In a new series this year, on the last Tuesday of each month I will be taking a look at the three pitchers and three hitters who stand out the most as perhaps needing to be promoted. It must be noted that these are not being looked at with the idea that they are blocked at the level ahead of them, I am solely looking at the individual performance of the player at the current level they are at and believing that they are ready for the next level of play. Past performance may be taken into consideration as well, especially early in the season. Players who are on the disabled list at the time aren’t being looked at for the list. While there are certainly more than six players that are worth mentioning, I will only be highlighting six in order to keep things at a reasonable article length.
The Pitchers
Ben Lively | The right hander has made just five starts this season, but the numbers are staggering. He has a 0.31 ERA IN THE CALIFORNIA LEAGUE in 29.0 innings with just one walk and 40 strikeouts. He has allowed just 13 hits. Normally, five starts simply isn’t enough time in a league, but Lively hasn’t just had a lot of success, he has gone through five teams and allowed a total of one run. He is pounding the strikezone with four pitches, missing a ton of bats and keeping runners off of the bases.
Alejandro Chacin | I pegged Chacin to start in Bakersfield to begin the season, but he began back in Dayton despite a 2.91 ERA in 65.0 innings in 2013 with the Dragons. This season has picked up where he left off with a 0.00 ERA in 13.0 innings with 18 strikeouts and five walks. Between the two seasons he has spent in Dayton he has a 2.42 ERA in 78.0 innings with 38 walks and 90 strikeouts.
Jumbo Diaz | Diaz gets the last pitcher spot here. The Louisville Bats closer has a 0.00 ERA in 11.0 innings with four walks and 13 strikeouts. He turned heads in the spring by throwing 97 MPH numerous times and sitting in the 93-96 range. He has a 1.40 ERA in 64.1 innings dating back to the start of last season with 25 walks and 73 strikeouts. While he has battled control at times, the numbers speak for themselves.
The Position Players
Donald Lutz | The outfielder is off to a torrid start for Pensacola, hitting .370/.418/.726 on the season. After having a throw away season in 2013 that saw him sit on the big league bench for two months with rare playing time and then having several injuries when he was back in the minor leagues, he wasted little time in April. With his power potential showing up in a big way early and good overall numbers and plenty of experience in Double-A, a move up could be warranted.
Sebastian Elizalde | The 22-year-old is hitting .324/.495/.559 for Dayton in his first season in America after playing four seasons in the Mexican League. The lefty has 23 walks and 16 strikeouts on the season as well as nine steals in the month. The Mexican League is listed as a Triple-A level, though the league has a wide array of talent levels. Elizalde had played in the league since he was 18, but the average age in 2013 was 30-years-old. That experience puts Elizalde at a rather high level and his performance thus far has clearly shown that he may be more advanced than the Midwest League.
Marquez Smith | Smith hit well in the California League in 2013 and got a promotion to Double-A Pensacola, but played less than a month before being injured and missing the final two months of the season. Back in Bakersfield to start 2014 he is simply dominating, hitting .329/.463/.671 with 15 extra-base hits, 28 RBI, 20 walks and 17 strikeouts. He is doing everything that could possible being asked and crushing the ball in all aspects. Combine that with what he did last year and it seems there is little left to prove at this level.