It’s Wednesday. You know what that means. We are back with another prospect report where we look at rookies who were just called up, making an impact in the big leagues, or are turning heads in the minors.
This week, we are looking at some big-name prospects who are getting a taste of the big leagues. It’s an exciting week, so let’s not waste any time and get right to it.
All stats are accurate as of Tuesday afternoon, June 27.
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Fantasy Baseball Prospect Stock Report
Jordan Westburg (SS – BAL)
The Orioles, for as much as they are doing right, sure did take their time calling up Westburg despite the less-than-stellar play of Jorge Mateo. But we can forgive that now, as Westburg is officially in Baltimore.
The 24-year-old slashed .295/.372/.567 with 18 home runs and six steals in 301 plate appearances in Triple-A this season. That matched his 2022 Triple-A home run total in 112 fewer plate appearances.
Westburg is an automatic must-roster player who has top-10 upside at the position.
Colton Cowser (OF – BAL)
We can’t just be happy with one debut, can we? Up next for the Birds should be Cowser, who is slashing .323/.451/.527 with 12 homers and steals combined in 235 plate appearances.
Cowser is a year younger than Westburg, but he, too, spent the latter part of 2022 in Triple-A, putting him on pace to join the big-league team shortly after the All-Star Break.
As good as Aaron Hicks has been for Baltimore, he won’t stand in the way of a promotion for Cowser.
Ben Brown (SP – CHC)
At first glance, you see Brown posting a 4.95 ERA in Triple-A and think that maybe he wasn’t ready for the next level. But you see the K% at 33.2, and you can tell the stuff is there to miss bats at the rate needed.
The home runs are high, yes, as he’s allowed seven in 43.2 innings, but I don’t really care about that, truthfully.
The biggest red flag I have for Brown debuting anytime soon is that he has 28 walks in that same span. That’s more walks than he had all of last year.
He’s still interested if he gets the call, which he might, but the control is the biggest thing to watch with him.
Parker Meadows (OF – DET)
It’s taken longer than we had hoped, but Meadows is putting it all together in Triple-A. The season-long slash is so-so at .268/.337/.456 with nine home runs, eight steals, and a 24.4K%.
But Meadows has been insanely hot of late, batting .373 with 12 extra-base hits and seven RBIs during his 15-game hit streak (h/t Toledo Mud Hens).
I think we will see him after the trade deadline this year, and he could be a silly-season (fantasy basketball term) hero for fantasy baseball managers.
Mike Soroka (SP – ATL)
He’s not really a prospect, but at this point in his journey, he kind of is. Soroka is getting the call this week as he’s making his return to the Atlanta rotation.
In his most recent Triple-A outing, Soroka took a no-hitter into the seventh inning and ended up allowing just one hit and striking out nine hitters.
It’s hard not to root for him after all of the setbacks he’s had.
Nick Gonzales (2B, SS – PIT)
The Pirates made a big splash last week by calling up Henry Davis. While he’s not as big of a name, Gonzales is also a former first-round pick by the team.
The New Mexico State standout has seen his stock as a prospect drop thanks to his high strikeout rate and decreased hit tool.
That was the case this year, too, as Gonzales had a K% of 28.6 to go along with a .257 average and .370 OBP.
He has increased value in OBP leagues, given his high walk rate, but overall, he’s more of a 15-team middle infielder than a player who holds value in standard mixed leagues.
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Michael Waterloo is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Michael, check out his archive and follow him @MichaelWaterloo.
