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Minor League Baseball player promotion season has begun

By Benjamin Chase

Mar 4, 2016; Goodyear, AZ, USA; Cincinnati Reds shortstop Alex Blandino (89) bats during the third inning against the San Francisco Giants at Goodyear Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 4, 2016; Goodyear, AZ, USA; Cincinnati Reds shortstop Alex Blandino (89) bats during the third inning against the San Francisco Giants at Goodyear Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jon Duplantier, RHP, Arizona Diamondbacks

Armed with some of the best stuff in the entire 2016 draft, Duplantier fell to the 3rd round due to worry about his heavy college usage at Rice. Duplantier has stated that he took that as a challenge, and this season, he’s lived up to that challenge well. He opened the season in low-A Kane County in the Midwest League, and he’s posted a 1.24 ERA over 72 2/3 innings with a 0.83 WHIP and 15/78 BB/K ratio. He’s now been promoted to high-A Visalia in the Cal League.

Alec Hansen, RHP, Chicago White Sox

Coming into the college season in 2016, Hansen was considered a legit possibility for the #1 overall pick. At 6’7″ with a blazing fastball and wicked offspeed stuff, he fit the profile for sure. After a terrible draft season for Oklahoma, he went in the 2nd round to the White Sox. He opened 2017 with low-A Kannapolis, where he’s made 13 starts, throwing 72 2/3 innings, with a 2.48 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and 23/92 BB/K ratio. Hansen was promoted to high-A Winston-Salem recently where he’s hoping to keep up his dominance.

Tyler Mahle, RHP, Cincinnati Reds

A 7th round selection out of high school in California, Mahle has been working his way up the Reds system until he took a big step forward in 2016 with excellent control that he’d always shown along with an increase in velocity. This season, he’s thrown the first perfect game in the Southern League in 40 years and enjoyed a season with AA Pensacola where he’s made 14 starts, throwing 85 innings with a 1.59 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, and 17/87 BB/K ratio. He’ll be moving up to AAA Louisville.

Merandy Gonzalez, RHP, New York Mets

After being signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2012, Gonzalez has worked his way up the Mets short season clubs year by year. In 2017, Gonzalez is spending his first year on a full season level, opening with low-A Columbia in the South Atlantic League. He’s made 11 starts this year and thrown 69 2/3 innings, allowing a 1.55 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, and a 13/65 BB/K ratio. That excellent performance has earned Gonzalez a promotion to St. Lucie in the high-A Florida State League.

Jordan Humphreys, RHP, New York Mets

Joining Gonzalez at Columbia, Humphreys was originally an 18th round selection in the 2015 draft out of high school in Florida. With the Fire Flies, Humphreys has made 11 starts, throwing 69 2/3 innings, with a 1.42 ERA, 0.72 WHIP, and a 9/80 BB/K ratio. He’ll also be joining Gonzalez in the St. Lucie rotation.

Domingo Acevedo, RHP, New York Yankees

The huge Acevedo (6’7″, 240 pounds) was originally signed out of the Dominican Republic as a late signee at 18 years old, flying under the normal 16 y/o signee radar. He’s worked his way up the system while flashing tremendous raw stuff, but never putting it all together for a whole season. In 2016, Acevedo finished the season in high-A Tampa, where he opened 2017. He only made 7 starts at the level before moving quickly up to AA Trenton, where he’s made 5 starts. Between the two levels, he made 12 starts, throwing 74 2/3 innings, with a 3.25 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and a 12/83 BB/K ratio. He’s already made two starts with AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Zack Littell, RHP, New York Yankees

The Mariners drafted Littell in the 11th round of the 2013 draft. He’d worked his way up the Mariners system step-by-step until 2016, when he finished in high-A. The Yankees acquired him in the offseason in a prospect-for-prospect deal. The Yankees opened him in high-A Tampa, where he was absolutely dominating, making 11 starts in 13 appearances, throwing 71 1/3 innings, with a 1.77 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, and a 15/57 BB/K ratio. He’s been promoted to AA Trenton, where he struck out 10 hitters and went 7 innings in his first start.

A.J. Puk, LHP, Oakland Athletics

Considered a lock for the #1 overall pick fairly deep into the 2016 collegiate season, Puk’s inconsistency ended up sliding him down to the #6 overall selection. Puk got just 30 innings of work in 2016 after a full season of pitching in college. He was assigned to high-A Stockton in the Cal League to open 2017. He made 14 appearances, 11 starts, throwing 61 innings, allowing a 3.69 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and 23/98 BB/K ratio. He’s made one start so far in AA Midland in the Texas League.

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