Prospects who could be impact callups — 1 for each team.
We’ve already seen several noteworthy callups in this young season. The biggest came when the Orioles promoted the best prospect in baseball, Jackson Holliday, on April 10. The Dodgers summoned fellow Top 100 prospect Andy Pages on Tuesday to bolster their outfield.
When Justin Steele strained a hamstring on Opening Day, the Cubs quickly turned to former Top 100 prospect Ben Brown, who shook off a rough big league debut to allow just one run over his first two starts. Nick Nastrini joined the White Sox on Monday and already looks like their No. 2 starter after one outing.
Dodgers: Justin Wrobleski, LHP (No. 15)
The Dodgers thinned out our list of candidates by promoting Pages and right-handers Kyle Hurt and Landon Knack within the past week. They’re constantly on the prowl for pitching, so let’s go with Wrobleski, whom they drafted in the 11th round out of Oklahoma State in 2021 just two months after he had Tommy John surgery. He’s one of their most polished mound prospects, mixing four pitches while providing plenty of strikes. He has a 1.88 ERA with 16 strikeouts in 14 1/3 innings at Double-A.
Giants: Marco Luciano, SS (No. 1/MLB No. 37)
Luciano made his big league debut at age 21 last July and should return to San Francisco this season despite losing the Opening Day shortstop job to veteran Nick Ahmed. Signed for $2.6 million as the top middle infielder in the 2018 international class, he has electric bat speed and huge raw power. He’s slashing .328/.452/.397 at Triple-A.
Padres: Graham Pauley, 3B/2B/OF (No. 8)
Pauley cracked San Diego’s Opening Day roster but went only 2-for-15 (.133) in seven games and was sent down to Triple-A El Paso. He hit a grand slam in his second game with the Chihuahuas on April 11 and is 6-for-21 (.286) with as many homers (two) as strikeouts through his first six contests in the Pacific Coast League. Pauley needs to get everyday at-bats to develop offensively, and his pullside pop should keep coming through with more playing time. After regaining his confidence in El Paso, the former Duke star could elbow his way back into San Diego’s present-day plans.
Rockies: Jordan Beck, OF (No. 4/MLB No. 74)
The Rockies were aggressive in sending their 2022 Competitive Balance Round A pick to Triple-A to start this season, but it’s looking like it was a smart move. He’s in the Top 10 in the Pacific Coast League in both slugging (.643) and OPS (1.034). He has 10 extra-base hits while walking in nearly 16 percent of his plate appearances. The Rockies are scuffling and an infusion of pop from Beck certainly wouldn’t hurt.
