RADIO
The 2020 MLB season is now officially underway and playing time pictures are starting to come into focus. Even though we’re less than a week into the season, we have already seen how quickly teams’ depth can be challenged while trying to play during a pandemic. This means prospects could be very important for many teams.
One team to keep an eye on will be the Marlins, who have already been snakebitten by the virus. The club opened the year with five rookies on the active roster but with players dropping like flies, we're going to see a lot more sooner rather than later. Players that could be in the Majors soon include Sixto Sanchez, Edward Cabrera, Braxton Garrett, Trevor Rogers, Jesus Sanchez, and Monte Harrison. But the club will also want to be mindful of overcrowding the 40-man roster and service time (considering their penny-pinching ways).
Our first in-depth update of the Top 50 2020 prospects will occur next week so this week’s update will include some quick takes from the action we’ve seen so far from the rookie class of 2020. Let’s take a look at some of the names we’ll be talking about all year — as well as some of the names that could force their ways onto the list as the year progresses.
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The Hitters
Luis Robert, OF, White Sox: We can’t have a true update on rookies without mentioning your (likely) 2020 Rookie of the Year. Robert has been exactly as advertised and has already been responsible for some of the hardest-hit balls on the year — including the second hardest-hit ball of the year at 115.8 mph. He’s averaging 96.3 mph hour on his balls in play and two of his four hits have gone for extra bases. The thing to remember about Robert is that he’s a very streaky hitter so be prepared for some speed bumps along the way.
Kyle Lewis, OF, Mariners: If someone that can challenge Robert for 2020 Rookie of the Year, Lewis may be the early favorite. Lewis has been nothing short of excellent since skipping over Triple-A to debut in the Majors late last year. Injuries kept this former first-round pick from reaching his full potential in the minors but he’s now gone deep eight times in 22 games split over the past two seasons. Like Robert, Lewis will likely be prone to wild hot and cold streaks and will continue to strike out a lot. But he’s also showing growth, which is exciting. He has three walks in four games and, most importantly, did an outstanding job recently with two runners in scoring position late in a game by taking the pitch the other way for a two-run single (rather than trying to tattoo the ball for a home run).
William Contreras, C, Braves: The loss of both big league catchers due to COVID-19 forced the Braves to turn to a pair of unproven rookie catchers in Alex Jackson and Contreras, who has looked impressive given the situation. The 22-year-old catcher hit just .246 in 60 games last year in Double-A so the 2020 success is probably a product of a small sample size. Along with four hits in 10 at-bats, Contreras has also gone down swinging four times. He may struggle for most of his time in the Majors in 2020 but he’s been better than expected early.
Edward Olivares, OF, Padres: I’ve been aggressively promoting Olivares as a legitimate prospect as far back as 2017 when he was in the Jays system. Although just 24, he’s a bit of a late bloomer, he’s also been hidden somewhat in two systems with strong collections of top prospects. Olivares has gotten stronger over the past two years and he’s improved his approach at the plate. His line-drive rate jumped to 25.5% at Double-A in 2019 and he’s already stung a ball in the Majors at 109.7 mph. He stole 35 bases last year so the power-speed potential is enticing — if he plays enough.
The Pitchers
Brady Singer, RHP, Royals: No one expected to see Singer in the Majors this quickly but the rebuilding Royals had no issues starting his service time early. He looked good in his first start of the year and primarily threw his fastball and slider. The fastball sat at 94 mph and he induced a lot of ground balls, which is exactly what he was known for in the minors. Singer isn’t normally a huge strikeout guy but he posted a K-BB rate of 7-0 during his five-inning debut. The bump in strikeouts is likely a product of a limited scouting report on the young hurler but if he continues to whiff batters at this rate then his value will skyrocket.
Tejay Antone, RHP, Reds: If you’re already hunting for relief help, Antone may have attracted your attention with his debut outing. Sitting close to 96 mph on his heater, this young pitcher overpowered the Cubs for 4.1 innings with a K-BB of 5-1. He allowed just one hit as he focused mostly on his fastball and slider while mixing in some change-of-pace curveballs. A starter in the minors, Antone was known as more of a ground-ball pitcher so the Reds could find some untapped value in him with a relief role where his iffy command is less noticeable — although he could also end up shifting back to a starting gig depending on the Reds’ needs.
Enoli Paredes, RHP, Astros: Paredes is another player who skipped over Triple-A entirely. He has just 12 games of experience above A-ball but that hasn’t stopped him from throwing shutout baseball in the Majors over two relief appearances. The young hurler worked as both a starter and a reliever in the minors but his future role will likely come out of the bullpen because of his small stature and high-effort delivery. Paredes has averaged 95 mph on his heater but both his command and control clearly remain a work-in-progress even while striking out two batters in two-thirds of an inning on Monday night.
Nate Pearson, RHP, Blue Jays: Pearson hasn’t been activated from the club’s taxi squad yet but he’s been named the starter for Wednesday’s game. Pearson has top-of-the-rotation potential with four pitches that he can throw for strikes, including a triple-digit fastball. Pearson didn’t look his usual dominant self in Summer Camp — but he was still very good. With a quick ramp-up to the year, his arm may not be fully up to snuff just yet so his first outing or two could be just average. That shouldn’t stop you from grabbing him as soon as possible, though.
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