This week, I planned to review all the action and takeaways from the 2017 Futures Game.
If you watched the game like I did, though, you likely witnessed the most boring 7-6 game played by some of the best young players in the league.
So instead of reliving base hits and sacrifice flies, I will be sharing the 5 biggest fantasy prospect-related nuggets for the second half:
1. Yoan Moncada is still the name you need to know
There is hardly a list around here without Moncada at the top. The opinions on where he actually ranks on prospect lists may vary, but the consensus seems to be that if he fulfills his potential, he can be a superstar. That's why he remains in pole position nearly every week on my rankings.
He clearly has a home near the top of the White Sox' lineup despite concerns about strikeouts. In fact, he has actually improved his approach slightly. Plus, few players possess the power and speed combination that Moncada offers. You can put up with a 25 percent strikeout rate if he produces otherwise. We're talking a significant source of stolen bases and runs scored, as well as RBI opportunities and plus power.
In the first column of the season, we put a pin in our Google Map on BB&T Ballpark in Charlotte because of all the talent it housed relatively close to the majors. With Chicago 11 games under .500, those close to the majors are likely to relocate to the Windy City. Once again, when that happens, the one you want is Moncada.
2. Amed Rosario should be a name we need to know now, but ...
Like the Mets' chances of winning the World Series, it's becoming increasingly more likely that we will have to wait until next year.
New York had plenty of need and multiple opportunities to call up Rosario. At one point nearly two months into the season, the shortstop was hitting at or above .400 with plus defense, while the Mets rolled out Mario Mendoza in the form of Jose Reyes. That was when the Mets still had healthy players and were not 12 games out of first place.
Now, they do not have healthy players and are a dozen games out of first place. Even Bartolo Colon does not want to pitch for them. At some point -- if they haven't already -- the Mets' brass will decide whether they want to give Rosario some on-the-job training now, or else wait until mid-April 2018 to squeeze another season of control out of him. The business side says wait, since the season is lost, but better business is not always the right way to do things.
3. Moncada may be the one you need to know, but Rafael Devers may be more important
Before he became Chicago's second baseman of the future, Moncada was once thought of as Boston's prospective third baseman. The Red Sox's actual third baseman of the future is Rafael Devers, and the future could be a lot sooner than expected.
The Red Sox will undoubtedly kick the tires on players like Martin Prado and others, but those tires have thin tread. Devers, 20, has game-altering ability. He collected 40 extra-base hits in the first half, including 18 home runs. He has also shown discipline at the plate while facing advanced pitching. I would still take Moncada first in a draft, but in terms of importance to his team in 2017? Devers, despite being in Double-A, is that player, and that could be very relevant down the stretch and in the playoffs.
4. The Rays could trade a starting pitcher, promote Brent Honeywell and not miss a beat
This is in terms of on-field talent, especially if we are talking 10 or 12 starts over the final two months of the season. Perhaps there will be intangible repercussions, but I cannot quantify those.
Say the Rays were to trade Alex Cobb for Jeimer Candelario. Candelario would likely be an upgrade over the right-handed hitting, corner infielder-slash-designated hitter types the Rays have tried so far (Rickie Weeks and Trevor Plouffe). Honeywell has not thrown a pitch at the highest level, and would probably be a step or two below Cobb right now, but he has great stuff and an even better feel for pitching. Even if there were a drop off from Cobb to the younger right-hander, the upgrade on the position player side would likely outweigh any loss on the pitching end.
Should the Rays decide to keep their veterans, I would still take Honeywell over Blake Snell in the rotation right now. That would also open up the potential idea of using Snell as a fireballing reliever down the stretch, providing a boost to the Rays' biggest weakness.
5. Lucas Giolito's rise, fall and rise again
Two years ago you would be hard-pressed to find a blimp, let alone a pitching prospect, with more helium than Giolito. A first-round selection with ideal size, two 80-grade offerings and better navigation than Waze -- what could go wrong?
Well technically, nothing has gone wrong; however, little has gone right. The Nationals tinkered with his delivery for. .. reasons, as the kids say these days. He struggled to find his form last season, and was traded to Chicago this winter. The White Sox have allowed him to go back to what worked before, but it has been an uneven road. Then James Shields arrived on a rehab assignment, gave a few tips, and things clicked once again.
Perhaps the Shields' tidbit is convenient or coincidental, but the results have been better since Giolito has gone back to the basics. The fastball is low-to-mid 90s now, but the curveball is still dynamic and the addition of a cutter (slider if you choose) is a fine compliment to the changeup. I love the safety of guys like Luke Weaver and Jack Flaherty, but when he's right, few (if any) pitching prospects offer the potential of Giolito.
Bonus: The Phillies will be fun to watch
Philadelphia is the worst team in baseball. They have just 29 wins all season. They are staring right in the face of their first 100-loss season since 1961.
And yet, they should one of MLB.tv's most fun teams to watch down the stretch.
Sure, an influx of young talent may not be enough to stave off the century mark; not after they trade any valuable veterans they have left. However, with Rhys Hoskins, Scott Kingery, Nick Williams, Jorge Alfaro and even J.P. Crawford, the City of Brotherly Love is not lacking in talent. They've also got a pitching staff stocked with young arms like Aaron Nola and Nick Pivetta, and potentially Ben Lively, Jake Thompson and Mark Appel.
If he had a clear path to the majors, I would have named Hoskins as the player to look for, but with Tommy Joseph at first and Nick Williams already in the show, Williams gets the nod. With another few weeks of strong performance, Scott Kingery may be next to join.