What are you waiting for Rays? We need us some Desmond Jennings!
Now that big-time prospects like Anthony Rizzo, Dustin Ackley, Mark Trumbo, Domonic Brown, Mike Moustakas and Eric Hosmer have made their debuts in your fantasy baseball leagues in 2011, I'm already waiting for the next call-up that can have a major impact.
Although I don't own him anywhere (yet), many of you already have Desmond Jennings stashed somewhere, including my colleague Nicholas Minnix, who recently expressed a longing for the Tampa Bay Rays to promote him ASAP.
The 24-year-old's skills - most notably his penchant for the stolen base - could easily make the difference in pushing your fantasy squad to the next level in the second half, and possibly to winning a title.
Jennings will be worth the wait
Jennings, along with maybe Brett Lawrie, is probably the biggest minor league prospect yet to show his face in The Show this year.
When he does get the call, which could come very soon, he won't be making his major league debut. Jennings was a September call-up for the Rays last year and received just 24 plate appearances, going 4-for-21 with a double, triple, two RBIs and two stolen bases.
The 6-foot-2, 200 pound speedster will be up for good in his next big league go-around, unless of course he struggles mightily and would benefit from another trip to the farm. Based on what he's shown at Triple-A Durham the last couple of years, Jennings looks like he's ready for the next level.
This year at Durham, he's hitting .278 with 10 HRs, 33 RBIs and 12 SBs in 270 at-bats. Last year with the Bulls in 399 at-bats, he hit .278 with only three home runs and 36 RBIs, but he stole 37 bags. In 2009 between Double-A Montgomery and Durham, he swiped 52 bases.
The kid can run, and he's showing more power this season. So why isn't he doing his damage at Tropicana Field yet? After all, Jennings was the so-called heir apparent to Carl Crawford in left field.
The most likely reason for the Rays' hesitance to call him up would have to be to avoid Super 2 status in arbitration, especially for a small market team like Tampa Bay. If that's the only thing that has held them from making the call to the minors, then it shouldn't be long before we see him in Joe Maddon's lineup.
Sam Fuld was a great early-season story in left field after the surprising retirement of Manny Ramirez, but Fuld's Superman status was short-lived. Similarly, Justin Ruggiano is a nice little feel-good story, but even he knows he probably won't be around much longer. Both guys are just keeping the seat warm for Jennings, the No. 22 ranked prospect by Baseball America coming into the season.
If you need to make significant gains in stolen bases in your league, you should start making arrangements to fit Jennings onto your roster immediately. If you have played it cautious with your FAAB to this point, well then you are in luck, because Jennings won't come cheaply. I'm certainly counting the days until his name appears on the active roster in Tampa Bay!
