This week on Big Hype Prospects, we take stock of the latest early-season top performers. Please note, BHP will return after a three-week hiatus.
Five Big Hype Prospects
Zach Neto, 22, SS, LAA (MLB)
(AA) 34 PA, 3 HR, 3 SB, .444/.559/.815
The Angels recently called up Neto in an attempt to improve their shortstop situation. The 2022 draftee skipped Triple-A and only has 201 minor league plate appearances to his name. He’s shown a BABIP-forward hitting approach predicated on ground ball contact. While he can hit for power, there’s reason to question his ability to consistently elevate the ball. Should he remain in the Majors, it’s possible he’ll look overmatched this season. Nothing he does is particularly smooth or easy. His swing is high effort, and his fielding footwork runs counter to the economical mechanics we’re accustomed to seeing. He entered play Monday 0-for-8 with two strikeouts through his first two big league games.
Brady House, 19, 3B, WSH (A)
24 PA, 2 HR, 1 SB, .333/.500/.833
Considered one of the most powerful prospects in the minors, House has controlled the strike zone well through an Alfonseca-handful of games. Four of his six hits have gone for extra bases. His 2022 campaign was a tale of two seasons. He handled A-ball pitchers early in the season before injuring his back. When he returned, he limped through the remainder of the campaign. At this rate, he’ll find himself in High-A within a few weeks. Public scouting reports tend to focus on whether or not House will achieve enough contact to get to his prodigious power. Opinions remain mixed.
Heston Kjerstad, 24, OF, BAL (AA)
42 PA, 5 HR, 3 SB, .314/.429/.800
A former second-overall pick – the sort selected in order to save money to spend on later rounds – Kjerstad entered the 2022 Arizona Fall League in desperate need of proving himself. He was named AFL MVP and has continued to show well this season. The early returns are offset by a career-worst swinging strike rate. As yet, it hasn’t been a problem. Due to a health scare, major hamstring injury, and the lost COVID minor league season, Kjerstad has missed a lot of development time. He’s already a tad on the old side for Double-A. We should see him advance to Triple-A within the next couple months. In the last half-season, he’s morphed into a high-probability big leaguer. Now the question is whether he’s a regular or mashtastic, strong-side platoon bat.
Tanner Bibee, 24, SP, CLE (AAA)
11 IP, 12.27 K/9, 2.45 BB/9, 0.00 ERA
A fly-ball pitcher known for missing bats and limiting walks, Bibee’s first two turns in Triple-A have gone about as well as possible. Of 41 batters faced, he’s allowed five hits and three walks compared to 15 strikeouts. He’s considered both highly polished and Major League-ready by two evaluators I surveyed. Health allowing, we’ll see him in Cleveland sometime this season. His fastball and slider are his primary weapons. He commands them well and generates plenty of swinging strikes. His curve isn’t expected to improve and will mostly be used for called strikes early in the count when hitters are trying to ambush a high heater. The scouting report available on FanGraphs notes his changeup is still a (promising) work in progress.
Andy Pages, 22, OF, LAD (AA)
41 PA, 2 HR, 2 SB, .393/.561/.750
The Dodgers made the curious decision to return Pages to Double-A after he hammered 26 home runs in 571 plate appearances last season – possibly because he managed a modest 102 wRC+. He’s angling for a quick promotion. In addition to the heady results, he has more walks than strikeouts and a 6.4 percent swinging-strike rate. We’re dealing with a tiny sample, but there’s cause for optimism. He’s always been an extreme pulled, fly-ball hitter. The profile led naysayers (myself included) to consider him a future second-division player. While he continues to pull the ball (at a comical 68.2 percent rate), his fly-ball rate has dropped to a normal 40.9 percent. He’s yet to hit an infield fly. Inching down his launch angle even a little could help to explain the surge in contact rate and also lead to more consistently positive results. For now, this is a developing story to watch. I have no intel on him purposely adjusting his swing. This is merely an observation of his small sample statistical outcomes.
Three More
Emmet Sheehan, LAD (23): One of the best pitching prospects to appear in the 2022 AFL, Sheehan has tasty stuff and poor command. He’s credited with a feel for making adjustments, leading internal evaluators to frequently praise his work. The Dodgers appear to be managing his workload in the early going.
Gage Workman, DET (23): Workman has… worked… to improve his swing decisions as a professional, manifesting in early success this season. He’s also trimmed his swinging-strike rate to a tolerable 12.3 percent. Questions regarding his hit tool – he ran a 40 percent strikeout rate last season – have most observers assuming he’ll top out as a toolsy utility guy. If he’s drawing free passes and cutting down on whiffs, he could turn into a Chris Taylor-like talent.
Andrew Abbott, CIN (23): Abbott’s early results are noteworthy (0.00 ERA, 71.4 K%, 2.9 BB%). Scouts tend to downplay his potential due to a long history of command issues and inconsistent mechanics. Solving the mechanics could lead to rapidly improving command. His fastball and curve work well together, suggesting a floor as an innings-eating middle reliever.
House already made the move to be a full-time 3B
“Alfonseca-handful of games”. Brilliant.
Came here to comment this
I don’t get it?
Former MLB pitcher Antonio Alfonseca has six fingers.
With Brady House, does Marsha,Jan, and Cindy sleep on the upper level and the boys downstairs?
LOL
Marsha, Marsha, Marsha!!!
Good stuff. Just suggest putting the position and level for each player so we know.
That information was not originally there? If not, GREAT suggestion. I can’t believe such information has to be asked for.
Who were the prospects Baltimore was able to sign by going underslot on kjerstad?
Coby Mayo and Carter Baumler
Jordan Westburg and Hudson Haskin, as well. Add Kjerstad and all five of their top picks that year, despite Baumler’s TJ surgery, have the ability to turn into impactful ML talent.
A great draft!
Brandon Hyde, who tends not to make such statements, said in the spring that Kjerstad has 40 homer power!
To borrow from ol’ Buck, I like our guys!
Liked “mashtastic”. Cool. Brad, dude, is that a real word?
Baked – Westburg and Haskin signed for exactly slot.
Baumler signed for $1.5mil. Pick slot was $422,300
Mayo signed for $1.75mil. Pick slot was $565,500
Servideo, their 3rd round pick who cannot stay healthy, signed for about $100k under slot so some of that went to Mayo and Baumler…but none of the savings went to Haskin or Westburg.
Neto just got his first MLB hit today. To me he can’t do any worse that what we’ve had out there. Much upside and hopefully a long term answer at SS. Good luck kid! Go get em
I’m fine with Fletcher, Urshela, or Neto. They all offer different things.
I’m not fine with Rengifo. Outside of occasional running into a bad pitch when the game is typically not in the balance, and one great month out of a dozen played, he doesn’t provide anything.
The last two months of the year hit hit 253 with a 268 OBP. Combine that with his defense, and he’s practically unplayable. Why people were expecting him to be something else is beyond me.
Fletcher is not on the Angels anymore. He is a Bee now. It looks like Neto is going to play daily and get every chance to win the job permanently.
There is a reason teams don’t look at just 2 months of performance in a 162 game season. In 2022, Rengifo showed improvement with the bat and when all was said and done he had a 102 OPS+ or about league average. In 4 of 5 months he was at or above league average. Pretty much every team would be happy with that from their utility guy,
Not sure what you are talking about on defense. Rengifo is not a great defensive SS, but at -2 DRS and -2 OAA last season in 16 starts at the position he is not hurting the Angels in that aspect of the game. He is a utility guy and this season has played mostly 2B just like he did last season.
He’s not an Angel? I guess Tatis is not a Padre.
Rengifo had one good month. Is a horrible defensive player and ended the year as a bad hitter.
I would have been fine with Fletch playing Short everyday. I will be fine if Neto is sent down and Fletch plays short everyday. I will be fine if Rengifo never starts another game for the Angels.
And I bet the Angels are having a hard time trading him.
Seems…aggressive.
Development needs to be factored in too.
Kjerstad’s health scare was myocarditis. Once he was finally cleared, he had to build himself back up. And it may be one of those situations where he not only built himself back up, but ended up stronger than he’s ever been before. The sound of the ball leaving his bat in spring training just sounded different. His power is definitely impressive.
Alfonseca… Mashtastic… Workman has worked… Someone had too much fun writing this article.
What does “…an Alfonseca
handful of games” mean?
a half dozen.
Thanks!
I had to look it up, since I’m no where near the baseball nerd some folks are.. Alfonseca was a relief pitcher and he was fully polydactyl, both hands and feet. So, now I get the reference.
Polydactyl !!!
She have a sister?
Terrydactyl is her sister
Thanks!
Mr. Fancy Pants couldn’t just
sat “6 games?”
SMH…..
I thought it was funny.
Trust me, my pants ain’t fancy.
Great to see Hjerstad thriving after the health issues (namely the myocarditis). Felt like a reach coming out, but now that pick looks like a masterclass for BAL.
I think Abbott may have more upside than that of just a middle reliever. A LH with his strike out rate will be starting until he shows he can’t do it..
I do believe I said “floor” 🙂