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If you told me that Addison Russell would hit his first home run before Kris Bryant, I would say that you were crazy. If you told me that Russell would hit his second home run before Kris Bryant hit his first, I would probably call you a doctor right away.
That is just one of the many crazy things that have happened to start off 2015. The Astros currently lead the AL West by seven games; the Nationals are currently under .500 and it is now in May; and Kevin Gregg still has a spot in a Major League bullpen (if you follow me on Twitter you likely have heard me complain on multiple occasions about his position with the Reds).
Several teams like the Houston Astros and the Cincinnati Reds will decide throughout the season that their team will need improvements and often they will dig into their system to find the player rather than make a trade for another player. Here are some MiLB players who have started off the season well and could see such a call and make an impact on your fantasy baseball roster:
Editor's Note: For more fantasy prospects coverage, check out RotoBaller's weekly top 30 prospect rankings
Preston Tucker (OF, HOU, Triple-A)
Stats: .302/.364/.635, 10 HR, 1 SB, 8.4% BB rate, 16.8% K rate
The Astros are just full of power-hitting outfielders! Domingo Santana has clubbed his fair share of home runs in the Minors, we all know the power potential of George Springer, and Preston Tucker too has shown that he has some excellent power. But what makes Tucker so different from Springer and Santana? So far this season, Santana has struck out 37.2% of the time; Springer has struck out 29.3% of the time; Tucker has struck out only 16.8% of the time.
Aside from the low strikeout rate, Tucker has also demonstrated this season that he can hit for a decent average this season (.302 average) though many scouts believe that his batting average will top out around .275. If the Astros are still competing later in the year and decide not to call up the strikeout heavy Domingo Santana, they could call up Preston Tucker. Fantasy owners could benefit from adding a player like Tucker who would provide great power numbers, but only if they are willing to sacrifice a little bit on the batting average.
Trevor Story (SS, COL, Double-A)
Stats: .388/.490/.706, 5 HR, 6 SB, 14.4% BB rate, 25.0% K rate
Trevor Story is the kind of guy that has the potential to be the complete all-around ballplayer. Drew Stubbs is a decent comp. He has 20-home-run power, he will match and likely exceed that total in stolen bases, and his potential is only limited by his lack of plate discipline. Story has started off the season looking very promising with a sterling slash line and has shown off his power/speed combo.
Unfortunately for him, he sits behind another shortstop who can hit (I think his name is Troy Tulowitzki), but some scouts view him as a future second baseman (behind DJ LeMahieu). The Rockies will inevitably sell at the deadline and they could get a lot of value out of guy like LeMahieu or Tulowitzki and would likely turn to Story to fill in either of the positions if one of the aforementioned players gets traded. Story has great value for fantasy owners due to his power/speed combo and would be worth a pickup, but the potential to end up like Drew Stubbs is very likely.
Kyle Kubitza (3B, LAA, Triple-A)
Stats: .311/.365/.509, 1 HR, 1 SB, 7.0% BB rate, 26.1% K rate
Kyle Kubitza has arguably the best chance to make the Majors of any of the other players on this list. The Angels currently have David Freese manning the hot corner for them and he has some dramatic splits this season. He is currently batting .375 against left-handed pitching and is batting .190 against right-handed pitching. Kubitza, a left-handed hitter and strong defensive third baseman, could see a call up to the Majors very soon to act as a platoon with Freese. Scouts have praised his power potential and the ability to see the ball well, though they believe that the key to his success is to shorten up his swing. Kubitza has great power and has the potential to hit for an average between .280 – .300.
Jose Urena (SP, MIA, Triple-A)
Stats: 16.0 IP, 1.13 ERA, 3.67 FIP, 6.75 K/9, 3.94 BB/9, 0 HR/9
The Marlins are very deep in their Minor Leagues with pitching, but none are quite as ready as Jose Urena and only Tyler Kolek is regarded as a better pitcher in their system. Urena has been pitching in the Marlins’ system since 2010 and has now reached Triple-A and looks like he could be on the verge of making it to the Majors. Urena in the Minors has shown to be a control-artist as he has only thrown one full season where he had more than 1.90 BB/9 and he virtually never gives up a home run.
This season, Urena has been called up to the Majors, but was sent back down after only two appearances. His future is clearly as a starter as he has thrown over 70 innings in all of his Minor League seasons and has thrown over 100 innings thrice. With a fastball that ranges in the upper 90s with a great changeup and a wipeout slider, Urena has the potential to be a great starter in the bigs and should be added to any fantasy team’s rotation if they are in need of starting pitching when he gets called up.
Eduardo Rodriguez (SP, BOS, Triple-A)
Stats: 23.2 IP, 1.82 ERA, 2.33 FIP, 8.03 K/9, 0.73 BB/9, 0.36 HR/9
The Red Sox have a lot of starting pitching depth, particularly left-handed, in their system and three of those starters could be in line for MLB starts very soon: Brian Johnson, Henry Owens, and Eduardo Rodriguez. Owens has the highest potential, but seems to be the farthest away of the three. Johnson appears to be the most ready and could be called up within May. But fantasy owners best not sleep on Rodriguez as he looks like he could be ready to be called up. I cannot emphasize enough how bad the Red Sox rotation has been this season and how much of an improvement he would be over some of the backend starters.
Rodriguez has shown in the Minors he can strikeout batters and has the pitch repertoire to do it with a fastball that tops out at 97 mph and an incredible changeup. So far this season, Rodriguez has impressed and looks like he could be ready to get the call up to the Majors. If he is given the call, he could provide strikeouts and a low ERA for fantasy owners looking for starting pitching help.
Jon Moscot (SP/RP, CIN, Triple-A)
Stats: 22.2 IP, 2.78 ERA, 3.78 FIP, 7.15 K/9, 4.37 BB/9, 0.40 HR/9
The Reds and Red Sox have pitching staffs that are exactly opposite of one another: the Red Sox have a great bullpen and a weak rotation and the Reds have a great rotation and a very weak bullpen. Jon Moscot has been a top prospect of the Reds for a number of seasons now and is finally starting to show some of that potential off. He was solid in Double-A last season to the tune of a 3.13 ERA in 149.1 IP with a 6.69 K/9, 2.59 BB/9, and a 0.66 HR/9.
He has started off his season in Triple-A pitching very well. Moscot’s best chance of becoming a starter is if both Cueto and Leake are dealt at the deadline as Iglesias is currently next in line to join the rotation. Luckily for Moscot and anyone interested in adding him off the waiver wire, the Reds bullpen has been awful and Moscot would be an improvement over any right-handed pitcher down there with the exception of JJ Hoover. Even if he wasn’t added to the rotation, Moscot would figure to be a long relief option for the Reds and could provide some very solid innings for fantasy owners looking for a dependable arm to help bolster their pitching staff.
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