Major League Baseball Prospects Weekly Ten-Pack, Week 20 — Rest of Season Impact
We are headed into the home stretch of the baseball season, both at the major league level and the minor league level. There are a number of guys who could factor into the majors by the end of the season. To preview a few guys of interest that very well could impact the end of season both in fantasy baseball and in “real” baseball. This week we cross the 300 player mark that have been reviewed in this space. If you want to check out the previous 290, click here.
Let’s dig into this week’s highlighted players:
Hitters
Cooper Bowman, 2B/CF, Oakland Athletics
Stats: 422 PA, .284/.377/.451, 20 2B, 12 HR, 39 SB, 51/89 BB/K
In South Dakota, high school baseball is still a club sport and didn’t even exist in that role until the last 20 years. That’s led to American Legion Baseball, which was founded in the state, becoming a big thing across South Dakota. Bowman was part of one of the storied Legion programs in the state, playing for Rapid City’s Post 22 before heading to Iowa Western Community College and eventually playing one season with Louisville, where he hit .293/.387/.456 over 48 games.
Bowman was drafted by the Yankees in the fourth round of the 2021 draft. He worked his way all the way to Single-A in his pro debut, hitting .255/.355/.480 over 121 plate appearances with four home runs and 13 stolen bases. At the 2022 trade deadline, the Yankees included Bowman with three pitchers in a trade to the A’s for pitchers Frankie Montas and Lou Trivino.
Playing High-A ball for both organizations, Bowman put together a .215/.329/.341 line over 493 combined plate appearances in 2022 with 11 home runs and 47 steals, posting a 64/135 BB/K ratio. He worked around an injury in 2023, spending most of his year with Double-A Midland, hitting .262/.360/.431 with eight home runs and 38 steals.
This year, Bowman hit well in Double-A, but he’s really turned it on after a recent promotion to Triple-A. After playing around the infield, he’s focused on second base and center field in Triple-A. Oakland has a strong second baseman in Zack Gelof, but if he can show the ability to handle center, he could be a guy to watch for playing time to end the season.
Christian Koss, SS, San Francisco Giants
Stats: 228 PA, .318/.389/.535, 7 HR, 11 SB, 21/35 BB/K
After an impressive three-year career with the University of California-Irvine, Koss was a 12th-round selection in 2019 by the Colorado Rockies. He was able to make his pro debut and hit very well with the advanced rookie league Grand Junction club, slashing .332/.447/.605 with 11 home runs and 10 stolen bases over 238 plate appearances, posting a 35/43 BB/K ratio.
After missing the 2020 season, Koss was traded in December 2020 to the Boston Red Sox for reliever Yoan Aybar. He came out with High-A Greenville and hit fairly well in his system debut in 2021, slashing .271/.325/.451 with 15 home runs and 10 stolen bases while posting a 31/100 BB/K over 468 plate appearances. He also appeared in the Arizona Fall League that season but struggled to a .229/.275/.250 slash line.
Koss was solid with Double-A Portland in 2022, hitting 17 home runs and stealing 16 bases in 125 games while slashing .260/.309/.430. In 2023, Koss struggled to stay healthy, and his bat wasn’t as productive when he was on the field, slashing .235/.287/.353 over 296 plate appearances, nearly evenly split between Double-A and Triple-A. He was sold for cash to the Giants at the end of Spring Training this year.
Health has again been a bugaboo for Koss this year, but he’s hit very well when on the field, showing significantly improved plate discipline. He’s also shown a capable glove at shortstop, which happens to be a position where the Giants are looking for an answer. As they attempt to remain in the playoff hunt, a worthy shortstop defender who isn’t going to hurt the team at the plate could provide notable value over other options.
Shay Whitcomb, Util, Houston Astros
Stats: 472 PA, .296/.381/.531, 19 2B, 24 HR, 26 SB, 53/92 BB/K
Whitcomb parlayed three seasons of hitting better than .300 at UC-San Diego into a fifth-round selection by the Astros in the 2020 draft. He played across both A-ball levels in 2021 in his pro debut, slashing .293/.363/.530 with 23 home runs and 30 stolen bases in 444 plate appearances, posting a 39/134 BB/K ratio.
He spent all of 2022 in Double-A, though he struggled with contact, hitting .219/.283/.399 with 19 home runs and 20 stolen bases while posting a 36/165 BB/K ratio. Last season, he split his time between Double-A and Triple-A, hitting .240/.301/.470 with 35 home runs and 20 stolen bases, with a worrisome 42/178 BB/K ratio over 589 plate appearances.
His improved plate discipline has been notable this season on top of his power/speed combination. So far in 2024, Whitcomb has played every position but pitcher, catcher, and center field, so he’s certainly shown capable of being a quality utility man, and bench depth is something Houston has not been able to lock down all season, giving the 25-year-old an opportunity to potentially contribute for a playoff contender.
Payton Eeles, Util, Minnesota Twins
Stats: 315 PA, .303/.438/.475, 7 HR, 29 SB, 49/44 BB/K
Eeles transferred to Coastal Carolina for his senior season after three productive years with Cedarville University, and he had a big year, hitting .374/.500/.492 with 42 stolen bases, but he was not drafted and did not receive interest as an undrafted free agent, leading to him signing with Chicago in the American Association, an independent baseball league.
He hit well with Chicago, slashing .311/.390/.437 with 13 stolen bases in 39 games. This year, he signed with Southern Maryland in the Atlantic League, another independent league, and he was hitting .292/.393/.667 over six games when the Twins came knocking.
Eeles spent 34 games at Single-A and 13 games at High-A before he was promoted to Triple-A St. Paul, where he’s continued to hit well, and he’s walked more than he’s struck out for the Saints. Eeles has played both corner outfield spots along with second, third, and short this year, but he’s also shagged balls in center, so there’s certainly an opportunity that he could cap off a magical first full professional season coming off the bench for the Twins down the stretch.
Luisangel Acuna, Util, New York Mets
Stats: 461 PA, .267/.314/.375, 6 HR, 31 SB, 28/74 BB/K
Acuna, the younger brother of Braves’ superstar Ronald Acuna Jr., was signed in July 2018 out of Venezuela by the Texas Rangers. He made his pro debut in 2019 with the Rangers’ DSL squad, hitting .342/.438/.455 with 16 extra-base hits and 17 steals over 51 games.
After missing the 2020 pandemic year, Acuna opened 2021 with Single-A Down East, hitting .266/.345/.404 with 12 home runs and 44 steals, posting a 49/110 BB/K over 473 plate appearances. He followed that with a strong year in 2022, split between High-A Hickory and Double-A Frisco, hitting .277/.369/.426 with 11 home runs and 40 steals, adding a 51/96 BB/K ratio. Acuna then hit .238/.322/.363 in 21 Arizona Fall League games with eight steals.
Acuna returned to Frisco to open 2023, and he was hitting very well before the Rangers moved him to the Mets as the primary return for Max Scherzer. He struggled some with the Mets after the trade, finishing with a .294/.359/.410 slash line over 569 plate appearances, with nine homers and 57 steals while posting a 52/106 BB/K.
Acuna has played up the middle this year, with 20+ games at second, short, and center field. There is legit question if his lack of patience at the plate could lead to him struggling at the big league level, but the speed is legit and he’s a solid defender up the middle, giving him value to a pennant-chasing team.
Pitchers
Jairo Iriarte, RHP, Chicago White Sox
Stats: 103 IP, 4.02 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 102/45 K/BB
The Padres signed Iriarte out of Venezuela in 2018, and the righty made his pro debut with the San Diego DSL team in 2019, posting a 3.31 ERA and 1.39 WHIP over 35 1/3 innings, with a 21/14 K/BB rate. He was growing throughout the pandemic and showed up in 2021 for his stateside debut with four more inches of height and 40+ pounds of added frame.
He had also added nearly 10 MPH to his fastball, but he struggled to control his newfound stuff, posting an 11.40 ERA and a 1.87 WHIP over 30 innings, with a 34/13 K/BB rate between complex ball and Single-A. He only moderately improved on that in 2022 in a full season in Single-A, tallying a 5.12 ERA and 1.37 WHIP over 91 1/3 innings, with a 109/42K/BB ratio.
Iriarte began to more consistently hone his big stuff last season, seeing his slider become a true weapon and his changeup turn into a potential plus option as well along with the fastball that was touching triple digits. He split the year between High-A and Double-A and posted a 3.49 ERA and 1.28 WHIP over 90 1/3 innings with a 128/45 K/BB ratio.
The White Sox acquired Iriarte along with Drew Thorpe, outfielder Samuel Zavala, and reliever Steven Wilson. While he’s been touched up a few times in Double-A, Iriarte has taken another step forward with his command this year. He could potentially offer the White Sox a few late-season starts or even be a dynamite multi-inning pitcher in the bullpen if the White Sox were worried about over-using his arm, as he has a career-high 103 innings already.
Ryan Garcia, RHP, Texas Rangers
Stats: 94 IP, 3.73 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 90/44 K/BB
Garcia had about the best multi-year summer/regular season finish to a college career, going 23–4 over 246 2/3 innings with a 1.75 ERA and a 278/90 K/BB ratio. His lack of big velocity led to him being a second-round pick in 2019 by the Rangers rather than an elite prospect in that year’s draft. He then posted eight strikeouts over five innings in his pro debut.
Garcia was then hurt coming out of the missed pandemic year, and he didn’t get back on the mound until 2022. He eased innings back, making 14 appearances across both A-ball levels with 56 2/3 innings pitched at a 1.91 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, and a 74/21 K/BB. Trying to stretch out last season was not pretty as Garcia posted a 6.66 ERA and 1.61 WHIP over 98 2/3 innings with a 110/62 K/BB rate.
This year has been much different, and Garcia seems to be getting better as the season goes on. He doesn’t have top-shelf velocity, sitting in the low-90s and touching 94–95 with his fastball, but he uses six pitches consistently, featuring a plus cutter, a four-seam fastball, a sinker, a slider, a curve, and a change. He can locate all six pitches well, giving him plenty of different looks for hitters.
While Garcia may not be a fantasy darling, he could be the sort of guy to come up to fill in for the injury-riddled Rangers rotation and simply never give up the rotation spot again, becoming a consistent #4 starter for years to come.
Edgardo Henriquez, RHP, Los Angeles Dodgers
Stats: 42 1/3 IP, 2.76 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 71/19 K/BB
Originally signed by the Dodgers out of Venezuela in 2018, Henriquez made his pro debut in the DSL in 2019, pitching to a 4.80 ERA and 1.63 WHIP over 30 innings with a 30/28 K/BB. He then lost the 2020 season to the pandemic and struggled again with location in 2021, posting a 4.93 ERA and 1.36 WHIP over 34 2/3 innings with a 50/24 K/BB ratio.
He spent all of 2022 in Single-A, pitching 35 2/3 innings with a 4.54 ERA and 1.60 WHIP, but with a notably better 44/18 K/BB ratio, but the elbow popped, costing him the rest of that season and all of 2023.
Returning to the mound this year, the Dodgers opened him starting games on a short leash in Single-A, but his raw stuff was so dominant that he has now been moved all the way up to Triple-A in the bullpen. Henriquez has turned heads with an incredible 103+ MPH fastball that he pairs with a plus slider. His raw stuff could be dynamic out of the Dodger bullpen to close out the season.
Noah Cameron, LHP, Kansas City Royals
Stats: 87 IP, 3.31 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 104/25 K/BB
Cameron had two very strong seasons with Central Arkansas and was poised to improve his draft stock to a potential first-day pick in 2021, but his elbow popped in fall ball and he missed the entire year with Tommy John surgery. The Royals snagged the lefty in the seven round in that year’s draft.
The Royals started Cameron at the complex in 2022 in his return as he eased innings back on his arm. By the end of that season, he worked through both A-ball levels, totaling a 3.56 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, and a 99/16 K/BB ratio over 65 2/3 innings. He opened 2023 with a brilliant showing in High-A but struggled after a mid-year promotion to Double-A, finishing with a 5.28 ERA and 1.40 WHIP over 107 1/3 innings, posting a 132/35 K/BB.
Cameron has pitched between Double-A and Triple-A this season, showing off excellent control of his low-90s fastball that carries very well through the zone. He pairs that with a plus change and a curve that he can shape to be either a sharp-breaking low-80s offering or a more looping upper-70s offering. Cameron has the profile of a prototype backend lefty starter, and with the Twins featuring a lefty-heavy platoon hitting group, lefty starters could provide an advantage for Central division foes competing for a playoff spot.
Justin Jarvis, RHP, New York Mets
Stats: 65 2/3 IP, 4.52 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 64/21 K/BB
The Brewers selected the North Carolina prep righty in the fifth round of the 2018 draft. He showed strong control with an 18/4 K/BB over 19 innings in his pro debut, but also with a 6.63 ERA. He made his full-season debut the following year with Single-A Wisconsin, posting a 3.50 ERA and 1.18 WHIP over 74 2/3 innings, notching a 52/36 K/BB.
After the missed 2020 season, Jarvis returned to Wisconsin, though now as a High-A affiliate, but he struggled with his location, posting a 62/35 K/BB ratio over 63 1/3 innings, leading to a 5.40 ERA and 1.55 WHIP. He made seven appearances in the Arizona Fall League that season, pitching to a 5.60 ERA and 1.53 WHIP but still struggling with location, to the tune of a 15/14 K/BB.
The 2022 season saw Jarvis earn his way to Double-A, tossing an impressive 141 innings with a 3.83 ERA and 1.32 WHIP, posting a 150/66 K/BB ratio. He was hoping to earn a look in the Brewers rotation starting 2023 in Double-A and was pitching very well, but he struggled after a promotion to Triple-A and continued those struggles after Milwaukee traded him to the Mets for Mark Canha. He finished with a 5.31 ERA and 1.59 WHIP over 118 2/3 innings, posting a 138/60 K/BB rate.
Jarvis has struggled with the injury bug this year along with being used in a swingman role by the club. He works with four average to above-average pitches, though none is really a plus offering. His high arm slot gives hitters a unique look, especially now that he’s working in multi-inning relief usage. The Mets likely could look at someone who can offer the bullpen a rest as the season concludes, and Jarvis could absolutely fit into that role.
Thanks for reading! Next week we’ll examine some advanced metrics to find players that haven’t been mentioned yet.
