Regan's Rumblings: Prospect Stashes for Next Year

It was a huge blow to baseball to lose both Mike Trout and Christian Yelich to season-ending injuries in the span of a week. These are two of the top three players in the game right now (Ronald Acuna is right there), so being deprived of seeing both in action for the next two weeks is tough. I can't wait to see what the Angels will do this winter. Do they return to their free-spending free agent ways and go after guys like Gerrit Cole and Anthony Rendon? The idea of spreading their budget among multiple pitchers (Matt Harvey, Trevor Cahill, Cody Allen) was a good idea in theory that minimized risk, but Allen was released in June and Harvey in July. Cahill is still on the roster, but he had a 7.18 ERA in 11 starts before being banished to the bullpen where he has a 5.03 ERA and 1.60 WHIP in 22 appearances. Right now, the rotation looks like Andrew Heaney, Griffin Canning, and three open slots.

Anyway, on to this week's feature. This week I'm talking keeper league prospect stashes. This article won't be for everyone, as in keeper/dynasty leagues with minor league rosters, most, if not all of these guys aren't going to be available. Say though you're in a 12-team mixed league. You're rebuilding, and your league allows for minor league pickups. Would you rather roll the dice on a Jo Adell (more on him soon) as a keeper or keep a guy like say, Justin Turner? Turner may very well outproduce Adell next year, but again, if you're rebuilding, Adell could be a cornerstone type of player for you. Here are 10 guys to consider. Note that this is only covering players who have yet to make their MLB debuts (with one exception).

Jo Adell, OF, LAA

If you're going to stash any prospect who is set to debut in 2020, this is the guy. The Angels seem likely to decline Kole Calhoun's $14 million 2020 option, opening the door for Adell to slide in alongside Mike Trout and Justin Upton at some point in 2020. This isn't a Kris Bryant/Vladimir Guerrero Jr. case in which it's obvious that Adell should be in the Opening Day lineup, so expect him to at least spend a little time in Triple-A to start the season. Adell hit .308/.390/.553 in 43 games at Double-A, but just .264/.321/.355 at the Triple-A level in 27 games. He did, however, hit .340/.380/.447 in his last 10 games, so a huge spring and a push for the Opening Day roster wouldn't be a shocker. Adell is RotoWire's No. 2 overall prospect behind a guy we will hear about in a minute, so despite not turning 21 until April, he's just about ready and projects as a guy who could hit 30-plus home runs and steal 20-plus bases in his prime. Mike Trout has help on the way, at least on the hitting side of the roster.

Luis Robert, OF, CHW

Perhaps the most MLB-ready player on this list, Robert was strongly considered for a September promotion, though the non-contending White Sox elected to give him the Eloy Jimenez treatment and defer his debut to April 2020. Across three levels this season, Robert hit a robust .328/.376/.624 with 30 home runs and 36 steals. That's top-five overall type of production, though we can't exactly expect that right away in the big leagues. Robert finished the season hitting .297/.341/.634 in Triple-A, but apparently that wasn't quite enough (wink wink) to unseat the likes of Leury Garcia and Adam Engel. A 5.3 BB percentage is one concern when it comes to Robert being able to post a high OBP at the big league level, but the counting stats upside is quite high. He should eventually settle into the middle of what should be a potent White Sox lineup in the next couple years with Jimenez, Robert and 2019 first-round pick Andrew Vaughn.

Wander Franco, SS, TB

Guys like Bryce Harper and Juan Soto debuted as teenagers, and Franco is probably next in line. He doesn't turn 19 until March, but at some point in 2020, there's a decent chance we could see this guy with the Rays. Franco has yet to even reach Double-A, so this seems like a stretch, but in 667 minor league at-bats, he's hit .336/.405/.523 with 20 homers and 17 SB (and 20 CS, so that will improve). That's fine and all, but what really makes him stand out is the incredibly advanced plate discipline he's shown at such a young age. Despite being among the youngest, if not the youngest player in each league in which he's played, Franco's K percentage is a minute seven percent, while he's walked a solid 10.8 percent of the time. His bat speed is elite, and as he fills out, we could see his power develop into the 40 home run range. He could steal 20 to 30 bases while he's young, though that could taper off as his power develops. There seems to be a decent chance that the Rays push Franco to Double-A to start the 2020 season, and that's a big leap, that would seem to put him firmly in line for a 2020 promotion.

Drew Waters, OF, ATL

Waters is one of those guys whose scouting reports exceeds his raw numbers. Still just 20 (21 in December), Waters is already at the Triple-A level after having hit .319/.366/.481 with five homers, 13 steals, and a 0.26 BB/K in 108 games in Double-A. He then posted a .710 OPS in 26 games in Triple-A, leaving that his likely destination to open 2020. Waters ranks as RotoWire's No. 5 overall prospect on his talent and upside, but there could be growing pains. The Braves seems to know how to develop outfielders, though Waters will have to prove his 2019 ratios (6.8 BB percentage, 28.6 K percentage) are nothing to worry about. He's not a "boom or bust" prospect, but there are questions as to his ultimate ability to reach what is a fairly high ceiling.

Dylan Carlson, OF, STL

Carlson just missed out on a 2019 call-up, but he's reportedly a candidate for a 2020 Opening Day starting role. Maybe that depends on what happens with Marcell Ozuna and his impeding free agency, but Carlson's 2019 has put him in our top-10 overall prospects. Between the two upper levels of the minors, Carlson hit .292/.372/.542 with 26 home runs and 20 stolen bases. He managed a reasonable 20.6 K percentage while walking in 10.3 percent of his PAs. Both solid ratios. A former No. 33 overall pick (2016), Carlson didn't even merit a writeup in our 2019 magazine, as between 2016 and 2018, he hit just .245/.340/.376 in 277 games. Perhaps more than any prospect in the game, he's worked hard and taken his game to a new level. If I'm the Cardinals, I tender a QO to Ozuna and hope he walks, setting up a situation in which Carlson, Dexter Fowler, Tyler O'Neill and Harrison Bader duke it out for three starting spots next spring.

MacKenzie Gore, SP, SD

It's amazing to think that Gore is three years younger than Chris Paddack, but the lefty could soon join Paddack in the San Diego rotation. How close is Gore to the big leagues? Well, Paddack had just seven starts above High-A prior to making the 2019 Opening Day rotation, while Gore has made five starts above High-A headed into 2020. There seems to be little chance that Gore breaks camp with the big club despite the earlier-than-expected MLB debuts of Paddack and Fernando Tatis Jr., but he's certainly going to be on the callup radar early in 2020. Gore hit 101 overall innings in 2019, likely putting his 2020 output in the 140ish range, and it remains to be seen how many of those come as a big leaguer. I'd guess in the range of 80. To me, he's slightly ahead of Forrest Whitley (next up on this list) as baseball's top pitching prospect yet to debut in the big leagues.

Forrest Whitley, SP, HOU

Where to start…. Whitley entered the season as the consensus No. 1 overall pitching prospect in the big leagues, and his RotoWire writeup was glowing, including this: "He has five plus pitches, including two 70-grade offerings in his fastball and changeup. It's the most dominant minor-league arsenal in recent memory." He was a lock to make his MLB debut this year, but then things went south. Whitley put up a 12.21 ERA in his first eight outings, ultimately landing on the IL in May with "shoulder fatigue," or perhaps, "He's been terrible, so we're making this up-ism." Whitely had a handful of encouraging outings after returning in July, but ultimately finished with a 7.99 ERA in 59.2 innings, including a very nice 13.0 K/9, but a not-so-nice 6.6 BB/9. The past couple seasons for Whitley have included the shoulder injury (if it was real), an oblique strain, and we have to mention this: his 50-game suspension for the use of Adderall. Whitley should easily make his MLB debut in 2020, though we expected it to come in 2019. If he's healthy and focused, we could see a guy next spring who lights up the Grapefruit League and wins a rotation spot. After all, Gerrit Cole and Wade Miley are both free agents after this season, so there should be a spot for the taking.

Michael Kopech, SP, CHW

Kopech is that one exception mentioned in the introduction, as he actually made his MLB debut in 2018, but after undergoing Tommy John surgery last September, it's easy to forget about him. Kopech, though, is a guy with true ace potential, flashing a mid-to-upper 90s fastball, plus slider, and even a plus change. That's a great profile. His strikeout upside is that of Gerrit Cole (250 strikeouts per season), but what will need to be improved upon is his control, as Kopech's career BB/9 in the minors is well below average at 4.4. That's not a huge long-term concern, as many pitchers have overcome minor league control issues at the big league level. That may not happen right away for Kopech, and he may be on an innings limit in 2020, but few pitchers his age offer as much long term upside.

Jorge Mateo, SS, OAK

Mateo was awful at Triple-A last year, batting just .230/.280/.353 in 131 games. He's regained a good chunk of his prospect value in a repeat performance in 2019, batting a solid .289/.330/.504 with 15 home runs, 62 total XBH and 24 stolen bases in 532 at-bats. It was a bit of a surprise that he didn't get a 2019 call-up, though from August 1 onward, Mateo hit just .221/.283/.346, so perhaps the decision was actually warranted. Mateo has long been on the prospect radar back to his days with the Yankees organization, particularly in 2015 when he swiped a whopping 82 bases in just 117 games. Those days appear long gone, as he's swapped much of that speed for power, but we can still see 25/25 as his ceiling, but with what sort of slash line? His 5.1 percent BB percentage and 25.6 percent K percentage are subpar, but Mateo has star-level talent if he can get good coaching and tap into that upside.

Vidal Brujan, SS/2B, TB

This one would be a bit of a stretch for 12-team mixed leagues, but if say you're given 10 keepers and your 10th best player is Hunter Pence, then perhaps rolling the dice on this guy is in order. The past two seasons have seen Brujan swipe 103 bases in 221 games with a .301/.378/.328 slash. No, he's not going to hit for a lot of power, though perhaps in time, his 5'10" frame can fill out enough to get the HRs in the double digits. He's struck out in just 12 percent of his minor league PAs, but he's not a complete hacker, posting a quality 9.9 percent BB percentage as well. As of Monday morning, just eight big leaguers had stolen 25-plus bases, a mark that Brujan could double in his prime, so with teams not valuing the SB as they had in years past, that makes guys like Brujan that much more valuable in fantasy leagues. If you compare the value of a home run to a stolen base from a fantasy perspective, note that 66 players have hit 25-plus home runs this year. Incredibly, just 40 players reached that mark in 2018, and we have two weeks to go!