BAL – Luis Gonzalez –
Gonzalez was the Orioles 28th ranked prospect in the year 2018, but before that, in the year 2010, he was signed by the Philadelphia Phillies. Gonzalez pitched up to a A- level with the Phillies, posting a 4.62 ERA in 2012 for A- Williamsport. Gonzalez was cut in March of 2013 by Philadelphia, before being picked up by the Orioles in July of that same year. He was solid in Baltimore’s minor league system, even as previously noted, making the O’s top 30 prospects list back in 2018. He made it all the way up to AAA with the Baltimore organization, before electing free agency in November of 2019. He was then picked up by the San Francisco Giants in January of 2021, where he recorded a 7.36 ERA in 20 games with AAA Sacramento. He was signed to a minor league contract in October of 2023 by the Baltimore Orioles, where with AAA Norfolk, he posted a 4.50 ERA in 44 games. He is one of the best relievers in the Orioles minor league system and is most likely going to be the first call-up for an injury or a poor performance. It would be a great feel good comeback story to say the least.
BOS – Luis Guerrero –
You could pick multiple players to be the Red Sox breakout for 2024, you have Justin Slaten who broke out and became a top 3 setup man in all of baseball, you could pick Brennan Bernardino who posted a 1.17 ERA and 2.81 FIP as of July 5th, you could pick Cam Booser who retired in 2017 and became a carpenter, before returning to baseball and performing to a 3.38 ERA in 2024 with the Red Sox, you could pick Zack Kelly, who posted a 1.53 ERA and a 3.30 FIP as of prior to July, or you could even pick Luis Guerrero, who made his debut in early September and gave up 1 run(0 earned runs) in 9 appearances with Boston. Guerrero, who is only 24 years old at the moment, can prove himself further with a larger sample size.
NYY – Carson Coleman –
Coleman is a 26 year old right-hander who pitched very well between the AA and A+ levels back in 2022, which was his last year pitching before he was placed on the 60-day injured list twice in two years. Coleman finished with 19 saves across 44 appearances along with a 2.13 ERA across the 2 levels of play. The Texas Rangers’ 2023 Rule 5 draft pick is currently coming back from shoulder surgery, and was returned to the Yankees late this year after not being able to pitch for the entirety of 2024.
TB – Mike Vasil –
Vasil has pitched as a starter in the Mets AAA bullpen in the last 2 years, but with the stacked Rays rotation along with everyone in the Rays’ rotation being under 30 years old, he is more likely to get a shot in the bullpen. Tampa Bay is known to create very solid pitchers out of their bullpen(Pete Fairbanks, Manuel Rodriguez, Edwin Uceta, Colin Poche, etc.) Vasil was one of my favorite prospects in the Mets system before getting picked up in the Rule 5 draft by the Tampa Bay Rays this year, and I am excited to see how the Rays can develop Vasil for 2025.
TOR – Brendon Little –
Little only allowed inherited runners to score 3 times in 8 appearances with 2+ runners on when he entered into the game, and he only allowed multiple inherited runners to score in 1 of those 8 appearances. He could be really useful as a high-leverage arm for Toronto in this upcoming season and he can break out as a very solid middle reliever or even a solid setup man in the Toronto bullpen.