Minor League Watch List: Part I

With the 2015 minor league season set to wrap up this week, here's some guys I've watched a lot this year and my thoughts. 

There's several guys I’m really excited about in the Texas Rangers farm system, but one is Jairo Beras. 

Once a top international prospect, a slow start to his big league career seems to be behind him. Since the All-Star break, he's slashing .299/.339/.460 with 6 HR, 27 RBI and 7 SB running his season line to .286/.329/.441 w/ 9 HR, 41 RBI and 9 SB.

Beras has tools to be a 20/20 prospect and if he can stay on the field, hopefully that starts to show.

Another Rangers prospect I’m stoked about is Yohander Mendez. This stud has jumped up the prospect hot sheets in the second half and since the All-Star break, the 6’4, 178 lb has made seven starts in nine appearances, good for a 3.03 ERA w/ 33 Ks to just 6 BB.

While the sample size is small, Mendez exemplifies the type of prospect the Rangers absolutely love: Big and projectable. 

I'm looking forward to what this guy can do in the next few years.

The Philadelphia Phillies loaded up on talent from the Texas Rangers in the Cole Hamels deal but one guy that is currently in their system to keep an eye on? Cord Sandberg.

I love me two-sport athletes and this big, strong pure lefty (6’3 215) had a scholarship to play football at Mississippi State but chose to pursue baseball in the 2013 draft.

Since the All-Star Break, Sandberg is slashing .289/.332/.373 w/ 2 HR and a SB. It can take projectable, five-tool players some time to tap into all that potential, and it looks like that will be the case for Sandberg, but if the Phils are patient, he could be a big time player in the bandbox that is Citizens Bank Ballpark.

Since joining AAA about a month ago, Josh Bell has raked his way to a .347/.430/.520 slash line w/ 2 HR, 2 SB and an utterly impressive 14/15 K/BB ratio. It took Bell about a 10 game stretch to get it figured out but he’s been impressively dominant in roughly 100 ABs.

In my opinion, Bell could sneak into the Pirates lineup later September. Bell offers a lot ways to win for the Pirates and I think could be a very valuable piece of the bench, or even a guy that could be a spot starter from time to time. 

As the month of September continues to roll along, I'll keep writing about guys in minor league baseball that I'm tracking as we head into next year.