September Call-Ups To Watch

The turn of the baseball calendar to September means two things: pennant races heating up for the teams still left in contention, and looking forward to next year for the rest of the lot. Fans in Kansas City, Cleveland and Pittsburgh get a chance this month to catch a glimpse of the future, and for those in Pittsburgh, that means a future of trading these players away once they get good enough to contribute at the major league level. But for now -- fresh talent!

Who, then, is calling up the freshest talent? Rather than giving you our opinions here at TSB, we’ve outsourced to some of the best baseball people on the interwebs to give us a few must-watch players.

First, we’d be remiss if we didn’t invite you to visit SN’s Fantasy Source Fastball Blog, where the Fantasy Source crew is all over this very question. Brad Pinkerton was kind enough to send along a few names, including who can help your fantasy team this year:

Eric Young, Jr., 2B/OF, Rockies: Young swiped 58 bases at Triple-A Colorado Springs while hitting .299/.387/.430 before being called up last month. He needs to improve his base-running technique, but could net fantasy owners a few cheap steals and runs if he continues to hit leadoff for Colorado with Dexter Fowler out.

Travis Snider, OF, Blue Jays: Snider struggled in the bigs earlier this season, but hit .337-14-40 with a .431 OBP at Triple-A. If Snider can continue to show patience at the plate like he has in the minors, he'll give fantasy owners a boost in power and average down the stretch.

Cameron Maybin, OF, Marlins: Maybin hit .319 at Triple-A New Orleans, but had just three homers and eight steals in 82 games. He has 20-20 potential, but he's just 22 and still very raw.

Neil Walker, 3B, Pirates: The Pirates' first-round pick from 2004 finally gets a shot with Pittsburgh. Walker hit 14 homers with 69 RBIs in 95 games at Triple-A Indianapolis this year. He's worth a look in NL-only leagues, but don't expect a big impact.

ESPN’s Jayson Stark talks about some of the call-ups who, in the coming seasons, may need to find a spot on the field for certain teams.

He offered the following questions:

I think it makes sense to look at guys who might actually get on the field. Mat Gamel in Milwaukee, for example. Is this guy their third baseman of the near-future or not? They need to figure that out.

Jeff Clement in Pittsburgh. Is there a position this guy can play in the National League? And what happened to his bat? He needs to show he can hit enough to overcome his leather allergy.

And Carlos Carrasco is a good one, I think. People in Cleveland didn't think the Indians got enough for Cliff Lee. A big month by Carrasco would calm everybody down for at least a few minutes.

Also, I hope the Braves call Jason Heyward up. This guy is going to be a superstar. Can't imagine he'd play much this month, though.

Fellow ESPNer Keith Law directed me to take some names from his blog, and since there were only two names on the list before you need a paid subscription to read on, he suggested:

Michael Brantley, CF, Cleveland: Brantley has great bat speed combined with outstanding bat control, which is how you can go 2,161 plate appearances in the minors with more walks (258) than strikeouts (190). He's also a plus runner and can play center field, although that position is occupied in Cleveland by Grady Sizemore at the moment.

Tyler Flowers, C, Chicago White Sox: Flowers is patient and hits for power, but he's rough behind the plate and probably will rack up the strikeouts in the majors. If he stays behind the plate long term, which I think he can, he's a very good prospect because of his offensive potential.

Will Carroll from Baseball Prospectus agrees with some of the names listed above, noting we should focus on those who can help teams currently in the playoff hunt. He sent over:

Eric Young Jr. is pretty fast, but there's some question about whether he'll ever be a more complete player. It's amazing to watch him -- he's really a Mini Me of his father. Kevin Goldstein speculated if he even had a mother. For the Rox, something small like his speed could be a difference.

The other guy I was really looking forward to was the Braves' Jason Heyward. He's a masher, but unlike most of those big guys, he's an athlete. While he's not Bo Jackson, that is the comp a lot of scouts instantly reach for. Unfortunately he has a minor injury (heel bruise) and won't be called up.

Seth Everett, contributor to MLB.com who hosts Power Alley on MLB Home Plate/XM175 and the Seth Everett Show every day in New York, added another name to watch:

Take a look at Wade Davis, the kid the Rays allegedly traded Kazmir for ... even though it’s a money deal.

And Carlos Carrasco with Cleveland. That dude was once the Phillies #1 prospect. He has fallen off the map quick.

Last, but certainly not least, comes a few names from the people who cover prospects for a living at Baseball America. Jim Callis sent us:

The guy who jumps out for me the most is Buster Posey. I'm not sure how much he's going to play or why the Giants resisted promoting him, but he's one of the elite prospects in the game and the best offensive option San Francisco has at catcher as it chases a playoff berth.

Behind him, the next two guys would be Marlins outfielder Cameron Maybin and Angels infielder Brandon Wood. Both once ranked among the best prospects in the game but have yet to carve out a full-time role in the majors. Maybin will probably get a better opportunity than Posey or Wood to show what he can do.

There you have it, some of the top prospects to watch from some of the top baseball writers in the game. And just think, it won’t be long before half of these guys are labeled busts.

This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.