After a long season, September call-ups are almost here, and there are a number of exciting prospects that will be getting called up to the majors in the coming weeks.
From September 1 until the regular season ends, any player on the 40-man roster is allowed to play in an MLB game. This means that guys on the Triple-A and even some Double-A teams will be allowed to move up to their organization's MLB team, many for the first time in their careers.
This year features a number of very exciting prospects. From incredible speed on the bases to a nasty curveball, there are all sorts of prospects to look out for in September.
Jameson Taillon, P, Pittsburgh Pirates
All of the prospect hype for the Pirates this season has been about Gerrit Cole, the hard-throwing right-hander who has gone 6-7 with a 3.80 ERA in his first season in the big leagues.
While Cole has been great, Jameson Taillon is getting close to being ready to join the Pirates' pitching staff as well.
Taillon is used to being overshadowed at this point. He was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2010 MLB draft, behind none other than Bryce Harper.
Since being called up to the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians, Taillon has gone 1-2 with a 3.77 ERA. He's thrown 31 strikeouts in 31 innings while holding opposing batters to a .231 average.
His fastball is certainly a plus-pitch and he has terrific break on his curveball, and the Pirates could certainly use him in the bullpen this month. Just wait a little bit longer, and Taillon will be a household name up in the big leagues.
Billy Hamilton, OF, Cincinnati Reds
When it comes to speed, there's probably no one that's faster than Billy Hamilton.
When you can steal over 150 bases over two levels of the minor leagues in just a single season, you know that you're pretty fast. Hamilton was able to do just that last year in the Single-A plus and Double-A leagues. Through 123 games in 2013, he's put up another 75 stolen bases.
There are still some things that Hamilton needs to work on, however. He's hitting just .256 and is striking out 18.6 percent on the time. He has yet to establish himself as a strong hitter, but his speed has made up for that at this level.
It will be interesting to see how the Reds utilize Hamilton in September. He could be an incredibly valuable pinch runner that could come in and run the bases with blazing speed. He may struggle as a hitter at this level, but he could still make some plays.
Nick Castellanos, OF, Detroit Tigers
There are few players that have the potential of Nick Castellanos, and he has enough of it to eventually become one of the most complete players in the major leagues one day.
As a hitter, Castellanos does a good job adjusting and has some nice pop in his bat. He's hitting .276 with an on-base percentage of .343 at the Triple-A level, driving in 74 runs. He's also shown off his power, hitting 17 home runs this year with a slugging percentage of .446.
As an outfielder, Castellanos has a terrific arm and can be an above-average fielder. He has some nice speed and can catch up to line drives and make big plays on defense.
The Tigers are starting to put some space between themselves and the rest of the AL Central, and they could always use some fresh legs. Castellanos could be just the guy that they're looking for.
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