Minor League Barometer: Risers & Fallers

The Rays traded starting shortstop Willy Adames to the Brewers last week, and prospect aficionados went wild. Could this finally be the long-awaited debut for Wander Franco? In classic Tampa Bay fashion, they instead promoted someone else - and it wasn't even Vidal Brujan. It was Taylor Walls, who has been no slouch in his own right.  The third-round pick in 2017 was slashing .327/.468/.490 with two home runs, 10 RBI and two steals in 14 Triple-A contests prior to the call-up. Walls has rewarded the Rays with three hits in his first eight at-bats, but is not expected to bring much power to the table while Franco lies waiting patiently in the wings. With Adames gone, Franco is that much closer to getting to The Show and making all of our dreams come true.

Here are some more movers and shakers in this edition of the Minor League Barometer.

UPGRADE

Hunter Greene, P, CIN – There's plenty of excitement surrounding Greene, a former two-way player who needed Tommy John surgery but is now healthy and absolutely dealing. He can hit triple-digits on the radar gun and has posted a 1.69 ERA and 33:8 K:BB through his first three outings, a span of 21.1 innings while only allowing 11 hits. Greene is just 21 and blowing away the competition at Double-A, so he will be skyrocketing up the prospect charts as long as he can keep his control.

Julio Rodriguez, OF, SEA – There are plenty of prospect pundits who view Rodriguez as the top phenom in all of baseball. Currently at High-A, he's slashing .303/.391/.592 with five home runs - four of those coming in consecutive games - 13 RBI and three steals through 18 contests. Just 20, Rodriguez has the chance to be a five-tool dynamo and could be joining Jarred Kelenic in the big leagues as early as next season.

Ronny Mauricio, SS, NYM – The Mets are going to take a lot of flak for some of their curious recent prospect moves, including dealing the aforementioned Kelenic and Simeon Woods Richardson in separate deals. Still, they've got some pretty stellar options remaining on the farm.  Along with catcher Francisco Alvarez, Mauricio could be a future star and third base may end up being his eventual landing spot. As a hitter, he offers blossoming power having already blasted four home runs at High-A this season and equaling his mark from 2019. Mauricio's impatience at the dish could become an issue at the higher levels, but will be less of a problem if his power continues to shine.

Luis Medina, P, NYY – Medina has been lights out at Double-A through four starts as the righty has produced a 1.45 ERA and 32:9 K:BB in 18.2 innings. Walks have always held him back, but thus far he's been able to limit the free passes and thus the subsequent damage. Medina has electric stuff and strikeouts have never been a concern. If his control is consistently better, he'll soon push his way into the Top 100 prospects in all of baseball.

CHECK STATUS

Heriberto Hernandez, OF, TB – Hernandez is polished beyond his years at the dish. He's drawn 13 walks in 15 contests at Low-A while his On-Base Percentage checks in at an impressive .431.  Despite the fact Hernandez is only hitting .241, the toolsy backstop also has three homers and a surprising three steals. Dealt to the Rays in the Nate Lowe deal, he gives Tampa yet another potentially high-impact bat while hitting the ball hard and offering the chance for both power and average.

Gunnar Henderson, SS, BAL – Due to the lost 2020 minor league campaign as well as the restructuring of the minors as a whole, there will be more prospects making their debuts in full-season ball. Henderson is one of those prospects, a second round pick in 2019 who's currently at Low-A. He's been raking out of the gate hitting .339/.417/.661 with five home runs, 25 RBI and three steals through 15 contests. Henderson could emerge as the Orioles' top hitting prospect not named Adley Rutschman.

Michael Toglia, 1B, COL – Toglia is a powerful switch-hitter who is among the better prospects in the Colorado system. He's already flashed some of that power with six home runs in 18 games at High-A. The question for Toglia will be whether he can hit for average as he's currently batting just .153 and only hit .248 in 41 games in the Rookie League during 2019. Strikeouts will also be a large part of the equation, though he's also good at drawing walks. Toglia could end up being a true three-outcome player, but the promise of future games being played at Coors Field is awfully appealing.

Tahnaj Thomas, P, PIT – Thomas has had an electric start to the season at High-A. The Bahamian was drafted by the Indians, but came over to the Bucs as part of the Jordan Luplow deal following the 2018 campaign. Thomas has been brought along slowly by each organization, but 2021 could be his coming out party and he's already impressed with a 20:5 K:BB across 12 innings. His command has improved vastly over the years and has consistently averaged more than a strikeout per inning during his brief time in the minors. Thomas needs more reps, but offers a three-pitch arsenal capped off by a heater than can reach the upper-90s. His stock could be on the rise for an organization starving for pitching talent.

DOWNGRADE

Jonathan Bowlan, P, KC – Bowlan is one of a bevy of pitching prospects marching through the organizational ranks for the Royals. Unfortunately, he exited his most recent start due to an undisclosed injury after just 10 pitches at Double-A. Bowlan had found little resistance in full-season ball prior to the injury with a stellar 2019 campaign between Low-A and High-A where he amassed a 150:23 K:BB over 146 innings. He was off to a solid start in 2021 compiling a 1.59 ERA and 25:3 K:BB in 17 innings prior to the injury. We'll await word on the severity of Bowlan's issue.

Chris Seise, SS, TEX – One has to feel for Seise, who has been snake-bitten by injuries during his time in the minors. Profiled as a possible breakout candidate this season, Seise has experienced issues with both shoulders. This time, he suffered a torn ACL in his right knee and will be sidelined for the remainder of 2021. Seise hasn't played above A-ball and will be 23 when he returns to action next season, which severely hampers his future prowess.

Jackson Rutledge, P, WAS – A shoulder injury knocked Rutledge out of his most recent start at High-A. Whether it was serious or whether it contributed to his slow start is unknown. Considered one of the top prospects in the Washington system, Rutledge had been battered and bruised prior to the injury allowing a staggering 15 earned runs in four starts lasting just 10.2 innings. Opposing batters hit .370 and he produced almost as many walks as strikeouts. Either way, something is clearly off with Rutledge.

Bryce Ball, 1B, ATL – The good news is Ball still has plenty of power and continues to draw plenty of walks. The bad news is that strikeouts are a problem and his .329 average from 2019 may have been an aberration. Though the sample size is small, Ball is hitting just .196 through 15 games at High-A. His power will carry him, but it will be interesting to see how he adjusts to being pitched at the higher levels, especially given his height of 6'6".