A dozen MLB rookies who are playing well under the radar

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MLB teams have seen multiple rookies show excellent production this season, but not always the guys expected.

Anyone can tell you about the exploits of Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger, who are likely the two leading candidates for the Rookie of the Year award, having hit 23 and 19 home runs, respectively, on the season.

Many know the exploits of Andrew Benintendi and Dansby Swanson, both preseason favorites for the ROY awards who struggled to open the season and have both been working their way to positive fWAR values on their seasons.

Instead, let’s take a look at a dozen less-heralded players who are having excellent seasons:

Bradley Zimmer, OF, Cleveland Indians

We will start with the one consensus top 100 prospect of the group we’ll discuss. Zimmer’s by far got the highest pedigree of any player on this article, ranked as high as the #22 prospect in the game by prospect rankers this offseason.

Zimmer is an elite defender with the ability to also provide power and speed offensively, though his swing is long, leading to heavy strikeout totals in the minors and a less-than-attractive contact rate.

Zimmer was called up in mid-May, and he’s played in 27 games since, starting 19 of them. The Indians have been sparse with his time against left-handed pitching, but he has hit well overall, with a .286/.368/.506 slash line with 4 home runs and 6 stolen bases. He’s also walked at over a 10% rate and kept his strikeouts to under 30%, which are both excellent marks for Zimmer.

Obviously, this is still a small sample, as Zimmer has only had 87 plate appearances this season, but it is a positive start for sure.

Manny Pina, C, Milwaukee Brewers

Coming into the 2017 season, many fantasy owners were hoping to see former Giants prospect Andrew Susac win over the Brewers catching job. However, Susac was injured in the spring and saw the job handed to veterans Jeff Bandy and Pina.

Bandy has offered power and not much else at the plate, but he’s shown excellent work behind the dish. However, it’s what Pina has done that should be drawing more attention.

Pina has been around the game for some time. Signed out of Venezuela in 2004, he’s been part of six organizations in his career, bouncing around multiple teams, waiting for his chance. Pina made his major league debut in 2011 with the Royals, and he played in one game for Kansas City in 2012 as well at the major league level. He then didn’t return to the big leagues until a late season run with the Brewers last season.

This season, while splitting the starting job with Bandy, Pina has hit .312/.351/.493 with 13 doubles and 4 home runs over 41 games. He’s also been rated as one of the 10 best defensive catchers in the game this season. He’s produced 1.4 fWAR this season, 5th among rookie hitters.

Jordan Montgomery, LHP, New York Yankees

When the Yankees opened up their competition for the 5th spot in the rotation this spring, it opened the door for a number of players to step up and take the spot. However, after spring training, it was easy to tell who would get the opening gig. While spring training stats aren’t perfectly translated (see: Tanaka, Masahiro), Montgomery threw the most quality innings of any of the 5th starter options, and he added another lefty to the Yankees rotation.

The Yankees didn’t need a 5th man the first turn through the rotation, so Montgomery opened at AAA, but after one start there, he moved into the Yankee rotation, and he’s been very comfortable there ever since, with a 4-4 record over 12 starts, throwing 69 nice innings, with a 3.78 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, and a 24/66 BB/K ratio.

More than that, Montgomery has given the Yankees a consistent arm out every time through the order, and while it took some time for his long, 6’6″ frame to get consistent in his mechanics after being drafted in 2014 by the Yankees out of South Carolina, Montgomery is a picture of consistency at this point.

While the height and left-handedness have Yankee fans discussing Andy Pettitte, I think he reminds me more on the mound in his approach of Jon Lester, using the good movement he gets on his two-seamer and slider to set up the four-seamer and curve as it works up and down in the zone.

Trey Mancini, 1B/OF/DH, Baltimore Orioles

It seems at times that the Orioles have a very poor farm system, yet can consistently churn out guys who can swing with big power and give at least a run for a solid average.

Mancini is this year’s example. After playing at the upper levels the last two seasons and never really showing signs of being a major league quality masher, Mancini has taken regular playing time this season and run with it.

With Chris Davis out until after the All-Star break, Mancini will have a clear path to playing time for at least the next few months, and if he can keep up the quality hitting he’s displayed thus far, he’ll force a move when Davis is healthy.

Mancini has has hit .310/.352/.576 with 12 home runs over 54 games and 199 plate appearances. He has primarily played left field this season defensively, but he has also spent time at first base, where he’ll likely get much more time now with Davis out.

James Hoyt, RP, Houston Astros

Hoyt is quite possibly the best current story in the game. After going undrafted after college, Hoyt pitched in independent leagues in 2011 and 2012, along with a stint in the Mexican League in 2012.

The Atlanta Braves signed the big (6’6″, 230 pounds listed) Hoyt before 2013, and he pitched at two levels for the Braves system in 2013, working at high-A Lynchburg in the Carolina League and AA Mississippi in the Southern League. He showed an unhittable fastball, but struggled with his control, striking out over 30% of hitters and posting a 1.14 WHIP, but also walking over 11% of hitters.

The Braves opened Hoyt at Mississippi in 2014, and at 27, he showed well enough to earn a promotion to AAA. His season was really split by his two leagues – he posted a 1.14 ERA with Mississippi, but he was hit hard in AAA, leading to a 5.46 ERA with Gwinnett. However, he continued his dominance, striking out 29% of hitters and cutting his walk rate to 9%.

The Braves traded Hoyt to the Astros that offseason along with Evan Gattis. Hoyt dominated AAA Fresno for the Astros in 2015 and did the same in 2016, striking out 31% and 44% of hitters, respectively.

He made his major league debut in 2016 with the Astros at the end of the year, and he showed the same strikeout ability. This season, he opened the year in Fresno, but after injuries and some early ineffectiveness required help in the Houston bullpen, he came up April 22nd, and he’s been a force ever since.

While his ERA is not pretty at 5.09, Hoyt’s FIP and xFIP indicate the type of dominance he’s truly had this season, with a 2.74 FIP and 1.95 xFIP, in large part due to a .422 BABIP this season, a sub-70% strand rate, and a HR/FB rate of over 20% (it had stayed over 25% until just recently).

Hoyt has shown another level of dominance and control this season, with an electric 5.2% walk rate and a 42.3% strikeout rate over his 19 innings thus far. His bread and butter pitch is an incredible slider that he pairs with a fastball that he can run into the mid-90s.

Ben Gamel, Mitch Haniger, Guillermo Heredia, OF, Seattle Mariners

The Mariners made an intentional focus in their outfield to bring in more youth and more defensive ability to their outfield in the offseason, acquiring Haniger as part of the Jean Segura trade with the Diamondbacks.

Gamel and Heredia were already in house, but they also had just joined the organization, Gamel coming over in a midseason deal in 2016 and Heredia signed out of Cuba before the 2016 season.

Gamel and Haniger both had the tags of minor league veteran coming into the 2016 season, with Haniger having spent four seasons working up the minors without having seen AAA after being drafted out of college in 2012, and Gamel having moved up step by step in the Yankees minor league system before 2016 after being drafted from high school in 2010.

Gamel spent the most time in the minor leagues this season, cut after he lost out on the final bench outfield spot to Heredia due to Heredia’s abiity to handle all three outfield spots defensively. However, an injury to Haniger actually brought up Gamel, and he’s taken over the leadoff spot in the Mariners lineup since, hitting .344/.408/.462 over 49 games and 212 plate appearances. That’s fueled by a fairly absurd .459 BABIP that should correct, but he’s shown the ability to be a quality defender and make good contact, something his hit profile suggests should keep up, even after his BABIP normalizes to his career norms (around mid-.300s)

Haniger missed a big chunk of the season after starting off extremely hot, but he’s hit well after returning a little over a week ago as well. On his third organization, Haniger always showed an ability to hit for power and steal bases along with playing quality corner defense in the minors, but he was always older for his level, so his progress wasn’t taken all that seriously, even with a career minor league slash line of .291/.371/.491.

He finally broke through in 2016 with the Diamondbacks after terrorizing minor league pitching to the tune of a .999 OPS, 34 doubles, and 25 home runs in just 129 games between AA and AAA. Many felt that his performance could be fluky headed into 2017, especially after he hit just .229/.309/.404 in 34 games with the big league club to finish 2016.

When healthy in 2017, he’s hit .319/.421/.549 with 5 home runs and a pair of stolen bases, walking at over a 12% clip, and keeping his strikeouts fairly reasonable, just under 25%.

Heredia is probably the guy that even the more involved MLB fan has the least knowledge about. Signed out of Cuba in the offseason before 2016, he wasn’t one of the more heralded Cuban prospects as he didn’t flash big power or big speed, with his strike zone control being his primary offensive skill along with his quality defense at all three outfield positions.

The Mariners felt comfortable starting him at AA right away in 2016, and he handled the upper minors well, hitting, a combined .300/.395/.391, displaying his excellent strike zone command with a 48/47 BB/K ratio over 417 plate appearance. He was called up for a brief time with the Mariners at the end of 2016, where he still showed good plate discipline.

Heredia has been a consistent part of the improved outfield defense for the Mariners this season. He has started at all three outfield positions, but he’s played the bulk of his time in left field, where he’s drawn rave reviews, ranking 3rd in all of baseball in outfield defensive runs saved.

Jeff Hoffman, German Marquez, Kyle Freeland, Antonio Senzatela, SP,
Colorado Rockies

Of the top 6 rookie pitchers in fWAR, four of them are pitchers for the Colorado Rockies, leaving little question what is the underlying fuel to the Rockies’ success this season.

Hoffman has had the least work at the big league level, making just 6 appearances, 5 of them starts. He was one of the top prospects in the Rockies organization and a pretty consensus top 100 prospect in the game coming into the season. He’s shown very well in his time in the big leagues thus far, using his blazing fastball and improved command to the tune of a 2.25 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 4.7% walk rate, and 28.4% strikeout rate over 32 innings so far.

Marquez is probably the next closest thing to a true prospect on the staff, ranking in the top 75 among Baseball America and MLB Pipeline coming into this season. Originally signed by the Rays out of Venezuela, Marquez has worked his way up the system step by step, until last season after the Rockies acquired him as part of the deal that sent out Corey Dickerson, when he moved up from AA to AAA and then made his major league debut. Marquez opened the season in the minor leagues, but he’s now made 11 starts for Colorado, going 5-3 with a 3.92 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 8.1% walk rate, and a 20.7% strikeout rate over 59 2/3 innings. Marquez has shown an excellent ability to limit line drive contact, with 78%+ of his contact being either a ground ball or fly ball, which helps tremendously within the Rockies spacious ball park.

Freeland was a legit 1-1 overall consideration in the draft before falling to #8 overall to the Rockies after his arm was injured. Freeland has never really shown elite strikeout stuff along the way in the minors, which left him off the radar as a prospect in many eyes, in spite of consistent production that projected as a solid mid-rotation contact-oriented starter. He won an opening day spot and has done just that this year, going 8-4 over 14 starts with a 3.42 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, 9% walk rate and 14.1% strikeout rate over 81 2/3 innings. Freeland is the prime example of forcing ideal contact, with 83% of his contact being either ground balls or fly balls.

Senzatela was the surprise opening day rotation member, a guy who came off missing significant time to shoulder injury in 2016, making just 7 minor league starts in AA, his only upper minors experience. Senzatela has made 14 starts this season for the Rockies, going 9-2, with a 4.10 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 7% walk rate, and 17.6% strikeout rate in 83 1/3 innings. He’s been forcing plenty of ideal contact as well, with ~78.5% of his contact against being ground balls and fly balls.

Franchy Cordero, OF, San Diego Padres

Certainly the guy that has left most baseball fans saying, “who?!” this season has been Franchy Cordero. John Sickels over at Minor League Ball had Cordero as an “others of note” in his top 20 Padres prospects coming into the season, and he didn’t make the 2016 list at all.

While that is the case, Cordero did rank #10 in Kiley McDaniel’s top Padres prospect list after 2014, so it’s not as if he’s been completely ignored his entire minor league career since signing with the Padres in 2011.

Cordero has always flashed an intriguing blend of power and speed, hitting 154 extra bases and stealing 99 bases in his minor league career over 524 games (pace of 47 XBH and 31 SB per 162 games). However, he’s also always had a bugaboo with strikeouts, with a career minor league rate of 27% and almost four times as many strikeouts as walks.

This season, Cordero came out swinging a big stick in AAA, with a .289/.349/.520 slash line with 7 triples, 7 home runs, and 8 stolen bases in just 42 games before he was called up when fellow rookie Manny Margot ended up on the disabled list.

With the Padres, he’s still struck out plenty (38.7%), but he’s also enjoyed a BABIP-fueled stroke of hot hitting while playing very good defense, with a .290/.347/.522 slash line with 3 home runs and a steal in 21 games. Cordero does have a .459 BABIP, but his heavy focus on balls in the air in his normal approach along with his athleticism has always led to high BABIP numbers for him, typically sitting in the .370-.380 range. Even dropping to .350ish in the majors would still leave him with a very solid offensive line, albeit with nearly 5 times as many strikeouts as walks currently.

Margot started a rehab assignment on Monday, so it will be interesting to see how Cordero’s role pans out once Margot returns.

Alex Meyer, SP, Los Angeles Angels

Taken 23rd overall in the first round of the 2011 draft out of Kentucky, Meyer’s 6’9″ frame makes him stand out. He didn’t pitch his draft year, but after his first pro experience in 2012 with the Nationals, he was traded to the Minnesota Twins for outfielder Denard Span.

More from Call to the Pen

Many had wondered whether Meyer’s height would make starting difficult for him as many pitchers of his height struggle to consistently repeat their delivery. On top of delivery consistency issues that were a worry, Meyer also struggled with plenty of injury in the Twins system.

In 2016, the Twins shipped Meyer off with Ricky Nolasco in order to clear Nolasco’s salary. The Angels worked his rehab from his most recent injury at that time and got him to AAA, looking quite good. He was called up at the end of 2016 to the big league club, making 5 starts for the Angels.

Meyer opened 2017 with the Angels AAA club, and while his ERA was rough (6.16), there were good signs that he was making progress in his sub-10% walk rate while keeping up a good strikeout rate, along with showing composure pitching through the bad luck that comes from a .463 BABIP.

Meyer came up the last week of April to the major league club, and while that walk rate has spiked some again, he’s seen some definite success in the big leagues. He’s made 9 starts with a 3.52 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, 14.8% walk rate, and 27.1% strikeout rate over 46 innings. He’s been able to have this success with nearly a 50% ground ball rate, and keeping line drives to under 25%.

Next: Draft Review For All 30 Teams

Who do you think has put up a quality season under the radar as a rookie?

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