Future Rookies: Jhoulys!

Welcome back to another Future Rookies. After recommending Scott Elbert in last week’s column, the Dodger prospect went out and dazzled Triple-A hitters in his first start at that level this year. He had a no-hitter until the sixth inning when a Texas League single broke up his no-hit bid. The rain would not let the game go any further than six innings, and Elbert was credited with the complete-game shutout. I picked him up in my dynasty league, and I suggest you do the same. Who else should you consider adding?

Featured Add – Hitter

Michael Taylor, OF, PHI, Age 23, Double-A

	AB	R	HR	RBI	SB	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
2008 A	249	40	10	50	10	31	43	.361	.441	.554	.995
2008 A+	243	36	9	38	5	19	46	.329	.380	.560	.940
2009 AA	265	51	14	56	13	26	42	.351	.414	.600	1.014
Last 10	42	10	4	14	3	4	8	.476

Here’s a pretty solid prospect that flies under-the-radar in a lot of circles, but he’s flying through the minor leagues and hitting at every stop. The Phillies have given him about 250 at-bats at each level before promoting him, and he has done nothing to think they should waver from that philosophy, so we could definitely see him in Triple-A soon. He has actually ramped it up as of late, with six multi-hit games in his last eight contests. He will offer you an average/power/speed combo that’s hard to find. While I wouldn’t expect to see him on a Major League roster on Opening Day 2010, he’s flashed the kind of fantasy potential that should have him up soon enough.

Hitter Performance Review (as of 6/29/09)

		AB	R	HR	RBI	SB	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
Matt LaPorta	AAA	192	38	9	33	0	19	32	.302	.376	.521	.897
Last 10	AAA	35	7	1	8	0	4	8	.286
Gaby Sanchez	AAA	168	30	7	28	3	16	30	.304	.366	.470	.836
Last 10	AAA	43	4	1	5	2	1	10	.233
Alcides Escobar	AAA	309	56	3	27	27	18	49	.298	.343	.414	.758
Last 10	AAA	40	7	0	4	2	3	5	.300
Kila Ka’aihue	AAA	245	50	12	43	0	59	55	.269	.408	.502	.910
Last 10	AAA	36	8	4	4	0	4	9	.278
Brett Wallace	AAA	154	14	4	11	0	9	32	.279	.327	.409	.736
Last 10	AAA	38	6	2	3	0	1	5	.395
Justin Smoak	AA	178	30	6	29	0	35	34	.331	.445	.483	.928
Last 7	AA	27	2	0	4	0	3	4	.370
Jesus Montero	AA	66	5	1	8	0	7	6	.288	.356	.379	.735
Last 10	AA	38	2	1	7	0	3	4	.289
Carlos Santana	AA	223	49	11	47	0	53	37	.265	.401	.498	.899
Last 10	AA	35	5	1	4	0	8	8	.176
Josh Vitters	A	269	42	15	46	4	7	42	.316	.351	.535	.886
Last 10	A	45	6	2	7	1	0	8	.267

Featured Add – Pitcher

Jhoulys Chacin, SP, COL, Age 21, Double-A

	IP	ERA	WHIP	HR	BB	K
2008 A	111.1	1.86	1.01	3	30	98
2008 A+	66.1	2.31	1.10	3	12	62
2009 AA	88.2	3.35	1.21	8	29	76
June 26	5.1	10.13	2.06	2	3	5

Chacin just got rocked in his last start on June 26, so what better week to talk about him? He had been quite good recently, throwing six consecutive quality starts leading up to that last outing. The Texas League leader in strikeouts, Chacin has proved his mettle in Double-A this season, confirming his status as a top prospect. The groundball artist will be the perfect compliment to Coors Field, so dynasty owners need not worry about his parent team’s home ballpark affecting him too much.

Pitcher Performance Review (as of 6/29/09)

		IP	ERA	WHIP	HR	BB	K
Michael Bowden	AAA	77.0	3.39	1.18	9	26	52
June 29	AAA	4.2	7.71	1.71	2	0	3
Chris Tillman	AAA	72.2	2.97	1.14	4	21	75
June 28	AAA	6.2	6.75	0.90	0	3	5
Scott Elbert	AA	62.1	3.90	1.43	5	30	87
June 25	AAA	6.0	0.00	0.33	0	1	7
Carlos Carrasco	AAA	86.0	4.92	1.37	8	25	84
June 26	AAA	6.1	1.42	1.58	0	3	7
Jake Arrieta	AAA	17.2	3.57	1.25	1	5	15
June 26	AAA	6.0	1.50	1.67	0	3	2
Jeanmar Gomez	AA	67.2	2.79	1.05	2	14	54
June 29	AA	6.0	0.00	1.33	0	3	4
Brian Matusz	AA	11.1	0.79	0.88	0	4	15
June 27	AA	5.1	1.69	1.13	0	3	5
Jarrod Parker	AA	53.1	2.87	1.48	0	24	51
June 29	AA	6.0	1.50	1.00	0	2	2
Jeremy Hellickson	AA	39.0	2.08	0.95	1	9	48
June 27	AA	5.0	3.60	1.00	0	1	6
Junichi Tazawa	AA	77.0	2.92	1.16	7	25	71
DL	AA	–	–	–	–	–	–

That’s all for this week. Remember to send your queries to fbcmailbag@gmail.com. Frisco natives, enjoy the Texas League All-Star Game this Wednesday!

R.J. White (or daullaz) has been actively involved in fantasy sports for over 14 years, making him an addict at this point. He loves writing, the Atlanta Braves, music, the Buffalo Bills, theatre, the Philadelphia Eagles, his family, and the number 42, though not in that order.

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