Prospect News: New Ewing In New York or Spry For A Big Guy

I dropped the ball when I neglected to include Mets OF AJ Ewing (21) in my top ten for Stash List #3: Lara At The Top Of His Craft. He enjoyed a slam dunk in his debut Tuesday night, going 1-for-2 with three walks and a stolen base, turning the lineup over with a jolt out of the eight spot. I don’t mean to be hyperbolic, but it’s hard to see a path for him to leave this lineup over the next month or so. If he hits during that month, he’s probably a fixture all season. I’ve been comparatively high on Ewing for a while now, so I hope you have him if you’re a regular reader. I sold high in one league, and I’m worried that wasn’t actually selling high so much as it was selling early. Oh and there was a minute in there when Fantrax gave him shortstop eligibility. Whew. I still have him on enough rosters that I’d be mostly thrilled, but I’d also be somewhat not thrilled by the Taysom Hill factor, you know? Where did that SS come from? Could be a thought bubble on an edgy 1940’s political cartoon. Also my thoughts Tuesday afternoon looking at AJ Ewing on Fantrax. 

At least I wrote Athletics OF Henry Bolte (22) onto the stash list, noting that he’d “cut his strikeout rate ten percentage points from the 32.6% he posted in 34 Triple-A games last year. He’s not on the 40-man roster, and the team has plenty of bats. They’re in first place, by the way, which I think gives him a chance to come up earlier than he might have if they were already underwater.” And here he is in Oaklamento, hoping his 12 home runs and 17 stolen bases in 37 games translates at the highest level. He’s certainly got the physical gifts to make that happen. 

I left Rockies OF Cole Carrigg (24, AAA) off that same stash list, which seemed like a mistake in the light of the very next day. I don’t often have to replace five names that graduate. My running list of maybes was 36 names long after I removed the graduates and added the new dudes. Ewing and Carrigg are both well inside the top ten to my eyes today. Might still be time to add the instant coffee machine in your leagues. Over his last ten games, he’s batting .467 with three home runs, nine stolen bases, five strikeouts (10%) and four walks (8%). 

Washington has been playing Luis Garcia at first base, but he certainly doesn’t seem like a priority to this new front office, and 1B Yohandy Morales (24, AAA) is making a pretty loud case for playing time in Triple-A, slashing .325/.421/.528 with seven home runs in 37 games. Five of those home runs have happened in the last 15 games. Garcia is not exactly expensive at $6.875 million this year with another year of arbitration in 2027, but he’s an extra piece on a rebuilding team. I suspect they’d ship him to the first team that calls, if anyone does. 

Speaking of first basemen cashing checks, the Twins have Josh Bell under contract for $7 million with a mutual option for $10 million in 2027, but something on the wind tells me they have no intention of exercising that option. They might not keep him around all season, given where they’re at on the win curve and how badly Bell has been playing. He’s always been streaky, of course, but 2020 first-round-pick Aaron Sabato (26) is mashing in Triple-A and could merit a couple months of runway this season. He’s got five home runs in his last seven games, which is pretty good for a baseball hitter. He’s also got two doubles and a triple over that stretch. Good to see he’s feeling spry for a big guy.  

Another name from the way-back pages, Yankees OF Marco Luciano (24, AAA) appears to be in rhythm for the first time in a long time. He’s slashing .324/.408/.685 with ten home runs in 30 games (28 of which were in AA) and warrants a speculative add in deep leagues. 

The Rockies’ renaissance is perhaps muted if you’re looking only at the major league standings, but its impact is felt throughout the system. First-round pick SS Ethan Holliday (19, A) is pushing for a quick promotion to High-A, blasting five home runs in his last 16 games while slashing .319/.450/.787. Nobody was freaking out after he struck out 39.3 percent of the time in 18 Low-A games to close out his draft season, but it’s still nice to see him dominate against older players and accelerate his timeline the way a top flight prospect should. 

Thanks for reading!