Today at the Prospect Stock Watch we take a look at a second base prospect enjoying the home-run (juiced ball) revolution, an outfielder who has rebelled against the home-run (juiced ball) revolution, and a pitcher who perhaps has the makings to be the next Chris Devenski.

Scott Kingery, 2B, Phillies: Kingrery is an interesting prospect. He hit eight home runs between being drafted in 2015 (in the second round) and the end of 2016. So far in 2017, through 75 games, he has 21 homers. It’s likely the combination of three things: an adjustment in his swing/approach at the plate, the juiced ball, and the Phillies’ double-A park which inflates home run production. That final point may carry less weight given that Kingrey has launched three of his home runs since being promoted to triple-A six games ago.

Second base incumbent Cesar Hernandez has been a solid player over the past year and a half based mostly on his defence but he’s also starting to get expensive (He’s making $2.6 million this year). Philadelphia, in the midst of a rebuilding phase, could look to trade the veteran to a contender this summer, or possibly this winter, and open up a spot for Kingery — who already has a 20-20 (HR-SB) season as July kicks into full swing. Even if the power output slips, he has the ability to hit for a solid average, get on base consistently and steal some bases — which makes for a very good second baseman who can also play defence competently.

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Today’s Prospect Stock Watch takes a look at a breakout Orioles outfielder, more prospect thievery for the Astros, and a wild arm capable of hitting 100 mph.

Austin Hays, OF, Orioles: Selected 91st overall in 2016, Hays has already reached double-A. The well-rounded outfielder has done nothing but hit as a pro despite an inconsistent amateur record. He owns a career .336 average and .945 OPS. And he’s added power to his resume in 2017 with 18 bombs in just 72 games.

Hays has been putting balls over the fence despite a well-controlled swing that helped him strike out just 43 times so far this year (13%) – a very low number for someone closing in on 20 homers. Just 21, his biggest need at this point is to work on getting on base more consistently without having to rely so heavily on his batting average. His walk rate sits at just 4%. Although he’s not a big stolen base guy, Hays should have enough speed to stick in center field for the foreseeable future. He’s been a real steal for the Orioles and someone you’re going to start hearing a lot more about in the near future.

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This week’s prospect stock watch takes a look at an under-the-radar prospect in the Blue Jays system, a shortstop-turned-first baseman showing outstanding pop (and lots of swings and misses), and a long forgotten ($2.5 million) arm now making good in the bullpen.

Edward Olivares, OF, Blue Jays: It’s time to start talking about Olivares – who has been greatly overshadowed by teammates Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette, two of the top prospects in the game. The lesser known prospect appeared in just 15 games in 2016 due to injury and has made up for lost time in ’17. He’s slugged 11 home runs (fourth in the league) with 14 doubles and eight triples. Olivares, 21, has also successfully stolen 14 bases in 19 tries and is well on his way to a 20-20 season in his first full year. The only real negative to his game so far is the 3.9% walk rate. Defensively, he can play all three outfield positions. Look for him to get a taste of high-A ball before the year is out.

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Today at the Prospect Stock Watch we’re taking a look at three players that could be Top 100 prospects by the end of the year — if they’re not already.

Taylor Trammell, OF, Reds: The Reds system got a whole lot better last week after the club cleaned up during the 2017 amateur draft. But the system already had some solid prospects — including Trammell, who was selected 35th overall in the ’16 draft. The 19-year-old outfielder is enjoying a solid first full year in pro ball. At the low-A level, he’s showing his power-speed threat with 27 of his 64 hits going for extra bases and his 17 steals in 22 tries. Trammell is also displaying a willingness to take a free pass with a walk rate at 12.1%. His swing-and-miss tendencies might suppress his batting average a bit but the quick wheels give him a chance to offset that with some infield hits. In his prime, he has a shot at being a 20-20 player (HR-SB).

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This week’s Prospect Stock Watch celebrates the amateur draft – which kicks off later today. Let’s have a look at three early draft picks from 2016 and catch up on their exploits.

Mickey Moniak, OF, Phillies: We can’t review the 2016 draft without checking up on the first player selected. This 19-year-old outfielder isn’t producing eye-popping numbers just yet but he’s holding his own in low-A ball. Although he’s hitting just .266, he projects to develop into a .280-.300 hitter with gap power and maybe 10-12 home runs. He has good speed that helps him play excellent center-field defence but he’s struggled on the base paths with just five steals in nine tries. He’s probably about three years away from the Majors at this point when he might push Odubel Herrera to a corner outfield spot.

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Today at the Prospect Stock Watch we’re taking a look at the value of three catching prospects from around the minor leagues. One has long been considered a top catching prospect, while the other two have come on quickly and are trying to shake the label of “future back-up backstop.”

Danny Jansen, C, Blue Jays: Drafted out of high school by the Jays in 2013, Jansen showed a lot of promise in rookie ball before injuries basically wiped out his 2015-16 seasons. Healthy again (and playing with glasses), Jansen has re-discovered his stroke and earned a promotion to double-A after just 31 games in high-A ball. He has solid defence and the offensive uptick has Jansen looking like a future first-stringer and eventual replacement for Russell Martin. The 34-year-old incumbent still has two years remaining on his deal after 2017 so Jansen likely won’t see regular at-bats until 2019 (if Martin starts playing more infield) or 2020. In his prime, the catching prospect should hit for a solid average with gap power and make lots of contact.

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At the beginning of the 2017 season, I wrote pieces reviewing the potential impact rookie hitters in each league for 2017. Today, we continue a semi-regular review of how those players are actually performing. Previously we reviewed:

AL East
NL East

1. Jharel Cotton, RHP, A’s: When the season began, Cotton appeared well-positioned to play a significant role on the A’s starting staff. To date, he’s thrown the fourth most innings on the staff but has also received a demotion to (and subsequent return from) triple-A. A lack of command has hurt the young hurler and he’s given up too many base runners. Cotton will no doubt continue to get opportunities as the year progresses so if things finally click for him he could still be an asset.

2. Francis Martes, RHP, Astros: Martes reached triple-A at the age of 21 but he’s had a rough season so far. He’s walking more than seven batters per nine innings — resulting in 24 free passes in just 29.2 innings. When he can find the plate, though, he’s exhibiting swing-and-miss stuff as witnessed by his 36 strikeouts. The Astros are one of the strongest teams in the American League but the team’s weakness so far has been the starting pitching depth. Once this young hurler finds the plate on a more consistent basis, he’s going to get a shot.

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Today at the Prospect Stock Watch, we take a look at a former Red Sox prospect making good in the Brewers system, a Dodgers prospect that no one is talking about (but should be) and a top-of-the-rotation arm on a collision course with the Indians big league staff.

Mauricio Dubon, SS, Brewers: Dubon was on my list of 2017 sleeper prospects as a guy that might sneak up into the majors and help the Brewers this year. A career .306 hitter, the former Red Sox prospect already has 53 hits on the year in just 45 games in double-A. He hasn’t hit for much power — just 11 extra base hits — but he’s made a ton of contact and struck out just 24 times. Putting the ball in play is a good approach for this fleet-footed infielder; he already has 23 steals (in 29 attempts). The club’s starting infielders up the middle — Jonathan Villar and Orlando Arica — have struggled but backups Hernan Perez and Eric Sogard have been very good, which is bad news for Dubon. Still, he has to added to the 40-man roster at the conclusion of the season anyway so the club will likely give him at least a cursory look later in the year. He has a chance to be a solid table-setter at the top of the order for the club.

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At the beginning of the 2017 season, I wrote pieces reviewing the potential impact rookie hitters in each league for 2017. Today, we continue a semi-regular review of how those players are actually performing. The American League East was the first up for review and we hit the NL East today.

1. Dansby Swanson, SS, Braves: Swanson entered the year as one of the favorites for NL Rookie of the Year after performing well in a brief MLB showing in ’16. The 23-year-old infielder has seen his BABIP drop from .383 to .242, though, and that’s dragged down his triple-slash line to just .190/.261/.270.  He’s hitting .255 in May – up from .156 in April – but the swing-and-miss rate is actually up and nearing 30% this month. The team wasn’t expected to win in 2017 so the club can be patient with Swanson but he has a lot of work to do before he’ll consistently produce at even a league-average rate.

2. Koda Glover, RHP, Nationals: Glover was expected to be a key high-leverage reliever for the Nationals in 2017 but an injury knocked him out for close to three weeks. When healthy, he’s shown excellent control with just two walks in 11.2 innings. However, he’s struck out just nine batters and his swinging strike rate is just 8.4% (In comparison, Craig Kimbrel leads relievers at 23.7% and Chris Devenski is second at 21.1%). Glover has some work to do before he’s considered an elite relief option — but the potential is still there.

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At the beginning of the 2017 season, I wrote pieces reviewing the potential impact rookie hitters in each league for 2017. Today, we begin a semi-regular review of how those players are actually performing. The American League East is the first up for review with my original projected ranking.

1. Andrew Benintendi, OF, Red Sox: Benintendi has been as good as advertised. He’s third on the club in OPS behind Mookie Betts and Christian Vazquez(!). After striking out 21.2% of the time in his brief 2016 debut, the rookie outfielder has trimmed that by almost 10% to 12.7%. He’s playing solid defence, running the bases well and hitting. You can’t ask for much more from a freshman hitter on a club with high expectations.

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