Baltimore called up Jordan Westburg on Monday from the organization’s seemingly limitless supply of hyper-talented prospects. He will bat seventh against the Reds. Westburg had spent the first 67 games of his season at Triple-A Norfolk, where he hit 18 bombs and stole six bags while slashing .295/.372/.567. Last year, he delivered 69 extra-base hits, including 27 homers.
Without question, this gentleman can punish baseballs:
Defensively, Westburg has played second, short, third and both corner outfield spots this year, so it won’t be difficult to squeeze him in the lineup on any given day. He currently carries SS eligibility for fantasy purposes, but he’s a decent bet to qualify elsewhere before long. If you’re looking for pop from a middle infield spot, he can certainly help. Westburg is capable of double-digit homers over the season’s second half.
The Orioles system is also home to Jackson Holliday — arguably the top overall prospect in the minors at the moment — and Colton Cowser, who’s likely among the next wave of big bats expected to reach the majors. So yeah, this organization is absolutely loaded. Cowser could get promoted any day now, as he’s hitting .323 at Norfolk with a .978 OPS.
Dominic Canzone scorching-hot for Reno
Arizona has plenty of interesting young outfielders, none of whom are hitting any better than the 25-year-old Canzone at the moment. He has multiple hits in seven of his last 10 games, raising his season slash at Reno to .343/.423/.648. He’s cleared the fence 16 times while driving in 65 runs.
Canzone is only batting .242 with one home run against LHPs, so he’s probably headed for some sort of platoon whenever he arrives in the majors. Still, the man is doing all he can to earn a promotion from Triple-A.
Jordan Lawlar comes alive
Lawlar, the Diamondbacks’ top prospect, got off to a hideous start this season at Double-A Amarillo, but he’s been excellent in June, slashing .325/.378/.602 with four homers and seven steals. He’s still just 20 years old, so you can forgive him for a slow month or two. He’s now up to 10 homers and 20 steals on the year, which is pretty much exactly what you might have reasonably hoped for in terms of power and speed.
Brandon Pfaadt, still piling up Ks
Sorry to overwhelm you with Arizona prospects, but that team has a few fun pieces on the way. Pfaadt obviously struggled in his first tour of the majors, but he’s been predictably excellent at Reno since being sent down. Over his last three starts, he’s tossed 18.2 innings, allowing just 13 hits and one walk while striking out 23 batters. We’ll remind you that he delivered a ridiculous 218 Ks last season over 167.0 frames at two minor league stops. The upside here remains significant.
Junior Caminero crushing with the Biscuits
Just look at this smooth and easy power from the 19-year-old Caminero:
He’s batting .333 across two levels this season with a .998 OPS and he hasn’t exactly struggled since making the jump to Double-A Montgomery. Caminero has 15 bombs on the year. He’s not likely to reach the bigs this year, of course, but it’s impressive to see him thrive at an advanced level at his age.