The second (technically third) edition of the weekly promoted prospects list had a tough act to follow after the last issue covered the top prospects called up between the previous two editions. That included guys like starting pitchers Julio Urias, Blake Snell and Jameson Taillon as well as near-superstar catcher Willson Contreras and speedy shortstop Tim Anderson. However, while this lacks the depth of the last one, there were a pair of top prospects who were promoted between the last issue and this one.

I would say that I don't think the next issue will be able to top this one in terms of top quality players promoted, but who knows at this point. Maybe the Red Sox will call up Yoan Moncada and the Dodgers will call up Jose De Leon (kidding about the Red Sox, the second one could possibly happen). Not all of the players on this list are going to be must-add players and some are just interesting names promoted who are unlikely to have no fantasy value, but there are some who are definitely going to be some serious fantasy sleepers for you guys who are still competing out there in your fantasy league (unlike this writer who currently is sitting sadly in the basement of the Roto Baller league).

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Hitters Called-Up

A.J. Reed (1B, HOU) - 11% owned

Alright everyone, raise your hand if you were excited for Reed to debut for the Astros. I’m guessing that’s probably most of you. Now raise your hand again if you have been highly disappointed with what he has produced so far. Again, probably most of you. 18 plate appearances into his big league career and Reed has two walks, eight strikeouts and zero hits. That’s right, zero hits. It has been a disappointing start to say the least, but he slashed .266/.345/.509 with 11 home runs at Triple-A with a .344/.359/.689 slash with four home runs in his last 15 Triple-A games (64 PA). He should be able to get it going after a little adjustment period.

The clear top tool for Reed has always been his power. Scouts consistently rank him among the best power-hitting first basemen in baseball and believe that he is a 30-homer threat at the big league level. The other area of his game that scouts love is his plate discipline, where many evaluators believes he is arguably the most patient pure power hitter. Where Reed struggles is against left-handed pitching and with his swing occasionally getting too long which leads to higher strikeout rates for someone of his patience. But he should be expected to only strike out 20% of the time in the majors and could match that total in walks as he adjusts to the pitching and continues to mature. For now, the average may not be there for Reed, but in a few years scouts see him as hitting .280-.300 at the big league level.

Fantasy owners will have to go through lumps with Reed, but the end-product could be an All-Star first baseman. Even with the struggles, Reed is still worth owning in all 12+ team leagues and could be worth owning in all leagues if he starts to turn things around.

 

Adam Frazier (2B, PIT) - 0%

Poor Adam Frazier. While Reed is owned in 11% of leagues with zero hits, the big zero for Frazier right now is his own rate in Flea Flicker and Yahoo! leagues. Through his first five games (nine plate appearances), Frazier is slashing .444/.444/.444 with a run scored, a run batted in and a stolen base. Even more impressive were the numbers that forced him onto the big league roster. Prior to his promotion, he led the International League with a .333 batting average and was fifth in stolen bases with 17. Granted, he also led the International League with 15 caught stealing (second on the list was caught only eight times), but overall owners have to like his numbers.

I would be lying to you if I said Frazier is poised to be a franchise shortstop for Pittsburgh, but that doesn’t take away from his potential value. Frazier has consistently been a very solid hitter with only one season under his belt in which he did not hit above .320 with an OBP over .380. That was also the only level where his BB/K ratio was below 0.80. Though he is not likely to hit more than five bombs in any full season, Frazier makes up for his speed which evaluators believe can produce 20 successful swipes given regular playing time.

Scouts envision Frazier as more of a utility player in the future given his ability to play at all infield and outfield positions. With every Pittsburgh starting infielder batting over .270 (with the exception of Jung Ho Kang who has made up for it with 11 homers in 43 games), don’t expect Frazier to crack the starting lineup too often. But if an injury strikes, Frazier is at least worth a look as he could see an uptake in playing time. He will not be worth owning until he sees a more prominent role on the ball club.

 

Chris Taylor (SS, LAD) - 0% owned

Recently acquired in the deal that sent pitcher Zach Lee to the Seattle Mariners, Taylor has already seen 265 PA in the majors and does not technically qualify as a rookie. For the sake of this article, however, his lack of experience allows him to qualify. Taylor slashed a very promising .312/.387/.457 line with three home runs and 12 stolen bases at the Mariners’ Triple-A before being traded and now has found himself on the Dodgers’ 25-man roster.

The 25-year-old infield utility player has a bit to offer, but not quite as much as the two aforementioned players. Taylor possesses above-average speed and could translate that into 10-15 steals given full playing time. He also is capable of hitting more dingers than Frazier, but still likely tops out between five and 10. Unfortunately for Taylor, the Dodgers have much more infield depth than the Pirates do, so it would likely take more than just one injury for him to find any playing time. He does not need to be owned in any leagues unless traded to a team where he would start or something happens to all the Dodger infielders.

 

Brandon Nimmo (OF, NYM) - 2% owned

Following the demotion of Michael Conforto to Triple-A, the New York Mets promoted outfield Brandon Nimmo to the majors to see what the former 13th overall pick could bring to the team. In his limited 16 PA in four games, Nimmo is slashing .250/.250/.250 with a 25% strikeout rate and no home runs, stolen bases or walks. He had previously slashed .328/.409/.508 with five home runs, five stolen bases, a 11.5% walk rate and a 16.7% strikeout rate. He has started in every game since June 26.

Nimmo, unlike Conforto whom he replaced on the roster, does not really have any explosive tools. He lacks the speed to steal more than five bases in a given season and also lacks the ability to hit double-digit dinger totals. What makes him such a low risk guy is that he has a history of stroking line drives to all fields with consistency. On top of that, scouts praise his patience at the dish which lead many to believe that he is suited to bat second for a major league lineup.

To this point in his big league career, he has only been found batting seventh, but that could change as he gets more at-bats under his belt. At this point, he is a serious risk and gamble to own in re-draft fantasy leagues because all it will take is one hot streak in the minors from Conforto for Nimmo to lose his starting time. Throw in Nimmo’s lack of overwhelming skills and you’ve got a guy who should probably be avoided unless in the most desperate of positions in the deepest of leagues.

 

Alex Dickerson (OF, SD) - 1% owned

When Jon Jay broke his forearm a couple of days ago, it was Alex Dickerson’s name that was called to replace him on the roster. In 19 PA spread across 10 games at the big league level this season, Dickerson is slashing .222/.263/.389 with one home run, no stolen bases, a 5.3% walk rate and 15.8% strikeout rate. In Triple-A, however, Dickerson had been putting on quite the show. He owned a AAA-leading .382 batting average, the fourth highest OBP (.425) and the second highest slugging percentage at .670. For a guy whom many have claimed lack power, Dickerson had also blasted an impressive 10 home runs in his 240 Triple-A PA.

Scouts have always been a believer that Dickerson could hit for a respectable average at the big league level. He is no slap-hitting left-handed outfielder as he has impressed scouts with his ability to spray line-drives all over the field. But even with his solid approach at the plate, it is unlikely that he will ever hit over .285 at the big league level. His power has never drawn much attention from scouts and unfortunately for owners it won’t play well in Petco Park, but he may occasionally run into one. Don’t expect any stolen bases. In six professional seasons, Dickerson has only 27 stolen bases to his name, 23 of those coming before 2014.

With Travis Jankowski, Matt Kemp and Melvin Upton rounding out the current Padres outfield, expect Dickerson to only receive spot-starts at best. If Kemp and Upton are dealt, you could see the 26-year-old outfielder get some starting time along with fellow prospect at Triple-A Hunter Renfroe. As it is right now, Dickerson would require starting time to warrant owning in even the deepest of fantasy leagues.

 

Pitchers Called-Up

Lucas Giolito (SP, WAS) - 21% owned

I was a firm believer that when Stephen Strasburg was hurt, that it would be Austin Voth promoted to the big leagues. Fortunately, I was wrong and had the privilege of watching uber-prospect Lucas Giolito instead debut against the Mets. And I can’t tell you how disappointed I (as I’m sure many others were) that his start was shortened due to rain. In his four innings of work, the only hit he allowed was a leadoff single to the first batter he faced, Curtis Granderson. From that point on, hitless baseball from the Nationals' right-hander. He also walked two and struck out one. He hadn’t been having the season at Double-A, but in his last six starts down there he had thrown 35.2 innings with a 2.52 ERA, 2.43 FIP, 10.60 K/9, 3.03 BB/9 and 0.25 HR/9.

The Nationals have known for a long time that they had something special with Giolito and now they finally get to see what he can do at the big league level. With an upper-90s fastball that can reach 100 and arguably the best right-handed curveball in the minors, the 21-year-old starter has been considered the top pitching prospect by most scouts out there. His command wavers at times, but as with all young prospects, it is expected to be fixed with a little bit of maturing. I mean Clayton Kershaw had a BB/9 of 4.35 and 4.79 respectively in his first two big league seasons and I think he turned out alright. Not to say that Giolito is the next Kershaw, but he certainly has the potential to be the next bona fide ace of the Nationals.

Out of all the players on this list, this guy is the one who should warrant the highest ownership rates. GM Mike Rizzo has not ruled out Giolito being in the Nats’ rotation for the remainder of the season and I would be very surprised if he saw the minors again. I don’t know which of the Nationals’ great starters will be sent to the bullpen or traded, but they are likely to try to free up the spot for Giolito when Strasburg returns from his injury. Giolito is the next major impact arm of this generation of pitching and he could be ready to give fantasy owners a massive boost.

 

Brock Stewart (SP, LAD) - 1% owned

Unranked by Baseball America on the Dodgers’ top-30 list, Stewart debuted as a largely unknown prospect for Los Angeles this past Wednesday. Well he sure made a statement in his MLB debut. Aside from a second inning that saw him give up five runs, he delivered a very solid outing. He racked up seven punchouts, walked only two and gave up eight hits over five innings of work. Before that, he made a meteoric flight through the minors. He began the year in High-A where he posted a 0.82 ERA and 2.37 FIP in 11.0 innings (two starts); then advanced to Double-A where he started nine games and owned a 1.12 ERA, 1.51 FIP in 56.1 innings; then it was on to Triple-A where he put in 18.2 innings of work over three starts with a 2.89 ERA and 3.24 FIP.

Now in the majors, fantasy will get their first chance to see Stewart work against big league hitters. The 2014 sixth round pick has a mid-90s fastball that has received a lot of praise for its movement. His two off-speed pitches, slider and changeup, are both about average pitches with his changeup the better of the two. Scouts aren’t in love with his command, but he has shown enough to at least remain a back-of-the-rotation starter for Los Angeles, at least until Jose De Leon and Grant Holmes are ready to take over the remaining spots in the rotation in a few years (this season for De Leon).

With Clayton Kershaw now on the disabled list, it looks like Brock Stewart will be given a legitimate chance to stay in the rotation. He was solid in his debut against the Brewers, but he will have to be better in order to stay in the rotation for the long haul. His upside is limited, but he could provide owners in deeper leagues with some solid production.

 

Chad Kuhl (SP, PIT) - 2% owned

Speaking of starters whom nobody has heard of, Chad Kuhl. The 23-year-old right-hander had been quietly dominating Triple-A to the tune of a 2.58 ERA, 3.88 FIP, 6.93 K/9, 1.88 BB/9 and 1.06 HR/9. While you would like to see a higher strikeout rate, I’m sure no one will complain about the .222 opponent’s batting average he posted. When he debuted on June 26, he became the ninth pitcher to start for the Pirates this season in what is slowly becoming a disaster of a year for Pittsburgh (except, the city’s hockey team did win the Stanley Cup so maybe this is just to balance everything out). With Gerrit Cole still on the DL, Juan Nicasio now in the bullpen and both Jeff Locke and Jon Niese owning ERAs over 5.00, Kuhl’s spot in the rotation seems safe for now.

The biggest issue for Kuhl is that he has never been a dominating pitch nor does he appear to ever become one at the big league level. He possesses a solid sinking fastball, but his secondary pitches are considered by most scouts to be below-average pitches. His command is very reliable, but that may not be enough to save his spot in the rotation.

When Gerrit Cole returns and Tyler Glasnow is promoted, two pitchers will undoubtedly be bumped from the rotation. It will not be Jameson Taillon and odds are it won’t be Francisco Liriano in spite of his issues this season. That leaves Kuhl, Locke, and Niese as the three most likely to be bumped and if Kuhl does not make significant strides over the other two, he could lose his spot. Assuming he doesn't lose his rotation spot, he could still provide some solid back-of-the-rotation value and may be worth owning in deep leagues. But a move to the bullpen will abruptly end any fantasy value for the young right-hander.

 

Tyrell Jenkins (SP, ATL) - 0% owned

The first of two Braves pitchers on this list, Jenkins has worked exclusively from the bullpen since his promotion to Atlanta. To this point, he has appeared in just two games and has produced a 7.20 ERA and 5.16 FIP in his five innings of work. Those numbers should not concern fantasy owners too much as it has been produced in too small of a sample size to really be indicative of future performance. Before his promotion, he posted a 2.91 ERA and 3.52 FIP in 65.0 innings at Triple-A, both low enough to hopefully ease the concerns of owners.

Jenkins is a big right-hander whom scouts believe is the proud owner of a considerably high floor. The 6’4” 210 pound starter throws a fastball in the mid-90s, but it is not used as a strikeout pitch. Instead, it has some heavy sinking action on it that turns him into a groundball machine. His other two offerings are both average pitches with the possibility of becoming slightly above-average pitches. He has a curveball and changeup, both of which sit in the low-80s.

The only legit concern with Jenkins is his command, but he makes steady improvements in that area with each new season. With the recent trade of Bud Norris to Los Angeles, the Braves have an opening in an underwhelming rotation. As of right now, the starting five for Atlanta are Julio Teheran, John Gant, Joel De La Cruz (more on him later), Williams Perez and Matt Wisler. Keep in mind both Wisler and Perez have ERAs and FIPs over 5.00. Jenkins should eventually work his way into the rotation, they are just keeping him in the bullpen right now to keep his innings down for this season. As a reliable groundball pitcher, he does have some value in 14+ team leagues if he can prove that he won’t flounder like the last Braves’ groundball pitcher (*cough* Aaron Blair *cough*). His lack of strikeouts and chances for wins on this bad Braves team likely means that at best he will be worth owning in 12+ team leagues.

 

Joel De La Cruz (RP, ATL) - 0%

Now we get on to De La Cruz. The 27-year-old right-hander made his Major League debut this past Wednesday against the red-hot Indians (poor guy), but actually managed to pitch well. He lasted six innings and only gave up three runs on seven hits with one walk and one strikeout. De La Cruz had made only five starts at Triple-A despite appearing in 21 games overall. In those 21 games, he registered a 4.68 ERA and 4.26 FIP.

Unlike the aforementioned Tyrell Jenkins, De La Cruz does not profile as a starting pitcher in the big leagues. He has a low-90s fastball with sinking action and two below average secondary offerings. He has spent the bulk of his Minor League career as a reliever and seems likely to stay in that role as he continues on in the majors. The Braves are giving him another shot in the rotation due to their injury-riddled staff and lack of quality options, but he is likely the guy to go when Atlanta decides to put Jenkins in the starting five. He should be avoided in all formats, including deeper dynasty leagues.

 

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