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.
It’s a slow week as far as debuts go, but we have some players who are returning to the Bigs, a former top prospect making his return from Tommy John surgery and some notable performers in the Minors. Let’s dive in.
Fantasy Baseball Prospect Stock Report
All stats are accurate as of Tuesday afternoon on July 4.
Oscar Colas (OF – CHW)
Oscar Colas struggled in his first taste of the Big Leagues this year, hitting .211/.265/.276 with one home run in 25 games right out of Spring Training.
His time in Triple-A has seen him make some type of adjustment, as the White Sox have called him back up this week.
In June, Colas hit .292/.351/.573 with seven home runs in 89 at-bats. The future is still bright for Colas, and this go-around should go better than his first.
Justyn-Henry Malloy (3B – DET) & Colt Keith (3B, 2B – DET)
One thing is certain in Detroit – Jonathan Schoop is not long for third base. The Tigers have a pair of rookies who can supplant Schoop any day now.
While Colt Keith is obviously the elite prospect, I think that the Tigers turn to Justyn-Henry Malloy first.
Keith just got promoted to Triple-A, and he’s wasted no time absolutely mashing. He hit a home run in his first at-bat in Triple-A, and he hasn’t really slowed up. He’s hitting .476/.538/.810 with two home runs, a steal and 12 runs+RBIs (with a 3.8K%) in six Triple-A games so far.
What’s also notable is that he’s been playing second base, which would provide a path for both him and Malloy to make their Detroit debuts pretty closely.
Malloy came over from Atlanta this offseason, and in June, he had six home runs with a respectable .260/.336 average and OBP. Malloy is a 15-team player when he gets called up, while Keith should be universally rostered as a fringe top-10 dynasty prospect.
Tyler Soderstrom (C – OAK)
Speaking of hot Junes, look no further than Tyler Soderstrom, who hit a PCL-leading nine home runs during the month. Soderstrom now has 20 home runs on the year, and the 21-year-old is making a case to get called up to Oakland after the All-Star break.
The average and OBP have dipped this year, but the strikeout rate is also at 27.1%. It’s still high, yes, but in his first stop in Triple-A last year – albeit nine games – his K% was at 34.2%. He’ll need to cut down on the strikeouts at the next level, but the power and bat play is there.
Jo Adell (OF – LAA)
The Angels really have no choice but to trade Shohei Ohtani. With Mike Trout injured and Anthony Rendon getting injured again, the Injury List continues to grow for Anaheim.
With Trout out with a broken hamate bone, Jo Adell got the call once again from Triple-A. I’m kind of over the Adell experiment and think that he needs a fresh environment to try to jump-start his once-promising career.
But still, in the Minors, Adell has 23 home runs, nine steals and 104 runs+RBIs with a .271 average.
He’s never been able to replicate the Minor League success at the Big-League level, but this could be his most extended look in quite some time. I’m out on him still, but I’m OK with him as a flier in 15-team leagues with five outfielders.
Gavin Stone (SP – LAD)
Gavin Stone is back with the Dodgers after Clayton Kershaw was put on the IL. The 24-year-old has a 14.40 ERA in 10 innings, and he’s struggled to miss bats at all.
It’s not the true level of talent that Stone has, but he’s struggled at Triple-A this season, too, with a 6.71 ERA and a 5.62 FIP.
The K% is better there – of course – at 26%, but in Triple-A last year, it was 35.5%. I’m probably waiting and seeing with Stone, as it could just be a start or two until after the All-Star break when Kershaw returns.
Tarik Skubal (SP – DET)
He’s not a prospect anymore, but he was once one of the big three in Detroit with Casey Mize and Matt Manning. Remember them, kids? This is why we don’t invest heavily in pitchers in dynasty leagues.
That’s neither here nor there, though. Tarik Skubal, who showed signs of taking a step forward last year over 117.2 innings with a 3.52 ERA, 2.96 FIP and 27.7 CSW%, returned to the mound on July 4 after missing the second half of the last season and all of this season so far, recovering from Tommy John surgery.
His return was promising, as he was throwing gas with his 57 pitches. His four-seam velocity was up 2.3 mph from last year, and his sinker was coming in at 98 mph – up 3.2 mph.
Again, it’s the A’s and the Tigers are terrible, but I’m interested in grabbing Skubal in all standard leagues even with the understanding that his workload may be limited moving forward.
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Michael Waterloo is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Michael, check out his archive and follow him @MichaelWaterloo.
