Baseball America's Jim Callis will be chatting at 2PM over on ESPN.com. With the minor league season alomst done, the prospect rankings entering the 2008 season are beginning to tkae shape. Some players will not qualify if there recent recalls hold (Joba Chamberlain, Eric Patterson, Andrubel Cabrera, etc), but there will certainly be others to take their places.
For a hint of who they are, check out Baseball America's Prospect Hot Sheet where the twenty hottest minor leaguers over the last week are sorted. Here are a few of note. To see the rest, click through.
It's easy to do a double-take when you see a 1990 birthdate. But let's not focus on how if he were in high school, Triunfel would be entering his junior year. Or how Roger Clemens already had 95 wins when Triunfel was born.
Let's instead pay attention to the fact that as a 17-year-old in high Class A, Triunfel has done more than just prove that pitchers can't knock the bat out of his hands. He's hitting .318/.347/.386 between low and high Class A, and a robust .333/.366/.393 since being promoted to High Desert in July. He also went 6-for-6 in a game last Monday.
Though his performance has merited attention, Triunfel has not hit for power this year--even in the Cal Leageu. With 17 extra-base hits in 280 at-bats, the Mariners will have to wait for the 5-foot-11, 175-pound shortstop to grow into his body.
7. Jed Lowrie, ss, Triple-A Pawtucket (Red Sox)
Don't worry, Jed. Consider your poor 2006 season forgotten. A .300/.403/.520 line this year will make us forget a lot of things. Lowrie has a nine-game hitting streak, five multi-hit games in the past week and three home runs in the past three games. He's hit .326/.347/.652 through 11 Triple-A games.
12. Chris Davis, 3B, Double-A Frisco
Davis made a name for himself this season with high Class Bakersfield by matching the California League-record consecutive-game hitting streak at 35--and doing it while hitting for power. His surge has continued since being promoted to Double-A. The 21-year-old is hitting .368/.409/.947 in 19 at-bats at Frisco, with five of his seven hits going for extra-bases. His high strikeout pace also seems to have followed him to Frisco. After whiffing 123 times in 386 at-bats with Bakersfield, Davis has six in 19 at-bats in Frisco.
16. Ben Revere, of, Rookie-level GCL (Twins)
Revere has provided good value for the Twins thus far. The 28th overall pick in June hit .400 last week in 20 at-bats and is hitting .341/.387/.500 on the season with a league leading eight triples. He has also stolen 14 bases in 18 attempts.
20. Geovany Soto, c/1b, Triple-A Iowa (Cubs)
Among the Cubs better all-around catching prospects, Soto has had a monster year in the Pacific Coast League--a year that only seems to be getting better. The 24-year-old, an 11th round pick from Puerto Rico in 2001, has hit .386/.456/.773 with eight homers in 23 games since July 1 and leads the league (and all minor league catchers) with a .345 average. His .631 slugging percentage also leads the PCL, and ranks behind only Steven Pearce's .633 mark among minor leaguers.