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The Graduates: Hunter Pence (Previous Rank: 4), Jacob Faria (22), Sean Newcomb (23)

Pence returned to the Giants lineup Sunday.

Faria was called up to start Wednesday against the White Sox. He’s been holding his velocity deeper in to games at Triple-A Durham in 2017 and has been striking out batters at a 35 percent clip. Matt Andriese is on the 10-day disabled list and on track to return soon, so this might be a short stay for Faria.

This might be jumping the gun a little on Newcomb since he hasn’t made his debut yet, but all indications are that it will happen on Saturday. The Braves placed Bartolo Colon on the disabled list Tuesday with a 7.78 ERA strained oblique, so it’s possible Newcomb stays up for a few turns and seizes the job, assuming he doesn’t walk everyone in sight.

The Dropouts: A.J. Reed (18)

I’m not giving up on Reed long term but it was hard enough to figure out how he gets a shot in Houston that, combined with his mediocre numbers in Triple A, I can’t justify keeping him on the list any longer.

1. Yoan Moncada (2B)—White Sox (Previous Rank: 1)

2. Julio Urias (LHP)—Dodgers (Previous Rank: 2)

Moncada hasn’t quite regained his form after taking time off to nurse a sore thumb. No reason to be concerned. Urias has walked 13.9 percent of batters in his five starts at Triple A, including five free passes in 11 2/3 innings since his late-June demotion. The Dodgers have enough starting depth at their disposal that they can afford to be patient with Urias while he sorts this out. The ceiling is high enough to warrant this spot in the meantime.

3. Wilson Ramos (C)—Rays (Previous Rank: 8)

With his rehab assignment underway, it’s time to bump Ramos up. He caught three innings Monday in his first appearance at High-A Charlotte, then slotted at DH on Tuesday. I’d expect that to be the pattern for most of Ramos’ rehab as well as after his return to Tampa. The Rays have him under control through next season and have no need to rush him into full-time catching duties. Ramos is an immediate starter in all but the shallowest leagues, even if his batting average is closer to the 2015 version (.229) than the 2016 one (.307).

4. Cameron Maybin (OF)—Angels (Previous Rank: Unranked)

Maybin slashed .391/.509/.674 with four steals in 12 games after ascending to the Angels’ leadoff spot in mid-May. In quintessential Maybin fashion, he got hurt just when we were all ready to buy in again. Given his extensive injury history and the nature of this one (oblique), I’m not holding my breath for the Friday return that’s being reported as a possibility.

5. Manuel Margot (OF)—Padres (Previous Rank: 3)

6. Joc Pederson (OF)—Dodgers (Previous Rank: Unranked)

Margot’s out of his walking boot, though without much clarity around how long he’ll be out. The Padres have no reason to rush him. Same goes for Pederson, of whom Dave Roberts said: “We really want him swinging the bat well before he gets here.” They have that luxury because Chris Taylor has been sensational at the plate while playing center nearly every day for the past two weeks. The Dodgers surely want Pederson to hit his way out of his early-season funk and push Taylor back to a super-utility role, so it won’t surprise if Pederson’s rehab—slated to start later this week—pushes toward the 20-day limit as he works the kinks out.

7. Carlos Rodon (LHP)—White Sox (Previous Rank: 7)

8. Blake Snell (LHP)—Rays (Previous Rank: 6)

Rodon saw his first game action of 2017 on Tuesday, allowing five runs on four hits and a pair of walks, while recording six of his 10 outs by way of strikeout. He’ll reportedly move to Triple A for his second outing, and likely will require a couple more after that before rejoining the Sox. Snell, another left-handed, high-volume strikeout artist, is up to 36 punchouts in four Triple-A starts (12.3 K/9). That the Rays tabbed Faria for a spot start is a sign that they’re committed to leaving Snell down until he’s ready to go back to Tampa Bay for good, though there is some chatter that Snell will start one side of a doubleheader Saturday.

9. Tom Murphy (C)—Rockies (Previous Rank: 9)

Murphy has made a handful of rehab appearances at Triple-A Albuquerque, two of which were consecutive games behind the plate. He’s struck out in five of his 11 plate appearances, confirming that he’s still Tom Murphy.

10. Amed Rosario (SS)—Mets (Previous Rank: 11)

11. Lewis Brinson (OF)—Brewers (Previous Rank: 5)

12. Rhys Hoskins (1B)—Phillies (Previous Rank: 10)

13. Austin Meadows (OF)—Pirates (Previous Rank: 14)

14. Derek Fisher (OF)—Astros (Previous Rank: 15)

There’s not much I can say about these guys that I haven’t said several times over. Four of the five have raked all year long and that poor start from Meadows is getting further and further behind us. With the calendar flipped to June, we should see some of these guys graduate off the list.

15. Rafael Devers (3B)—Red Sox (Previous Rank: Unranked)

As with Rosario, it took me a long time to come around to the idea that Devers could log enough big-league time this year to have any kind of impact. In the meantime, he’s demolishing Double-A to the tune of a .308/.371/.544 triple slash with 10 homers, while Boston’s third basemen have managed a 52 wRC+, worst in the majors. Pablo Sandoval has been back for a week and despite being owed the GDP of Moldova over the next several years, I don’t expect him to stand in the way whenever the Red Sox deem Devers ready.

16. Brandon Finnegan (LHP)—Reds (Previous Rank: 16)

Finnegan was slated to throw in an extended spring game Tuesday. No word yet on how it went. Assuming there were no setbacks, he should begin a rehab assignment shortly.

17. Gleyber Torres (SS/3B)—Yankees (Previous Rank: 12)

18. Franklin Barreto (SS)—Athletics (Previous Rank: 13)

Gleyber’s first 50 Triple-A plate appearances have come with far more swings and misses that we’re used to seeing from him. He’s 20 years old. I’m not concerned in the least in the long term, though it’s fair to question how much short-term fantasy value there will be given his extremely limited experience against advanced pitching. Same goes for Barreto, whose 30 percent strikeout rate is substantially higher than I was expecting despite his age relative to the level. Limitations notwithstanding, it appears each will have an opportunity to play in the majors before the season is up.

19. Raul Mondesi (SS)—Royals (Previous Rank: 17)

20. Dustin Fowler (OF)—Yankees (Previous Rank: 25)

21. Dan Vogelbach (1B)—Mariners (Previous Rank: 19)

22. Ketel Marte (SS)—Diamondbacks (Previous Rank: 20)

Hey look, another group of minor league performers I’m tired of talking about.

23. Luke Weaver (RHP)—Cardinals (Previous Rank: Honorable Mention)

24. Jose De Leon (RHP)—Rays (Previous Rank: 21)

25. Reynaldo Lopez (RHP)—White Sox (Previous Rank: 24)

Even worse, a group of minor league pitchers I’m tired of talking about.

Honorable Mention: Harrison Bader, Willie Calhoun, Greg Bird, Jeimer Candelario, Carson Kelly, Dwight Smith Jr., Drew Smyly, Vince Velasquez, Nick Williams, Jesse Winker

Thank you for reading

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BPKevin
6/08
Had to laugh at all the "... Tired of talking about..." I get it and if we want to read up what you've said in the past we can click on the player or go to a previous STASH. Can't even put in an ETA because players like Weaver are dependent on an injury. Aside from the rehabbing guys, I think we'll have to wait for trades or injuries as opposed to the Super 2 before we see most of these guys in the Show.
bhacking
6/08
Greg Bird was moved to AAA so I'd expect to see him back in the next 10 days. I don't understand the logic of listing Torres and Barreto who are both unlikely to be up this month while Bird just gets honorable mention?
gregwellemeyer
6/08
The list isn't meant to be an ordering of who is going to make the majors the fastest, rather it's a combination of opportunity and impact on arrival. I'm not as down on Bird as others around here, but he's pretty fringy in a standard depth mixer.
bhacking
6/08
Thanks, got it.

I see Bird coming back soon and slotting into a lineup with a lot of opportunities for RBI's even batting down in the order. Torres and Barreto are better long term but unlikely to contribute much this year as you point out.
BPKevin
6/08
May be, but Bird, who started out badly, has to contend with Chris Carter for AB. Should Torres get called up, he'll be playing every day at 3B or in the MI, should one of those guys get hurt. When Barreto comes up, it would come after a trade and he'd also get near full time PT.
bhacking
6/08
Chris Carter with the .202 batting average and .292 OBP? I like my chances of Bird getting nearly full day at bats at 1B also because the Yankees need to see if he is going to be the solution for them in the future or not.
BPKevin
6/09
I'd like to see what Bird has too, but the Yankees are in the hunt and will go with the hot hand or alternate until one separates. (Fangraphs has them near same prediction). Carter isn't great, but is hitting HR and is a threat every time up. With Bird, we've all too often seen a player come up, make a big splash and fizzle out when pitchers adjust. I'm not saying he's Kevin Maas, but it is possible considering his poor start prior to injury. I also wouldn't be surprised to see both falter and the Yanks trade for Tommy Joseph or similar.
There are so many individual outside factors that separate who will be called up and when. I'm just agreeing with Greg that while Bird will be back in the Show before Gleyber ever sets foot, but I think Gleyber will have the bigger impact for 2017. Actually I hope I'm wrong.
Nacho999
6/09
The Bird thing is a bit sketchy, I'll grant you, but I'm more inclined to look at the 11 homers he cracked in 2015 and what he did in spring training this year than his horrid start. If you keep running Carter out there he's going to run into a few, we get that, but Bird takes his walks and can basically do the same thing as a lefty in Yankee stadium. He's also a better defender. It seems early for the Maas/Spencer comparisons, but in fairness he did look sick earlier this year waiving at every close. I'm not sure what to make of him either, but I believe the Yankees will not be swayed by a couple of Carter bombs. They bat the guy ninth for crying out loud. I am surprised to hear you say Torres will have a bigger impact than Bird this season, but I suppose it's possible. I was surprised not to find Tyson Ross on this list, but I don't know the rules, maybe he's not eligible either...
j1vrieze
6/08
Mitch Haniger deserves a mention. You think he'll have similar value as he did before he went down...or was that an anomaly?
mdickson
6/08
No, he doesn't. He does not qualify for the list.
gregwellemeyer
6/08
What he said. Haniger is well over 50% owned in ESPN leagues and I try to use 25% as a benchmark. I don't think Haniger is going to post anywhere close to the .342 average or .608 slugging he did prior to injury, but I think he'll be plenty valuable even after those numbers back up.
MikePemulis
6/08
Any clue when the super 2 on Amed Rosario is? Guy is thumping along and I can't imagine the husk of Jose Reyes (or David Wright) is gonna block him much longer?
slonny22
6/08
Any more news of Willy Adames, Luis Castillo, or Harrison Bader hitting the show this year?