Not so long ago, Bobby Witt Jr. was as buzzy as any prospect in the game — a legitimate candidate to make the opening day roster for Kansas City following an impressive spring. Witt’s minor league season got off to a relatively slow start at Northwest Arkansas with a series of 1-for-5s, but, in recent days, he’s been feasting again. He launched three homers on Sunday…
…and he’s gone 6-for-12 over his last three games with four bombs and a walk. Witt is now up to seven home runs and six steals on the year in just 23 games.
It’s not hard to build the case for a call-up, considering Hunter Dozier’s struggles and the fact that Adalberto Mondesi is dinged again (hamstring). Witt is a recommended stash who might very well get a shot sometime soon. When he arrives, he’ll offer 20/20 potential.
Jo Adell keeps clearing fences
To be clear, Adell is still doing a lot of the usual Adell things, like piling up Ks (36) and not hitting for average (.238). But he’s also hitting moonshots on a regular basis at Triple-A while slugging .634. Tuesday’s opposite-field bomb was really a nifty piece of hitting…
It seems reasonable to think the Troutless Angels may want a power boost at some point, and no player in the minors has been leaving the yard as often as Adell. He may not have corrected every flaw, but he remains an interesting power/speed option and he’s only 22.
Reminder: Wander Franco is ridiculous
You obviously don’t need a hard-sell on Franco, the game’s consensus top prospect. Let’s just take a moment to enjoy the smooth swing that’s produced 29 hits (including 13 XBHs) in his first 23 games at Durham…
His career minor league slash is an obscene .331/.400/.525 and he offers double-digit stolen base potential.
It hardly seems fair to Triple-A pitchers that both Franco and Vidal Brujan are in the same lineup, doing bad things to baseballs.
Also raking: Adley Rutschman
The top selection in the 2019 MLB draft closed the month of May in monstrous fashion, going 10-for-18 with six walks and three homers over his final six games. He’s up to six homers at Double-A Bowie, he has more walks than Ks (23 to 20) and he’s getting himself on base at a .453 clip. Rutschman is an exceptional defensive catcher, too, so Baltimore won’t have the usual excuses to hold him back. He seems unchallenged at Double-A, so perhaps a promotion is coming.
(Rutschman was also a kicker on the football team at Oregon State, by the way. He once drilled a 63-yarder in high school. So if you’re a #bankickers sort of fantasy manager, you’ll want to avoid him.)
And here’s the usual Roansy Contreras blurb
Honestly, I’d love to mix it up and highlight other pitchers. But every time I sit down to write about prospects, Contreras is dealing. On Tuesday, he tossed another six scoreless frames for Altoona, striking out eight, walking no one and allowing only four hits. His slider is filthy and his fastball reaches the upper-90s.
It’s tough to believe the Pirates will keep him at Double-A much longer. He’s struck out 42 batters in just 27.2 innings while posting a 1.63 ERA and 0.76 WHIP. Opposing batters are hitting just .160 against him. He’s plainly unfair. Contreras arrived in the Jameson Taillon deal, which will apparently end up as a win for the Bucs. The 21-year-old has been ace-like so far.
Jesus Sanchez hasn’t stopped hitting
Of course the problem with Sanchez last season with Miami is that he never actually started hitting. He went 1-for-25 with 11 Ks, looking roughly as overmatched as the numbers suggested. But this year, he’s been a machine at Triple-A Jacksonville, slashing .402/.441/.747 with seven homers, three triples and three doubles. He’s also driven in 22 runs in 23 games. Sanchez is a career .301 hitter in the minors and he has 25/10 power/speed potential. He remains of interest for dynasty leaguers. When he re-arrives, consider reacquiring.