Minor League Barometer: Opening Week Observations

How long until we see Yoan Moncada in the big leagues? The Red Sox and White Sox made a huge deal in the offseason, as Chris Sale was shipped to Beantown and the top prospect in baseball headed to the Windy City. The White Sox aren't going anywhere this year, but with Tyler Saladino holding down second base right now, one has to wonder whether we will see Moncada sooner rather than later. Don't forget about pitcher Michael Kopech in this deal as well; the flame-throwing righty fanned 10 in his first outing for Double-A Birmingham.

The Yankees have been struck by the injury bug to their young phenoms, most notably Greg Bird, Gary Sanchez and hurler James Kaprelian. However, the club smartly decided not to let uber-prospect Gleyber Torres start in the Majors at shortstop, despite an injury to Didi Gregorius. While extremely difficult for the Bronx Bombers, playing the long game may yield greater dividends down the road.

The Pittsburgh Pirates tried to unload Andrew McCutchen in the offseason to make room for Austin Meadows, but couldn't find a suitor. Meanwhile, strikeout artist Tyler Glasnow will be the fifth starter for the Bucs after a less-than-enthusiastic premiere at the end of the last season.

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

UPGRADE

Ian Happ, 2B/OF, CHC - The Cubbies are built for the long haul, and the plethora of young talent in this organization has Chicago abuzz with the possibility of multiple championships in the next few years. The likes of Kris Bryant, Kyle Schwarber, Addison Russell and Willson Contreras are already paying dividends at the big league level, but the Cubs' minor league system is also still filled with some top-notch talent. Along with Eloy Jimenez, Happ is among the next wave of future phenoms. He certainly turned some heads in spring training, batting .383 with five home runs and 21 RB1. He's also hit home runs in back-to-back games at Triple-A Iowa, and it will be interesting to see where the club decides to play him in the field. Perhaps a move for the versatile Javier Baez is in order, or Happ may end up in the outfield. Either way, if Happ continues to rake, it will be difficult to keep him in the minors for much longer.

Franklin Barreto, SS, OAK – One of the better shortstop prospects in the minors, Barreto is off to a fast start at Triple-A Nashville. The 21-year-old is 8-for-14 with two home runs and five RBI. Barreto has stolen 59 bases over the last two seasons, but he is no slouch when it comes to power numbers as well. In fact, Barreto has double-digit home runs in each of the last two campaigns. Add in a lifetime .296 batting average (as a professional), and Barreto has all the makings of a future fixture for the A's in the middle of the diamond.

Rowdy Tellez, 1B, TOR – Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. enters full-season ball with great fanfare, and many expect a bounce-back season from Anthony Alford, but Tellez will be the first of the trio to make a splash in the big leagues. Tellez opened up his Triple-A campaign with a two-homer game fresh off career highs of 23 home runs and 81 RBI in 2016. The left-handed slugger is patient at the dish and does not strike out as much as a prototypical power hitter. The loss of Edwin Encarnacion only helps Tellez, too, as the disappointing Justin Smoak is currently manning first base in the bigs. Tellez should make his MLB debut this season and could even have a chance to steal away the first base job by the end of the year.

Luiz Gohara, P, ATL – It seems as though Gohara has been on the prospect radar forever, having signed with the Mariners as a 16-year-old in 2012 out of Brazil. His development, as expected, was slow at first, but the southpaw was sensational in 2016, posting a 1.81 ERA and 81:23 K:BB in 69.1 innings. Traded as part of the Mallex Smith deal in January, Gohara has a blazing heater and stellar slider. The improvement of his changeup will likely determine his future role, but he sparkled in his first start of the season for High-A Florida. Gohara tossed five scoreless innings, scattering four hits, striking out seven and failing to walk a single hitter. He won't hit the majors until 2019 at the earliest, but Gohara remains a prospect to keep an eye on for the Braves.

CHECK STATUS

Cody Bellinger, 1B, LAD – The 21-year-old lefty is an elite prospect who's gotten off to a hot start at Triple-A Oklahoma City, notching six hits in his first 12 at-bats, including a home run. So why wasn't he upgraded? The fact remains that Bellinger is blocked at first base by Adrian Gonzalez, and obviously the lack of a DH means that Bellinger will most likely find himself on the wrong end of the numbers game most days. Certainly the organization would prefer for Bellinger to have everyday at-bats, and while he could also play the outfield, the Dodgers have a plethora of outfielders at their disposal already. As a result, he may be forced to bide his time in the minors.

Kyle Zimmer, P, KC – Zimmer's injury history is checkered, and that's putting it mildly. His latest issue was thoracic outlet syndrome in 2016, which shelved him for the entire season. A former first round selection back in 2012, Zimmer is supposedly healthy and looked solid in his first start for Double-A Northwest Arkansas. He allowed one run on six hits in four innings. Perhaps most notably, Zimmer fanned six batters and did not walk a batter. At 25 years of age, Zimmer's health and durability is of paramount concern. However, he's still got the look of a frontline starter, and thus may be worth a flier if he can string together a few successful outings in a row.

Yu-Cheng Chang, SS, CLE – The Indians are not in the market for a shortstop, as Francisco Lindor has already proven to be one of the bright young stars of the game. However, the 21-year-old Chang had a breakout season last year, posting double-digit home runs and steals in 2016, and is off to a hot start to begin the 2017 campaign. Chang has two home runs and six RBI in his first two games for Double-A Akron and has above-average tools across the board.

Tyler O'Neill, OF, SEA – What does a guy have to do to get a little respect? O'Neill has overcome consistent doubters over the past couple of seasons with a combined 56 home runs and 28 steals split between High-A and Double-A. He even slashed .293/.374/.508 in 2016, proving that he can indeed hit for average. Does he strike out a bit too much? Sure. Perhaps he's not the ideal size for a right fielder? Fine, but all the 21-year-old O'Neill has done over the past two seasons is rake. When one of the players in the M's lackluster outfield inevitably falters, O'Neill should be the one given an opportunity. He's made the most of his at-bats and deserves some recognition.

DOWNGRADE

Luke Weaver, P, STL – One of the more promising arms for the Cards, Weaver had a rough spring training and was sent down to Triple-A to begin the 2017 campaign. He battled back spasms during the spring, and unfortunately, this is not the first time injuries have derailed starts for Weaver. Still, he was supposedly healthy at the beginning of his first start for Triple-A Memphis, but left the game after two innings due to an undisclosed injury. While the ailment is likely a right hand or finger ailment, it remains to be seen how long Weaver will be sidelined. The 23-year-old has a 1.76 ERA in the minors along with a 193:35 K:BB in 199.2 innings, though he was battered a bit during nine outings with the big club toward the end of 2016.

J.P. Crawford, SS, PHI – Crawford is going to be a very good player someday. That does not necessarily mean he will be a viable fantasy commodity, however. He's never hit more than 11 home runs in a season or swiped more than 24 bags in a single year. In fact, over the last two seasons, Crawford has combined for 13 home runs and 24 steals. Even at the rather thin fantasy position of shortstop, those are rather pedestrian numbers, and he also hasn't hit above .265 at any level above A-ball, a startling revelation for a player whose best trait was supposed to be his hit tool. Crawford clearly has some work to do, and even when he rights the ship, that may not result in the type of statistics that please fantasy owners.

Matt Chapman, 3B, OAK – Chapman didn't have a hit in his first seven at-bats for Triple-A Nashville, then hurt his left wrist and landed on the Disabled List. The power prospect also battled a wrist injury in 2015. Chapman belted 36 home runs between Double-A and Triple-A last season, but batted just .237, and it remains to be seen if he will ever be able to hit for much average. In addition, the emergence of Ryon Healy could mean that Chapman could have to find another place in the field, or perhaps even DH, to make an impact.

Jeff Hoffman, P, COL – It takes a special type of pitcher to tame the thin air in Colorado, and neither Jon Gray nor Hoffman has figured out how to do that just yet. Hoffman failed to make the starting rotation out of camp after enjoying a modest cup of coffee in the bigs at the end of 2016. Instead, he was shuttled to Triple-A, where the 24-year-old righty allowed four earned runs in five innings in his first start for the Albuquerque Isotopes. One mediocre start does not a season make, but it's safe to say that Hoffman's minor league career ERA of 3.64 isn't likely to get lower as he eventually ascends to the major leagues. At 24 years old, Hoffman isn't likely to suddenly turn into a frontline starter.