseball. Interestingly, all but Bichette (whose younger son’s name is Bo) share the exact same name as their fathers. But no, you have not fallen into a time machine. It’s the nature of baseball to see top young studs make a key impact every year, and whether the names seem familiar or not, the future of baseball is in great hands.
For many fans, though, it’s more than enough to keep track of their own team and their own prospects. Most who come to this site will likely know the names of the Cardinals’ top prospects, like Alex Reyes, Jack Flaherty, Tyler O’Neill, and Carson Kelly. But there are twenty-nine other teams with twenty-nine other farm systems, and that’s where we at Arch City Sports want to help you! This article will take a look at ten different prospects. The second-generation players mentioned above have obvious stories. But these ten will come from different backgrounds and different farm systems. Some are elite, top five prospects, others are a bit farther down, but rising quickly. The point is this: each of them is a player who will likely be making a significant impact in the majors this year. For fantasy owners, especially owners in “keeper” leagues, this may be one you want to bookmark.
Hitters:
1) Ronald Acuña, OF, Atlanta Braves (#2 Prospect, MLB, Fangraphs)
Where else would you start but the top? Acuña is widely considered THE top prospect in baseball, aside from two-way Japanese phenom Shohei Ohtani. Acuña is as close as you can get to a can’t miss, five-tool prospect. With 30-30 potential, Acuña hit 21 home runs and swiped 44 bags last year as he exploded from high-A ball to start the season all the way to finishing with 54 games in AAA Gwinnett. In those 54 games, he posted a .344/.393/.548 slash line while hitting nine of those home runs and stealing eleven of those bases. Moreover, in his time there, he committed only one error (a bit of an inaccurate statistic, but defensive metrics are rarely measured for minor leaguers). Acuña is an S.T.U.D. STUD. On top of his speed, he is projected to have elite power and a cannon for an arm. Though he currently sits in AAA, it is nothing more than a contract manipulation (something the Cubs did with Kris Bryant in his rookie season). Without going deeply into specifics (a good explanation can be found here) the Braves need only to keep Acuña down in AAA until the 13th of April in order to milk an additional year of club control at the end of his contract. Whatever your opinion on that stipulation, any club would be foolish not to take advantage. And rest assured, as soon as April 13th has come and gone, Acuña will be in the majors and tearing the cover off the ball. If there is any drawback to Acuña, it may be that he’s faced too little adversaity in his pro career. It remains to be seen how Acuña will deal with the struggles that come with facing MLB pitchers night in and night out, but if the past is any indication, he’ll be just fine.
2) Victor Robles, OF, Washington Nationals (#6 Prospect MLB, #4 Fangraphs)
Robles once topped the list of MLB prospects, but has fallen slightly down some lists, likely more due to the ascension of others than to his decline. The Dominican prospect who signed as an International Free Agent with the Nationals in 2013 may not have quite the explosive bat that someone like Acuña has, his speed is off the charts. Cut more from the mold of Kenny Lofton, Robles has unreal speed, and projects as an incredible defensive prospect. Last year, near the end of the season, Robles made the jump directly from AA to the Majors. While he did not blow us away in his time with the parent club (.250/.308/.458) he still posted an 8.8 UZR (a defensive metric, Ultimate Zone Rating, that attempts to measure a player’s overall prowess and range, with 8.8 being a very impressive score), and will certainly continue to grow into a big league roll. Robles’ only problem right now is the incredible strength and depth of the team in front of him. With Michael Taylor, Bryce Harper, and the returning Adam Eaton already populating the Washington outfield, it may be tough for him to find a consistent role there. But once he does, we still expect that he will take off and become a household name.
3) Scott Kingery, 2B/UT, Philadelphia Phillies (#35 Prospect MLB, #25 FanGraphs)
Never tell Scott Kingery that spring training games don’t matter. Before Spring Training started, Kingery was a good prospect that was expected to get a solid look in Spring Training before probably returning to the minors for a few months of additional seasoning. Today, the former 2nd round pick out of the University of Arizona signed a 6 year, $24 million contract that fell just a couple million short of the contract that the Cardinals’ Paul DeJong signed (which was the richest contract ever for a player with less than a year of service time). What sealed the deal, so to speak, for Kingery? Probably a spring training performance that saw him go 20/51 with four home runs, four stolen bases, and an incredible 1.141 OPS. While we wouldn’t want to read too much into one month of baseball, even as incredible as those numbers are, this wasn’t entirely unexpected. A swing tweak unlocked power in Kingery that had previously been unseen, and led to him hitting 26 bombs between AA and AAA. Those numbers, combined with his sweet hands and electric run speed, suggest that the Phillies’ investment in Kingery will pay off, probably sooner rather than later.
4) Eloy Jimenez, OF, Chicago White Sox (#4 Prospect MLB, #6 FanGraphs)
This guy is one that Cardinals fans should be thankful for, because he’s not our problem to deal with. A big part of the trade that brought Jose Quintana to the North Side of Chicago, Jimenez looks like the real deal, and may be the best pure hitter in this group. Jimenez is thought so highly of, one headline at The Athletic invited readers to find out: “What the Cubs saw in Eloy Jimenez and why the White Sox might have the next Miguel Cabrera” (Athletic subscribers can find that article here). Jiminez had a .956 slugging percentage after being moved to the White Sox AA team (granted, an 18 game sample size is small), and his raw power has him drawing comparisons to the likes of Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge, and, yes, Miguel Cabrera. With the White Sox still knee deep in a long rebuild, they won’t rush Jimenez, but he should make it to the big leagues this summer, and if he does, the White Sox will look a lot stronger a lot faster.
5) Gleyber Torres, INF, New York Yankees (#5 Prospect MLB, #12 FanGraphs)
Gleyber Torres may be a name you’ve heard, if only because he’s bound for the center of baseball hype, Yankees Stadium. But don’t let the hype overwhelm you: Torres can play. No single thing about Torres’ game flies off the page at you, he’s just an all around solid ballplayer. In 23 games at AAA Scranton last year, Torres posted a .309/.406/.457 slash line with two homers and two steals. Torres’ season was cut short by Tommy John surgery, so his arrival at the big league level may be delayed somewhat. But here’s what’s certain: whatever position Torres winds up at (he’s spent time at third, short, and second) his bat will play. He’s a consistent hitter, and though he lacks the top end power of others on this list, he projects to be a solid, solid piece for a long time.
6) Willie Calhoun, OF, Texas Rangers (#53 Prospect MLB, #46 FanGraphs)
Two things are clear about Calhoun: he’s not a defensive stalwart, but he will RAKE at the big league level. The big piece that moved to Texas in the deal that sent Yu Darvish to Los Angeles, Calhoun is an impressive hitter. Last year, he split time between the Dodgers and Rangers farm systems, and in 128 games, he hit 31 HR, with 93 RBI and a K% that stayed around 10.5%. He’s got power and he makes contact, and he’s MLB ready. Calhoun is currently down in the minors, but, like Acuña above, it’s likely little more than a contract manipulation. Calhoun’s one drawback is defensive prowess. He’s been tried at a plethora of positions, and hasn’t stuck at any. Fortunately for him, he plays in the American League, but he will likely split times in several different positions, and may make mistakes at all of them. But his bat is so good that it needs to be in the lineup immediately, and it likely will be come mid-April.
7) Nick Senzel, 3B, Cincinnati Reds (#7 Prospect, MLB, FanGraphs)
I don’t know what they put in the water in Cincinnati to produce incredibly responsible hitters with good power who know when to take a walk and are impossible to strike out, but we may have another Joey Votto on our hands. Senzel was the second overall pick in 2016, coming out of the University of Tennessee where he slashed .352/.456/.595 as a junior. He only made it up to AA Pensacola last year, but in 57 games there he had an OPS of .973 with ten homers and 34 RBI. The Reds already have a strong third baseman in Eugenio Suarez, but Senzel is the future, and for the Reds, the future is soon.
Pitchers:
8 Forrest Whitley, RHP, Houston Astros (# 9 Prospect MLB, #8 FanGraphs)
In terms of 2018 impact, Whitley may be the longest shot on this list. But his ceiling is off the charts. The 20 year old, who was the 17th overall selection by the Astros in 2016 (that Jeff Luhnow guy must be pretty good), has shot through the minors at an impressive rate. With high nineties stuff, and an absurd 6’7”, 240 pound frame, Whitley is the real deal. He can add sinking and cutting action to his fastballs, and has an impressive curve. Add a slider and developing changeup, and the sky is the limit for Whitley. This kid is a future ace. Though the Astros won’t rush him, he is exactly the type of player that could provide significant and dynamic bullpen help late in the season, as Houston looks to repeat as world champions.
9) Corbin Burnes, RHP, Milwaukee Brewers (#69 Prospect MLB, #35 FanGraphs)
Not to be overlooked behind the Brewers’ further advanced pitching prospect, Brandon Woodruff, Burnes is a 23 year-old who is MLB ready. Picked in the 4th round in 2016, Bunres has excelled in two years as he rose from rookie ball to the AA Biloxi Shuckers. In 85.2 innings in AA, he posted an impressive 2.10 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP. His strikeout and walk rates were pretty impressive as well. Though none of Barnes’ pitches totally wow, he is four strong pitches and great command. Though Barnes isn’t as sure to impact the Brewers this year as his more advanced teammate, Woodruff, he is shooting up in the eyes of many observers and could be an impressive part of the Brewers in the second half.
10) Walker Buehler, RHP, LA Dodgers (#12 Prospect MLB, #27 FanGraphs)
Do you like heat? Because Buehler’s got heat. He’s also got arguably the best name of anyone on this list. And he’s ready to thrive. After Tommy John delayed him a year in 2016, the 23 year old is ready to hit the big leagues. Last year, he got his first taste of the majors with nine innings, and though he didn’t look great, the monkey is off his back for 2018. For a probable future starter, he strikes out a ton of batters, utilizing his high-90s fastball, a strong curveball, and a slider. It is uncertain what Buehler’s long-term role will be. He has the chance to be a great starter, but his floor is a dominant reliever. And he’s likely to take major steps down one of those roads in 2018.
This list is far from perfect. An attempt to mention prospects from ten different teams has left off pitchers like Michael Kopech of the White Sox and Luiz Gohara from the Braves. Other writers would choose other impact players. There are far too many prospects in baseball for one article to cover them all. This is just an attempt to raise awareness of ten prospects that stand a very good chance of seeing significant professional playing time this year.
If you’re interested in seeing more prospects coverage like this from Arch City Media, drop us a line in the comments or @archcitymedia on Twitter, and, if you have specific topics you’d like to see covered, let us know! Thanks for reading!
(The writer also thanks Dr. Michael Rudy, who helped with some of the research for this article)
