Minor League Barometer: The Best of the Rest

Kris Bryant's promotion did not shock anyone, as the Chicago Cubs slugger was called up to the big leagues April 17 and immediately placed into the cleanup spot. The promotion of fellow hotshot prospect Addison Russell, though, may have come as a bit more of a surprise. A shortstop by trade, Russell played second base in his MLB debut Tuesday for the Cubbies. The Cubs have a glut of middle infielders, including Starlin Castro, Arismendy Alcantara and Javier Baez. Russell may be the most talented but likely will have to play out of position due to the presence of Starlin Castro. However, his bat is MLB ready, and that is likely what led to his promotion. At just 21, Russell has a lot of pop, above-average speed along with the ability to hit for average. In 11 games at Triple-A before being called up, Russell hit .318 with one home run, nine RBI and one stolen base. Russell was not called up to ride the pine; as a result, expect manager Joe Maddon to continue to pencil Russell in at second for the foreseeable future.

This week's Minor League Barometer will look at prospects who have started off the season surging, and those who have left something to be desired.

UPGRADE

Bradley Zimmer, OF, CLE - The No. 21 overall selection in the 2014 draft, Zimmer is scorching out of the gate for the Tribe. The younger brother of Royals pitching prospect Kyle Zimmer, Bradley is a toolsy outfielder who has shown more pop than expected early on during his brief professional career. In 11 games at High-A Lynchburg, Zimmer is hitting .325/.429/.625 with four home runs, seven RBI and six stolen bases. In fact, Zimmer homered in three straight games last week. Bradley can still add muscle to his 6-foot-4 frame as well. In addition, the athletic center fielder has shown an excellent eye at the dish, drawing walks and showing the patience of a polished collegiate player. Zimmer is already a stellar prospect; if the power is for real, he could emerge as an elite phenom.

Manuel Margot, OF, BOS - Margot put himself on the prospect map with a stellar 2014 campaign. The 20-year-old outfielder flashed tons of speed and surprising pop, stealing 42 bases while hitting 12 home runs between Low-A and High-A. Now considered one of the better prospects for the BoSox, Margot has continued his success to begin the 2015 season. Margot is batting .361 with one home run, four RBI and three steals in nine games for High-A Salem. While the power has been a pleasant surprise, Margot's impact will come mostly from his speed as well as the ability to hit for average. He also does not strike out. Literally. He has not struck out in nine games thus far in 2015. While Margot will obviously tally some strikeouts at some point, the fact remains he has a superior handle of both the bat and the strike zone. Yoan Moncada and Rusney Castillo have gotten the pub in the Boston system, but Margot is not all that far behind.

Corey Seager, SS, LAD - Along with Carlos Correa, the best remaining hitter in the minors might just be Seager. The younger brother of M's third baseman Kyle may end up at the hot corner as well, but no matter what position he fields, Seager's bat will be potent. The 20-year-old mashed in 2014 to the tune of .349/.402/..602 between High-A and Double-A. Seager had 20 home runs and 97 RBI in 118 games. The scary part is that his power is only going to improve. Seager is back at Double-A to begin the 2015 season and has found little resistance. He is batting .478 with two home runs and 11 RBI through 11 games. As with fellow pitching prospect and Double-A teammate Julio Urias, the Dodgers are going to start to feel an awful lot of pressure if Seager continues to tear the cover off the baseball. However, Los Angeles was perfectly content to let Joc Pederson toil at Triple-A for the majority of the 2014 campaign despite tormenting the Pacific Coast League. Seager is not quite as blocked at the big-league level as Pederson was, but the fact remains that the Dodgers may simply choose to let Seager hone his skills at the higher levels, particularly with Jimmy Rollins still manning shortstop. A move to third is intriguing, and Seager has been playing there recently. However, it remains to be seen if they are grooming him to replace Juan Uribe this season, or simply increasing his versatility for 2016, when he will likely hit the Show.

Blake Snell, P, TB - Snell has had control problems in the past, but he has been lights-out in 2015. Through 15 innings for High-A Charlotte, the 22-year-old southpaw has fanned 21 batters. The strikeout potential has always been evident, though; Snell punched out 119 batters in 115.2 innings last season. However, he also walked 56 batters over that span. Still, living down in the zone with his slider and a fastball with late movement, Snell posted a 2.12 GO:AO ratio and managed to limit the damage overall. He posted a 3.19 ERA in 2014, while opposing batters hit just .225 against him. It remains to be seen if he can be successful if the free passes continue to pile up; he has walked seven batters in 15 innings to begin the year. Snell has otherwise been untouchable, though. The lefty has allowed only eight hits this season.

CHECK STATUS

Matt Olson, 1B, OAK - Power and walks; that's what Olson brings to the table. Olson smacked 37 home runs last season at High-A Stockton, while driving in 97 runs in 138 games. He also drew an astounding 117 walks en route to an .404 on-base percentage. Olson is off to a similar start to begin the 2015 campaign. In 11 games at Double-A Midland, Olson has three homers, eight RBI and 10 walks. On the downside, the strikeouts will always be present; Olson has averaged at least one strikeout per game since entering the minors in 2012. Likewise, he is likely not going to hit for much average at the higher levels. Even his .262 batting average last season is probably a pipe dream at the higher levels. However, if he can continue to draw walks and hit home runs, the lack of average and plethora of strikeouts can be more easily stomached.

Alex Reyes, P, STL - Reyes has been off the charts in terms of strikeouts since entering the minors. The 20-year-old racked up 139 Ks in just 109.1 innings last season at Low-A. Opposing batters hit a mere .207 against him. Reyes has been up to the same tricks at High-A, fanning 20 batters in just 10.1 innings thus far in 2015. Opposing hitters are batting .176 against him this year. The issue for Reyes is that sometimes he doesn't even know where the ball is going. The 6-3 righty walked 61 batters in 2014, and has already issued six free passes in 2015. As a result, his ERA has been solid throughout his time as a professional, but not spectacular. His ERA has hovered in the 3.50 range the last two-plus seasons. The strikeout stuff is tantalizing, but Reyes must learn to harness his control.

Roman Quinn, OF, PHI - The Philadelphia speedster is off to a fast start for the Phils. Quinn has battled an assortment of leg injuries over the past couple of seasons, but still managed to steal at least 30 bases in each of his first three years in the minors. However, he has failed to play in 100 games in any one season yet, and has not hit above .260 since 2012. This year could be different, though, as Quinn is slashing a robust .425/.489/.675 with one home run, five RBI and eight stolen bases through 10 games. Strikeouts remain a concern, particularly for a player who does not project to hit double-digit home runs. Quinn also has to prove he can stay healthy. It's a great opening for the 21-year-old, but he must stay productive and on the field for an extended period to be considered back on the prospect scene.

Trevor Williams, P, MIA - Williams doesn't get much publicity, mostly because he isn't considered overpowering. However, he hasn't had much resistance since being drafted in the second round in 2013. Williams posted a respectable 3.13 ERA and 104:35 K:BB ratio in 144 innings last season, mostly at High-A. The 22-year-old righty did allow opposing hitters to bat .284 against him, but Williams still managed to keep opposing offenses at bay overall. Williams has a vast array of pitches and knows how to locate. Most notably, Williams has had two sparkling outing to kick off his 2015 season. Williams has a 0.75 ERA and 14:1 K:BB ratio in 12 innings for Double-A Jacksonville. The sudden uptick in strikeouts is particularly noteworthy. If Williams can keep his strikeout rate up, he will become a hot commodity.

DOWNGRADE

Jon Gray, P, COL - Gray has been clobbered in his first three starts for Triple-A Albuquerque. The flame-throwing righty has surrendered 15 runs and 22 hits in just 14 innings. Opposing batters are hitting an outrageous .367 against him. Gray has also walked six batters over that span, only hurting himself further. The only saving grace is that Gray continues to post stellar strikeout numbers; the 23-year-old is still averaging a strikeout per inning. Still, it's hard to believe the Rockies were considering Gray for a spot in the big-league rotation with the way he's looked early on in the 2015 campaign. He remains an elite prospect, but his MLB debut could take a bit longer than expected.

Alex Jackson, OF, SEA - The No. 6 overall selection in the 2014 draft, Jackson is at least a few years away from making an impact for the club in Seattle. Still, his 2015 season has not exactly started out with a bang. Jackson is hitting just .125 through 10 games for Low-A Clinton. The teenaged outfielder does have seven RBI, but he has also fanned 13 times while drawing just two walks. Jackson is a power prospect, so the strikeouts should be expected, at least early on, along with his fair share of home runs as well. Jackson is one of the top hitting prospects in baseball, and his upside is extremely high, but it's going to take some time for the potential to translate into results on the field.

Hunter Renfroe, OF, SD - Renfroe has limped out of the gate for the Padres. The 23-year-old slugger is batting just .125 with one home run, one RBI and 12 strikeouts in 10 games for Double-A San Antonio. He has drawn just two walks over that span. Arguably the top prospect in the San Diego system, Renfroe smacked 21 home runs, knocked in 75 runs and swiped 11 bags in 129 games between High-A and Double-A last season. An interesting wrinkle for Renfroe is that the Padres went from having a desolate outfield in terms of talent, to one stocked with riches. GM A.J. Preller (fellow Cornell alum) has been incredibly aggressive in improving the major league squad, bringing over the likes of Justin Upton, Matt Kemp and Wil Myers. In other words, Renfroe went from not being blocked by anybody in the big leagues, to having to bide his time patiently in the minors until there is an injury or trade. This change in trajectory likely has little to do with Renfroe's slow start, but it is worth mentioning nevertheless.

Gary Sanchez, C, NYY - Is the prospect star finally fading on Sanchez? He has been talked about for years, partly because he's on the Yankees, partly because of his position and partly because of the view that he had immense potential. He certainly wasn't terrible in 2014. As a 21-year-old at Double-A Trenton, Sanchez hit .270 with 13 home runs and 65 RBI. Those aren't superstar numbers either, though. He's back at Double-A in 2015, though, a level he has now been toiling at since 2013. He has looked lost at the plate through eight games, striking out 12 times while notching just three hits in 28 at-bats. Considered the top prospect in the Yankees system prior to last season, Sanchez no longer holds that distinction this year. Add in the presence of Brian McCann at the big-league level, and Sanchez's place as the future catcher of the New York Yankees is becoming less likely by the day. The fact that he may not stick at catcher will only further knock him down the rankings.