September Call-Ups: Players to Watch

As we enter September and Major League rosters expand to 40 players, teams will begin calling up their minor league players in order to help the team down the stretch, and also to get a look at their young talent at the Major League level. As the first wave of promotions is announced, some players stand out as ones to watch. Following is a compilation of the most interesting call-ups thus far at each position.

Starting Pitchers

There have not been too many interesting starting pitchers promoted yet. Some teams elect to wait until the end of the minor league season to call up certain players, so there may still be some higher-level starting pitchers called up in the coming days. That said, there have been a few players that have caught my eye. 26-year-old righty Brandon McCarthy could solidify Texas' pitching and give them a real shot at the wild card, or even the AL west. McCarthy is returning from injury - a stress fracture in his shoulder - and allowed 1 run over 6.1 innings in his first Major League start since June. He is not a sure thing at the Major League level by any means, at least at the present time, and being a flyball pitcher in Texas sure won't help him. That said, he is still a young pitcher who has had moderate success at the major league level in the past, and he could certainly help the Rangers, who can always use solid pitching.

It hardly counts as a September call-up, but Tim Hudson's return from Tommy John Surgery should be something to watch. He recorded a win in his first start of the season on Tuesday after pitching 5.1 innings and yielding 2 runs on 6 hits and 3 walks. Hudson is a 34-year-old righty who has seen much success in his career. If he can regain some of what he had prior to his surgery, then the Braves will certainly have a shot at the playoffs.

Relief Pitchers

The majority of pitching call-ups so far have been relievers. A fair amount are at the very least, of interest. Those include Brad Kilby, Guillermo Moscoso, Warner Madrigal, Waldis Joaquin, Joel Peralta, and Jack Taschner. However, possibly the most interesting of the relief pitcher call-ups is Edwar Ramirez of the New York Yankees. Ramirez was an important part of the Yankees' bullpen in 2008, but struggled mightily with his control early this season. He was sent to AAA in mid-May after walking 15 batters in 17.1 innings. However, in 51 innings for AAA, Ramirez pitched to a 2.82 BB/9 - nearly 5 BB/9 lower than the 7.79 he posted for the big league club. His strikeout and homerun rates both improved drastically as well, and it seems as he may have regained his 2008 form somewhere along the way in AAA. We'll see how he does in the majors - there's no denying that AAA is not the same as the AL East - but it does look like Ramirez has found his command again, which at the very least could mean that the Yankees' bullpen will receive some welcome help going into September and October.

Catcher

As a Mets' fan, I can personally tell you how painful it can be to watch the Mets right now. But like any team, they have their bright spots - reasons to keep watching. One reason the average fan might choose to continue watching the Mets at this point in the season is the call-up of catching prospect Josh Thole. The 22-year-old backstop hit .300 last year in high A, and this year, his batting average has improved to .328 in AA. He does not hit for much power at all, but as a 22-year-old catcher in A+ and AA, his ability to maintain a .372 wOBA is impressive. Another thing that is impressive about Thole is that his BB/K has been consistently above 1 over the past three years. Consequentially, his OBP has risen steadily since his professional debut in 2006. We'll see how he handles Major League pitching. He is scheduled to debut on Thursday against the Rockies.

First Base

With Russell Branyan on the DL, the Mariners have promoted Mike Carp, a 23-year-old first baseman who hit 15 HR with a .274 average in 109 AAA games this season. Carp was once a well-thought-of prospect in the Mets' system before they traded him to Seattle, and he still has a lot of potential, even though he has not hit as well this year as he did in 2008. regardless, he should get a significant amount of playing time at first base for the Mariners in September.

Second Base

White Sox rookie Chris Getz has returned from the 15-day DL, and has been reinstated as Chicago's second baseman. Getz has had a solid rookie season in 2009, hitting .267 over 90 games, with 23 extra-base hits. Although he is by no means a strong offensive player at this point in his career, it still should be interesting to see if Getz can wrap up his rookie campaign on a positive note, and if he can make the necessary adjustments to raise his .314 wOBA.

Third Base

Yes, we're going with a double dip on the Chi Sox. 3B Josh Fields also received a call-up to the White Sox in lieu of the roster expansions. Don't get me wrong: I don't think Josh Fields is as great a hitter as he may have been seen as after his 2007 rookie year. That .302 BABIP was bound to go down with such a low LD% (16.5%). Unless he improves his line drive rate, he will have a hard time staying afloat in the Major Leagues. Yet this is his opportunity to prove himself worthy of a spot on the White Sox in the future, and considering that his contract expires at the end of this season, this may be his last chance to prove his worth, at least as a member of this team.

Shortstop

The Angels don't seem to have much faith in Brandon Wood just yet, but he can't possibly evade this list with the way he has hit in the minors. Wood, 24, has hit 22 HR and 27 2B in 424 PA this year in AAA, with a .293 AVG. His .388 wOBA is actually down from his 2008 mark of .405. He certainly has made improvements this season, though. For instance, his strikeout rate - one of his major weaknesses - has decreased by 5.4%. Wood is capable of playing at short and third base, but he might not get a great deal of playing time, as the Angels are in a pennant race, and have a solid offensive structure in place. However, as for his future, it's only a matter of time before he figures things out at the Major League level.

Outfield

There have been two rather high-profile outfield call-ups so far - John Bowker and Cameron Maybin. One is getting publicity because of how well he is hitting, and the other, because of his poor hitting relative to his expectations. Bowker is an outfielder for the Giants who also plays first base. After debuting for the Giants last year and hitting .255 with 10 HR in 350 PA, Bowker returned to AAA in 2009 and completely tore the league's pitchers to shreds. His .447 wOBA led the Pacific Coast League, and his .340 AVG, 21 HR, 22 2B, 10 SB, and 1.14 BB/K are also impressive. Considering the Giants' current situation, Bowker could certainly see major playing time in September, whether at first base or in the outfield.

Marlins' center fielder Cameron Maybin is a different story. He came into the season with all sorts of insane expectations after going 16 for 32 last September. Then he went ahead and hit .200 in his first 27 games in 2009 and got himself sent down. He hit well - .319 - while in the minors, though he only racked up 3 HR and 8 SB in 82 games. The bottom line, though, is that Maybin is still very young (22), and has time to develop into a better player. He certainly has the skills to become a very good offensive player, and the fact that this is evident at such a young age is what makes his promotion so interesting.

Thanks a lot for reading...and if you are reading, I'd really appreciate some comments :)

Check back Sunday or Monday for a September Call-Ups update.

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