Fantasy Minor Recap- Hitters

Now that the 2020 calendar has begun, I can start thinking about baseball and my minor league fantasy draft that I try to write about here and there.
I finally won the Jim Bouton Baseball League after many years of trying and I was more than happy on the night that I finally won that elusive title.

However, in our league where you keep all of your players, you have to continue to move forward and plan for the future.
In our league, you can only have 17 players in your minor system and you have to have fewer than that to draft more, so it's a constant concept of culling prospects.
Today, I'll be looking back at the hitters from 2019 and discuss if they have a future with the "Akron Rubber Ducks".

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 3b Toronto Blue Jays
.272 15 HR 69 RBI Toronto
Guerrero fell just 36 at-bats short of forcing a decision for me as in our league, once a player has 500 MLB at-bats, the team has to either bring him up or release him.
Guerrero spent very little time with AAA Buffalo (9 games) with his "arbitration" send-down time being eaten by a spring training injury.
I have three excellent third basemen (Anthony Rendon, Nolan Arenado, and Rafael Devers), but I'll find a place for Guerrero's bat.

The remaining eight players didn't spend any major league time in 2019, so they are still projections as far their future will be.
Some will stay, some will leave and with one or two others, I am still undecided on keeping them or not.
I'll start with the catchers and work my way around the diamond.

Joey Bart C San Francisco Giants
234 AB .265 12 HR 37 RBI High A San Jose
79 AB .316 4 HR 11 RBI AA Richmond
Bart was just starting to hit his stride when he suffered a broken hand with San Jose but upon his return hit very well at AA Richmond.
I paid a high price to move from eleventh to first in the first round in Shane Bieber to draft Bart last season and although I liked Bieber I was surprised with his elite performance last season.
For that deal to be worthwhile in the long run (assuming Bieber keeps that level of performance), Bart will have to be an elite offensive catcher and not just above average.
I think he's capable of that.
Bart should start at AAA Sacramento and finish the season with the Giants.

William Contreras C Atlanta Braves
190 AB .263 3 HR 22 RBI High A Florida
191 AB .246 3 HR 17 RBI AA Mississippi
The younger brother of Willson Contreras, William split the season between High A and AA  and his numbers were average.
Contreras played most of the season at 21, which made his a little young for AA and the Braves were pleased enough to move him to AA  at mid-season.
I'll be keeping Contreras around for this season, but this is a key year for him.
Contreras will likely return to AA Mississippi to start in 2020.

Miguel Vargas 3B Los Angeles Dodgers
280 AB .325 5 HR 45 RBI Low A Great Lakes
211 AB .284 2 HR 32 RBI High A Rancho Cucamonga
Vargas played the entire season as a 19-year-old and I think he is a star in the making.
The Cuban might eventually become a first baseman and his power numbers were a little low, but with his frame (6'3 205 lbs), I think as he grows into his body, the power will come along.
The hype around the Dodgers farm system is around Gavin Lux right now and rightfully so, but by this time next year when Lux is an established major leaguer, the top minor leaguer could be Miguel Vargas.
Vargas could start with AA Tulsa if the Dodgers really want to challenge him, but my guess is that he starts with High A Rancho Cucamonga and if all goes as expected, Vargas could be in Tulsa by mid-May.

Elehuris Montero 3B St.Louis
224 AB .188 7 HR 18 RBI AA Springfield
Montero shows what can happen when a player is moved too soon as after he dominated the low A Midwest League in 2018 and less than 100 at-bats in high A in the same season, Montero was surprisingly assigned to AA Springfield for 2019.
Montero missed much of the season, struck out 74 times and hit under .190 in never getting untracked.
Still, his seven homers give me hope and Montero only turned 21 with two weeks to go in the season.
I'm still trying to decide on Montero, but I'm leaning towards blaming the team and not the player and seeing if Montero will bounce back.
Montero should return to AA Springfield for a second chance to conquer the Texas League.

O'Neil Cruz SS Pittsburgh
136 AB .301 7 HR 16 RBI High A Bradenton
119 AB .269 1 HR 17 RBI AA Altoona
The tallest shortstop (6'7) that you are likely to see, Cruz, like Montero, battled injuries early in the season and didn't turn 21 until after the season.
Unlike Montero, Cruz started at High A and after his return from injury and an excellent July, only then did Cruz move to AA.
I'm not sure if Cruz plays shortstop at the major league level, but I think his bat is going to play-if the Pirates can be patient and allow him to develop.
Cruz should return to AA Altoona to start in 2020.

Heliot Ramos OF San Francisco
294 AB .306 13 HR 40 RBI High A San Jose
95   AB .242  3 HR 15 RBI AA Richmond
Ramos, like so many in my system, fought injuries early in the year but hit very well with High A San Jose.
Ramos didn't turn 20 until after the season and considering that Ramos held his own after a final month with AA Richmond.
There is plenty to prove, but being young for both levels, I'm very encouraged about the future of Ramos.
Ramos should start 2020 with AA Richmond and finish with AAA Sacramento.

Luis Robert OF Chicago White Sox
75 AB .453 8 HR 24 RBI 8 SB High A Winston-Salem
226 AB. 314 8 HR 29 RBI 21 SB AA Birmingham
202 AB .297 16 HR  39 RBI 7 SB AAA Charlotte
Robert had battled injuries in a disappointing 2018 after I selected him with my first pick in that draft and I was hoping to see a bounceback year.
Robert more than bounced back with a season to be remembered, especially those 75 at-bats to start the season with High A Winston-Salem, which was about as destructive as an outfielder could be as an offensive force.
Robert was almost as dominant at AA and AAA and has nothing left to prove.
The White Sox signed Robert to a six year contract last week and since that contract eliminates the arbitration issue with service time, Robert will likely make the ChiSox team coming out of spring training.

Jhailyn Ortiz OF Philadelphia
430 AB .200 19 HR 65 RBI High A Clearwater
Ortiz didn't turn 21 until the season was over, but I was surprised to see the Phillies start Ortiz at High A Clearwater after a mediocre 2018 (.225 13 homers) at Low A Lakewood.
While you have to like the 19 homers in the Florida State League, a noted pitchers league, there is little else to like from Ortiz's season.
An average that ended exactly on the Mendoza Line and 149 strikeouts (over a strikeout in every three at-bats) at High-A doesn't give me confidence in his future.
The talent is there for Ortiz, but I don't currently believe that he is going to make enough contact to eventually be a big-league level player.
Ortiz is young enough that I wouldn't rule him out as a prospect yet, but two years with a combined 297 strikeouts isn't enough to keep him in my system.

Of my positions players entering the draft year, my current feelings are these.
Promoted to the Ducks- Vladimir Guerrero Jr

Will be promoted to the Ducks sometime this season barring an injury- Luis Robert

Retaining rights and hoping for big things-
Joey Bart
Heliot Ramos
O'Neil Cruz
Miguel Vargas

Protecting, but 2020 make or break
William Contreras

Questioning to protect or not and 2020 make or break
Elehuris Montero

Going to be Released
Jhailyn Ortiz

I plan on doing a similar post on my eight pitchers sometime next week.

Fantasy Minor Picks; 2018

Now that the season is over, I wanted to update the players that I selected in my minor league fantasy draft last winter.

It's a mixed bag between great seasons, disappointing ones due to injuries and some just taking time to develop.
Nonetheless, I'm still fairly pleased and with one possible exception, I think I'm going to keep these guys around for 2019.

Round One: Luis Robert OF Chicago White Sox
Low A Kannapolis 13 Games .289, 0 HR 4 RBI 4 SB
High A Winston-Salem 32 Games .269, 0 HR, 11 RBI 8 SB

The 21-year-old Cuban defector had a rough year as he played in just fifty games between a spring training wrist injury and an in-season thumb injury and didn't hit a homer.
Still, wrist and thumb injuries can take away power so I can excuse that and Robert is playing very well in the Arizona Fall League, hitting .369 with a homer in 49 at-bats.
Hopefully, 2019 will show more of the true talent of Robert.
Robert will likely return to High A Winston-Salem, but it's possible he could start with AA Birmingham with a strong spring training.

Round Two: Heliot Ramos OF San Francisco
Low A Augusta: 124 Games  .245 11 HR 52 RBI 8 SB

Ramos, who didn't turn 19 until the season was challenged with an assignment to Low A Augusta and it was a decent, but not great full-season debut.
The average was a little low, but Ramos showed pop with 24 doubles and 8 triples, so the power potential is there. Ramos struck out 136 times which is a lot, but I'll hope that as Ramos gains experience some of those strikeouts will go away.
At 19, Ramos may return to Augusta to start 2019, although he might be assigned to High A San Jose.

Round Three: Jesus Luzardo P Oakland
High A Stockton: 3 Starts 14.2 IP 1-1 Record 1.23 ERA 25 SO 5 BB 0.75 WHIP
AA Midland: 16 Starts 78.2 IP 7-3 Record 2.29 ERA 86 SO 18 BB 0.97 WHIP
AAA Nashville: 4 Starts 16 IP 1-1 Record 7.31 ERA 18 SO 7 BB 2.00 WHIP

Luzardo turned out to be the standout of my draft, dominating two stops, before a late-season cameo at AAA.
In his 108 innings, Luzardo struck out 129 and walked only 30, showing an ability to miss bats and command of the strike zone.
Luzardo turned 21 after the season, so he was not only moved quickly but has room to improve.
Luzardo will likely start 2019 at the Athletics new AAA affiliate in Las Vegas.

Round Four: Adrian Morejon P San Diego
High A Lake Elsinore 13 Starts 62.2 IP 4-4 Record 3.30 ERA 74 SO 24 BB 1.24 WHIP

Morejon was pitching very well in June before hitting the disabled list with a triceps injury,
Morejon would make just one start in each of July and August, pitching a total of five innings before being shut down for the season after August 5.
The injuries are not reported to be serious and Morejon turns twenty over the winter, so my guess is that he returns to Lake Elsinore to start the season and with a solid April, should receive a speedy promotion to San Diego's new AA location in Amarillo, Texas.

Round Five: Jhailyn Ortiz OF Philadelphia
Low A Lakewood: 110 Games .225 Avg 13 HR 47 RBI

Ortiz had a very disappointing season at Low A, striking out 148 times (12 more times than Heliot Ramos in 14 fewer games) and when I saw him play, didn't exactly wow me with his hustle.
Ortiz played the season at 19 (turns 20 in November) so there could be just immaturity issues and he hit a homer at Hagerstown that was the longest that I saw all year, so with 13 homers the power potential is there.
Ortiz is likely to return to Low A Lakewood to work on his contact issues.

Round Five A: William Contreras C Atlanta
Low A Rome: 82 Games .293 11 HR 39 RBI
High A Florida 23 Games .253 0 HR 11 RBI

Contreras continued his development with a strong year in the South Atlantic League before spending August in the Florida State League.
Contreras turns 21 before next season and has time to develop his plate discipline.
Contreras is rumored to be a possible piece in any off-season Braves trades, but if he stays in the Atlanta organization, he'll start back in Florida with the High A Fire Frogs.

I'm more than likely going to keep all of these players, but if I release one, it would be Jhailyn Ortiz.
I may do another piece on the other players in my system on another slow day.

Minor League Fantasy Draft Round Five- Jhailyn Ortiz and...

Photo Credit; Willamsport Sun-Gazette

It was time to make my final selection and I was looking through various notes because my queue of players had been emptied, but I figured that would happen and had other players listed that were possibilities for my final pick.

I was surprised to see a player that I liked still available.
What I was downright stunned to see was that there were quite a few players available that I was interested in, but two stood out above them all and I could only select one.

I decided on Jhailyn Ortiz, a power hitting outfield prospect from the Philadelphia Phillies, who I had seen on my trip to Batavia last year and watched him smack a long home run.
Ortiz hit .302 and eight homers last year in 159 at-bats at short-season Williamsport with a very impressive .961 OPS as a Crosscutter.
Ortiz signed at 16 for a 4.5 million dollar bonus and played last season at 18.
The 6'3 Ortiz didn't have issues making contact, but he appears to be a player that will have to keep in shape because his body shape might be one that gets thick as he ages, so he might be a candidate to move to first base sometime during his career.
Phillies farm director Joe Jordan rates Ortiz as the most talented player in a system that does have plenty of talent, so there is a chance that Ortiz could be a real steal as a fifth rounder.
Ortiz has the type of righthanded power that makes scouts drool ( Having seen him play, Ortiz reminded me some of Aaron Judge) and his 15 doubles show that he'll make enough contact to give him an excellent chance to hit for average even if he does strike out plenty as the cost of living.
I felt good about Ortiz when one of the better owners in our league posted that Ortiz was going to be his pick shortly after mine, had I passed on him.


Having decided on Ortiz as the final selection, I was finished with my draft, but I kept thinking about the player that I passed over.
The day dragged on and as happy as I was with Ortiz, I wanted to find a way to land that other guy.
I decided I had to have him and found a team that was on the clock- Battlin' Bob's Indianapolis Indians and for the cost of a second-round pick in the 2019 major league draft, I could have his pick.
I was fine with the cost, I usually only use one pick, if any, so it was more than fine with me.

So, who was this player that I had to have?

Photo Courtesy;Danville Braves

William Contreras, a catcher in the Braves organization and brother of Willson Contreras of the Cubs.

Contreras turned 20 at the conclusion of the 2017 season and spent last year with Danville of the Appalachian League.
I was impressed with Contreras smoking a would-be base stealer with ease when I was in Danville last year and made a note of him in that game.
When I looked at his stats during my research, I was intrigued by his .290/4/25 line in 169 at-bats and decided I wanted him.
Catcher along with shortstop is the hardest position to find when you draft a minor league version of fantasy baseball because you are dealing with such young players and all too often, catchers become first basemen or outfielders and shortstops often turn into second or third baseman by the time that they would reach the big time.
Often the reason that catcher get their position switched is defensive liabilities, which Contreras is reported to be strong enough in that area and I've seen the arm.
I have a feeling he stays behind the plate.
The bat looks like it could be a good one and Contreras is patient along with being able to make contact as he finished with 25 walks to his 30 strikeouts.
Rookie league catchers are usually a lottery ticket to the big leagues, but William Contreras was one worth taking...