You have heard all about the most-owned minor leaguers on CBSSports.com, including the roll of Marlins outfield prospect Michael Stanton (hitting .349 with 15 homers, 35 RBI, 29 runs, one steal, a .493 OBP and .844 SLUG). But this week, let's highlight some of the lesser-owned minor leaguers that could impact Fantasy Baseball leagues in the second half, if not before.
Hank Blalock, 3B/1B/DH, Triple-A, Tampa Bay
Blalock isn't a prospect, but he isn't old either. Frankly, he doesn't belong in the minors.
He is hitting .362-4-24-18-2 (.419-.524) through 25 games and 105 at-bats. Three of his homers and both steals have come in his past eight games.
The versatile 29-year-old won't challenge Evan Longoria for at-bats at third base at all, but struggling Carlos Pena and the psuedo platoon at DH of Willy Aybar and Pat Burrell could be affected by a potential Blalock return to the majors.
Blalock has an option in his contract he could exercise to become a free agent if he is not called up in 48 hours from the time he invokes the clause. "I would imagine that we'll probably know something about Hank in the next seven days," agent Scott Boras told the St. Petersburg Times on Tuesday. "The time has come."
Carlos Peguero, OF, Double-A, Seattle
There is a quiet community of CBSSports.com Fantasy leaguers that are bitter Stanton is making all the headlines and Peguero is going a bit unnoticed in Double-A. The Mariners' 23-year-old outfield prospect has posted .333-11-25-28-2 (.424-.667) in Double-A, although he has cooled off in May (.211).
The 6-foot-5 slugger is a bit under the radar because he wasn't rated highly by Baseball America. In fact he was out of the team's top 30 in the Prospect Handbook. We suppose they thumbed their nose to the .271-31-98-92-3 (.335-.560) he posted in high Class A in the hitter-friendly California League. That is mostly due to his 172 strikeouts there. He has managed to curtail the whiffs some this year in Double-A, fanning 29 times in 31 games (120 at-bats). Stanton, by the way, has struck out 33 times in 109 at-bats, albeit with far more walks than Peguero.
Peguero dropped from the Mariners' 11th-best prospect in 2009 to out of the top 30 this spring. He is a good bet to be in the top 5 for 2011 -- unless he arrives later this summer. The fact the Mariners are dealing with a sleepy Ken Griffey could force their hand come late July.
Mike Minor, SP, Double-A, Braves
One of the best numbers to track down on the farm -- right next to homers, of course -- is pitcher strikeouts. Last year, Matt Moore was the darling among high-strikeout pitching prospects. This year, it is Minor.
Minor is just 1-3 with a 4.17 ERA, but he has fanned a minor-league high 54 batters in 36 2/3 innings in Double-A. He also has a .224 batting-average against. There is talk Jair Jurrjens' hamstring could keep him out awhile, so Minor could be a factor come mid-June if he can have more starts like he did Tuesday: six innings, one hit, eight strikeouts and no runs. It was his lone victory to date and only the second time he pitched past five innings.
Minor runs high pitch counts with his 22 walks, but he has already had other starts with strikeouts of nine, 10 and 11. He is very likely the best minor-league pitching prospect most Fantasy owners don't know much about. His ownership has only recently risen to 8 percent on CBSSports.com.
Dan Johnson, 1B, Triple-A, Tampa Bay
Like Blalock, Johnson is a victim of numbers and doesn't have anything to prove in the minor leagues. He is hitting .295-10-28-20-0 (.370-.616) in Triple-A right now. Unlike Blalock, the former Japanese leaguer and Oakland prospect doesn't have a contract that allows him to force the Rays' hand.
Johnson is a potential sleeper for AL-only leagues if he is called up, but he figures to have to wait until the Blalock situation resolves itself.
Jack Cust, 1B/OF/DH, Triple-A, Oakland
Cust got an even rawer deal than Blalock or Johnson did this spring, getting designated for assignment right before the A's 25-man roster was finalized before opening day. Cust accepted his Triple-A assignment like those other two former major leaguers and is now hitting like them, too.
Cust is hitting .283-4-19-20-0- (.462-.455) through 31 games and 99 at-bats. He has limited his strikeouts some, too, fanning 29 times and walking 32.
The A's clearly need some pop and could go back to the well with Cust in the coming weeks. Prospect Chris C. Carter is proving far less worthy of a callup, hitting .246-8-29-22-0 (.338-.484) with an alarming 38 strikeouts.
Cust will likely be called up before Carter at this point.
Mike Moustakas, 3B, Double-A, Royals
Like Josh Vitters, the California slugging prospects are enjoying breakthroughs this season. Moustakas even forced the Royals to move Alex Gordon to left field.
Oh, Moustakas is even hitting his way into a potential second-half callup himself. He is flirting with .400 at .392-6-21-20-0 (.455-.757). He has picked up the pace even more in May, hitting .450.
He is clearly too good for Double-A, even if the Royals insist on having their top prospects play a full season at every level. Moustakas has struck out Ferris Bueller-esque "nine times" in 74 at-bats and 19 games.
Michael Montgomery, LH SP, Double-A, Royals
Remember what we just said about the Royals wanting to keep their prospects at one level for a full season? Well, they relaxed the rules for Montgomery recently, promoting him to Double-A. He was too good for high Class A anyway.
Through six combined starts, he is 2-0 with a 1.24 ERA and .161 BAA in 36 1/3 innings with 44 strikeouts and just 10 walks. The move to Double-A in his past two starts didn't slow him any either. He won't be rushed to the majors this season, but we could see him late in the year for a few starts.
By the way, Montgomery's BAA is fourth-lowest in the minors. One Stephen Strasburg is tops a .121.
Jerry Sands, OF, low Class A, L.A. Dodgers
As a 22-year-old who hasn't even reached high Class A yet, there is little hope for Sands to arrive in 2010, but his hot start is noteworthy. He is hitting .392-12-29-26-7 (.464-.808) in the Midwest League. Like Peguero, he is a bit overlooked by BA, getting ranked just 25th in the Dodgers' organization this winter. Sands is owned in less than 1 percent of CBSSports.com's leagues, by the way. That should change now.
Prospect watch
Every week we break down all the minor leaguers who are owned in at least 1 percent of our Fantasy leagues. This will be your essential guide to unearthing the elite prospects before they hit the big time.
Rookie watch
Top AL rookies to date
- Austin Jackson, OF, DET -- You keep expecting him to cool off -- and he will -- but he should be starting in all formats for the time being.
- Neftali Feliz, RP, TEX -- It is getting to the point where you might not be able to guarantee his future is in the rotation anymore.
- Wade Davis, SP, TB -- He is the best rookie starting pitcher in the AL and he figures to go wire-to-wire with that distinction.
- Alfredo Simon, RP, BAL -- Converted starter and Tommy John survivor has been a pleasant surprise at closer for O's and Fantasy owners.
- Mitch Talbot, SP, CLE -- The fact he has walked more batters than he has struck out is a signal his fast start this season is a fluke.
- Honorable mentions: Brian Matusz, SP, BAL; Tyson Ross, RP, OAK; Brennan Boesch, OF, DET; Justin Smoak, 1B, TEX; Reid Brignac, SS, TB and John Jaso, C, TB.
Top NL rookies to date
- Jason Heyward, OF, ATL -- He has started to add the stolen base to his game and should wind up with 20 steals to go with his 30-plus homers.
- Jaime Garcia, SP, STL -- His .195 BAA is tops among rookie starters and it is not even close. He is an instant ace.
- Mike Leake, SP, CIN -- He leads all rookie starters with 40 2/3 innings pitched. It will be interesting to see how many he winds up with.
- David Freese, 3B, STL -- He has cooled off considerably, but he is still hitting over .300 and proving a capable full-time starter now.
- Starlin Castro, SS, CHC -- Surprise callup has led to a spike in ownership, a lot of hits and almost as many errors. He is an instant hit.
- Honorable mentions: Jhoulys Chacin, SP, COL; Ike Davis, 1B, NYM; Luis Atilano, SP, WAS; Jonathon Niese, SP, NYM; John Ely, OF, LAD; Gaby Sanchez, 1B, FLA; Tyler Colvin, OF, CHC; Eric O. Young, 2B, COL; and Roger Bernadina, OF, WAS.
Newbie needs
Kurt, N.J.: Right now I'm first in the waiver wire line of our 5x5 Rotisserie league. It is an auction-keeper league where you can pick up players only when they are called up. Who do I go for: Stephen Strasburg or Buster Posey? I currently do not have a keeper at the catcher position, which is a thin position.
Emack: Strasburg is the better prospect and the most likely to make a huge impact immediately. Bengie Molina isn't going anywhere. This question is far too easy, make it Strasburg. In 12 Triple-A innings, he has allowed just one hit and no earned runs. His next start is Tuesday and we could see him called up to start the Sunday interleague Beltway matchup against the Orioles on May 23 in Washington. Strasburg has nothing left to prove and Curt Schilling recently chimed in that Strasburg is so good, he would immediately be the best pitcher in baseball upon his callup. Wow.
Mike: I had a question about Carlos Peguero. Playing at West Tenn last year, he put up great numbers in High A and this year great numbers at Double-A, yet Alex Liddi gets the attention and Peguero has outplayed him the past two years. Why does this guy get no mention?
Emack: See above.
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