Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Double-A baseball, especially in this season of the prospect, has a tendency to be stacked with the majority of baseball’s elite minor league talent. This season is no different as the Eastern League All Star rosters are loaded with some of Major League Baseball’s top rated future stars.
The Eastern and Western divisions of the Eastern League will square off Wednesday July 15th from Hadlock Field, home of the Portland SeaDogs. Pennsylvania will be heavily represented as the Philadelphia Phillies are sending five of their elite prospects to the Eastern team while the Pittsburgh Pirates are sending five of the cream of the crop to the Western division team.
The Big Apple is also well represented as the Eastern All Stars roster is made up of eight future New York Yankees and Mets, four from each team’s farm system. The Akron RubberDucks (one of the best mascots in Minor League Baseball) of the Cleveland Indians organization and the Richmond Flying Squirrels of the San Francisco Giants are amongst the teams sending four representatives to the game.
But who are the big prospects to keep an eye on in this year’s EL All Star Game? The game is often a precursor to heading to Triple-A for the second half of the season for most of these elite prospects. Who’s All Star appearance may very well be their last at the Double-A level? Who is auditioning to be used at the trade deadline?
Not to worry, baseball fans. There are some big time prospects ready to take the stage and — in this Year of the Prospect — may be poised to jump right to the Major Leagues this September.
Next: Yankees trade bait?
Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
GARY SANCHEZ
Trenton Thunder, New York Yankees
Sanchez is tantalizing because his name is sure to come up at the trade deadline this season. Sanchez has long been a top New York Yankees prospect, even reaching No. 1 in their system heading into 2014, but has quietly become a forgotten man with the new wave of Yankees prospects like Aaron Judge, Robert Refsnyder, Greg Bird and Luis Severino.
Sanchez was signed by the Yankees in 2010 out of the Dominican Republic. When you look at his age, you say he is only 22-years old, but he is much older than that in baseball years. This is Sanchez’s sixth season.
More from MLB Prospects
- Is Arizona Diamondbacks prospect Ivan Melendez the next Pete Alonso?
- Los Angeles Dodgers prospect talk: Catching up with Hunter Feduccia
- MLBPA secures major victory for Minor League Baseball players
- Phillies: Breaking down the prospects fighting for an Opening Day spot
- What the XFL can learn from minor league baseball
Now, while this will be Sanchez’s fourth All Star appearance and he will be making his first trip to the Future’s Game, it is important to note that Sanchez has been relatively the same player for the past three seasons. He hasn’t shown much improvement and while he is a good player, a top prospect is supposed to mature into a great player, not plateau in his early 20s.
A change of scenery may be best for Sanchez, especially after having some discipline problems in the system last year. He still has a ton of value, but lasting in the Yankees system and making an impact in the Bronx may be an opportunity that has closed for the young catcher. The All Star Game could be a showcase for a future trade.
Next: Nimmo: keep or sell for the Mets?
Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
BRANDON NIMMO
Binghamton Mets, New York Mets
Talk about another guy that was just expected to be much closer to the big leagues by now, Nimmo has been supplanted by Michael Conforto as the Mets outfielder of the future. That doesn’t mean he is bad by any means, but it certainly means he could be used to bring in a big bat at the deadline.
More from Call to the Pen
- Philadelphia Phillies, ready for a stretch run, bomb St. Louis Cardinals
- Philadelphia Phillies: The 4 players on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
- Boston Red Sox fans should be upset over Mookie Betts’ comment
- Analyzing the Boston Red Sox trade for Dave Henderson and Spike Owen
- 2023 MLB postseason likely to have a strange look without Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals
Nimmo was drafted in the first round in 2011 by the Mets. Like Sanchez, he is 22-years old, and like Sanchez he has pretty much stayed steady throughout his career and not yet met this lofty expectations.
That’s not to say Nimmo is bad, and he certainly has a spot in the Mets future. But he isn’t ready now, and the Mets in Queens need a bat if they are to stay in the playoff hunt down the stretch. If they were to package Nimmo and one of their elite young pitchers in a deal, they could pretty much name their price.
Nimmo will be heading to his second Futures Game this year. It will also be his third consecutive All Star appearance. He is slashing .291/.357/.397 with two home runs, ten doubles and two triples in Binghamton this season, so he still brings a little bit of everything to the table. Nimmo still has a promising future, whether it will be in New York is a bigger question.
Next: Pirates newest first baseman?
Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
JOSH BELL
Altoona Curve, Pittsburgh Pirates
Josh Bell is very intriguing. The Pirates drafted Bell in the second round of the 2011 draft as a future piece of their outfield. He has done very well in his professional career thus far, but on his way to the big leagues something happened. Pittsburgh developed one of the best outfields in the game… and they are young.
More from MLB Prospects
- Is Arizona Diamondbacks prospect Ivan Melendez the next Pete Alonso?
- Los Angeles Dodgers prospect talk: Catching up with Hunter Feduccia
- MLBPA secures major victory for Minor League Baseball players
- Phillies: Breaking down the prospects fighting for an Opening Day spot
- What the XFL can learn from minor league baseball
As long as Pittsburgh keeps them around, Andrew McCutchen, Starling Marte and Gregory Polanco bring a lot of promise to the future. That led some to believe that maybe Josh Bell could be some strong trade bait earlier this season. But what Bell has done this season may have changed that.
Bell now appears the first baseman of the Pirates future. He has been transitioning to first base in Altoona and he has shown his elite athleticism as he has done it well. In his career he has made 12 errors in 684 chances, most of those coming earlier in the season. He has posted a range factor of 10.67 which isn’t too shabby for learning the ropes.
Add Bell’s .317/.388/.431 slash line and maybe the Pirates won’t have to break the bank re-signing Pedro Alvarez in the offseason. It appears Bell’s trade value may have gone up to other teams, but it doesn’t look like he is a piece the Pirates will be moving anymore.
Next: Do the Phillies have the best prospect in baseball?
Mandatory Credit: Jay Blue
J.P. CRAWFORD
Reading Fightin’ Phils, Philadelphia Phillies
Crawford isn’t trade bait. The only place Crawford is going is Philadelphia. He and Maikel Franco should form one of the most exciting young left side of the infields for the next few years. It’s no longer a matter of if he will make the Majors, it’s when.
Had it not been for a late start to the season recovering from injury, in this crazy season of prospect debuts, an argument could be made that Crawford would have been in Philly by now. They cleared a path for him by getting rid of long-time fan favorite and MVP of their World Series run Jimmy Rollins (and brought in Zach Eflin in that deal who is also an Eastern League All Star and looks like he may make the 2016 roster).
Crawford has responded by slashing .314/.419/.419 this season although those numbers are a bit inflated from a 21-game stint in High-A where he hit .392. Still, Crawford is a solid all around athlete that has Major Leaguer written all over him. Some people even ventured to say that with Kris Bryant, Addison Russell and Carlos Correa in the big leagues, that Crawford is the best prospect in the game.
The Phillies are most likely about to be reshaping their team over the next few weeks. If they can find anyone to take Chase Utley and Ryan Howard off their hands, they will be gone. That means they can shift Freddy Galvis over to second base and let the Crawford Era begin at shortstop. Expect a quick jump to Triple-A after the All Star Game and at the very least a September call-up.