Third basemen Lonnie Chisenhall was promoted by the Cleveland Indians last week and his ex-teammate Jason Kipnis at Triple-A is likely not far behind. Playing second base for the Columbus Clipper, Kipnis is hitting .302 on the season with 11 home runs and 48 RBI and 10 stolen bases. He has been hitting .343 over his last 10 games with three home runs and six RBI and could be nearing a promotion soon.
The Cincinnati Reds could soon have their first solid shortstop since the days of Barry Larkin once prospect Zack Cozart is promoted from AAA. Cozart is hitting .321 with seven home runs and 31 RBI with nine stolen bases and is hitting .341 over his last 10 games. Cozart was a second round pick back in 2007 and this is the first season he has hit over .300 so temper expectations once he is recalled in terms of help he can provide your fantasy baseball team in the batting average category.
Starting pitcher Neil Ramirez could be in line for a promotion the second half of the season if the Texas Rangers are in need of rotation help. Ramirez has a 3.80 ERA in AAA with 76 strikeouts in 68 2/3 innings. Ramirez has allowed only five home runs on the season while holding hitters to a .223 batting average against.
The Tampa Bay Rays continue to stockpile young pitching and Matt Moore looks to be next in the line of recent young guns to make an impact in the major league rotation. Pitching in AA for the Montgomery Biscuits, Moore has a 2.29 ERA for the season with 107 strikeouts in 82 2/3 innings. He has been even tougher over his 58 1/3 innings with a 1.08 ERA and a .154 batting average against.
I usually don’t like writing about prospects below the AA level because most are not going to have an impact in the current fantasy baseball season but for those in dynasty leagues or long term keeper leagues, here are a few guys to keep an eye on.
Tyler Skaggs was one of the key components that the Arizona Diamondbacks picked up in the Dan Haren trade with the Los Angeles Angels and is currently at Advanced A. Skaggs has a 3.38 ERA on the season with 111 strikeouts in 90 2/3 innings with a .219 batting average against. There is an off chance the Diamondbacks could include Skaggs in a trade if they are still in the pennant chase in a few weeks if they could get an impact bat or pitcher.
The hype train had been building by New York Mets fans for Matt Harvey who was dominating and was just recently promoted to AA after posting a 2.37 ERA with 92 strikeouts in 76 innings. His first start was a rough one for the Binghamton Mets as he allowed nine hits and four runs in 4 2/3 innings.
