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September 1st is Friday, the day that rosters expand in baseball and a lot of teams use that time to see what they have developing down on the farm. Contenders will bring up guys they hope can be weapons for them down the stretch as they try and lock in their place in the playoffs and non-contenders just like to see what the future could look like starting as soon as next year. Let’s go over some guys who should get the call and could help you in a stat or two the rest of the way.
Luis Urias (2B SD) - Almost since being signed he has been hailed as the second baseman of the future in San Diego and now his time has come to show what he can do at a big league level. Urias was called up on Tuesday to make his debut after the 21-year-old über prospect showed what he needed to in the minors, including coming off a 15-game hit streak at Triple-A El Paso. He is much more of a prototypical middle infielder than the power guys we see now in that he hits for a high average (.296 or better in all three of his full seasons) and gets on base at a better-than-.400 clip in each of those seasons as well. Urias has 17 homers and 17 steals total in his last 361 games played (the last three years combined) while scoring 77 or more runs each year with no more than 123 games played in a season. He will likely get full time at bats the rest of the way giving how bad offensively the Padres second base spot has been all season.
Justus Sheffield (LHP NYY) - Sheffield has been mowing down batters left and right across two levels this year. Pitching 112.2 innings combined, 84.2 coming at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Sheffield has posted a 2.56 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 6-6 record, and a 119:50 K:BB ratio. The southpaw’s three pitch mix features a 92-97 mph fastball with sink and run, a mid-80s slider that can miss a lot of bats and might be his best pitch, and an average changeup that could become plus with more development. The Yankees will almost assuredly make the playoffs, though likely in the wild card, and Sheffield could be a difference maker for their rotation down the stretch and potentially in October.
Christin Stewart (OF DET) - We all know that Detroit is in the middle of a rebuild and so you can expect to see a few guys get called to the show starting Friday but Stewart is the one with the most potential fantasy impact going forward. Since being taken in the first round of the 2015 draft out of the University of Tennessee, the left-handed hitting outfielder has been the most consistent power hitter in their farm system with double-digit dingers in each of his four seasons and 23-to-30 in each of the last three while climbing from Advanced-A to Triple-A Toledo. Stewart is decent in the average category with a .250-.260 career mark but with the question marks everywhere but right field it’s time for Stewart to show his pop potential at Comerica Park.
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Matt Thaiss (1B LAA) - The Angels made the first baseman the 16th overall pick in the 2016 MLB draft and since then he has progressed relatively quickly playing in both Double-A and Triple-A this season with 80 games played at the highest level. He isn’t the typical first baseman as he bats left but throws right and he has less pop than a prototypical corner infielder does. The 16 combined homers this year are a career high as are his 77 runs and his 73 RBI are tied with last year’s mark. Thaiss does have two straight years with at least eight steals which is a nice boost from first. L.A. is out of the playoff hunt and needs help from the left side of the plate and Thaiss could very well be that help.
Josh James (RHP HOU) - The Astros have a pretty loaded rotation and a fairly solid bullpen already and Forrest Whitley (their top prospect) is one of the best pitching prospect in the minors but it’s James that’s more likely to get the call right now. Across 114.1 innings this season between Double-A and Triple-A (92.2 coming at Triple-A) he has posted a 3.23 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, .191 BAA, and 171 strikeouts. That total of Ks is right up there with Michael Kopech who is known to be a strikeout machine. James has a fastball that works 95-97 and touches triple-digits and compliments his plus slider that keeps hitters off-balance. HIs third offering of a changeup shows nice fade and sink but isn’t on the level with the other two pitches. Houston can use a strikeout guy in the pen for the stretch run and James could be that guy.
Colin Poche (LHP TB) - Tampa has gone with a nearly all bullpen pitching staff this season, especially after trading Chris Archer at the deadline, and could need some more fresh arms in that role. Well lucky for them they have one of the most dominant relief arms in the minors in their system in Poche after getting him from Arizona as a PTBNL in the Steven Souza deal. In 2018, the lefty has pitched 62.2 innings in 38 appearances and owns equal ERA and WHIP marks of 0.72 in that span. His 104 strikeouts with just 18 walks give him not only a better than 15.0 K/9 but also an elite 5.7:1 K/BB rate. His two pitch mix of a 92-93 mph fastball with great movement and deception pairs with 55-grade slider that moves late and avoids the barrel well. Poche should get the call and immediately become a strikeout guy in the middle innings for Kevin Cash’s squad.
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Jorge Mateo (SS/OF OAK) - Mateo has been on the prospect report a few times before both as a member of the Yankees farm system and the Athletics following the Sonny Gray trade. Now though he may be the closest he’s been to the majors after being in the minors since 2012. The speedster has struggled in his first taste Triple-A Nashville with a .229/.276/.353 slash line and a 27.1% K-rate which is the highest of his career. The 23 steals in 125 games are also the lowest since he played just 15 games in 2014. At this point he is likely to come up and be a pinch running threat off the bench as the A’s try to lock down a playoff spot in September. If you need steals he could be an option though playing time will be hard to predict since his bat just doesn’t play well right now.
Jimmy Herget (RHP CIN) - Herget is like a Swiss Army Knife out of the pen with the combination of stuff and arm angles he comes at hitters with. The fastball gets up to 97 mph from multiple arm slots and has a bunch of deception with his delivery. Herget also mixes in and above average slider and changeup, for lefties, to keep hitters on their toes at the plate. The Reds have used him as a setup man and closer, racking up 64 saves including nine last year at Triple-A, all while posting a career double-digit K/9 rate. He does have a 3.65 ERA and 1.38 WHIP in 56.2 innings at Triple-A this year which isn’t great but the Reds could see what he can provide out of the pen in Cincy sooner rather than later.
Chris Shaw (OF SF) - The Giants made Shaw, the best college power hitter in the draft, the 31st overall pick of the 2015 draft out of Boston College. Since then Shaw has progressed pretty quickly in the system while splitting time at first base and left field. He spent 225 games playing between Low-A and Double-A and then has spent 187 games at Triple-A the last two years. In that span at Triple-A Fresno he has a .273/.318/.514 line with 41 homers, 113 RBI, and 95 runs. Shaw has struck out 29.4% and 34.1% of the time in each of the past two seasons while walking only 5.5% and no speed to speak of. San Fran has some roster openings for next year and likely wants to see what Shaw can do.
Taylor Widener (RHP ARI) - The Diamondbacks are in a dog fight with the Dodgers for the NL West title and could use all the pitching help they can get and that’s where Widener comes in. He has been very good at Double-A Jackson this season while starting 24 games (25 total appearances) over 134.1 innings with a 5-7 record while posting a 2.68 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 171:40 K:BB, and a .193 BAA. Widener uses a 93-97 mph fastball and mid-80s slider as his main two offerings and both have high spin rates to miss bats. Even though he’s a starter he can be used as a swing man or bullpen arm in Arizona if they choose to bring up their number three ranked prospect.
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