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: Archie Bradley (RHP): Between 2012-13, Bradley looked like a future ace-in-the-making. However, the former first round draft pick was struck by the injury bug in 2014-15 and he hasn’t been the same since. His command and control just haven’t improved as much as hoped — which results in too many baserunners. Bradley also has a tendency to give up the long ball. Although he’s still only 24, it might be time to consider a permanent move to the bullpen where his heater might play up. That would allow him to abandon the below-average changeup and focus on the fastball-curveball combo. With so many question marks in the starting rotation for 2017, though, Arizona is no doubt going to give Bradley another shot to start for them.

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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.

Other reviews:
San Francisco Giants
Colorado Rockies

The Graduate: Ryan Schimpf (2B): Schimpf, 28, spent parts of eight years riding buses in the minors before earning a shot from the Padres in 2016. A life-long Blue Jays prospect until this year, he’s now hit 34 home runs on the year between triple-A and the Majors and is just one homer shy of 20 at the big league level through 74 games. I predicted Schimpf could handle a bit league utility role way back in 2014 and he’s proving that my estimates were conservative. That kind of pop will no doubt earn him another shot at a starting gig in 2017 even if he continues to strike out a lot (30% of the time) and hit just .229 (His OPS is still above .900). Schimpf has tapered off a bit in September but it’s also the first time in his career that he’s played well into the month.

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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.

Other 2016 Reviews:
San Francisco Giants

The Graduate: David Dahl (OF): It was a great year for Colorado in terms of developing and graduating in-house talent. Shortstop Trevor Story got a lot of the headlines (and Jon Gray deserves some too) — especially early in the season — but, for me, Dahl is the more likely player to have an impact sophomore season (and avoid the dreaded sophomore jinx) and better overall career. In his prime, he could be good for 20+ homers, 20+ steals, a .300 average and solid defence. He was overly reliant on his BABIP in his big league debut but Dahl has had a history of strong BABIPs — although it’s unreasonable to expect him to top .400 again. Because he’s shown the ability to make adjustments, I fully expect him to trim the strikeout rate as he matures as a hitter.

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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: Derek Law (RHP): Law, 25, should have been in the Majors in 2014 or ’15 but Tommy John surgery threw a wrench into those plans. Healthy in 2016, the Giants eagerly threw him into a very uncertain bullpen scenario and he thrived. No pitcher on the club (minimum 30 innings) has walked fewer batters per nine innings (1.59 BB/9) and he’s fourth on the team in strikeouts per nine (8.29 K/9). Toss in the third best ground-ball rate (50%) and the best homer per fly ball (5.3%) and you have yourself a potential high-leverage reliever for 2017 and quite possibly Santiago Casilla’s eventually replacement in the ninth inning thanks to his nifty fastball/slider combination.

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Today represents the final Prospect Stock Watch of the year… Soon, we’ll be transitioning to the annual series called ‘A Minor Review of 2016: ’ so keep your eye out for that feature. Today’s final stock watch looks at an infielder with crazy-good contact skills, a ready-for-The-Show slugger, and sleeper outfield prospect.

Max Schrock | 2B | Athletics
ETA: 2017
Value: Rising

There aren’t many big leaguers like Schrock — who was recently traded from Washington to Oakland. He makes a crazy amount of contact and his strikeout rate actually sits below 10% in his two-year pro career. That’s allowed him to produce a .325 batting average. The downside to his game, though, is that he’s almost 100% reliant on his ability to hit for average as he doesn’t walk much and has almost zero power. At 5-8, 180 pounds — and with a line-drive approach — he doesn’t project to add much pop. As a result, while the contact is impressive, he probably doesn’t project as anything more than a big league utility player or second-division starter at second base. Schrock, 21, has played all but 12 games in his career at second base so it’s probably about time that Oakland begins to expand his defensive repertoire. With that said, second base has been a blackhole for the A’s so the young infielder is likely earmarked for a shot at the position in mid-to-late 2017 unless the club looks at other internal and external options.

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Today’s Prospect Stock Watch looks at an underrated Yankees prospect, a top draft pick from 2015 and a hard-throwing, triple-A reliever.

Miguel Andujar | 3B | Yankees
ETA: 2018
Value: Rising (Underrated)

The Yankees system is loaded with talent thanks to some recent trades, as well as heavy investments in the international market. Andujar — a 2011 signee for $750,000 — gets kind of overlooked but he has the makings of a solid big leaguer. His best tool is a rocket arm that should allow him to stick at third base even if his range is just average. The 21-year-old also has above-average raw power even though he has yet to tap into it consistently in game situations (11 homers, 22 doubles in 119 games in ’16). Andujar doesn’t walk a ton but he’ll take some pitches and he strikes out less than the typical slugging prospect (just 62 Ks in 459 at-bats). He also a decent hitter and could produce a .250-.270 average in his prime.

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Today at the Prospect Stock Watch we take a look a collection of prospects from AAA, AA and single-A, including a flame throwing pitcher that has yet to make things click, a young third baseman oozing with potential, and a shortstop getting ready to break out — perhaps in the mold of Jose Altuve.

Austin Riley | 3B | Braves
ETA: 2019
Value: Rising

Selected 41st overall in 2015, I immediately became a fan of Riley and he’s continued to get better in 2016. The 19-year-old infielder should have power to spare as he fully matures into a big league hitter. He’s already shown good in-game pop in low-A ball in a league that doesn’t tend to give up many home runs. Riley has 16 homers, good for third place in the league and his 34 doubles also rank third. The biggest question around the young hitter’s offence is his discipline. He’s struck out 135 times in 116 games — with just 36 walks. In only his first full season, though, the developing power-hitter will need some time to better recognize spin and understand how pitchers work to him. In the field, he has a good chance to remain at third base thanks to his strong arm. The Braves have some depth at third base ahead of Riley but no one that should be considered a roadblock.

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Today at the Prospect Stock Watch we take a look at two young lower-level arms that could develop into impact arms for their respective clubs… and a little-known slugging first base prospect on a collision course with Colorado.

Thomas Szapucki | LHP | Mets
ETA: 2019
Value: Rising

The Mets have developed some impressive young arms in recent years and Szapucki is another interesting pitching prospect on the way. But Mets fans will have to be patient. The 20-year-old lefty has spent the entire year in short-season ball and likely won’t enter full-season ball until 2017. There are some red flags with his delivery, which leads to inconsistent control and command, but Szapucki can hit the mid-90s with his heater and shows a curveball with plus potential. He’s struck out 86 batters in 52 innings and has held hitters to a .145 batting average. Personally, I see the young lefty developing into a dominating reliever like Andrew Miller but the Mets will no doubt keep him in the starting rotation for the foreseeable future and hope his change-up comes along and that he can smooth out the delivery.

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Today at the Prospect Stock Watch we review two underrated prospects and an outfielder that has all but sewn up a starting gig for 2017 (which might begin as soon as this September).

Manny Margot | OF | Padres
ETA: mid-2017
Value: Rising

One of the top prospect targets during the Padres’ great dismantling in the winter of 2015-16, Margot has had a consistent first year with his new organization. The former Red Sox outfield prospect received an aggressive assignment to triple-A in 2016 despite having played just 64 games at double-A in ’15 (with a modest .745 OPS). He’s struck out just 44 times in 104 games this season and has shown his good speed by swiping 25 bases (in 36 tries). He has yet to tap into his raw power on a consistent basis but he’s flashed solid gap pop. The Padres’ outfield is a wasteland of no-name outfielders but look for that to change with the promotion of this 21 year old (and eventually Hunter Renfroe). Look for Margot to earn a September call-up and assume a starting position at the beginning of 2017.

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Today at the Prospect Stock Watch we take a look at a rising pitcher from the National League and a couple of shortstops on different ends of the development spectrum.

Mitch Keller | RHP | Pirates
ETA: 2019
Value: Rising

Keller, 20, reminds me a little bit of Jameson Taillon — as a pitcher with some giddy-up on his fastball that has above-average control at an early stage of the development curve. The 2014 second-round pick is still working to polish his command but he could eventually possess three average or better offerings, including a fastball that currently touches the mid-90s. He’s not flashy but Keller has 112 strikeouts in 107.1 innings and does a nice job of keeping the ball in the park. He also has a strong frame that suggests he could develop into an innings-eater in the middle of the Pirates rotation. The club has some depth in the big league rotation so Keller can move at his own pace and won’t be rushed in this system.

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