This will be a weekly series that will outline the prospect promotions from the previous week throughout the year. The minor league season has begun and we have seen more prospects starting to get the call. All stats are of June 24.
June 18
Vinny Nittoli, P, SEA (preseason PL team rank: UR): Nittoli is a 30-year-old relief prospect. He is yet to make his Major League debut and has a career 4.40 ERA in the minors.
June 19
Isaac Paredes, 3B, DET (preseason PL team rank: 6): Paredes is somehow only 22-years-old. He hit just .220 with five extra-base hits in 34 games with the Tigers in 2020. He has a .716 OPS in Triple-A this season, so it would be surprising to see Paredes light the world on fire in the majors in 2021.
Skye Bolt, OF, OAK (preseason PL team rank: 26): Bolt is a fourth-outfielder type that can play all three outfield positions. He’s torn up Triple-A pitching to the tune of a 1.113 OPS in 20 games and there could be some breakout potential here if Bolt sees regular at-bats with Stephen Piscotty on the IL.
Yennsy Díaz, P, NYM (preseason PL team rank: 28): Diaz came over to the Mets in the Steven Matz deal. He’s likely a reliever-only arm that has electric offerings with below-average command.
Matt Vierling, OF, PHI (preseason PL team rank: 44): Vierling was a two-way player at Notre Dame. He’s been on fire in the minors in 2021, triple slashing .354/.426/.616 between Double-A and Triple-A. He’s an under-the-radar bat that could provide some offensive value if given regular opportunities.
Rafael Marchan, C, PHI (preseason PL team rank: UR): Marchan is a high-contact, low-power backstop. He has zero career home runs in the minors but a .279 average in the minors.
Luis Marte, INF, MIA (preseason PL team rank: UR): This is Marte’s first callup to the bigs after a decade-plus in the minors. He’s a versatile defender with a lacking bat.
Daniel Camarena, P, SD (preseason PL team rank: UR): Camarena is a career minor-leaguer with a 4.23 ERA. He’s a bullpen depth piece.
Edwin Figuera, INF, CHC (preseason PL team rank: UR): Figuera is a defensive utility type with limited defensive upside.
June 20
Mason Thompson, P, SD (preseason PL team rank: 13): Thompson could be a hidden gem in a loaded system. The 23-year-old has struggled in Triple-A in 2021, but Thompson throws heat and has a four-pitch mix. He’s a starter long-term but will temporarily fill in as a reliever when needed for San Diego this year.
Sebastian Rivero, C, KC (preseason PL team rank: 19): Rivero is young by catcher’s standards, making his MLB debut at 22. He has a career .653 OPS in the minors and it will be difficult to find consistent playing time unless there is a serious injury to Salvador Pérez.
Edwin Uceta, P, LAD (preseason PL team rank: 29): Uceta has primarily worked as a starter in the minors but has made seven of his eight big league appearances for the Dodgers as a reliever. He’s only 23-years-old so he still could be a starter long-term, but given the Dodgers’ depth it would likely have to be for a different organization.
Ty Tice, P, ATL (preseason PL team rank: UR): Tice is a relief-only arm coming over from Toronto. He’s had success in the minors, posting a 2.07 ERA across four seasons.
June 21
Kyle Muller, P, ATL (preseason PL team rank: 7): Muller got the call to start game one of a doubleheader against the Mets. He fared well, allowing just one run over four innings while striking out three. This was a temporary call-up and he was optioned the following day.
Yennsy Díaz, P, NYM (preseason PL team rank: 28): See June 19 summary.
Zach Reks, OF, LAD (preseason PL team rank: 34): Reks can really hit, but his lack of defensive home makes it difficult for him to gain consistent opportunities with the Dodgers. Reks has a 1.022 OPS in Triple-A in 2021.
Jake Cousins, P, MIL (preseason PL team rank: UR): Cousins is a relief-only prospect who has had success in the minors. The righty has racked up 104 strikeouts in 89.2 innings while posting a 2.51 ERA. His MLB debut went about as well as it could have, striking out five in two shutout innings. Milwaukee has spit out a number of dominant relievers over the years, so Cousins could be worth keeping an eye on.
Domingo Acevedo, P, OAK (preseason PL team rank: UR): Acevedo is a career minor leaguer with a 3.01 ERA in eight seasons. He’s a relief-only arm.
Andy Ibañez, INF, TEX (preseason PL team rank: UR): Ibañez could be a Quad-A bat. He has a 1.058 OPS in 27 Triple-A games but is hitting .172 in 11 games in the majors. It’s a small sample, so there is time for the 28-year-old to turn it around.
Humberto Castellanos, P, ARI (preseason PL team rank: UR): Castellanos is a 23-year-old relief-only arm with a 3.12 ERA across five seasons.
June 22
Wander Franco, SS/3B, TB (preseason PL team rank: 1): It finally happened! The consensus best prospect in baseball finally got the call. All Franco did in his debut was hit a double and home run while driving in three runs. He’s here for the long haul and baseball is better for it.
Gilberto Celestino, OF, MIN (preseason PL team rank: 12): Celestino has spent the majority of his time in Double-A in 2021, posting a 101 wRC+ in 21 games. He has the potential to be a high-average bat but for fantasy purposes doesn’t add much in terms of power or speed.
Luis Gonzalez, OF, CHW (preseason PL team rank: 16): Gonzalez has good speed and moderate pop, but profiles more as a bench bat. The White Sox outfield has suffered injury after injury in 2021 and Gonzalez looks to be the latest to fill in until the big names return.
Connor Wong, C, BOS (preseason PL team rank: 21): Wong is listed as a backstop, which is his primary position, but he has the ability to play all over the diamond. That type of versatility could hand him some extra opportunities to squeeze into the big league lineup. He has a career .826 OPS in the minors but there is concern that his aggressive approach will limit his output in the majors.
Donovan Walton, 2B/SS, SEA (preseason PL team rank: 27): Walton is a utility-type with some speed. He has limited power and profiles as a bench player.
Lars Nootbaar, OF, STL (preseason PL team rank: 48): Nootbaar’s calling card is his plate approach. He had a 14.5% walk rate in Double-A in 2019 and has backed that up with a 14% walk rate in Triple-A this season. He’s also socked a career-high five home runs already. The Cardinals tend to have guys pop up and produce and Nootbaar could be this year’s version.
Patrick Mazeika, C, NYM (preseason PL team rank: 50): Mazeika had some early-season heroics but is mostly just a bench bat. He has a .763 OPS in Triple-A on the year.
Miguel Sánchez, P, MIL (preseason PL team rank: UR): Sanchez is a relief-only arm with a 3.67 career ERA in the minors. He can rack up strikeouts but also has a history of moderately high walk rates.
Mickey Jannis, P, BAL (preseason PL team rank: UR): Jannis is a feel-good story, making his MLB debut at 33-years-old. He’s a relief-only arm with a 4.15 ERA over 715 innings in the minors.
June 23
Tylor Megill, P, NYM (preseason PL team rank: 29): The tall righty has had a breakout 2021. Megill posted a 40% strikeout rate in Double-A before earning a promotion to Triple-A. There, he recorded a 28% strikeout rate and 3.77 ERA in 14.1 innings. Following this promotion, Megill allowed two runs in 4.1 innings while striking out four. He could stick around a bit longer if some of the Mets starters remain out.
Nick Heath, OF, ARI (preseason PL team rank: 40): The Diamondbacks acquired Heath from the Royals in April. He’s a burner that probably fits best as a defensive replacement/pinch-runner. Despite their struggles, Arizona has good depth in the outfield so it may be difficult for Heath to find consistent playing time.
Seth Elledge, P, STL (preseason PL team rank: 44): Elledge is a reliever with good strikeout numbers in the minors. In 151.1 career innings, he’s recorded 198 strikeouts. He hasn’t had much success in the majors to date, but his strikeout ability should allow him to carve out a more permanent role at some point.
Joe Barlow, P, TEX (preseason PL team rank: UR): Barlow is a relief-only arm. He struggled at Triple-A in 2019 but has more than held his own there this season with a 2.57 ERA and 29 strikeouts in 21 innings.
June 24
Griffin Jax, P, MIN (preseason PL team rank: 38): Jax has worked exclusively as a starter in the minors but all three of his MLB appearances have come as a reliever. He’s been able to limit runs in the minors but doesn’t have big strikeout numbers. He profiles as a back-end or spot starter log term.
Photo by Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Ethan Kaplan (@DJFreddie10 on Twitter and @EthanMKaplanImages on Instagram)