Players on the verge of a big league call-up, in my opinion, are considered to be 'Knocking Down the Door'.
Adam Eaton, OF - Arizona Diamondbacks: How real are these Justin Upton trade rumors? Real enough to start paying attention to the Dbacks' farm system and monitoring potential replacements. While Gerardo Parra would likely benefit the most, it could also open the door for Eaton to take Parra's spot as a 4th outfielder who could make 3-4 starts per week. More importantly, it would be an opportunity for the 23 year-old to start trying to rid himself of the 'Future 4th OF' tag that comes from not having enough power for a corner outfield spot and not enough range to play CF regularly.
Regardless of his future projection, the minor leagues have not proven to be much of a challenge for Eaton. The left-handed hitter, who has played most of his games in CF this season, is a .354 career hitter in the minors but is closer to .400 in his Triple-A debut. Since an early-season promotion from Double-A Mobile, Eaton is hitting .388 with 5 HR, 33 2B, 4 3B, 35 BB, 44 K, and 27 SB in 80 games. He's hitting .449 with 3 HR in his last 12 games. He hits lefties. Righties. On the road. At home. At day. At night. You get the idea.
Jedd Gyorko, 2B/3B - San Diego Padres: The Padres will likely wait until the trade deadline passes before deciding on Gyorko's immediate future, if only to avoid breaking him at 2B and moving him over to 3B if Chase Headley is traded. If the Padres trade Headley, Gyorko very likely becomes the starting 3B of the present and his days as a second baseman should be behind him. If Headley remains with the organization, a big league promotion for Gyorko in 2012 is not as much of a certainty with Logan Forsythe and Alexi Amarista both playing well while sharing time at second base. But they aren't blocking him from an everyday job next season so it could make sense to give the 23 year-old Gyorko a month or two of experience this year.
Gyorko's Triple-A numbers (.355 BA, 15 HR, 17 2B, 54 RBI), while inflated by the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, rival what Anthony Rizzo did and what Wil Myers has done in the same league. And anyone who's been paying any attention to the minor leagues at all knows who those two are and how highly-touted they have been in 2012.
Hechavarria is hitting.358 in his last 13 games. Picture courtesy of US Presswire
Adeiny Hechavarria, SS - Toronto Blue Jays: The Jays are reportedly shopping shortstop Yunel Escobar, which should come as no surprise after learning that Hechavarria, their talented shortstop prospect known for his defensive potential, has a .317 BA with 6 HR, 19 2B, 6 3B and 60 RBI in 87 Triple-A games. He's hitting .358 with 2 HR and 2 3B in his last 13 games. It should also be noted that Hechavarria has salaries of $1.75M this season and next, as part of the $10M big league deal he signed in April 2010.
It may not be the ideal time to deal Escobar, who trade value because is declining because of his .630 OPS, but it may be time to hand the job over to the 23 year-old Hechavarria as the Jays fall further out of the playoff race and look forward to next season.
Tyler Skaggs, LHP - Arizona Diamondbacks: Now that Trevor Bauer's first big league stint has come to an end after struggling in three of four starts, the Dbacks will likely go back to Josh Collmenter the next time they need a 5th starter. Not too exciting, huh? He did have two very good starts before moving back to the 'pen once Joe Saunders was activated from the DL. But we all know the deal with Collmenter. That funky delivery can only get him so far and he's better off in the bullpen where he can pitch in shorter stints and teams can't prepare for him as they would if he started.
Next in line for a big start, however, is no longer Bauer, or even Pat Corbin, who was recently sent to the minors after spending time in the Dbacks' bullpen. Expect the Tyler Skaggs era to begin in Arizona sooner rather than later. After posting a 2.84 ERA with 21 BB and 71 K in 69.2 innings with Double-A Mobile, the lefty has allowed 5 ER in 17 IP with 3 BB and 12 K in his first three Triple-A starts, including seven shutout innings on July 13th. The 22 year-old is starting today against Jedd Gyorko and the Tucson Padres. If he pitches well again, it could be one of, if not his last, before joining the Dbacks' rotation.
Click HERE to see the 'Knocking Down the Door' archive for 2012.
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment