It’s been another busy week in the world of prospects and call ups as teams are continuing to use their young talent to bolster their roster to either due to injuries or simply to get a shot in the arm in an effort to make the playoffs in this year of a larger playoff field.
Like we did last week, we will take a dive into those prospects that have come up recently and see what they ultimately profile as.
Triston McKenzie RHP CLE - McKenzie should be known as stringbean as he’s 6’5” and 165 pounds making him perhaps the most wiry prospect on the pitching side out there. He uses that height to get great extension on his pitches which helps them play up as well as helps him get more movement on the offerings as well. The fastball sits in the 91-95 range but has a high spin rate the helps it keep from being barreled up and the upper-70s curveball is a plus pitch with again, high-spin rate and tight break. The changeup gets in on lefties with the late fade it possesses. The biggest thing for him is durability as he missed two months in 2018 with a forearm issue and all of 2019 with a back strain. If he can stay on the mound, the 186 strikeouts from 2017 will make an appearance in the majors and he profiles as a likely number two starter.
Ian Anderson RHP ATL - Anderson has been an overlooked prospect in the Braves system for quite a while as some shinier players garnered more of the attention. His plus-fastball and plus-curveball shouldn’t be overlooked though as heading into 2020 he had a 10.7 K/9 in the minors mainly because of those two pitches and then in 2019 his changeup improved enough to grade out as an above-average pitch giving him a very good three-pitch mix. The fastball works in the mid-90s with great angle and movement due to his delivery and the curveball is big breaking curve that he can bury in the dirt when he wants to and make hitters look silly. The changeup keeps hitters off balance enough to be effective and his feel for the pitch is still improving. He profiles as a number two type starter who offers very good strikeout upside.
Ryan Mountcastle 1B BAL - The long awaited debut of Mountcastle finally happened late last week as the Orioles called up their first baseman of the future. He was drafted as a shortstop and then moved to third base before being moved across the diamond to first to help his defense and allow his offense to shine through. At every level Mountcastle’s offense has gotten better from his slash lines to his counting stats to his ability to barrel up baseballs. Now comfortable with his defensive positioning, he should get a chance to get all of the at-bats he can handle for the rebuilding Orioles. There are no standout traits for Mountcastle but he does have above-average hit and power tools which makes him an intriguing first base prospect for fantasy purposes as that is a fairly shallow position at the moment and he should be able to hit at least .285 with 25 homers.
Sixto Sánchez RHP MIA - Sanchez was thought to be coming up last year at a few different points after he posted a few good starts in Triple-A New Orleans. Now that the calendar has turned to 2020 and the Marlins need some starting pitching help as they make a playoff push, Sanchez has arrived and he looked impressive in his first start for them as well. The fastball has been the pitch to get all of the attention, as it should grading out as a 70 on the 20-80 scale, but the Changeup was the real weapon for him against the Nationals in his debut as that’s also a plus offering. The fastball ranges from 95-100 mph with the higher speeds having some rise and late life while the lower speed heater tends to have heavy sink to it making his two-seam and four-seam fastballs two distinctly different pitches. The changeup dives at the plate and the slider is a hard one with tight, late, break that darts away from the hitters bats tending to be difficult to barrel up. He has all of the makings of a ace for the Marlins and one that should anchor that staff starting as soon as next year, though he will likely stay up this year and is a good pick up even in redraft leagues.
Jesús Sánchez OF MIA - Sanchez was sent from Tampa to Miami in the Nick Anderson deal at the deadline last year and now that Miami is making a playoff push in 2020, Sanchez has come up to bolster the Marlins outfield. The lefty-hitting outfielder has five above-average tools that will likely make him a guy capable of 20-25 homers and a handful of steals a year while hitting between .275-.280. He won’t be a liability in the outfield either which means he can continue to get plate appearances to refine his approach at the plate and work on pitch recognition. The swing doesn’t need a lot of work as he’s getting rave reviews for the smooth stroke he has right now that is simple and gets to the zone quickly and generates a lot of bat speed, however there’s not a lot of loft to his swing plane at the moment. If he can work on getting the ball off the ground more and cut down on his tendency to swing at more pitches than he should, Sanchez should be a mainstay in the Marlins lineup as perhaps a fifth or sixth hitter in the order while likely playing left field defensively.
Joey Bart C SF - What’s left to say about Bart at this point? He’s easily the best known prospect in this piece and is a former top pick for the Giants two years ago. The bat is a big tool for him as well as his great receiving and defense behind the plate. San Francisco drafted him to be the heir apparent to Buster Posey and that time is now for Bart. The Power is a plus tool for him and he hit 16 homers in 75 games last year across two levels of the minor leagues and the hit tool is average, which translates to about a .270 average, so clearly he has the offense to be an impact fantasy catcher at a very shallow position. He is mature in his game calling and receiving and his ability to throw out would-be base stealers so mark him in as a top-five catcher next year in fantasy since Buster Posey will almost certainly be moved to first base.
Ryan Castellani RHP COL - Castellani earned his first MLB win earlier this week against the D-Backs, which is pretty fitting for Castellani as he went to high school about five minutes from Chase Field and grew up in the area, and still lives in that area as well. He’s had a winding road to get to the majors but really showed what he could do in the Arizona Fall League last year. The righty has been working on his delivery, switching from a three-quarters to overhand back to three-quarters as he’s been more effective with that delivery and his athleticism and fluidity plays better from that approach as well. The stuff has always been there with a 97 mph fastball and a couple of different breaking pitches that have nice tight break. The fastball has a high-spin rate which helps it to be deceptive to the hitters with late break and the 1-to-7 curveball that he worked on last year helps keep hitters from keying on his slider. The fourth pitch is an average changeup that is still being worked on from a consistency point of view. All in all he profiles as a number three or four starter, more like the number four man, but he is a homegrown arm for the Rockies which is an important step for them.
Jonah Heim C OAK - Heim was taken in the fourth-round of the 2013 draft out of high school by the Orioles and was then traded to the Rays and now is on the A’s. He was known for his defensive prowess when he was drafted including a strong arm that threw out 52-percent of would-be base stealers last year. The bat tool has been considered behind his defensive but again, last year, after working hard on his approach, he hit .310 in Double-A and Triple-A and then hit .301 in the Domincan Winter League. He’s now getting his chance to put the improvements to the test at the highest level with a recent call-up by Oakland. He’s likely to be the backup to Sean Murphy but there is some talk that he will get more of a platoon role depending on matchups. Heim profiles as a backup catcher in the majors.
Connor Seabold RHP BOS - Seabold was part of a deal this week between the Phillies and Red Sox as the Phillies tried to bolster their bullpen. Seabold was the 23rd ranked prospect in the Philadelphia system at the time and slots in as the Red Sox number 21 prospect. The righty was a third-round pick in the 2017 draft and then relied on his advanced feel for pitching to make it to Double-A halfway through his first full pro season. The 50-grade fastball and slider and 55-grade changeup give him three at least average pitches and with that arsenal he’s averaged better than a K/9 in his time in pro ball prior to an oblique injury costing him most of the 2019 season. The control is his best skill at this point and he uses that plus changing velocities and locations to keep hitters off balance. Overall he profiles as a back end starter even for the pitching starved Red Sox farm system