Minor League Barometer: Down on the Farm

How about the turnaround this season for Rockies third base prospect Ryan McMahon? Last season, McMahon looked rather lost at the dish, hitting just .242 in 133 games for Double-A Hartford. McMahon fanned a staggering 161 times over that span, and also experienced a power outage. He hit just 12 home runs en route to a putrid .399 Slugging Percentage. McMahon has completely reversed course in 2017, though. After slashing .326/.390/.536 through 49 games in a return engagement at Double-A, McMahon was promoted to the hitter-friendly confines of the California League. McMahon has come out of the gates white-hot for Triple-A Albuquerque, hitting an absurd .423/.444/.711 with five home runs and 22 RBI in 22 games at this level. With Nolan Arenado manning the hot corner at the big-league level, and Mark Reynolds enjoying a resurgence at first base, McMahon could end up being valuable trade bait for starting pitching for the surprisingly contending Rockies.

Let's take a look at the rest of the prospect scene in this week's Minor League Barometer…

UPGRADE

Forrest Whitley, P, HOU – Whitley is a mammoth prospect at 6-foot-7 and 240 pounds, and he has an emerging four-pitch arsenal. The 19-year-old righty has met all expectations thus far in 2017, posting a 61:17 K:BB in just 41 innings at Low-A Quad Cities. Whitley has been even better of late, even with the Astros organization determined to keep his innings load down. Whitley has fanned 22 batters in his last 12.1 innings while allowing just one earned run over that span. He's still a few years away from making an impact, but his development and production has been stellar this season.

Brandon Lowe, 2B/3B, TB – The 22-year-old Lowe wasn't on many prospect radars after a lackluster 2016 campaign at Low-A. The third-round pick from 2015 has changed the narrative in 2017, though, as he has posted some standout numbers at High-A. Through 59 games at this level, Lowe is slashing a robust .345/.432/.626. Lowe is second in batting, first in On-Base-Percentage and first in slugging in the Florida State League. Not only does Lowe have nearly as many walks as strikeouts, but he has also shown surprising pop, racking up nine home runs along with 25 doubles. Only recently promoted uber-prospect Nick Senzel had more doubles than Lowe. Though he will have to prove that this half-season stretch is not a fluke, it is safe to say that Lowe is a prospect worth keeping an eye on for the Rays.

Luis Castillo, P, CIN – Castillo parlayed a superb start to the 2017 campaign at Double-A into his Major League debut last Friday. The 24-year-old righty held his own against the first-place Washington Nationals, allowing two earned runs in five innings. Two solo home runs were the only damage, and though Castillo did walk five batters, he also struck out five hitters as well. Perhaps nerves can also be blamed for the high walk total, as that had not been part of Castillo's game for the past season-plus in the minors. In fact, dating back to the beginning of 2016, Castillo had walked just 38 batters in 210 innings. With Amir Garrett demoted and Asher Wojciechowski designated for assignment, it appears Castillo will get a chance to prove he belongs in the Reds rotation.

Thomas Szapucki, P, NYM – Injuries have been an impediment for Szapucki thus far during his brief professional career, including a balky back at the end of last season and shoulder impingement which delayed his progress to begin the 2017 season. However, he's finally back on the mound and could be rounding into form. The 21-year-old southpaw tossed six scoreless innings in his last start at Low-A, scattering just two hits while striking out 10 batters. Szapucki's low arm slot, stellar fastball and plus curveball can make him a nightmare to opposing hitters, though he needs to develop a third pitch in order to be able to succeed as a starter at the higher levels. He could end up as a dominant reliever, but for now the Mets will leave him as a starter and hope his changeup can turn into a serviceable third pitch to go along with his two other standout offerings.

CHECK STATUS

Miguel Andujar, 3B, NYY – The loss of Gleyber Torres to Tommy John surgery is the gain of Andujar, who seemingly has been on the Yankees prospect list forever but is still just 22 years of age. In the wake of the Torres injury, Andujar was promoted to Triple-A. It wasn't like Andujar didn't deserve the promotion, though. He hit .312 with seven home runs and 52 RBI in 67 games at Double-A Trenton. He hasn't missed a beat at Triple-A, either, going 8-for-22 (.364) with a home run and two RBI through six contests. Andujar's free-swinging ways leave public opinion divided on his future, and his power numbers have not been spectacular either. Still, Andujar has superb physical gifts, is a top 10 prospect in one of the top farm systems in baseball, and could be even closer to the big leagues due to the injury to Torres.

Shane Bieber, P, CLE – He's got no relation to Justin, but Shane is still topping the charts this season, at least in terms of control. In 86 innings across two levels this season, the 22-year-old righty has walked five batters. Yes, you read that correctly. His command and arsenal are reminiscent of current Astros starter Joe Musgrove, even if the two are nothing alike in terms of body type. The 22-year-old Bieber is currently at High-A, posting a 3.32 ERA and 49:4 K:BB in 57 innings. Bieber remains slightly hittable due to his lack of an overpowering fastball as well as the fact that he lives around the plate, but it is difficult to argue with the results thus far.

Lewin Diaz, 1B, MIN – Diaz is an intriguing prospect out of the Dominican Republic due to his power potential as well as his ability to make contact. He is extremely raw in the field and may end up being a DH, but may only be starting to scratch the surface of his enormous potential in the batter's box. Diaz is 6-foot-3, nearly 200-lbs but still with room to fill out and mature. He is batting .270/.310/.452 with eight home runs and 41 RBI in 68 games for Low-A Cedar Rapids. These numbers may not jump off the page, but this is Diaz's first taste of full-season ball, and he has fanned "only" 48 times in those 68 contests. In other words, his contact skills are above-average, particularly for hitters at this level. The 20-year-old remains a work in progress, but he has substantial upside.

Lucas Sims, P, ATL – The Atlanta system is absolutely loaded with starting pitching. Names like Kolby Allard, Mike Soroka, Kyle Wright, Sean Newcomb and Ian Anderson come to mind. Sims was once an elite hurler but has become largely forgotten. However, he is having a rebound season at Triple-A Gwinnett. Still just 23 years of age, Sims has a 3.94 ERA and 81:29 K:BB through 80 innings. The biggest hurdle for Sims at this point could be his penchant for surrendering the long ball. Sims has allowed a staggering 14 home runs in 14 starts. Nevertheless, opposing batters are hitting just .224 against him, so Sims has managed to limit the damage overall. With Newcomb now in the big leagues, Sims could be the next man up for the Braves.

DOWNGRADE

Austin Meadows, OF, PIT – In what seems to be a recurring theme for Meadows, the outfielder once again finds himself on the Disabled List due to a hamstring injury. There is currently no timetable for his return, and with Starling Marte set to return from suspension shortly, the Bucs will likely be cautious with their top prospect. Even when healthy, the 22-year-old Meadows hadn't exactly lit Triple-A on fire, hitting .248/.313/.358 with four home runs, 35 RBI and 10 steals. The ceiling remains high for Meadows, though it does not look like he'll have much of an impact at the MLB level in 2017, and he must prove he can stay healthy down the line.

Luis Alexander Basabe, OF, CHW – Basabe was part of the package that sent Chris Sale to Boston, and though he was one of the lesser heralded prospects in the deal, he was by no means viewed as a throw-in or an afterthought. The toolsy Basabe had 12 home runs and 25 stolen bases in 2016, mostly at Low-A, and he did not turn 20 years of age until last August. Unfortunately, 2017 has not been so kind to Basabe, who is hitting just .218/.321/.310 through 65 games for High-A Winston-Salem. He has been even worse of late, batting just .176 over his last 10 games. Basabe's power has been virtually non-existent, and he has fanned 69 times in 65 contests overall, struggling to make consistent contact. Even though he is still young, it looks doubtful that Basabe will be able to hit for average at the higher levels.

Hunter Dozier, 3B/OF, KC – Who would have thought that Bubba Starling would see consistent playing time in the big leagues before Dozier? Yet that is what seems likely at this point in time, as Dozier remains shelved with a wrist injury while Starling is hitting .302 over his last 10 games for Triple-A Omaha. With the Royals expected to sell off parts at the trading deadline, Starling could be in line for an extended tryout with the big club. Meanwhile, the Royals may shift the 25-year-old Dozier to the 60-Day Disabled List. Dozier has played in just 10 games this season due to injuries, fanning 17 times in those contests. Dozier will turn 26 years of age in August with just 19 big league at-bats to his name.

Grant Holmes, P, OAK – The youth movement is in full effect in Oakland, with Franklin Barreto, Matt Olson and the recently injured Matt Chapman all seeing time with the big club recently. The A's would like some help on the pitching front as well, though the package of players Oakland received from the Dodgers in the Rich Hill/Josh Reddick deal has not paid dividends thus far. Jharel Cotton has a 5.02 ERA through 13 starts in the big leagues, and Frankie Montas was converted to a reliever and still struggled with a 6.91 ERA before being demoted. Holmes was likely considered to have the highest upside of the three hurlers, but he has had his own struggles at Double-A this season. Holmes has a 4.96 ERA through 78 innings. Opposing batters are hitting .300 against him, as the development of his changeup has been slow and as a result has made him predictable at times. The 6-foot-1 righty also loses the strike zone occasionally. Holmes is still just 21 years of age, but has not lived up to the hype.