Farm Report: Cavan Biggio, Kevin Cron get the call

Andy Behrens
·Fantasy analyst
Updated

The Toronto Blue Jays have been hoarding the sons of former MLB stars throughout their minor league system, in places like Buffalo, Dunedin, Vancouver and New Hampshire. Finally, the team has begun to elevate a few of them to the majors. Vlad Jr. was the first to arrive and another is now on the way. Cavan Biggio, child of Craig, has headed to the big leagues. He's expected to arrive in Toronto for Friday's series opener against San Diego.

(The Jays also have a Bichette, Conine and Clemens at various levels, just for the record. If you somehow owned all these dads in fantasy in 1998, there's a pretty solid chance you won your league.)

Cavan has been terrific so far this season at Buffalo, slashing .307/.445/.504 with six homers and five steals. For most of his minor league career, he's been a low-average, high-K guy who gets himself on base with exceptional strike-zone judgment. Biggio drew 100 walks at Double-A last year, posting an OBP of .388. He also hit 26 home runs and swiped 20 bags, so his fantasy appeal is obvious.

Biggio has played all over the diamond defensively, so he figures to fill a super-utility-ish role for Toronto. If he hits, he sticks.

Minor league HR leader also on the way

Kevin Cron has been humiliating the pitchers of the PCL over the past month and a half, leading all levels in home runs and RBIs. He's hit an absurd 21 bombs already, driving in 62 runs while batting .339/.437/.800. Not surprisingly, Arizona is reportedly ready to welcome him to the majors...

Christian Walker has been ice-cold for the Diamondbacks this month (.197/.269/.338), so it's not difficult to see where the 26-year-old Cron might fit. He's worth a speculative add if you have a need for power. Arizona travels to Coors Field for four games next week.

Alvarez update: Still crushing

Yordan Alvarez and Cron currently rank first and second, in some order, in basically every PCL power stat. Alvarez has cleared the fence 19 times for Round Rock, driving in 57 runs while hitting an insane .384/.470/.836. His teammate Kyle Tucker has been raking as well (13), but Alvarez has surely leapfrogged every other prospect in Houston's system. He clearly has nothing left to prove in the high minors; whenever he joins the Astros, you want him.

In this May 7, 2019 photo, Round Rock designated hitter Yordan Alvarez, who leads the Triple A league with 13 home runs, swings at a pitch in Papillion Neb. Triple-A baseball is seeing a dramatic increase in home runs with the major league ball being used for the first time at the highest level of the minor leagues. Alvarez now shares the Triple-A lead with 14 homers. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)
Yordan Alvarez is still obliterating baseballs, continuing to make a strong case for a call-up. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)

Brendan McKay heads to Triple-A

The Rays have promoted two-way prospect Brendan McKay to Triple-A Durham, which must come as a great relief to Southern League batters. McKay has been overmatched as a hitter to this point (.167/.256/.192), but he's been absolutely dominant on the mound. He's struck out 62 batters in 41.2 innings at Montgomery, producing a 0.82 WHIP and 1.30 ERA. It seems safe to say he's ready for a new challenge. Tampa Bay is in the division hunt, so it's entirely possible we'll see McKay in the majors this summer. (And yes, Yahoo's fantasy team is aware of his unique position eligibility situation. It will be addressed, but that stuff is very much not my department.)

Gavin Lux is feasting

Dodgers shortstop prospect Gavin Lux has homered in back-to-back-to-back games and hit safely in 10 straight for Double-A Tulsa, lifting his season slash to .329/.384/.601. Lux now leads the Texas League in home runs, total bases, runs, slugging, OPS, and probably a few other things. Los Angeles obviously doesn't have an opening in the major league lineup at the moment, so Lux is essentially a dynasty-only stash. The Dodgers have reportedly been reluctant to part with him in rumored deals, and understandably so. He's been a high-average/OBP player at every stop, with double-digit power and speed totals.

Other minor notes

Padres power prospect Josh Naylor is headed to Toronto for the opening of the series with the Jays, and he figures to see plenty of at-bats over the next week. San Diego's next six games are in A.L. parks and Naylor might be the team's best DH option. He's hit .299/.378/.538 with 10 homers and 14 at El Paso, plus he has as many walks as Ks (24). ... Carter Kieboom didn't exactly impress in his brief visit to the big leagues earlier this year, but he's had no trouble whatsoever at Triple-A. He's homered four times in his last seven games and is now slashing .348/.471/.670 for Fresno. ... Have a look at the obscene numbers that Zac Gallen has produced at Triple-A New Orleans: 1.79 ERA, 0.65 WHIP, 74 Ks, 10 BB in 60.1 IP. Miami might not be in any great rush to promote him, but he'll be of interest when he arrives.

And since we're discussing the New Orleans prospects...

Monte Harrison leads PCL with 17 steals (in 18 attempts) and he's hit six homers while batting .290 with a .389 OBP. He's an interesting stash if you have a stolen base need to address. Harrison went 19/28 in homers and steals last year and 21/27 the season before. He also strikes out at an alarming rate (31.1 K%), so he's by no means a flawless prospect. But hey, steals rarely come at no cost.

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