Fenst's Farm Report: Now Arriving, Matt Weiters!

Welcome back to another edition of Fenst's Farm Report. In this edition I will feature a number of the recent call ups from around the league along with a few players who were just sent down that will have an impact again in the big leagues this year. Let's start with the top two prospects in the minor leagues with David Price, the top pitching prospect, and Matt Wieters, the top hitting prospect.

Price has been on the radar for over a season now (really, since he was drafted out of Vanderbilt) and he may finally get his permanent crack at the rotation. It was the injury to the ace lefty of the staff that brought up the future left-handed ace in Price. Kazmir's injury vaulted Price to the big league squad when things were starting to look like Price might be down for a while. It was only a matter of time before he took the job of Jeff Niemann or the struggling Andy Sonnanstine. I think this move will keep Price in the rotation and be most likely the end of Niemann in the rotation. Sonnanstine needs to turn it around real quick or another top pitching prospect in Wade Davis will take his job in the rotation as well.

Expect a very high K/9 ratio from Price as he is one of the premier strikeout pitching prospects. He may struggle with his command at times, but that is something that comes with the inexperience. He is capable of coming out and striking out 10+ at any time. That kind of talent is undeniable. He should provide a well needed boost to a struggling rotation. He will be sitting comfortably in the four spot of the rotation by the end of the year with endless potential to fill.

Price has some new competition in his own division that he is going to have to deal with come this Friday. One of my newest man crushes, Matt Wieters, is getting the call to the majors and will make his debut on Friday. Now I will have a reason to want to watch Orioles games. Wieters will be considered by many to be a top 5 hitting catcher day 1 in the major leagues. There is a lot of pressure on him to help turn things around in Baltimore. Hopefully he doesn't fold under the pressure that comes along with being the #1 prospect. Alex Gordon was talked as being the start of the turnaround for the Royals, but they have thrived without him in the lineup during his DL stint and when he was in the lineup there was little to no production.

His ability and potential are, again, hard to deny. I know I sound like a broken record, but this kid is a polished hitter and all the tools of a superstar are there. Baseball, however, is a mental sport as well as physical. If he starts off slumping right out of the gates it will be interesting to see how he handles adversity. There is always the other factor with a catcher of managing a major league staff, which is never easy. Even with all the risk that comes along with Wieters I am a Strong Buy for him. Try and get him on your fantasy team now before he starts making his name in the bigs.

There are a few other call ups that also happened this week. I talked about Jake Fox and his insane numbers a few weeks ago. He is getting his shot with the Cubs and could be an outfielder to keep your eye on. He was leading the Pacific League in arguably every category 40 R, 17 HR, 50 RBIs, .423 AVG, .503 OBP, .886 SLG. Every time I have looked at his numbers I feel like its from a video game and my created character in Road to the Show mode is just having an insane first half because I am still playing on the rookie level. Mets prospect, Fernando Martinez, is going to see some playing time with all of the injuries that are destroying the Mets roster. Martinez is still very raw at 20 years old and his numbers were good in the minors this year, but not outstanding. I don't see him coming into New York and being an instant success. It is a tough place to play and the fans expect so much of that team this year after choking in back to back Septembers. With top players getting hurt the pressure will fall onto others shoulders, including their top hitting prospect.

A player who was recently sent back to AAA that I feel will be back hitting homers in bunches by seasons end is Matt LaPorta. He is a masher, there is no other way to put it. I think that the Indians will be out of the race soon enough in the Central and there are a lot of injury prone vets in front of him that will bring him back up into the everyday lineup. Don't give up on him yet if you are in a deep league and can spare the bench spot. Well, that's all I got for this edition. Come back in two weeks for another exciting edition of Fenst's Farm Report.

Fenst's Farm Report: International League

Welcome back to the second edition of SportsJudge.com's Fenst's Farm Report. Baseball is nearly a month into its season and some prospects are heating up all over the minor leagues before the weather even has a chance. This edition will take a look at some of the top prospects in the International League (AAA) that are off to a hot start. Many of these players you may see on your favorite major league team in the upcoming months.

Matt LaPorta (OF-CLE)

LaPorta was Milwaukee's top pick in the 2007 First Year Player Draft. The power hitter was the 7th overall selection in the draft and was a centerpiece in the CC Sabathia deal last summer. The power hitting prospect has shined in the first month of this short season for Cleveland's AAA affiliate, Columbus. For the Clippers, LaPorta has 11 extra base hits in 68 AB's, 5 of which are home runs. The righty's .368 average is tied for 7th in the international league and his whopping 1.142 OPS is fourth. If he continues and builds on his strong performance Cleveland will be forced to call him up to the majors and find him some regular playing time. LaPorta is able to play both corner outfield positions and first base as well. With LaPorta being one injury away from a call up he could see regular time at DH as well. If he does get the call up expect solid power numbers in Cleveland's lineup, but I wouldn't expect him to be a .300 hitter. Cleveland looks as if they may have received a middle of the order guy for many years from the deal of the galaxy known only as CC Sabathia.

Austin Jackson (OF- NYY)

The young speedster Austin Jackson is off to a great start for Scranton Wilkes-Barre hitting .357 with 10 RBI so far. Where Jackson's true value comes in is his speed and he has not disappointed so far this season. Jackson has 5 steals so far this young season and added two triples as well. With the health/age concerns in the Yankees outfield, as with many prospects, Jackson is a play away from the major leagues. Jackson is striking out at a regular basis, but that is expected from a player that raw and that young. Jackson has the potential to be a 30+ base stealer once he arrives in the majors. He will need to work on his strikeout count for him to sit atop a lineup like the Yankees.

Michael Bowden (RHP- BOS)

Michael Bowden seems to be the next in line of young Red Sox pitchers ready to make an import for the big league club. Bowden is leading the International League in ERA for the Paw Sox with a 0.64 ERA in 3 starts. He is striking out more than a batter per inning and has shown good control with just 5 walks in his first three outings. Drafted in the first round out of high school back in 2005, Bowden is cruising through the competition and looks ready for the next level. The biggest problem for him is the logjam of pitchers ahead of him. Even with injuries already in the rotation he is still stuck with the Paw Sox waiting for his shot. Clay Buchholz is also pitching well and would probably be considered before Bowden as well. If your league has a minor league system, don't let this kid slip under the radar and someoen else get rewarded in the future. On a side note, if Bowden was on the Pittsburgh Pirates he probably would have already been called up, had a dominant rookie season, and then fizzled out already by this point in his career. (Yes, I know the Pirates staff has been amazing this year, but look at the past with these kids.)

Phil Hughes (RHP- NYY)

The injured Wang has vaulted Phil Hughes up into the Yankees rotation. He shined in his first opportunity this year with the parent club, winning his first game for the Yanks since 2007 (he had no wins in his brief stint last season). Hughes didn't allow a run and struck out six through six innings. If Hughes continues to pitch well he might be able to solidify himself as a full-time starter for the big league Yankees. It is always nice to see a highly touted prospect seemingly right the ship after such an awful, injury plagued season (even if he is a Yankee and for the first time in three years not on my fantasy squad...). During his time in the minors he had a 1.86 ERA and 1.03 WHIP ((walks + hits) / innings pitched).

Tommy Hanson (RHP- ATL)

Baseball America top 5 prospect Tommy Hanson has been spectacular thus far for the Gwinnett Braves. His K/9 has been incredible as he has 29 strikeouts through just 20.2 innings pitched.
I wrote two weeks ago to keep an eye on Hanson in my first installment of the Farm Report and nothing has changed. If you have a deep roster or a minor league system he is a must on your fantasy team. When Hanson comes up to the majors he will make an immediate impact for the Braves and your roster. Strikeouts will come in bunches and I don't think he will hurt your ERA, in fact he might improve it. Like I have said before, a mid 3 ERA is a good estimate for where he will be after he arrives with Atlanta.