Trea Turner was actually called up by the Nationals, and it happened before rosters expanded. Turner may not see starting time right away, but it may only be a little bit longer before a desperate Nationals squad plugs Turner into the shortstop spot to replace the underperforming Ian Desmond.
With his job on the line, Matt Williams could be desperate to plug a spark into the Nationals lineup and get them into the postseason before it is too late. It will be interesting to see how this situation plays out over the next few days while the Mets keep racking up wins.
Editor’s Note: to read about even more MLB prospects, rookies and potential call-ups, be sure to check out our MLB prospects homepage which has lots of great weekly updates and analysis.
Steven Moya (OF, DET, Triple-A)
Stats: 462 PA, .244/.289/.427, 18 HR, 4 SB, 5.2% BB rate, 30.3% K rate
Steven Moya is currently among the top two prospects in the Detroit Tigers’ system which is more of a testament to how depleted their farm system than a compliment to how good of a player Steven Moya is. That is not to say that Moya is a bad player, but in most other organizations he would be a fringe top five/top ten prospect.
The 24-year-old outfielder certainly has a lot of power and some scouts see him as a potential middle of the order bat for the Tigers lineup. Where Moya loses the interest and praise of many scouts is in his plate discipline. He has a large strike zone because of his size and he has a tough time telling which pitches are in it and which are not. That combined with his long swing lead to incredibly high strikeout rates and very low walk rates. There isn’t much speed in Moya which to the Tigers means he will have to play right or left field and to fantasy owners means he will not contribute stolen bases.
The future is very much in question with Steven Moya. He will be likely be given a chance to start in the Tigers outfield at the start of next season which could give him some potential fantasy value. If he can ever figure out a way to lower his strikeout rate, he could be a very talented middle of the order bat. But with his current swing and miss tendencies, Moya is definitely at risk to fizzle out at the Major League level and could be more of a risk and a liability to future fantasy owners than a steal at the draft.
JP Crawford (SS, PHI, Double-A)
Stats: 434 PA, .287/.377/.413, 6 HR, 10 SB, 12.4% BB rate, 10.1% K rate
Phillies’ fans knew that Jimmy Rollins time as franchise shortstop would come to an end soon, but the trade at the beginning of 2015 signaled that JP Crawford would be given the chance to start sooner rather than later. The Phillies knew they were getting something special with Crawford when they took him with the 16th overall pick back in 2013 and Crawford has done little to discourage the front office or the fan base. Crawford has consistently kept his strikeout and walk rates very close together while showing potential to be a great offensive contributor from a weak offensive position.
JP Crawford doesn’t have insane power, but it is above average for a shortstop. If given a full season of playing time, Crawford could easily hit double-digit home run totals, but would likely never eclipse the 20-homer plateau. His speed is decent enough to steal 20 bases per season, but it would be a long shot for him to reach 30.
Crawford has all of the tools that a future fantasy owner should be ecstatic about especially coming from the generally weak offensive position of shortstop. Crawford profiles as a potential 20-20 player with a possible .300 batting average. He may only be in Double-A now, but he figures to be the double play partner with Cesar Hernandez on Opening Day in 2016. Fantasy owners should be ready to take the risk on him in the draft as he has too much potential from the shortstop position to be left undrafted.
Orlando Arcia (SS, MIL, Double-A)
Stats: 488 PA, .298/.337/.435, 6 HR, 23 SB, 5.1% BB rate, 12.9% K rate
There was a time when the Brewers believed they had struck gold with Jean Segura when they acquired him in the deal for Zack Greinke. But these past two seasons have done much to dampen the Brewers’ outlook on Segura and it appears now that he will be soon replaced by Orlando Arcia.
Arcia will get to the majors based on his defensive ability, but his bat could be what keeps him locked into the lineup. The top tool of Arcia is his speed which should translate into a lot of stolen bases in the majors. He does not have much, if any, power to speak of. So, fantasy owners should be grateful whenever they get a home run out of him. His contact ability is slowly getting better and his speed may help him eventually hit .300. For now, don’t expect much more than .280.
The Brewers could potentially trade Jean Segura in the offseason. If they do, they will likely turn shortstop duties over to Arcia. Fantasy owners would be wise to monitor the Brewers situation because Arcia could be a sleeper pick in the 2016 draft. He shouldn’t be taken too early in the draft due to the potential of him being a one category contributor. However, he would be a great late-round pickup for fantasy owners in need of stolen bases and some contribution from the shortstop position.
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