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This is the special pitchers edition of a newly formatted Minor League Spotlight for fantasy baseball. In this new version of the article, I will give three prospect profiles and where their potential 2015 fantasy value is for fantasy owners.
I am also going to divide up the articles by pitchers and hitters, so I can go more in depth with each prospect. Now let's get to it.
Editor’s Note: to read about even more MLB prospects, rookies and potential call-ups, be sure to check out our MLB prospects for fantasy baseball homepage which has lots of great weekly analysis.
Lucas Giolito (SP, WAS, Double-A)
Stats: 86.1 IP, 3.34 ERA, 2.45 FIP, 10.22 K/9, 3.13 BB/9, 0.21 HR/9
The Washington Nationals entered 2015 with a plethora of starting pitching, but with Doug Fister and Jordan Zimmermann heading into free agency there could be a chance Lucas Giolito enters next season as one of the five starters. The only likely competition Giolito could face would be with Tanner Roark or A.J. Cole, but Giolito has the stuff to compete and win a starting job.
Lucas Giolito is arguably the best right-handed pitching prospect in all of baseball and looks like a future ace in the making. His fastball is elite, ranging upwards of 100 mph and sits consistently in the upper 90s. His 12-6 curveball is viewed by scouts as one of the best secondary pitches of any pitchers because of its unusual power for a secondary pitch. Prior to 2015, Giolito was really a two-pitch pitcher, but now has developed a changeup that looks like another plus-plus pitch in the future.
As discussed earlier, with Fister and Zimmermann both likely departing in free agency, Lucas Giolito could earn a starting rotation spot at the start of the season. Giolito has struggled in two of his first three starts at Double-A, but he should be able to straighten himself out and continue his dominance of the minors. Next season, Giolito will be a must own in all leagues.
Julio Urias (SP, LAD, Double-A)
Stats: 59.0 IP, 3.36 ERA, 3.00 FIP, 10.07 K/9, 2.29 BB/9, 0.76 HR/9
Lucas Giolito is currently the top pitching prospect in all of baseball, but Julio Urias is not too far behind him. Only 18-years-old, Urias has flown through the Minor Leagues after being signed by the Dodgers as an international free agent back in 2012. Like the Nationals, the Dodgers could potentially lose several of their current starting pitchers and they may opt to fill one of the vacant spots with the young Urias.
Urias has one of the best, if not the best, repertoire of pitches in the minors. He has a fastball that typically sits in the mid-90s and a wipeout curveball to go along with it. Urias also possesses a very good changeup that sits in the low-80s and helps him keep right-handed hitters off balance. Control is the biggest concern at the moment, but the expectation is that he will improve on that as he matures.
Fantasy owners would be very wise to listen to follow the free agency statuses of Brett Anderson, Mat Latos, and Zack Greinke as they will have a major impact on the future of Urias. If all three return, it is unlikely that Urias will start the season in the rotation though he shouldn’t be ruled out to eventually make the team. Whether or not he starts the season with the team, he will inevitably be placed on an innings limit. But given his potential for greatness, an innings limit should not deter fantasy owners from reaching out to own Urias.
Carl Edwards Jr. (RP, CHC, Triple-A)
Stats: 51.1 IP, 2.81 ERA, 3.24 FIP, 12.45 K/9, 6.66 BB/9, 0.18 HR/9
C.J. Edwards really flew under the radar back in the 2011 draft, but I’m sure most teams would do that draft again to get ahold of the young right-hander. Taken with the 1464th overall pick, Edwards started his career with the Rangers, but was later dealt to the Chicago Cubs in the Matt Garza deal.
Edwards has the stuff to be a great pitcher. He has a fastball that can touch the mid-90s, but typically sits in the low-90s. That pitch is complemented greatly by his top secondary pitch, a curveball that is typically in the upper-70s and a nice changeup that has steadily improved to be a potential plus pitch for his repertoire. The biggest concern with Edwards is his durability. He has is plenty tall at 6’2”, but is very thin checking in at about 155 lbs (according to Baseball America) which causes many to believe that he doesn’t have the size to maintain the workload of a starter.
The Cubs recently made the decision to change Edwards into a reliever this season, which likely means that he will be up as early as September. Due to his electric stuff, he could still have fantasy value as an elite relief option for teams and could potentially be used as a closer if the Cubs opt to keep him as a reliever. There has been talk of him going back to being a starter, but it seems very unlikely at this stage in his career.
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