Minor League Barometer: Farm Insights

Now that Ronald Acuna is raking in the big leagues and staying in Atlanta, who is the top minor league prospect in the game? That honor has to go to Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. The third baseman is currently crushing the ball at Double-A in the Toronto Blue Jays organization, slashing .398/.455/.624 with three home runs and a staggering 30 RBI in just 24 games. The teenager has the same amount of walks as strikeouts (12). Junior has been white-hot of late, hitting an absurd .514 over his last 10 contests. And he hit a ball out of the stadium at Double-A Binghamton last week. The hype is real for the younger Vladdy, as it is only a matter of when, not if, he reaches the big leagues.

Let's take stock of some other risers and fallers in this edition of the Minor League Barometer.

UPGRADE

Taylor Trammell, OF, CIN – Nick Senzel gets most of the pub in terms of Reds prospects, but Trammell is quickly working his way into the conversation. The toolsy outfielder has speed, the ability to get on base, and an emerging power stroke. Trammell profiles as a prototypical leadoff hitter. He makes contact (17 walks and 17 strikeouts in 26 games in 2018) and swiped 41 bags last season. He already has three home runs this season as well at High-A after hitting 13 a season ago. Trammell has been surging recently as well, batting .361 over his last 10 contests. Trammell's speed and plate discipline remain his best assets, but if his power continues to develop, there won't be anything he can't do in the batter's box.

Yusniel Diaz, OF, LAD – The Dodgers recently called up neophyte Alex Verdugo to the bigs due to the injury to Yasiel Puig, but their minor league system is still stacked with some outfield talent. That includes the 21-year-old Diaz, who began the year in extended spring training due to a variety of minor ailments but has been raking since his reassignment to Double-A. Diaz is hitting .340/.444/.604 through 14 games. He has eight extra-base hits over that span, including two home runs. He has also swiped four bases already. Diaz may be on the verge of a breakout year for the Dodgers, as he has collected more walks (10) than strikeouts (9) through the early part of his season. With double-digit potential in home runs and steals, along with a year more of an adjustment to baseball in the United States, Diaz is worth keeping on the prospect radar.

Royce Lewis, SS, MIN – The top pick in last year's draft has hit the ground running for the Twins, quite literally in fact. Lewis has nine stolen bases in his first 18 games at Low-A Cedar Rapids. Lewis is anything but a one-trick pony, though, as he is hitting an impressive .356 with a .405 On-Base Percentage. The Twins feel some power will emerge as he matures as well. Nick Gordon is the shortstop of the immediate future, but Lewis is a viewed as a potential cornerstone when he eventually arrives.

Dylan Cease, P, CHW – The hard-throwing righty was recently named Player of the Week in the Carolina League, and currently leads all hurlers with 42 strikeouts. Cease came over from the Cubs as part of last year's Jose Quintana trade, and has shown flashes of dominance mixed with injury and inconsistency. Cease was drafted way back in 2014, but is still just 22 years of age. His control has been a tad suspect, and he has yet to pitch more than 100 innings in a minor league season. That being said, he is off to a scintillating start in 2018 with a 1.95 ERA through six starts for High-A Kannapolis. Cease has always had superb strikeout stuff, striking out about 12 batters per nine innings throughout his professional career. Cease may finally be turning the corner and fulfilling his lofty promise.

CHECK STATUS

Peter Alonso, 1B, NYM – The Mets have former first-round pick Dominic Smith waiting in the wings in Triple-A, and veteran Adrian Gonzalez holding down first base in the bigs. That should take nothing away from Alonso, though, who has been absolutely mashing to begin the 2018 campaign. The 23-year-old is hitting a robust .370/.482/.707 with eight home runs and 23 RBI through 26 games for Double-A Binghamton. His plate discipline has been superb, as he has almost as many walks (17) as strikeouts (20). In other words, he is seeing the ball extremely well and making contact. Once again, his path appears to be blocked at this time, but if he continues to rake, Alonso may force the Mets to make some sort of decision.

Austin Riley, 3B, ATL – The future infield for the Braves is really starting to take an impressive form, with second baseman Ozzie Albies scorching out of the gate and perennial All-Star Freddie Freeman at first. Although Dansby Swanson is injured, he is viewed at the future at shortstop. The only current question mark is at third base, though Riley is likely the projected starter at that position as early as next season. The 21-year-old is already on his way to Triple-A after being promoted, having hit .333/.394/.677 with six home runs and 20 RBI in 27 games at Double-A. Power is Riley's best tool, as he has at least 20 home runs in each of the last two seasons in the minors. Like Alonso above, the only thing holding Riley back is the glut of players in front of him. After their hot start, the Braves took a flier on Jose Bautista, and they also have Ryan Flaherty and Johan Camargo as well, all who can play the hot corner. As a result, Riley may not be able to crack the big-league roster this season, and he will continue to work on cutting down his strikeouts and drawing a few more walks until his number is called.

Thomas Jones, OF, MIA – How about some good news for the Marlins? A third round selection in the 2016 draft, the Jones is athletically gifted, having starred on the gridiron as well as the diamond in high school. He struggled mightily making contact last season, though, as his focus shifted to exclusively baseball. As a result he was held back in extended spring training until last week, when he was assigned to Low-A Greensboro. Jones arrived with a bang, smashing four home runs in his first three games with the Grasshoppers. He will still likely struggle with strikeouts for now, but the 20-year-old does have the physical tools in terms of power and speed to be noticed.

Jonathan Arauz, SS, HOU – As if the Astros need another middle infield prospect, Arauz has made his presence felt in just 27 games for Low-A Quad Cities. The teenager is slashing .309/.419/.557 with four home runs, 21 RBI and four steals. A switch-hitter, Arauz has shown polish well beyond his years in the batter's box, accumulating more walks (18) than strikeouts (14). Clearly the Astros are set up the middle of the diamond, but Arauz is a ways away from making a big league impact in any event, and he was not considered one of the better Houston prospects coming into the season. In other words, it would be smart to take a "wait and see" approach with Arauz.

DOWNGRADE

Jorge Mateo, SS, OAK – The bump to Triple-A has not been kind to Mateo, who came over to the A's from the New York Yankees in the Sonny Gray trade last season. The speedy Mateo is off to a sluggish start at Triple-A Nashville, batting just .187/.228/.229 through 27 games in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. Mateo has fanned 33 times over that span, while drawing just six walks. As a result of his inability to get on base, Mateo's stolen base numbers have suffered. He is on pace for his lowest stolen base total since entering full-season ball. Add in the jam-packed middle infield for the Athletics (Jed Lowrie, Marcus Semien and Franklin Barreto), and the 22-year-old Mateo may be looking at spending the entire year in the minors, even if he can rebound from his woeful start.

Carter Kieboom, SS, WAS – Kieboom has been bringing the boom in terms of power thus far this season, hitting five home runs and driving in 20 runs in 29 games for High-A Carolina. Unfortunately, the upswing in power has also caused a downturn in his batting average. The 20-year-old is hitting just .205 to begin the 2018 campaign. Kieboom does have 19 walks to his credit, he is simply just not making enough contact at this point in time. Another question, for another time, is where Kieboom may end up playing with Trea Turner at shortstop and Anthony Rendon at third base. Second base may end up being his ultimate landing spot, with Daniel Murphy showing an inability to stay healthy at the age of 33. Still, Kieboom is at least a year away, if not more.

Heliot Ramos, OF, SF – The struggles are to be expected for Ramos, a first round pick from last year's draft who has been compared to Yoenis Cespedes. Ramos is quite raw, and an adjustment to full-season ball has posed the requisite problems. Ramos has too many strikeouts, not enough walks, a batting average near the Mendoza Line, and he's even been caught stealing a bunch of times. The development will be slow for Ramos, who will not turn 19 years of age until later this year. He has monstrous potential, but this downgrade is simply a warning that he won't see the big leagues for at least a couple of years, if not longer.

Sixto Sanchez, P, PHI – Sanchez rocketed up the prospect charts last season buoyed by pinpoint control and 100 mph fastball. His results have been far more mediocre in 2018, though admittedly the sample size is small. In just four starts for High-A Clearwater, Sanchez has a 4.71 ERA. He has fanned just 16 batters in 21 innings, while also walking seven batters. By way of comparison, he walked 18 batters in 95 innings last year. In addition, Sanchez has been much more hittable, as opposing batters have a .282 BAA. Sanchez has three plus pitches and standout control when right, but he will need to show better command of those pitches against hitters at the higher levels. Sanchez is just 19 years of age and has plenty of time to develop, but a temporary downgrade is in order based upon a lackluster start to his year.