Marcus Stroman is coming back and that means it will be just another great arm added to a strong team that has only one real weakness. The Yankees are going to need to pull out all of the stops if they hope to win the division, but the addition of Stroman could prove to make the Blue Jays too complete of a team to give up the division.
Editors Note: Check out all of RotoBaller's MLB prospects analysis here.
David Dahl (OF, COL, Double-A)
Stats: 326 PA, .266/.291/.397, 6 HR, 22 SB, 3.4% BB rate, 24.8% K rate
David Dahl was making incredible progress in 2015 before a scary collision on May 28 put the remainder of his season in question. He was flagging down a ball in the outfield and collided into Pedro Ciriaco. The injury required him to repair a torn spleen and many believed that he would not play again this season. But a quick recovery put the number two position player prospect in the Rockies system back in the field and he was back on the field by early July.
Dahl’s biggest calling card is his ability to hit for solid contact. Dahl is a big time line drive hitter who can eventually start to hit some more home runs. He hasn’t yet hit for much power in the minors, but continued maturation and an eventual home of Coors Field should help him to hit for some more power. His speed is slightly better than his ability to hit for power so fantasy owners should expect him to steal more bases than hit home runs in spite of calling Coors home.
The Rockies will likely take their time with Dahl given the severity of this injury, though his quick recovery indicates that they don’t want to be overly cautious. Dahl likely will not start next season with the big league club, but fantasy owners could eventually see value in adding him off the waiver wire around the middle of the 2016 season if the Rockies elect to deal Carlos Gonzalez.
Jorge Polanco (SS, MIN, Double-A)
Stats: 482 PA, .288/.339/.386, 6 HR, 19 SB, 7.4% BB rate, 13.9% K rate
Jorge Polanco was up to the majors, he played well. He was up at Triple-A, he played well. Now he is back at Double-A and surprise, surprise, he is playing well. Polanco is one of the many prospects expected to be eventually called up in September in an effort to try and give the Twins that extra boost of offense to get to the playoffs. The Twins need some offense at that position if they hope to grab one of the easily attainable AL Wild Cards.
For fantasy owners, Polanco offers a lot of potential. Polanco possesses average power which could likely be considered above-average for a shortstop (unless you are comparing it to the recent crop of young shortstops). Polanco will contribute a few homers, but likely not any more than 10. Polanco’s biggest fantasy contributions will come from batting average (where he is a very solid hitter who is more than capable of holding his own against big league pitching) and speed where he is very likely to steal 20+ bases per season.
As stated earlier, Polanco does have fantasy value for owners still hoping to compete in 2015. He is more than likely going to be the starter at short for the Twins next season so the value is definitely there for 2016.
AJ Reed (1B, HOU, Double-A)
Stats: 622 PA, .340/.432/.612, 34 HR, 0 SB, 13.8% BB rate, 19.6% K rate
The Astros already have tried a former top first base prospect (Jon Singleton) in their lineup and he has seen a lot of struggles so there is definitely reason to be concerned about AJ Reed. But where Singleton was a strikeout machine, having struck out frequently at 30.0% in both the majors and minors while Reed has consistently hovered around the 20.0% K rate. Singleton once looked like the future at first for the Astros, but Reed is now looking like he will force himself to start.
Reed has a lot of promise as a hitter. He has a great eye at the plate and it leads to high walk rates and low strikeout rates. And while Singleton represented the Adam Dunn type power hitter, Reed looks more like a guy who can consistently hit for great power and reach base at insane clips. Reeds great discipline and approach to the plate has also lead to a constant high batting average. His lack of speed and defensive ability will prevent him from playing any other position and that will force Singleton to either find a new position or find a new home.
Reed has been kept in the minors as long as possible and should be expected to start next year at first for Houston. Reed is easily one of the top hitting prospects in the minors and if he is guaranteed a chance to start should be taken late in the draft as a phenomenal sleeper pick.
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