Feature photo: Ryan McMahon, 3B/2B/1B, Rockies
With the youth movement in Major League Baseball in full swing again this season, some of the top young talents in the minor leagues have descended on Miami during the 2017 MLB All-Star Weekend for the premier prospect event of the summer — the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game. While the Futures Game was once a brief glimpse of what could be coming down the pike for the big league club in two or three years, in recent years we have crossed into a new era where a solid number of these Double-A and Triple-A kids could very well be contributors during the second half of the present season, helping to provide a spark for clubs pushing for a playoff spot.
Last year Alex Bregman (3B, Astros) collected three hits in San Diego during the 2016 SiriusXM Futures Game prior to being called up just a couple of weeks later. He would go on to mash to the tune of a .260 average with 32 extra base hits (including seven bombs) over the balance of the season. Andrew Benintendi (LF/CF, Red Sox) was also a factor in San Diego last year and received the call up to Boston in August, hitting .295 with 14 extra base hits and a .359 OBP for the Sox to close out the year. To date, 27 of the players from the 2016 Team USA and World rosters have made their big league debut since that game last summer, with arguably 20 of them having an impact for a playoff hopeful big league team either last year or currently.
The 2017 SiriusXM Futures Game kicks off this afternoon at 4:00 pm eastern, and it is clear that a large collection of the rostered players are not years away, but mere months, with some of them bringing with them potential impact that rivals that of the rapidly approaching, and often overblown, trade deadline.
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Full Rosters with Player Stats (Here)
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Four Team USA names to watch who could make an impact in the second half for their MLB club:
Nick Gordon, SS, Twins | Double-A Chattanooga
With the Twins trying to keep their Cinderella run alive in the AL Central, the electric energy Gordon has shown thus far at Double-A could be a nice shot in the arm for Minnesota’s bland production at shortstop. Gordon isn’t a big home run threat, but the extra base hits have come in bunches in 2017. Thus far he has 22 doubles to go with six triples and six bombs. He isn’t going to be a plus runner, but he can handle the six spot, and could really spark the top of that lineup and score a ton of runs hitting in front of Miguel Sano (3B, Twins) and Brian Dozier (2B, Twins). –Dave DeFreitas
Kyle Tucker, OF, Astros | Double-A Corpus Christie
While the Astros don’t have a huge need in the outfield right now with George Springer (CF, Astros) and Josh Reddick (RF, Astros) lighting the world on fire, Houston is widely considered the best team in baseball at present and will surely be looking to fortify the roster for a World Series run. Fortunately for the ‘Stros, they may not need to swing a monster trade at the end of the month in order to accomplish this. Tucker is still just 20-years-old, but has shown the ability to adjust to each level he’s reached thus far, and has already shown more power at Double-A than he did in the homer-happy Cal League at the start of the season. The former first rounder’s smooth, athletic swing and natural strength make him a legit damage threat – through 132 at-bats for Corpus Christie he has nine home runs and eight doubles to go with six stolen bases. 2080’s resident veteran scout, Ted Lekas, went as far as to compare him to a young Shawn Green (OF, multiple teams, 1993-2007). Tucker is driving the ball to all fields and while he does swing and miss a bit (23.9% K rate), the power is beyond intriguing and more than enough to add impact – especially if he’s hitting down in the order. Houston isn’t shy about promoting their young guys and Tucker could be the equivalent of a big deadline deal. – Dave DeFreitas
Brent Honeywell, RHP, Rays | Triple-A Durham
After two dominant starts with Double-A Montgomery to begin the 2017 season, the highly touted Honeywell was bumped to Triple-A Durham, where he has been challenged by more patient and refined bats. On pure stuff, the righty remains one of the best pitching prospects in the game, boasting a quality low- to mid-90s heater with run and a five-pitch mix that includes a screwball, slider, changeup and curveball as secondary offerings. His in-zone command still lags and the fastball can flatten out up in the zone, making his fly ball tendencies more problematic against advanced bats. If he can tighten his execution some there is a good chance you see the former competitive balance pick throwing meaningful innings for the Rays in August and September as they continue to fight for a playoff spot. – Nick J. Faleris
Ryan McMahon, 3B/1B/2B, Rockies | Triple-A Albuquerque
Following a 27 home run, .900-plus OPS season, there’s little risk of Trevor Story (SS, Rockies) losing his gig in Colorado. At the same time, however, the Rockies will be looking to protect a six-game wildcard lead in the second half and Story has been an overall drag on the offense thus far, slashing .224/.303/.396 over 284 plate appearances. McMahon, on the other hand, has revitalized his prospect status following a rough 2016, slashing .326/.390/.536 over 205 plate appearances with Double-A Hartford to start the season and upping the ante with a .390/.419/.676 slash line over 148 plate appearances since being promoted to Triple-A Albuquerque (impressive, even coming in an admittedly hitter-friendly environment). McMahon’s impact power from the left side could be a welcome infusion of offense for the Rox a few days a week in an infield utility role. –Nick J. Faleris
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More from 2080 Baseball on the USA Team
Player Spotlights:
Beau Burrows | Brent Honeywell | Tanner Scott | Zack Collins | Brendan Rodgers
Player Video:
Beau Burrows | Chance Sisco | Bo Bichette | Nick Senzel | Lewis Brinson
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Four World Team names to watch who could make an impact in the second half for their MLB club:
Francisco Mejia, C, Indians | Double-A Akron
The number one catching prospect in all of baseball has little left to prove at the Double-A level and could soon jump to Columbus, prefacing his ultimate arrival in Cleveland. All Mejia seems to do is make hard contact, driving the ball to all fields – his .201 ISO in Double-A this year coupled with his .380 OBP display his ability to handle upper level pitching – and he’ll be making his second Futures Game appearance in as many seasons. The defensive side of his game is still developing, but the tools are there and eventually Cleveland may just hand him the reigns and let him learn on the job in the big leagues. He is a high-energy kid with a rocket arm who will impact the running game. The Indians tend to be more conservative with their young players, but they have a need at catcher, and they saw first-hand in the World Series last year what an exciting, toolsy backstop can bring to the table, ala Willson Contreras (C, Cubs). Roberto Perez, while an excellent receiver, has been an offensive black hole and is really best suited in a backup role. Yan Gomes hasn’t been able to stay on the field and the bat hasn’t been at all close to his 2014 form when he is in the lineup. –Dave DeFreitas
Alex Verdugo, OF, Dodgers | Triple-A Oklahoma City
The Dodgers have led the league both in outfielders and outfield injuries the past few seasons, so while there isn’t a spot currently for the young center fielder, should anyone go down in LA Verdugo is primed to jump right in. Verdugo doesn’t have big tools, but he does a lot of things well and brings an energy that will impact the top of that order. His .416 OBP is no PCL fluke – the former first-rounder owns a career .361 OBP mark since turning pro and has a 35:32 BB to SO rate through 298 Triple-A at-bats. He won’t be the power bat Joc Pederson has been, but he is going to get on base and he is an above-average defender at all three outfield positions, seeing time in left field the past week or so. The Dodgers would be hard pressed to find that kind of OBP and defensive ability on the trade market, and at a minimum Verdugo could be a useful outfield utility and pinch-hit option as LA makes its World Series push. – Dave DeFreitas
Victor Robles, OF, Nationals | High A Potomac
The dynamic Robles may well be the answer the Nats have been looking for in center field the past several seasons. If Robles continues his offensive barrage, he is not long for the Carolina League and could very soon be one of the youngest players at the Double-A level. He has shown the ability to adjust to each level, and 2017 has seen his power begin to emerge – 36 extra-base hits in 252 at-bats including seven homers. It is admittedly a stretch to think that the Nats will rush the 20-year-old all the way to Washington, but if he continues to swing it at Double-A, the concept of surrounding him with the massive bats of Daniel Murphy, Bryce Harper, Anthony Rendon, Ryan Zimmerman, and Trea Turner could quickly gain relevance – particularly with Adam Eaton on the shelf until March 2018. –Dave DeFreitas
Rafael Devers, 3B, Red Sox | Double-A Portland
Playing the entirety of the 2017 season at the age of 20, Devers has shown steady improvement in his plate discipline and approach over four months of Eastern League action, with his overall offensive profile rapidly maturing. He boasts a whopping .275 ISO and solid 69-point on-base delta off of his .300 average through 320 plate appearances, and the young slugging infielder looks every bit the future impact bat he has been projected to be since signing with Boston as an international free agent at the age of 16. Boston may not have a need to jump him directly to the bigs any time soon, and his continued development may be best served by regular Double-A or Triple-A at bats than occasional MLB exposure. Still, he fits as a potential impact offensive contributor if the front office believes they can find enough at-bats for him with the big club in the second half, and he seems an obvious choice to make the jump to Boston in late August, even if it’s only to serve as a late-season/playoff off-the-bench power option. 2080s Mark Shreve went in-depth on Devers’ future with the Sox in this feature published in May. – Nick J. Faleris
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More from 2080 Baseball on the World Team
Player Spotlights:
Domingo Acevedo | Tomas Nido | Estevan Florial | Alex Verdugo
Player Video:
Domingo Acevedo | Vladimir Guerrero Jr. | Francisco Mejia | Rafael Devers
Yoan Moncada | Amed Rosario | Alex Verdugo
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