In our second part, I commented on how the Astros were at least a year early by making the playoffs this year and that the future looks even better. That’s true too for the Chicago Cubs, one of the teams seeding the Mesa Solar Sox. The Oakland Athletics went into rebuilding mode this year, and the Tampa Bay Rays and Miami Marlins are perpetually rebuilding, so along with the Cubs’ and Angels’ prospects, this is going to be a very interesting club.

Top Prospects Of The Solar Sox

Sean Manaea, Starting Pitcher, Oakland Athletics

Coming over to the Athletics in the Ben Zobrist trade, Manaea pitched brilliantly in six Double-A starts with the Midland RockHounds. The Texas League is far from pitcher friendly, but that didn’t bother Manaea one bit, as he went 6-0 with a 1.90 ERA, striking out 51 while walking just 15 in 42 2/3rds innings (seven starts). Between the Athletics’ and Royals’ organizations, Manaea pitched just 74 1/3 innings, making him a perfect candidate for the AFL. A strong showing here should have the 2013 first round selection ticketed for Triple-A to open the year. He could even break camp with the big league club.

Jake Bauers, First Base, Tampa Bay Rays

Bauers recently turned 20, yet he’s already made his way to Double-A and wasn’t overmatched at all. A seventh-round selection in 2013, Bauers came to the Rays in the Wil Myers trade. Between High-A and Double-A, Bauers appeared in 128 games, hitting .272 with 11 home runs, 74 RBI, 69 runs scored, and eight stolen bases. The six times he was caught stealing seem to indicate that he might want to rethink that running game. Hinting at much more power to come, Bauers also picked up 32 doubles between the two levels. Bauers’ age will probably have him returning to Double-A, but he’s one to watch for 2017.

Wilson Contreras, Catcher, Chicago Cubs

How good was the catching for the Double-A Tennessee Smokies this season? They had both Kyle Schwarber and Contreras at the same time. Everyone knows about Schwarber by now, but Contreras will garner recognition soon after hitting .333 with eight homers, 75 RBI, and 71 runs scored. His plate discipline was outstanding, with almost as many walks (57) as strikeouts (62), and his on-base percentage was a spiffy .413. Now, they just need to find a position for him.

Jeimer Candelario, Third Base, Chicago Cubs

Like I said, the Cubs have plenty more in the pipeline, making them very, very scary for potentially quite a while. The 21-year-old Candelario started out the year in High-A, crushed, moved up to the Smokies, and crushed even more. Between the two levels, Candelario hit .277 with 10 homers, 64 RBI, and 63 runs scored, and the 35 doubles - a nice tease of the power to come. One really nice change in his promotion is that his strikeout-to-walk ratio improved dramatically, with 21 strikeouts and 22 walks in 46 games at Double-A. He does have Kris Bryant blocking him at third, but his bat will force the issue soon enough, with either a position change or a trade.

Matt Chapman, Third Base, Oakland Athletics

It was a painful season for the Athletics’ first-round selection in 2014, as he missed the first month due to a knee injury and lost the last month due to a left wrist injury. In-between those injuries, though, Chapman posted some really nice power numbers for the High-A Stockton Ports, with 23 home runs, 21 doubles, and a .566 slugging percentage. It would be nice if he could cut down on the strikeouts, as he picked up 79 in 304 at-bats, but first it would be nice just to see him back on the field.

That’s it for this installment. Next time, we get to make fun of the Mariners and Padres as we look at the Peoria Javelinas.

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