Minor League Barometer: The Trade Deadline Looms

The trade deadline always necessitates prospect talk, since deals involve teams that are looking to rebuild versus teams that are looking to gear up for a playoff push. As you are aware, teams that are looking to retool for the future inquire about the prospects on teams making a run at the playoffs. Some years, the prospect swapping is frenzied. Last year alone, the following highly-regarded prospects were dealt: Michael Fulmer, Jose Peraza, Josh Hader, Brett Phillips, Jeff Hoffman, Sean Manaea amd Cody Reed. That's seven prospects that at one time or another have been considered top 50 prospects. And that does not even include the Giants acquiring Mike Leake for middling prospect Adam Duvall, who became an All-Star out of nowhere this season.

Sometimes, these deals work out for both teams (Fulmer for Yoenis Cespedes). Sometimes, the deals look poor in retrospect for one team or the other (Carlos Gomez). That's the beauty of the trade deadline, though. To acquire talent, you've got to give up talent. And prospecting is an inexact science.

Let's take a look at some prospects making waves in this week's Minor League Barometer.

UPGRADE:

Dan Vogelbach, DH, SEA – The Cubs finally jettisoned Vogelbach, who is a stellar hitter but had no position to play. Vogelbach was blocked by Anthony Rizzo on the Cubs, and was not really a fit at any other slot in the field. Acquired in a trade by the Mariners, Seattle will have the option of playing Vogelbach at DH, something that was obviously not an option on a National League squad. In his first game for Triple-A Tacoma, Vogelbach went 3-for-3 with a home run. Adam Lind and Dae-Ho Lee have been serviceable for the M's at the DH/1B slot, but Vogelbach gives Seattle yet another option in their push for the playoffs, and he is much more likely to see the bigs this season with the Mariners than he was with the Cubbies. In addition, there are rumors that Lind is on the trading block.

Sean Reid-Foley, P, TOR – Reid-Foley struggled in his first go-round at High-A in 2015, but he has been more than up to the challenge in 2016. In 43 innings, Reid-Foley has a 1.88 ERA and 54:9 K:BB. Opposing batters have been flummoxed by the 20-year-old righty, as they are batting a putrid .159 against him. Perhaps most importantly, Reid-Foley has shown much improved command and control. He walked 67 batters in 96 innings in 2015. By contrast, he has walked just 31 batters in 101 innings this year. Reid-Foley has a stellar fastball, but the continued improvement of his control and the development of his secondary pitches will be vital in projecting his future role.

Austin Hedges, C, SD – Hedges played 56 games with the big club in 2015, but it was clear he was not ready. He batted just .168 with three home runs over that span. Hedges started the 2016 campaign back at Triple-A but almost immediately was injured, breaking his harnate bone and undergoing surgery. Since his return, though, Hedges has been on fire. Still just 23 years of age, Hedges is batting .367/.408/.729 with 17 home runs and 61 RBI in just 47 games. The Padres do have a solid starting catcher in Derek Norris behind the plate, though Norris could be dealt prior to the trade deadline. It is clear that Hedges has re-emerged as the catcher of the future for the Padres.

Jose De Leon, P, LAD – Finally healthy, De Leon is back to his dominating ways. He has fanned a staggering 29 batters over his last three starts at Triple-A, a span of 20 innings. Though Julio Urias is ticketed for limited innings for the remainder of the season, there has been no such statement for the 23-year-old De Leon, who went eight scoreless innings in his last start. Perhaps most impressively, De Leon has continued to thrive despite pitching in the hitter-friendly confines of the California League. The Dodgers rotation currently consists of Kenta Maeda, Bud Norris, Brandon McCarthy and Scott Kazmir, so let's just say it has to at least cross the mind of the Dodgers' to give De Leon a promotion.

CHECK STATUS:

Rhys Hoskins, 1B, PHI – The minor league leader in home runs? That would be Hoskins, who has bashed 28 home runs in 94 games for Double-A Reading. Hoskins has 88 RBI over that span, which is also tops in the minors. Though he does play in a hitter-friendly park, Hoskins had 17 home runs and 90 RBI in 2015 between Low-A and High-A as well. Ryan Howard's time in Philadelphia is coming to an end, and Hoskins looks like the logical choice to replace him. Hoskins and teammate Dylan Cozens have combined for a staggering 53 home runs and 170 RBI this season for Double-A Reading.

German Marquez, P, COL – Rockies pitching prospects sometimes get downgraded simply due to the fact that they will play their future home games in the thin air of Colorado. Perhaps this is not unfair. Who was the last pitcher to truly succeed there? Ubaldo Jimenez? Flamethrower Jon Gray, the No. 2 overall pick in 2013, still has a 4.12 ERA for the Rockies in 2016 even though he has pitched much better in recent outings. Marquez has been superb for Double-A Hartford this season, attempting to buck the trend of Rockies pitching prospects that can't cut it. Marquez has a 2.69 ERA and 110:28 K:BB in 120.1 innings. An uptick in strikeouts from 2015 has been the biggest improvement from Marquez, who has always shown the ability to throw strikes. A possible red flag would be the nine home runs he has surrendered, which is a career-high. It is difficult to get too excited about Rockies pitching prospects, but Marquez has exceeded expectations and is certainly making a name for himself within the Colorado organization.

Patrick Weigel, P, ATL – A seventh-round pick in last year's draft, the 22-year-old Weigel is doing what he should and manhandling the competition at Low-A. Weigel has a 2.83 ERA and 107:36 K:BB in 105 innings. Opposing batters are hitting a meager .211 against the 6-foot-6 righty. As the Braves continue to retool their farm system with hurlers like Sean Newcomb, Kolby Allard and Mike Soroka, it would also be wise to keep pitchers like Weigel and Touki Toussaint on the radar as well.

Trey Mancini, 1B, BAL – As seen above with Dan Vogelbach, sometimes prospects need a change of scenery to finally reach the big leagues. That may also end up being Mancini's fate, as there does not appear to be a spot for him with the O's. Baltimore has had Chris Davis, Mark Trumbo and Pedro Alvarez sharing the 1B/DH roles at various points in the season. That leaves Mancini out in the cold, though his hitting has remained stellar at Triple-A despite the questionable future in the organization. The 24-year-old is batting .304/.371/.476 with 10 home runs and 43 RBI in 83 games. Mancini has been even better of late, hitting .381 with 10 RBI over his last 10 contests. Still, Mancini may need a trade to hit the big leagues.

DOWNGRADE:

Kyle Lewis, OF, SEA – The No. 11 overall selection in this year's draft, Lewis tore his right ACL in a play at the plate last Tuesday for Short-Season Everett. Lewis also tore the medial and lateral meniscus in the same knee. In totality, this means Lewis may not even be ready for the beginning of the 2017 campaign. Lewis just won the Golden Spikes Award, given to the nation's top collegiate player. A small-school product out of Mercer, Lewis is a tall, athletic outfielder with raw power that can use the whole field. He bashed 17 home runs in each of the last two seasons at Mercer. There are concerns about the level of competition he faced in college, and there is some swing-and-miss in his game, but he has the potential to be the best power hitter in this year's draft. Unfortunately, his progress may be a little stunted due to this rather serious injury.

Kyle Zimmer, P, KC – Zimmer has battled shoulder problems throughout his career, and will now undergo Thoracic Outlet Syndrome surgery. If the ailment sounds familiar, New York Mets pitcher Matt Harvey recently underwent the same surgery. Zimmer has always been highly touted, but his inability to stay on the field has been his ultimate downfall. A first round pick in the 2012 draft, Zimmer will now be sidelined for the rest of the 2016 campaign, and will turn 25 years of age in the offseason. Zimmer has pitched just 74.1 innings since the start of 2014. In fact, Zimmer has tossed over 100 innings in a single year just once since entering the minors in 2012.

Kyle Crick, P, SF – Crick has been stuck at Double-A for the last three seasons. Once considered the top pitching prospect for the Giants, the 23-year-old may be better suited for the bullpen. To say Crick has been wild is an understatement. He walked an absurd 66 batters in 63 innings in 2015, pitching more than half of his games out of the bullpen. In 2016, Crick has returned to the rotation, but the walks have remained on the unmanageable side. The 6-foot-4 righty has a 55:42 K:BB in 75.2 innings. However, perhaps more concerning than the walks is the surprising dip in strikeouts. Crick always fanned more than one batter per inning even during his wildest days. It is clear something is amiss for Crick, whose command and future role are both questionable at this point in time.

Brett Phillips, OF, MIL – This year has been something of a nightmare for the 22-year-old outfielder. Phillips leads the Southern League in strikeouts with 115, and it is not even close. That includes 13 strikeouts in his last 10 games, a span in which he's hit a putrid .125. Phillips is a toolsy outfielder with double-digit power and speed, but the inability to make consistent contact has clearly hurt his stock. Phillips is slashing just .230/.325/.422 in 86 games. By contrast, he never hit below .309 in each of the previous two full years. The Brewers are in rebuilding mode anyway, so Phillips has plenty of time to right the ship. Still, his 2016 campaign has clearly not gone as planned.