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Say hey, baseball: 2015’s impact prospects
Tuesday morning’s baseball checks in on some prospects who could make a major-league splash in 2015, the Blue Jay’s spending promises, and two players trying to make a comeback.
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It’s early February, which means it’s time to dream about prospects. Here are a few you should be familiar with if you want to seem smart in front of your friends who don’t know anything about future big-league players. And yes, there are more potential impact prospects than this, but there’s a lot of offseason left: let’s pace ourselves.
Kris Bryant won’t start the season with the Cubs, but he’ll be there once he’s been left in the minors long enough for Chicago to earn another season of team control. Bryant is the best or second-best prospect in the game, depending on who you ask, and was the second-overall pick in the 2013 draft. He split last summer between Double- and Triple-A, and the 22-year-old obliterated the competition, bashing 43 homers in 138 games while batting .325. He probably strikes out too much, but the competition in Triple-A isn’t going to teach him anything: he’ll never feel compelled to adjust if he can put up Triple Crown numbers in spite of any issues. That’s not a Bryant criticism, either, that’s just how people work. PECOTA, which is often critical of prospects, sees Bryant batting .261/.351/.515 as a rookie: he might actually do that, and the Cubs could use it, too.
Looking Ahead
There is no room for Noah Syndergaard in the Mets’ rotation right now, but if their 2015 doesn’t go well and they trade free agent to be Bartolo Colon to a contender, or someone gets hurt and a spot opens, then Syndergaard could be the one filling it. He pitched in horrendous conditions last season, as he was not only in the PCL but also one of the best hitters’ parks around in Las Vegas, but still managed to strike out nearly 10 batters per inning as a 21-year-old. Put him in an environment that doesn’t actively hate him, and he could burst onto the scene much like Zack Wheeler did for New York in 2013.
The White Sox have the makings of a great rotation thanks to Chris Sale, Jose Quintana, and Jeff Samardzija. If they were inclined, they could put 2014 first-round pick Carlos Rodon in their rotation as well -- it won’t be out of spring training, but with only John Danks and Hector Noesi in his way, he just might get that push sooner than later. Rodon has only thrown 24 innings in the minors, but finished his first pro season at Triple-A. You can’t pull anything from those numbers, as there just aren’t enough of them, but he has incredible stuff and already ranks among the game’s best pitching prospects in spite of his inexperience. He could end up being a midseason difference maker in that rotation, one that propels the White Sox to the playoffs for the first time since 2008.
- Zack Greinke isn’t convinced the Dodgers are actually better after their flurry of offseason moves. There are ways of figuring out the answer to that question, or, at least, educatingly guessing the answer.
- The Blue Jays promised to spend more money. They added players, but have mostly complained about their budget without increasing it.
- Andruw Jones wants to make a comeback after spending the last two seasons playing baseball in Japan. He’s not alone, either, as Barry Zito wants to pitch again after sitting out the 2014 season. If they both get signed before James Shields, dude might as well just go pitch overseas and set some records.
- Here is a photo of Sarah Silverman wearing a brown Padres uniform.
- And here is video of Pat Burrell barreling down a Slip’N Slide while holding a cocktail.
- Other teams are trying to emulate the Pirates. Just a couple of years ago, that idea would have been laughable. Or soul-crushing. Probably soul-crushing.
- What’s the best-case season for Alex Rodriguez? The Yankees mostly want to further punish him but they could actually use him.
- Jeff Samardzija could sign an extension or he could bolt by this time next year, but the White Sox don’t need to worry about that just yet, and maybe not later, either.
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