Jose De Leon

De Leon appeared to stand a chance to open the season in the Rays' rotation before he was shut down for Tommy John surgery in mid-March. With a normal recovery, De Leon should be available relatively early on this season. He has a promising changeup but the torn UCL was hardly his only recent injury -- a variety of issues have conspired to limit him to just 144.1 innings over the last three years and tarnish most of his prospect shine. In 19.2 innings at the major-league level, he's allowed 20 runs (15 earned) with a 17:10 K:BB. Being with the Rays helps keep him interesting, as the team uses pitchers in a variety of creative roles. A role as one of the team's "bulk guys" could give him deep-league value, but he'll have to pitch much better than he's done so far to earn that spot.

A lat strain and forearm tightness limited De Leon to 41 innings last season, with most of those coming in rehab appearances at the lower levels. There were warning signs heading into last year that De Leon was significantly overrated in some circles, and his inability to stay healthy collaborated with poor results on the mound to fully wreck his prospect stock. His season ended on the disabled list with elbow tendinitis, and it's unclear how healthy his arm will be when camp opens. If healthy, he will begin the year in the Triple-A rotation, and the onus will be on him to earn a callup. However, the Rays may opt to deploy him in relief initially if he gets the call, as they have plenty of rotation depth. For a pitcher who has already reached the majors, the risk is very high, and the realistic upside is that he turns into a No. 4 starter. He can be cut loose in most keeper and dynasty formats.

He has been a household name in prospect circles for a while now, but the hype that followed De Leon to the big leagues last season was probably more than his talent warranted. Sure, he has a plus changeup -- a pitch that can be a true difference maker -- and a solid slider that can work well as his third pitch. He also has decent size (6-foot-2, 190 pounds) and potentially plus command. However, his low-90s fastball is quite hittable, and given the fact that he is already 24 and his body has likely finished maturing, he does not project to add velocity. If the fastball is a 55 and not a 60 or better, then he is a No. 3 starter, at best, and possibly just a No. 4 starter if he cannot paint with that offering. After a trade sent him to the Rays over the offseason, the path to the big leagues became much clearer for the top prospect. De Leon should compete for the fifth rotation spot during spring training, but don't be surprised if he heads back to Triple-A to begin the year. Either way, he will undoubtedly find his way into the rotation at some point relatively early on.

De Leon made huge strides in the Dodgers' system last year and now ranks towards the top of the team's top-10 prospects list. The breakout really began in 2014, when in 22.2 innings at the end of the year pitching for Low-A Great Lakes, De Leon posted a ridiculous 42:2 K:BB. This year combined between High-A and Double-A, De Leon tossed 114.1 innings of 2.99 ERA ball that included a 12.8 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9. He features a fastball that reportedly sits in the 91-94 range, a slider, and a change that may be his second best pitch. De Leon dealt with a sore back in July, but it didn't sideline him long and doesn't appear to be a concern moving forward. He'll probably open 2016 back in Double-A, but all signs point to a 2016 big league debut. He and Julio Urias should be a nice tandem for the Dodgers in future seasons.