August 12, 2016

The Stash List

19th Edition, 2016

by J.J. Jansons

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This week’s Stash List will serve as the final edition of the season and I would like to take a moment to thank everybody for all of the feedback that I’ve received this year, both in the comments section below and via email/Twitter. It’s obviously hard to determine organizational timelines when dealing with prospect call-ups and all of the business reasons that factor into the decisions behind them at times, so while I’ve been wrong plenty of times this season, I hope you’ve found this column useful and enjoyable this year in your quest for fantasy (or worldwide) domination.

For a refresher on the four types of players that are eligible for inclusion on this list, please see the first edition of the year to find out why players like A.J. Pollock, Michael Brantley, Danny Salazar, Joe Ross, Tyson Ross, Clayton Kershaw, and Zack Greinke are not listed below.

Last week’s Stash List can be found here.

The Graduates: (5) Alex Reyes, (19) Jake Thompson, (22) Luke Weaver, (Next 10) Socrates Brito

Alex Reyes made his major-league debut in relief on Tuesday against Cincinnati, pitching a hitless inning that included a strikeout. Reyes’ blazing fastball checked in at 99.6 MPH per Brooks Baseball as it appears the Cards have chosen to utilize their top pitching prospect out of the bullpen for the rest of the season.

Christopher Crawford and George Bissell had more on Reyes in their call-up feature on Tuesday.

Jake Thompson made his major-league debut on August 6th at San Diego, and was roughed up for six earned runs on seven hits in 4 1/3 innings. He’s slated to make his next start at home against the Rockies tonight. Jeffrey Paternostro and Scooter Hotz had more on Thompson here.

The Diamondbacks called upon Socrates Brito after David Peralta was likely lost for the season with a wrist injury. Even with A.J. Pollock possibly slated to return in two or three weeks, Brito should play regularly over the season’s final two months, along with Brandon Drury and Yasmany Tomas in the Arizona outfield.

The Dropouts: (18) Dillon Overton

Overton was bombed once again in making his fifth career start against the Cubs on August 5th, allowing two home runs and seven earned runs in total over three innings of work, which earned him a trip back to Triple-A Nashville after the game. After allowing just four home runs in 107 2/3 Pacific Coast League innings this season, Overton has been rocked for 11 longballs in 21 1/3 major league innings. Yikes.

Now, onto the 19th (and final), edition of The Stash for 2016:

1) Yulieski Gurriel, 2B/3B, Houston Astros (Last week: 1)

After going 6-for-14 at the plate with High-A Lancaster, Gurriel was sent to Double-A Corpus Christi on Tuesday, where he’s gone 1-for-7 in two games. Each game that Gurriel has played in the field has been at third base as he works his way towards joining the Astros, which could come as soon as early next week.

2) Matt Duffy, SS/3B, Tampa Bay Rays (Last week: 9)

Duffy is expected to make his Rays debut on Friday as the team’s new starting shortstop. As I mentioned at length in last week’s Stash, those looking for help at shortstop down the stretch should take a strong look at Duffy, who was available in 80 percent of ESPN leagues as of Wednesday night.

3) Yoan Moncada, 2B/3B, Boston Red Sox (Last week: 2)

Moncada returned to the lineup at Double-A Portland on Thursday night from his sprained ankle and smashed a home run, his ninth of the season, which reportedly went 441 feet. It was Moncada’s first game since August 5th, and with Hanley Ramirez returning to the Boston lineup last week after missing a few games due to a sore wrist, the prized Cuban import may have to wait until rosters expand to join the big league club, if he sees Boston at all this season.

4) Aaron Judge, OF, New York Yankees (Last week: 3)

Brian Cashman apparently has a different definition of “sooner rather than later,” than I, as Judge is still hammering baseballs at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Judge clubbed his 18th home run of the season on Wednesday night against Lehigh Valley and is now hitting for a .333 AVG with two home runs over his last 10 games. However, he’s also punched out 12 times in 33 at-bats since returning from the disabled list on August 2nd.

5) Lucas Giolito, RHP, Washington Nationals (Last week: 4)
6) Reynaldo Lopez, RHP, Washington Nationals (Last week: Next 10)

In between fishing outings with Koda Glover, Giolito failed to get out of the fourth inning in his most recent start (3.2 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 6 K) at Triple-A Syracuse on August 6th and it looks as though he’s been bypassed on the organizational depth chart by Reynaldo Lopez for the time being, who will make his third major league start on Saturday against the Braves. The Nationals were hopeful that Joe Ross would be able to make the start on Saturday, but he’s been shut down for the time being and the team could choose to alternate Lopez and Giolito down the stretch if Ross is unable to return.

7) Tyler Glasnow, RHP, Pittsburgh Pirates (Last week: 6)

Glasnow will begin a rehab assignment at Double-A Altoona on Sunday, and the team is hopeful that he can rejoin the rotation after one or two starts if his shoulder cooperates.

8) Josh Bell, 1B, Pittsburgh Pirates (Last week: 7)

In 17 games since the All-Star break, current Pirate first baseman John Jaso has hit for a .146/.255/.208 line. Despite Jaso’s struggles, the Pirates have yet to summon Bell, whose bat has been relatively cold recently at Triple-A Indianapolis, as after hitting for a 1.085 OPS in June and earning a (very) brief callup, Bell hit for a nice .669 OPS in July and has compiled a .668 OPS in 11 games this month.

9) Joey Gallo, 1B/3B/OF, Texas Rangers (Last week: 8)

Gallo has four home runs in his last 10 games at Triple-A Round Rock, but he also has 18 punchouts (along with nine walks) in 36 at-bats over the period. Gallo flashed an improved strikeout rate in the early part of the season, but has seen his K-rate rise to 31.3 percent on the season in 78 games. The 31.3 percent clip is still an improvement of just over eight percent compared to his 2015 strikeout rate in 53 games at Round Rock, and Gallo has also raised his walk rate almost eight percent this season to a Pacific Coast League leading 18.5 percent. However, it certainly doesn’t look like he’s in the team’s plans this season, and will likely only appear in Texas before September if a string of injuries occur with Carlos Beltran and Jonathan Lucroy now in the fold.

10) Tom Murphy, C, Colorado Rockies (Last week: Next 10)
11) Andrew Susac, C, Milwaukee Brewers (Last week: Next 10)

The Rockies have held onto current starting catcher Nick Hundley (who is in the last year of his contract) to this point in the season, which has kept Murphy at Triple-A Albuquerque for the entirety of the year. Murphy missed the first month of the season with an oblique injury and struggled to hit his weight for most of his first two months of action, hitting .237 in May and .178 in June. Murphy caught fire in July, hitting eight home runs in 17 games and mashing his way to a ridiculous .540/.586/1.079 line, and has carried over his good work into August, hitting for a .400 AVG (with no homers) in seven games.

If the Rockies deal Hundley to a team seeking catching help this month, owners needing catching help should jump all over Murphy as he can certainly help, and is capable of providing similar numbers to what Willson Contreras has provided (.271/.354/.445) at catcher since he was called upon in mid-June.

Susac is capable of providing similar help should he be called upon, but he’s struggled to impress his new organization after coming over to the Brewers from the Giants as part of the Will Smith deal. Susac has hit just .077/.111/.077 in seven games at Triple-A Colorado Springs, but it’s likely that Milwaukee will want to take a long look at its potential catcher of the future at some point over the final two months.

12) Alex Cobb, RHP, Tampa Bay Rays (Last week: 14)

Cobb threw 42 of his 59 pitches for strikes against Triple-A Pawtucket on Wednesday, but was charged with four runs on eight runs after allowing long balls to Chris and Deven Marrero. The outing was Cobb’s first at the Triple-A level and his fifth overall, but he’ll likely need two or three more starts to ramp up his pitch count before joining the Tampa rotation over the last week in August or the first week of September.

13) John Gant, RHP, Atlanta Braves (Last week: 11)

Gant made 70 pitches in his most recent rehab start at Triple-A Gwinnett on Wednesday, and allowed two earned runs in four innings. It went slightly better than his last outing, where he had to be removed in the first inning after vomiting on the mound. He’ll aim for a seven-inning outing his next time out before rejoining the Atlanta rotation.

14) Zack Wheeler, RHP, New York Mets (Last week: 12)

Wheeler pitched in a game for the first time since last March on Sunday at High-A St. Lucie. He made 17 pitches before rain shortened his day, and his fastball was clocked between 90-96 MPH in the outing. Wheeler will need three or four more rehab starts before joining the Mets when rosters expand, likely in the first week of September.

15) Nate Karns, RHP, Seattle Mariners (Last week: 10)

Karns is still recovering from a strained muscle in his back, and Scott Servais recently said that he doesn’t expect him back “for a while.” Karns time in the bullpen didn’t go as planned, but if he returns to the rotation he can help, as his 96 cFIP places him 49th among starters (min. 90 IP).

16) Jose De Leon, RHP, Los Angeles Dodgers (Last week: 13)

De Leon allowed two earned runs on five hits while striking out five in six innings of work in his August 6th outing at Triple-A Oklahoma City. With the team calling upon Ross Stripling ahead of De Leon, who would have been on five days’ rest, for a home start on Friday against the Pirates, it appears De Leon will stay in Oklahoma City until September.

17) Mike Minor, LHP, Kansas City Royals (Last week: 15)

Minor pitched 4 1/3 innings on August 7th at Triple-A Omaha, his longest appearance since late May. However, Ned Yost said that Minor “probably won’t be activated” until September, when the team will likely give him a few starts at that point.

18) Hunter Renfroe, OF, San Diego Padres (Last week: 16)

Renfroe keeps hitting—.303 AVG with two home runs in his last 10 games—while not walking at Triple-A El Paso. After (miraculously) drawing a free pass three times in a July 2nd game, Renfroe has walked a total of four times since, spanning 30 games. The only player with a worse walk rate than Renfroe’s 3.8 percent this season in the Pacific Coast League? That would be D-Backs farmhand Peter O’Brien. Renfroe’s horrific walk rate combined with his lackluster work away from El Paso this season (.249/.274/.475) makes for a profile that I would not recommend investing heavily in this winter in dynasty leagues, despite likely leading the PCL in home runs and finishing inside the top five in OPS by season’s end.

19) Daniel Mengden, RHP, Oakland Athletics (Last week: 17)
20) Jharel Cotton, RHP, Oakland Athletics (Last week: NR)

With Dillon Overton struggling to keep the ball in the yard at the major league level, Jesse Hahn not set to return to the Oakland rotation until around August 20th, and Henderson Alvarez a longshot to return this season at all, Mengden and the recently acquired Jharel Cotton could crack the Oakland rotation down the stretch.

The 24-year old Cotton, who was acquired as part of the team’s haul for Rich Hill and Josh Reddick at the deadline, had the touch and feel of his entire repertoire on Tuesday night against Triple-A Round Rock, as he punched out 12 hitters in a nine-inning, one-hit masterpiece. With Oakland giving Zach Neal, Ross Detwiler, and Andrew Triggs starts over the last few weeks, Cotton doesn’t exactly have to leap over Hudson, Mulder, and Zito to earn a look.

21) Ben Lively, RHP, Philadelphia Phillies (Last week: 20)

Aaron Nola’s elbow soreness, which could sideline him for the remainder of the season, along with Zach Eflin hitting the disabled list, and Jeremy Hellickson leaving his most recent outing after five innings with back tightness, the team could reach down for another starter at Triple-A Lehigh Valley in Lively after calling upon Jake Thompson last week.

22) Austin Hedges, C, San Diego Padres (Last week: 21)

With Derek Norris still in San Diego, Hedges remains in El Paso. After absolutely murdering Pacific Coast League pitching in his first 38 games of the season, smacking 16 home runs and hitting for an absurd 1.246 OPS, Hedges has returned to earth over his last 25 games, hitting for a .700 OPS with just two home runs.

23) Dansby Swanson, SS, Atlanta Braves (Last week: 23)
24) Ozhaino Albies, 2B, Atlanta Braves (Last week: 24)
25) Nick Williams, OF, Philadelphia Phillies (Last week: 25)

It looks highly unlikely that these three top prospects will see the majors before September, if at all, this season. A hefty congratulations is in order for Williams, who drew a walk in Wednesday night's contest against Scranton and the underappreciated Dietrich Enns. That makes two walks since July 10th for Williams and a grand total of three since June 18th. With Philadelphia's long-term plans for Odubel Herrera now rumored to be unclear, the team might be more likely to take a long look at Williams in September.

The Next 10 (in alphabetical order):

Lewis Brinson, OF, Milwaukee Brewers
Hunter Dozier, 3B, Kansas City Royals (Last week: NR)
Jacob Faria, RHP, Tampa Bay Rays
Dilson Herrera, INF, Cincinnati Reds (Last week: NR)
Jeff Hoffman, RHP, Colorado Rockies
Manuel Margot, OF, San Diego Padres (Last week: NR)
Jordan Patterson, 1B/OF, Colorado Rockies
Dan Vogelbach, DH, Seattle Mariners
Jesse Winker, OF, Cincinnati Reds (Last week: NR)
Bradley Zimmer, OF, Cleveland Indians

J.J. Jansons is an author of Baseball Prospectus. Follow @jansons_jj
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