Bats on Fire
After sputtering to start the season, Kennys Vargas has finally had a breakout at Triple-A. Vargas spent a couple of months with the Twins last year and hit five home runs in 175 at-bats. It was evident that he needed more seasoning and with the signing of Byung-ho Park, he didn’t have a spot in Minnesota’s lineup. Over his last five games, Vargas is 10-for-21 with four home runs and nine RBI. His batting average is up to .252. He’s a fine speculative add in AL-Only leagues with deeper benches.
The Astros have a deep minor league system and it appears as though they may have found another diamond in rough. Garrett Stubbs is a catcher in Houston’s system that was drafted in the 2015 Amateur Draft. He is 22 years old and has already reached his third level in the minor leagues. Over his first 230 plate appearances in the minor leagues, Stubbs has walked 31 times compared to just 16 strikeouts. Though the sample size is small, his walk to strikeout ratio is elite. Currently, Stubbs is in the midst of a 13-game hitting streak that has seen his average raise from a paltry .105 to .292 as of Wednesday. His stop at High-A Lancaster likely won’t be very long and he could see a promotion to Double-A Corpus Christi in the near future.
Mowing Them Down
The Phillies are stock piling their minor league system and one of the real standouts this season is pitcher Zach Eflin. The 22-year-old right-hander has vaulted through the minors, tackling a new level each season. He was acquired in the three-way deal that sent Jimmy Rollins to the White Sox. Eflin doesn’t have great strikeout numbers; in fact, they’re terrible (career 6.0 K/9 in MiLB). Where he excels though is throwing strikes and not allowing free passes (1.4 BB/9 this season). If the Phillies hold true to how he’s been developed so far, Eflin will be at Triple-A Lehigh Valley for the majority—if not all—of the 2016 season.
Monster Lines
Mariners catching prospect Tyler Marlette clubbed two homers and drove in six runs against High Desert on Wednesday. This is a total outlier as he’s a career .269 hitter in the minors, most of which came from his time at Single-A and High-A back in 2013 and 2014. He’s batting just .171 this season and guess where he is? High-A Bakersfield. He’s 23 years old and while he could still reach the majors, he’s not going to amount to much more than a backup catcher.
The Marlins’ No. 2 prospect, Josh Naylor, had a fine evening on Tuesday night. The 18-year-old first baseman went 2-for-5 with a double, home run, and five RBI. It’s going to be awhile before he’s in a Marlins uniform, but with four homers and 25 RBI already at Single-A Greensboro, it may not be long before Miami looks at giving him a promotion.
The Rays are well known for their deep pitching, but they also have a couple of strong hitting prospects in their system. Willy Adames, shortstop for the Montgomery Biscuits, had a stellar night on Wednesday going 2-for-5 with two homers, three RBI, and two runs scored. Adames is batting just .258 on the year, but he’s seen his strikeout rate drop from 27.0 percent at High-A last year to 21.3 percent at Double-A this season. He’s a dynasty league stash, though he won’t see the major leagues until 2017.
Recent Call-ups
Rob Refsnyder, Yankees
The Yankees brought Gary Sanchez up late last week, but that only lasted a few days. Hopefully, Refsnyder will have more of an extended stay. Refsnyder hit .421 with a 1.263 OPS over his last 19 at-bats and the Yankees are hoping that will translate in the major leagues. He’s worth adding in AL-Only leagues.
Alen Hanson, Pirates
Hanson broke out at Single-A West Virginia back in 2012 along with Gregory Polanco, but it was Polanco that was the clear standout. After dominating in the South Atlantic League, Hanson’s overall numbers dropped a bit, but he held steady with a strikeout rate around 17-18 percent along with decent power and above average speed. He’s likely headed back to Triple-A as he was only called up while Starling Marte is out on paternity leave.