Farm Futures: Carolina League Hitters

Each Tuesday I will be profiling a standout performer from a recent game and then I will provide a snapshot of the success and failure of notable players in a specific league. This week I analyze a recent performance by the best hitter in the Carolina League -- Billy McKinney -- followed by a look at what some other notable hitters in the Carolina League have been up to so far this season.

Billy McKinney, OF, High-A Myrtle Beach
2-for-4 with a triple, a walk, two runs and a RBI on May 10 in Winston-Salem

The 20-year-old right fielder's plate coverage and bat speed have separated him from the rest of the hitters in the Carolina League. Before Wilmer Difo was promoted to Double-A Harrisburg, he could have challenged McKinney for the title of best hitter in the league, but that's not up for debate anymore.

A 2013 first-round pick by Oakland, McKinney does not swing often, but when he does he seems to be always looking for hard contact. He was the second piece the Cubs received in the Addison Russell/Jeff Samardzija trade, which continues to look worse for the A's by the day.

McKinney worked the count to 3-2 and walked in his first plate appearance Sunday without taking the bat off his shoulder, showing great patience and an unwillingness to swing at borderline strikes low in the zone.

In his second plate appearance, he also worked the count full, but ended up flying out to left field. He showcased his emotions, shaking his fist in frustration after he fouled off a belt-high fastball on the outer third of the plate. It seems clear that he won't get cheated and he won't take plays off.

McKinney notched his second triple of the season in his third plate appearance, ripping a grounder down the right field line. He probably would have been out at third on a perfect throw, but he nonetheless showed solid speed legging out the triple.

His fourth plate appearance in the top of the seventh inning pitted McKinney against Michael Ynoa in a tie game with Mark Zagunis on third base after hitting a triple. The infield was playing in to try to prevent the run from scoring. This was McKinney's first matchup of the day against an arm with the stuff to challenge him, as Ynoa has a mid-90s fastball and plus slider. He reached out on a 2-2 pitch just off the plate and slapped a slow roller up the middle -- plating the run and reaching first on a fielder's choice. It was not the most impressive piece of hitting, but McKinney did his job, getting the run home and giving the Pelicans a lead, which they would not relinquish.

In his final plate appearance of the day, McKinney ripped a single up the middle, maintaining his place atop the Carolina League leaderboard in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging (.340/.432/.544).

Considering how little he is getting challenged at High-A, it would be surprising if McKinney is not promoted to Double-A by the end of the month. Before the season I felt like I was going out on a limb ranking McKinney over fellow Cubs outfield prospect, Albert Almora. That no longer seems unconventional, and McKinney will be compared to players like Jesse Winker, Hunter Renfroe and Aaron Judge in the next iteration of the top-200, which should be going live sometime this weekend.

Minor League Roundup: Carolina League Hitters

Manuel Margot, OF, High-A Salem
.257/.310/.386, eight XBH, 11-for-14 on SB attempts, 9:7 BB:K ratio through 101 at-bats

Margot was a top-50 prospect before the season, and the only thing that has changed since then is that he has solidified himself as one of the toughest guys to strike out in all of the minor leagues. Perhaps this has led to some weak contact (.260 BABIP), but it's still an impressive skill for a plus-plus runner. He's running as much as ever, and while he has just one home run, he also has four doubles and three triples. The speed and contact ability are the now skills, while the over-the-fence power should develop with time. Margot may appear to be blocked as a center fielder within Boston's system, but he has also been mentioned as a potential offensive headliner in a Cole Hamels trade package, perhaps alongside Henry Owens and a couple lesser pieces. His defense and contact ability should allow him to move fast if he were to find himself in another organization's system.

Bradley Zimmer, OF, High-A Lynchburg
.278/.373/.470, five HR, five 2B, 15-for-16 on SB attempts through 115 at-bats

Athletic college hitters with five-tool potential don't typically fall to the 21st pick in most drafts, but that's what happened when Zimmer fell into the Indians' lap last summer. He put up impressive numbers last year at short season ball and in a three-game stint at Low-A, but Zimmer has solidified himself as a top-100 prospect by hitting the ground running at High-A this season. His hit and speed tools have been advertised as being ahead of his power, but at 6-foot-5, there's plenty of reason to buy into the impressive power numbers he has posted so far in his professional career. There is a nice combination of safety and upside in this package, and dynasty leaguers should be trying to acquire Zimmer now while the hype is still somewhat muted.

Clint Frazier, OF, High-A Lynchburg
.267/.333/.350, one HR, seven 2B, 1-for-4 on SB attempts through 120 at-bats

Frazier has left people wanting more at all of his stops since entering professional baseball, and his start to the year at High-A has also underwhelmed. It should be noted that he struggled initially at Low-A and then heated up in the second half last year. The same could happen as he adjusts to High-A pitching, but there were some, myself included, who thought Frazier would have established himself as a top-25 prospect in dynasty leagues by now. That is certainly not the case. While it is good to see that he has improved his K-rate from 29.7 percent last season to 23.4 percent this year, his ISO is a woeful .083 compared to the .146 mark he posted at Low-A. He is still a top-100 prospect, but Frazier is no longer in consideration for the top-50.

Drew Ward, 3B, High-A Potomac
.278/.377/.423, two HR, eight 2B through 97 at-bats

Ward has shown a strong approach at the plate so far in his first taste of High-A, walking at an 11.4 percent clip while striking out at a less than 20 percent clip (19.3 percent) for the first time in his professional career. His ISO is actually identical to the .144 mark he put up in a full season at Low-A last year, but given his size (6-foot-4, 210 pounds) and age (20), there's reason to project more power in the coming years. The Nationals could certainly use another option at third base in the coming years, and Ward is currently pegged to be that guy. After just missing the cut for the preseason top-200, Ward has a good chance to make it for the next iteration of the list.

Trey Michalczewski, 3B, High-A Winston-Salem
.252/.333/.400, 11 XBH, 2-for-3 on SB attempts through 115 at-bats

Like Ward, Michalczewski's approach at the plate will go a long way toward him making it as an everyday third baseman. He does not really have any plus offensive tools, but he does not have any glaring weaknesses either. There are plenty of similarities between Ward and Michalczewski, as the latter also has prototypical size for a third baseman (6-3, 210) and he is also just 20 years old, which leaves some projection in the power department. Considering Chicago's need at third base, and his potential home ballpark, Michalczewski should be monitored in deep dynasty leagues, even if it may be a little premature to roster him unless more than 200 prospects are owned in your format.

Mark Zagunis, OF, High-A Myrtle Beach
.294/.430/.422, nine XBH, 5-for-8 on SB attempts through 102 at-bats

The Cubs officially ceased trying to develop Zagunis, 22, as a catcher this season and allowed him to simply develop as a bat-first corner outfielder. This should allow him to move relatively fast after getting drafted out of Virginia Tech in the third round last year. He has had a walk rate above 16 percent at every stop above rookie ball, and this year he is walking at a 19.5 percent clip while striking out at just a 14.1 percent rate. Last year he stole 16 bases in 55 games between short season ball and Low-A, so even if his power never grades out at better than solid-average, his speed and on-base skills make him someone to keep an eye on.

Luigi Rodriguez, OF, High-A Lynchburg
.289/.355/.515, five HR, 8-for-9 on SB attempts through 97 at-bats

The onus has long been on Rodriguez's bat to catch up to his speed and defense, but he lagged behind so long in the lower levels that players like Zimmer and Frazier have caught up to him and forced Rodriguez to split his starts between the outfield and designated hitter this year for the Hillcats. At 22, Rodriguez is still technically young for the level, so we can't completely write off his offensive breakout so far in 2015. There's nothing wrong with his approach, and only time will tell how real this power explosion is, so make sure to keep tabs on Rodriguez in deep dynasty leagues. He could get promoted to Double-A sometime this summer.

Dustin Peterson, OF, High-A Carolina
.314/.392/.448, three HR, 2-for-2 on SB attempts through 105 at-bats

The 20-year-old was one of the players the Braves acquired in the Justin Upton trade, and upon joining his new organization, Peterson was immediately converted from a third baseman to a left fielder. While this puts some added pressure on his bat, it also allows him to focus almost solely on hitting after struggling regularly with his defense at third. Peterson combines a strong approach with solid-average power and speed. He has a better shot of someday being useful in OBP leagues, as his batting average will likely be in the .250 range. After his bat appears to have taken off following a position change, Peterson should once again be on the radar of those in deep dynasty leagues.

Sam Travis, 1B, High-A Salem
.282/.336/.436, 10 XBH, 7-for-9 in SB attempts through 110 at-bats

Travis, whom Boston plucked with the 67th overall pick in last year's draft, has yet to flash the kind of power we want to see from a first baseman in fantasy, but he is doing a lot of other things well. Since getting drafted out of Indiana University, Travis has nine home runs in 98 professional games, but he also has 12 steals and just 52 strikeouts over that span. First-base prospects have to hit all the way up the ladder in order to make it as big-league regulars, but Travis may have what it takes to be a bottom-10 starting first baseman in the majors.

Adam Engel, OF, High-A Winston-Salem
.295/.392/.410, eight XBH, 19-for23 on SB attempts through 122 at-bats

Engel is almost all speed, and with what appears to be an improved approach at the plate this season, his name should be filed away by dynasty league owners. His 11.8 percent walk rate is almost double the rate he posted in 21 games with Winston-Salem last year, and his K-rate is down from 21 percent to 16 percent this season.

Chris Bostick, 2B, High-A Potomac
.221/.288/.292, zero HR, 8-for-9 on SB attempts through 113 at-bats

I'm a sucker for second-base prospects who can run and hit for some power, but with Bostick the question was always whether he would be able to hit for a high enough average for it to matter. His 2015 results in that department have come back negative so far. His .287 BABIP is low relative to his previous rates, but not low enough to blame this on bad luck. His .071 ISO is particularly concerning after posting rates above .160 in 2013 and 2014. Bostick was the last man ranked on the preseason top-200, and he won't be in consideration for the next list.

Nelson Rodriguez, 1B, High-A Lynchburg
.217/.289/.391, four HR through 115 at-bats

After hitting 22 homers last year at Low-A, Rodriguez may have ended up on some dynasty league rosters this offseason, but the early returns at High-A have been pretty shaky. He might be able to make it in the short side of a first base or DH platoon down the road, but Rodriguez does not have the makings of an everyday player at the highest level.

Mike Papi, OF, High-A Lynchburg
.152/.303/.192, zero HR, 32 K through 99 at-bats

The 38th overall pick in last year's draft, Papi, a left fielder, needed to hit to make it as a big leaguer. So far he has failed on his quest, and there is really no reason to continue to roster him in most dynasty leagues. The No. 10 prospect in the Indians' system before the season, Papi will be comfortably off that list when it is next updated.

Jeimer Candelario, 3B, High-A Myrtle Beach
.259/.310/.371, zero HR, 11 doubles through 116 at-bats

Candelario may have the defensive chops to cut it as a big league third baseman, but the bat leaves a lot to be desired. It's nice to see him showing off doubles power, but some of those balls will need to start going over the fence for dynasty league owners to continue to take notice.