Prospect News: Groover’s In The Heart or Valera Morghulis

Orioles C Samuel Basallo was promoted to Triple-A last week. He turned 20 on August 13. Might be racing toward a red light in terms of playing time at the highest level, but he’s racing nonetheless, and that’s a good thing even as it mostly adds to the backlog in Baltimore. 

Twins OF Emmanuel Rodriguez made his Triple-A debut this week at age 21, and while he hasn’t been my favorite bet to thrive at the highest level, there’s no denying what he’s put on film to this point. In 37 Double-A games, he slashed .298/.479/.621 with eight home runs and nine steals. That was good for a 202 wRC+ even while he was striking out 27.5 percent of the time. If he can make enough contact in Triple-A, he’ll be an option for the major league club early next season, a much quicker timeline than I was forecasting.  

Guardians OF George Valera (23, AAA) has produced a carbon copy of that 27.5 percent strikeout rate during his own 85 games in Triple-A this season after posting a 27.2 in 73 games there last season. While Cleveland would surely like to see that rate improve at some point, Valera’s quality of contact is trending in the right direction. Over his last 35 games, he’s slashing .314/.386/.612 with 10 home runs and four stolen bases. Development is not linear, and Valera has traveled a circuitous route to the precipice after batting just .211 in Triple-A last season, but he’s on the cusp of his first opportunity now, and if Cleveland hadn’t added Lane Thomas at the trade deadline, Valera might be part of the lineup already. 

Diamondbacks 3B Gino Groover (22, AA) is on his way in Double-A after slashing .324/.452/.765 with four home runs and four strikeouts over his last ten games when he got promoted. A second round pick in 2023, Groover struck out just 13.7 percent of the time in his 40 High-A games and went 4-for-5 in his Double-A debut. He might cruise right through that league and open next season in Triple-A. 

Giants 1B Bryce Eldridge (19, AA) was promoted to Double-A this week after laying waste to High-A. In my last article, I said he was on the way to consensus top 25 prospect status this winter, and I may have undersold him there. 

Rockies RHP Chase Dollander (22, AA) is going to be the first pitcher in a long time to really put Coors Field to the test. In 37.2 innings across seven Double-A starts, he has a 1.43 ERA and 0.98 WHIP along with 48 strikeouts. Jon Gray and Ubaldo Jimenez come to mind, but even Gray feels a little like part of a bygone era in the sense that pitch mixes are lab-grown now and subject to constant reevaluation. Perhaps there’s a way to engineer a uniquely high-octane arm like Dollander’s to survive the Colorado roller coaster. 

Rebounding after a rough start to the season, Rangers 1B Abimelec Ortiz (22, AA) is slashing .295/.426/.659 with five home runs over his last 12 games. Will be nice to see him with a clean slate next year, where I suspect he’ll look pretty good in big league camp. 

Giants 3B Sabin Ceballos (22, A+) was the primary return for Jorge Soler and Luke Jackson, and if the early returns are any indication, the Giants knew exactly what they were signing up for in Ceballos, who has four home runs in 26 games after hitting just three in 84 games with Atlanta this year. Different contexts, of course, and it’s not like Atlanta didn’t know Ceballos would need to lift the ball more often to become a big leaguer, but sometimes a change of scenery provides a more effective teachable moment than any number of conversations and video sessions. 

Cut Me, Mick! (Guys I’ve dropped in dynasty leagues)

I haven’t actually done it yet, but I’m giving the side eye to Justin Verlander in a league where my WHIP has been pulverized. I guess I need Wins, and maybe Verlander won’t want to call it a career after such a down year, but that looks like where we’re heading right now, and the merciful breath I might get from clicking that cut button is calling to me every time I look at that roster. 

I was kind of excited to see Royals OF Tyler Gentry get his chance, but the club has added a handful of veteran bats over the past week, and Gentry is back in Triple-A and back on the dynasty wire. 

Thanks for reading!