Catcher prospects generally aren't popular choices to stash in redraft leagues. Their transition is rarely a seamless one, with the defensive demands of the position often intruding on offense. There have been notable exceptions over the years -- Gary Sanchez, Willson Contreras and Will Smith come to mind -- but still, the stigma is difficult to overcome.
And yet most people reading this column, if they're honest in their assessment, could use an upgrade at the position. J.T. Realmuto, Salvador Perez, Buster Posey, Contreras and Smith are all great, but most every other catcher is replaceable.
The way Joey Bart and Cal Raleigh are performing at Triple-A, then, would seem to make them perfectly suited to meet the demand.
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The numbers are, of course, stellar, and for Raleigh especially, they represent a breakthrough. He always offered power, hitting a combined 29 homers between high Class A and Double-A two years ago, but his strikeout rate this year (12.5 percent) is about half of what it was in 2019 (22.9 percent). He's currently riding a 22-game hit streak during which he's batting .396 (36 for 91) with five homers, 13 doubles and a 1.121 OPS.
He has apparently improved as a receiver, too, and has always excelled at throwing out runners. With all he has working for him, it's a wonder the 24-year-old isn't up already, especially given the way Tom Murphy and Luis Torrens have both fizzled for the big club. It sure sounds like GM Jerry Dipoto is running out of excuses.
"It's about managing 13 or 14 pitchers and their stuff and the competitive nature of what they do night to night," Dipoto said earlier this week. "We just want to see him do that day in and day out, which, frankly, he's doing."
But Bart's performance is also notable, going a long way to restore his value after last year's debacle. Rushed to the majors despite having only 130 minor-league games under his belt (an especially low number for a catcher), he hit .233 without a home run, striking out 41 times in 103 at-bats. It probably shouldn't have impacted his Dynasty stock, given the circumstances, but we're not always rational about these things. You can't unsee what's been seen.
Unlike Raleigh, though, Bart's strikeout rate is still a concerning 28.9 percent. There's also the small matter of Posey having a career revival at age 34, leaving Bart without a clear opening. True, Posey has played some first base in the past, but he has yet to appear there this year.
Of course, it's not a stretch to think a 34-year-old catcher could get hurt, but given the choice between stashing Bart and Raleigh, I'd still go with Raleigh. Seems like his arrival could be announced any day now, and though he doesn't have Bart's pedigree, he's showing clearer signs of being a finished product.
Still, Raleigh would be only my sixth choice among prospects to stash. The top five are as follows ...
Five on the verge
(These are the prospects most worth stashing in redraft leagues.)
Jarred Kelenic, OF, Mariners
2019 minors: .291 BA (443 AB), 23 HR, 20 SB, .904 OPS, 50 BB, 111 K
2021 minors: .280 BA (50 AB), 4 HR, 4 SB, .887 OPS, 4 BB, 10 K
Guess who's back ... back again? We don't actually like to see returning players in this space because it usually means they failed at the highest level, and it would be hard to classify Kelenic's 8-for-83 (.096) performance as anything other than a failure. But the key stat during that debacle was that he struck out 16.4 percent of the time in his first 13 games compared to 45.9 percent in his final 10, which would seem to support the theory that some early bad luck caused him to force the issue at the plate. He already has two home runs and two stolen bases in six games since returning to Triple-A, so expect him back in short order.
Wander Franco, SS, Rays
2019 minors: .327 BA (425 AB), 9 HR, 18 SB, .885 OPS, 56 BB, 35 K
2021 minors: .326 BA (144 AB), 7 HR, 4 SB, 1.002 OPS, 12 BB, 18 K
Obviously, the deeper we go into this season, the more likely Franco's promotion becomes, so it wouldn't make sense to back away from him as a stash now. He continues to perform at a high level, having hit safely in all 13 games in June to give him a .423 (22 for 52) batting average, three home runs, three triples and five doubles for the month. Maybe it'll be enough to force the issue finally. Late June is typically when teams stop worrying so much about the Super 2 issue, so Franco also has that going for him. His arrival could still be any day now, but I understand it gets frustrating hearing me say that week after week.
Vidal Brujan, 2B, Rays
2019 minors: .277 BA (383 AB), 4 HR, 48 SB, .735 OPS, 37 BB, 61 K
2021 minors: .265 BA (132 AB), 7 HR, 14 SB, .841 OPS, 21 BB, 23 K
It looked for a while like Brujan might beat Franco to the majors. I'm less confident now given that the 23-year-old has gone homerless in 18 straight games, batting .194 (13 for 67) during that stretch. He went from having a .338 batting average and 1.104 OPS at the start of those 18 games to a .265 batting average and .841 OPS currently. Of course, he also has more walks (11) than strikeouts (10) during that stretch while going 7 for 8 on stolen bases. I'm not actually worried about him or anything, but his current numbers give the Rays more of an excuse to wait him out.
Jo Adell, OF, Angels
2019 minors: .289 BA (305 AB), 10 HR, 27 2B, .834 OPS, 30 BB, 94 K
2020 majors: .161 BA (124 AB), 3 HR, 4 2B, .478 OPS, 7 BB, 55 K
2021 minors: .282 BA (149 AB), 16 HR, 3 SB, 1.018 OPS, 6 BB, 53 K
Adell still leads the minors in home runs despite adding only one to that tally over the past week, and hey, he's batting .373 (19 for 51) in June. Problem is he's still striking out more than 30 percent of the time for the month. The 22-year-old has been more proactive about reviewing video and "honing in on those pitches I know I can do damage on" after last year's failed stint in the majors, but even with Mike Trout's absence presenting a glaring need at the major-league level, the Angels have resisted calling Adell up.
"There's nothing bad that could come from keeping him here as long as we can and let him have success and, at the same time, let him fail," Triple-A manager Lou Marson recently said. "Have him stay even-keeled and figure out what he needs to do in those times where he's not swinging it well."
The lack of urgency is frustrating, but it would still surprise me if Adell didn't come up at some point this summer, regardless of how his strikeout rate looks.
Jarren Duran, OF, Red Sox
2019 minors: .303 BA (519 AB), 5 HR, 46 SB, .775 OPS, 46 BB, 128 K
2021 minors: .252 BA (111 AB), 10 HR, 6 SB, .923 OPS, 14 BB, 31 K
Duran made headlines this week because former Angels manager Mike Scioscia, who more recently served as manager for the Olympic qualifier team of which Duran was a part, saw fit to compare the 24-year-old to Mike Trout, at least in terms of his drive. It's a nice sentiment, but the more revealing headline for our purposes is that Duran has homered three times in eight games since returning from Team USA. By now, there should be no doubting his power breakthrough at the alternate training site last year, and we've always known he has the speed to factor on defense and on the base paths. The Red Sox could sorely use him in center field, too.
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Five on the periphery
(These are some other prospects doing something of note)
Nolan Gorman, 3B, Cardinals
2019 minors: .248 BA (456 AB), 15 HR, 30 2B, .765 OPS, 45 BB, 152 K
2021 minors: .303 BA (145 AB), 10 HR, 4 2B, .911 OPS, 16 BB, 41 K
Home runs were always going to be how Gorman made bank, which is why his 2019 output was concerning. He was slow out of the gate this year, too, but has bounced back with seven home runs in his past eight games, including five in a two-day span. His strikeout rate (25.5 percent) is also the lowest it's been in three seasons, so everything's looking up for the former 19th overall pick, who has split his time between second and third base this year.
Keibert Ruiz, C, Dodgers
2019 minors: .261 BA (314 AB), 6 HR, 9 2B, .679 OPS, 30 BB, 22 K
2021 minors: .293 BA (82 AB), 8 HR, 9 2B, 1.043 OPS, 7 BB, 12 K
There was a time when Ruiz was considered the better prospect than Will Smith, standing out mostly for his defense and bat-to-ball skills, but his lack of power caused him to be passed by. Still only 22, he's suddenly hitting for power, delivering eight home runs at Triple-A and another one in the majors. Some changes to his stance at the alternate training site last year saw him make harder contact there, and if this is what it translates statistically, he still has a chance to be a first-division regular (perhaps for some other club).
Diego Cartaya, C, Dodgers
2019 minors: .281 BA (185 AB), 4 HR, 12 2B, .775 OPS, 16 BB, 42 K
2021 minors: .333 BA (54 AB), 6 HR, 5 2B, 1.181 OPS, 8 BB, 18 K
Those who closely follow the international market have had Cartaya on their radar for a couple years, and now that he's filled out a little more at age 19, we're all finding out why. He has few drawbacks offensively, knowing how to work the count and drive the ball the opposite way, and he profiles as a plus defender as well. With Smith and Ruiz ahead of him on the organizational depth chart, there's clearly no rush to get him to the majors, but the Dodgers may have a hard time slowing him down.
Roansy Contreras, SP, Pirates
2019 minors: 12-5, 3.33 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 132 1/3 IP, 36 BB, 113 K
2021 minors: 3-1, 2.03 ERA, 0.80 WHIP, 40 IP, 9 BB, 57 K
One of the pieces in the Jameson Taillon deal this offseason may have already made himself a better asset than the guy he was traded for. Contreras wasn't thought to be a significant pitching prospect in the Yankees organization, mainly just playing his fastball off his changeup for modest results, but his curveball has turned into a wipeout pitch this year, most recently piling up 10 strikeouts over seven two-hit innings. He's doing it as one of just four players 21 or younger at Double-A.
Jahmai Jones, 2B, Orioles
2019 minors: .234 BA (482 AB), 5 HR, 9 SB, .631 OPS, 50 BB, 109 K
2021 minors: .333 BA (54 AB), 4 HR, 3 SB, 1.107 OPS, 7 BB, 8 K
There was a time not too long ago when Jones was considered a legitimate prospect, appearing on virtually every top-100 list after a 2017 season in which he put up decent numbers in A-ball. His star quickly faded thereafter, and the Angels decided to move on this offseason, flipping him for Alex Cobb. He made some changes to his swing at the alternate training site last year, though, and wound up hitting seven home runs there. So far, it looks like those improvements have carried over against legitimate competition, and at 23, he may still have a future.
