The Sophomore Report: Elias, Holt, Hendricks

We always 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.

Previous:
The Sophomore Report 1
The Sophomore Report 2
The Sophomore Report 3

Roenis Elias, RHP, Mariners: Despite a surprisingly-good freshman season, Elias was unable to crack the Mariners’ opening day roster and opened the year in the minors. Injuries presented an opportunity to the 26-year-old hurler at the end of April and he hasn’t looked back. When you adjust for his 91% strand rate, Elias has been basically the same (surprising) pitcher that he was in 2015. Consistent lefties with the ability to miss bats and churn out innings are hard to come by and he should hold on to his rotation spot even when (if) all the Mariners hurlers are healthy and productive.

Brock Holt, IF/OF, Red Sox: I opened the year with Holt on my fantasy keeper league team because I valued his versatility and ability to produce enough offence so he wouldn’t hurt me if I had to shift him from the bench to active duty. Much to my surprise — and no doubt the Red Sox’s — he’s been even better in 2015 while filling in for injured regulars. Holt, 26, continues to hit for average and he’s done an even better job of getting on base (.331 OBP in ’14 to .387 in ’15). Currently, he’s the only back-up infielder on the roster and is also the best fourth-outfielder option — both of which combine to ensure he’ll continue to see lots of playing time.

Kyle Hendricks, RHP, Cubs: Hendricks was never a darling of the scouting community because he’s right-handed and doesn’t throw very hard (His heater is averaging 88.8 mph this year). After seeing him pitching the minors, though, I jumped on the bandwagon early and have been pleasantly surprised with his successes early on in his career. You can pretty much expect Hendricks to be, well Hendricks, going forward — His current results likely represent his ceiling as a guy that gives you six innings on average per start, doesn’t walk anyone and gets batters to hit a lot of balls on the ground.

Kevin Kiermaier, OF, Rays: Kiermaier got off to a hot start in 2015 by producing a .903 OPS with tons of pop in the first month of the season. May has been a completely different story, though, where he’s managed an OPS of just .473 and only four extra base hits (compared to 10 in the previous month). The Rays have received some decent production from the likes of Joey Butler and Brandon Guyer so a return from Desmond Jennings — likely in mid-to-late June — could result in a trip to the minors for Kiermaier. His outstanding defence will always make him valuable reserve option but there is enough potential locked up in his bat to envision him being a big league starter at some point.

Jose Ramirez, SS, Indians: Ramirez was a surprisingly-adequate contributor to the Indians in 2014 at the age of 21. However, the unexpectedly-solid defensive work at shortstop shielded us from really noticing the underwhelming offensive production. The 2015 season has been a different story as the sophomore’s defence has taken a step backward (showing why he’s long been projected as a big league second baseman) and his offence has continued to struggle (.513 OPS). Prized shortstop prospect Francisco Lindor is currently in Triple-A but the 21-year-old infielder — known for his defence — is producing just modest offensive numbers. Ramirez is likely due for a demotion but, with Lindor not ready, Cleveland is going to need a stopgap option for shortstop, likely until 2016.