Farm Futures: Notable MiLB Assignments

Alright, Triple-A, Double-A, High-A and Single-A leagues are all underway! Every relevant prospect should be listed at their proper level and all reported prospect injuries have been written up.

Teams are setting up their prospects' 2024 seasons with this first assignment. In some cases it will be an aggressive assignment designed to test a prospect's readiness, and in other cases, it's an easy assignment to a level the player has already had success at in order to just ease them into action before a potential promotion in the coming weeks. I discussed some of the more noteworthy assignments with Sam Dykstra of MLB Pipeline on last week's podcast:

Here is the written, extended version of that discussion, as I tried to provide commentary about all the assignments I thought were particularly noteworthy. 

Aggressive Assignments

From the 2023 J-15 class, Sebastian Walcott (TEX) and Ethan Salas (SD) were aggressively assigned to High-A while Yophery Rodriguez (MIL) and Alfredo Duno (CIN) were aggressively assigned to Single-A. 

The Salas assignment was essentially expected, as the word "advanced" doesn't do him justice, but I had to do a triple take when I saw Walcott's assignment, given that he struck out too much last year in the Arizona Complex League. Walcott already has nine strikeouts in his first 19 plate appearnaces at High-A. He won't be able to climb the rankings just based on an aggressive assignment, and it seems like Texas got a little carried away with that one. However, if Walcott were to right the ship and have success against High-A pitching, he'd rocket into the top 50 on the late-May update.

Rodriguez and Duno got the more customary aggressive assignment, both having dominated in the Dominican Summer League with high walk rates and low strikeout rates. They are getting skipped over the Arizona Complex League, which is becoming a normal operating practice for the Brewers with their top international position players (Jackson Chourio and Luis Lara both began their age-18 seasons at Single-A as well). In Duno's case, he has more than enough physicality for full-season ball (listed at 6-foot-2, 210 pounds as a 17-year-old), and if you like going after high-pedigree catching prospects who are multiple years away from the majors, he fits the bill.

The most noteworthy Triple-A assignments were to Jordan Beck (COL), Carson Whisenhunt (SF), Owen Caissie (CHC), Jace Jung (DET), Max Muncy (OAK) and Jonatan Clase (SEA). 

Beck could have easily been sent back to Double-A, where he was just OK last year, but the Rockies clearly like him and wanted to see if he could handle Triple-A pitching. His numbers in the Pacific Coast League will be goofy, but he's already got three home runs and a 28.9 percent strikeout rate through 10 games. Beck is built like an NFL wide receiver, with above-average speed and easy plus power. When the hit tool is the worst tool but it's still passsable, playing half your games in Coors Field is a good way to make it more than passable for fantasy. 

Whisenhunt only made six starts at Double-A last year and 23 total minor-league appearances prior to this year, including the Arizona Fall League, so jumping him to Triple-A sends a message that not much more developmental time is needed in the minors. The fact Whisenhunt suffered an elbow sprain last year may have factored in, as it's probably only a matter of time until that arm starts barking again, but he's healthy now and has a 9:1 K:BB in 6.2 innings through two starts.

Caissie was probably ready for Triple-A, and with Brennen Davis (undisclosed) and David Peralta (elbow) not ready, there's plenty of room for Caissie to play next to Pete Crow-Armstrong and Alexander Canario. It would have been easy to send Caissie back to Double-A for six weeks or so, but the Cubs saw enough of him at that level last year, and now he's potentially a serious injury to Seiya Suzuki or Ian Happ away from reaching the majors ahead of schedule. 

Jung was quite good (.936 OPS) in 47 Double-A games last year, but he had a surprising .685 OPS in the Arizona Fall League, so I wouldn't have been surprised if he went back to Double-A for 4-to-6 weeks to start the year. However, it appears the AFL was just a blip -- sometimes guys just don't want to be there -- and potentially a small-sample blip. Jung has a similar scouting report to Colt Keith (bat-first, limited to second and third base), and with Keith getting handed the second base job, it would seem that Jung will soon be handed the third base job, although that will put extra stress on the Tigers' pitching staff.

Muncy is arguably already Oakland's top position player prospect after a strong first eight games in the Pacific Coast League as a 21-year-old. He did well at Double-A last year as a 20-year-old (124 wRC+), but with just 51 games and a .396 BABIP at that level, it would have been easy to send him back to Midland for a couple months. Instead, he's almost got as many hit-by-pitches (three) as strikeouts (four) while posting a career-best .241 ISO and playing all his games at shortstop.

Clase played 108 games at Double-A last year, but he's still 21 and was below league average (94 wRC+), so a return to Double-A could have been justified. So far, Clase has been up to the task, with just five strikeouts with five walks, a home run and a steal in eight games. If he can keep the strikeout rate in a manageable range, we could see him get a shot in the majors this summer, as he's already on the 40-man roster.

Logan Evans (SEA) and Nelson Rada (LAA) were probably the two most notable Double-A assignments. 

Rada, who doesn't turn 19 until August, continues to be pushed extremely aggressively and the Angels continue their trend of not wanting their best hitting prospects at High-A Tri-City (or their best pitching prospects at Triple-A Salt Lake). Rada projects as a potential leadoff hitter who could steal 30-plus bases, but I don't expect him to hit for much power at all, especially at levels where he's three or four years younger than most of the pitchers he's facing. 

Evans was the top pop-up arm of spring training and this aggressive assignment essentially confirms the hype. Obviously he'll need to pitch well to maintain his value, but if he does, he's going to rocket into the top 100 on the late-May update. Like Anaheim, Seattle often jumps its best pitching prospects over Triple-A entirely, so there's even a chance we could see Evans in the big-league rotation this year.

Carson Williams (TB) and Kevin Alcantara (CHC) were given obvious assignments to Double-A, but I'm kind of expecting both of them to look overmatched early, just given the difference in pitching at Double-A and High-A. If one or both is having a lot of success and keeping the strikeouts in check, that will result in them getting a good bump on the next update.

The Guardians sending Kahlil Watson to Double-A Akron seems like a sink or swim assignment, as he was a .214 hitter with 92 strikeouts in 81 total games at High-A. Watson turns 21 next week, so he's relatively young for Double-A, and it wouldn't be surprising at all if the numbers there are a little ugly. However, given Watson's massive raw power and plus speed, success against Double-A pitching would result in him being one of the biggest risers on next month's update.

The Yankees made a couple aggressive assignments with pitching prospects Brock Selvidge (Double-A Somerset) and Kyle Carr (High-A Hudson Valley). Selvidge was great in nine starts at High-A to close last season, and the Yankees saw enough to give him the Double-A assignment as a 21-year-old. I think he's got mid-rotation upside. Carr is the more noteworthy and buzzy assignment, as the Yankees also sent Drew Thorpe and Chase Hampton to High-A for their pro debuts last year and they rocketed up prospect rankings from there. Carr has more hype now than Thorpe or Hampton did a year ago, and if he has similar success, he'll be a top-150 prospect on the next update.

Luis Baez (HOU) getting sent to High-A Asheville wasn't necessarily a surprise, but it shows how much Houston likes the 20-year-old slugger after he only played 41 games at Single-A last year. Baez should put up monster numbers in the hitter-friendly park at Asheville, so there could be a sell-high opportunity in June before he gets the bump to Double-A, but Baez has 35-homer upside in Houston, so there's a case for just holding him. The main thing I'll be looking at is the strikeouts and walks -- every quality hitting prospect puts up big numbers in Asheville, so just keep that in mind before freaking out about his slash line.

The Guardians surprisingly sent Alex Clemmey to Single-A Lynchburg for his pro debut rather than hold him back in extended spring training. Clemmey has a very high ceiling, but he was supposed to be a pretty big project, so this is an encouraging assignment, as several prep pitchers from his class of that ilk did get held back by other teams. Clemmey had five strikeouts and four walks in 3.1 innings in his debut.

Any surprise big-league assignments are old news at this point, but I definitely noted Landen Roupp making the Giants bullpen, as it makes a ton of sense to me to just let his monster curveball eat in short stints since he hasn't been able to handle a starter's workload in the minors. Perhaps the Giants could stretch him out at a later date if the bullpen experiment goes well and he stays healthy all year, but he could end up being the team's second-best reliever behind Camilo Doval.

Soft Landing Spots

Cade Horton (CHC) and Chase DeLauter (CLE) are probably the two most overqualified players at Double-A. Horton threw four innings in his season debut, and I'm genuinely surprised he didn't get sent to Triple-A Iowa. He's only got about 130 innings in him this year with full health, so we'd like as many of those to come in the majors as possible, and the Cubs don't have a track record of jumping their prospects from Double-A to the majors. DeLauter isn't overqualified in terms of prior games played, but he's had an OPS over .870 at every level he has played at dating back to college and he rarely strikes out, and I thought he looked big-league ready in spring training. These guys could still move quickly to Triple-A and then the big leagues, but we're probably looking at late-May or June as the earliest we could realistically see them.

The Mariners gave soft landing spots to Lazaro Montes (Single-A Modesto) and Tyler Locklear (Double-A Arkansas). These weren't alarming assignments, as each hitter played fewer than 40 games at these levels last year, but we should expect both guys to mash until they get a bump up.

Top college draftees from last year Dylan Crews (WAS), Hurston Waldrep (ATL), Matt Shaw (CHC) and Brock Wilken (MIL) were all sent to Double-A. These weren't surprising assignments necessarily, but I expect all four players to have significant success at Double-A. There would be basically no good excuse for them struggling, based on their track records, tools and pedigree.

Spencer Jones (NYY), who is at least several months older than all those 2023 draftees, was assigned to Double-A and there would be no excuse for him to not destroy this assignment. His org. mate Everson Pereira is only a month older than Jones and is repeating Triple-A this year.

Termarr Johnson (PIT), Tommy Troy (ARI) and Ryan Clifford (NYM) all got sent back to High-A to start the year. Johnson had a 142 wRC+ in 30 games at High-A last year, so I'd guess he just needs to be good four a month or two before getting the bump to Double-A, but it'd be pretty troubling if Johnson struggled for Greensboro. Troy was seen as in the same class as guys like Matt Shaw (CHC) and Brock Wilken (MIL) in last year's draft, so he should be able to put up big numbers for Hillsboro. As Sam Dykstra pointed out on the podcast, Clifford will have to contend with the park in Brooklyn that really suppresses lefty power, so we're mostly concerned with the walks and strikeouts. Clifford had 90 games under his belt already at that level and will end up at the bottom of the defensive spectrum, so hopefully he can force a quick promotion to Double-A. 

The White Sox gave soft landing spots to Bryan Ramos (Double-A Birmingham), Drew Thorpe (Double-A Birmingham), Jairo Iriarte (Double-A Birmingham) and Samuel Zavala (High-A Winston-Salem). It's not abnormal for a team to give prospects they've just acquired in trade (Thorpe, Iriarte, Zavala in this case) conservative assignments just to see what they have, although with Thorpe seemingly close to big-league ready, that one was still a bit surprising. The Ramos one was especially surprising, as he had a 122 wRC+ in 77 games at Double-A last year. 

Chase Petty (CIN) and Tekoah Roby (STL) seemed like they may have been ready for Triple-A, but they were sent back to Double-A instead. The Reds only made Andrew Abbott make seven starts at Triple-A before giving him the call last year, so we should still see Petty this year if he stays fully healthy. Including his first start this year, Roby has already made 15 starts at Double-A, so that one is a bit puzzling. St. Louis has a fully rotation at Triple-A, but none of those guys can match Roby's stuff, and Roby has had a hard time staying healthy, so I would have hoped he'd be just one call away to start the year.

Nick Yorke (BOS), Haydn McGeary (CHC) and Kenedy Corona (HOU) all played over 100 games at Double-A last year and were sent back to that level this year. Corona, who is an elite defensive center fielder, would have probably been exposed against Triple-A pitching, but with Yorke and McGeary, it's a clear sign that their organizations have players they prefer over them who are at Triple-A. Yorke and McGeary are essentially designated hitters, although Yorke still seeing time at second base and left field, and they could have held their own against Triple-A pitching, their teams just aren't prioritizing getting them to the big leagues.

The Reds had some other interesting assignments, with Rhett Lowder, Sal Stewart, Carlos Jorge and Cam Collier all getting sent to High-A Dayton. Lowder, who is making his pro debut this year, was given a lesser assignment than Paul Skenes (PIT) and Hurston Waldrep (ATL), despite the fact that Lowder was seen by most as the most big-league ready pitcher in last year's draft, just behind Skenes. He was given the same assignment as Kyle Carr (NYY), who was a deep sleeper on draft day. This may just be the Reds being super careful with Lowder, but if he struggles against High-A hitters, that would be a big red flag. As for the infielders, Stewart could have been sent to Double-A, Jorge was an obvious High-A assignee, and nobody would have been surprised if Collier was sent back to Single-A for four or six weeks, so the fact they're all on the same roster is interesting. If Collier performs well at this level, he'll be a riser, whereas Stewart, and to a lesser extent, Jorge, should be expected to be some of the better hitters in the Midwest League.

Cooper Hjerpe (STL) was sent back to High-A and Joe Whitman (SF) was sent back to Single-A. They don't have much pro experience, but just based on their age and scouting reports, I would have expected Hjerpe to be at Double-A and Whitman to be at High-A. It won't be a big deal if they pitch well and get a quick promotion, but it would be quite troubling if they were treading water or struggling at their assigned levels.

Walker Martin (SF) and Travis Honeyman (STL) were both surprisingly held back in extended spring training. I'd be hoping that they're banged up, and I assume that's the case with Honeyman, as he's a college hitter who should have been assigned to Single-A or even High-A this year. Honeyman dealt with a shoulder injury last year and didn't play after getting drafted, so perhaps he had a surgery and it was never reported. In the case of Martin, I'd be concerned if I drafted him in an FYPD until he gets assigned. The Giants didn't send him to an affiliate last year, as he was a two-sport player in high school who didn't face good pitching in Colorado, but I would have hoped he'd be up for Single-A as a 20-year-old. 

The Dodgers held back Payton Martin, Maddux Bruns and Ronan Kopp in extended spring training to manage their innings and avoid some cold weather. Similarly, Dodgers hitting prospects Alexander Albertus and Samuel Munoz were held back for a few weeks before heading to Single-A Rancho Cucamonga.

Sammy Stafura (CIN), Yordany De Los Santos (PIT) and Estuar Suero (PIT) are some toolsy hitters who are old enough and physical enough to be sent to Single-A, but their teams held them back in extended spring training, which is a sign to me that they would have been overmatched with an assignment to Single-A. The hit tool is the big concern with all three.

Hitter Absences

Junior Caminero (quad), Jasson Dominguez (TJS rehab), Jordan Lawlar (thumb surgery), Walker Jenkins (hamstring), Noelvi Marte (suspension), Brooks Lee (back), Ronny Mauricio (knee surgery), Edwin Arroyo (shoulder surgery), Jeferson Quero (shoulder), George Valera (hamstring), Zach Dezenzo (wrist), Kristian Robinson (shoulder), Jorbit Vivas (face), Angel Martinez (foot), Brennen Davis (undisclosed), Aeverson Arteaga (thoracic outlet surgery), Zach Cole (hamstring), Jacob Reimer (hamstring), Mason Auer (wrist), Jairo Pomares (back), Max Wagner (hamate), Wade Meckler (undisclosed), Cade Doughty (shoulder), Mikey Romero (back), David McCabe (TJS surgery), Ethan Wilson (appendicitis), Hudson Haskin (hip surgery), Brooks Brannon (knee surgery), Tyler Hardman (TJS rehab), Boston Baro (hamate), Wilfredo Lara (hamate), Adrian Pinto (rib), Lamar King (shoulder surgery), Enmanuel Terrero (wrist), Ryan Burrowes (hand), Jeremy De La Rosa (shoulder), Kemp Alderman (hamate), Jesse Franklin (shoulder)

Pitcher Absences

Andrew Painter (TJS rehab), Chase Hampton (shoulder), Cade Cavalli (TJS rehab), JR Ritchie (TJS rehab), Jhancarlos Lara (oblique), Luis Morales (undisclosed), Orion Kerkering (forearm), Jose Corniell (elbow), Robert Gasser (elbow), Joey Cantillo (hamstring), River Ryan (shoulder), Kumar Rocker (TJS rehab), Matt Canterino (shoulder), Sawyer Gipson-Long (groin), Thomas Harrington (shoulder), Ty Floyd (elbow), Logan Henderson (oblique), Cory Lewis (shoulder), Trevor McDonald (groin), Yordanny Monegro (shoulder), Reggie Crawford (shoulder), Jun-Seok Shim (shoulder), Connor Prielipp (elbow surgery rehab), Dylan Ray (forearm), Nick Frasso (shoulder surgery), Daniel Espino (shoulder surgery), Mike Burrows (TJS rehab), Drew Rom (biceps/shoulder), Marcus Johnson (elbow surgery), Zach Brzykcy (TJS rehab), Raimon Gomez (TJS rehab), Grant Taylor (TJS rehab), Tyler Mattison (TJS surgery), Jimmy Joyce (elbow), Izack Tiger (elbow), Teddy McGraw (elbow surgery rehab), Ryan Costeiu (TJS rehab), Grayson Hitt (TJS rehab), Dahian Santos (forearm), Shane Drohan (shoulder surgery), Colton Gordon (shoulder), Alex McFarlane (TJS rehab), Jake Bennett (TJS rehab), Coleman Crow (TJS rehab), Alonzo Tredwell (undisclosed), Jaxon Wiggins (TJS rehab), Bryan Mata (hamstring), Justin Lange (shoulder), Braden Nett (elbow), Kannon Kemp (shoulder), Kelvin Caceres (shoulder), Cole Miller (TJS surgery), Blake Burkhalter (TJS rehab), T.J. Brock (elbow), Garrett Hawkins (TJS surgery), Brody McCullough (knee surgery), Sean Burke (shoulder), Dax Fulton (TJS rehab), Freddy Tarnok (hip), Taylor Dollard (shoulder surgery rehab), Cole Phillips (second TJS surgery), Jack Perkins (shoulder)