Jesus Montero, Yankees

Hey everybody, welcome back to the Farm Report. In this week’s edition, I’m looking around the minors at some notable players to keep you up to date on everything that’s happening and how it relates to your fantasy future.

A potential impact hitter has emerged in the Cub organization in Tony Thomas. Coming out of Florida State, Thomas was a promising pure hitter who had a great half season in Boise in his first taste of pro ball, posting a .309/.404/.547. Last year he took a giant leap backwards, losing his plate discipline and only showing doubles power, but he has reversed those trends in the early going this year, hitting for a 1047 OPS and already outdoing his 2008 home run total. Thomas is hitting the ball with authority, taking walks, and doing it all while playing second base in AA. He could push for major league playing time as soon as next year, and projects as a 15-20 HR second baseman with a high average and some stolen bases.

A list of minor league players who will probably get called up sometime this year, and deserve to be picked up in fantasy leagues when they do: David Price, SP, TB, Matt Wieters, C, BAL, Tommy Hanson, SP, ATL, Andrew McCutcheon, OF, PIT, Clay Buchholz, SP, BOS. This list was much shorter than I expected it to be, but many of the major prospects out there right now are either not sure things to get MLB playing time this season or are not high enough impact to warrant being immediately picked up.

Yankee hitter Jesus Montero continues to rake, but his defensive future is still far up in the air. He has almost no chance of making the majors as a catcher, and will probably convert to first base, or even full time designated hitting, to stick in the bigs. The question then becomes does he have the power to field those positions? He has a big body that has scouts predicting big power in the future, and so far the trends are positive, as his isolated power has improved from last year. He is still in A-ball, so there is a while before he will be relevant for the Bronx Bombers, but he will inevitably get a lot of hype down the road and bears watching.

At High Desert, the Mariners’ high-A affiliate, Phillipe Aumont has undergone a controversial move to the pen, an experiment that appeared to be going swimmingly at first. However, in his last 4 outings, his ERA has ballooned from 0.57 to 4.35, as he has given up 9 ERs in 5 innings. Statistically, there are some concerning signs about the transition. Typically shorter stints would lead to a pitcher throwing harder and as a result getting more strikeouts, but Aumont, a groundball pitcher, hasn’t shown that. His walks are also a tad high. This is a concerning development for Seattle, who have put a lot of eggs in their bullpen basket, so to speak.

Top Cub third base prospect Josh Vitters has finally busted out and hit the way he was supposed to when he was selected 3^rd overall two summers ago. The 19 year old is an unbelievable contact hitter, and is showing improved power in the Midwest League with a .357/.385/.593 line and 5 homers over his last 6 games to give him 8 on the season. The one glaring problem is his plate discipline, as he has just 3 walks and 21 strikeouts on the year. Vitters is such a good hitter, he doesn’t need to take pitches, and that is a big part of the game he’ll need to work on. He is still several years from the majors, but should be a .320+ hitter with 15-20 home run power and bears watching moving forward.

Twin third basemen Danny Valencia has been perhaps the top hitter in the Eastern League this season, and the 24 year old will be relevant soon in fantasy leagues. With starter Joe Crede on just a one year deal, Valencia has the bat to take over full-time next season. His line sits at .324/.409/.595, and has gone 13-29 since returning from a minor injury. He should be moved to Triple-A by the end of the year, and will make the Twins think hard about handing him the everyday gig.

Dominic Brown, a toolsy outfielder playing at Clearwater, the Hi-A affiliate of the Phillies, has really learned how to play the game. He has always shown good plate discipline, speed, and contact skills, but this year has started hitting the ball with more authority. He has increased his slugging percentage by .175, and at this point looks like a 20-20 guy in the future. The 21 year old’s arrival time at the top of the Philadelphia lineup looks to be in two years, sometime mid 2011. Brown will be a great fantasy outfielder down the road, look out for him.