Minor League Barometer: Risers & Fallers

Roman Anthony crushed two homers on Sunday for Triple-A Worcester. The 20-year-old boasts raw power, stellar plate discipline and improving contact skills. The Red Sox have plenty of young hitting talent either at the big-league level or almost there (also see Marcelo Mayer), though Anthony could end up being the top phenom. Barring injury, he'll almost certainly make his MLB debut later this season. And if Anthony keeps slugging at this rate, the organization may be unable to keep him down much longer.

Speaking of Red Sox neophytes, our first player profile looks at someone who's already made his way to Boston. And then we'll around the country to profile some other notable names in this edition of the Minor League Barometer.

UPGRADE

Kristian Campbell, 2B, BOS – Campbell's stock has skyrocketed the last year or so vaulting him all the way to the big leagues to begin 2025. And he's already collected his first ML hit, home run, RBI and run while beginning the season 6-for-14. Campbell went a combined .330/.439/.558 with 20 homers and 24 steals in 115 games across three levels last year while offering superior control of the strike zone for his age, decent speed and emerging power. Especially given his place at the keystone, he's one of baseball's elite prospects until his eligibility runs out and should be considered the early frontrunner for AL Rookie of the Year.

Shane Smith, P, CHW – Sean Burke sparkled on Opening Day, and the rest of the White Sox rotation has been nothing short of sensational thus far - at least through almost one turn. Smith will be the fifth starter after splitting time between the bullpen and rotation in the Milwaukee organization last season. He features a low-90s heater alongside two different off-speed offerings and posted a stellar 113:29 K:BB across 94.1 innings, mostly at Double-A. The Rule 5 pick will turn 25 later this week and must be kept on the roster for the entire season if the White Sox want to keep him. This should act as an incentive for them to keep using Smith in the bigs.

Travis Bazzana, 2B, CLE – The Guardians created a huge hole at second base following the surprising trade of Andres Gimenez to the Blue Jays. Enter Bazzana, the 2024 No. 1 selection who's already slated to begin at Double-A. He projects to be above-average across-the-board in terms of hit tool, power and stolen base ability while not being afraid to take a walk. Bazzana's numbers at High-A last season were mediocre, albeit in a small sample size. Expectations are still tremendous, and a fast start could fast-track him to the Majors.

Jace Jung, 3B, DET – The Tigers were one of the most surprising teams last year, yet their hitting still leaves a lot to be desired - particularly in the infield. Prospects Kevin McGonigle and Bryce Rainer aren't ready yet, Gleyber Torres and Matt Vierling are hurt, and Andy Ibanez and Zach McKinstry aren't ideal at the hot corner. Javier Baez is barely a big leaguer anymore while Trey Sweeney has yet to take off at shortstop. Jung had the chance to grab a starting job in the spring and floundered, though he's 3-for-9 with a double and a homer at Triple-A while Detroit is winless so far. Jung is also younger and boasts more upside than most of the Tigers' other options.

CHECK STATUS

Bryce Eldridge, 1B, SF – A nagging hand injury has delayed the start to the season for Eldridge, a towering 6-7 left-handed power hitter. He wasn't set to begin in the Majors anyway, but could actually see action at Double-A despite appearing at Triple-A to end 2024. The minor hand issue combined with some struggles hitting left-handed pitching could allow the Giants to proceed cautiously with Eldridge. The future remains bright for him, yet a first-half MLB premiere is looking increasingly unlikely.

Max Muncy, SS, ATH – The "other" Max Muncy may end up being the more well-known of the pair soon enough. The Athletics' version made the roster out of spring training and offers the defensive abilities to play almost anywhere on the field. He even produced his first homer over the weekend. Muncy was limited to 50 games at Triple-A last season due to a hand injury while battling some strikeout concerns during his fairly brief time in the minors. He also hasn't hit for much average other than a 51-game stint at Double-A during 2023. Muncy's value will be tied to power, stolen bases and health. Being a part of the A's with positional versatility will help keep him in the lineup even if he initially struggles to hit for average.

Alan Roden, OF, TOR – Roden impressed in camp by showcasing his contact and on-base skills, which were his best minor-league assets. He recorded a career-best 16 home runs across 124 outings between Double-A and Triple-A last season, but power isn't necessarily his forte and he's already "full-grown" at 25. Even though he swiped 14 bags, he's also not considered a speedster. He may get some early at-bats with the Blue Jays while Daulton Varsho recovers from offseason shoulder surgery, yet looks like he may be a better "real-life" player than fantasy commodity.

Zach Dezenzo, 1B/OF, HOU – Dezenzo cracked the Astros' Opening Day roster, but doesn't have a spot for everyday playing time. Free-agent acquisition Christian Walker overcame an oblique injury and starts at first, Isaac Paredes is at third, fellow rookie Cam Smith nabbed one corner outfield slot, Jose Altuve was pushed out of the infield to the other spot while Yordan Alvarez is entrenched at DH. While it was a nice story that Dezenzo made the club, he might be better off with everyday at-bats at Triple-A until injury strikes or the Houston front office decides to dangle him as trade bait.

DOWNGRADE

Tink Hence, P, STL – The refrain remains the same for Hence as the hurler has lights-out stuff while being unable to stay healthy during his professional career. He's still only 22, yet has never reached 100 innings over a season. Hence may have a hard time getting there this season as he'll start on the Injured List at Triple-A Memphis due to a rib cage strain and is expected to miss months (and not weeks). His thin frame is usually cited as evidence that his body can't handle the rigors of a starting role, but that may just be an easy excuse as there are plenty of bigger hurlers who also can't stay healthy. Nevertheless, Hence's durability is a major concern. When on the mound in 2024, he posted a 2.71 ERA and 109:26 K:BB in only 79.2 innings at Double-A. The tantalizing numbers when available along with youth will continue to keep Hence on the prospect radar, though the injury concern will always be present.

Christian Moore, 2B, LAA – The Halos are notorious for aggressively pushing their top-end draft picks, and Moore should be no different. In fact, he was given every opportunity to win the second base job for the big club, but scuffled in spring training while failing to make consistent contact and striking out over 30 percent of the time. Moore's K numbers were similar during a small sample size in 2024, though he was at least able to flash his power potential at those levels.  He will go back to Double-A and could get to the bigs later this season based upon past precedent for the Angels, but it remains to be seen if he'll actually be ready or if this is simply an organizational mandate.