Alas, Roster Resource has restructured in regards to its Minors players and now I am sufficiently confused. Sure, the new system might make more sense, but this new one will take some time getting used to. Anyways, the AL Central could be an interesting race this season, especially in regards to the second spot. Who might be the prospects you have never heard of that help these teams break away from the pack? Let us find out!
Cleveland Guardians - Cody Morris
While Guardians fans may recognize this name, Morris isn't much of a known quantity amongst other fans. Well, he's a name getting used to after a stellar 2021 during which he posted a 1.62 ERA and a 13.7 K/9 across three levels as a starter. The bulk of his production came in AAA, where his numbers were about as impressive. Currently, he's dealing with a teres major injury - an ailment that can be tricky - but if he comes back this year, he could be a weapon for a Guardians club that has already converted former starters like Nick Sandlin and Trevor Stephan into useful bullpen pieces.
Kansas City Royals - Kyle Isbel
Yes, yes, this is a bold claim after Isbel made Kansas City's Opening Day roster last season, but he's still rookie eligible and isn't on any major top-100 list. That's a crime, quite frankly. Isbel showed quite well in a stint in the Majors last season, and also performed well in AAA last season after skipping AA. Possibly a future elite power-speed threat who homered fifteen times and stole twenty-two bases in just 105 AAA games last season, Isbel's not a sleeper because you don't know him - he's a sleeper because he's only just scratched the surface as a tools-laden threat.
Detroit Tigers - Shea Spitzbarth and Ramón Rosso
This pair of MiLB signings could provide decent upside out of an inexperienced Tigers bullpen this season. Spitzbarth is a former UDFA by the Dodgers who played a bit in the Majors last season with Pittsburgh after coming over as a Minors Rule Five pick. He's a decent strikout pitcher, but he swapped out some strikeouts as well as hits allowed last season to a beneficial effect on his run prevention. Rosso, meanwhile, has struggled so far at both AAA and the Majors, but has preformed well up to that point, and his blazing fastball is a pitch you can win with. Honerable mentions here are Markus Solbach, and Carlos Sanabria, another pair of Minors signings.
Minnesota Twins - Ian Hamilton
Hamilton's stock was never higher than in 2018, when he rocketed through the Minors and into Major League action with the White Sox and entrenched himself as an exciting arm to watch. In the three seasons since, however, Hamilton's only thrown four innings in the Majors. It's clear he's a project now, but he trimmed greatly down on the number of hits he allowed in 2021 while also posting a career best 13.1 K/9. Walks are an issue, but it's clear Hamilton's 2021 change was for the better, and it could see him make it back to the Majors in 2022 and be impactful.
Chicago White Sox - Jake Burger
Burger, like Isbel, is well-ranked within his system, but even after a resurgent 2021 that saw him shrug off years of injury he failed to return to the top-100 ranks. Having jumped several rungs of the Minors, Burger's .274/.332/.513 slash for AAA Charlotte was impressive enough coming off of three years in a row without professional action, but the burly slugger maintained an OPS over .800 during his 15 game stint in the Majors last season. For all intents and purposes, 2021 was Burger's first full professional season, and for what he did in just 97 games during it, he's being massively undersold.
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