Minor League Barometer: Risers & Fallers

Perhaps no prospect has gained more status this season than Emmet Sheehan. The Dodgers hurler made his MLB debut Friday and tossed six scoreless innings. Sheehan only struck out three batters, though expect plenty more Ks as he gets a few more appearances. The 23-year-old only required two years from being drafted in 2021 to reaching the big leagues, having fanned a staggering 228 batters across 137 minor-league innings. The former sixth-round pick has already exceeded expectations and is expected to be a key contributor for LA for the rest of this season, and certainly beyond.

Let's check out some other movers and shakers in this edition of the Minor League Barometer.

UPGRADE

Juan Brito, 2B, CLE – Brito showed advanced polish at the plate to begin the season at High-A with more walks (24) than strikeouts (21) over 35 games. That earned the switch-hitting middle infielder a quick promotion to Double-A, where the 21-year-old has been even better through 18 outings hitting .358/.463/.552 with three home runs and 12 RBI and more free passes than Ks. Brito recorded double-digit home runs and steals a season ago at Low-A, so he does offer some pop to go with the speed. Combined with a stellar approach at the dish, his stock should continue to rise.

Victor Bericoto, 1B, SF – Bericoto has improved his power profile despite a rather thin frame.  After belting 12 homers a year ago, the 21-year-old already has 13 in 59 games at High-A while slashing .311/.366/.550. The uptick in power has not only not affected Bericoto's ability to hit for average, but it's also leveled off his strikeouts while taking a decent amount of walks. Signed in 2018 at just 16, 2023 finally appears to be Bericoto's coming out party.

Noah Schultz, P, CHW – The 26th selection in last year's draft, Schultz was sidelined for the first two months of the season due to a forearm strain. Thankfully, the injury didn't lead to anything more serious and the 19-year-old southpaw has returned to the mound. Though Schultz is being brought along slowly, he's only allowed one hit from three outings to begin his pro career. The 6-9 southpaw also lists a 12:1 K:BB over a span of seven innings. Schultz's sample size is incredibly small and probably won't reach the majors for a few seasons, though there's massive upside as long as he can stay healthy.

Luis Lara, OF, MIL – Lara's lack of size hasn't hurt him so far during his first full season of professional ball. In fact, he's been excelling at Low-A batting .323 with a .448 OBP through 31 game to go with 27 walks and only 14 strikeouts while also swiping 11 bases. Lara will get knocked for only being 5'7" and 155 pounds, yet that is largely out of his control and the teenager isn't completely devoid of power with a homer and five doubles. The quality of his contact and at-bats given his youth should generate plenty of excitement from the Brewers.

CHECK STATUS

Kyren Paris, SS, LAA – Paris has already experienced plenty of ups and downs during his time in the Angels organization. A second-round pick in 2019 as a 17-year-old straight out of high school, he's displayed flashes while battling health issues. Paris only played 47 games in 2021, then 105 during 2022 while hitting under .230 for the majority of the season. Nevertheless, he showed an intriguing power/speed combination that year with 12 home runs and 33 steals. That trend has continued into 2023 at Double-A with 11 and 20 steals of each so far. On the downside, Paris continues to battle strikeout concerns with 88 whiffs and is only batting .242. He has demonstrated the ability to take a walk, yet the red flags in terms of his ability to hit for average and make consistent contact will ultimately limit his upside - even with the standout athleticism and other loud tools.

Justin Crawford, OF, PHI – Perhaps unsurprisingly, Carl Crawford's son is also fast with Justin already racking up 28 stolen bases in only 42 games at Low-A. The 19-year-old hasn't been too shabby with the bat either by going .339 with a .396 OBP. Crawford rarely lifts the ball and doesn't appear to be destined to hit for power despite a frame to do so. The lack of homers will inevitably cause his prospect profile to be dinged, but the fact remains he'll still provide plenty of value for both the Phillies and fantasy squads when he eventually gets to the big leagues if he can hit for average and steal plenty of bases.

Roman Anthony, OF, BOS – Anthony is a player whose conventional statistics don't tell the whole story. He hits the ball hard and registered the same amount of walks and strikeouts over 42 games at Low-A earlier this season. Anthony just turned 19, yet was promoted to High-A due to his advanced polish at the dish and the fact he stole 11 bases. The hope is his raw power will translate to in-game production, and that he'll be able to consistently hit.

Won-Bin Cho, OF, STL – Signed at the beginning of 2022 out of South Korea, Cho has more than held his own at Low-A so far slashing .290/.397/.392 with two home runs, 24 RBI and 17 stolen bases. Despite the lack of in-game power, he's demonstrated significant power potential in the past. Cho has just been struggling to elevate the ball, as evidenced by his 1.83 GO:AO. Still only a teenager, he should fill out and already boasts exceptional speed and athleticism while potentially playing at any of the three outfield positions. If the power breakout ever occurs, Cho will become a highly coveted prospect.

DOWNGRADE

Mason Auer, OF, TB – Auer offers superior athleticism, though questions have always existed as to whether he can hit for enough average. That certainly hasn't been answered so far in 2023 as he's batting .181 through 56 contests at Double-A while fanning 90 times.  Auer does have 27 steals to go with five home runs, but the jump to this level has clearly been difficult in terms of making consistent contact. He went a combined .290 last season between Low-A and High-A, so the potential exists of a turnaround.

Aaron Zavala, OF, TEX – An elbow injury kept Zavala on the shelf for the first month or so, and he's still yet to find his stride since slashing .212/.360/.333 through 25 games at Double-A. He's produced three homers and four steals, but his performance in the batter's box has been far different than a season ago. In 2022, Zavala went over .275 at both High-A and Double-A while notching almost as many walks as strikeouts en route to and OBP over .400 On-Base Percentage at each stop. Contrast that with the current campaign, where he's fanned 46 times. The elbow issue could still be bothering Zavala, and the sample size is relatively small.

Bubba Chandler, P, PIT – Chandler was drafted as a two-way player by the Pirates in 2021, yet he demonstrated much more promise on the mound than at the dish last year and the organization decided to have him focus solely on pitching this season. Unfortunately, the results haven't been ideal with a bloated 6.44 ERA through 50.1 innings at High-A. Chandler has also allowed too many baserunners with 34 free passes while opposing hitters are hitting .294 against. He remains a work-in-progress, and this season has been a far cry from what Pittsburgh or the prospect had hoped for.