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The minor league season rages on. Now that fantasy baseball teams have been drafted and the season is underway, it's imperative to monitor the top prospects who have turned heads thus far.
At this point in the season, excellent prospect performances shouldn't be taken too seriously. Sure, there's no denying that short sample sizes can correspond to long-term success, but we'll need to see a bit more out of the players listed below before we go into a deep dive.
Regardless, keep an eye on these names over the long haul as they may prove to be excellent waiver wire adds soon.
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Eury Pérez - SP, Miami Marlins
Level: Double-A
2022 stats: 4 GS, 17.0 IP, 2.38 xFIP, .219 OBA, 1.12 WHIP, 15.88 K/9, 2.65 BB/9
Perez ranks fourth among MLB Pipeline's top Marlins prospects. The right-hander signed an international contract in 2019 and spent last season between Single- and High-A. He boasts a mid-90s fastball that tops out at 98 mph, as well as a deceiving mid-80s changeup and a mid-70s fastball that he consistently locates in the strike zone.
Just 19 years old, Perez found his groove with a dominant outing on April 29. Through five innings of work, he was responsible for a whopping 12 strikeouts, just one hit, and zero walks. It was a clutch performance after he had allowed 12 runs over 12 innings to open the season. Although one strong start isn't enough to reverse his earlier woes, last Thursday's dominant effort shows that he has what it takes to deliver high-quality outings.
Alexander Canario - OF, Chicago Cubs
Level: High-A
2022 stats: 20 G, .286/.353/.558, 5 HR, 19 RBI, .425 BABIP, 153 wRC+
MLB Pipeline ranks Canario 18th among Cubs prospects heading into the 2022 season. Signed by the Giants in 2016, Canario was traded to Chicago in last summer's deadline-day swap headlined by Kris Bryant. The 21-year-old outfielder has impressive raw power and bat speed, though he's had a tendency to get over-aggressive and whiff as a result. He's an impressive athlete with good speed out of the box and a strong arm that bodes well for his future in right field.
Canario impressed at High-A this past week. He went 13-for-26 with four homers, nine RBI, and a pair of stolen bases. This impressive line from the last seven days provides further evidence that Canario is capable of putting the ball in play with his loud bat. Although he's still a couple of years removed from a potential MLB debut, it's not hard to imagine a scenario in which Canario has fantasy value as soon as 2024.
Trent Palmer - SP, Toronto Blue Jays
Level: High-A
2022 stats: 4 GS, 16 IP, 2.86 FIP, 1.69 ERA, .206 OBA, 1.25 WHIP, 51.4 GB%, 13.50 K/9, 3.94 BB/9
This week features a trend of players who appear on MLB Pipeline's rankings lists. Palmer checks in at No. 23 in the Jays' system. He was drafted in the third round of the 2020 draft and has posted impressive metrics ever since. He has a low-90s fastball and a pair of effective breaking balls. He's a hard-working, physical player who has strung multiple strong outings together dating back to last season.
Most recently, Palmer struck out eight batters over six perfect innings on Sunday. He earned his first win of the season and has now retired 15 batters via strikeouts over the course of his last 10 innings. Although he doesn't have the most intriguing repertoire, his aforementioned physicality coupled with an impressive ability to strike out opponents bodes well for his future value in the majors. Palmer should find his way onto the big-league circuit come early 2024.
Darick Hall - 1B, Philadelphia Phillies
Level: Triple-A
2022 stats: 18 G, .269/.355/.582, 5 HR, 19 RBI, 10.5 BB%, 15.8 K%, 147 wRC+
A first-round pick back in 2014, Hall continues to work hard in the minors in hopes of earning a call to the show someday. Power has been the biggest part of Hall's game thus far. He is capable of putting a charge into the baseball in big spots. However, his overall hitting approach has also been impressive, especially for someone who focuses so much on power. It doesn't appear that he has had to make too many sacrifices with his hitting approach in order to keep swatting homers.
Hall, who is on this list for the second consecutive week, continues to rake at the Triple-A level. Over his last five games, he is 9-for-21 with five homers, two doubles, 10 RBI, three walks, and just four strikeouts. Any MLB team would be fortunate to have his bat in their lineup, so it wouldn't be surprising to see Hall earn a call to the show soon. However, it would merely be in a bench role since the Phillies seem content with Rhys Hoskins in their lineup.
Royber Salinas - SP, Atlanta Braves
Level: Single-A
2022 stats: 5 GS, 23.2 IP, 1.97 xFIP, 1.52 ERA, 79.6 LOB%, 19.77 K/9, .127 OBA, 0.93 WHIP
Salinas, 21, has thrown strikeout after strikeout this season. Signed out of Venezuela in 2018, the right-hander has a mid-90s fastball and has consistently pounded the upper part of the zone in 2022. However, as Garrett Spain of Battery Power notes, "Salinas has a lot of bad weight on his frame and his overall lack of athleticism was apparent, so there’s little in the way of projecting extra velocity and it's hard to bet on the command having much room to improve either." It will be interesting to see if and how he progresses from here, but perhaps the high strikeout rate offers a glimpse into his potential.
Salinas opened the year with 24 strikeouts over 9.1 innings. Now, he has 21 strikeouts over his last nine frames. Through two outings this past week, Salinas allowed just one run on one hit, though he did walk six batters. The right-hander is a long way from being MLB-ready, but good things will happen if he can shed some weight, focus on his athleticism, and lower his walk rate.
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