Minor League Barometer: That's a Wrap

The final Minor League Barometer of the season will serve as a summary of the biggest risers and fallers of the 2017 campaign. We will highlight prospects that have taken their game to new heights and those that have fallen short of expectations. As always, not every prospect can be mentioned. In addition, phenoms already making waves in the big leagues, such as Cody Bellinger and Rhys Hoskins, have been omitted.

UPGRADE

Ronald Acuna, OF, ATL – The Year of Acuna won't finish in the major leagues, but the teenaged phenom will enter the 2018 campaign as the top prospect in all of baseball. Acuna tormented minor league pitching in 2017, arguably getting better with each subsequent promotion. He started in High-A with a slash line of .287/.336/.478, hitting three home runs while stealing 14 bases in 28 contests. The Braves aggressively pushed Acuna to Double-A, where he rewarded the organization by hitting .326/.374/.520 with nine home runs, 30 RBI and 19 steals in 57 games. Acuna then took his talents to Triple-A Gwinnett, where he's hitting .344/.393/.548 with nine home runs, 33 RBI and 11 steals in 54 games. In sum, Acuna hit .325 with 21 home runs, 82 RBI and 44 steals across three levels in 2016. He has elite speed, emerging power and an uncanny ability to make contact. He will perform in the Arizona Fall League with an eye towards seeing the big leagues in 2018. The only question will be if the Braves can justify keeping him in the minors any longer.

Vladimir Guerrero, Jr., 3B, TOR – Guerrero lived up to the hype this season, and along with teammate Bo Bichette, took the lower levels of the minors by storm. The 18-year-old showed plate discipline far beyond his years, tallying more walks (76) than strikeouts (62) in 119 games between Low-A and High-A. Guerrero hit .323/.425/.485 with 13 home runs, 76 RBI and eight steals in total in 2017. His power is expected to come around as he fills out, but you cannot teach Junior's approach at the dish. Those are simply great genes passed down from his father. With Josh Donaldson expected to become a free agent after the 2018 season, Guerrero could see the big leagues in 2019. He is a superstar in the making.

Fernando Tatis, Jr., SS, SD – Yet another phenom with good baseball genes, Tatis beats out teammate and fireballer Michael Baez for this honor due to a larger body of work. Tatis collected 22 home runs and 32 stolen bases, mostly at Low-A. The Padres decided to give the 18-year-old a taste of Double-A to end the 2017 campaign, skipping over High-A all together. Tatis does not have quite the contact rate of the above-referenced Guerrero or Acuna, but he is certainly not afraid to take a walk. While Acuna and Guerrero were still rather highly regarded prior to this season, Tatis has come from virtual anonymity to become one of the more desirable hitting prospects in baseball.

Forrest Whitley, P, HOU –Whitley gets the nod due to his age and rapid ascension as a teenage pitcher. It is largely unheard of for a teenager to see Double-A (though Kolby Allard and Mike Soroka of the Braves may have something to say about that). Nevertheless, not only is Whitley already there, but the 6-foot-7, 240-lb hurler is absolutely dominating the competition. In four games, a span of 14.2 innings, Whitley has an absurd 26:4 K:BB. He has four pitches, throws hard and manages to keep his mechanics under control despite his size. Though Michael Kopech may have a gripe, a legitimate argument can be made that Whitley is the top pitching prospect in baseball at this time.

CHECK STATUS

Walker Buehler, P, LAD – Buehler has made a huge jump due to a rousingly successful return from Tommy John surgery. The 23-year-old's season started at High-A but will end in the big leagues, culminating in a move to the bullpen to limit his innings. Buehler had a 3.35 ERA and 125:31 K:BB in 88.1 innings in the minors prior to the promotion. Though Buehler will pitch out of the pen in order to help the Dodgers down the stretch as they march towards the playoffs, his future role should still be as a starter. As long as his health holds up, Buehler should be an impactful arm no matter where he pitches, though he would have more fantasy value in the rotation.

Chance Adams, P, NYY – It was a busy season for the minor league system of the Bronx Bombers. Aaron Judge took the big leagues by storm during the first half of the season, Clint Frazier saw his first taste of MLB action, and the Yankees jettisoned top prospects Dustin Fowler, Blake Rutherford, Jorge Mateo and James Kaprielian in an attempt to make the playoffs. Gleyber Torres also suffered a season-ending arm injury. Still, Adams made the biggest mark in the minors in terms of sheer production in 2017. He's found little resistance between Double-A and Triple-A, sporting a combined 2.45 ERA and 135:58 K:BB in 150.1 innings. In fact, it is worth noting that Adams has never had an ERA above 3.09 at any level for any amount of outings since entering the minors in 2015. Curiously, however, the Yankees resisted the urge to promote Adams to the big leagues despite injury and inconsistency from their starting rotation throughout the summer. As the Bronx Bombers creep towards the postseason with most of their starters back, Adams apparently won't see the big leagues until 2018.

J.P. Crawford, SS, PHI – Pitching prospects Sixto Sanchez and Adonis Medina have made huge strides this season in the Phillies organization, but Crawford is still the top prospect in the system. A horrific start to the season slowed Crawford's momentum considerably, though. He's picked up the slack during the second half of the year, though, and the Phils thought enough of his turnaround to promote him to the big leagues for a cup of coffee in September. Crawford is known for having an exceptional eye at the dish, though his average did not rise above .245 in over 200 games at Triple-A between last season and this season. Still, he did hit a career-best 15 home runs this year, and is not completely devoid of speed. The fact remains that Crawford is just 22 years of age and the Philadelphia shortstop of the future. Even if he plays some third or second this month.

Riley Pint, P, COL – Colorado pitching prospects get downgraded right out of the gate, whether unfairly or not. That being said, the Rockies finally had some success with a few young hurlers in 2017. The hard-throwing Pint is supposed to be a future ace for the Rockies, but he hasn't pitched like one this season. Just 19 years of age, Pint has a 5.43 ERA and 79:59 K:BB in 93 innings for Low-A Asheville. His control has clearly been suspect, though it is rather curious that his strikeout rate has also not been up to snuff. His erratic secondary pitches can be partially blamed, as can the command of his blazing fastball. Pint still has loads of potential, but he needs some refinement. He has plenty of time to right the ship, and should not necessarily be downgraded just from this season alone. That being said, comparing him to fellow 19-year-old Forrest Whitley, Pint appears miles behind.

DOWNGRADE

Austin Meadows, OF, PIT – Injuries have plagued Meadows throughout his time in the minors. 2017 was no different, as the 22-year-old outfielder was limited to just 81 games, mostly at Triple-A. Meadows didn't exactly sparkle when he made it onto the field, either, hitting just .250/.311/.359 with four home runs and 11 steals at Triple-A. Meadows has played in over 100 games in a season just once since entering the minors in 2013. Meadows was supposed to see the big leagues this season, though that will not materialize. The team will eventually move on from Andrew McCutchen, but having Meadows take over for him seems far less certain than it did just a year or two ago.

Jose De Leon, P, TB – De Leon is yet another high-upside phenom that simply cannot stay on the field. De Leon had no less than three stints on the Disabled List this season alone. Even though he made his MLB debut, De Leon was limited to 38.1 innings in total in 2017 across all levels. The 25-year-old strikeout machine barely got a chance to find a rhythm. This may be one of the reasons the Dodgers were quick to part with De Leon. The Rays are hoping he can start fresh in 2018, but it remains to be seen if De Leon can be restored to consistent health.

Jay Groome, P, BOS – The Red Sox have done so much right in terms of scouting, drafting and prospect development in recent years, with the success of Mookie Betts, Andrew Benintendi and Rafael Devers, just to name a few. Groome has been talked about since he was 16 years of age, but the early results from last year's first round pick have not been promising. In between two different stints on the Disabled List, Groome was mauled in 11 starts at Low-A Greenville. The 6-foot-6 southpaw posted a bloated 6.70 ERA. Though he did fan 58 batters in 44.1 innings, Groome also walked 25 batters over that span. The combination of poor health and poor results knocks Groome down at least a few pegs heading into the 2018 campaign.

Isan Diaz, SS, MIL – Diaz has struggled to keep his average up over the last year or so, somewhat negating his toolsy potential. Diaz is batting just .222 with 121 strikeouts through 110 games at High-A Carolina. The middle infielder does have surprising pop, as he has at least 13 home runs for the third-straight season. In addition, he is on pace to steal double-digit bases for the third consecutive season as well. Still, Diaz must prove he can hit for average and make consistent contact at the higher levels. To date, he has been unable to do so. Add in season-ending surgery on a fractured right hamate bone, and 2017 has not exactly been kind to the 21-year-old second baseman.