Welcome to the annual series that provides both a review of your favorite teams’ 2016 season, as well as a early look toward 2017. It also serves as a helpful guide for keeper and dynasty leagues.

The Graduate: Dansby Swanson (SS): OK, so I’m going to cheat a bit. Swanson didn’t technically graduate because he was stopped at 129 at-bats (and the official amount to graduate as a rookie is 130 ABs) but I needed something positive to write about after the Braves’ rookie hurlers struggled mightily. The first overall pick of the 2015 draft didn’t need much minor league seasoning and he blew through A-ball and double-A in 2016 on his way to his big league promotion. Despite the quick ascension, Swanson performed well on both sides of the ball and should be a star in this league (or at least an above-average regular if the pop doesn’t come around).

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Welcome to the annual series that provides both a review of your favorite teams’ 2016 season, as well as a early look toward 2017. It also serves as a helpful guide for keeper and dynasty leagues.

The Graduate: Kyle Barraclough (RHP): The Marlins didn’t debut much in the way of young talent in 2016 but Barraclough came out of nowhere to earn more than 2.0 WAR as a member of Miami’s bullpen. The 26-year-old right-hander was originally a seventh round pick of the Cardinals back in 2012. He showed swing-and-miss stuff in the minors but never consistently found the plate — and much of that was true at the big league level in ’16. Barraclough still walked more than five batters per nine innings but he also whiffed 14 per — in 75 games. It will be interesting to see if the huge workload will come back to haunt the Fish in the form of DL time for the young hurler. He has high-leverage potential if he can ever find the plate on a semi-consistent basis.

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Welcome to the annual series that provides both a review of your favorite teams’ 2016 season, as well as a early look toward 2017. It also serves as a helpful guide for keeper and dynasty leagues.

The Graduate: Tommy Josephs (1B): It looked like Joseph’s days as a top prospect were over when injuries (concussions) forced him out from behind the plate and to first base. It just didn’t look like he would be able to produce enough power to warrant a full-time gig at an offensively-demanding position. Then he went and hit 21 home runs in 107 big league games in 2016 as a rookie. Now, his season wasn’t without flaws (such as his on-base percentage) but he’s good enough for the Phillies to finally kick incumbent first baseman Ryan Howard to the curb. Joseph, 25, has a chance to be a middle-of-the-order guy for the Phillies for at least a few years until something better comes along.

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Welcome to the annual series that provides both a review of your favorite teams’ 2016 season, as well as a early look toward 2017. It also serves as a helpful guide for keeper and dynasty leagues.

The Graduate: Steven Matz (LHP): The good news is that Matz had a solid freshman year in the Majors. The bad news is that he suffered through a litany of ailments and ultimately went under the knife for a bone spur in his throwing elbow. All signs point to him being healthy at the beginning of his sophomore year but some caution has to be had after a shoulder issue also caused him issues in 2016. The young lefty shows good command and control of a four-pitch mix — including an above-average heater — so he has the potential to develop into a No. 2/3 starter if he can avoid the trainer’s table.

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Welcome to the annual series that provides both a review of your favorite teams’ 2016 season, as well as a early look toward 2017. It also serves as a helpful guide for keeper and dynasty leagues.

The Graduate: Chris Devenski (RHP): The Astors saw a wave of high-ceiling, young talent reach the Majors in 2016 including Alex Bregman, A.J. Reed, Michael Feliz and Joe Musgrove but it was the under-appreciated Devenski that arguably had the biggest impact on the big league club with a whopping 2.8 WAR accumulated from (mostly) the bullpen. Devenski, 25, isn’t overpowering but he has strong command/control which makes his average heater play up. And it sets up his plus-plus changeup well. The Astros will no doubt be tempted to try the right-hander in a starting role in 2017 but he appears well suited for the pen and had a 1.61 ERA as a reliever versus 4.01 as a starter (five starts). He also did his best work out of the pen soaking up innings in low leverage situations.

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Welcome to the annual series that provides both a review of your favorite teams’ 2016 season, as well as a early look toward 2017. It also serves as a helpful guide for keeper and dynasty leagues.

The Graduate: Jefry Marte (IF-OF): I can remember writing about Marte five or six years ago back when he was in the low minors as a Mets third base prospect. Three organizations later and the raw-but-toolsy prospect finally made The Show and had a nifty little season. Playing multiple positions for the Angels (1B, 3B, LF), Marte produced with the bat and hit 15 home runs in just 258 at-bats. He’s still overly-aggressive in his approach (15-59 BB-K rate) but the power will play and he produced a 114 wRC+ — above league average at some offensively-demanding positions. Just 25, Marte may have earned himself some more playing time in 2017 — especially if he can handle third base — but I think he’s better suited to a part-time role.

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Welcome to the annual series that provides both a review of your favorite teams’ 2016 season, as well as a early look toward 2017. It also serves as a helpful guide for keeper and dynasty leagues.

The Graduate: Edwin Diaz (RHP): I was huge fan of Diaz entering the 2016 but I certainly didn’t envision this type of impact being made so early in his career. I also fully expected him to be a starter at the big league level but the Mariners deserve huge credit for seeing the potential in a bullpen role for the young Puerto Rican. Diaz, 22, was absolutely dominant in his debut with a strikeout rate of 15.33 K/9 (second in the majors just behind Dellin Betances) and walk rate of 2.61 BB/9. The rare control/power mix is reminiscent of Andrew Miller or Kenley Jansen and suggests that Diaz could be among the top high-leverage relievers in baseball for years to come.

The Riser: Tyler O’Neill (OF): Just 21, O’Neill was a third round draft pick out of a British Columbia high school back in 2013 and he’s improved by leaps and bounds since then to become one of the Top 5 outfield prospects in the game. He showed the ability to make adjustments and, although his power didn’t increase between 2015 and ’16, he saw his walk rate jump from 6.5% to 10.8% — and he even trimmed his strikeout rate a bit (although it remains high). He has a strong arm suitable for right-field but his instincts in the field are modest so he might end up in left field. Either way, he has the power to be an impact player with 20+ home runs in the middle of the lineup for the Mariners beginning in late 2017 or 2018.

The Tumbler: Alex Jackson (OF): I might take some heat for listing the 20-year-old Jackson as a tumbler. However, he was drafted sixth overall in 2014 with the hope he would stick behind the plate as a catcher. The Mariners, though, quickly moved him to the outfield to allow his bat to dictate his development path. Since the move, though, Jackson has been hurt and ineffective. He doesn’t project to be more than an average hitter and he posted a BB-K rate of 34-103 in 93 games in 2016 at low-A ball. He hit just .243. There is usable power for 20+ home runs in the future but he might only hit .220-.240 in the Majors unless he continues to make improvements as a hitter.

The ’16 Draft Pick: Kyle Lewis (OF): The third outfielder on this list, Lewis entered pro ball with immense potential but his debut was cut short by a devastating knee injury after just 30 games. When healthy, the 11th overall pick mixes hitting ability with power and a strong eye. He could eventually hit .280-.300 with 20+ home runs for the Mariners during his peak seasons. Lewis should be 100% healthy for the 2017 season and should open the year in either high-A or low-A; either way he should be a quick mover through the system and could reach The Show as early as 2018.

The Lottery Ticket: Gareth Morgan (OF): Drafted 74th overall in 2014, the Mariners gave this Canadian outfielder (somewhat surprisingly) $2 million to forego college. Unlike fellow countryman Tyler O’Neill, Morgan is very raw despite having plus raw power. The latter prospect walked just eight times in 38 games in 2016 while whiffing 65 times. He’s also spent three straight years in short-season ball. He’ll likely need to be pushed to full-season ball in 2017 but will likely be overmatched unless he makes quick adjustments during the offseason. If he can make enough contact, Morgan has 30+ home run potential. But that’s a big “if.”

For reference sake, here is the 2015 Review.

Welcome to the annual series that provides both a review of your favorite teams’ 2016 season, as well as a early look toward 2017. It also serves as a helpful guide for keeper and dynasty leagues.

The Graduate: Ryon Healy (3B/1B): Healy entered 2016 as a fairly overlooked prospect within the A’s system and third on the minor league depth chart in terms of hot corner prospects behind Matt Chapman and Renato Nunez. A strong opening few months convinced management to give him a shot and he never looked back. His 139 wRC+ was tops on the Athletics — ahead of even Khris Davis and since-traded Josh Reddick. He has 20+ home run power even with playing half his games in a cavernous home ballpark. On the downside, Healy doesn’t walk much (4.4%) and he saw his batting average aided by a significant BABIP of .351 in the Majors. He’s also not a great fielder and will likely move to first base or designated hitter in deference to Chapman — another power-hitting prospect but with an excellent glove.

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Welcome to the annual series that provides both a review of your favorite teams’ 2016 season, as well as a early look toward 2017. It also serves as a helpful guide for keeper and dynasty leagues.

The Graduate: Nomar Mazara (OF): Just 21 when the season began, Mazara had a breakout 2015 season and reached triple-A. He appeared in just a handful of minor league games in ’16 before getting called up to the Majors to fill in for injured players. When the players healed, the rookie remained. Not surprisingly given his limited experience, Mazara still has holes in his game (BB-K of 37-107) but he looks like a future star after slugging 20 home runs and flashing a potentially-plus hit tool in his debut season. Look for him to slug in the middle of the Rangers lineup for years to come.

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Welcome to the annual series that provides both a review of your favorite teams’ 2016 season, as well as a early look toward 2017. It also serves as a helpful guide for keeper and dynasty leagues.

Previous Reviews:
San Francisco Giants
Colorado Rockies
San Diego Padres
Arizona Diamondbacks

The Graduate: Corey Seager (SS): I spent all of last season trying to acquire Corey Seager in my FanGraphs Ottoneu league but I was thwarted at every turn. I had no doubt the young infielder was going to be a star — and very quickly. After all, there aren’t many rookies that can become a .300-average, 25-homer threat at the age 22, or threaten to make Seattle’s Kyle Seager look like the lesser of two siblings. Corey has a chance to win some MVP awards and could eventually top 30 homers (and maybe even threaten 40) while continuing to produce a strong average. There aren’t many holes in his game but he could stand to improve against southpaws and it remains to be seen if he can stick at shortstop long term.

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