Taxi squad of potential stars
Top prospects will have an experience unlike ever before
For baseball’s GMs, summer camp 2020 is posing multiple dilemmas as they ponder down-theroad manipulations of their 60-man player pools. It seems as if every passing day there’s a veteran player choosing to opt out of playing in 2020, and it’s anyone’s guess how many players will test positive for the coronavirus between now and the July 23 Opening Day. In the meantime, there are the many hotshot super prospects who have now potentially had their debuts in the majors fast-tracked out of both need and the urgency of clubs pulling out all the stops in an effort to steal a playoff berth in a 60-game season.
Kids like Clarke Schmidt of the Yankees, Jarred Kelenic and Noelvi Marte in Seattle, Jo Adell with the Angels and Royce Lewis with the Twins, are just a few of the top prospects who aren’t even on the 40man rosters making strong im- pressions early and prompting the age-old quandary for GMs: “How are we gonna keep ’em down on the farm?”
The other day in Mariners camp, Seattle GM Jerry DiPoto was asked just that question about the 20-year-old Kelenic, the stud center fielder who was the key player for the Mariners in the Edwin Diaz trade with the Mets a year ago. Kelenic is getting extended playing time because the Mariners presently have only six fulltime outfielders in camp and he’s taking full advantage. Scouts continue to rave about his sweet swing and as one told me: “I don’t care what they say, this kid can play in the big leagues right now.”
DiPoto probably agrees, but continues to wave the yellow caution flag when it comes to Kelenic. “He’s an exceptionally gifted player and so advanced,” the GM said last week. “You see him out there and it looks like he belongs. Then you continue to remind yourself he’s only 20 years old. We want to do what’s best for his development and not hold him back artificially, but as aggressive as I want to be, we’re just going to let the days tell us what’s the right thing to do.”
One baseball exec not affiliated with the Mariners surmised the one overwhelming factor that could prevent Kelenic from making his major league debut this year is the absence of fans in the seats. “The Mariners are looking at another bad year with a disillusioned fan base. They desperately need to regenerate excitement in Seattle which Kelenic would do, but it wouldn’t make any difference if the stadium is going to be empty.”
It was because of baseball’s 60-man player pool decision most clubs sought to take advantage by inviting all their top prospects to camp in order to give the hitters extra reps and the pitchers increased innings in the absence of the minor leagues. Even if most of them will not make the team, they’ll be able to stay around all summer on the “taxi squads” getting in real game action. Such will surely be the case with Tampa Bay’s 19-year-old wunderkind shortstop Wander Franco, who has not played above High-A ball but, in the opinion of at least one scout, “is already the best hitter the Rays have.”
The Yankees’ Schmidt, their No. 1 draft pick out of South Carolina in 2017, has also been especially impressive with both his stuff and his poise. If, as expected, the Yankees find themselves in need of using an “opener” in their rotation at various times in the short season, they have indicated that Schmidt could very well be part of that mix. The problem, as with all clubs entertaining ideas of fast-tracking players not on their 40-man rosters, someone would have to be placed on waivers — and most likely lost — to make room for Schmidt.
Former Yankee assistant GM Billy Eppler, now the head man with the Angels, is keeping a close eye on the 21-year-old Adell, their No. 1 pick in the 2017 draft who moved quickly up the minor league ladder all the way to Triple-A last year. The word on Adell is he’s on track for a spot in the Angels outfield in the near future, but he’s still raw, as evidenced by 13 strikeouts in 26 plate appearances in the Cactus League back in March. “We just have to keep giving him at-bats,” Eppler said last week. “There’s going to be talented pitchers for him to face here and we’ll go from there.”
In Twins camp, Lewis, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 draft, has been playing multiple positions which could be a prelude to him getting a premature call to the big leagues in the event of multiple injuries/ positive COVID-19 tests hitting the club at some point. One thing’s for sure: The coronavirus crisis and the expanded 60-man player pools have provided an unexpected platform for so many of baseball’s elite young players to showcase their talents — while at the same time potentially creating more predicaments for GMs uncertain as to what their eventual regular season rosters are going to look like and how many players will be left at their disposal.