Ten minor leaguers to watch as the MLB lockout continues
By Pedro Moura
FOX Sports MLB Writer
Major-league owners have locked out major-league players until the two sides reach a deal on a new collective bargaining agreement for the 2022 season and beyond.
How long that will take no one knows, but there will be little motivation for either party to reach a compromise in December. As long as the two sides reach a deal before January’s end, next season should begin as scheduled.
Until then, there are minor leaguers to monitor. As most of them are not members of the players' association, they cannot be locked out.
In fact, Wednesday marks the minor-league Rule 5 draft, one of the rare baseball events that will take place as scheduled this winter. Here are 10 of the most intriguing minor leaguers to remember as the lockout continues.
1. Mariners outfielder Julio Rodriguez
Rodriguez is one of the few on this list who actually are on a 40-man roster, after Seattle promoted him last month. He has not yet made his major-league debut, but his 2021 performance across multiple levels left little doubt that he will soon be ready. He began as the youngest player in his High-A league, dominated there and then had even more success in Double-A, where he got on base more than 46% of the time. Getting ready to go for it, the Mariners already have an outfield glut, but they will make room for this potential sensation soon enough.
After he attended his first Mariners game at T-Mobile Park during the season’s final weekend, Rodriguez said that imagining taking the field there gave him chills. "I feel like it was the best thing I’ve seen in my life," he told reporters. With him, everything tends to be superlative.
2. Cubs outfielder Brennen Davis
Chicago aggressively promoted Davis –– a former high school basketball star –– through the organization in 2021, and he rewarded the faith. One great week to begin in High-A South Bend, delayed by his being hit in the head with a pitch, became three solid months with Double-A Tennessee. He finished with a great couple of weeks with Triple-A Iowa.
Given how short the Cubs are in the field and given that they just pushed a bunch of short-term money toward starting pitcher Marcus Stroman, Davis’ immediate arrival would help give them a chance at contention — if not in 2022, then in 2023.
3. Tigers infielder Spencer Torkelson
Major-league evaluators have been convinced that Torkelson would hit at a high level since the first weeks of his freshman season at Arizona State in 2018, when he averaged nearly a homer every two games. Nothing has rendered the consensus incorrect thus far. Torkelson has hit for power at every professional level, and he has largely controlled the strike zone, too. It will be a matter of months –– not years –– before he’s a fixture in the Detroit lineup. In fact, if there are service-time changes made to the next CBA, Torkelson would be a prime candidate to open the season in the majors.
4. Giants catcher Joey Bart
Bart is the only player on this list to have played in the major leagues, albeit much more in 2020 than in 2021. He remains a prospect, only a 2018 draftee, and one in line to garner significant playing time after Buster Posey’s retirement.
Note that Bart rose to the majors when Posey opted out in 2000. He didn’t impress then, but he was better during this minor-league season. Scouts say he still has a high floor, and there’s no reason not to expect competence.
5. Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas
Another 2018 draftee, this time out of high school, Casas is much more of a projection pick than Bart. He is a large young man who has not yet hit for the sort of power his frame portends. He has, however, gotten on base at an exceptional rate. Boston will be keeping the position clear for him in the long term, though Bobby Dalbec has established himself as at least a potential contributor there.
6. Rangers right-hander Jack Leiter
Leiter hasn’t made his professional debut yet, and he didn’t exactly garner a lot of college experience, either: He pitched in a total of 22 games at Vanderbilt. But his potential is so clear that it seems fair to wonder whether the Rangers would have started pushing in their chips this offseason if they did not believe he could advance quickly.
Aside from Leiter, there isn't a ton of top-tier talent in the lower levels of the Texas organization, according to evaluators. It’s easier to dream on the franchise if there is indeed a potential ace in the fold.
7. Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman
Baltimore does not, as of now, have a single catcher on the 40-man roster. Obviously, that will change whenever the 2022 season approaches. But the dearth is indicative of how the organization plans to turn the position over to former No. 1 overall pick Rutschman sooner rather than later. He continues to take care of business in the minor leagues.
Like Torkelson, he would be much more likely to begin the season on the Orioles' roster if CBA changes rendered service-time manipulation less valuable for teams.
8. Padres left-hander Mackenzie Gore
Gore is the only player on this list who wasn’t, well, very good during the 2021 season, as he was alternately hurt or ineffective. But that is not the death knell for his prospect status — far from it. Gore is only 22, and he retains the high-end potential that once made him the sport’s top pitching prospect.
Already, scouts reported at the Arizona Fall League that he was looking better than he had in the summer. It’s plainly obvious that the Padres are going to need him if they hope to unseat the Dodgers and Giants in the NL West next season.
9. Dodgers right-hander Ryan Pepiot
Pepiot is the least heralded prospect in this bunch, but he somehow fits into a similar category as Gore: The Dodgers might really need him to contribute next season. Before the lockout took effect, the Giants managed to add a litany of starting depth. The Dodgers did not, and if Clayton Kershaw doesn't return, they’ll be lacking support beyond Walker Buehler and Julio Urías.
Enter Pepiot, whom the Dodgers made the highest draft pick in Butler school history in 2019. The late bloomer is now their top pitching prospect and perhaps the most likely to contribute in 2022. His end-of-season struggles in Triple-A serve as a sign to pump the brakes some, but scouts say his changeup is for real.
10. Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr.
Witt might be the most heralded talent here, the prospect who engendered a real push to make the major leagues out of spring training last season. That was never realistic, as he was then a 20-year-old who had played 37 professional games and none above rookie ball. He started slowly, easing the outside criticism of Kansas City, but he finished quite strong, hitting .301 with 26 homers over the final four months.
The Royals have continued to add on the margins, not in the expensive manner of some of their cellar-dwelling peers. That might mean they have incentive to keep Witt in the minors for some or all of 2022. Or perhaps not. When the lockout is over, we should have a better idea.
Pedro Moura is the national baseball writer for FOX Sports. He most recently covered the Dodgers for three seasons for The Athletic. Previously, he spent five years covering the Angels and Dodgers for the Orange County Register and L.A. Times. More previously, he covered his alma mater, USC, for ESPNLosAngeles.com. The son of Brazilian immigrants, he grew up in the Southern California suburbs. Follow him on Twitter @pedromoura.