Minor League Barometer: Down on the Farm

Nick Gordon should be making his way to the big leagues sooner rather than later. The 22-year-old future middle infielder for the Minnesota Twins had an impressive spring, slashing .417/.440/.625 in 15 games. Despite being sent to Double-A, where he spent 122 games in 2017, Gordon did not miss a beat during the season opener. He collected four hits, including a triple, in his 2018 debut for Chattanooga. Gordon doesn't quite have the same speed as his older brother, Dee, though he may have a bit more power. The Twinkies currently have utility man Eduardo Escobar and light-hitting Ehire Adrianza splitting time at shortstop, and Jorge Polanco is serving an 80-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs. As such, it is not entirely outside the realm of possibilitiy that Gordon will be in the majors sometime during the second half of the season.

UPGRADE

Tim Tebow, OF, NYM – Just kidding. The guy certainly does have a flair for the dramatic, though.

Victor Robles, OF, WAS – After sending Robles to Triple-A near the end of March, General Manager Mike Rizzo stated in spring training that Robles would only be called up if he could play a starting role. Well, Adam Eaton has already been injured. Eaton was pulled after five innings Thursday in Washington's loss to the Mets due to an ankle injury. With Daniel Murphy also on the shelf, depth for the Nats is lacking, and Robles could have been called up to start in left field while Howie Kendrick and Wilmer Difo hold down the fort at second base. While Eaton's injury ended up not being serious, the outfielder has a brutal injury past. Meanwhile, Robles is a star in the making, with five tools at his disposal, though his speed currently outweighs his power. He hit .324 with three home runs and 11 steals in 37 games after reaching Double-A. Eaton has returned to the field, but his checkered past in terms of health means Robles seeing time in the Nats outfield before the All-Star break is a very real possibility. Robles is 5-for-12 with two steals through three games for Triple-A Syracuse.

Mike Soroka, P, ATL – I'm a bigger believer in Soroka than most other pundits, and the 20-year-old hurler often gets lost in the shuffle in an organization rife with upper-tier pitching prospects. Soroka's strikeout rate wasn't elite last season, though it must be stated that he skipped High-A outright and still had a 2.75 ERA in 26 starts at Double-A, mostly as a teenager and pitching against hitters 2-4 years older than him. He commands three pitches, is very athletic and also polished beyond his years. He has the frame to handle the rigors of being a starter, as well as a simple delivery. Luiz Gohara, Kyle Wright and Kolby Allard may have better pure stuff, but Soroka's intangibles make him an intriguing pitching phenom with plenty of upside in his own right. He tossed five scoreless innings in his season premiere for Triple-A Gwinnett, fanning five while scattering just two hits.

Corbin Burnes, P, MIL – Burnes has a lifetime 1.74 ERA in the minors heading into this season. True, he has only pitched 145.2 innings, but he's played at four different levels, and found little resistance at each stop. Burnes has slowly but surely climbed up the prospect ranks. Of course, his assignment in the hitter-friendly confines of the Pacific Coast League will be his most difficult task yet. That being said, he's averaged a strikeout per inning during his time as a professional, and opposing batters are hitting a putrid .197 against him. The Brewers Minor League Pitcher of the Year for 2017 also has another thing going for him; he induces a high amount of ground balls. Burnes allowed just three home runs all of last year. He allowed one run in six innings Saturday, punching out six batters while walking just one for Triple-A Colorado Springs. In sum, while Burnes does not project as an ace at the next level, it is becoming increasingly more difficult to ignore him.

Shane Bieber, P, CLE – Bieber's K:BB was absurd last season. In 173.1 innings across three levels, he fanned 162 batters while walking just 10. No, that walk total is not a typo. Bieber has superior command of four pitches, but a jump in velocity is likely also the reason for the consistent strikeout rate at each stop. He does give up some hits since he is always around the plate, but Bieber's fantastic ability to hit his spots with various pitches in various counts makes him a notable riser in the Cleveland system. Bieber has picked up right where he left off in 2017; the 22-year-old righty tossed six scoreless innings in the season opener for Double-A Akron on Thursday. Unsurprisingly, Bieber did not walk a batter. He allowed just two hits while striking out nine. Though Triston McKenzie is the clear No. 1 pitching prospect in the Indians organization, Bieber could end up seeing the big leagues first.

CHECK STATUS

Chance Sisco, C, BAL – Fellow Baltimore prospect Austin Hays could not make the opening day roster for the O's, but Sisco made the squad as the second catcher. Though initially thought to be on the short end of the backstop situation with Caleb Joseph, Sisco hit well in spring training. He hit a robust .429 with two home runs and 10 RBI in 18 games during the spring. He is 4-for-17 during the early portion of the MLB season, while Joseph is just 2-for-23. If Sisco can flash his hitting chops, the timeshare could begin to shift in his direction, as he is one of the top catching prospects in baseball and just 23 years of age.

Dustin Fowler, OF, OAK – Fowler's first night in the big leagues is essentially a baseball horror story. Starting in right field for the New York Yankees, Fowler crashed into a wall in the first inning chasing a fly ball, suffering an open rupture of his right patella tendon. He was carted off the field and underwent surgery. He never played for the Yankees again, as he was dealt to the A's at the trade deadline as part of the Sonny Gray deal. Fowler has made a speedy recovery, though, and even vied for the starting centerfield job in spring training. Though he hit .222 in 19 games and ultimately lost out to Boog Powell, it was a welcome sign to see Fowler swipe three bags and run well on the surgically repaired knee. Fowler is 5-for-21 with two steals through five games for Triple-A Nashville. His path is much clearer with the Athletics than with the Bronx Bombers. Fowler has hit above .280 in every season and at every level since the start of 2015, and he's still just 23 years of age.

Sandy Alcantara, P, MIA – Though Alcantara missed out on a starting rotation slot to begin the season, he should be up with the Marlins shortly. Miami's current rotation consists of Jose Urena, Caleb Smith, Dillon Peters and Trevor Richards. Yes, you read that correctly. That's their big league rotation. In addition, Miami currently has four starters on the Disabled List. Alcantara is the top pitching prospect in the Marlins' system and acquitted himself decently in the spring. The 22-year-old notched a 3.38 ERA and 11 strikeouts in 16 innings across five appearances in March. Alcantara can hit triple digits on the radar gun, but it will be the development of his secondary pitches, namely his slider and changeup, that will determine his future path. Regardless, on a team scraping the bottom of the barrel in terms of starting pitching, Alcantara actually has upside and should be given every chance to succeed. He fanned eight batters in just 4.2 innings during his season debut for Triple-A New Orleans.

Jesse Winker, OF, CIN – Winker has assumed the leadoff spot for the Reds to begin the season. Winker has more walks (7) than strikeouts (6) through seven games. Plate discipline is his best asset, though, as Winker's power has seen a precipitous decline in recent seasons, and he has never stolen more than eight bases in any one season. An injury to Scott Schebler, who is battling an ailing elbow, opens up even more playing time for Winker, though it remains to be seen how much power or speed he will bring to the table. Winker may end up being a better actual player than fantasy asset, though certainly the current sample size is small, and it is far too early to make a snap judgment.

DOWNGRADE

Brent Honeywell, P, TB – The frugal Rays were likely to be cautious with their top pitching prospect anyway, but an elbow injury in February took the decision right out of Tampa's hands. Honeywell tore his ACL during live batting practice, and underwent Tommy John surgery. He will miss the entirety of the 2018 campaign, and is unlikely to be ready for the start of the 2019 season either. The rebuilding Rays will likely have to wait until the middle of next year at the earliest to see their prized hurler on a big-league mound. Honeywell posted a 3.64 ERA and 152:31 K:BB in 123.2 innings at Triple-A in 2017, and certainly appeared ready to enter the big leagues prior to the injury.

Ryan McMahon, 1B, COL – McMahon hasn't seen the field much to begin the 2018 campaign. Despite making the roster out of spring training, McMahon has just eight at-bats in five games. He's yet to get a hit, having racked up six strikeouts in the process. Naturally, the sample size is small, and McMahon remains one of the better corner infield prospects in the game. Still, Ian Desmond appears entrenched as the starting first baseman for now, which will obviously limit McMahon's opportunity. Desmond is 8-for-19 with two home runs and seven RBI to start the year. Of course, an injury to Desmond immediately opens the door to a full-time starting gig in the most hitter-friendly ballpark in the big leagues, so McMahon's fortunes could change rather quickly. Desmond is on the wrong side of 30, played in just 95 games last season and has already had a minor leg injury to begin the year.

Chance Adams, P, NYY – A temporary downgrade for Adams, who had a tough spring and was shellacked in his first outing for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Adams was battered for five runs on seven hits in just 3.2 innings Friday. He did strike out five batters, but also issued two walks. Adams struggled with free passes in 201, though was able to limit the damage en route to a 2.45 ERA between Double-A and Triple-A. Adams has also seen a slight uptick in home runs allowed over the last season or two, and he surrendered a dinger in his first start this season as well. Add in the fact that Adams does not have a dominant fastball, at least in terms of velocity, and he may be in line for some regression to the mean this season. He remains a stellar prospect for the Bronx Bombers, but may not have the upside of some of the other hurlers in the Yankees system.

Yohander Mendez, P, TEX – Another hurler with a rough first outing, the 23-year-old Mendez was tagged for five runs on seven hits in just 3.1 innings Saturday, as arguably the top pitching prospect for the Rangers attempts to navigate the hitter-friendly confines of the Pacific Coast League. The home run problem is even more of a red flag for Mendez. The southpaw allowed a staggering 23 home runs at Double-A in 2017, as well as an additional three home runs during a brief stint out of the bullpen in the majors. Curiously, though, he allowed just four home runs in 111 innings across three levels in 2016. Will the real Yohander Mendez please stand up? He allowed a home run in his first start of 2018 as well, so this is clearly a trend Mendez would like to stop.