A week ago, I dug deep into the minor leagues and put a spotlight on several hitters at the Single-A level. Today, we are going to head back to the A-level—specifically High-A—and pinpoint some arms that need to be observed with a watchful eye. With the vast majority of prospects in Single-A still a few years away from the major leagues, you need to keep in mind that these players aren’t going to be useful in re-draft leagues. Instead these names have more of a dynasty and deep keeper focus.
Andrew Suarez, San Jose Giants (San Francisco)
The San Francisco Giants drafted Suarez last season, though this was after he was also selected in 2011 and again in 2014. He is a Miami boy and chose to play four years of college at The U before going pro. After being drafted and signing with the Giants in June, Suarez made his debut in the Arizona League and appeared in three games, all of which were relief appearances. Suarez was promoted quickly to Single-A and then again to High-A where he made eight combined starts and posted a 1.84 ERA with 31 strikeouts in 34.1 innings pitched.
San Francisco chose to have Suarez start at the same level this season and his numbers (2.78 ERA, 11.9 K/9, 1.2 BB/9) are once again stellar. It won’t be long before he’s promoted to Double-A with an outside shot to reach Triple-A by season’s end. Because Suarez spent four years in college, he’s definitely advanced for the Single-A level and it’s also the reason he is fast tracking through the minors. He is worth a stash in dynasty league right now because of the fact he should be able to reach the majors in mid-to-late 2017.
Erick Fedde, Potomac Nationals (Washington)
Behind top prospect Lucas Giolito, the Nationals have another arm with star potential in Fedde. Much like Suarez, Fedde was drafted out of high school before ultimately going to college for four years. Fedde underwent Tommy John surgery in 2014 prior to being drafted and didn’t make his debut until the 2015 season. He made 14 starts over two levels (Short-Season A and Low-A) and posted a 3.38 average and 8.3 K/9. This season the strikeouts are up (11.5 K/9) and so are the home runs. Fedde gave up two homers in 14 starts last season but has already been taken deep four times in four starts at Potomac. The Nationals are unlikely to rush him through their system, but Fedde has the makeup of a solid number three starter and that type of potential is always worth a stash. Just beware that Fedde may not make his major league debut until 2018.
Brent Honeywell, Charlotte Stone Crabs (Tampa Bay)
The Rays have long been known for their ability to develop pitchers and it appears as though Honeywell is going to be another success story. He possesses a very good fastball that will hit the mid-90s consistently and also a 65-grade screwball—a pitch that is extremely rare these days. Honeywell is terrorizing the Florida State League with a miniscule 0.89 ERA, 0.79 WHIP, and a fantastic BB/K ratio of 7.75. It’s only a matter of time before the Rays decide to promote him to Double-A. Depending on how Honeywell performs when he’s called up, he could reach Triple-A by the end of the year and that would put him on track to make his major league debut in the second half of next year. Honeywell needs to be owned in all dynasty leagues given his high floor and moderately high ceiling.
Brandon Waddell, Bradenton Marauders (Pittsburgh)
Much like Tampa Bay, the Pirates have a great track record when it comes to developing pitchers. It appears that Waddell could be another success story, though he’s nowhere close to the majors. After posting a 5.75 ERA and an ugly 2.57 K/BB ratio at Low-A West Virginia last year, Waddell has turned a corner at Bradenton by going 4-0 with a 0.93 ERA, 0.52 WHIP, and a K/BB ratio of 26-to-2. His fast start has already earned him a promotion to Double-A Altoona. There will likely be plenty of growing pains as the jump to Double-A is one of the hardest to make. Waddell doesn’t really have top prospect status at this point, but there’s no reason he cannot develop into one. Keep an eye on him in dynasty leagues.
Recent Call-ups
Mac Williamson, Giants
Williamson isn’t in a great situation as his role is likely unknown, but he has the chance to be on the weak side of a platoon in the coming weeks and that gives him value in NL-Only leagues. He has hit .355 with four homers and 18 RBI at Triple-A Sacramento this season.
Tim Adelman, Reds
It’s usually telling when a player is 28 years old and is finally making his major league debut. That’s what we have with Adelman, who made his first career start against the Pirates on Sunday. He actually fared quite well, pitching six innings with six strikeouts while giving up just two earned runs. While Adelman is nothing more than a warm body, he does have some value in NL-Only leagues, as he will start again this Friday against Milwaukee.
Zac Curtis, Diamondbacks
It’s rare to see a player jump from Single-A to the majors, but that’s exactly what Curtis did. He owned a 5.23 ERA at High-A Visalia before getting the call, but also an eye-popping 19.2 K/9. It’s anyone’s guess as to how long Curtis will be in the majors, but his strikeout ability is outstanding. Since he’s a reliever, he can be left on the waiver wire, but be sure to follow his progression as he could be a possible closer down the line.
Player News
Kyren Paris hit a two-run homer in Wednesday’s win for the Angels over the Blue Jays.
That’s the first homer for Paris since April 9 when he went deep twice against Tampa Bay and caused everyone to lose all sense of rational thought. The 23-year-old did also single and walk to improve his on-base percentage to .311,, while the homer bumps his slugging mark to .378. There is long-term upside in Paris with flashes that suggest he can be a fantasy option. Fantasy managers should still absolutely looking elsewhere for options up the middle.
Jorge Soler hit a three-run double in the bottom of the ninth to give the Angels a 5-4 win over the Blue Jays on Wednesday.
Trent Grisham went 1-for-1 with a game-tying two-run home run in the eighth inning of a 4-3 win over the Padres on Wednesday.
While the Yankees won this game on a walk-off in the 10th inning, Grisham’s game-tying home run in the eighth was the biggest moment. He came on as a pinch-hitter for Jorbit Vibas against the usually stout Jason Adam and smashed a two-strike changeup into the right field seats. This clutch shot will only continue to push Grisham’s playing time in the right direction after he just started eight of the last 10 games, hit either first or second in each, and already has 10 homers in 31 games played this season.
Jeff Hoffman blew a save and picked up a loss Wednesday against the Angels.
Devin Williams struck out three batters with one walk and hit another in a scoreless 10th inning to earn the win against the Padres on Wednesday.
The Yankees entrusted Williams with the all important 10th inning and the inherited ghost runner on second base after their dramatic comeback. While he loaded the bases and had some tense moments, he left the inning unscathed and opened the door for them to win it right after. It should be noted that Luke Weaver came on for what were the most important outs of this game at the time, after Ian Hamilton walked two to begin the eighth inning and Weaver allowed both of those inherited runners to score. He was called upon as the fireman though and will likely get the next save opportunity. Still, this was a massive step in the right direction for Williams.
Max Fried allowed five hits and one run with no walks and eight strikeouts over seven innings in a no-decision against the Padres on Wednesday.
Fried’s excellent season continued as he set down the Padres easily besides for a mammoth solo home run by Jackson Merrill. It was no matter though, as they rarely threatened otherwise and Fried continued to find his strikeout stuff. This was his fourth outing of the year with at least seven strikeouts, a mark he only hit 10 times last season in 29 starts. Fried with a strikeout rate that’s better than league average – which is where he’s at right now – is a clear top-10 pitcher in fantasy baseball. He’s set for a two-start week coming up against the Mariners and Mets.