Injuries and holes are forcing teams to reach into their Triple-A depth and give a shot to some lesser known players.
Bryan Reynolds, OF (PIT): Reynolds is the more intriguing name of this post. A former 2016 second-round pick, the 24-year-old was 13th in our Pirates Top 30 and found his way into the system after coming over in the Andrew McCutchen trade.
Reynolds is someone who has a chance at across-the-board 50s, and might shed his second-division starter tag if the numbers he’s been posting are true. One thing the Pirates changed was his lower half, eliminating a leg kick in lieu of a toe tap. I want to conclude that in terms of power there wasn’t much change, but he did have early surgery to removed a fractured hook in his left hamate bone last April so I wonder about the power being sapped. That said, despite a strong upper body and hands, he was never projected for even above-average power.
It’s difficult to gauge what kind of player the switch-hitting Reynolds ultimately becomes. He has a .312/.373/.472 slash line in just over 1,000 minor league at-bats with a BABIP that’s never dipped below .362. Everyone, including myself, is waiting for the other shoe to drop. But with better plate discipline since entering the organization (11.5 BB% in 2018-Present compared to 6 BB% 2016-2017 in SF), a lack of strikeouts (19 K% the last two years) and the ability to man centerfield, he could outperform the meager expectations we have. For what it’s worth, he was hitting fifth in his Pirates debut.
Taylor Clarke, RHP (ARI) - A third-round pick from 2015, Clarke has been starting in the minor leagues all his career. We ranked him 20th in our Diamondbacks Top 30. The 25-year-old reached Triple-A in late 2017, spent all last year there and opened 2019 in the same spot. There’s nothing flashy about Clarke who’d ultimately project as a number five starter in the big leagues with most of his value coming from his ability to eat innings thanks in part to a 6-foot-4, 200-pound frame.
Clarke is expected to pitch out of the bullpen in a multi-inning role and will likely live off his FB/SL/CH combo. His fastball as a starter sat 91-94 with some run and should tick up now and he’ll turn to his slider to rack up the strikeouts. With his near over-the-top release point I think he can sneak up on hitters. But he lacks fantasy value unless you’re a poor soul in a 30-team league with holds.