Eloy Jimenez and the Other Prospects Who Should Start in MLB
The sport of baseball is often referred to as a kids’ game and coincidentally teams are leaning more heavily on the performances of younger players. Prospects scouting and development have grown in significance to teams in recent years as well as to the fans who follow the game.
Some teams are looking to save money while others are trying to maximize the performance value of the player. That’s where this process gets a little murky. In a perfect world, when a young player is ready for the big leagues, he just gets called up and we see where it goes.
There are development considerations, of course. What if the player gets in over his head and loses some of the confidence he needs to play the sport at the highest level? What if the pressure is too much? But the real concern that has everyone concerned these days is the teams’ manipulations of player service times to get as much value as can be extracted based on the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
While it is difficult at times to sympathize with millionaire players complaining about marginal differences in compensation, it is even more difficult to understand teams in a $10 billion per year league haggling over a few million dollars that the team might have to pay five years from now.
This whole genre of player drama reached the public awareness when the Cubs held back Kris Bryant’s debut a few years ago. Everyone knew he was ready. However, by delaying his start a couple weeks, the team gained an extra year of control. Bryant went on to win Rookie of the Year. So, yeah, he was ready.
Same with Ronald Acuña last year. Again, Rookie of the Year.
The Chicago White Sox have the right idea in signing super-stud outfield prospect in Eloy Jimenez to a big contract even before he’s played a game in the bigs. He’s ready to face Major League pitching right now. They could have pushed his call-up to May and saved some money. But they chose to just offer him a long-term deal. It’s a win-win move that saves the team a good amount of money and pays the player even if he stumbles, gets injured or flames out.
Of course, the White Sox might choose to not call up Jimenez for the season opener and then we can really start questionning the decision-making process over there. But, for now, it looks like they made a smart move.
So, let’s take a look at some other hitters whose team should start their prospect in the Major Leagues by whatever means they see fit.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 3B – Toronto Blue Jays
This is the easy one, right? He’s quite possibly the best hitting prospect since Mike Trout. While he doesn’t have the defensive skills to match, he’ll be fine at third base for at least a few years. The uproar had already begun about the Blue Jays pushing his service time back, but then he suffered a mild injury that looks like it will save the Jays the PR nightmare. Also, his prospect-mate Bo Bichette has a pretty strong case for getting called up.
Nate Lowe, 1B – Tampa Bay Rays
Of all the teams that get criticized for pinching pennies on these player service time issues, the Rays probably get the most leeway. Between their poor attendance and minimal TV deal, saving a few million here and there might really make a difference. However, they do get revenue sharing and the fans—as few as they are—deserve to see the best team. Nate Lowe is an excellent hitter with an exciting combination of power and discipline at the plate. Many think the Rays traded away Jake Bauers because they knew Lowe would be ready. Just as soon as the service time stuff is most advantageous.
Pete Alonso, 1B – New York Mets
“Oh, boy, Dominic Smith is having a great spring,” they said. This sounds like team propaganda to give the team an excuse to keep Pete Alonso in the minors for a few weeks while Smith starts the team with the big club and proves that he’s still Dominic Smith and needs to be replaced. Alonso busted onto the scene last year with some huge power and strong plate discipline. This is a prototypical right-handed clean up hitter who is ready to make a difference right now. And it’s a Mets lineup that has way too many left-handers as it is.
Nick Senzel, 3B/CF – Cincinnati Reds
Senzel has been the Reds top prospect for a couple years now. And in the team’s defense they might have called him up last year if not for some unusual injury problems. I didn’t know vertigo was even still a thing. He’s a plus-plus hitter with great speed who was supposed to be the Reds’ third baseman of the future. Until Eugenio Suarez became the third baseman of the present. With Scooter Gennett blocking Senzel at second base, the team moved Senzel to center field. He’s looked solid there this spring. Since the Reds really only have corner outfielders, he would fit in nicely on Opening Day.
Ryan Mountcastle, 3B – Baltimore Orioles
It says “3B” because at this stage in a career, no one wants to put “DH” there. This guy is an all-bat, no-field guy. The Orioles have begun the long and winding road towards a rebuild. So, having Mountcastle out there butchering ground balls and fly balls all year isn’t going to mean very much. Though I do pity the development of any of the team’s pitchers. The Orioles also have Austin Hays, DJ Stewart and Yusniel Diaz as prospects who could be in Baltimore by mid-season.
