Minor League Barometer: The Secret Is Out

This week's article will focus on players who have not quite gotten the publicity they deserve and are currently flying under the radar. Some you may have heard of, others may be completely new names. Some are still in the developmental phase and only beginning to scratch the surface of their potential. Others may come from small schools and entered the minors with little fanfare. Still others may simply just be getting lost in the shuffle. This week's Minor League Barometer will attempt to remedy these problems for at least a few players. The secret is out – the following players could have extremely bright futures ahead of them.

UPGRADE

Willy Adames, SS, TB – Signed as a teenager out of the Dominican Republic by the Tigers, Adames was a key component of the trade of David Price from Tampa Bay to Detroit. In return, the Rays received starting pitcher in Drew Smyly and Adames, a shortstop with significant upside. Adames had a fairly average season in 2015 as a 19-year-old at High-A, slashing .258/.342/.379 with four home runs, 46 RBI and 10 steals. Adames struggled with strikeouts, fanning 123 times in 106 games. Still, he was bumped up to Double-A to begin the 2016 campaign. As one of the youngest players at this level, Adames is having his best season thus far as a professional. Through 65 games, Adames is batting .279/.374/.492. Perhaps most notable is the uptick in power; Adames already has tied his previous season high with eight home runs. Yet even with the development of the power stroke, his plate discipline has actually improved. Adames is averaging less than one strikeout per game, and is on pace to shatter his previous career high in walks. Still just 20 years of age, Adames finally looks to be tapping into his enormous potential, with even more room to grow.

Tyler Mahle, P, CIN – A seventh-round selection in the 2013 draft, Mahle has been mowing down the competition since entering the minors. He's always had stellar command, but he has been missing bats with increased frequency in 2016. Opposing batters are hitting a putrid .206 against him. Overall, the 21-year-old has a 2.50 ERA and 76:17 K:BB in 79.1 innings at High-A Daytona. Mahle allowed no earned runs in three of the last five starts for the Tortugas, culminating in last Monday's no-hitter. Only a hit batter stood in the way of a perfect game, as Mahle otherwise did not issue a walk while fanning six batters. Mahle has three-plus pitches, exceptional control and an excellent mound presence. Robert Stephenson, Amir Garrett and Cody Reed get more publicity, but Mahle is more than deserving of some notoriety as well.

Ryan Helsley, P, STL – Helsley hails from a small school but has a big arm. Drafted in the fifth round in 2015 out of Northeastern State in Oklahoma, he has a fastball that can regularly hit the upper-90's. However, his secondary pitches have been much better than anticipated, as well as his control. That has led to Helsley having the best statistics on a loaded pitching staff at Low-A Peoria. The 21-year-old flamethrower is 7-1 with a 1.77 ERA and 78:14 K:BB in 71 innings. He has been even better over his last three starts, failing to allow a single earned run while posting a 22:2 K:BB during that span. Jake Woodford and Sandy Alcantara may be the bigger names, but Helsley is certainly making a splash.

Stephen Gonsalves, P, MIN – Gonsalves flies under the radar in terms of pitching prospects, but he has found little resistance in the minors. The 6-foot-5 southpaw looks the part of a rotation anchor, and has the numbers to boot. Gonsalves has never had an ERA above 3.20 at any level, and his ERA is hovering around 2.25 over the last season-plus. In 65.2 innings this season, the 21-year-old lefty has a 2.33 ERA and 66:20 K:BB. Opposing batters are hitting an anemic .188 against him. Gonsalves has four pitches at his disposal. As long as he can maintain his command, Gonsalves has the chance to be a special pitcher.

CHECK STATUS

Adalberto Mejia, P, SF – Mejia had a roller coaster of a 2015 campaign, complete with a suspension for performance enhancing drugs and a shoulder injury. Additionally, there were whispers that he was better suited for the bullpen despite his three-pitch mix of fastball/changeup/slider. Mejia has silenced the doubters this season, though. In 11 starts at Double-A Richmond, the 22-year-old southpaw posted a minuscule .194 ERA while notching a 58:16 K:BB in 65 innings. That warranted a promotion to Triple-A, and Mejia's first start was an absolute gem at that level. He tossed seven scoreless innings, scattering four hits, walking nobody while fanning eight batters. Mejia has clearly improved his stock this year, and an argument can be made that he is the top MLB-ready pitching prospect in the San Francisco system right now.

Derek Fisher, OF, HOU – Fisher is continuously overshadowed due to the presence of big-name hitting prospects like AJ Reed and Alex Bregman, among others in the Houston organization. The 22-year-old is a toolsy outfielder with that intriguing power/speed combination that makes fantasy owners salivate. He has 12 home runs and 13 stolen bases through 62 games for Double-A Corpus Christi. Though there were questions as to whether he can keep his average up, Fisher is currently batting .275 with a .391 OBP, showing he certainly knows how to get on base. He does have 71 strikeouts in 62 contests, but the bevy of strikeouts has not really affected his overall numbers. Fisher should make his MLB debut sometime in 2017.

Josh Ockimey, 1B, BOS – Ockimey has drawn walks with incredibly frequency, at least through 60 games for Low-A Greenville. The 20-year-old has notched 52 free passes over that span en route to a .436 OBP. Ockimey has been no slouch with the bat either, hitting .297 with 10 home runs and 34 RBI. The Red Sox are in need of a first baseman of the future, and Sam Travis recently went down with an ACL injury that will sideline him until 2017. Though Ockimey is not close to making a big-league impact just yet, he fits the profile of a starting first baseman a little better than Travis anyway. By the time the 2018 season rolls around, Ockimey could be firmly in the future plans for the BoSox.

Eddy Martinez, OF, CHC – The Cubs still have a slew of hitting prospects in the minors, including Gleyber Torres, Ian Happ and Eloy Jimenez, along with the recently promoted Albert Almora. Martinez is a less-mentioned outfield prospect for the Cubbies, but has been hot recently. Martinez is hitting a crisp .394 over his last 10 games for Low-A South Bend. The 21-year-old Cuban defector should be a little more polished than the usual Low-A hitting prospect, though he is also getting used to the pitching in the United States. Martinez has six home runs and five stolen bases, showing double-digit potential in each category. The Cubs won't be in any rush to promote him, but Martinez is yet another toolsy hitting prospect worth monitoring.

DOWNGRADE

Yohander Mendez, P, TEX – There's little reason for Mendez to be listed in this section other than simply running out of room above. He has had elbow problems in the past, though, and was considered merely a bullpen arm at one point in time. He has changed the narrative with a superb start to the 2016 campaign. The 21-year-old left-hander has been dazzling, already climbing from High-A to Double-A as a result. In 58 combined innings between those levels, Mendez has a 2.64 ERA and 71:19 K:BB. His changeup is a wipeout pitch, and Mendez has been able to locate his fastball effectively as well, despite it not being overpowering. Assuming he can stay healthy and continue to improve his other pitches, Mendez could vault up the prospect rankings by the end of the season.

Ronald Acuna, OF, ATL – Though Acuna has been on the Disabled List since the beginning of May with a thumb injury, he deserves attention because of his skill set. Regardless of the injury, he was at least three years away from the big leagues heading into the season anyway. That being said, his upside is tremendous. He has been compared to Victor Robles and Manuel Margot, due to having exceptional speed along with some home-run pop. Before the injury, the 18-year-old Acuna was hitting .300 with two home runs, 15 RBI and 12 stolen bases in 30 games for Low-A Rome. Acuna is not seeing the big leagues anytime soon, but he is a physically gifted outfielder with plenty of room to grow.

Franklyn Kilome, P, PHI – Kilome is almost all projection at this point. He is still filling out, learning how to pitch and utilize his significant physical tools. The 20-year-old Kilome is 6-foot-6 but signed late out of the Dominican Republic at the age of 18. He has a lively arm with a fastball capable of hitting the upper-90's. His secondary pitches remain works in progress, as his curveball and slider are unreliable at this point in time. That has led to increased walks, fewer strikeouts and an ERA currently at 5.06 for Low-A Lakewood. However, he has the ceiling of a frontline starter or perhaps a power closer a la Jeurys Familia. It just may take several years to see the results.

Isan Diaz, SS, MIL – Diaz was a chic pickup in dynasty leagues early in the season after a scorching start for Low-A Wisconsin. He came over from the Diamondbacks in the Jean Segura trade after hitting an absurd .360/.438/.640 with 13 home runs and 12 steals in 68 games in the Pioneer League as a teenager. Diaz has come crashing back down to earth recently, though. The 20-year-old shortstop is now batting just .235/.313/.375 through 66 games at Low-A. Diaz has 65 strikeouts over that span, a number too high for a player with just six home runs on the year. The ball seems to jump off his bat despite not being the biggest guy at 5-foot-10, 185-pounds, and has struggled to keep his average respectable in 2016. The buzz around Diaz has subsided a bit of late, though he still has plenty of time to turn things around.