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Sometimes prospects are ready to set the world on fire right out the gate. Sometimes they need a little more time to make the adjustment from the minors to the majors. We're seeing that again with Wander Franco, who launched a home run and drove in three in his major league debut, but has gone 1-for-18 over his last five games.
That doesn't mean you should give up on Franco. Far from it. Sometimes prospects need a little more time to refine their swing before they're ready for the majors. And a good example of that is Jarred Kelenic. He went 8-for-83 in his first stint with the Mariners earlier this season, but since going back down to Triple-A Tacoma, he has rediscovered his swing. He's now slashing .262/.342/.569 with five home runs, four steals, 17 RBI and 17 runs scored over his last 16 games. Right now could be a good time to look into stashing Kelenic, as it's possible that when he gets called back up to Seattle he'll look better at the plate than his initial debut.
That's your bonus hot prospect to watch for this week's column. And now we'll dive into the next group of four that you should be keeping an eye on.
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Mark Vientos - 3B, New York Mets
Level: Double-A
2021 stats: 37 G, .261/.327/.577, 12 HR, 32 RBI, 21 R
If you had asked me before the start of the season if I thought we'd see Vientos this season, I would have said that was unlikely. However, given how banged up the Mets have been all season long, we might end up seeing him in New York this year if he keeps swinging a hot bat. Vientos has been the Kyle Schwarber of the Double-A Northeast League lately, as he is slashing .297/.384/.781 over 16 games in June with nine home runs, 20 RBI and 15 runs scored. This has been his best year at the plate since 2018 with the Advanced-Rookie Kingsport Mets, and he has already matched his career-high in home runs in 74 fewer games than it took him in 2019.
He's showing a significant power surge this season, as his .577 slugging percentage is nearly 100 points higher than his previous career-high of .489 from his 2018 campaign. It could be fluky, but it could also very well be due to the fact that he's in his age 21 season this year and he's simply been able to fill out and develop more muscle over the past couple years. While Mets fans have been disappointed that the team traded away Kelenic a couple years ago, it's looking like they should be very excited about Vientos. Fantasy managers should be just as excited for him too. Keep an eye out for a potential promotion to Triple-A in the near future.
Shane Baz - SP, Tampa Bay Rays
Level: Triple-A
2021 stats: 10 GS, 46.2 IP, 3-4, 2.12 ERA, 0.771 WHIP, 69 K
What the heck, let's make it three weeks in a row I spotlight a guy I got to watch in person. Like with Sherten Apostel last week, Baz was a member of the 2018 Bristol Pirates team I worked for, and while he looked like a good pitcher then, he has looked even better this year. Just look at his latest start from Sunday, where he allowed just two hits and struck out 10 over five scoreless innings of work. He opened the year at Double-A by going 2-4 with a 2.48 ERA and 40.8 percent strikeout rate over seven starts. He was then promoted to Triple-A, and over three starts there Baz is 1-0 with a 1.29 ERA and 37.7 percent strikeout rate in 14 innings of work.
The biggest issue that Baz has struggled with throughout his career in the minors is his command, as he owns an 11.6 percent walk rate over his first three seasons. The year off in 2020 seems to have done him some good, as his walk rate has plummeted to 2.9 percent over 46 2/3 innings of work this season. The Rays have dealt with injuries and poor performances in their pitching staff this year, and it's very likely that we could see Baz make his debut later this year to help with a playoff push if he continues to pitch the way he has. Whenever he does get the call, acquiring Baz has to be a priority for managers in AL-only formats and 14-team and deeper mixed leagues.
Micker Adolfo - OF, Chicago White Sox
Level: Double-A
2021 stats: 42 G, .241/.328/.531, 12 HR, 33 RBI, 25 R
White Sox fans have been waiting for a while for Adolfo to live up to his potential, but injuries have been a consistent issue with him over his last couple of seasons. It appears that the year off in 2020 has allowed him to fully heal up, as he is currently on pace for a career-year in 2021. His current .531 slugging percentage is almost 70 points higher than his career-best mark, and with 12 home runs in 42 games, he is well on his way to breaking his career-high of 16 home runs over 112 games back in 2017. He has been red hot at the plate over his last six games, where he's slashing .333/.462/.952 with four home runs, eight RBI, and six runs scored.
The biggest thing that has been holding him back has been the injuries, and right now he's showing that when he's healthy he can be a good power bat for Chicago. While there's always a chance, it's unlikely we'll see him play in Chicago this season since the White Sox will start to get some of their currently injured outfielders back very soon. I fully anticipate Adolfo will end this season at Triple-A, and if he can keep up this level of performance throughout the year, he could be competing for a job with the White Sox out of Spring Training in 2022.
Korey Lee - C, Houston Astros
Level: Double-A
2021 stats: 41 G, .331/.398/.552, 9 HR, 28 RBI, 34 R
Lee had a decent showing during his first season in the minors in 2019, but he has really turned things up at the plate this year. After slashing .330/.397/.459 over 29 games at High-A to start the year, Lee is now slashing .333/.400/.778 with six homers, 14 RBI, and 10 runs scored in 12 games at Double-A Corpus Christi. Another boost to the potential fantasy value for Lee is that he can swipe a few bases as well. He has two steals in 41 games this season, and stole eight bases in 64 games in 2019 at Low-A Tri-City. While that doesn't scream a difference-making amount of steals, given the lack of stolen bases in general by catchers, getting a handful of steals in a season out of the catcher spot could provide some help to any fantasy team.
I've been wrong before, but I would be surprised if we see Lee in Houston this year given the fact he has played in a grand total of 105 games in the minors. That being said, I don't think he's too far off from the majors either. If he continues to hit like this throughout the rest of the season, I could see him competing for a spot on the Opening Day roster out of Spring Training next year — especially with Martin Maldonado set to be a free agent after this season. Barring injuries to both Maldonado and Castro this year, look for Lee to reach the majors at some point in 2022.
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