We've already seen quite a few prospects have very quick starts to the season all over the diamond. Guys like Akil Baddoo, Jazz Chisholm Jr., and Cristian Javier, Ian Anderson , and Bruce Zimmermann have all been very solid on the mound as well. For this week's prospect report we'll start looking at what some of the more under-the-radar prospects are doing and who's possibly next at coming up for their respective teams.
Kyle Isbel, OF KC - Isbel was a surprise addition to the Royals’ Opening Day roster but it’s already been paying off for them with his play in right field. Prior to breaking camp with the team, he’d played 123 games in the minors posting a .284/.347/.455 slash line with 14 home runs, 92 runs, 62 RBI, and 35 steals with 31 doubles. That’s what his skill set profiles as with plus speed, an above-average hit tool, and slightly below-average pop. He’s an OF3 or OF4 the rest of the way this year and if he’s still available, Isbel should absolutely be rostered.
Taylor Trammell , OF SEA -Trammell is another guy with a similar makeup as Isbel and made the team’s Opening Day roster in Seattle. He grades out as nearly the same as Isbel in the hit, power, and speed tools with a touch more pop and the other major difference is he was traded twice since being drafted in 2016. Trammell has had a tough time adjusting to play above Double-A but he’s still managed to steal at least 20 bags in every one of his four minor league seasons. The start of the season hasn’t been good for him as he’s just 1-for-13 and so if he doesn’t get it going in another month or so, expect him to be sent down.
Geraldo Perdomo, SS ARI - The young, 21-year-old, shortstop recently came up to the big league club to fill in for Nick Ahmed being on the IL. I will preface this by saying that he isn’t expect to be up long-term just yet as the Diamondbacks won’t need him with a healthy Ahmed on the field but stashing now, especially in keeper leagues is a good idea. He is a spectacular defender at short as his speed and quick strides allow him bigger range and the plus arm strength and soft hands allow him to play the ball well when he gets to it. The hit tool is plus as is the speed but there is barely any power here. He’s a prototypical shortstop who should post 25-plus steals a year and has a patient approach at the plate which will help in OBP leagues for sure.
Tanner Houck, RHP BOS - Houck pitched quite well in spring training and was a possible option for the fifth starter for the Red Sox but instead was initially set for the alternate site. That was until Eduardo Rodríguez came down with a case of dead arm and so Houck got his start on opening weekend anyway. Houck looked solid in that start against Baltimore in which he used his three-pitch mix to strikeout eight Orioles in five innings and walking just one. The righty uses a low-three-quarters arm slot to add sink and run to his above-average to plus pitchers in the form of a two-seam fastball, splitter, and slider. He has the makings of a number-two starter but will likely go between the rotation and bullpen this year. Houck will need the three pitches to show up consistently to be most effective, but when they do show up his strikeout rate should be just over a K per inning.
Trevor Rogers, LHP MIA - Rogers is a former first round pick of the Marlins in 2017 and was taken to be a stalwart of the rotation going forward, we’re now seeing that hope starting to be realized. The big lefty uses not only his big frame to generate odd angels for hitters to face but the lower arm slot creates extra movement on the pitches as well. He sits in the low-to-mid 90s on the fastball and touches 97 and about 10 MPH slower on the changeup with a mid-80s slider rounding out the repertoire with the slider also turning into a cutter from time-to-time as he still builds his feel for spinning the ball. In 209 innings in the minors he posted a 235:60 K:BB ratio but the last 136 innings is when he really learned how to avoid being hit as he went from a .295 BAA to a .235 BAA. Rogers should be a number 3-4 starter for them knowing who’s ahead of him in the rotation eventually with Sixto Sánchez , Sandy Alcantara , and either Edward Cabrera or Max Meyer ahead of him too.
Triston McKenzie, RHP CLE - The stringbean, as some like to call him because of his lanky figure, made his MLB debut a year ago pitching in 33.1 innings and looking good doing it with a 42:9 K:BB ratio and a 0.90 WHIP. Now he made his 2021 debut pitching 3.2 innings in relief and while he still struck out five, he did walk four. McKenzie uses a four-pitch mix to get hitters out and that’s anchored by his low-to-mid-90s fastball that plays up because of extension and a high spin rate. The curveball is the best pitch and profiles as a plus-pitch in the low-80s with a nice tight shape and the spin rate adding deception. The slider and changeup round out the arsenal and both are at least average major league pitches that will improve with more use. McKenzie is a future number two starter for Cleveland and so now is a good time to stash him.
Next Up
Logan Gilbert, RHP SEA - We saw James Paxton leave the game with an apparent elbow injury on Tuesday night and with Gilbert close to making the rotation out of spring training, we’d likely see him get a call reasonably soon. Gilbert is a future top of the rotation arm who offers four above-average to plus pitches and is coming off 135 innings in 2019 with a 165:33 K:BB ratio.
Jarred Kelenic, OF SEA - Kelenic is just waiting for an opening on the roster to come up to the majors. He was doing amazing things in spring training before being sent down for service time and he’s the next stud outfielder in baseball who’s posted a 29-35 HR-SB line in 173 career games in the minors. He should be up before the calendar turns to June.
Sixto Sánchez , RHP MIA - Sanchez was already on an innings limit this year and was going to start at the alternate site before the injury concern popped up. The injury concern should only really delay him a tad from the original plan and once he comes up, he’ll be a top-of-the-rotation arm for the Marlins. The stuff is electric and now that he added a cutter at the alternate site last year, he’s got five plus-pitches to get hitters out with. It’s just a matter of time with him.
J.B. Bukauskas, RHP ARI - Bukauskas put on a show in spring for the Diamondbacks before being sent to the alternate site but the buzz he created in camp is real. One of the key pieces in return for Zack Greinke , Bukauskas could be used in a relief role this year has his combo of a fastball and slider can be devastating out of the pen in the same way Josh Hader is.
Daniel Lynch, LHP KC - Lynch is potentially the next ace for the Royals, and if he’s not it’s Asa Lacy, but Lynch is closer to the majors. If the Royals hang around in the AL Central, we could see Lynch make his debut about the beginning of June as they will need a boost in their starting rotation. The lefty has big time strikeout stuff with upper-90s velocity and nice bite and spin on his secondary offerings that play well to righties and lefties alike.
Jarren Duran, OF BOS - Duran is the top outfield option for the Sox and represents the best speed threat in their system as well. The power and arm strength isn’t anything to write home about but he profiles as a leadoff hitter with a 55-60 grade hit tool and elite speed. Boston could bring him up early in the season to start seeing what they have awaiting on the farm and introduce speed to the lineup which currently lacks that trait.
Matt Cronin, LHP WAS - This guy is a deeper dive than the others and he’s strictly a reliever but he’s got electric stuff with a mid-90s fastball that has 20 inches of vertical break and late explosive life along with a 12-to-6 curveball that is also a plus offering. He pitched in 22 innings in 2019 after being drafted and struck out 41 hitters with a 0.82 ERA and 1.00 WHIP. If the Nationals need more help in the pen, Cronin could be a guy who gets the call and adds holds with strikeouts and ratio help on the waiver wire.