RADIO
Did you see that comeback by Houston on Sunday? How incredible was that?! Down to their last out and they found a way to bounce back and score five runs to win the game. They may not have the best rotation of all the teams that are likely postseason bound, but I feel like they have a chance to be what the Royals were last year: a young team that sneaks into the postseason and makes an improbable run to the World Series.
Editor's Note: For more fantasy prospects coverage, check out RotoBaller's weekly top 30 prospect rankings
Jarlin Garcia (SP, MIA, Double-A)
Stats: 133.2 IP, 3.57 ERA, 3.37 FIP, 7.00 K/9, 2.69 BB/9, 0.54 HR/9
The Marlins have been developing a lot of talented young left-handed pitchers like Adam Conley and Justin Nicolino, but neither of them quite have the talent that Jarlin Garcia does. Garcia was originally signed back in 2010 by the Marlins as a 17-year-old and finally this season made it to Double-A. He pitched extremely well in High-A ball at the start of 2015 and ran into some issues at Double-A where he managed to scrap together only a 4.91 ERA and 4.20 FIP.
Garcia has all of the stuff that scouts look for to be a future top of the rotation type starter. Garcia has more than three pitches and several of them are above-average. Garcia’s bread and butter (like many young pitchers is his fastball). Garcia is capable of hurling it up to 95 mph and typically sits in the low to mid 90s. He has two very nice off-speed pitches with a sharp breaking slider that was just recently developed and a curveball (though the curveball has seen less time with the increased use in the slider). His changeup has the potential to be a plus pitch, but at the moment looks like it will only be an average one. Garcia has no problems keeping the ball in the strike zone, but does have a tendency to get hammered on occasion when he leaves his pitches in the zone.
Jarlin Garcia has come a long way from where he was early in his career and it looks now like he could see time as early as post-All Star break 2016. Garcia will likely start the year off at Double-A and, if all goes well, rise through Triple-A and see time in the majors. While playing time next year is far from guaranteed, expect him to at the very least compete for a rotation spot in 2017.
Edwin Diaz (SP, SEA, Double-A)
Stats: 141.1 IP, 3.82 ERA, 3.32 FIP, 9.23 K/9, 2.93 BB/9, 0.51 HR/9
Edwin Diaz was taken with the 98th overall pick by the Mariners back in 2012 and he has not in any way let them down. Diaz, now 21-years-old, has risen through the minors by pitching with outstanding command at every level. He pitched extremely well in 2013 in rookie ball (3.04 FIP), very well in his first taste of A-ball (3.48 FIP), and has been great between High-A and Double-A this season (3.62 FIP in High-A; 3.22 FIP in Double-A).
The three pitch repertoire of Edwin Diaz has always played extremely well and has started to turn all of them into great pitches. Diaz throws a mid-90s fastball and a great slider that (when thrown with consistency) can prove to be a true wipeout pitch for him. His changeup could still use some improving, but it is fast becoming an above-average pitch for him. His command has never been in much question as he is very capable of keeping the ball in the strike zone while still avoiding bats.
The Mariners are not likely to rush the progression of their right-handed prospect as they have seen mixed results from other top-pitching prospects James Paxton and Taijuan Walker and will likely want Diaz to pitch 2016 entirely in the minors. He will start the season at Double-A, but should finish the season at Triple-A and could be a September call up and potential 2017 rotation option.
Pierce Johnson (SP, CHC, Double-A)
Stats: 95.0 IP, 2.08 ERA, 3.47 FIP, 6.82 K/9, 3.03 BB/9, 0.38 HR/9
The Cubs just seem to have an abundance of minor league talent and often overlooked is the talented right-hander Pierce Johnson. Johnson was taken with the 43rd overall pick back in 2012 and has shown that he can flat out pitch. Johnson has never pitched in a full season in which he had an ERA above 3.10 and has only had one season with a FIP above 3.50. If he continues to pitch this well, he will be in the majors in no time.
Johnson has one of the best assortment of pitches in the minors. His two best pitches are his upper-90s fastball and his wipeout low-80s curveball. He also features a cut-fastball that has quickly become a great weapon for him and a changeup that has a lot of deception and life on it that has helped him limit the production of left-handed hitters. His command needed improvement earlier in his career, and he has addressed that having reduced his home run and walk rates substantially over the past few seasons.
He may be at Double-A this year, but that doesn’t mean that he won’t be in the majors next season. Johnson is 24-years-old and has made a lot of progress in the minors and looks like he could potentially compete for a rotation spot in 2016. Don’t expect him to win it out of Spring Training, but he will likely pitch in Triple-A and would serve as the immediate backup in the event of an injury to anyone in the Cubs rotation.
MLB & Fantasy Baseball Chat Room
[iflychat_embed id="c-12" hide_user_list="yes" hide_popup_chat="no" height="400px"]
