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Fantasy baseball prospects, rookies and taxi squad players to watch. Riley Mrack looks at rising MLB prospects that owners should be monitoring in Week 4 of the 2020 fantasy baseball season.
Perhaps there's nothing more tantalizing in fantasy baseball than drafting an up-and-coming prospect or rushing to the waiver wire to bid on a Triple-A call-up. With no minor leagues this year, our favorite prospects are now playing on taxi squads, making it difficult for us to fantasize about since we can't get eyes on their progress. However, that doesn't mean we don't know who's on the cusp of making the big leagues.
Over the last week, we saw a couple of promising pitching prospects get the call to the big leagues with the Padres bringing up Luis Patino and the Phillies handing the ball to Spencer Howard on Sunday. Both hurlers experienced some growing pains in their debuts, but it's never a given for even the brightest prospects to immediately excel after a promotion.
Since Patino and Howard are not the top prospects on their respective clubs, we'll look at whether these arms are stepping stones for their higher-end teammates to join them in the majors later this season. We'll look at these names plus analyze some more hot starters who should only improve as the season progresses.
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Next On The Call List?
Alec Bohm - 3B, Philadelphia Phillies
With the arrival of the Phillies second-ranked prospect Spencer Howard, many are speculating as to when their top prospect Alec Bohm will reach the majors. Phillies manager Joe Girardi gave some insight on the third baseman recently stating, "when a [prospect like] Alec comes up, you want him to be able to play almost every day. He's got to play a lot, so we'll continue to look at that and make the decision when it's the right time." The team could certainly use an upgrade at the hot corner with Jean Segura batting a paltry .188, so a promotion could be on the horizon with the team looking to contend for a playoff spot.
Bohm can hit for power and average as displayed during his Triple-A campaign, where he hit .305 with 21 homers in 125 games. The 2018 third overall pick made his way from Low-A to Double-A over the course of the year, showing superb plate discipline numbers with a 73/57 K/BB. Bohm is also capable of playing first base, so the team has some versatility with Rhys Hoskins able to cover an outfield spot. There are several paths to playing time for 24-year-old who will arrive in 2020; we'll just have to wait for the Phillies to open up a roster spot for him.
MacKenzie Gore - SP, San Diego Padres
The Padres made headlines last week by calling up their third-ranked prospect Luis Patino to serve as a bullpen option with the club. With the Friars off to a strong start this season, they are looking to capitalize on the unique 2020 structure by utilizing an "all hands on deck" approach. The Padres are known to bring up their prospects in a timely manner with Chris Paddack and Fernando Tatis Jr. surprisingly making the 2019 Opening Day roster. They also optioned starter Joey Lucchesi to their alternate site, perhaps opening the door a crack for their top prospect Mackenzie Gore to join the team.
By looking at Gore's 2019 stats, there's no debate why he's the top-ranked pitching prospect in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline. The left-hander dominated over 101 innings between High-A and Double-A, striking out 135 batters to a 1.69 ERA and 0.83 WHIP. He stays in the mid-90s with his fastball while mixing in a slider and curveball primarily, but he will throw a low-80s changeup sporadically. He has command of the strike zone with all four pitches and profiles as a true ace to the rotation. The Padres will have a dynamic one-two punch with Gore and Paddack for years to come, and there's optimism we'll get a glimpse of that in 2020.
Hot Starters
Nate Pearson - SP, Toronto Blue Jays
Everyone around the Blue Jays organization was ecstatic when Nate Pearson made his big-league debut at the end of July. He didn't disappoint either, firing five scoreless frames versus the defending World Series champion Nationals. It got a little rockier in his next start by allowing three runs in another five-inning performance versus the Braves, but we got a glimpse of his potential dominance. Pearson was lighting up the gun with his 98-99 MPH fastball velocity, while his slider has proved equally effective with a 42.3% Whiff rate. With these two weapons alongside a disappearing changeup, Pearson has the arsenal to succeed immediately in the bigs and should be owned universally.
Carter Kieboom - 3B, Washington Nationals
MLB's 23rd ranked prospect Carter Kieboom broke summer camp with the Nats, but the team hasn't committed to playing him full time just yet. It's a curious decision since he's held his own with the bat during his infrequent playing time with five hits in 16 at-bats entering Monday. Although Kieboom is still striking out at a high clip (38.1% K%), his 23.8% walk rate has made up for some of his losses. If he could generate consistent playing time, he could further improve his plate discipline and overall hit tool faster with fewer days off. We can buy in once the 22-year-old pushes Asdrubal Cabrera off the hot corner, which should happen sooner than later.
Brady Singer - SP, Kansas City Royals
Kansas City Royals top right-handed pitching prospect Brady Singer has been impressively consistent over his first four major-league starts. He's thrown exactly five innings in all of his games, allowing more than two earned runs in just one of these outings. His 22/8 K/BB isn't anything to scoff at either as he's now got his first win out of the way after beating a formidable Twins lineup Sunday. For a rookie with no Triple-A experience, Singer is holding his own in the majors and could be finding his groove with a few starts under his belt. He's worth monitoring, at a minimum, to see if he can take another step forward in his development.
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