Minor League Barometer: In The System

While plenty of phenoms have made strides in 2018, perhaps no prospect has made a bigger jump than Alex Kirilloff of the Minnesota Twins. Kirilloff missed all of last season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, but the 20-year-old outfielder has quickly made up for lost time in 2018. Kirilloff destroyed Low-A pitching to begin the year, slashing .333/.391/.607 with 13 home runs and 56 RBI in 65 games. That resulted in a promotion to High-A. If possible, he has been even better in handling the bat since the bump. Kirilloff is batting a stellar .381 in 34 games at High-A Fort Myers. He is hitting an insane .525 over his last 10 games for the Miracle. Though the power has not been quite as prodigious for the lefty at this new level, he still remains among the leaders in all of the minors in terms of extra-base hits. Like the Phoenix, Kirilloff has risen from the ashes to become one of the premier outfield prospects in all of baseball.

Let's take a look at some other movers and shakers in this edition of the Minor League Barometer.

UPGRADE


Dylan Cease, P, CHW – Michael Kopech gets all the pub, but Cease has been simply other-worldly in 2018. He's made mincemeat of the competition since being bumped from High-A to Double-A. Through five outings, Cease has a 2.83 ERA and 42:11 K:BB in just 28.2 innings. Opposing hitters are batting a putrid .188 against the 22-year-old righty, who came over from the Cubs last season in the Jose Quintana deal along with Eloy Jimenez. Cease had arguably the best start of his entire career in his most recent outing, firing seven scoreless innings. He allowed just one hit, walked one batter, and struck out 12. Cease is quickly vaulting up the prospect rankings with his dynamite 2018 campaign.

Touki Toussaint, P, ATL – While fellow Atlanta pitching prospect Kolby Allard will be making his MLB debut this week, it is the 22-year-old Toussaint that has been baffling hitters at the higher levels in 2018. Finally living up to his lofty potential, Toussaint overpowered the opposition at Double-A to begin the season. He posted a 2.93 ERA and 107:36 K:BB in just 86 innings. Opposing batters hit an anemic .208 against him. Toussaint received a promotion to Triple-A recently as a result, and through three starts has been equally dominant. The 22-year-old righty has a1.77 ERA and 21:9 K:BB in 20.1 innings. He's putting it all together, utilizing his electric fastball, filthy breaking ball and emerging command. The upside for Toussaint is tantalizing, though he will need to maintain control in order to stay in the starting rotation and not end up in the bullpen.

Justus Sheffield, P, NYY – The Bronx Bombers have thus far refused to include Sheffield in any trades. Though the Yankees did acquire veteran J.A. Happ for the stretch run, the neophyte Sheffield is clearly considered one of the future starting arms by the organization. Sheffield has allowed one earned run or fewer in five-straight starts at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Though his strikeout numbers have not been off the charts, he has still fanned a respectable 63 batters in 68.1 innings at this level. Sheffield's ERA on the year sits below 2.50. The 22-year-old southpaw may need to wait until 2019 to win a spot in the starting rotation, but with Sonny Gray faltering and C.C. Sabathia getting up there in age, Sheffield is definitely waiting in the wings.

Jeter Downs, 2B, CIN – Downs has seen his stock go up in his first full season in the minors. The 20-year-old speedster has swiped 29 bags in 99 games for Low-A Dayton. He has also shown some better-than-expected pop, bashing 11 home runs and 22 doubles. The Reds have plenty of depth up the middle right now in both the big leagues as well as on the farm, so Downs could end up being trade bait. That being said, since Downs is a ways away from making a big league impact, the Reds may be content to take a wait-and-see approach.

CHECK STATUS

Zac Gallen, P, MIA – Gallen won't light up the radar gun, but he pitches to his strengths. One of the pieces in the Marcell Ozuna trade, he's kept the ball down of late and has allowed just one earned run in his last three starts, a span of 17.2 innings. Gallen has fanned 18 batters over that span, using his cutter and changeup to effectively play off the fastball. Because he is not overpowering, Gallen does have the ability to occasional get blown up (see 12 hits, nine earned runs on Independence Day). Once he reaches the big league, the key for Gallen will be maintaining control while keeping hitters off balance. Gallen has been a tad wild of late despite the string of successful starts. The additional base runners will come back to haunt him at the higher levels. Nevertheless, the 22-year-old has a repeatable delivery, excellent presence on the mound, a 3.59 ERA and 101 strikeouts in 102.2 innings at Triple-A.

Brent Rooker, 1B, MIN – The Twins suddenly have some sensational hitting prospects, including the above-mentioned Kirilloff, outfielder Royce Lewis and middle infielder Nick Gordon. The power-hitting Rooker should also be considered just after this trio, and he has caught fire of late. The 23-year-old is batting .425 with four home runs and 11 RBI over the last 10 games for Double-A Chattanooga. Rooker has more walks (10) than strikeouts (7) over that span. Overall in 2018, Rooker has cracked 20 home runs, and is batting a respectable .277. He still has some contact issues (121 strikeouts in 100 games), but the plus-power and decent average lessen the severity. Rooker may end up as a Designated Hitter when all is said and done, but he certainly remains in the future plans for the Twinkies right now.

Jasrado Chisholm, SS, AZ – The Bahamian shortstop known as "Jazz" has made some sweet music in 2018. Though contact is a concern, the toolsy Chisholm collected 15 home runs and eight steals in 76 games for Low-A Kane County. Despite hitting just .244 at that level, Chisholm received a promotion to High-A, where he has continued his surprising power display. The 20-year-old has four home runs and five RBI through his first 10 games in the California League. Scouts feel his power is for real, and Chisholm should be able to stick at shortstop as well. He did miss some time due to a meniscus tear in 2017, though has shown no ill effects this year. The big question for Chisholm will be if he can hit for a high enough average at the higher levels.

Adonis Medina, P, PHI – Medina's name has been tossed around in trade talks, but thus far the Phillies have stood pat with one of their better pitching phenoms. A couple of bad starts have led to a deceiving 4.64 ERA at High-A Clearwater, but the peripheral numbers for Medina show the true story. He has a 1.38 GO:AO, meaning he keeps the ball down more often than not. He has 93 strikeouts in 83.1 innings; that includes a 12-strikeout virtuoso performance July 21. Medina also had a three-game stretch where he averaged nine strikeouts per contest in late June/early July. Medina has given up a few more home run balls this season than usual, which would explain the slightly bloated ERA. Still, with Franklyn Kilome dealt to the Mets and Sixto Sanchez on the Disabled List, Medina is arguably the top active pitching prospect in the Philadelphia organization.

DOWNGRADE

Griffin Canning, P, LAA – As a caveat, the Halos have been incredibly aggressive with the 22-year-old righty. Though he was drafted in the second round last year as a polished college product out of UCLA, he is already on his third different level in 2018. While Canning found little resistance at High-A and Double-A, he has hit a wall at Triple-A through seven starts. Canning has a 6.89 ERA in 31.1 innings. Opposing batters are hitting nearly .300 against him at this level, and he has already allowed three home runs. Of course, the hitter-friendly confines of the Pacific Coast League should be taken into account, and Canning still has fanned 34 batters in those 31.1 innings. Canning's lack of control has been the most concerning issue, as he has walked 16 batters in those even starts. The sample size remains small, and Canning has plenty of time to right the ship. For now, though, he will almost certainly spend the rest of the year in the minors tinkering.

Christin Stewart, OF, DET – Stewart has power and some patience at the dish, but is a lifetime .260 hitter in the minors. At 24 years of age, the big bopper should get his chance to see the big leagues shortly. He isn't exactly blocked, with Jacoby Jones, Niko Goodrum and Victor Reyes all splitting time in left field. That being said, he spent some time recently on the Disabled List, and has struggled to find his footing since returning from injury. The rebuilding Tigers can afford to be patient with Stewart, even if we know what he will bring to the table at this point. Stewart can hit the long ball, but it remains to be seen how much else he will bring to the field, and if he can hit for enough average to make himself serviceable. He'll get his shot, but it may be foolish to expect him to set the world ablaze upon being promoted.

Ryan Castellini, P, COL – It has been a precipitous fall from grace for Castellini, who at one point in time was considered one of the better pitching prospects in the Colorado system. Castellini was adequate, albeit unspectacular in his first attempt at Double-A in 2017. He has been even worse in his second go-round, possessing a bloated 6.05 ERA in 99.2 innings. The ball has completely gotten away from him, as the 22-year-old right has 67 strikeouts and 56 walks over that span. Though Castellini was never a monster strikeout pitcher, his strikeout rate is down while his walks are way up in 2018. The wheels have come off for Castellini, who leads the Eastern League in earned runs allowed.

D.J. Peters, OF, LAD – The long ball is the calling card for Peters, but he hasn't hit many dingers of late. He has been sliding recently, batting just .139 with just one home run over his last 10 games for Double-A Tulsa. The 6-foot-6, 225-lb Peters has fanned 18 times during that time period. In a nutshell, that is the problem with Peters; he has prodigious power but struggles to make contact. He is batting just .235 with 141 strikeouts in 101 games overall. He works the count, but too often ends the at-bat with a punch out. His power cannot be ignored, but Peters is a boom-or-bust type player in a rather crowded system in terms of outfield depth.