The American League Wild Card field is locked in, with all six seeds occupied for the 2024 postseason. Returning teams, such as the Houston Astros and Baltimore Orioles, will be playing against playoff newcomers Kansas City Royals and Detroit Tigers. The winners of the two three-game series will go head-to-head against the number two seed Cleveland Guardians and number one seed New York Yankees.
American League Wild Card: Prospects From Each Team To Watch
This year marked a number of major league debuts from numerous high-tier prospects. Some notable players include Astros right-handed pitcher Spencer Arrighetti and Tigers second baseman Colt Keith. The impact from these players are undeniable, providing stability for teams that looked like longshots to make the postseason earlier this year. The success of their prospects, combined with a late-season Minnesota Twins collapse, paved the way for an exciting new playoff bracket.
Now that the postseason is here, how can these teams make it back next year? What homegrown talent do they have to secure a wild card spot for 2025, perhaps even be division winners? All of the aforementioned teams have deep-farm systems, but these players for each team could help make their road to the playoffs easier next season.
Royals: 2B/OF Javier Vaz (#13 Organizational Prospect)
2024 (Double-A): .263/.375/.754; 22 doubles; 2 triples; 8 home runs; 42 RBI; 73 BB to 60 K; 16 SB
The Royals have pulled off a quick, impressive rebuild following their forgetful 2023 season. Pitching additions Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha, have brought much-needed depth and stuff to the rotation. Midseason bullpen additions such as Michael Lorenzen and Lucas Erceg have been welcomed reinforcements.
The team hits the ball well, but not in a spectacular fashion. The team does have the fourth-best batting average in the American League, but they don’t have a lot of pop, nor do they draw a lot of walks. Despite having Most Valuable Player candidate Bobby Witt Jr., the team’s lineup leaves more to be desired, especially the outfield. This is essentially the weakest of the American League Wild Card teams.
Javier Vaz could be the guy in the minors who could give them a few extra wins with his bat. A 15th-round selection in the 2022 draft, the 24-year-old Vanderbilt product has shown an impressive eye and a stable, above-average production line throughout his first three seasons.
At a glance, his slash line looks average, hitting an unimpressive but serviceable .754 OPS. His .379 on-base percentage looks good on the surface level as well. When you dig deeper into the numbers, there’s a lot to like about Vaz.
On the batting side, he walks more than he strikes out, a ratio of 1.15:1 BB: K. In addition, Vaz’s hits double the amount of strikeouts as well, nearly a 2:1 ratio. In essence, he gets on base three times more than the average when combining walks and hits.
He also has gap power, slugging 22 doubles and two triples. While his triples fell far short of the six he hit in 2023, he matched his personal best of eight home runs. An additional note, he swiped 16 bases on 19 attempts, adding to the 30 he stole in 33 attempts last year.
Vaz’s fielding is very good, both at second base and in the outfield. In nearly 400 chances this year, the Double-A player made recorded and he turned 47 double plays at second base. He did not record a single error in left field, even providing two assists.
It’s important to note that Vaz is still in Double-A, and has not logged an at-bat in Triple-A. Given his stable production line and his increasing gap and raw power, should any Royals outfielders go down or be traded away, Vaz is a perfect replacement. Look for Vaz to take MJ Melendez’s spot in left field if the latter doesn’t improve.
Detroit: 2B Hao-Yu Lee (#8 Organizational Prospect)
2024 Double-A: .298/.363/.851; 19 doubles; 5 triples; 12 home runs; 56 RBI; 33 BB to 69 K; 16 SB
The Tigers got lucky this year, thanks to a historic collapse by the Twins in the AL Central. Essentially, they secured an American League Wild Card spot because of it. Jackson Jobe looks good so far, and we wrote more about him in a separate piece.
The team’s hitting has been less-than-pleasing to look at. The Tigers failed to rank in the top half in any major batting category. While most of these players are young, there certainly needs to be someone the order can rally behind and get going.
While Jobe certainly looks like the best possible player, another candidate may provide some hitting relief.
Lee signed with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2021 out of international free agency. After a solid two seasons, he was part of a trade that sent the aforementioned Lorenzen to Philadelphia. With this season being the first season under the Tiger’s farm system, Lee has made a case.
Despite missing the last month of the season, Lee’s .488 slugging is the best of the Erie Seawolves with players over 130 at-bats. While his strikeouts-to-walk ratio is over 2:1, his 102 hits easily triumph over his 69 strikeouts. Lee has an average eye but can put the bat on the ball.
His contact shows in his 2024 stats. Lee had a career year, posting his highest doubles, triples, home runs, and RBIs in one year. He also tied the 16 stolen bases he recorded last year. These numbers could have easily been higher had he not missed almost all of September.
Lee’s fielding is good, but only at second base. In 296 chances, he committed six errors while turning 39 double plays. He has seen some reps at third base, but he made three errors in just 29 chances. Notably, he played third base in 2022, with five errors in 60 chances.
With third base occupied by Jace Jung and Matt Vierling, Lee might not need to worry about the position. But with second base already locked down by Keith, Lee’s future might be in the designated hitter spot. It might require a lot of adjusting and perhaps a trade or two, but it could work.
Orioles: Outfielder Enrique Bradfield Jr. (#4 Organizational Prospect)
2024 (2 Teams): .272/.358/.729; 18 doubles; 5 triples; 4 home runs; 35 RBI; 50 BB to 72 K; 74 SB
Out of the four American League Wild Card teams, Baltimore’s system is the most impressive. Over the span of a few years, the team went from last place to one of the most feared in the American League.
The teams’ draft picks have played early dividends thanks to the performances of Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman and 2024 rookie of the year candidate Colton Cowser. Their pitching remains a bit shaky, but locked down by ace Corbin Burnes and newcomer Grayson Rodriguez, there is little to worry about.
It’s easy to put Coby Mayo or Samuel Basallo here, but Bradfield Jr. is not looked at enough. The 2023 first-rounder, Bradfield Jr., has produced at a consistent level in the box for his first professional season. Sporting a 1.4:1 walk-strikeout ratio, along with 110 hits, he can get on base. That’s not to mention his ability to hit doubles and triples.
But what makes Bradfield Jr. valuable is his speed. As per MLB Pipeline, he was routinely compared to Guardians legend Kenny Lofton, who had five stolen-base titles.
Bradfield Jr. validated those comparisons, stealing nearly 100 bags in his first 133 games. His success rate has been between 85 to 90 percent, making him lethal on the bases. Just this season alone, he stole 74 bases, nearly three-fourths of the Orioles entire team total. With the bigger bases in Triple-A and the MLB, one wonders how high it can go.
The 22-year-old plays in the outfield, but is mostly occupying center field for his range and speed. In almost 270 chances, Bradfield Jr has only made two errors but has turned five double plays and eight assists. If he can get his plate production up, Bradfield Jr. is a must-start if Anthony Santander or Cedric Mullens is no longer playing.
He will need some time to face Triple-A pitching, which is where he will likely start in 2025. But if he can steal bases at the same rate, or go higher, he will appear on the Orioles roster. With his range and speed, he might very well be a mainstay for the young, talented, and ambitious roster.
Astros: Outfielder Shay Whitcomb (#14 Organizational Prospect)
2024 (Triple-A): .293/.378/.908; 19 doubles; 2 triples; 25 home runs; 91 RBIs; 53 BB to 95 K; 26 SB
Early in the season, the Astros looked dead. The team was going on the injured list, the hitters were not producing, and it looked like the playoff run was about to finally come to an end.
However, over the season, the team gritted and persevered to win the AL West despite disappointing Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers seasons. Surprisingly, the team’s pitching and hitting remained above average, giving them the number three seed in the American League Wild Card.
To ensure that this run continues into 2025, expect to see Shay Whitcomb in the Astros’ roster. The 2020 fifth-rounder, despite being 26 years old, had his best season so far.
Whitcomb tied his career high in batting average and OPS while lowering his strikeout rate significantly and continuing his dominant performance. This year, in fact, marked the first time he finished a season with under 100 strikeouts.
In his short debut over 20 games, Whitcomb was unimpressive. His slash line was .220/.304/.597 and knocked in five runs. While he did have more hits than strikeouts, he didn’t do much. Still, that doesn’t take away from the fact that the iron is glowing hot.
Look for Whitcomb to crack the 2025 opening-day roster for the Astros, definitely taking the spot occupied by Jayson Heyward. Whether he starts, it will have to be in center field between Kyle Tucker and Mauricio Dubon. Nevertheless, Whitcomb’s time is now.
Main Photo Credits: Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK
