Minor League Barometer: Dog Days of August

The trade deadline has passed, and the dog days of August are upon us. Though some deals through waivers could still occur, the next big decision for each organization is really how to handle September call-ups. Do contending teams bring up prospects to serve as extra depth for the stretch run? Do non-contending squads give their young neophytes a taste of the big leagues? Each organization has its own agenda and style, so it will be interesting to see which players get the call and which players will be forced to wait until 2018.

UPGRADE

Reynaldo Lopez, P, CHW – Lopez earned Pitcher of the Month honors for the White Sox organization in July. Though he allowed four earned runs in five innings in his last start for Triple-A Charlotte, Lopez has been rumored to be in line for a promotion to the big leagues. Prior to his last outing, he had allowed two runs or fewer in seven-straight starts. In addition, he's fanned at least nine batters in four of his last eight appearances. Opposing batters are hitting just .220 on the season against the right-hander, who has performed better than more highly touted rotation mate Lucas Giolito in 2017.

Sheldon Neuse, 3B, OAK – The Athletics have a bevy of young corner infielders ahead of Neuse on the depth chart, but that fact should do nothing to diminish his production in 2017. The second round pick from last year's draft out of Oklahoma started the season conservatively at Low-A, where he collected nine home runs and 12 steals in 77 games. He hit .294 during that span, and was rewarded with a promotion to High-A. Neuse has exploded in the hitter-friendly confines of the California League since being promoted, slashing .375/.459/.609 with four home runs, 15 RBI and two steals in 17 games. Even with the influx of prospects provided in the Sonny Gray trade, Neuse is still climbing up the organizational ranks for the A's.

Jose Siri, OF, CIN – Siri had a 39-game hitting streak snapped last week, the 11th-longest hitting streak in the history of the minors. Needing a hit to extend the streak to 40 games in his final at-bat, it appeared that Siri was unintentionally intentionally walked Friday against the Low-A Affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers, which sparked benches to clear. Regardless, Siri has been a revelation at Low-A Dayton, firmly placing himself on the prospect map for the Reds. He has 19 home runs and 30 steals through 102 games, showing that intriguing power/speed element. Add in his clear ability to handle the bat, and the Reds may have found a gem. The 22-year-old will need to improve on his patience at the dish at the higher levels, though.

Bryse Wilson, P, ATL – As if the Braves needed any more pitching prospects. A fourth round pick in last year's draft, Wilson has a 2.65 ERA and 103:25 K:BB in 105.1 innings at Low-A Rome. A linebacker in high school, Wilson has a strong mental makeup along with a 95 mph heater. The development of his slider and changeup will go a long ways towards determining his path. Viewed as more of a future reliever around the time of the draft, Wilson may have changed the narrative due to his success in the rotation at Low-A, including improvements in his mechanics. Wilson will certainly fly under the radar in this system, but he could be worth a flier.

CHECK STATUS

Monte Harrison, OF, MIL – The toolsy Harrison is already on the verge of a 20-20 season in 2017. The 21-year-old outfielder has 19 home runs and 18 steals in 97 combined games between Low-A and High-A. His power stroke has rounded into form, as he has destroyed his previous career high of six home runs. One red flag could be Harrison's inability to make consistent contact. He has fanned 109 times in 97 contests, including 39 times in 34 games since being promoted to High-A. Harrison has also walked just seven times since the promotion, also showing he may have to work on his patience at the dish. Still, Harrison has the speed and emerging power that should make him a wanted commodity.

Austin Allen, C, SD – The 23-year-old backstop has seen a power surge in 2017. Allen has 18 home runs and 70 RBI through 97 games for High-A Lake Elsinore. After hitting .320 at Low-A in 2016, Allen has more than held his own in terms of average despite a bump to High-A, slashing .296/.364/.516. He has been even better over his last 10 games, batting .359 with two home runs and 10 RBI. He is not afraid to take a walk either, and his defense has been improved, though it remains to be seen if he will stay at catcher. The Padres also have Austin Hedges currently manning the catching position, though Allen could still move fairly quickly up the organizational ladder due to his age, size and hitting acumen.

Peter Alonso, 1B, NYM – Dominic Smith is the first baseman of the future for the New York Mets, and he should be promoted to the big leagues shortly. However, Alonso deserves some pub as well, hitting .336 with eight home runs and 26 RBI in July. A second round pick in 2016 out of the University of Florida, Alonso has been even better of late. The 22-year-old is hitting .444 with two home runs and nine RBI over his last 10 contests. Alonso does not provide much in the way of defense, so it will be interesting to see where he ends up in the field, particularly if he stays with the Mets. He will also have to prove he can hit for average at the higher levels, though he has fared quite well after skipping Low-A all together.

Billy McKinney, OF, NYY – Perhaps one of the reasons the Bronx Bombers were fine with dealing Dustin Fowler as part of the package for Sonny Gray, apart from being able to keep Estevan Florial, has been the recent surge by McKinney. Over the last 10 games, McKinney is hitting a robust .444 with five home runs and 15 RBI at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The sudden upswing in power is particularly notable for McKinney, who has now slugged 15 home runs on the year. Prior to this season, the 22-year-old never hit more than 11 home runs in a single season. Since being promoted to Triple-A, McKinney is slashing .353/.397/.697 with nine home runs and 26 RBI in 31 games. It is doubtful that this power surge will last, though the left-handed McKinney will be playing his future home games with the friendly right-field porch of Yankee Stadium.

DOWNGRADE

Austin Meadows, OF, PIT – Meadows continues to battle injuries during his time in the minors, and Pittsburgh General Manager Neil Huntington recently came out and stated that the club would be unlikely to call up Meadows when rosters expand in September. That's likely the final straw for fantasy owners who were relying on some sort of contribution from Meadows in 2017, who has been limited to 64 games at Triple-A. He didn't exactly scald the ball when healthy, either, slashing .248/.313/.358 with four home runs and 10 steals over that span. Meadows is still just 22 years of age, but with Andrew McCutchen enjoying a strong second half and still under contract for next season, it looks like Meadows will have to wait a little while longer before finding a starting spot in the Pirate outfield.

Jacob Nottingham, C, MIL – Unfortunately, it appears that Nottingham's 2015 season in which he hit .316 with 17 home runs at High-A was a fluke. He scuffled to a slash line of .234/.295/.347 in 112 games last year at Double-A. If possible, he's been even worse this season, hitting just .217 in 82 games at the same level. Though his strikeouts are down and walks are up, the inability to make consistent contact continues to plague the 22-year-old backstop. With only five home runs, his average is difficult to stomach. At one time, Nottingham was considered one of the top catching prospects in all of baseball. In just a year and a half, his stock has taken quite a nosedive.

Brendon Davis, SS/3B, TEX – The Rangers thought enough of Davis to ask for him from the Los Angeles Dodgers as part of the Yu Darvish deal. Though Willie Calhoun was the centerpiece of the trade, the 20-year-old Davis was viewed as having plenty of upside. Unfortunately, the fifth-round pick from the 2015 draft still remains mostly projection. Davis is hitting just .236/.345/.395 through 98 games across three different squads at Low-A and High-A. The 6-foot-4, 185-lb Davis does have nine home runs, and is expected to develop even more of a power stroke as he matures. However, Davis has fanned 123 times over those 98 games. Though Davis is not afraid to take a walk, he must work on his contact issues as he ascends the ranks in the Texas organization. He won't make an impact in the big leagues for quite some time.

Ryan Castellani, P, COL – The Rockies finally seem to have broken through with some pitching talent flowing from their farm system, though the dangers of playing home games in the thin air of Colorado remain. Castellani is still at Double-A, but that hasn't stopped him from giving up plenty of long balls. Castellani has surrendered a career-worst 13 dingers in 2017 en route to a bloated 5.41 ERA for Double-A Hartford. He is also walking a few too many batters as well, continuing his struggles with his off-speed offerings. Add in the fact that he has never averaged a strikeout per inning during his time in the minors, and the 21-year-old Castellani is likely no better than an innings eater.