Now that the Tampa Bay Rays have promoted top prospect Wander Franco (heck, just elect him to the Hall of Fame right now!) and have already seen immediate results, fantasy baseball managers who might be wondering if the Rays are done giving them new names to covet can project their attention to his former Triple-A Durham teammates Vidal Brujan and Shane Baz. Yes, the Rays are loaded with talent and, while Franco has consistently gotten nearly all the attention, there are others to watch as well.
After all, while Franco excelled in his brief sojourn at the top minor-league level, hitting .315 with a .954 OPS in the 39 games before his promotion to the majors this week, Brujan (until a recent slump) was right there with him. As recently as June 9, he was hitting .304 with a .947 OPS. Now, he is down to a .258 batting average with a .829 OPS. Still, despite fewer games and plate appearances for the Bulls than Franco, Brujan hit more home runs (9, compared to 7), stole more bases (14, instead of 5) and walked more (21, as opposed to 12).
Nobody is directly comparing the two players, and Brujan is three years older, but the point is that the Rays boast another switch-hitting infielder with mad skills percolating in the high minors. Brujan is currently eligible at second base (Franco has shortstop eligibility), and available in 93% of ESPN standard leagues. Since the team has used him all over the diamond defensively, perhaps at the top level they will utilize him in, well, a utility fashion. If Brujan can prove deft in center field, he may play there, because Kevin Kiermaier (.585 OPS) and Brett Phillips (.630) are not hitting.
While Brujan may need some combination of him regaining his hitting stroke plus an injury or slump to a current Rays player in order to create his playing opportunity, Baz is in a different situation. We see his opportunity! The minor leaguer in the now-infamous Chris Archer trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates (Baz came over with Tyler Glasnow and Austin Meadows in July 2018) has made two starts for Durham, and nine starts across two minor-league levels. He boasts a 2.38 ERA and an 0.82 WHIP, with 59 strikeouts and just five walks over 41 2/3 innings.
In fact, while Franco may be Tampa Bay's top hitter right now, once promoted, Baz could potentially be Tampa Bay's top starter right now. There is no power right-hander in the Rays rotation. Michael Wacha is the lone right-hander and, in his most recent outing, he gave up hits to 11 different Seattle Mariners, along with five runs in just 3 2/3 frames. His ERA is 5.19. Veteran left-hander Rich Hill has pitched well and has stayed surprisingly healthy, but Ryan Yarbrough and Josh Fleming miss few bats and can both handle middle-relief roles. Baz may get another promotion any day now and fantasy managers should plan for it.
Ultimately, many of the top minor league hitting prospects are at the Double-A level or lower, but here's an update on those currently at Triple-A, meaning they are the closest to helping fantasy managers in the majors.
Jarred Kelenic, OF, Seattle Mariners: This is not a Quad-A player. He will return to the Mariners soon and produce the expected big statistics. Seriously, buy low before it is too late.
Vidal Brujan, 2B, Tampa Bay Rays: As we've been saying, he's just about ready. With switch-hitters Brujan and Franco atop the big league lineup, a run deep into the October playoffs is a real possibility.
Jarren Duran, OF, Boston Red Sox: He has homered three times in the past week and sports a .381 OBP and a 1.015 OPS for the season. He could be leading off in Boston any day now.
Josh Lowe, OF, Tampa Bay Rays: He has nine home runs and .965 OPS for Durham. While he will swing and miss more than most Rays and his walk rate has dropped a bit at Triple-A, he has power. Plus, he is 8-for-8 in stolen base attempts.
Jeter Downs, 2B, Boston Red Sox: He's seen a major drop in his contact rate at this level, but there is an intriguing combination of modest power and speed here. His opportunity should come this summer.
Drew Waters, OF, Atlanta Braves: He recently missed time with a thumb injury. He seems ready defensively for center field, but has not hit for power, nor has he avoided strikeouts this season.
Joey Bart, C, San Francisco Giants: He looks great, with a .352 batting average and a 1.002 OPS -- albeit with a low contact rate. Unless Buster Posey gets hurt, though, Bart is stuck at this level. Either that or he becomes immense "trade bait" for a surprising contender.
Brandon Marsh, OF, Los Angeles Angels: It's been a lost season so far for Marsh, as he is hitting .183 and has not played in weeks due to shoulder inflammation. Taylor Ward is fine in right field for the big-league club. Incidentally, Jo Adell, who is not listed here because he exceeded rookie status last season (when he hit .161), has blasted 16 home runs for Triple-A Salt Lake, but with nine walks versus 62 whiffs. That is a problem.