Minor League Barometer: Second-Half Farming

The Futures Game provided a glimpse of the young talent that will take over baseball in short order. Arguably the top prospect in baseball, Yoan Moncada of the Boston Red Sox slugged what turned out to be the game-winning home run for the World squad. Moncada was named MVP. Meanwhile, Alex Bregman of the Houston Astros looks MLB ready, as he went 3-for-5 for the U.S. team, playing both shortstop and third base. However, it was Cubs outfielder Eloy Jimenez who stole the show. He made a leaping catch in right field, nearly flipping over the wall to make the spectacular grab in foul territory. He then crushed a three-run home run over Tampa Bay Rays' power arm Ryne Stanek to put the icing on the cake for a World victory. Future stars like Alex Reyes, David Dahl and Dansby Swanson shared the field that day, but it was Jimenez, who is currently hitting .332 with 10 home runs, 58 RBI and six steals at Low-A, who made the biggest impression.

Here are some other names making waves in this week's Minor League Barometer.

UPGRADE

Francisco Mejia, C, CLE – A switch-hitting backstop out of the Dominican Republic, Mejia took Low-A by storm to begin the year. In 60 games for Low-A Lake County, the 20-year-old slashed .347/.384/.531 with seven home runs and 51 RBI. Mejia has not stopped hitting since being promoted to High-A, batting .308 with six RBI through nine games. Mejia took part in the Futures Game for the World squad, going 1-for-3 with a run in the 11-3 victory. He has the chops to stick behind the plate in the field, and has shown a much better ability to make contact than expected. With the dearth of catching prospects in the minors, Mejia has the chance to fly up the rankings by the end of the season.

Andrew Benintendi, OF, BOS – Benintendi took some time adjusting to Double-A, but he is finally raking at this level. In addition, it appears he has rediscovered his power stroke. After hitting just one home run in 34 games at High-A, Benintendi has cracked six dingers in 47 contests at Double-A, including three in the last 10 games. The sweet-swinging lefty now has seven home runs along with 14 steals in 81 combined games between the two levels. The Red Sox have little need for outfield help right now with the way Mookie Betts and Jackie Bradley are playing, along with Brock Holt returning from injury, but Benintendi could be a September call-up and will almost certainly make his case for a starting job to begin the 2017 campaign.

Dominic Smith, 1B, NYM – Smith's development has taken some time, and, for a while, it did not look like the first-round pick would ever develop much home run power. He has quieted his doubters of late, though, going on a home run barrage for Double-A Binghamton. Smith is surging recently, batting .387 with three home runs and nine RBI over the last 10 games. Over that span, he has accumulated more walks (six) than strikeouts (three). On the year, Smith has now smashed 10 home runs, already surpassing his previous career high of six, which was set last season. With Lucas Duda's future in question due to a back injury, the Mets have had a revolving door of players at first, including veteran James Loney and super-utilityman Wilmer Flores. Smith may not be ready this year, but the uptick in power is just what the Mets needed to see from their starting first baseman of the future.

Ian Happ, 2B, CHC – Though Happ likely won't see the majors until 2017, the toolsy switch hitter has shown superb promise with the bat. The Cubs' Minor League Player of the Month for June, Happ has not slowed down since the calendar turned to July. In fact, in 14 games since being promoted to Double-A, Happ is slashing a robust .440/.474/.660 with two home runs, 11 RBI and three stolen bases. Happ has played both second base and outfield, and the versatility will only serve to help him as he nears the big leagues — especially since the Cubs already have players like Javier Baez, Ben Zobrist and Kris Bryant at positions all over the diamond in order to get their bats into the lineup.

CHECK STATUS

Ryon Healy, 3B, OAK – Healy does not get the publicity of other corner infield prospects, partly because he does not have huge power, and also because he's already 24 years of age. Even in his own organization, Healy is overshadowed by Renato Nunez, Matt Olson and Matt Chapman. However, he hit .300 at Double-A in 2015, and is having an even better year in 2016. In 84 games between Double-A and Triple-A, Healy is slashing .325/.382/.560 with 14 home runs and 64 RBI. He is on pace to shatter his previous career high of 16 home runs set in 2014. Healy does not have the massive power of the aforementioned Chapman and Olson, nor the youth of a player like Nunez. Nevertheless, he has the highest floor of those prospects, and is by far having the best year out of all of them. With the well-traveled Danny Valencia and Yonder Alonso manning the corner infield slots at the big league level, perhaps Healy should be working his way into Oakland's future plans.

Ryan Mountcastle, SS, BAL - Mountcastle is still a few years away from making an impact at the big league level, but his future looks promising. A first-round selection in last year's draft, the teenage shortstop has been far from overmatched at Low-A. Mountcastle is batting .300/.355/.436 with five home runs, 28 RBI and three steals through 70 games. He is expected to fill out and develop more power as he matures, and could even develop into a double-digit steal threat as well. Mountcastle is definitely a candidate to stash in deeper keeper leagues.

Thomas Eshelman, P, PHI - While other pitching prospects like Mark Appel and Vince Velasquez received greater notoriety following the Ken Giles trade, Eshelman was certainly not just a throw-in. He was selected in the second round of the 2015 draft out of Cal State-Fullerton after posting insane stats in college. The 22-year-old Eshelman found little resistance at High-A to begin 2016, posting a 3.34 ERA and 64:11 K:BB in 59.1 innings. The jump to Double-A has been rocky thus far, though Eshelman has made just four starts at this level. He currently has a 5.94 ERA and 14:7 K:BB in 16.2 innings. When right, Eshelman has elite control and command of four pitches. He is not overpowering, with a fastball that barely sits in the low 90's. As a result, Eshelman is not viewed as a future frontline rotation anchor. Still, he has the upside of a No. 3 starter if clicking on all cylinders.

Kyle Tucker, OF, HOU - Kyle is the 19-year-old brother of Preston, who also happens to play in the Houston organization. The younger Tucker was a first-round draft pick in 2015. Kyle is expected to have a much higher upside than his older sibling. He has actually acquitted himself quite well during his first full season of professional ball. Kyle is slashing .287/.351/.390 with two home runs, 39 RBI and 28 stolen bases through 74 games at Low-A. Tucker has sputtered lately, though, batting just .216 over his last 10 games. Likewise, while there is hope that he will develop power when he adds muscle to his 6-foot-4 frame, he has not as of yet found that home-run stroke. Tucker has lofty potential, but he will not see the big leagues for some time, and it remains to be seen if he will hit for power.

DOWNGRADE

Jorge Mateo, SS, NYY – Mateo slumped in June, as it was rumored that he was unhappy at not being promoted to Double-A. There were also whispers of an off-field incident. Whatever the reason, the Yankees suspended him for two weeks for violating team policy. Mateo hit just .211 with 11 strikeouts in the 10 games prior to his suspension, failing to steal a single base over that span. The speedster is now hitting just .266 on the season. In addition, after swiping 82 bags in 117 combined games in 2015, Mateo has just 26 thefts in 76 contests. Mateo remains one of the top infield prospects in baseball, but it is clear something is amiss right now. With Aaron Judge on the shelf for a month with a knee injury, it is safe to say that July has not been kind to the Bronx Bombers in the minors.

Forrest Wall, 2B, COL - Wall has cooled off considerably after a hot start. The 20-year-old is batting just .220 over his last 10 games for High-A Modesto. Perhaps most disconcerting, Wall has been unable to take advantage of the friendly hitting confines of the California League. Wall's slash line is actually worse at this level than it was at Low-A just a season ago. Wall does have double-digit home run potential and the ability to steal 20 bases in a season, but he must prove he can make more consistent contact at the higher levels. In addition, his strikeouts are up while his walks are down in 2016.

Yusniel Diaz, OF, LAD - How will Diaz's talent translate? That question cannot be answered just yet, as the Cuban defector has spent the last month on the Disabled List with an undisclosed injury. Diaz is just 19 years of age and is expected to have above-average speed, good pop and a knack for contact. However, he played just 47 games for High-A Rancho Cucamonga prior to injury, where he slashed .253/.328/.376 with three home runs and four steals over that span. Diaz has significant potential, but the injury along with his youth and the adjustment to baseball in the United States makes him a long-term project.

Junior Fernandez, P, STL - Even in his own organization, Fernandez is starting to become an afterthought. With high-impact arms like Alex Reyes, Luke Weaver, Jack Flaherty and even Sandy Alcantara getting more publicity, it is not surprising that Fernandez's star has faded a bit. Of course, on-field results have something to do with that too, as Fernandez has seen a decrease in strikeouts since last season. Despite this dip along with rather suspect control, Fernandez was bumped up to High-A recently, where he has not fared well since the promotion. The 19-year-old has allowed 10 runs in 10.1 innings and has been all over the place, striking out four batters but walking six during that time period. He's so young and still has plenty of time to turn things around. That being said, the argument could be made that Fernandez is not even a top-5 starting pitching prospect in his own organization anymore.