Today at The Freshmen Report we take a look at a few interesting — and surprisingly productive — athletes (both hitters and pitchers) from around both the National League.

Jung-ho Kang, IF, Pirates: Cuban players have been all the rage for a few years now but players from South Korea may be the new cool thing, thanks to Kang. He’s gone from an $11 million gamble to saving grace for the playoff hopeful Pirates — who have a left side of the infield that’s been ravaged by injuries. Kang has been the second most valuable position player on the Pirates in terms of WAR, right behind Andrew McCutchen and in front of Starling Marte. The rookie is a well-rounded player who can do a little bit of everything on the field and has actually gotten better as the year has progressed.

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Today at the Prospect Stock Watch we take a look at three outfield prospects — including one who has already been impacted (indirectly) by the trade deadline, as well as an impressive infielder in Seattle.

Lewis Brinson, OF, Rangers: The big Cole Hamels traded netted the Phillies some impressive prospects including outfielder Nick Williams. He was a step ahead of Brinson, who was in A-ball, on the depth chart but I would have personally preferred the latter in a deal such as this. Brinson is a plus center-fielder with speed at 20+ home run potential. But, like Williams, he’s had contact issues in the past but they’ve improved in 2015. Two warnings: His gaudy numbers have come in a very strong hitting environment and his current BABIP is more than .400. With the move of Williams, it’s been reported that Brinson will move up to Double-A. With Leonys Martin’s contract up at the end of the year, it might behoove the club to hold onto him for one more year (through arbitration) and then hope Brinson, 21, is ready for The Show in 2017. [Value Up]

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I thought today would be a fun time to check in on the draft class of 2015 but it comes with the usual caveat: Stats produced in the first half season usually mean very little in the long run, in part because of the small sample size also also because a lot of college players are already coming off of long seasons, and prep players are dealing with the shock of shifting from student to professional. However, it is always encouraging to see players start off their careers with a bang and, below, we have five players who are tearing it up early in their careers and deserve to be monitored due to their lofty draft status (All five were selected within the first four rounds).

Ian Happ, OF, Cubs: Chicago doled out some serious coin in the first four rounds of the draft with more than a $1.1 million given to each of the first four players selected. Happ received the largest payout at $3 for the ninth overall slot. I wasn’t a huge fan of the pick but, after seeing what Kyle Schwarber has done, who am I to argue with an organization full of skilled talent evaluators? Happ, 20, has gotten off to a quick start with a .408 on-base average in 29 games. He’s also displaying both pop (13 extra base hits out of his 30 base-knocks) and base-running acumen (9 steals in as many tries). The last thing the Cubs need is more big league talent but Happ looks like he might be a fast mover if his pro debut is any indication of future success.

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Today, we’re looking at a few players that could be impacted by the trade deadline — either as trade bait or players that could be looked to to fill voids within the next year or two.

Anthony Alford, CF, Blue Jays: I wrote about Alford back in July of 2014 prior to the news that he would officially give up playing college football. Committed fully to baseball in ’15, the speedy outfielder has been a revelation and has seen his value increase more than almost any other minor league player this season. Drafted the same year as Toronto’s first round pick D.J. Davis — another fleet-of-foot outfielder from the same state (Mississippi) — Alford has left his draft-mate in his dust despite having about a 1,000 fewer at-bats of experience. To be fair, his success has been fuelled by a very high BABIP but he’s also the kind of guy that’s probably going to produce higher-than-average rates. In about half the at-bats, Alford has shown a lot of improvements in the plate since moving form A-ball to High-A ball. His strikeout rate is down about 10%, he’s hitting with more pop, and his on-base percentage is still above .400 despite a lower walk rate. The talented outfielder is also known for being an excellent clubhouse guy that other players gravitate towards; imagine a big league clubhouse with both Alford and Daniel Norris setting the tone. There aren’t many organizations that can boast two potential above-average center-field prospects (with Dalton Pompey) like the Jays can, but that could change by the trade deadline. [Value Up]

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Today at The Freshmen Report we take a look at two surprising big league contributors who have been more valuable to their respective clubs than expected. We also look at another first-year player on a playoff-caliber team who has had more warts than expected.

Matt Duffy, 3B, Giants: OK, Kris Bryant makes sense. Even Joc Pederson is no big shock… but Duffy with the third highest WAR among 2015 rookie hitters? That is something no one saw coming — not even the Giants, who initially installed Casey McGehee as their starting third baseman for the season. The 24-year-old third baseman is a solid reminder that good things can come from the later rounds of the draft — the 18th in this case. He’s not a slugger but Duffy has a chance to be a very good offensive third baseman in the new era (suppressed offence) of baseball. He’s shown a consistent ability to hit for average and, although his walk rate is down right now, he’s shown the ability to take more walks than the average player. Duffy is also a good base runner and stole 20 bases twice in his three-year minor league career. Toss in the fact that he’s a very good third baseman (with versatility) and you have someone that looks like a future stud for the Giants — even if he’s not the most flashy man at the hot corner.

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Today at the Prospect Stock Watch we take a look at three players that could help their teams in 2016, as well as a Cuban infielder that will take a little more time to develop but could be the most talented prospect in the bunch.

Gavin Cecchini, SS, Mets: Shortstop has not been an area of pride for the Mets in 2015. The two men that have spent time at the position — Wilmer Flores and Ruben Tejada — have produced modest offensive results. Worse yet, the former has shown why few scouts expected him to stick at the position at the big league level. The good news is that there is more hope on the horizon. Cecchini, the club’s first pick of the 2012 draft, has moved swiftly through the minors and is having a solid season in Double-A at the age of 21. He’s shown improvements with the bat each season, and controls the strike zone well, although he may never be more than average as a hitter. It’s his defence, though, that gets people excited. With a plethora of good, young pitching also coming up through the system, that’s good news for the likes of Noah Syndergaard and Steve Matz — as well as “grizzled veteran” Matt Harvey. [Value Up]

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We’ve hit the midway mark in the 2015 season and it’s time to start thinking about players that might help in 2016 — especially if you play in a keeper league.

Tim Anderson, SS, White Sox: Chicago hasn’t had much success with top draft picks in recent years with the exception of ’14 pick Carlos Rodon but Anderson could also help turn the tides. The 22-year-old infielder is currently hitting .302/.326/.402 at the Double-A level. He’s shown occasional gap power with also nabbing 25 bases in 31 attempts. The downside to his game could hurt him as he reaches the Majors, though. Anderson has walked just 10 times in 72 games and he’s gone down on strikes 65 times. He’s also not a lock to stick at shortstop and may be better suited for the keystone. Micah Johnson and Carlos Sanchez have been disappointments at second base and Alexei Ramirez has an OPS below .600 in 2015. Look for the middle infield prospect to receive a big league shot in 2016. [Value Even]

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We read a lot about prospects and rookies but the coverage tends to fall off the map after the conclusion of a player’s freshman season. This ongoing series will chronicle the successes and failures of the sophomore class to help determine whose rookie season was a harbinger of even better things to come, and whose was blanketed in smoke and mirrors.

Chase Anderson, RHP, Diamondbacks: A ninth-round pick out of the University of Oklahoma, Anderson has shown that you don’t have to be selected in the first couple of rounds on draft day to be a valuable asset. Like Matt Shoemaker below, this Arizona righty heavily relies on his command/control — not to mention his plus changeup. Because he relies heavily on changing speeds to get hitters out, he ends up putting a lot of balls in play and doesn’t strike out many guys. The danger with Anderson is that he plays his home games in a good hitter’s park and gives up more than his fair share of fly balls. He’s avoided the long ball more during his sophomore season than he did in his freshman campaign but it remains to be seen if he can keep up that trend.

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The summer of 2015 is finally upon us and so too is the beginning of the trading (or perhaps more aptly known as the rumoring) frenzy that comes to Major League Baseball every July. Below are four names you could see change hands during some of the bigger deals.

J.T. Chargois, RHP, Twins: Minnesota likely doesn’t have much spare change lying around but they could probably afford a half-year rental or two given their early successes. Chargois (whom my auto-correct hates) isn’t on many people’s radar right now after throwing just 39.2 innings in parts of four seasons due to injury but he’s a bullpen arm that’s hit triple-digits on the radar gun in the past. So far this year, after missing the previous two seasons, he’s pitched in both High-A and Double-A with 27 strikeouts in 23.2 innings. He possesses the ceiling of a high-leverage reliever and now might be the best time for the Twins to try and squeeze some value out of him before something else goes clink-clang-boom in his shoulder or elbow. [Value Up]

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Today at the Prospect Stock Watch we take a look at a middling former first round pick who might benefit from a change in role… and three raw — but promising — prospects that should be monitored in keeper leagues.

Kyle Crick, RHP, Giants: Crick was selected in the first round of the 2011 draft and looked like a fast mover after he dominated Low-A ball in 2012 at the age of 19, despite great control or command. Unfortunately, he missed a chunk of time in 2013 due to injury and his command/control have failed to improve over the past four seasons. After striking out more batters than innings pitched in each of his pro seasons prior to 2015, he’s now whiffed just 40 in 41.1 Double-A innings while walking 36. Crick, now 22, still has good, raw stuff but a move to the bullpen may be necessary for him to fully realize his potential at the big league level. Sergio Romo and Santiago Casilla (assuming his option is picked up) will both be free agents after the 2016 season and the Giants may be in need for a hard-throwing, high-leverage reliever to pair with Hunter Strickland. [Value Steady]

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