This article is part of our Minor League Barometer series.
The Dodgers' rotation could get a huge boost from the minors the next couple months. Jose De Leon made his season debut Tuesday for Triple-A after starting the season on the DL with an ankle injury. De Leon tossed five scoreless frames, scattering two hits and walking just one batter while fanning nine. He has massive strikeout stuff, as he's fanned at least 12 batters per nine innings at every stop since 2014. Meanwhile, top prospect and teenager Julio Urias continues to sparkle at the same level. The 19-year-old southpaw has a 1.88 ERA and 29:3 K:BB through 24 innings at Triple-A and won't turn 20 until August. With the struggles of Alex Wood, Scott Kazmir and Ross Stripling, it could only be a matter of time before the Dodgers promote their young studs to the big leagues.
Let's take a gander at the rest of the prospect scene in this week's Minor League Barometer.
UPGRADE
Dansby Swanson (SS, ATL) – Swanson made mincemeat of High-A pitching to begin the year, which should be expected from a polished college bat drafted No. 1 overall in last year's draft. In 21 games for the Carolina Mudcats, Swanson slashed .333/.441/.526 with one home run, 10 RBI and seven stolen bases, and had more walks (15) than strikeouts (13). He earned a quick promotion to Double-A, where he has continued to surge, going 9-for-23 (.391) with a home run and six RBI through six games. The Braves have no reason to
The Dodgers' rotation could get a huge boost from the minors the next couple months. Jose De Leon made his season debut Tuesday for Triple-A after starting the season on the DL with an ankle injury. De Leon tossed five scoreless frames, scattering two hits and walking just one batter while fanning nine. He has massive strikeout stuff, as he's fanned at least 12 batters per nine innings at every stop since 2014. Meanwhile, top prospect and teenager Julio Urias continues to sparkle at the same level. The 19-year-old southpaw has a 1.88 ERA and 29:3 K:BB through 24 innings at Triple-A and won't turn 20 until August. With the struggles of Alex Wood, Scott Kazmir and Ross Stripling, it could only be a matter of time before the Dodgers promote their young studs to the big leagues.
Let's take a gander at the rest of the prospect scene in this week's Minor League Barometer.
UPGRADE
Dansby Swanson (SS, ATL) – Swanson made mincemeat of High-A pitching to begin the year, which should be expected from a polished college bat drafted No. 1 overall in last year's draft. In 21 games for the Carolina Mudcats, Swanson slashed .333/.441/.526 with one home run, 10 RBI and seven stolen bases, and had more walks (15) than strikeouts (13). He earned a quick promotion to Double-A, where he has continued to surge, going 9-for-23 (.391) with a home run and six RBI through six games. The Braves have no reason to rush Swanson to the majors this season, but he may force their hand if he continues to torment minor league pitching.
Andy Ibanez (2B, TEX) – Opposing pitchers have been no match for the Cuban defector thus far at Low-A. The 23-year-old Ibanez, signed last summer by the Rangers, is batting an impressive .371/.453/.607 through 24 games for the Hickory Crawdads. Ibanez has shown some pop with two home runs, 13 doubles and 17 runs batted in, while also swiping five bases. To nitpick, he has been caught on six occasions, but otherwise, the debut for Ibanez has gone swimmingly. The Rangers seem pretty stocked with young talent up the middle with the likes of Rougned Odor, Elvis Andrus and Jurickson Profar, so it will be interesting to see what Texas decides to do with Ibanez defensively as he ascends the minor league ranks.
Joe Musgrove (P, HOU) – Musgrove is finally healthy and as a result, has been dominant on the mound. He saw three levels in 2015 and aced them all, posting a 1.88 ERA and 99:8 K:BB in 100.2 innings between Low-A and Double-A. Originally it was thought that Musgrove would begin the season at Triple-A, but instead he was sent back to Double-A, where he only pitched in eight games. Still, this level has continued to prove no match for the 23-year-old hurler. Through 23.1 innings in 2016, Musgrove has a minuscule 0.39 ERA along with a 26:3 K:BB. It's clear that a promotion should be in order for the reigning Minor League Pitcher of the Year for the Astros, who led the minors with a 12.38 K:BB in 2015.
Brendan Rodgers (SS/2B, COL) – The Rockies system looks flush with hitting prospects like David Dahl, Forrest Wall and Ryan McMahon, and you can add Rodgers to that list. The No. 3 overall selection in the 2015 draft, Rodgers is tearing the cover off the ball at Low-A Asheville in 2016 with a .367/.463/.653 slash line, six home runs, 22 RBI and two steals through 25 games. He has been even better over his last 10 games, hitting a ridiculous .474 over that span. Considered by many to be the top high school player in last year's draft, the 19-year-old appears to be yet another star hitter in the making for Colorado.
CHECK STATUS
Dinelson Lamet (P, SD) –In his first taste of full-season ball in 2015, Lamet posted a 2.99 ERA and 120:44 K:BB in 105.1 innings at Low-A. Bumped up to the friendly hitting confines of the California League to begin the 2016 campaign, Lamet has once again been stellar. In 32 innings at High-A, Lamet has a 1.41 ERA and 30:11 K:BB, and the opposition is hitting just .204 against him. The walks are certainly something to watch, however, in addition to the development of a third pitch to go along with his fastball/slider combo. Nonetheless, the 23-year-old has been everything the Padres could have hoped for and then some.
Angel Perdomo (P, TOR) – The Blue Jays have brought Perdomo along slowly, but their patience could be paying off. Signed as a 17-year-old out of the Dominican Republic, the 6-foot-6 lefty is now 22 years of age but is only just getting his first taste full-season ball. Through 22.2 innings at Low-A, Perdomo has a 1.59 ERA and 31:9 K:BB, while opposing batters are hitting a putrid .147 against him. Perdomo owns a three-pitch arsenal (fastball, solid changeup and emerging slider), and if he can continue to hit his spots and improve his secondary pitches, this could be his breakout season.
Tyler O'Neill (OF, SEA) – O'Neill continues to have plenty of doubters, and yet he just keeps slugging home runs. O'Neill crushed 32 home runs in 106 games at High-A Bakersfield in 2015. However, his plate discipline remains a work in progress, as the 20-year-old hit just .260 with a staggering 137 strikeouts. O'Neill is still striking out a lot in 2016, as evidenced by his fanning 28 times in 25 games. That's really the only knock against O'Neill this season, though, as he is slashing an outstanding .323/.387/.566 with six home runs and 20 RBI. His power is legit, but there are still questions as to whether he can hit for average at the higher levels. Nevertheless, he might just be the top hitting prospect for the Mariners right now.
Dietrich Enns (P, NYY) – Enns, a converted reliever, did not allow an earned run through the first 23.2 innings pitched this season for Double-A Trenton. In addition, he struck out a career-high 11 batters in a six-inning shutout at the end of April. The southpaw had previously been shuttled back and forth between the bullpen and the starting rotation due to control issues, and those problems reared their ugly head again in his previous start (Enns walked five batters and saw his scoreless streak snapped, surrendering four earned runs Thursday). Still, despite the control concerns and the fact that he will turn 25 next week, it's difficult to ignore his impressive statistics. In 2015, he started 12 games, mostly at High-A, where he had a 0.61 ERA and 55:20 K:BB in 58.2 innings. Perhaps his development was slowed due to the constant shuffling, or perhaps he's something of a flash in the pan, but it would be unwise to completely dismiss his performance.
DOWNGRADE
Joey Gallo (3B, TEX) – At least in the short term, the Rangers won't have to worry about finding a slot for Gallo at the big league level. That's because the slugging third baseman is on the DL with a groin strain. While the injury isn't considered serious, he'll miss at least a month, and the Rangers will almost certainly be cautious with their prized prospect. Adrian Beltre continues to hold down the fort at third in the bigs, so the Rangers will likely not rush Gallo back too soon.
Daz Cameron (OF, HOU) – The son of former major leaguer Mike Cameron, Daz is off to a slow start to his professional career. Drafted straight out of high school in 2015, Cameron is batting an abysmal .143 through 21 games at Low-A Quad Cities. He is still looking for his first home run as a professional, though power was not likely going to be considered his strong suit anyway. Cameron has also been punched out 33 times in those 21 games, and even though he wasn't expected to make an impact any time soon for the Astros, this is certainly not the way he wanted to start out the season.
Hunter Harvey (P, BAL) – Harvey also has family ties to the big leagues, as his father was former MLB closer Bryan Harvey. However, the issues keep on coming for the younger Harvey, who can't seem to stay healthy. Once considered a top pitching prospect, Harvey hasn't taken the mound in a meaningful game since 2014 due to elbow injuries. He managed to avoid Tommy John surgery and was expected to finally return at the beginning of this season, but suffered a groin injury during a minor league contest during the spring. Harvey will miss the next 4-6 weeks at the very least, and likely won't return until July. Upon his return, it will have been over two years since the 21-year-old righty last took the mound in the minors.
Michael Chavis (3B, BOS) – Chavis had a rough first full season in 2015. A first-round pick in the 2014 draft, Chavis spent all of last season with Low-A Greenville where he did not fare well. He struggled with a .223/.277/.405 clip in 109 games, though he did hit 16 home runs and picked up eight stolen bases. He returned to the same level in 2016 and appeared to have turned the corner (.356/.415.576 with three home runs, 14 RBI and one steal through the first 15 games of the season). Unfortunately, Chavis recently suffered a thumb injury, which could require surgery if further evaluation reveals a torn ligament. Even if surgery isn't necessary, thumb injuries are fickle, so Chavis will be shut down and probably won't be playing any time soon.
