It’s time to check in on three more prospects from around the minor leagues. Are any of them primed to make an impact in the not too distant future? Let’s take a look (all stats are through Saturday):
Dustin Ackley—Seattle Mariners—Second Baseman
Triple-A: .289 (11-38), 1 HR, 8 RBI, 8 R, 0 SB
Since we last looked in on Ackley, he has been promoted to Triple-A. He has hits in eight of ten games, including three multi-hit games. He continues to show good command of the strike zone, with 4 Ks vs. 3 BBs (in 289 AB at Double-A he had 41 Ks vs. 55 BBs). He has yet to show much power and isn’t a huge stolen base threat, so his ability to make contact looks to currently be his ticket to the major leagues. With Jose Lopez continuing to struggle, it wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see the Mariners give him a look in 2010. Outside of average, however, he’s not likely to have huge value for fantasy owners. He should develop into more in time, however, so continue monitoring his progress.
Domonic Brown—Philadelphia Phillies—Outfielder
Triple-A: .347 (33-95), 5 HR, 19 RBI, 14 R, 4 SB
The Phillies are considering dealing Jayson Werth now, not only to get the necessary pieces to acquire a pitcher, but because they have Brown waiting to assume his role. The average is slightly high, based on his current BABIP of .389. While it is inflated, with his power (he also had 15 HR at Double-A), it is fair to think he could hit .290-.300 in that ballpark (if his BABIP was .319, with all other numbers remaining equal, his average would be .295). He makes good contact (19.0% at Triple-A vs. 21.6% at Double-A). Throw in his speed, and if he gets recalled, he will have value in most formats in 2010. Could he struggle some? Absolutely, but with the trade deadline looming, he is worth stashing in all five-outfielder formats.
Brandon Laird—New York Yankees—Third Baseman
Double-A: .281 (107-381), 21 HR, 85 RBI, 69 R, 2 SB
Yeah, maybe he’s slowed down a little bit since we last checked in on him (2 HR over 94 AB), but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t continued to impress. In fact, both of those home runs have come in his last three games. Over his last 10, he’s hitting .324 with 2 HR, 4 RBI and 5 R. He has struck out 21% of the time, which you would expect to climb as he moves up against tougher competition, but time will tell. With Alex Rodriguez in place ,it’s not like there’s an opportunity for him, unless the Yankees opt to use him in a deadline deal.
Make sure to check out our new Prospect Tracker, for links to the latest updates on all the top prospects in baseball, by clicking here .
Make sure to check out some of our Prospect Reports:
- Dustin Ackley
- Yonder Alonso
- J.P. Arencibia
- Jake Arrieta
- Phillippe Aumont
- Josh Bell
- Jason Castro
- Starlin Castro
- Allen Craig
- Aaron Crow
- Kyle Drabek
- Todd Frazier
- Christian Friedrich
- Jeremy Hellickson
- Daniel Hudson
- Jay Jackson
- Desmond Jennings
- Mike Leake
- Will Myers
- Martin Perez
- Michael Pineda
- Buster Posey
- Gaby Sanchez
- Carlos Santana
- Michael Saunders
- Anthony Slama
- Mike Trout
- Mark Trumbo
- Brett Wallace
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