Haydn McGeary – Picture by Todd Johnson

Let’s be clear about one thing – we are going to see some promotions coming soon. Then again, we are only two weeks into the season, but there are some performances of note that moved several guys to the front of the line. Normally, there is a round of promotions the first week in May and then there’s a big group on June 1.

But for our purposes today, it’s only a listing of guys at each affiliate but it’s more of a “most likely to be promoted list” rather than a list of guys who should be promoted. There’s a huge difference,

Myrtle Beach

This is pretty much a list of two. Saul Gonzalez probably does not belong at Myrtle Beach. He’s probably more than ready for South Bend and will do fine once he gets there. The other player who I think could be ready for a move up is Christian Franklin. He’s been showing a mix of power, speed, and defensive capabilities at Myrtle Beach. The 23 year old probably was pushed down to Myrtle Beach because of a little outfielder log jam at Iowa and Tennessee.

South Bend

First baseman Hayden McGeary has been demolishing baseballs all month at South Bend. I still can’t believe his pitch recognition skills are as good as they are. A lot of my surprise comes from the fact that he played at D2 ball. I also love the fact that he’s hitting for average as well as power in a league that is not exactly easy to hit HRs in the month of April.

This is where the list really balloons. Half of South Bend’s pitching staff is ready to move up to Tennessee. Starters Connor Noland, Brandon Birdsell, Kohl Franklin and Luke Little all are off to a really good start in 2023. Add in reliever Carlos Guzman, and possibly Sheldon Reed, South Bend could lose half the pitching staff in one fell swoop. The problem is there’s nobody to really replace them from Myrtle Beach. There are a lot of interesting guys who have yet to break out in the Carolina League. With a logjam of relievers of Tennessee, it will be hard for any reliever to get bumped up a a level.

Tennessee

Stay with me here – I am sure you’ve heard these names before. Ben Brown is at the top of the list and probably should’ve gone to Iowa to start the year. Reliever Bailey Horn would be the number two guy to head to Iowa. Jake Reindl has to also be in that discussion.

I am still a little early for PCA and Owen Caissie to move up. Personally, I don’t see them being considered at least until the beginning of June. That’s a lot of baseball left to be played in the Southern League for those two young outfielders.

Iowa

The list begins with Cam Sanders, Matt Mervis, and Christopher Morel and that’s pretty much where my list ends. All three are deserving of being on the Major league roster right now…as in today.