Tuesday has turned into a rather significant day in terms of prospect promotions, as Jo Adell, James Kaprielian, and Luis Patino all learn they will be experiencing their first day of big league ball on this day.
The biggest hype of the three is easily Jo Adell with the Los Angeles Angels. The 10th overall pick in 2017 is as much fun to watch as any prospect in all of baseball. He is incredibly athletic with a strong yet agile frame. Truly a five-tool talent, he has plus power, plus speed, to go with above average glove and arm. He has struck out more than 25% in his minor league career, so the hit tool is easily his weakest, but has hit just two points under .300 in his three minor league seasons. When he made his pro debut in the AZL in 2017, he was on a very talented Angels club, but there was no doubt he was the best player on the field, and has continued to be nearly every game since. Adell is probably going to be a right fielder long term next to Mike Trout, making the outfield in Orange County one of the best in all of baseball regardless of who plays left.
Kapreilian is joining an incredibly talented and young staff with the Oakland Athletics. He impressed with his elite at UCLA, and has only improved since getting to pro ball, going from walking just 5.3 per nine his freshman year, to 3.0 his sophomore, and 2.8 in his junior season, and walking merely 2.1/9 since entering the minors. Originally selected by the New York Yankees, Kapreilian looked to be on the fast track to the bigs when he flashed high quality innings in the AFL in 2016 after missing a good chunk of the season. He wound up with injuries that saw him miss all of 2017 and 2018, traded away to Oakland in the Sonny Gray deal, and only logging 68 innings a season ago. Assuming health, which is far from a sure thing, he could be a very good fourth or fifth starter with the upside of a three, but that will all be determined by how long he can stay healthy.
Patino may be the biggest surprise call up of the three as he has less than eight innings logged in the upper minors and none at AAA. That said, he is widely considered the best pitching prospect in the San Diego Padres organization not named Mackenzie Gore. The 20-year old righty has an electric fastball that will surely be in full display this season as I expect him to be a reliever before being stretched out to join the rotation next season. He also has a plus slider that has been a major contributing factor in him striking out well better than a batter an inning. If he works out of the pen all season, I expect those to be the two pitches he throws the vast majority of the time, but he can snap off a solid curve to change the eye levels of a hitter and a changeup I have seen flash above-average at times.
Since two of these are pitchers, time will tell if all three debut on the same day, but if they do, Tuesday night could be a night of baseball to remember!
THREE QUARTER SLOT 