Minor League Barometer: Future Sweet for Honeywell

Several high-profile pitching prospects made their season or MLB premieres this week. The Rays' Blake Snell got his first big-league start Saturday at Yankee Stadium against the Bronx Bombers. Snell more than held his own, allowing one run on two hits in five innings. Snell fanned six batters and walked one, featuring a 95-mph heater and a devastating curveball.

Meanwhile, Colorado's Jon Gray came off the disabled list Friday to make his season debut. Gray pitched about 40 innings last season for the Rockies but started this year on the shelf with an oblique injury. Gray had quite an interesting season premiere; he allowed five runs but also struck out 10 in five innings. That means when he could record an out, two of every three were strikeouts. Unfortunately for Gray, his home starts, like Friday, will come in the thin air of Colorado.

And finally, Aaron Blair made his MLB debut Sunday for the Braves. Blair was part of the Shelby Miller trade with the Diamondbacks. All three hurlers are considered top-100 prospects in baseball.

Who could be next in line? Let's look in this week's Minor League Barometer.

UPGRADE

Sean Manaea, P, OAK - Manaea has made batters look foolish at Triple-A. Through three starts, the 24-year-old southpaw has a 1.50 ERA and 21:4 K:BB in 18 innings. Built in the mold of Yankees starter CC Sabathia, Manaea is a power lefty with massive strikeout numbers. He has also showed improved control since a semi-erratic 2014 campaign. Acquired from the Kanas City Royals in the Ben Zobrist deal, Manaea has ace potential, but he also must stay healthy, as he has had durability concerns. It remains to be seen how long Chris Bassitt or Eric Surkamp will stay in the rotation. If either pitcher continues to struggle, Manaea could be the first hurler to get the call.

Brent Honeywell, P, TB - Just because he throws a screwball doesn't mean that Honeywell should be ignored, or that he's simply a gimmicky pitcher. The screwball is just one of several pitches in the 21-year-old's arsenal, and he has used them all to near perfection to begin the 2016 campaign. Through 24.2 innings at High-A, Honeywell has a 0.73 ERA and a staggering 26:2 K:BB. It is clear these hitters are no match for Honeywell, who can locate his pitches with great effectiveness. The Rays are notoriously conservative in promoting their prospects, though. Nevertheless, Honeywell has now started 16 games at this level dating to last season. In other words, a promotion to Double-A should be in the cards for Honeywell shortly.

James Kaprielian, P, NYY - Like Honeywell, Kaprielian has dominated the competition at High-A through the early part of the season. A 2015 first-round pick out of UCLA, Kaprielian has the frame of a frontline starter. He has delivered thus far, posting a 1.50 ERA and a 22:3 K:BB in 18 innings. The polished college pitcher could rise quickly through the ranks, as he already has stellar secondary offerings to complement a fastball that has been more explosive than expected. The ability to throw strikes can also never be underestimated.

Andrew Knapp, C, PHI - The injury to Jorge Alfaro only furthers the notion that Knapp will reach the big leagues first. Now, Knapp is three years older than Alfaro anyway, and also at Triple-A, while Alfaro remains at Double-A for the time being. Nevertheless, with Alfaro hitting .500 to begin the year at Double-A, it would not have been crazy to wonder what the Phils would do with both backstops playing at such a high level. The injury to Alfaro all but assures Knapp will get the call when Cameron Rupp and Carlos Ruiz either get injured or begin to falter with the bat. Knapp is batting .286/.405/.486 with two home runs and seven RBI through 10 games for Triple-A Lehigh Valley. While there is no rush to promote him, Knapp is almost certainly on the radar for a callup at some point in 2016.

CHECK STATUS

Trey Mancini, 1B, BAL - Mancini has picked up right where he left off last season. In 82 games at Double-A in 2015, Mancini hit .359 with 13 home runs and 57 RBI. Starting at the same level in 2016, the 24-year-old slugger has a staggering 1.201 OPS to begin the year, having mashed seven home runs and knocked in 14 runs through 16 games. Mancini has more than proven his ability to handle Double-A pitching, but the issue is actually organizational. The O's have Christian Walker at first at Triple-A, and just signed Chris Davis to a massive contract during the offseason. As a result, Mancini is blocked by not one but two players at his position. Add in the presence of players like Pedro Alvarez and Mark Trumbo at the designated hitting slot, and there is absolutely no room for Mancini at the higher levels now. As such, he'll bide his time at Double-A until opportunity strikes, whether in the form of an injury or a trade.

Richard Urena, SS, TOR - The 20-year-old shortstop from the Dominican Republic is scorching out of the gates for High-A Dunedin. Urena is slashing .345/.368/.491 with two home runs, six RBI and one steal through 13 games. In his first try at full-season ball in 2015, Urena was not overmatched as a teenager. He hit .262 with 16 home runs, 66 RBI and eight steals in 121 games between Low-A and High-A. The power display, particularly at his age and position, is most notable. Still, he was rather impatient at the dish, fanning 110 times while drawing just 16 walks in 2015. He has just two walks through 13 games in 2016. Urena's plate discipline must improve as he ascends to the higher levels, but it is difficult to frown at his hot start overall, particularly when looking at the power potential.

Ke'Bryan Hayes, 3B, PIT - The son of former big-leaguer Charlie Hayes, Ke'Bryan is also scalding the ball to begin the year, hitting .393 through 14 games for Low-A West Virginia. A first-round selection in last year's draft, the 19-year-old Hayes is still a few years away from the majors. His power stroke is developing, and certainly will be something to watch as he matures. Hayes will also have to take more walks once his batting average comes down to earth, as he has just three free passes in 2016. Still, he's rather polished for his age, has an MLB pedigree and is batting a crisp .425 over his last 10 games. Hayes is definitely a prospect to keep on the radar.

Mike Soroka, P, ATL - Soroka's first taste of full-season ball has been a breeze. The 18-year-old has a 1.80 ERA and 23:3 K:BB through 20 innings for Low-A Rome. Yet another first-round pick from last year's draft, Soroka has shown exceptional control during his brief professional career, utilizing his fastball/curveball combination. The development of his other secondary pitches will go a long way toward determining his future path, but Soroka is dominating as he should.

DOWNGRADE

Dillon Tate, P, TEX - Tate was off to a stellar start to the season until an injury derailed the beginning of his 2016 campaign. A right hamstring strain has forced Tate to the disabled list, and the Rangers are certain to be cautious with their first round pick from a season ago. Tate had been dominant through the first two starts of the season, and could have been a candidate for a quick promotion, being a college pitcher out of UC Santa Barbara. In 10 innings, Tate did not allow an earned run while posting a 16:1 K:BB. The upside for Tate remains tantalizingly high, but any notion of a quick rise through the system is surely to have been stunted by this minor injury.

Rob Kaminsky, P, CLE - After tossing five scoreless innings in his Double-A debut to begin the 2016 season, Kaminsky has been rocked in his following two outings. Over that span of 10 innings, the 21-year-old lefty has allowed a staggering 18 hits and 11 earned runs. Taking a deeper look into the statistics, it is clear that Kaminsky is not hitting his spots. A groundball pitcher who usually throws strikes, Kaminsky has already allowed two home runs through three starts in 2016. By contrast, he did not allow a single home run in 19 starts last season. In addition, he has just three strikeouts as compared to nine walks in 15 innings. The sample size is small, but there is clearly something off with Kaminsky , who was a first-round selection out of high school in 2016.

Carson Fulmer, P, CWS - Fulmer has been blown up over the course of three starts at Double-A Birmingham. A first-round pick and polished college starter from last year's draft, Fulmer skipped right over Low-A and took his talents to High-A Wilmington, where he posted a 2.05 ERA and 25:9 K:BB in 22 innings before the minor league season came to a close. His start to 2016 lies in stark contrast, though, as he has allowed 12 earned runs in 12.2 innings en route to a bloated 8.53 ERA. Hoffman has been done in by a combination of wildness and the home-run ball. He allowed three dingers in those three starts, but also tallied more walks (10) than strikeouts (8). With just 35.2 professional innings under his belt, it is far too son to panic, but suffice to say the 2016 season has not started as Fulmer hoped.

Ryan McMahon, 3B, COL - McMahon is off to a slow start at Double-A Hartford, as he is finding the move from the hitter-friendly confines of the California League to be a rough transition. The 21-year-old is slashing just .228/.308/.333 through 16 games. McMahon has not hit below .282 at any level heading into this season. He has also failed to hit a home run thus far in 2016, while striking out 21 times over those 16 contests. Strikeouts have been a concern from McMahon throughout his career; he fanned 153 times in 132 games despite a stellar season overall at High-A Modesto. Double-A is perhaps the most important level in terms of player development and future projection, so McMahon's production could go a long way toward determining his future trajectory. He's still getting his feet wet at this level, of course, but he has certainly not gotten off to an ideal start.