This week’s High-A recap is a change of pace. The minor league season is close to wrapping up, so there likely won’t be any earthquake inducing promotions, especially among the lower levels of the minors. At least right now, there aren’t any rumblings of a potential Brandon Finnegan-type run through the minors, but that doesn’t mean some “fast track” prospects haven’t already emerged from the 2015 draft class.
For a player to make it to High-A only a couple months after being drafted is impressive but not unprecedented. Players to do it the past few seasons include Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant and White Sox pitcher Carlos Rodon, who even made it all the way to Triple-A in his first professional season. It should be no surprise that the players to make these jumps are the best prospects from the very beginning, and the players below are no different; three are from the first round.
With that in mind, here are the first fast track prospects to emerge from the 2015 draft class:
Alex Bregman, second overall, Houston Astros; Lancaster JetHawks
Bregman hit .323 with nine home runs and 38 stolen bases for LSU is 2015, and his steady bat and athleticism at shortstop earned him the second overall pick in the draft by the Astros. Already considered one of the best shortstop prospects in the game, Bregman slashed .259/.368/.330 in Class-A before he was promoted. After a 1-for-4 performance yesterday he is slashing .259/.302/.346 in High-A.
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Tyler Jay, sixth overall, Minnesota Twins; Fort Myers Miracle
Working as the closer for the University of Illinois, Jay earned 14 saves on the back of a 1.08 ERA and 76 strikeouts in 66 2/3 innings pitched. The Twins sent him straight to High-A, and he has had mixed results in his 13 appearances: He’s thrown scoreless innings in six of them but he’s also given up more than one run three times. The ability to strike hitters out is still there, as he has 16 Ks in his 12 1/3 innings pitched.
Carson Fulmer, eighth overall, Chicago White Sox; Winston-Salem Dash
As the ace of the Vanderbilt pitching staff, Fulmer went 14-2 with a 1.83 ERA and 167 Ks in 127 2/3 innings in 2015. As a professional, he has pitched in six games, five in High-A, and has posted a 2.77 ERA, 14 Ks and a .191 average against in those five starts. Saturday, in his most recent start, he threw three no-hit innings and struck out two.
Josh Sborz, 74th overall, Los Angeles Dodgers; Rancho Cucamonga Quakes
Sborz’s Virginia Cavaliers beat Fulmer’s Commodores in a College World Series championship series rematch. Sborz, who like Jay was a dominant closer, earned 15 saves posted a 1.60 ERA and .163 average against for the Cavaliers. As a pro, he has pitched in five games and made his High-A debut Saturday, allowing one earned run in two innings. Prior to that appearance, he has pitched in four games between Rookie- and A-ball and had struck out 13 batters in 10 1/3 innings.