Josh Thole, Mets

Hello, welcome to the farm report. Let’s get straight to it as we look around the minors to find players with fantasy relevance.

Dee Gordon, son of big leaguer Tom, is one of the most exciting players in minor league baseball right now. His numbers have suffered a bit in May, but it’s mostly a result of some worse luck, as his .393 batting average on balls in play in April has come back to Earth. He has actually improved his plate discipline and line drive swing in May which are very good signs. The shortstop is a raw product who still has a lot of growing to do, and he will probably be brought slowly through the Dodger organization as he moves forward. Being at A-ball now, he is several years from fantasy relevance, but he should be an impact player in the Jose Reyes/Jimmy Rollins mold, with high average, some power, and a ton of steals. Keep an eye on his development, both offensively and defensively, and he could rocket up prospect lists.

Mets catching prospect Josh Thole is showing a very good offensive skill set at Double-A Binghamton. Hitting for average is one thing in the low minors, but a prospect needs to prove they can do it at higher levels before they deserve your attention. Thole is doing that now, batting .356, and showing the great plate discipline he has had throughout his career, along with a line drive swing producing a lot of doubles. With no major roadblocks standing in his way, and good defensive skills, Thole could make himself relevant as a high average, Jason Kendall type catcher who gets on base at a high clip and could hit #2 for an MLB team, and he could do it sooner rather than later.

Sean Rodriguez is a middle infielder who offers a fairly rare package, a huge power swing and middle of the order bat. The Angels’ Triple-A second baseman has very impressive numbers, 17 HRs and 50 RBIs already early in the year, a line normally reserved for aging Quad-A slugging first basemen. Rodriguez offers a lot of upside still, at just 24 years old, and the only question pertains to when he will get a MLB chance. With Brandon Wood in a similar situation, and with similar numbers, the Angels appear to be just waiting for something to do with these guys. Howie Kendrick is already at 2B for the big league club, so Rodriguez may need a trade to get his shot, but whenever he gets a major league shot, he warrants watching for his huge power.

A similarly dominant Triple-A player, Carlos Gonzalez is also biding his time while he waits for the Rockies to call. He has produced every season of his career, until last year when he flopped in a full time major league gig. This season has been a big success so far, with his line sitting at .343/.423/.602 in the early going. He certainly bears watching with Coors in his future, and you have to consider that last year’s flop took place in a terrible offensive park in Oakland. With Colorado struggling and stop-gaps Ryan Spilborghs and Seth Smith getting a lot of PT, Gonzalez could find himself with an opportunity later this season, and his potential is to be a 20-20 player with great defense and good plate discipline, a very good all around player and a valuable fantasy commodity.

Triple-A Reds CF Drew Stubbs is an interesting player who has reinvented himself as a player in the minors. He came out of college as a hard-swinging power hitter with contact problems, but he has shortened his swing, improved his plate discipline and become a prototype leadoff hitter. He has hit for average this season at .304, has gotten on base at a .401 clip, and has swiped 17 bases already. Steals are a valuable commodity in fantasy baseball, and Stubbs could be a 30 steal player while hitting leadoff for the Reds in the not too distant future. Willy Taveras is a stop-gap at best, and now all Stubbs has to do is win over the loyalty of Dusty Baker.

Down at Double-A Reading, Philly OF Michael Taylor is showing a great all-around game that projects to 20-20 at the big league level. He is hitting .322/.371/.589 so far, and has improved his power swing, which used to be a level “Stanford Swing” and has now morphed into a home run stroke. The Phillies aren’t exactly looking for OF help right now, but Taylor could force himself into the picture sooner rather than later if he can continue this production.