With the arrival of Gleyber Torres last week and Ronald Acuna, Jr. this past, it looks like the Super 2 prospects anticipated are starting to trickle upwards to the Show. In fact, I looked at a like octet of promising prospects just last Friday at Bed Goes Up you might check out.
For, another week of roto madness has come and gone. Robbie Ray might be injured, while Wil Myers definitely is. Meanwhile, Kole Calhoun starts daily, but with an OBP of .196 and OPS of .418, neither the Angels nor Fantasy owners can endure such numbers.
Still, there is a cluster of new arrivals and players who moved into the limelight, so let’s take a look at some of those names and whether they can help our squads.
Rosell Herrera (SS, Reds): The 25-year-old Dominican is a switch hitter who was playing well enough at Indianapolis to foster the relegation of Cliff Pennington. Herrera has a minor league line of .277-44-354 with 132 steals and 304 walks to 572 whiffs (.347 OBP). Herrera was batting .311-3-10 with 10 of his 19 hits going for extra bases (.609 SLG) and offers some speed with some stick up the middle. He probably is worth consideration only in a deep NL format for now, but is worth tracking.
Nick Kingham (P, Pirates): Talk about an auspicious debut, Kingham arrived in the majors to shut down St. Louis on a hit with nine whiffs over seven innings on Sunday. A fourth-round pick of the Bucs in 2010, Kingham has 617 strikeouts over 721.3 innings in the minors, while posting a 1.18 WHIP to go with a 43-41, 3.37 line. The right-hander, now 26, was 2-1, 1.59 over four starts at the International League before his mastery of St. Louis and should at least be around for another start. Grab him in a deep league, track him in a shallower one.
Miles Mikolas (P, Cardinals): Perhaps if the Cards had started Mikolas against Kingham yesterday, the team might have fared better. Mikolas, now 29, was originally drafted by the Pads in the seventh round in 2009. He was swapped to the Bucs in 2013 and a month later to the Rangers, who released the hurler in 2014. After three solid seasons in Japan, the Cards picked him up last December. So, what happened to foster a 3-0, 3.27 mark in new Busch is subject to speculation, but he is more than worth a gamble.
Matt Koch (P, Diamondbacks): A third-round pick of the Mets in 2012, Koch came to Arizona as part of the Addison Reed swap in 2015. The righty has indeed comported himself well with a 1-0, 1.93 mark over his two starts and one relief appearance this year, but Koch’s minor league line of 4.54 ERA and 1.36 WHIP with just 320 strikeouts over 505 innings is probably pitching on borrowed time.
Robbie Grossman (OF, Twins): Grossman has always been a favorite of mine, possessing good speed and on-base numbers as witnessed by his .373 OBP and 131 swipes in the minors. Even with a .250-32-153 big league line over 427 games at the Show, Grossman scuffles for playing time and spends a lot of time as a fourth fly chaser. With Byron Buxton on the DL with migraines and Grossman hitting .296-1-5 over his last 10 games, playing time should increase so take advantage of the streaky Twin.
Albert Almora (OF, Cubs): Sticking with flychasers, Almora might play a lesser role on the Cubs checklist, but over the past 10 days he is batting .302-0-4 with nine runs. As a minor leaguer, the 24-year-old first round selection in 2012 hit .290-24-191 with 33 swipes and his recent hot streak makes the outfielder a must play in an NL-only format and worth a shot in a mixed format.
Wilmer Font (P, Oakland): Closing out with a couple of Bay Area relievers, starting with the surging Athletics and Wilmer Font. Signed by the Rangers in 2010, Font went to the Dodgers and then was nabbed by the Athletics this past week to bolster the team’s pen. The point of interest is in the minors, where Font logged a 38-29, 3.61 line with 730 strikeouts over 618.3 innings with 18 saves, and those numbers point to some serious pen use in Oakland. For now, AL only, but again, watch Font.
Reyes Moronta (P, Giants): Moronta has been deadly so far, striking out 14 over 14 frames while allowing just five hits and a pair of runs. But the righty has allowed 10 walks, making him a reliever of the Carlos Marmol mold. In the minors, Moronta managed 42 saves with 310 strikeouts over 245.6 innings, and with the Giants up-and-down lineup, the 25-year-old could be a solid stabilizer in the event of an injury to your rotation, and possibly the source of a couple of wins and saves.
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