Fantasy Baseball Prospects Report: What Derek Fisher brings to the table and why Amed Rosario, Chance Adams aren't up yet
Really? Do we have to?
The Houston Astros called up Derek Fisher to replace a concussed Josh Reddick Wednesday, which seems innocent enough since Fisher isn't a prospect whose name is immediately familiar to us. But then you look at his minor-league numbers, and ...
.335 BA (245 AB), 16 HR, 13 SB, 1.010 OPS, 25 BB, 53 K
... oh. Guess we have to pay attention to him, huh?
The more you read about him, the more that seems to be the case. He had never before put up such big numbers in the minors, and seeing as he had never before played in the hitter-friendly PCL, well, correlation to many implies causation.
But the scouting reports heading into 2017 made Fisher out to be an athletic wonder with plus-plus power who, for whatever reason, hadn't figured out how to maximize it yet. Well, here's what he had to say about that a couple weeks ago, when the breakout was already palpable.
"In spring training, I started working a lot on my swing and trying to hit the ball in the air a little bit more," Fisher told MLB.com. "That's something that a lot of people are starting to hear more of these days."
It stands to reason Fisher would buy into baseball's fly-ball revolution. What better way to tap into that power than elevating the ball more? And while it's not clear from his batted ball data at Triple-A whether he's actually hitting more fly balls, the altered launch angle may well have improved the quality of the fly balls.
Then there's this:
#Astros GM Jeff Luhnow said Derek Fisher will be up to Houston this year: "To me, Derek Fisher is ready." — Christian Boutwell (@_CBoutwell) June 13, 2017
As much as I want to conclude it's just a short-term stay for Fisher, that he'd have to light up the league like Cody Bellinger to stick around beyond Reddick's DL stint, the fact is the Astros believe in his Triple-A performance and could easily work him into left field, where right now Norichika Aoki draws most of the starts.
So again, do we have to?
We've arrived at a funny place with outfielders, at least in traditional three-outfielder leagues. We've seen so many breakouts at the position this year that any newcomer to the talent pool feels more like a burden than a blessing. How can I fit in Fisher when Gregory Polanco and Avisail Garcia are already getting the squeeze?
The bottom line is, no, you don't have to. I view Fisher in kind of the same light as Lewis Brinson : a noteworthy talent who probably has a future in the big leagues, but his immediate future is murky and the threshold for Fantasy relevance so high that outside of five-outfielder formats and leagues deeper than 12 teams, you don't need to act preemptively.
Now then, on to the players who are actually still in the minors.
Five on the verge
(These are the prospects most worth stashing in redraft leagues.)
Amed Rosario , SS, New York Mets
2016 minors: .324 BA (479 AB), 5 HR, 19 SB, .833 OPS, 40 BB, 87 K
2017 minors: .338 BA (260 AB), 7 HR, 12 SB, .883 OPS, 15 BB, 44 K
Rosario takes over the top spot with Asdrubal Cabrera back on the DL with the same thumb injury that sidelined him for the minimum 10 days in mid-May. But of course, Rosario isn't the choice to take his place -- not yet anyway. The Mets plan for another minimum DL stint for Cabrera, giving him a cortisone injection and trusting him to continue playing through pain, but isn't just bruised or whatever. He has a torn ligament. How many return trips to the DL will Cabrera have to make before the Mets finally turn the page? Shoot, how many errors will he have to make? How many rallies will he have to end? This is stupid, and it's going to end sooner than later.
Chance Adams , SP, New York Yankees
2016 minors: 13-1, 2.33 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 127 1/3 IP, 39 BB, 144 K
2017 minors: 7-2, 1.78 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 70 2/3 IP, 27 BB, 72 K
The Yankees suddenly have an opening for one of their most stashable prospects with CC Sabathia going down with a hamstring strain, but the biggest hurdle for Adams is that he's not yet on the 40-man roster. Whether or not he's the one to replace Sabathia probably depends on the severity injury. The Yankees have already been stretching out Chad Green , and he'd be the simpler choice if we're only talking a turn or two. It doesn't help that Adams' last two starts were also his worst (three earned runs in six innings in each, so still quality, which is telling), but the 22-year-old is basically just biding his time now.
Yoan Moncada , 3B, Chicago White Sox
2016 minors: .294 BA (405 AB), 15 HR, 45 SB, .918 OPS, 72 BB, 124 K
2017 minors: .272 BA (202 AB), 7 HR, 13 SB, .794 OPS, 32 BB, 69 K
For the first time this season, Moncada has dropped out of the No. 1 spot, and while injuries to the Yankees and Mets have some small part in it, he has largely done it to himself, batting .143 (9 for 63) in 18 games since returning from a thumb injury to give him a fairly ordinary batting average and OPS for the year. The White Sox attribute those struggles to rest and not lingering pain, but if they've held out this long, they're not going to green light him until he's raking again. We should have some forewarning.
Gleyber Torres , SS, Yankees
2016 minors: .270 BA (478 AB), 11 HR, 21 SB, .775 OPS, 58 BB, 110 K
2017 minors: .277 BA (188 AB), 7 HR, 7 SB, .840 OPS, 29 BB, 44 K
Speaking of raking, Torres has begun to do just that for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre after beginning his Triple-A stint on the wrong foot. He's 12 for 31 (.387) with two homers in his past eight games. He's striking out at a much higher rate than he did at Double-A, and you can bet the Yankees will take every precaution before calling him up to play third base. But you can see why so many evaluators assume it'll be this year even though Torres is only 20. Once Greg Bird returns, Chase Headley will be the one weak link in a first-division lineup.
Matt Chapman , 3B, Athletics
2016 minors: .237 BA (514 AB), 36 HR, .847 OPS, 68 BB, 173 K
2017 minors: .259 BA (174 AB), 16 HR, .942 OPS, 25 BB, 63 K
Chapman almost certainly isn't one of those prospects who'll bring the baseball world to its knees. There's too much swing-and-miss in his game, and he was too often an easy out even for minor-league pitchers. But he does have top-shelf power, and judging from Susan Slusser's report in the San Francisco Chronicle, his expected arrival Thursday is more than just a cup of coffee, with Trevor Plouffe possibly being designated for assignment to make room. That's enough for Chapman to occupy the fifth spot on this list right now, with no obvious contenders otherwise. He's not an across-the-board add at a deep position, but in leagues so deep that you have to start a scrub there, he's worth a flier.
Five on the periphery
(These are some other prospects doing something of note.)
Erick Fedde , SP, Washington Nationals
2016 minors: 8-5, 3.12 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 121 IP, 29 BB, 123 K
2017 minors: 3-3, 3.04 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 56 1/3 IP, 18 BB, 54 K
Fedde, the 18th overall pick in 2014, just got moved up to Triple-A Tuesday, but it's not exactly cause for celebration. He's only rising the ranks because the Nationals moved him to the bullpen in mid-May, hoping to meet an immediate need at the major-league level, and he has responded well enough to the move, allowing one earned run with 12 strikeouts to two walks in his past 9 2/3 innings. But unless they intend to use him as a closer right away -- which is especially unlikely since they're still hoping he'll start someday -- he won't matter to Fantasy owners.
Clint Frazier , OF, Yankees
2016 minors: .263 BA (463 AB), 16 HR, 13 SB, .782 OPS, 48 BB, 122 K
2017 minors: .263 BA (213 AB), 11 HR, 9 SB, .854 OPS, 30 BB, 54 K
Frazier, who has rated among the top prospects in baseball since the Cleveland Indians selected him fifth overall in 2013, recently admitted he was pressing after joining the Yankees last year, recognizing that they gave up Andrew Miller for him, and it shows in the numbers. Only recently has he begun to look like himself again, batting .288 (40 for 139) with nine homers, seven steals and a .944 OPS in his last 37 games.
"You could tell he was trying to do too much, to show the organization he was 'The Guy,'" Scranton/Wilkes-Barre manager Al Pedrique said of Frazier's performance last year. "Offensively, I see a different kid with more confidence: His plate discipline is better and so is his pitch selection."
The Yankees have a surplus of outfielders right now, but a second-half promotion remains a possibility for Frazier.
Francisco Mejia , C, Indians
2016 minors: .342 BA (407 AB), 11 HR, 29 2B, .896 OPS, 28 BB, 63 K
2017 minors: .364 BA (151 AB), 8 HR, 13 2B, 1.027 OPS, 12 BB, 21 K
The minor leagues aren't overrun with catcher prospects these days, which puts Mejia in a class of his own. As if his 50-game hit streak last year wasn't impressive enough (yes, it really was that long), he has managed to improve his numbers this year using the same advanced approach and bat-on-ball skills. He's 14 for 25 (.560) with five home runs over his last six games and figures to move up to Triple-A any day now.
Willie Calhoun , 2B, Los Angeles Dodgers
2016 minors: .254 BA (503 AB), 27 HR, 88 RBI, .788 OPS, 45 BB, 65 K
2017 minors: .296 BA (226 AB), 13 HR, 34 RBI, .898 OPS, 16 BB, 28 K
The Logan Forsythe experience has been a disaster so far, and Willie Calhoun is doing his best to remind the Dodgers they have other options, homering in three consecutive games earlier this week. The pint-sized second baseman, who stands 5-feet-8, is ahead of schedule at 22, and it's more likely the contending Dodgers will look outside the organization for immediate help. But he clearly has a future with the organization, not only following up last year's 27 homers with an even better pace this year but also striking out in just one-tenth of his plate appearances.
Corbin Burnes, SP, Milwaukee Brewers
2016 minors: 3-0, 2.02 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 35 2/3 IP, 18 BB, 41 K
2017 minors: 6-0, 1.06 ERA, 0.82 WHIP, 76 2/3 IP, 20 BB, 75 K
Burnes was little known even to prospect hounds coming into the year, but while so many of the Brewers pitchers who caught our attention early on -- better-known types like Brandon Woodruff and Jorge Lopez -- have come back down to earth, Burnes still has laugh-out-loud numbers, most recently striking out eight over six one-hit innings Monday. A mechanical tweak seems to have made all the difference.
"I was always the side-saddle guy, kind of like the David Price , Marcus Stroman look," Burnes told MLB.com. "And in spring training, [the coaching staff] squared me up in a more conventional type of delivery. It's helped me get into my legs more and take a lot of pressure off my arm. It's really helped my command, which is really night-and-day from last year to this year."