With MLB teams able to now expand their rosters to 40 players for the remainder of the season, there are some really good young players that we need to keep an eye on this month. Whether they have a chance to help your team down the stretch this season or you are looking to stash prospects for next season in a dynasty league, here are six guys who could make a difference this year and beyond.
Gavin Lux – SS/2B, Los Angelas Dodgers
The Dodgers have had the luxury of keeping Lux in the minors all season so far since they have such solid organizational depth. But the young potential star is getting his shot now to show that he has the chops to be an everyday middle-infielder in the majors. Lux made his debut this week and could be the second half of pretty sweet double-play tandem with Corey Seager for this franchise going forward. He started off hot, going 3 for 5 at the plate in his debut with two doubles. He was hitting .392 at AAA this year and .313 in AA. He profiles as a great contact hitter with some speed on the basepaths and looks like he’s going to get plenty of opportunities for the Dodgers going forward.
Ke’Bryan Hayes – 3B, Pittsburgh Pirates
Hayes is one of the Pirates few remaining top prospects as their farm system has already been raided by the big league team and depleted over the last few years. He’s the top-rated prospect in the Pirates system and 14th rated prospect in all of baseball. It would make a lot of sense for them to call him up and get him some at-bats against big league pitchers so that they can see if he’s ready for the opening day roster next year. Colin Moran had another mediocre year and the Jung-Ho Kang experience is officially over, so Hayes is likely the best option for the Bucs at the hot corner in the future. He’s had a decent year at AAA, hitting .265 with 10 homers and 53 RBI.
Carter Kieboom – SS, Washington National
Carter Kieboom came up for a short stint with the Nats earlier this season but has spent the majority of the year at AAA. He’s the top-ranked prospect in the Nationals organization and the 12th-rated prospect in all of baseball. He’s flashed some nice power from the shortstop position this year at AAA with 16 homers while hitting .303 in 494 at-bats. He will have to improve on a 37% strikeout rate that he posted in 43 plate appearances earlier this year, but he has all the tools to be a top of the order hitter in the big leagues.
Jesus Sanchez – OF, Miami Marlins
Sanchez has some pretty lousy numbers at AAA this season but has picked it up a bit since coming over to the Marlins organization in the Trevor Richards trade. He ranks as the fourth-best prospect in their farm system and is considered a top-50 prospect in all of MLB. The Marlins have been one of the worst offenses in baseball this year and have no reason why they wouldn’t want to see some of their best young talents in action. Sanchez is still very raw but has a ton of talent and a nice combination of power and speed. He simply hasn’t put it all together at the AAA level yet, but his numbers in the low minors show that he is definitely a five-tool player.
Jo Adell – OF, Los Angelas Angels
The Angels already have the best outfielder in baseball, but they also have one of the best outfield prospects in the game in Jo Adell. The 20-year old started this season as the third-best prospect in baseball and has worked his way all the way from single-A ball to AAA. Scouts rave about his raw power and he also has above-average speed on the basepaths. He hasn’t homered at AAA yet and the Angels could take a conservative position here and let him finish out the year down in the minors, but he should be in the mix to start next year with the club out of Spring Training or get the call up early in the season.
Kyle Tucker – OF, Houston Astros
The Astros struck gold with Yordan Alvarez, but he’s not the only talented young outfielder in their extremely deep minor league system. Tucker is officially up with the big club now and could see regular playing time against right-handed pitching. He’s a top-15 prospect in all of major league baseball and hit 34 homers at AAA this season after hitting 24 dingers last year. He could eat into Josh Reddick’s playing time and challenge for a spot in the outfield next season next to Springer and Brantley with Alvarez being a potential option at DH.
I’ll continue to keep looking at trends, players, and stats the rest of MLB season with the goal of unearthing some data that we can use to our advantage. If you’re not a premium member at FantasyData, click here and consider joining today! FantasyData is the leader in all things fantasy sports including real-time fantasy stats for your season-long and DFS needs!
