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6 Hitting Prospects Making a Push in Triple-A

By Richard Haake
Jordan Westburg fantasy baseball second base sleepers

Thus far in the 2023 MLB season pitching call-ups have dominated the dynasty landscape. Is that about to change? In this weekly series of prospects to stash you will get a leg up on some of the best prospect options that could be available on your waiver wire or players to target in your deeper dynasty leagues. Stashing these players now could have an impact during the injury-heavy dog days of summer! In this article, I am highlighting my three hitting prospects to stash right now.

More great fantasy baseball advice and analysis: Waiver Wire & FAAB Recommendations | Daily MLB Injury Report | MLB DFS Picks | Line-up Analysis | Dynasty Rankings and Strategy | MLB Bullpen Updates | MLB Player Props | Prospect Rankings & Analysis | Fantasy Baseball Risers and Fallers

6 Hitting Prospects Making the Push for a Call-Up

AAA International League

Jordan Westburg, SS/3B BAL

Baltimore is surging in the majors and the facts are Gunnar Henderson is struggling to get his season going. Am I worried about Henderson? Not in the slightest but right now Jordan Westburg is on fire in the minor leagues and he has gotten time at both shortstop and third base this season. To me, this makes him a logical solution for the struggling Henderson to get back on track.

Currently, the 24-year-old Westburg is blowing past what he did in AAA Norfolk last season, slashing .333/.395/.593 with eight home runs, 29 RBIs, and four stolen bases in 26 games. With a walk rate of 8.4% and a strikeout rate of 24.4% Westburg looks like he has done all he can in Norfolk and needs to get his shot at the major league level. The Westburg watch is on for dynasty managers that are looking for a player I believe will entrench himself into the Orioles infield for years to come.

Mark Vientos, 1B/3B NYM

Alright, this Mets fan is going to rant a bit. How does a team that has spent astronomically more than the cap space allows get swept by the Nationals and Tigers? Something has to change and Mark Vientos looks like the bat that can supercharge that lineup right now. Vientos has done nothing but tear the cover off the ball, slashing .339/.424/.696 with 10 home runs, 21 runs scored, and 27 RBIs in 31 games at AAA Syracuse.

If the concern last season was strikeouts, Vientos has tamed his K% back to 21.2% (down from 29.12% from 2021-2022). Meanwhile, the walk rate remains strong for Vientos at 12.1% over his 132 plate appearances. It’s obvious that Vientos is still in the minors due to a lack of space at the major league level. But with Canha and Guillorme struggling to hit .250 and the fans clamoring for Vogelbach’s head (Despite having the best hitting season of his career). Now might be the time to see Mark Vientos and Ronny Mauricio get their chance to make an impact with the Mets.

Christian Encarnacion-Strand, 1B/3B CIN

Let’s take a moment to recognize how impressive the Reds’ first basemen of the future, Christian Encarnacion-Strand, has looked at AAA Louisville. Encarnacion-Strand missed the beginning of the 2023 season with a back injury, fortunately for dynasty managers he looks healthy and lethal. In only 13 games, CES is slashing .404/.433/.807 with seven home runs, 11 runs scored, and 14 RBIs with the Bats. That’s seven home runs in only 51 at-bats.

This hot start is equally impressive for the 23-year-old slugger in Louisville (Pun intended) as he has kept his strikeout rate in line with his career average of 21.6%. The Reds do not currently have CES on the 40-man roster but with a start like this and the Reds scrapping for wins in the majors, it can only be a matter of time before balls will fly out of the Great American (Launching Pad).

Matt McLain, SS CIN

Another exciting hitter tearing it up in Louisville is shortstop Matt McLain. Several times this season I have brought him up for having a hot start to the season in AAA but it has not cooled down at all. In 32 games, McLain is slashing .333/.448/.667 with 10 doubles, nine home runs, 26 runs scored, 32 RBIs, and eight stolen bases. McLain has kept his walk rate almost identical with 2022 sitting at 15.4%. The strikeout rate has come back to the small sample size we saw out of the MLB Draft in 2021 resting at a solid 20.3%.

McLain’s BABIP is .375, only slightly elevated indicating that even with some regression he is still going to be a solid offensive contributor. The question now becomes when will the Reds add McLain and CES to the 40-man roster.

AAA Pacific Coast League

Michael Toglia, 1B/OF COL

This season did not start quickly for Toglia; a trend we’ve seen continued from earlier in his minor league career. As the calendar has shifted from April to May, Toglia has started to show the massive power he possesses. Toglia got his first taste of the major leagues in 2022, slashing .216/.275/.378 with two home runs and 12 RBIs in 31 games. Not the debut I’m sure he or the Rockies envisioned so it was no surprise to see Toglia get the start to his season in 2023 at AAA Albuquerque.  In 31 games, Toglia is slashing .260/.377/.505 with seven doubles, 26 RBIs and two stolen bases.

In this small sample size, Toglia has raised his walk rate to 14.4%; slightly higher than his career norms, and continues to strikeout at 28.1%. Toglia is an interesting prospect to rank constantly, you can see there has been big power since he was drafted out of high school in 2019. The strikeout rate has always been high which puts pressure on the hit tool and to this point it hasn’t been enough.

Michael Toglia has only batted above .250 twice in his four seasons in the minor leagues (2020 excluded). Last season, in 17 games at AAA,  he hit .333 and this season at AAA he’s at .260. This is a long way of saying I understand the power potential in Coors field is appealing. I can see that he walks well above average, but I have a hard time believing a player who is a career .248 hitter in the minors will have a fantasy impact.

Dominic Canzone, OF ARI

Truth be told, this might be one of my favorite stash guys because there is a strong chance Dominic Canzone is not rostered in your deep dynasty leagues. Currently, Canzone is only 2% owned on the Fantrax platform, and based on what he did last season and has continued to do this year, that has got to change. In 2022 Canzone played at three different levels, ultimately playing the majority of the year at AAA Reno. During his 88 games in Reno, Canzone slashed .284/.349/.489 with 18 doubles, 16 home runs, 68 RBIs, and 14 stolen bases in 16 attempts. Dominic had a 7.7% walk rate and a 20.3% strikeout rate showing solid plate discipline.

To start the 2023 season, Arizona sent him back to AAA Reno where he has picked up where he has left off. Dominic is slashing .283/.359/.604 with nine home runs, 30 runs scored, 31 RBIs, and one stolen base in 29 games. So far Canzone has raised his walk rate to a great 11.4% while lowering his strikeout rate to just 13.8%. These gains and the fact that Arizona has Canzone on the 40-man roster lead me to believe he could be making his major league debut this summer.

Also make sure to check out 3 pitching prospects ready to make an MLB impact.

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