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Another week… another batch of prospects. We all love our prospect fix, and I’m just glad to give you more of it. If you want any prospects covered in the future, reach out to me @gindy101 and I’d be glad to discuss them in future weeks.
What you have here below is a review of some hot prospects from Week 7, and my analysis of their potential impact for fantasy baseball.
Editors Note: Check out all of RotoBaller's MLB prospects analysis here. You can also head over to the prospect rankings dashboard. Our Rankings Assistant is a handy free tool where you can find team-specific prospect breakdowns, tiered positional rankings, 500+ player outlooks, dynasty ranks and more - all in one easy place.
Top MLB Prospects & Their Fantasy Baseball Outlooks
Orlando Arcia, SS, Milwaukee Brewers
Orlando Arcia is the real deal. The future shortstop for the Milwaukee Brewers is hitting .318/.352/.435 with three home runs and six stolen bases at AAA heading into Monday. The 21-year-old is one of the top-ranked prospects in all of baseball, and is the best one Milwaukee has to offer.
The great thing about Arcia is that he has performed better at the higher levels of the minor leagues. In 2015, Arcia hit .307 with eight home runs and 25 stolen bases as a 20-year-old in AA. And now he’s hitting extremely well in AAA.
Jonathan Villar has been doing a tremendous job keeping the seat warm for Arcia as he puts his final touches on refining his game. The Brewers won’t be contending for a playoff spot, and a lot of their offseason moves have been geared towards rebuilding. Getting Arcia up to the big leagues is in their best interests, and you can bet they will do that within the next month or two. Arcia figures to be a .300 hitter with the potential to hit double-digit home runs and steal 20-plus bases. He has a ton of upside and looks ready to make an immediate impact.
Casey Gillaspie, 1B, Tampa Bay Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays drafted Casey Gillaspie out of Wichita State in the first-round of the 2014 MLB Draft, with every intention of having him work his way quickly through their minor league system.
The switch-hitting Gillaspie is tearing up AA in his first season at that level. He’s hitting .318/.445/.589 with eight HR and 21 RBI heading into Monday. He’s exhibited a good feel for the strike zone as well, registering 32 BB to 32 K. The 23-year-old is hitting well against both righties and lefties, hitting .324 against southpaws and .316 versus right-handers.
The Rays are using Logan Morrison and Steven Pearce at first base. Pearce has been hitting well lately, but he does his damage primarily against left-handed pitching. Morrison has been all but useless. There definitely could be an opening for Gillaspie in the Majors at some point this year. It’s been a while since Tampa Bay has developed a home-grown impact hitter, but Gillaspie has the ability to be just that. Expect him to be a good average and on base guy, who can hit gaps and the occasional home run.
Jurickson Profar, 2B, Texas Rangers
Remember Jurickson Profar? The Curacao native was once the top prospect in all of baseball. Injuries have really derailed Profar’s development. The switch-hitter was limited to just 43 at-bats in 2014 and 2015 combined. He’s still just 23-years old and still has the chance to fulfill his potential.
Profar was rushed to the big leagues as a 19-year-old, and didn’t perform very well. He’s a career .231/.301/.343 hitter in 303 Major League at-bats; however, Profar has been a different player in the minor leagues. He has a .277/.365/.446 career slash-line, and has a tremendous grasp of the strike zone. He has 197 walks to 246 strikeouts.
Profar has come on strong lately. He had a four hit, five RBI performance on Saturday, and is hitting .291/.364/.443 with five home runs coming into Monday in AAA. With the recent suspension of Rougned Odor, the Rangers are rumored to be considering calling Profar up to showcase his skills. The Rangers will either hang on to him and find another position for him or Odor, or will use Profar as trade-bait. Either way, he will get a chance soon and can make an immediate impact. He projects to be a good on-base guy with the ability to hit double-digit home runs.
Victor Robles, OF, Washington Nationals
19-year-old Victor Robles isn’t going to be playing in the big leagues any time soon, but dynasty league owners should be taking notice, if they haven’t already. Robles is very advanced for his age, and is hitting everywhere he goes.
In 2014, Robles hit .313/.408/.484 with 22 stolen bases as a 17-year old in Rookie ball. Robles split time between Rookie ball and A-ball in 2015, and hit .352/.445/.507 with 24 stolen bases at both levels combined. In his first full A-ball season, Robles is hitting .340/.430/.525 heading into Monday. He has five home runs and 12 stolen bases already, and he is just scratching the surface of his potential.
Robles has been underrated and ignored on many of the leading prospect lists in the industry, but that can’t last any longer. Look for Robles to skyrocket up every prospect ranking, and possibly even becoming one of the best in all of baseball. There’s no telling what his Major League potential will be just yet, but you can bet he will be about as can’t-miss as can be very soon.
Trea Turner, SS/2B, Washington Nationals
Trea Turner has been assaulting AAA pitching this season. The 22-year-old speedster is hitting .317/.381/.466 heading into Monday, and has nine doubles, three triples, three home runs and 15 stolen bases.
Turner has hit everywhere except the Major Leagues. He’s a career .321/.384/.456 hitter in the minor leagues, but hit just .225 in 40 at-bats with the Nationals last season. Turner is ready to make an impact now, and is chomping at the bit to get the call.
Danny Espinosa has been doing nothing with the bat for quite some time now, including this season. He’s hitting .203/.308/.293 and Turner would be a huge upgrade at shortstop for a team that’s looking to win a World Series. The Nationals have had questions about Turner’s defense at shortstop, but seem intent on him as the long-term solution there, with the offseason acquisition of Daniel Murphy. Expect Turner to get the call very soon. When he does, he projects to be a .300 hitter with 30-plus stolen base potential. He won’t hit for much power, but his speed will translate into a lot of doubles and triples.
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