We are getting ever closer to that magical time known as September Call-Up time but some teams have started the process of calling prospects up now due to injuries or playoff pushes. Some players won’t stick long but some should be up the rest of the way and might have some late-season value. Without further ado, let’s start talking prospects.
Already Called-up
Jake Fraley, OF SEA – Fraley, if you haven’t been paying attention to the eighth-ranked prospect of the Mariners, has been putting together a heck of a season between two levels of the minors. He was drafted in the Competitive Balance Round B in 2016 by Tampa but missed his first season and a half with injuries. He was then sent to Seattle for Mike Zunino this past offseason and it all clicked. In 99 games between Double-A Arkansas and Triple-A Tacoma, Fraley slashed .298/.365/.545 with 19 homers, 80 RBI, 68 runs, and 22 steals. In total he had 51 total XBH with 27 doubles and five triples mixed with those home runs. When he was drafted out of LSU he was seen as a top-of-the-order hitter with good speed and nice pop and that’s exactly what he’s turned into this season and if he can continue to increase his walk rate, he will stick near or at the top of the Mariners’ order the rest of the way.
A.J. Puk , LHP OAK – Puk has been the top pitching prospect in Oakland since he got drafted and aside from being sidelined by injuries, he’s shown why he’s been worthy of that spot. He now got the news that he was getting called up earlier this week to be a reliever in the desperate Oakland pen. There might only be 25.1 innings on his arm this year as he comes back from Tommy John surgery but in those innings he’s posted a 38:10 K:BB ratio and just a .226 BAA including a .175 mark in 11 innings at Triple-A Las Vegas. He has dominant stuff with two double-plus pitches in the arsenal in the 96-97 mph fastball and an 
absolutely devasting slider. The other two pitches are an above-average changeup and a burgeoning curveball that plays up because of his huge 6’7”, 240-pound frame. He will be a frontline starter candidate likely starting next year but for now he will be used out of the pen to rack up those late-inning strikeouts.
Nick Solak , 2B/OF TEX – Solak is now in his third organization since getting drafted out of Louisville in 2016. It’s his first time in the majors however as he’s played two games for Rangers so far after receiving the call-up over the weekend from Triple-A Nashville. Solak has the versatility to be a middle infielder and an outfielder while maintaining a nice average and showing some pop from his line-drive driven swing. In 115 games between two Triple-A affiliates, he slashed .289/.362/.532 with 27 home runs, 79 runs, 74 RBI, and five steals while positing a double-digit BB-rate and just over 20-percent K-rate. He has above-average hit and run tools and about average power which should about to 18-22 homers at the MLB-level. The part of his game that needs the most work is the defensive side as he doesn’t have the strongest arm and he’s not as fluid at the Keystone as you’d like to see but he’s still solid enough to not be a detriment to the team in the field.
Joel Kuhnel, RHP CIN – Kuhnel is not a guy who’s really been on the prospect map, simply because he’s been developed as a reliever and not a starter, which knocks some shine off in the eyes of prospect hunters. However, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have value going forward. Velocity is what he brings with his repertoire with a triple-digits fastball with nice movement, an 89-93 mph slider that’s got a high spin rate, and a low-90s changeup that has good fade and depth. In 53.2 innings between Double-A Chattanooga and Triple-A Louisville, Kuhnel posted a 2.18 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, .201 BAA, 50:16 K:BB ratio and most importantly 14 saves. He’s produced nearly 50-percent ground-ball rate for his career, 192 innings, and has had a steadily climbing K-rate as he’s risen through the system. The backend of the Reds’ bullpen has been a mess most of this season as they’ve switched between multiple ninth-inning options and Kuhnel could be a dark horse for that role next year as they seem to be disinterested in having Raisel Iglesias in that role.
Hunter Harvey , RHP BAL – Harvey has finally made the major league roster of the Orioles after being their first-round pick, 22nd overall, back in 2013 out of high school. Injuries, injuries, and wait for it…more injuries have been the story of his career thus far as he just can’t stay healthy. In fact, the 75.2 innings he’s pitched this year, including the two for the Orioles this week, are the second-most he’s ever pitched behind the 87.2 in 2014. The righty uses a plus-fastball in the mid-90s and a plus-curveball that is a tight-spinning variety with great depth to anchor his arsenal on the mound. There is a changeup but it is well behind the others at this point and right now as he works as a reliever, he only needs two pitches to be an effective late-inning guy. In those 75.2 innings this year he’s posted an 83:26 K:BB ratio and in 16.2 innings at Triple-A Norfolk, completely as a reliever, he posted a .206 BAA, 22:5 K:BB ratio, and 1.08 WHIP. The Orioles are still looking for solutions in their pen this year and going forward and Harvey could be a candidate to pick up some saves down the stretch and possibly be in that role next year.
Justus Sheffield, LHP SEA – Back to the Pacific Northwest for this latest call-up in the southpaw that was shipped to Seattle in the James Paxton deal. He was previously up for a spot start with the Mariners earlier in the season but threw just three innings in that outing. Since then he’s gone from Triple-A Tacoma down to Double-A Arkansas to straighten himself out, and it worked. In 12 starts at Double-A, he posted a 2.19 ERA, 2.60 FIP, 9.81 K/9, 2.08 BB/9, 27.9-percent K-rate, and a 1.03 WHIP with all of those stats being markedly worse at Tacoma in the PCL. Sheffield has a three-pitch mix that is anchored by his best pitch which is his slider, that at it’s best is a wipeout offering. The Fastball has nice sink and run sitting in the mid-90s velocity-wise, and the changeup is very good against LHH and misses bats. His ceiling is that of a mid-rotation starter who can get about a strikeout-per-inning (133 in 133.0 IP this year) while pitching in a pretty solid pitcher’s park.
Could Be On The Way
Luis Robert , OF CWS – The only thing holding Robert back is the fact that the White Sox aren’t in contention this year. That’s it. It has to be. Just look at his numbers in 110 games across three minor league levels this year. The Cuban transplant has put up a .336/.387/.634 triple-slash line with 29 homers, 102 runs, 85 RBI, and 36 steals as mostly a 21-year-old (his birthday was on August 3rd when he turned 22). That’s a stat line where you have to look for faults, like perhaps he doesn’t take enough walks with just 26 in 500 plate appearances, but when you’re doing that much damage with a bat in your hand, who needs walks. The pop is new as he had just three total homers hit in two years before this season started, but like many international signees, they have to learn to use the leverage in their swing and mature physically and that’s what’s happened here. He is an absolute five-tool stud going forward with the definite chance to put up multiple 30-30 seasons and like this year is showing potentially 30-40 seasons. If he’s available in your league and it’s a keeper league, stash him now!
Dylan Carlson, OF STL – Carlson, like most Cardinals’ prospects, has flown a bit under-the-radar as he’s risen through the ranks, and rankings, to be squarely in the middle of the top-100 prospects now. After playing 108 games at Double-A Springfield this year, Carlson was promoted to Triple-A Memphis where he’s now played six games. In those 114 total games in 2019, the 20-year-old outfielder has slashed .294/.377/.543 with 23 homers, 87 runs, 63 RBI, and 18 steals. Did I mention he’s also a switch-hitter? He’s posted just over a 20-percent K-rate for his career since 2016 and well into the double-digits for walk rate as well in that span. Over the first five stops of his pro career, excluding the six games at Triple-A this year, he’s posted a .310 BABIP and .350 wOBA over 385 games and 1403 at-bats while being on pace for 18 homers, 102 runs, 78 RBI, and 15 steals over a 162-game campaign. He profiles as a 20-15 guy who can hit between .280-.290 while posting a .360 or better OBP in the majors when he gets there potentially in September but certainly next year.
Ryan Mountcastle , 1B BAL – We’re heading back to the Charm City for the last prospect this week as he’s had a resurgent 2019 at Triple-A Norfolk. In 115 games this year, he’s slashing .314/.345/.535 with 24 homers, 77 RBI, 74 runs, and two steals with a .369 wOBA and .368 BABIP. Last year was a disappointment mainly due to a fractured wrist that delayed his start and sapped his power pretty much all year, but now the 22-year-old converted first baseman is back on track. I say converted because he was drafted as a shortstop and then moved to third base and then moved to first when it was clear that his arm wasn’t strong enough for the right side of the infield and his defense was fringy as well. Now that he doesn’t have to worry about the throws from third, the bat is playing back where Baltimore thought it would be when they drafted in 2015 out of high school. The Orioles are in the midst of a major rebuild effort and Mountcastle will be a key bat in that retooling, and one that stands a shot at getting the call come September 1st and then sticking with the team next year as well.