Lucas Morel (@theprospectprof) delivers a rundown of all the players getting their caps and gowns ready for graduation to the major leagues. Class is in session, time to find out who you need to add to your roster or watch list this week.
Welcome back to Diamond Diplomas, a weekly rundown of all the players knocking on the door to the major leagues. Whether you compete in the deepest of dynasty leagues, or simply want to win the office redraft title, Prospects Live has you covered. For an overview of the tier system used to prioritize players in this series, take a look at the first article in the series here:
The past seven days saw plenty of prospects make their debut, and many minor leaguers had incredible weeks worth highlighting. Let us get right into it with the weekly Report Card (all statistics courtesy of Baseball Reference, Baseball Savant, TJStats, Fangraphs, and Milb.com, updated as of the conclusion of play on July 6):
Report Card
Called Up:
Colson Montgomery, SS (CWS): I have been something of a Colson Montgomery apologist this year, but even I was not prepared for how comfortable and capable he looked over his debut weekend in the majors. He hit .500 in his initial series as a big leaguer and made a truly sensational catch to kick off his career. The well-noted concerns about his swing and miss still hold water, but a confident Montgomery might exceed expectations and be a real fantasy contributor this season. If shortstop or middle infield is a need of yours in 15+ team redraft settings, consider a speculative add at this point. Dynasty managers, I would not blame you for selling high, but the best may be yet to come.
Shay Whitcomb, 3B/OF (HOU): Whitcomb has now been recalled to Houston three separate times this season, and they still refuse to give him consistent at-bats. After going one for four with a home run in his return on July 2, he only received four more at-bats the rest of the week. Until the Astros show more confidence in him or they move him to a team that wants to play him regularly, he lacks fantasy relevance.
Brooks Baldwin, UTIL (CWS): After making Triple-A look easy (with a 1.162 OPS this season), Baldwin is back with the White Sox and performing pretty well. He is kind of a ‘jack of all trades, master of none’ type of player, but these can be surprisingly useful for fantasy depending on your team’s needs. He should be eligible in the outfield and at multiple positions in the infield in most leagues, and could be a valuable stopgap even in redraft if he stays hot at the plate.
Cam Schlittler, P (NYY): The Yankees lost Clarke Schmidt to Tommy John surgery this week, and are expected to ask the rapidly ascending Schlittler to step into the rotation this week. The 24-year-old righty has been one of the biggest pitching prospect risers this season (up to #160 in our latest T600 here at Prospects Live), with 99 strikeouts and a 2.82 ERA in 15 starts between Double-A and Triple-A. He has big shoes to fill, but even bigger stuff, and should have a decently long leash, so a speculative add in redraft pre-debut could pay dividends.
Joe Boyle, P (TB): Boyle has long been one of my favorite stash candidates, given his electric stuff and improved command. He made an immediate difference for the Rays on Sunday when called up to piggyback on Drew Rasmussen’s start. In “relief”, Boyle delivered five shutout innings and seven strikeouts, giving up just one walk and two hits. How long he will get to stay with Tampa is anyone’s guess, given their capricious tendencies when it comes to juggling players’ playing time. Still, the former Notre Dame hurler has been lights out at every opportunity this season and deserves a longer look.
Craig Yoho, P (MIL): Yoho, Yoho, it was a Pirates-Brewers life for Craig once again this week, if only for a day. The reliever rejoined the Brew Crew bullpen for a game on July 2, gave up one run in one a 1/3 innings, and then was promptly optioned back to Triple-A Nashville. His big league performance still has yet to live up to the ‘closer of the future’ label he came into this season wearing, but getting Yoho’d yo-yo’d between the majors and minors like he has makes sustaining success difficult. Dynasty managers should stay patient and hold.
As Director of Pro Scouting, I lead a talented group of evaluators as we break down future stars. You can find me at random California League games throughout the season!
As Director of Pro Scouting, I lead a talented group of evaluators as we break down future stars. You can find me at random California League games throughout the season!
Director of Dynasty Content - Canadian born and raised, moved to Arkansas with my wife and two sons Ezra and Ari. Followed and played baseball my whole life; played dynasty for 25+ years.
As Director of Pro Scouting, I lead a talented group of evaluators as we break down future stars. You can find me at random California League games throughout the season!
As Director of Pro Scouting, I lead a talented group of evaluators as we break down future stars. You can find me at random California League games throughout the season!
Director of Dynasty Content - Canadian born and raised, moved to Arkansas with my wife and two sons Ezra and Ari. Followed and played baseball my whole life; played dynasty for 25+ years.
As Director of Pro Scouting, I lead a talented group of evaluators as we break down future stars. You can find me at random California League games throughout the season!
