This profile series will serve to breakdown the rookies who sit outside the top-20 of Jim Bowden’s original rookies piece or the ones who weren’t included because of changes to rosters after that piece was published. You can see where all of the rookies rank in relation to each other here.
Yusei Kikuchi (LHP Mariners) – You say Tomato, I say Kikuchi. Now that the pun is out of the way, the Mariners made a splash of sorts this offseason with a signing of the newest Japanese pitcher to be posted in the Nippon Professional Baseball League system. The southpaw was signed to a four-year, $56 million deal that can expand to a seven-year, $109 million deal following 2021. Kikuchi hasn’t gotten quite the amount pub that other Japanese pitchers have in recent memory like Yu Darvish , Kenta Maeda , or even the Korean Hyun-Jin Ryu , but he has just as much stuff, if not more than most of those guys and has shown it over his eight seasons in the NPB, he’s also older and that has some to do with it too. The southpaw features a four-pitch mix that involves a lot of movement and more velocity than what you typically see from an MLB-caliber left-handed pitcher. His top pitch is the fastball that comfortably sits in the mid-90s while touching 97-98 at times, besting the average MLB left-handed starter’s velocity of 91.4 mph in 2018, and it also has late, tight movement. The slider is the best of the secondary pitches and is most certainly an out pitch as it works away from lefties and in on righties in a big way. The curveball isn’t thrown as often as the slider but the curve is still a swing-and-miss 12-to-6 variety pitch that he can work to either side of the plate with ease making it not just a one-handedness of hitter offering. The changeup is there to keep batters honest and it is thrown from the same arm slot and same arm speed as the fastball which gives good deception to the pitch. His last three seasons in the NPB is a pretty good peak into what he’s capable of as he pitched 494.1 innings in that span with a 2.51 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 9.04 K/9, and 2.9 BB/9 with the 2017 season being his best season to this point with a 1.97 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 10.4 K/9, and 2.3 BB/9 in 187.2 innings in that season alone. The profile and stuff fit a comp to Patrick Corbin with more velocity with the upside of a number-two starter in the majors. Seattle will slot him in the second or third spot to start the year and that kind of value should be pounced on with an ADP of 165 in the NFBC since Jan. 1 and the 63rd pitcher off the board.
Álex Reyes (RHP Cardinals) – Yes, Reyes is still a rookie despite being known about for years at this point. He does in fact still qualify as a rookie since he’s not cracked the 50+ innings pitched mark yet nor has he been on a roster for 40 or more days prior to September 1. A few years ago he was a “can’t miss” kind of guy with absolutely electric stuff and a great feel for pitching, that was before the consecutive arm injuries though. The 46 innings he threw in the majors in 2016 gave a glimpse of what he’s capable of with a 1.57 ERA (2.65 FIP) and a 10.17 K/9 in an admittedly small sample size, and that’s with pitching between the rotation and the bullpen. Then a Tommy John ended that season and his 2017 campaign before a torn Lat ended his 2018 campaign after just 27 total innings (four in the majors). Clearly the repertoire is there to be an ace-caliber guy for St. Louis, but there are major health concerns with him this year as well as there being questions as to his eventual role when he returns. The Cards arguably need more help in the pen than the rotation right now and Reyes could be worked back in without too much trouble or leverage on the twice surgically-repaired arm which knocks down his value in fantasy same.
Logan Allen (LHP Padres) – There are certainly some uber prospects ahead of Allen in the Padres loaded system, but Allen is closest pitcher they have, to being major league ready behind the couple that came up last year and held their own for the most part. Allen has pitched across four levels of the system in just the last two years and in 2018, splitting time between Double-A and Triple-A, the southpaw put up a 2.54 ERA, 3.56 FIP, 9.1 K/9, 3.1 BB/9, 1.08 WHIP, 151:51 K:BB ratio, and a .204 BAA in 148.2 innings with 121 coming at Double-A. The 6’3”, 200-pounder is still just 21 years old and will be until May of 2019 meaning he is still on the younger side to be at Triple-A already, especially in the Pacific Coast League with a home park that is the worst pitcher’s park in a bad league for pitchers in general. That build should help him stay durable following a career-high in innings in 2018, though there is still concern about his elbow in general. Mainly a fastball-changeup pitcher, he does have a curveball to offer as well though it’s more of an average pitch right now compared to the two plus pitches the others are. Like a typical lefty, the velocity isn’t huge as the fastball sits 92-94 with the changeup and curveball coming in about 10mph lower than that out of his three-quarter delivery giving the pitches a bit of late life as well. Allen will likely start the year at Triple-A before coming up around June assuming the Padres don’t bolster their rotation any further before then and he profiles as a number-three starter at best.
Sean Reid-Foley (RHP Blue Jays) – The Blue Jays system is well-known for their top-flight prospects on the offensive end of the spectrum, but they do have some quality arms in the system too. Like Allen above him, Reid-Foley isn’t the top arm in the system but he is the one most ready to jump into the starting rotation and got a taste of it in 2018. Across three systems, Double-A New Hampshire, Triple-A Buffalo, and the majors, Reid-Foley combined for a 3.64 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 10.6 K/9 rate, 3.9 BB/9 rate, and a .219 BAA over 163 innings including 33.1 in the majors. Foley has a four-pitch mix that is anchored by a plus fastball that sits 92-95 mph and touches 97 with arm-side run late. The secondary pitches are all average or better potentially with the mix including a slider, changeup, and curveball with the curveball being the newest addition to the repertoire as he added it in 2016. The righty is normally a ground-ball pitcher with GB% hovering between 45-52% for most of his minor league career and so it should come as no shock that he doesn’t give up a ton of home runs. His career HR/9 rate is a miniscule .73 HR/9 over 539.1 career innings in pro ball. Reid-Foley’s ability to keep the ball in the park will come in handy in the super-hitter-friendly AL East and those lineups. This year might be a rough one for him wins-wise as the Blue Jays just aren’t built to compete this year in that division but he’s still a worthwhile flier in deep keeper leagues and dynasty leagues with the upside of a number-two or number-three starter.
Sandy Alcantara (RHP Marlins) – Alcantara was a key piece coming back to the Marlins in the trade of Marcell Ozuna to the Cardinals and the righty got a test of the big leauges in 2018 when the Marlins desperately needed a guy to take the ball every fifth day. Alcantara though is a lot more than just a guy given his explosive repertoire that comes from his 6’4”- 170 lbs. frame. The fastball is one of the best among the minor league ranks at a 70-grade being clocked at 95-99 with late deceiving movement. The other three pitches in the arsenal are being worked on with a tight, mid-80s slider that is a plus pitch at its best while the other breaking pitch is a fringy curveball that should be above-average when all is said and done, but is below-average right now. The changeup doesn’t get thrown as often as the other two at just 12.9% of the time so it needs the most work before it’s a major-league-ready pitch. Overall if he could ever get his command and control more harnessed, the K/9 rate would be higher than just 7.04 over 161 innings like it was in 2018. That being said, he was still fairly unhittable with a .235 BAA and a 49.8% GB rate as well. Ultimately he is expected to be a key part of the rebuilding Miami rotation and likely tops out as a number-two starter if he ever figures out his control. If he doesn’t, a move to the closer role where his fastball-slider combo would wreak havoc on opposing hitters.
Taylor Widener (RHP Diamondbacks) – Widener was selected in the 12th round of the 2016 draft by the Yankees before being traded after the 2017 season in the Brandon Drury trade. In his first season in the Diamondbacks system, Widener set a career high for innings pitched in a season at 137.1 innings over 26 appearances (25 starts) with an impressive 2.75 ERA, 2.99 FIP, 11.53 K/9 rate, 2.82 BB/9, and a sparkling .196 BAA. He is still making the transition from bullpen to full-time starter but as the numbers above show, it’s going pretty well for him and his three-pitch mix. The fastball sits comfortably at 93-97 with quite a lot of the new buzz words in baseball “spin rate” that helps avoid bats. The slider has a higher spin rate than the fastball and sits in the mid-80s though it needs more consistency in delivery and getting on top of it. The third pitch is a changeup that is still a bit unrefined but still works to keep batters off-balance. Widener does have an injury history associated with him in an elbow surgery in 2015 and some back and knee issues in college, but so long as he can stay healthy he’s got the upside of a number-two starter but likely slots in as a high-strikeout number-three starter coming off a 176:43 K:BB ratio in 2018, and could be up in Arizona in the middle of the 2019 season depending on how the health of their rotation is looking at that point.
Jonathan Loaisiga (RHP Yankees) – Loaisiga came out of nowhere to a degree in 2018 by making a four-level jump all in one season from Rookie ball to the majors. His combined numbers for that campaign are solid across the board with a 3.57 ERA. 3.18 FIP, 1.27 WHIP, 11.1 K/9, 2.3 BB/9, and a .265 BAA in 80.2 innings. That being said, there are some concerns here with the 24-year-old Nicaraguan righty starting with his injury history that has cost him basically three full years of development from the two years he missed in the Giants system before being released and then the Tommy John he required after just one start in the Yankees system in 2016. The frame, 5’11” and 165 lbs., plays a role in the lack of dependability and could ultimately lead to a role in the bullpen long-term since the 80.2 innings pitched last year, are the most he’s successfully made it through in his career. The arsenal works for either a starter or a strikeout reliever with a fastball that sits 93-96 with life down in the zone, a high spin rate low-80s curveball that works well down in the zone, and his upper-80s changeup that is also a plus-pitch and shows nice fade and deception. The Yankees have filled out their starting rotation this offseason so the only real shot for Loaisiga to come up this year would be if one of the starters gets injured or more likely as a bullpen arm to add more power to the already stacked pen in the Bronx. If he is indeed a bullpen piece, that drastically reduces his value for 2019 and perhaps longer.
Brent Honeywell (RHP Rays) – Honeywell was one of the top pitching prospects in baseball heading into 2018 and was looking at a spot in the Rays rotation just a short time into the season, that was until he tore his UCL in spring training ending his season. Taken with the 72nd pick of the 2014 draft, Honeywell moved quickly through the system with his repertoire of five pitches, four of which are plus pitches, messing with hitters at every level. The velocity isn’t off the chart with Honeywell, the fastball sits in the low 90s mostly while touching 95-96 and is more of a sinker than a true fastball. His slider stays down in the zone as does his trademark screwball that is his highest graded pitch at 65, and the changeup gives him three secondary out pitches while his curveball is a change-of-pace offering right now. In his last full season of work on the mound he pitched to a 3.65 ERA, 2.84 FIP, 1.30 WHIP, 11.06 K/9, 2.26 BB/9, and .266 BAA against in 123.2 innings at Triple-A Durham. He was a bit more hittable than you’d like to see from an ace-caliber prospect, but the strikeouts and lack of walks speak for themselves. Tampa is known for being slow to call up their top arms as they let them fully develop in the minors and now add on top of that Honeywell coming off TJ surgery, and he may not come up until late in 2019. However, there is a possibility that he comes up in July and that would up his value a tad for 2019.
Colin Poche (LHP Rays) – The Rays got quite creative with how they used their bullpen last year between rotating Closers and the use of Openers and now heading into 2019, there is some talk coming from Rays camp, that there could be another candidate for the late-inning role in the Tampa pen. Poche is a 25-year-old southpaw who was drafted in the 14th round of the 2016 draft by Arizona before coming to Tampa as the PTBNL in the Steven Souza trade and since turning pro, he’s done nothing but sit batters down just as fast as they can get into the box. The 6’3”, 235 lbs. reliever features a 92-93 mph fastball and a mid-80s slider, both of which play up because of his extended delivery and the immense spin rate he generates creating very late, hard, life for both pitches. The K/9 rates bare that out with a career mark of 13.8 in 147.1 innings pitched mainly all in relief. He also has a career ERA of 1.46 and .933 WHIP. The hitters in camp for Tampa have all commented that the ball’s movement makes it very hard to square up or even hit period which is what you want in a closer. Look for him to be a dark horse to get saves for Tampa if they aren’t satisfied with Jose Alvarado during this season.
Richard Lovelady (RHP Royals) – Once the Royals made moves to clear some bullpen spots at the trade deadline last season, Lovelady became a name that was bandied about as a possible dark horse for the late-inning role without Kelvin Herrera there and with Wily Peralta ’s iffy ratios. Instead of coming up last year however, he finished out the 2018 campaign in Triple-A, pitching 73 innings in relief with a 2.47 ERA, 3.28 FIP, nine saves, 8.75 K/9, 2.59 BB/9, 1.01 WHIP, and a .200 BAA. Like a typical late-inning arm, he uses mostly a two-pitch repertoire of a 93-97 mph fastball, that comes out of a low arm slot from the left side which adds late life and keeps it down in the zone well, and a mid-80s slider that comes from the same arm slot and runs in to righties and away from lefties. There is a 45-grade changeup in there too but that’s really just to keep hitters from timing the fastball right now. In 2019 the Royals have Brad Boxberger and Wily Peralta as their potential closer candidates to start things out, but given what Lovelady did in the PCL last year, he should be in consideration for the role as well.
Kyle Wright (RHP Braves) – Trying to pick a favorite Braves’ rookie pitcher this year is a tough task given the sheer depth of arms they have in the upper levels of their system between Touki Toussaint, Mike Soroka , Ian Anderson, Luiz Gohara , Bryse Wilson, Kolby Allard, and yes Wright as well. The guy with the best weapons and the most upside though is Wright as he has three plus-pitches and a fourth that’s still a 55-grade even though it’s not plus just yet. That makes him a frontline starter candidate all day long as does his 6’4” frame and the fact that he went to Vanderbilt and was the seventh starting pitcher taken in the first round out of Vandy in the last 10 drafts. He was taken in 2017 but already made it up to the bigs for a taste last year after pitching 28.2 innings at Triple-A Gwinnett. A 94-98 mph fastball leads the arsenal, especially as it still sits at 95 late into starts, followed by two breaking pitches, a true power curveball and then a hard slider which he does a good job of not merging together, and his fourth pitch is a changeup that plays at above-average with the movement and mimicry of the fastball arm speed. Wright might take a bit longer than some other aforementioned names in the running, but once he gets called up he should remain up given the upside he possesses as the future ace of the staff in Atlanta.
Jon Duplantier (RHP Diamondbacks) – Arguably the Diamondbacks top prospect, Duplantier has had a bit of a longer road to where he is now than what a guy of his size and skill should have had mainly due to injury setbacks. The righty is a 6’4”, 225 lbs. front of the rotation starter type who possesses three plus-pitches and a fourth average one and nothing that comes out of his hand goes straight or travels the same way. His 92-94 mph fastball is much more of a sinker type pitch than a straight fastball and it has run as well. The secondary offerings include a newly developed slider that might be his best secondary pitch already, as well as a plus-curveball, and a keep-them-honest-changeup. When he can stay healthy, he showed what he’s capable of in 2017 when he posted a stat line consisting of a 1.38 ERA, 2.89 FIP, 10.9 K/9, 2.78 BB/9, 0.97 WHIP, and .190 BAA in 136 innings across A-ball and High-A. The problem is that he backed that up by only pitching 74 innings in all of 2018 with 67 coming at Double-A. If he can stay healthy, he’s got a shot to join the Arizona rotation in the second half of the season in 2019.
Jimmie Sherfy (RHP Diamondbacks) – The last rookie pitcher to be in the top-50 rookie list is another Diamondback arm, but this time it’s a bullpen piece, specifically a closer candidate. Sherfy, since making Triple-A Reno in 2016, has complied 144.1 innings, mainly in eighth and ninth inning spots, with a 2.74 ERA, 3.69 FIP, 10.7 K/9, 3.4 BB/9, 1.08 WHIP, and .194 BAA with 48 saves to boot. He is another guy that is using primarily a fastball-slider combination to fan guys at the plate with the fastball consistently working in the upper-90s with life and a slider that is a true out pitch, though still plays second fiddle to his 70-grade fastball. The Diamondbacks have Archie Bradley and Greg Holland to compete for the ninth inning role and add to that mix another potential rookie in Yoan Lopez who also has lights out stuff for the backend of the pen and it’s a confusing situation in the Arizona pen. Sherfy, with 66 career saves, has quite a bit of experience finishing off games and could find himself in that role once more in the desert later in the season, and Arizona has already shown confidence in him when they put him on the post-season roster in 2017.