This 30-part series will look at the projected Top 5 freshman contributors for each big league club for the year ahead. The rankings take into consideration a mixture of ceiling, readiness and potential playing time allocation, which is to say some players with lower ceilings may be ranked ahead of others with higher ceilings because they project to have a greater impact in the coming season.

In a Nutshell: The Brewers enter 2014 with few question marks in the field and a strong starting rotation. However, no team has too much pitching, so there’s always a need there… and the bullpen is a potential weaknesses.

1. Taylor Jungmann, RHP: Jungmann is an underrated pitcher because he doesn’t throw as hard as he once did and because he prefers to put the ball in play (on the ground) rather than chase the “sexier” out via the whiff. With that said, the right-hander out of Texas did see a significant spike in his K-rate in 2014 (while maintaining his strong GB rate) thanks to a change in approach (including pitching more off his fastball). The strong-bodied Jungmann has a chance to be a mid-rotation workhorse for the Brewers beginning in 2015.

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This 30-part series will look at the projected Top 5 freshman contributors for each big league club for the year ahead. The rankings take into consideration a mixture of ceiling, readiness and potential playing time allocation, which is to say some players with lower ceilings may be ranked ahead of others with higher ceilings because they project to have a greater impact in the coming season.

In a Nutshell: The Reds’ left-field picture currently looks like a dog’s breakfast and I remain (perhaps in the minority) a non-believer in Billy Hamilton as an impact starter in the outfield. The infield is more or less set for Cincinnati. No team has too much pitching, so there is always a need there…

1. Jesse Winker, OF: Missed time in 2014 slowed Winker’s timetable but he still has a shot at receiving meaningful at-bats for the Reds in 2015. The club currently has a gaping hole in left field and a trade of Jay Bruce could create another hole in right field. He offers strong on-base skills and solid power potential. A left-handed hitter, he handled southpaws very well in 2014, which bodes well for playing time projections.

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This 30-part series will look at the projected Top 5 freshman contributors for each big league club for the year ahead. The rankings take into consideration a mixture of ceiling, readiness and potential playing time allocation, which is to say some players with lower ceilings may be ranked ahead of others with higher ceilings because they project to have a greater impact in the coming season.

In a Nutshell:: The club certainly has some holes in the outfield. Question marks also remain at both second and third bases.

1. Kris Bryant, 3B: Incumbent Luis Valbuena will likely open the 2015 season at the hot corner but expect Bryant to take over by the early summer time. The slugging prospect — who turns 23 in January — doesn’t really have anything left to prove in the minors (.325/.438/.661 between AA and AAA) but the Cubs will save some money on him by delaying his arrival in the Majors and it’s not clear yet if the club will even be capable of competing for a playoff spot in 2015. Bryant swings and misses a lot but he’ll most likely be a superstar in the making.

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This 30-part series will look at the projected Top 5 freshman contributors for each big league club for the year ahead. The rankings take into consideration a mixture of ceiling, readiness and potential playing time allocation, which is to say some players with lower ceilings may be ranked ahead of others with higher ceilings because they project to have a greater impact in the coming season.

In a Nutshell: Both the outfield and the infield are mostly set in Washington, although there could be a hole at second base with Anthony Rendon earmarked for third base and Danny Espinosa looking more like a poor man’s Ben Zobrist (of the Tampa Bay Rays).

1. Michael Taylor, OF: The Nationals patience with Taylor is about to pay off. Veteran center-fielder Denard Span could become expendable as a result of this rookie’s development; Taylor offers power, speed and above-average outfield defense — at a fraction of the cost of the veteran. If he doesn’t open the season as the Nationals’ starting center-fielder, look for Taylor, 23, to acquire a permanent role in the second half of the year.

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Steven Moya is not exactly a household name in fantasy baseball. He didn’t make any top 100 prospect lists going into the 2014 season, but the 22-year-old has garnered some recent attention. In AA, he hit 35 home runs this past season and five additional ones in the Arizona Fall league. People are always looking for power, but is Moya an option to consider going into 2015? I will look at three items to consider when contemplating his fantasy value.

Good

Moya started getting attention last season and made our own Marc Hulet’s top 10 Tiger prospects and right now he is the top Tigers prospect according to Baseball America after the Tiger’s traded Devon Travis to the Blue Jays. Moya is a free swinging slugger with little plate discipline. When he did hit the ball, he put a charge in it with the 35 home runs, .280 ISO and an .327 BABIP.

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This 30-part series will look at the projected Top 5 freshman contributors for each big league club for the year ahead. The rankings take into consideration a mixture of ceiling, readiness and potential playing time allocation, which is to say some players with lower ceilings may be ranked ahead of others with higher ceilings because they project to have a greater impact in the coming season.

In a nutshell: This veteran club doesn’t appear to have many holes in the field but injuries are going to happen — especially when most of your starters are 30+ years old. The biggest need will likely be reliable pitching.

1. Maikel Franco, 3B/1B: Franco rebounded from a terrible start to 2014 to have a respectable second half in the minors, which earned him a big league cup of coffee. Unfortunately for both the young player and the Phillies, incumbent first baseman Ryan Howard is locked up in Philly for at least two more seasons. That limits Franco’s potential playing time and could push him over to third base, which is currently manned by the replacement-level Cody Asche. It might seem like a decent upgrade but the former doesn’t project well defensively at the hot corner.

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This 30-part series will look at the projected Top 5 freshman contributors for each big league club for the year ahead. The rankings take into consideration a mixture of ceiling, readiness and potential playing time allocation, which is to say some players with lower ceilings may be ranked ahead of others with higher ceilings because they project to have a greater impact in the coming season.

In a Nutshell: The Mets have a lot of promising young players, which is good news for a team with question marks at third base, second base, shortstop and in the outfield. Sophomore catcher Travis d’Arnaud is also no sure thing given his always-present health issues.

1. Noah Syndergaard, RHP: The Mets began to reap the benefits of the 2012 R.A. Dickey deal in 2014 with the emergence of catcher Travis d’Arnaud but the ’15 season should bring another talented prospect to The Show. The hard-throwing Syndergaard stubbed his toe a little bit in Triple-A in ’14 but he still had an encouraging season for a 22-year-old starter in Triple-A. He has the stuff and the build to be a top-shelf starter for years to come.

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This 30-part series will look at the projected Top 5 freshman contributors for each big league club for the year ahead. The rankings take into consideration a mixture of ceiling, readiness and potential playing time allocation, which is to say some players with lower ceilings may be ranked ahead of others with higher ceilings because they project to have a greater impact in the coming season.

In a Nutshell: The third base and second base positions likely represent the biggest holes. The Marlins have some intriguing catchers coming up through the system.

1. Andrew Heaney, LHP: The Marlins will, at some point in 2015, receive ace Jose Fernandez back from Tommy John surgery. However, the rotation is young and relatively unproven meaning there could be plenty of opportunities for inexperienced but promising pitchers like Heaney. The left-handed starter isn’t flashy but he operates a three-pitch mix that plays up due to his above-average command and control.

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This 30-part series will look at the projected Top 5 freshman contributors for each big league club for the year ahead. The rankings take into consideration a mixture of ceiling, readiness and potential playing time allocation, which is to say some players with lower ceilings may be ranked ahead of others with higher ceilings because they project to have a greater impact in the coming season.

In a Nutshell: The rope that’s tying B.J Upton to the Braves’ center-field gig has to be thinly frayed at this point. As well, you have to figure the club isn’t 100% sold on sophomore-to-be Tommy La Stella and his ‘meh’ defense at second base.

1. Jose Peraza, 2B/SS: This young Venezuelan’s game took a big step forward in the second half of 2013 and he earned the No. 3 ranking on the Braves’ pre-2014 prospect list at FanGraphs. The middle infielder’s strong play continued into 2014 and he is now the best prospect in the system and could push incumbent second baseman Tommy LaStella (a rookie himself in ’14) to more of a part-time role. Peraza, 20, has a chance to develop into a top-of-the-order threat with a strong batting average and 30+ steals.

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Welcome to the annual series: ‘A Minor (League) Review of 20__.” This series is a great way to receive a quick recap of the 2014 minor league season for your favorite club(s), while also receiving a brief look toward the 2015 season and beyond. It can also be a handy feature for fantasy baseball players in keeper and Dynasty leagues.

Previous Pieces:
A Minor (League) Review of 2014: Yankees and Orioles
A Minor (League) Review of 2014: Red Sox, Blue Jays, Rays
A Minor (League) Review of 2014: Indians and Tigers
A Minor (League) Review of 2014: White Sox, Royals, Twins
A Minor (League) Review of 2014: Angels and A’s
A Minor (League) Review of 2014: Astros, Angels, Mariners

A Minor (League) Review of 2014: Braves and Phillies
A Minor (League) Review of 2014: Marlins, Mets, Nationals

A Minor Review of 2014: Reds

The Graduate: Billy Hamilton, OF: There is no denying that Hamilton is an exciting player thanks to his top-of-the-scale speed. However, from an offensive standpoint, the shortstop-turned-center-fielder had a modest year in the Majors. A .292 on-base percentage only takes away from Hamilton’s greatest asset (his base running) and he doesn’t make enough consistent contact (117 strikeouts in 152 games). He’s intriguing, but he still has a long way to go to become a key player for the Reds.

The Riser: Ben Lively, RHP: The enigmatic and deceptive Lively had a grand year in the minors, going from 2013 fourth-round prospect to a Double-A hurler in 2014. Despite his average stuff, the right-hander allowed just 117 hits and struck out 171 batters in 151.0 innings. If he keeps this up, he could reach The Show in the second half of 2015.

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