Alex Kielar Aug 17th, 2019
With September looming and pennant races tightening, it’s almost time for major league rosters to expand from 25 to 40. So I am going to give you a series of articles breaking down the likely most impactful September Call-Ups for all 30 teams. Let’s start with the American League East.
New York Yankees: RHP Deivi Garcia
The Yankees will need as much help as they can get in their pitching game, and Deivi Garcia could be a huge help to them beating out the Astros for the all-important home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Garcia is already at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, and while he has struggled in some starts, he has the electric stuff to get big league hitters out. Even using him as a bulk guy out of the bullpen would be huge to the Yankees in September. He is not currently on the 40-man roster, but the Yankees will certainly make room for their number one overall prospect.
Tampa Bay Rays: 1B Nate Lowe
Sent down following the Rays’ deadline day trade for power hitting Jesus Aguilar, Lowe will certainly find himself back up in September. Lowe already made a pretty solid impact for the Rays in 30 games, as he slashed .294/.365/.510 with five home runs and 13 RBI. Since being sent down to AAA Durham, he has hit .277 with two home runs and nine RBI in ten games and has slashed .289/.414/.523 with 14 home runs and 55 RBI in 78 games overall in AAA. The Rays will need all the offensive production they can get to make the playoffs, as they are fighting for a wild card spot, and still have an outside shot at the American League East.
Boston Red Sox: RHP Trevor Kelley
If the Red Sox want to sneak into the playoffs as a wild card, as they fall further and further back, they will need a lot of help with their bullpen and pitching staff. Kelley already got the call once back in June, and only made one start, allowing three earned runs in 1 inning. He is an effective side-arm pitcher, and while at AAA Pawtucket this season, he holds a 1.58 ERA with ten saves, 51 strikeouts and a 1.088 WHIP in 57 IP. Kelley could give the Boston bullpen a boost and give them a look at who their potential 2020 pitching staff will be made up of, with him being a possible key piece.
Toronto Blue Jays: OF Anthony Alford
Even though he has fallen down to the Blue Jays’ 21st ranked prospect after starting the season at 11, Alford is still a very exciting prospect for the Jays. We’ve already seen the likes of Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Cavan Biggio, and Bo Bichette show what they are capable of and give the Jays a very exciting look at their future. While Alford isn’t at as high a level talent as those three and doesn’t have the added hype, he should still be a key piece for Toronto’s future plans, as outfield help is needed for them. Alford has seen some playing time the last two seasons for the big league club and got action in one game this season. He has only gotten three hits in 30 at-bats for Toronto over those three years, but down in AAA this season, he is slashing .272/.352/.442 with seven home runs and 36 RBI. Alford has great speed, instincts, versatility, and has a high IQ on the basepaths.
Baltimore Orioles: 1B Ryan Mountcastle
While he would need to be added to the 40-man roster, Mountcastle is Baltimore’s fourth-ranked prospect and second-ranked hitting prospect behind highly-touted Adley Rutchsman, and they should find the room for him. He has had a solid season at AAA Norfolk, slashing .316/.344/.524 with 21 home runs and 71 RBI over 110 games. The one concern has been his plate discipline, as he has struck out 109 times and just walked 18 times, but if he can work on improving that, he will be a solid piece for the Orioles. Oh, and did I mention how little production they have gotten from first base this season? *Hint: The guy who started the season with the longest 0-fer in history currently mans the position. If you still don’t know, he’s still owed roughly $23 million per year for the next three years. Yeah, it’s Chris Davis. Mountcastle would give the O’s a much-needed boost at first and if he does even slightly better than Davis (not hard) in September, he will be on the roster in 2020.
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