This article is part of our Minor League Barometer series.
The Rays have a really good problem with the top end of their farm system bursting with talent and ready to make an impact at the big-league level. In fact, most outlets had Tampa as one of the best - if not the top-ranked - farm system in baseball coming into 2021. And after making the World Series last season, they appear to be in no rush to hurry their prized phenoms to The Show, especially its position prospects. There's also the organizational philosophy of holding back players, partly for on-field, maturity and monetary reasons.
Tampa has been known to be on the cutting edge of many advancements in baseball over the years from the shift to the implementation of an opener, so it's almost ironic they're so conservative when it comes to prospects. However, largely due to financial constraints, they are focused on winning games in the most cost-efficient way possible. Whatever the Rays have been doing in terms of scouting, player development and organizational philosophy, it's produced a stacked farm system along with significant on-field results. The philosophy and execution have been incredible.
Fantasy owners are not as sympathetic to the good fortune of the Rays. Players like Wander Franco, Vidal Brujan and Josh Lowe would likely already be getting everyday at-bats in the big-leagues if they were on another organization. The handling of young starting pitchers with kid gloves must also be mentioned. As a result, there's almost no telling when Franco, Brujan and Lowe will eventually get to the bigs, and that can
The Rays have a really good problem with the top end of their farm system bursting with talent and ready to make an impact at the big-league level. In fact, most outlets had Tampa as one of the best - if not the top-ranked - farm system in baseball coming into 2021. And after making the World Series last season, they appear to be in no rush to hurry their prized phenoms to The Show, especially its position prospects. There's also the organizational philosophy of holding back players, partly for on-field, maturity and monetary reasons.
Tampa has been known to be on the cutting edge of many advancements in baseball over the years from the shift to the implementation of an opener, so it's almost ironic they're so conservative when it comes to prospects. However, largely due to financial constraints, they are focused on winning games in the most cost-efficient way possible. Whatever the Rays have been doing in terms of scouting, player development and organizational philosophy, it's produced a stacked farm system along with significant on-field results. The philosophy and execution have been incredible.
Fantasy owners are not as sympathetic to the good fortune of the Rays. Players like Wander Franco, Vidal Brujan and Josh Lowe would likely already be getting everyday at-bats in the big-leagues if they were on another organization. The handling of young starting pitchers with kid gloves must also be mentioned. As a result, there's almost no telling when Franco, Brujan and Lowe will eventually get to the bigs, and that can be extremely frustrating from a fantasy perspective.
Not every team is as intent on holding back their prospects. Let's take a look at some players making waves in this edition of the Minor League Barometer.
UPGRADE
CJ Abrams, SS, SD – Just 20 and already one of the top prospects in the game, Abrams is off to an exceptional start to 2021 hitting .306/.382/.510 with two home runs, seven RBI and three steals through 12 contests for Double-A San Antonio. Like the Rays above, the Padres also face a good problem with Fernando Tatis the present and future at shortstop, but Abrams on the cusp of stardom as well. Abrams will probably end up shifting over to second base, but the Padres will find room for his bat possibly as early as September.
Trevor Hauver, 2B/OF, NYY – Fewer hitters have been hotter than Hauver to begin this campaign. A third-round pick in last year's Draft, he's slashing .343/.510/.886 through 10 games at Low-A and has already produced six home runs and 14 RBI. Perhaps the polished Arizona State product should be dominating at this level, as he was viewed as a bat-first prospect with the potential for plus power and currently has more walks (13) than strikeouts (12). It remains to be seen where Hauver will end up defensively on the diamond, but his bat is for real. And if he continues to hit this way, he could quickly move up the organizational ranks.
Francisco Alvarez, C, NYM – It's unclear why Alvarez isn't getting more pub, particularly due to the lack of prospect depth at his position. Adley Rutschman is viewed as the cream of the crop in terms of catching prospects, and rightly so. That being said, the gap between him and Alvarez is not all that wide. The comparison is difficult as Rutschman is a polished college bat at Double-A at 23 while Alvarez is still a teenager at Low-A. While Alvarez is certainly much farther away from the big leagues, he is making quick work of the opposition so far. He left Thursday's game following a collision at home plate, but was not seriously injured. Alvarez is slashing .448/.575/.655 with one homer, five RBI and one steal through the first 10 outings.
Cade Cavalli, P, WAS – Cavalli has been lights out at High-A through two starts as he hasn't allowed a run through 10 innings while fanning 15 batters and walking four. The 22nd overall selection in 2020 boasts a four-pitch arsenal anchored by a stellar fastball and plus slider. While Cavalli had some injury history and a penchant for wildness in college, he has ideal size at 6'4"/225, a clean repeatable delivery, and could skyrocket through the ranks.
CHECK STATUS
Liover Peguero, SS, PIT – Apparently the only thing that could stop Peguero at High-A was an injury and he's already on the Injured List due to a bruised knee. The timing is unfortunate, as he was off to a scalding start at High-A batting .364 with two home runs, four RBI and four steals through the first six games of the season. Fortunately, the injury is not considered serious, so Peguero should be back on the diamond shortly. At just 20, he's a prospect to watch especially if he returns from the Injured List with a vengeance.
Heliot Ramos, OF, SF – Ramos surged right out of the gate for Double-A Richmond before cooling down a bit over the weekend. Still just 21, he's slashing an absurd .262/.354/.500 with two home runs, five RBI and three stolen bases through 11 contests. The stolen bases are particularly interesting, as Ramos averaged fewer than 10 steals in each of his first three seasons in the minors. Though the swipes should not be expected, they will only add further value to his prospect profile. Ramos enjoyed a big spring training and is off to a solid start, so his stock is definitely trending upwards with a possible MLB debut on the horizon.
Michael Busch, 2B, LAD – Busch parlayed an exceptional showing in the Arizona Fall Instructional League last year into some prospect buzz. Despite playing just 10 "real" games coming into the season, he's been assigned to Double-A Tulsa. Busch already has five home runs and nine RBI through nine games at this level and is supposed to hit for both average and power. His biggest weakness will be where he ends up playing on the diamond, though the Dodgers are attempting to turn that into a strength as he will be moved around the diamond in an effort to increase his positional versatility. Busch is rising fast up the prospect charts, but some tangible results on the field would be nice before crowning him as a top up-and-coming prospect.
Blaine Crim, 1B, TEX – The Rangers are looking for some hope from their farm system, and certainly the start to the season for Evan Carter has to give them some hope. In addition, Crim is an unheralded first baseman out of Mississippi College who was drafted in the 19th round in 2019. All Crim has done is hit since entering the minors. He scalded the ball in rookie and short-season leagues in 2019, and the long hiatus has done little to stop his rise. Crim skipped Low-A altogether and is currently slashing .263/.404/.605 with four home runs and seven RBI through 12 games at High-A. He can work the count, make consistent contact and also hit the ball over the fence. Crim will turn 24 in June, but could be advanced quickly if he continues to hit at this rate.
DOWNGRADE
Corbin Carroll, OF, ARI – The Barometer jinx strikes again. Just one week after touting Carroll's hot start, the elite outfield phenom will miss the remainder of the 2021 campaign due to a shoulder injury and will require season-ending surgery. One of the top prospects in all of baseball, he was hitting .435 with two home runs, five RBI and three steals through seven appearances for High-A Hillsboro. Though it was unlikely Carroll would see the big leagues this season, the injury may push back his ETA to the Majors from 2022 to 2023.
Nolan Jones, 3B, CLE – Jones is off to a dreadful start at Triple-A Columbus going 3-for-36 in eight games along with 20 strikeouts. While he's always had a penchant for Ks, that has previously not been as much of a concern due to his patience at the dish with high walk totals and the ability to hit for average as well as power. The sample size is small, but with zero home runs thus far and not many hits (or walks) to show for his efforts, it's clear Jones will need some more time in the minors before joining the big-league ranks.
Francisco Morales, P, PHI – Other than Aaron Nola, the Phillies have had difficulty developing pitching prospects in recent years. Spencer Howard has not had the expected impact thus far, and 2020 No. 1 selection Mick Abel is only getting his feet wet at Low-A. Morales lies in between the two aforementioned hurlers in terms of developmental timeline, but he's off to a rough start at Double-A allowing a staggering 15 runs in only three starts over a span of only 7.2 innings. While he does have 11 strikeouts, he's also issued six free passes and opposing batters are hitting .333 against him. Morales's ERA is more than two touchdowns right now and that will eventually come down, but this is certainly not the start he had envisioned.
