Minor League Barometer: The Other Guys

The prospect promotions hit a crescendo, but a regression to the mean was inevitable. Byron Buxton is on the disabled list, and both Kyle Schwarber and Joey Gallo were recently sent back to the minors. Still, there's no reason to despair. Not only will they return to the Promised Land shortly, they will be joined by other phenoms also deserving of such lofty status.

The next two neophytes to watch out for? Miguel Sano of the Twins and Corey Seager of the Dodgers. Sano is bashing home runs and getting on base at an impressive clip; the 22-year-old has a .918 OPS through 66 games at Double-A. Trevor Plouffe, the current third baseman for Minnesota, posted a .622 OPS in the month of June. Meanwhile, Jimmy Rollins is hitting .211 this season for the Dodgers, and has been demoted to eighth in the batting order. While Rollins does give the Dodgers veteran leadership in the clubhouse along with consistent play in the field, his continued lack of production at the plate will only further the calls for the 21-year-old Seager at shortstop.

The elite prospects are so well-known, though. Let's try to dig a little deeper in this edition of the Minor League Barometer.

UPGRADE

Manny Banuelos, P, ATL - Once upon a time, Banuelos was the centerpiece of the New York Yankees farm system, part of the vaunted "Killer B's". Of that trio, only Dellin Betances has panned out for the Bronx Bombers, and even then, Betances morphed into a dominant reliever, not a frontline starter. Banuelos appeared to be fast-tracked to the majors, but battled injuries in 2012, and ultimately succumbed to Tommy John surgery, missing all of 2013. He returned in 2014, albeit with much less fanfare, and was traded in the offseason to the Braves for two middle relievers. Now 24 years of age, perhaps he just needed a change of scenery, as the southpaw has a 2.29 ERA in 82.2 innings for Triple-A Gwinnett. Banuelos does not quite have the same strikeout stuff as compared to his younger days, but he has still fanned 69 batters this season and opposing hitters are batting just .215 against him. He's expected to make his long-awaited MLB debut this week. While it will come a lot later and in a different uniform than many initially expected, it appears as though he can still be an effective pitcher in the bigs.

Trea Turner, SS, WAS – The curious case of Trea Turner: he was part of the Wil Myers/Steven Souza trade in the offseason, but could not officially be named and dealt to the Nats until the middle of this season; officially, one year after he signed his rookie deal with the Padres. Being in limbo didn't appear to bother the 22-year-old Turner much, though. He batted .322/.385/.471 with five home runs, 35 RBI and 11 steals in 58 games at Double-A San Antonio prior to the deal. Upon arriving in his new home at Double-A Harrisburg, he hit .359 with four stolen bases in 10 games, and was quickly promoted to Triple-A. Though he's hitless through four games thus far at this level, the speedy, feisty Turner has hit above well above .300 at every level of full-season ball since entering the minors last season. His bat will play, he's a stellar defender, and it will be difficult for the Nats to keep him down if the rest of the infield continues to either hit poorly or get injured.

Sean Manaea, P, KC – There's no telling where Manaea will finish the 2015 campaign, but just two starts into the year, he is already looking dominant. An abdomen strain sidelined the burly southpaw for nearly three months, but the 23-year-old looked in midseason form when he finally took the hill. In two starts, one in the Rookie League and one at the same High-A level he pitched at last season, Manaea allowed two earned runs in 10 innings, issuing just one walk while striking out 14 batters. He fanned 146 batters in 121.2 innings last season, though he did walk 54 batters. If his control continues to trend in the right direction, he has the ability to become a front line rotation anchor for the Royals. Injuries have been an issue for him, but his three-pitch arsenal and large frame make him an ideal ace. Think of Manaea as being as a combination of a young CC Sabathia and Andy Pettitte.

Jesse Winker, OF, CIN – A rough start to the season had many pundits doubting Winker, but as the Barometer preaches, patience is the best practice with prospects. Over his last 10 games, Winker is hitting .353 with one home run, two RBI and two stolen bases. He is currently working on a five game hitting streak for Double-A Pensacola, which brings his slash line to .262/.366/.371 on the year. While his lack of power in 2015 has been a tad disappointing, he has already broken his career-high in steals, and continues to excel in the art of plate discipline. Winker has 37 walks as compared to 43 strikeouts in 65 games at this level. His advanced approach at the dish shows that plenty of promise still remains for the 21-year-old lefty, who should regain his power stroke soon.

CHECK STATUS

Kodi Medeiros, P, MIL – Medeiros was a flat-out disaster at the Rookie level last season, but has turned things around in 2015. His ERA is still 4.28 for Low-A Wisconsin, but he has fanned 70 batters in 67.1 innings. Perhaps most notably, he gets an exorbitant amount of ground balls. Few if any pitchers can match his ratio of ground ball outs to fly ball outs of 3.06. An excellent athlete, though not the most imposing pitcher, Medeiros can hit the mid-90s with his fastball, but relies largely on deception and the downward action of his pitches, most notably his slider and changeup. His nearly sidearm delivery, along with a lack of control at times, leads most to believe he will end up in the bullpen as a lefty specialist. For now, though, the 19-year-old southpaw remains a starter with intriguing upside.

Hunter Renfroe, OF, SD – Renfroe's season has finally taken a turn for the better. Arguably the top prospect for the Padres heading into the season, the former Mississippi State star scuffled at Double-A San Antonio to begin the year. Though the lack of power could at least partly be chalked up to his home environment, Renfroe continues to rack up strikeouts at an alarming rate. The 23-year-old's power has returned of late though, as he accumulated four home runs and nine RBI over his last 10 games and hit .316 over that span, though still fanned 12 times. He has 71 strikeouts in 68 games, and seven home runs in 68 contests at this level. Those numbers are not palatable. Nevertheless, he appears to be trending in the right direction, and a superb second half of the season could still save Renfroe from a nosedive in the prospect rankings.

Tim Anderson, SS, CHW – Anderson's approach to hitting is simple; swing at everything. Maybe that's a bit unfair, but it seems like a walk is not as good as a hit to the 22-year-old shortstop. Still, it's difficult to complain when he's hit above .300 over the past season and a half. One has to wonder, though, whether this approach will be sustainable at the higher levels. Only special players can maintain these types of numbers. For example, Anderson has fanned 62 times while drawing just 10 walks in 69 games. The refusal to take a walk also means that he is much less likely to be viewed as a potential leadoff hitter by the White Sox. Still, he is batting .308 with 25 steals for Double-A Birmingham, so perhaps he is one of those special talents after all. Alexei Ramirez is having an absolutely torturous year for the White Sox at short, so it is possible Anderson debuts before the year is finished.

Mark Appel, P, HOU – Inconsistency is maddening when it comes to prospects, and Appel has been among the worst offenders. He was the first overall selection in the 2013 draft, but his abysmal 2014 campaign in the minors has been well documented. Despite the poor start to his career his performance in the Arizona Fall League saved him, and gave the Astros hope that he had finally turned the corner. He began the 2015 campaign at Double-A Corpus Christi, with equally frustrating results. So far Appel has posted a 4.26 ERA with a 49:23 K:BB ratio in 63.1 innings, and teammates Vincent Velasquez and Lance McCullers have been promoted to the big leagues instead of him. However, Appel allowed two earned runs or fewer in each of his last four starts at that level, including a seven-inning shutout in his final outing. That led to a promotion to Triple-A. In his first start at this new level? He was rocked for seven runs on seven hits in just three innings. It's been feast or famine for the 23-year-old righty, who has faced far more growing pains than expected due to his draft slot. He's obviously immensely talented, but the roller coaster ride does not appear to be slowing down any time soon.

DOWNGRADE

Duane Underwood, P, CHC – Not much has gone wrong for the Cubbies this year in terms of prospect development. Chicago has already promoted a bevy of prospects to the MLB level in 2015 alone. Underwood is among the group still in the minors, but the 20-year-old hurler was having his second straight solid season until a right arm injury landed him on the disabled list. He recently tweeted out that he would be undergoing an MRI, likely to determine whether he has a UCL tear and if he subsequently needs Tommy John surgery. Underwood had a 2.66 ERA this season in 64.1 innings, and opposing batters are hitting a mere .204 against him. While he is not striking out hitters at an elite clip, he is still missing bats and has impressive raw stuff. When hitters do make contact, he yields a plethora of ground balls, as evidenced by his 1.50 GO:AO ratio at High-A. Underwood had worked his way into being one of the Cubs top prospects, but Tommy John surgery would obviously stunt his progress.

Jameson Taillon, P, PIT – Tommy John is no stranger to Taillon, who has been working his way back from the procedure that took place in April of 2014. The second overall pick in the 2010 draft, he was expected to return to the mound in the minors sometime this summer. However, he has recently experienced some discomfort in his lower abdomen, and was forced to shut down his throwing program. Though likely unrelated to the elbow issue, it could be a case of overcompensation, or simply getting his body back into game shape. This curious setback obvious delays the 23-year-old's possible return date, and the Pirates could even choose to not place him in live action at all in 2015. It is looking more and more likely that Taillon will not make an impact at the highest level until 2016 at the earliest.

Tyler Anderson, P, COL – Anderson is nearly at the point in his career where he can no longer be considered a prospect. The 25-year-old was the Texas League Pitcher of the Year in 2014, but has battled seemingly endless arm issues, most recently an elbow injury that has left him largely unable to throw since last September. A first round pick in 2011, Anderson had a 1.98 ERA and 106:40 K:BB ratio in 118.1 innings at Double-A in 2014. Though his control was a bit spotty last season, he kept hitters guessing to the tune of a .216 BAA. Nevertheless, he's not overpowering, and his inability to stay healthy is a huge concern. There is no timetable for his return, and he will turn 26 years of age in the offseason. Unfortunately for Anderson, he is no spring chicken, and this could be the death knell in terms of his prospect status.

Alex Meyer, P, MIN – This downgrade is based just as much on a switch in roles as it is on performance. Still considered one of the better pitching prospects in baseball heading into the season, Meyer was converted from starter to reliever recently by the Twinkies. From a fantasy perspective, that shift automatically knocks his value down immensely. While the 25-year-old struggled as a starter to begin the 2015 campaign, he dominated when switched to the bullpen. The Twins indicated they still viewed him as a future starter, but subsequently called him up to the big leagues as a reliever. He was rocked in two outings in the majors though, and it remains to be seen what Minnesota's thought process is with Meyer. The 6-foot-9 righty has bided his time in the minors almost exclusively as a starter, but perhaps the club saw an opportunity for him to get his feet wet, as teams sometimes do with top-flight pitching prospects. However, the worry is that the shuffling and questions regarding his future role get into his head, as happened with Joba Chamberlain and a current Twin, Phil Hughes, both while with the Yankees. A failed starter can turn into a reliever; a failed reliever finds a different profession. Perhaps the Twins were too hasty in making the switch, and should put Meyer back in the starting rotation at Triple-A to see if he can work out the kinks.