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Unsurprisingly, Joey Gallo was sent back down to Triple-A when Josh Hamilton was activated from the DL. Gallo performed as expected at the majors: flashed tremendous power and demonstrated that he isn’t ready to face Major League pitching on a regular basis. Gallo hit five home runs in 25 games, but he hit .218 and struck out 43.9% of the time.
Gallo will be back in the Majors in 2015, whether it be as a result of injury or September call ups. But until he can prove that he won’t strike out nearly half of the time, he may not be worth the fantasy risk.
Editor's Note: For more fantasy prospects coverage, check out RotoBaller's weekly top 30 MLB prospect rankings for fantasy baseball.
Alex Dickerson (1B/OF, SD, Triple-A)
Stats: .315/.384/.520, 7 HR, 0 SB, 9.3% BB rate, 17.6% K rate
Alex Dickerson has had some hype attached to his name, but has never quite been that prospect that people are really drawn to. He was drafted 91st overall in the 2011 draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates and was later dealt to the San Diego Padres. Dickerson has some decent power, enough to hit 25 home runs in a full season. His best Minor League season to date was in 2013 at the Pirates’ Double-A where he hit 17 home runs in 126 games with 10 stolen bases and a slash line of .288/.337/.494. And while scouts have said that Dickerson has no speed that can translate into stolen bases at the Major League level, the power is there.
Garrett Weber (2B/3B, ARI, Triple-A)
Stats: .303/.374/.474, 6 HR, 0 SB, 9.7% BB rate, 16.4% K rate
Throughout his Minor League career, Garrett Weber has always been a guy with contact hitting ability with some decent potential for power. Weber has hit as many as 14 home runs in a season, but scouts believe that the power is not for real. He does, however, have a knack for getting hits and has shown the ability to do so at every level with his lowest average ever in the MiLB being .281 back in 2013. With the Dbacks Notebook" href="http://dev.rotoballer.com/mlb-fantasy-news/?team=ARI">Diamondbacks liable to sell Aaron Hill this trade deadline, Weber has been mentioned as a candidate to replace him in the lineup. He could be a solid batting average guy from the middle infielders position and a potentially smart pickup in deeper leagues.
Adam Walker (OF, MIN, Double-A)
Stats: .272/.328/.612, 23 HR, 2 SB, 7.2% BB rate, 37.2% K rate
The Twins have a lot of power bats in their system, none quite as powerful as Miguel Sano. But just a notch below Sano’s power is Adam Walker. This is the third season in a row in which Walker has surpassed 20 home runs, and he is only about half way done with this year. As is almost customary these days with a home run hitter, though, Walker strikes out a lot. He has played 71 games this year and in only 13 of those has he not struck out at least once. Dynasty fantasy owners should take note of this guy because while it is a long shot that he will be in the Majors this season, he has the kind of power to make a major fantasy impact even at the risk of a lot of strikeouts. He becomes especially valuable in leagues that don’t deduct points for strikeouts.
Colin Rea (SP, SD, Double-A)
Stats: 75.0 IP, 1.08 ERA, 2.34 FIP, 7.20 K/9, 1.32 BB/9, 0.12 HR/9
Colin Rea has been very impressive so far in his first taste of Double-A. While last season at High-A ball, Rea posted up pedestrian numbers with a 3.88 ERA and a 4.02 FIP. But this year, Rea has pitched himself into conversations involving one of the spots in the Padres pitching staff. Odrisamer Despaigne has been awful this season and much to the surprise of many Padres’ fans, neither Ian Kennedy nor Andrew Cashner have been much better. The Padres are in need of some pitching help and they would likely be willing to dig as deep as Double-A to find that help considering how much they spent over the offseason. Rea could be a very solid pickup for NL-only leagues and deep leagues if he is given the call up.
Taylor Rogers (SP, MIN, Triple-A)
Stats: 103.1 IP, 2.96 ERA, 3.28 FIP, 6.18 K/9, 2.35 BB/9, 0.44 HR/9
Taylor Rogers is one player who should be viewed as a potential call up very soon, especially given the way he has thrown the ball. Earlier in the year, Twins Assistant General Manager Rob Antony said, “Historically he has thrown enough strikes. So I think he’s going to give himself a chance to be a major league starter.” The Twins find themselves in contention this season and could use a fresh arm given their struggling starters. Rogers can be counted on to produce a low ERA, but his low strikeout rate does tend to limit his fantasy potential.
Erik Johnson (SP, CWS, Triple-A)
Stats: 85.0 IP, 2.86 ERA, 2.40 FIP, 10.16 K/9, 2.86 BB/9, 0.32 HR/9
Jeff Samardzija’s name has been mentioned frequently in trade rumors given the likely seller position that his team is in. If Samardzija was dealt, a spot would open up in the rotation and that would likely be given to Erik Johnson. Johnson has been striking out at a higher rate this season than in any other season of his professional career. He has got a great four-pitch repertoire that could translate really well to Major League success. The only concerning note on Johnson is that his fastball velocity ranges from the upper 80s to the lower 90s. Johnson could have a guaranteed spot in the rotation if Samardzija is dealt and he could have some great fantasy value if he is able to carry over this sudden surge in strikeouts into the majors.
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