RADIO
Eric Samulski identifies MLB prospects and impact rookies to be called up. His fantasy baseball prospects waiver wire pickups and rookies to watch for Week 4.
Every Thursday for the duration of the Major League Baseball season, I'm going to be discussing players on a team's Taxi Squad or Alternate Site Camp who are worth keeping an eye on or stashing in hopes of reaping fantasy goodness. I'll list league sizes where the player could be relevant and give you information on the situation so that you can make the most educated decision possible, but remember that this is an unprecedented year, so we don't know for sure how teams will make use of additional players or when exactly players will be called up now that the service time deadline has passed.
As a point of clarification: Taxi Squad and Alternate Site Camp are two different things. When teams go on the road, they are able to bring with them three players who are not on the roster, in case of a medical emergency. This is the Taxi Squad. These players are not on the Active Roster and cannot appear in games unless there is a corresponding transaction, but players on the Taxi Squad are clearly those that are the closest to being "called-up," so it's important to keep an eye on those. They can/will change for each road trip so check them regularly on Roster Resource. The Alternate Site Camp is where all other players in the 60-man pool are and could be seen as this year's "Minor Leagues." They will scrimmage each other and get instruction, but only some of them are potential call-ups this year while others are top prospects who are simply there to get work in. Teams can also add players to their 60-man pool or release them from it, so these will also be fluid.
Now that we've covered that, let's look at some guys who should be on your Pick-Up and Watch List radars. Remember that these are players who are NOT on the active roster, so there will be few pick-ups each week since it's rare you would want to grab a lot of guys who aren't active in a season where every game played counts.
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Priority Pickups
These are players I believe you should put in claims for now (depending on your league size) based on their proximity to playing time.
MacKenzie Gore, SP San Diego Padres
12-teams with deep benches or 15-team leagues
I moved Gore up from the Watch List to here because we all know Luis Perdomo is not going to be a full-time starter for the Padres. He threw one inning in a spot start on Tuesday, but the team will have to fill the rotation spot vacated by Joey Luchessi. The Padres also called up Luis Patino last week but claim that he will be pitching out of the bullpen for now, so Gore seems the logical choice. The 21-year-old Gore, struggled slightly in 21.2 innings of AA last year but still had a 10.38 K/9 on the back of plus command and great spin rates on his secondary pitches. Expectations should be tempered at his age in his first taste of the big leagues, but you'll definitely want a piece of him.
Casey Mize, SP Detroit Tigers
12-teams with deep benches or 15-team leagues
The rumor was that Casey Mize was being held down for service time manipulation but that date has come and gone and he's still not up with the Tigers. It's hard to pinpoint exactly when they may call up their top prospect, but I believe it's inevitable. Mize may have never pitched above AA, but he's 23-years-old, so he's not some young kid still learning the ropes and the Tigers could call him up and still control his contract through his prime years. He's a smart pitcher with a solid understanding of pitch sequencing and a deep arsenal of pitches; he needs to learn against the big boys. With Matt Manning and Tarik Skubal also nearing the Major Leagues, it makes sense for the Tigers to see what Mize can do against Major League hitters sooner rather than later.
Dylan Carlson, OF - St. Louis Cardinals
12-teams with deep benches or 15-team leagues
Let's be clear: Dylan Carlson should have been up with the Cardinals at the beginning of the year. Now that his service time manipulation is done, he should be up soon, following in the footsteps of Jo Adell, Nick Madrigal, Daulton Varsho, and other bats who are behind Carlson in terms of readiness. Carlson hit .281 with 21 HR and 18 SB in 108 AA games last year and then .361 with 5 HR and 2 SB in 18 AAA games to end 2019. He was hitting the ball well in Summer Camp and has enough defensive ability to play anywhere around the outfield. He's certainly a bat that the Cardinals can use, but it's impossible to know what's happening with the team since it feels like they've only played five games because of their recent COVID outbreak. If he's not called up when they return to play, he might not be far behind. Tyler O'Neill is hitting .200, and Harrison Bader is batting .091, so it's not like they're really making it hard for the Cardinals to call up their best prospect.
Fernando Rodney, RP Houston Astros
15-team leagues
Oh, man, I can't believe I'm writing this. If there is anything more 2020 than recommending Fernando Rodney in fantasy baseball then I haven't come across it. With Roberto Osuna likely out for the season, the Astros have turned to Ryan Pressly and a mix-n-match of young relievers and it hasn't been pretty. Pressly had a late start to the season and hasn't looked sharp early on, pitching to a 9.82 ERA and 3.27 WHIP in 3.2 innings. He's been throwing his four-seamer more and his curve 16% less despite the fact that his curve was his best pitch last season. Since Pressly has already dealt with an arm issue this offseason, the pitch mix change tells me that he might not be 100%. However, the Astros have nobody behind him they can throw at the end of games with confidence. That's where Rodney comes in.
It may seem like a joke since he's almost 44-years-old, but the veteran certainly has experience. Despite his 5.66 ERA last year, his pitch mix, velocity and x-stats were near identical to 2018, when he finished with a 3.36 ERA and 25 saves. He also gave up fewer fly balls and less hard contact in 2019, so I think the poor results were a bit flukey. If you roster Rodney, you won't be doing it for the ratios, but he should have a mid-9 K/9 and could be in line for saves on one of baseball's best teams. If you stash him now, you could get that for free.
Alec Bohm, 3B, Philadelphia Phillies
15-team leagues
Most people assumed Bohm would have been up by now. The 2018 first-round pick moved all the way up to AA last year, showing solid patience at the plate and some pop in the bat. His FB% and ISO increased as he moved up levels, and his Pull% hovered around a respectable 35%, showcasing an approach that could lead to power at the Major League level. However, the Phillies kept him down to start the year and he's seen Jay Bruce, his main competition for DH at-bats, start off with a .273/.333/.727 line with 3 HR and 7 RBI.
Bohm's natural position is 3B and Jean Segura has come off a bad 2019 and struggled to a .194/.341/.361 slash to start the year with only one stolen base. On the other side of the infield, Scott Kingery is whimpering to a .100/.163/.100 slash line with 0 HR and 0 SB. If the Phillies want to push to make the playoffs, they may want to call up Bohm and give him some at-bats at the hot corner to see if he can provide more juice in the lineup.
Watch List
These are players who I don't believe warrant an immediate add but are guys who should be on your radar for a call-up in the near future. If you're in a really deep league, perhaps some of these guys could act as a bench stash, depending on the size of your roster and health of your team.
Max Schrock, 2B/3B - St.Louis Cardinals
NOTE: Schrock was promoted to the active roster last week but the Cardinals have not played
Schrock could be another Cardinal to get an opportunity in the wake of the team's recent COVID outbreak. The 25-year-old has been at Triple-A the last two years, so he's the readiest to go if a middle infield spot opens up. The left-handed hitter made great strides with his plate discipline last year, bumping his BB% from 5.3% to 12.2%. It coincided with the largest FB% of his career (39.2%) and the highest K% (16.2%). It didn't quite work as he hit only two home runs, but his average was still .275 with a .366 OBP and 12 SB. He's likely never going to be a power bat, but he makes a fair amount of contact, gets on base a lot and can swipe a bag. He's basically a poor man's Nick Madrigal. While Schrock has mainly played 2B in his career, he did play 56 games at 3B and seven in LF last year, so perhaps the Cardinals can move him around.
Ryan Mountcastle, 1B/OF - Baltimore Orioles
At some point this season, the Orioles are going to call up Mountcastle, we're just not entirely sure when. He doesn't really have a set defensive position, but he has plus-power and hit 25 HR with a .321 average for the Orioles AAA club last year. He doesn't draw a lot of walks but doesn't have an egregious K% either, so he could profile as a .260 hitter with solid pop. If you have deep benches, you can stash him in 12-team leagues since it's a near-lock that he'll be up eventually, especially with D.J. Stewart starting the year on a 0-for-21 skid. There's no logical reason for the Orioles to trot him out over Mountcastle, but so far they show no indication that they're going to do anything differently.
Brandon Marsh, 1B/OF, Los Angeles Angels
Brandon Marsh has begun getting reps at first base, which makes me think that the Angels are experimenting with ways to call him up despite their crowded outfield. With Shohei Ohtani locked in at DH, that means 1B is the only spot for Marsh. It's currently being held down by 40-year-old Albert Pujols, who is off to a .196/.255/.392 start with 3 HR and 8 RBI. The power output has been nice, and I can't see the Angels immediately going to Marsh; however, he's a talented prospect with a good eye and solid speed. He's often overlooked because he shared an outfield with Jo Adell, but if he seems primed to get a call-up, you're going to want him on your roster.
Seth Beer, 1B/DH, Arizona Diamondbacks
I'm likely dreaming on this one a little bit since Beer has never played above AA, but the Diamondbacks are struggling on offense and might be aggressive in trying to remedy that since this was a season they were built to compete. Also, there has never been a more perfect year to call-up Beer since he's a below-average defender who will benefit greatly from the DH position where Jake Lamb is currently slotted in and hitting .063 in seven games. As a former college player, Beer has a mature approach at the plate. He's yet to register the walk rate in the minors that he displayed in college, but he demonstrates good patience and is not a major strikeout bat. He has always been relatively pull-centric in his approach and has the power to be a consistent force as a middle of the order.
Frank Schwindel, 1B, Detroit Tigers
Let's mix in another non-prospect here. With C.J. Cron going on the IL with ligament damage to his knee, the Tigers may be looking for a first baseman for the rest of the season. They're currently moving Jeimer Candelario to first despite him being their best defensive infielder and planning to go with some combination of Dawel Lugo and Willi Castro at third. Forgive me if that doesn't inspire much confidence.
The Tigers meanwhile have Schwindel hanging out at the Alternate Site, and I'm intrigued by his solid power potential. He has back-t0-back seasons at AAA with an ISO over .200 for the Royals and had an ISO of .301 in 28 games at AAA with the Tigers last year. After arriving with the Tigers his Pull% and FB% adjusted back to his 2017-18 levels after a dip to begin 2019. He doesn't walk a lot, but he also doesn't strikeout a lot for a power bat, and Cron showed that, despite the perception, right-handed pull power can clear the fence in Comerica. If Schinwdel gets a chance to hold down the 1B job, I'd take a flyer in deep leagues.
Franklyn Kilome / Thomas Szapucki, SP, New York Mets
The Mets were dealt a pair of blows to their rotation this week when Michael Wacha went on the IL and Marcus Stroman opted out for the remainder of the season (although it was highly questionable that he was going to be able to pitch again). The Mets have some internal options in moving Seth Lugo or Robert Gsellman to the rotation, but their bullpen has been such a mess this season that it seems likely they wouldn't want to deplete it even more. If they do call up a starter from the Alternate Site, the two most likely options are Kilome and Szapucki. Acquired from the Phillies in 2018, Kilome has already had a taste of the major leagues before Tommy John surgery shut him down last season. Back and throwing again, he has a mid-90’s fastball with a natural cut, a solid 12-6 curveball, and a developing changeup. He does have some control issues and many scouts believe he's destined to be a strong bullpen arm, but he could get the first crack at the rotation and has the raw stuff to be successful.
The dark horse for the rotation spot is Szapucki, who was the Mets' fifth-round draft choice in 2015. He throws three solid pitches in a low 90s fastball that touches 95, a breaking ball with sharp bite that has been called the best in the Mets system, and a solid sinking changeup. The pitch mix, plus his deceptive delivery has led to an 11.7 career K/9 in the minors. However, he's never pitched above AA and has also had issues staying healthy, so the Mets may be cautious with him.
Ian Anderson, SP Atlanta Braves
Anderson stays on the Watch List for this week with the loss of Soroka and Newcomb. Here's what I said before:
If you took everything I said about Bryse Wilson and were not convinced, then keep an eye on Ian Anderson, the Braves top pitching prospect. He still needs to refine his curveball, but the 21-year-old has a dynamic fastball and changeup pairing that, if he finds that consistent third pitch, could make him another dynamic young arm in the Braves staff. The key is that curveball, so keep your eye out for news on how he's throwing it in camp, and if you start to read that it's looking legit, it might not be long before he gets the call, especially with Kyle Wright struggling.
Dane Dunning, SP Chicago White Sox
Dunning also stays on the Watch List since there was a rumor that Dunning would be called up to start last week, and while that rumor proved to be false, it does signal that Dunning is on the team's radar. With Carlos Rodon going down with an injury, there are likely to be opportunities in the near future. The only reason Dunning isn't on the pick-ups list is that he missed all of last season following Tommy John surgery.
The right-hander has a lot of talent, as evidenced by his 2.76 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 10.02 K/9 in AA in 2018, and K-BB% that are over 20% combined across multiple levels in 2017 and 2018. He has good movement on his fastball and shows good pitchability, which could help him avoid getting blown up by opposing offenses. It's hard to find out exactly how he's throwing at the Alternate Site Camp, but I need to see him face major league hitters given his injury year last year before I'm throwing down any real FAAB on him.
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