The San Diego Padres could enter the abbreviated 2020 season with a starting rotation of right-handers Chris Paddack, Dinelson Lamet, Garrett Richards and Zach Davies, along with left-hander Joey Lucchesi, and nobody would truly blame them. Then again, everyone knows the Padres can do better and, in what should be a memorable sprint to the finish, it seems like a franchise that last tasted postseason play when George W. Bush was president would do whatever it could to contend.
Lefty prospect MacKenzie Gore, 21, has yet to ply his trade in Triple-A, but that opportunity cannot come in 2020 anyway, because there is no minor league baseball. A year ago, the Padres aggressively promoted shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. from Double-A to the majors and, injuries aside, he thrived. The Padres still lost a lot more games than they won but that was over a six-month stretch. This will be just two-plus months. Flags, as they say, still fly forever. Most any club can thrive for a 60-game window. So, win now, Padres. Promote the fellow who could be your top pitcher right now. Fantasy managers are sure watching.
As you might have guessed, I have no concerns about Gore getting rushed to the majors, though I do have a few about, well, several of the current San Diego rotation members. Richards, for example, now 32, made 31 starts but over the past four seasons, as Tommy John surgery and other maladies have intervened. Perhaps he will be great. Davies, thrown into the Trent Grisham trade, won 17 games in 2017 but has permitted more hits than innings in his career and fails to miss myriad bats. Lucchesi, as with Davies, hardly lights up radar guns. These are not special pitchers. Gore is a special pitcher.
Baseball's new rules for this season feature a taxi squad. Due to the lack of minor league possibilities, expect clubs to funnel their top youngsters there so they can keep track of them and get them private work. However, smart clubs should realize that this is a pristine opportunity to use their top talent -- even those players who have never seen or thrown a big league pitch -- to win major league games now. Gore is clearly worthy of a rotation spot now. The Padres upgraded their lineup, their depth, their pitching in the past offseason, and last won a playoff series last century. They could win one in 2020 if they use their top personnel.
Meanwhile, the St. Louis Cardinals are no strangers to October baseball, but their situation with top prospect Dylan Carlson is rather similar. The Cardinals could go into this season with some combination of infielder Matt Carpenter, outfielder Dexter Fowler and pinch hitter Brad Miller clogging up regular at-bats, but that seems like little fun. Carlson, a switch-hitting outfielder who hit .361 in a brief Triple-A stint and across two levels hit .292 with 26 home runs and 20 stolen bases last year, could literally be the top Cardinals hitter for fantasy right now -- and that includes Paul Goldschmidt, who stopped hitting right-handers and stopped stealing bases. Carlson should hit middle of the lineup for this team in 2020!
Anyway, time will tell -- and that time is within the next month -- whether big league franchises want to use their top prospects right away. Fantasy managers should obviously be paying attention. For now, it is kind of a guessing game, but with only one right answer. Promote Gore and Carlson. Players such as Lucchesi and Fowler should understand, or at least the fans should.
In addition to Gore and Carlson, and excluding options who figured to debut anyway like White Sox outfielder Luis Robert and Mariners first baseman Evan White, here are 10 other up-and-comers who should be in the majors right away.
Pitchers
Nate Pearson, Blue Jays: He sniffed Triple-A in 2019 and fit right in. Especially when it comes to pitchers with extreme velocity, organizations should realize that anyone can break at any point, so it's best to rely on them sooner in case they break later. Pearson hits triple digits with his fastball. The Jays boast an exciting young lineup and a rotation currently relying on flotsam such as Chase Anderson, Tanner Roark, Matt Shoemaker and Trent Thornton. There is clearly room.
Spencer Howard, Phillies: This is the same deal as with Pearson, with lesser (but still strong) velocity. Vince Velasquez and Zach Eflin cannot compete with Howard, nor can Jake Arrieta. The enigmatic Phillies have to go for it, and in a 60-game season, any innings limits go away.
Michael Kopech, White Sox: Speaking of flamethrowers, this right-hander (who made a handful of major league starts in 2018) is fun to watch, and Chicago seems like the AL version of the Padres. An intriguing offense speckled with youngsters deserves a promising rotation. Kopech is back from his Tommy John surgery and should be good for double-digit starts, sans limitations.
Forrest Whitley, Astros: His disappointing 2019 season means little today, because we know a talented difference-maker lurks, and the Astros sure have a lot to prove this season. I actually think right-handers Lance McCullers Jr. and Josh James will be relevant filling the rotation in fantasy this summer, so perhaps Whitley helps the club out of the bullpen. Still, keep an eye on whether or not he gets to perform in games that matter.
Matt Manning and Casey Mize, Tigers: You might think it is pure folly to think the Tigers might contend, and perhaps it is. That said, even the perceived bad clubs can win more than they lose over a two-month span. The Tigers do not need to contend to view their top right-handers as worthy of earning big league work, and fantasy managers should like the statistics.
Hitters
Jo Adell, OF, Angels: Corner outfielder Brian Goodwin actually hit quite nicely in 2019, but Adell is the future -- and likely better right now. He's a five-tool prospect ready to debut. How can the Angels look Mike Trout in the eyes, when he has never won a playoff game, and rationalize using Goodwin (or Justin Upton, if he struggles again) over Adell?
Carter Kieboom, SS, Nationals: It seems ridiculous that so many judge him based on a 43-plate-appearance sample as a rookie. OK, so he hit .128. He also hit .303 with power and plate discipline in Triple-A. Do not forget that. Asdrubal Cabrera is capable at third base, but the defending champions cannot overcome another slow start like 2019. Utilizing the younger, higher-upside option seems wise. Fantasy gets him at middle infield.
Alec Bohm, 3B, Phillies: This underachieving club has no shortage of options to handle its new DH duties. There's Rhys Hoskins, Jay Bruce and Neil Walker, just to name a few. Bohm, who reminds me of Nicholas Castellanos, clearly boasts the most upside, even initially. Whereas rebuilding clubs like the Mariners (with outfielders Jarred Kelenic and Julio Rodriguez) and Orioles (with catcher Adley Rutschman) have every legit excuse to exercise patience, the Phillies do not have the luxury to taxi Howard and Bohm.
Ke'Bryan Hayes, 3B, Pirates: The son of former big-leaguer Charlie Hayes is known more for his glove, but he did reach double digits in both home runs and stolen bases in his age-22 debut season at Triple-A Indianapolis. As with most of those clubs, if Hayes is better than the incumbent option -- and he is better than Colin Moran -- then there should be no debate. With NL teams adding the DH, even the rebuilding clubs have plenty of available playing time to offer.
Wander Franco, SS, Rays: Yeah, I went there. A mere teenager who has yet to play at the Double-A level, I made the bold and perhaps ill-advised statement months ago that the Rays should aggressively promote Franco to third base this season -- and I stand by it. Why not? The Rays can win now and Franco can help. Plus, since there are defensive concerns at the hot corner (Yandy Diaz, Yoshitomo Tsutsugo) and not at short (Willy Adames), it seems only natural he debuts there.