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While their value is highly established in dynasty and keeper leagues, there are still prospects that are worth holding onto in redraft leagues while you wait for their call up to the big leagues. Each week I'll be looking at my top ten prospects that currently aren't in the majors, but could be worth holding in a bench spot given their potential value for the rest of the season. These rankings are based solely on their potential 2014 value, and do not include any players that are already in the majors as of yesterday.
Graduates So Far
George Springer, Trevor Bauer, Tommy La Stella, Marcus Stroman, Jon Singleton, Eddie Butler, Kevin Gausman, Gregory Polanco, Andrew Heaney, Jake Marisnick, Oscar Taveras, Taijuan Walker, Arismendy Alcantara, Jimmy Nelson, Wilmer Flores, Allen Webster, Mookie Betts, Jake Marisnick
This Week's Graduates
Javier Baez - It finally happened in Chicago, and Baez announced his presence with a game-winning home run in his debut, and a two home run game on Thursday. If he is still available in your league, grab him, and do it now. He could hit 10-12 home runs before the end of the year.
Jake Lamb - A bit of a surprise to be called up, Lamb has jumped from AA to the Majors after just five games at AAA Reno, and is worth a look if you're in need of corner infield help.
Trevor May - It appears that the Twins are finally ready to see what some of their top pitching prospects can do, with May expected to start today against the Athletics. Hopefully he's up for the rest of the year, because I'm not sure what else there is to prove at AAA for him now.
1. Joc Pederson (#32, Midseason #11)
RANK LAST WEEK: 1 (No change)
BLOCKED BY: All those outfielders, man
ESTIMATED TIMEFRAME OF CALLUP: September 1st
Pederson had a rough week at the plate, and with the Dodgers' outfielders continuing to be beacons of health, it's becoming harder to see how much Pederson can provide over the last two months of the year.
2. Andrew Heaney (#34, Midseason #22)
RANK LAST WEEK: 3 (+1)
BLOCKED BY: Jarred Cosart, Brad Hand, Tom Koehler
ESTIMATED TIMEFRAME FOR CALLUP: Early September
Heaney seems extremely likely to be up for at least September since he's already on the 40-man roster, with the potential to be up sooner given that Brad Hand and Tom Koehler are two of the starters in the Marlins' rotation right now.
3. Mookie Betts (#60, Midseason #16)
RANK LAST WEEK: Graduate
BLOCKED BY: Jackie Bradley, Brock Holt?
ESTIMATED TIMEFRAME FOR CALLUP: September 1st
Betts was demoted back to AAA when the Red Sox activated Kelly Johnson from the disabled list, so I'd look for him to be back up with the big club when rosters expand on September 1st.
4. Noah Syndergaard (#19, Midseason #15)
RANK LAST WEEK: 4 (No change)
BLOCKED BY: Jacob deGrom, Bartolo Colon?
ESTIMATED TIMEFRAME FOR CALLUP: Mid August
There hasn't been any indication whether Bartolo Colon has been placed on revocable waivers yet or not, so we may not be sure whether he can be traded or not until we hear it. If the Mets do not trade Colon, I don't know if I see another roster spot without an injury.
5. Kris Bryant (#8, Midseason #1)
RANK LAST WEEK: 5 (No change)
BLOCKED BY: Mike Olt and Luis Valbuena
ESTIMATED TIMEFRAME FOR CALLUP: Mid-August
Theo Epstein was asked again about whether Bryant would be up this season, to which he responded that he didn't think so yet again. He can have a bigger impact in a short period of time in both batting average and home runs, so I'd still rather have him than any of the players below that might get called up as soon as next week.
6. Alex Meyer (#51, Midseason #41)
RANK LAST WEEK: 6 (No change)
BLOCKED BY: Mike Pelfrey, Sam Deduno and Kevin Correia, Yohan Pino, Logan Darnell, Tommy Milone
ESTIMATED TIMEFRAME FOR CALLUP: Mid-August
The Twins are finally bringing Trevor May up to the Majors, so hopefully it's only a matter of time before they decide that Alex Meyer is an improvement to their roster as well.
7. Taijuan Walker (#6, Midseason #8)
RANK LAST WEEK: 7 (No change)
BLOCKED BY: The Mariners' front office?
ESTIMATED TIMEFRAME FOR CALLUP: late August
Walker went into Albuquerque this week, and proceeded to get blown up to the tune of 8 earned runs with only 7 outs to go with it. While the Mariners optioned Roenis Elias to the minors, it doesn't sound like Walker will be called upon to take his spot in the short term, but rather Erasmo Ramirez per Greg Johns of MLB.com
8. Jonathan Gray (#22, Midseason #20)
RANK LAST WEEK: 8 (No change)
BLOCKED BY: Franklin Morales, Tyler Matzek,Franklin Morales
ESTIMATED TIMEFRAME FOR CALLUP: late August
There is a TBD spot in the rotation right now for the Rockies, but Gray is pitching on Friday night, so a Sunday start seems practically impossible. I still think we see Gray before the end of the year, if for no other reason than for the team to see if he may be ready for Opening Day 2014.
9. Francisco Lindor (#35, Midseason #21)
RANK LAST WEEK: 9 (No change)
BLOCKED BY: Mike Aviles and Jose Ramirez
ESTIMATED TIMEFRAME FOR CALLUP: mid-August
The Indians have slowly been moving players that aren't in the long-term outlook for the team, sending Justin Masterson, Asdrubal Cabrera, and Vinnie Pestano out so far. I think that Lindor is up by the end of the year, so that the team can find out if they may need a stopgap at shortstop for 2015.
10. Archie Bradley (#7, Midseason #14)
RANK LAST WEEK: 10 (No change)
BLOCKED BY: Trevor Cahill, Vidal Nuno, Josh Collmenter
ESTIMATED TIMEFRAME FOR CALLUP: September 1st
The control remains the issue, as Bradley issued four walks in his start against Mississippi this week. I'm still of the belief that he will be up, but it seems less likely by the day at this point.
Honorable Mentions (in Alphabetical Order by Group)
Hitters
Matt Davidson, 3B, CHW (#64)
Maikel Franco, 3B, PHI (#36, Midseason #33)
Rob Refsnyder, 2B/OF, NYY (NR)
Jorge Soler, OF, CHC (#37, Midseason #39)
Pitchers
Nick Kingham, RHP, PIT (#145) - Kingham has pitched well at AAA Indianapolis, and might be called upon should the Pirates need a starting pitcher at some point.
Rafael Montero, RHP, NYM (#95)
Anthony Ranaudo, RHP, BOS - Ranaudo was called up for a spot start last week, and now that he's been added to the 40-man roster could be in line for more in the future.
Robert Stephenson, RHP, CIN (#17, Midseason #23)
Matt Wisler, RHP, SDP (#67, Midseason #36)