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Welcome to RotoBaller’s Recently Promoted Prospects series for fantasy baseball! Here I discuss some recently-promoted top MLB prospects and rookies, making note of what I think their upside could be for fantasy baseball managers, and whether they are potential risers or fallers.
In the past two weeks, we have seen a few more high-impact rookies make their MLB debut. Below I discuss four rookies that might work their way into fantasy relevance. I will use industry scouting reports, analytics, and RotoBaller’s premium projections to predict what each recently called-up player could do if given a continued opportunity in 2022.
Here are your recently promoted prospects for Week 5 of the fantasy baseball season.
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Royce Lewis, Minnesota Twins
24% Rostered on Yahoo
Situation: Minnesota Twins shortstop Royce Lewis, the top overall selection in the 2017 MLB draft, was called up by the Minnesota Twins on Friday, May 6 when Carlos Correa went down with what was believed to be a fracture to his finger. In actuality, Correa only suffered a bruise. With Correa avoiding a trip to the injured list, Lewis took the roster spot of infielder Luis Arraez who went on the COVID-19 IL.
Lewis’ career minor league slash line, with five teams across all levels, is .269/.338/.420. He missed all of 2021 due to a torn ACL and subsequent knee surgery. Despite missing all of last season, prior to his promotion, Lewis slashed .310/.430/.563 with three home runs, 11 RBI, eight steals, and 21 runs scored in 107 plate appearances with Triple-A St. Paul. It appears he is ready for MLB action, though, with the time missed and a logjam in the Twins’ infield, he should see more time in Triple-A this season.
Skill: Lewis is 6’2”, only 22-years old with elite speed, and potential for 25 home run power. He is a legitimate five-tool talent. Over five seasons in the minors he is as advertised, having amassed 33 homers and 76 steals. He is the top-ranked Twins prospect and 44th ranked MLB prospect per MLB Pipeline.
A right-handed bat, Lewis has shown a stronger propensity hit lefties during his minor league career. Additionally, while he hits to all fields, he has proven to be a pull hitter when it comes to his power stroke. That said, it is highly unlikely he would ever suffer the fate of a platoon role. There is no question Lewis will be an effective starting shortstop, an annual 20-20 threat, and a fixture in the Twins lineup once permanently promoted.
Projection: Lewis will be fantasy relevant in 2022 while he is up with the Twins since he will play. Unfortunately, he won’t be up for long. Once Arraez returns from the IL, Lewis should return to Triple-A St. Paul so that he gets regular playing time, particularly since he missed all of last season.
Dynasty owners should have no remaining concerns about his ACL recovery, evidenced by his eight steals already in 2022. In redraft formats, managers should monitor his progress in the minors. He is the top promotion option in the event of another injury to Correa or Arraez. The Twins could even call him up later in the season (sans injury to a regular) if Lewis continues to rake across the river from Minneapolis. For now, redraft owners shouldn’t break the FAB bank to get him rostered. This is just a cup of coffee.
Juan Yepez, St. Louis Cardinals
27% Rostered on Yahoo
Situation: St. Louis Cardinals' first baseman Juan Yepez made his MLB debut back on May 4 after slashing .279/.323/.651 with nine home runs and 26 RBI for Triple-A Memphis to begin the 2022 campaign. Since making his MLB debut, in five games Yepez has slashed an impressive .474/.500/.789 with one home run, three doubles, and three RBI over 19 at-bats. In 2021, Yepez had a career year belting 27 HR with 77 RBI and slashing .286/.383/.586 over 111 games between Double-A and Triple-A.
Skill: Yepez is 24 years old and was signed as an international free agent in 2014 by the Atlanta Braves. He was subsequently dealt to the Cardinals in 2017. He possesses above-average power and can contribute to batting ratios, as exemplified by a career minor league slash line of .274/.339/.453 over seven teams in seven years. He is the sixth-ranked prospect in the Cardinals’ organization by MLB Pipeline. He plays both the corner infield and outfield, giving him great versatility.
Projection: Yepez is forcing the Cardinals' hand with his hot start to his MLB career, coming off an impressive 2021 campaign in the minors. He will likely remain with the Cardinals for the foreseeable future unless he hits a rough patch at the plate. Primarily competing with Albert Pujols and Corey Dickerson for playing time, Yepez has already served as a right fielder, left fielder, and designated hitter for the Cardinals since his promotion.
With his fielding versatility, it is unlikely Yepez will be sitting on the bench while he is hitting well. His excellent 2021 and quick start to his MLB career make him fantasy relevant in all formats. He can provide managers with solid power and RBI production, and won’t hurt batting ratios while doing so. He should be scooped up in most 12-team mixed leagues.
George Kirby, Seattle Mariners
53% Rostered on Yahoo
Situation: When the Seattle Mariners sent struggling right-handed starting pitcher Matt Brash back down to Triple-A Tacoma, where he will reportedly be transitioned to a bullpen role, they opted to call up top-pitching prospect George Kirby to take his place. In five starts at Double-A Arkansas this season, Kirby has posted a 1.82 ERA, a 0.89 WHIP, and a 32:5 K:BB ratio over 24 2/3 innings pitched. Unlike Brash, Kirby has excellent control evidenced by his only affording 20 free passes in 115 1/3 IP career minor league innings. The youth movement in Seattle continues and they are not hesitant to promote and retain their young talent. Kirby could remain a fixture in the rotation if he performs well out of the gate.
Skill: The 24-year-old right-hander out of Rye, NY, and Elon University was a first-round draft pick of the Mariners back in 2019. He is 6’4” with a devastating fastball that can hit 100 mph and three other plus pitches (slider, change, and curveball). His control, as mentioned, is excellent. The pedigree is also there. According to MLB Pipeline, he is the top pitching prospect in the Mariners organization (and third overall in Seattle’s organization) and the 30th-ranked prospect in all of MLB. When you have a pitcher with a deep repertoire, who can hit 100mph with his fastball, and has excellent control, there is very little not to be excited about.
Projection: Kirby certainly didn’t disappoint in his first MLB start. He went six innings pitched, allowing just four hits while striking out seven batters against the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday. He posted a 37% whiff rate, as well as a 36% CSW in his impressive big league debut. It was also no surprise that he walked no batters. If Kirby can continue this success at the big league level, the Mariners will almost assuredly keep him on the big league roster through the remainder of the season. He is an immediate add in all redraft formats. He could prove to be a top-50 starting pitching option the rest of the way, despite potential speed bumps along the way.
Alek Thomas, Arizona Diamondbacks
19% Rostered on Yahoo
Situation: With Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Carson Kelly (oblique) placed on the injured list retroactive to May 5, top-prospect outfielder Alek Thomas was called up to take his place. Thomas was off to a solid start in Triple-A slashing .277/.362/.495 with four homers, 14 RBI, eight doubles, and three steals over 101 at-bats. Thomas is coming off an incredibly impressive 2021 in which he slashed .313/.394/.559 with 18 HR, 59 RBI, and 13 steals over two levels, including a .369/.434/.658 slash in 149 at-bats at Triple-A to end the season. While he is in the majors, Thomas will start regularly.
Skill: Thomas is a left-handed bat, who recently turned 22 years old. He is one of the top prospects in MLB. He was the Diamondbacks' second-round pick in 2018 and came into 2022 as the Diamondbacks’ top-ranked prospect and 18th overall prospect as per MLB Pipeline. He has advanced very quickly through the Arizona system and has plus speed, power, and defense. Thomas has a high floor as a potential five-tool player and should be a fixture in the Diamondbacks' outfield for years to come, even if this recent promotion proves to be temporary.
Projection: The Diamondbacks have not gotten a great deal of production out of left-handed designated hitter Seth Beer since early April. As a result, there is a real chance that Thomas can stick with the MLB club if he can produce. If he remains, the lefty will offer immediate mixed-league value over the remainder of the 2022 campaign providing fantasy managers with power, speed, and solid ratios.
As a result, he is a priority addition in all mixed league redraft formats for those managers in need of help in the outfield. Worst case, if he doesn’t remain with the club, managers can cut bait. But….if he does stick, over the course of a full season, he projects as a starting outfielder with 15-20 HR and 10-15 stolen base potential, to go with solid batting average, calling a very hitter-friendly ballpark home.
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