Nine Rookies Who Retain Prospect Eligibility — College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects

Red Sox rookie outfielder Andrew Benintendi last week homered in his first career postseason plate appearance. The 2015 first-round pick hit .295 with a 117 OPS+ in 34 games for Boston during the regular season, and he will feature prominently on the system’s Top 10 Prospects list.

But if not for a knee injury that forced him out of action for three weeks this summer, Benintendi would have played his way out of the Prospect Handbook by surpassing 130 at-bats. Instead he finished with 105 at-bats, making him eligible for our book as well as the American League Rookie of the Year award in 2017.

Benintendi is not alone. Here are nine other first-year players who remain eligible for the Prospect Handbook because they did not exceed 130 at-bats or 50 innings—though they came close. Keep in mind that players must exceed the thresholds, so finishing right at 130 at-bats or 50 innings allows a player to retain prospect eligibility.

Please note that neither of the Reeds—the Astros’ A.J. or the Reds’ Cody—will qualify for Rookie of the Year award in 2017. They accrued more than 45 days of service time this season prior to September.

1. Dansby Swanson, ss, Braves
129 at-bats

Had Swanson collected just two more at-bats he would have exhausted his rookie eligibility, but as it stands he is a frontrunner to rank No. 1 in a deep Braves system this offseason after showing his batting and fielding chops during a 2016 callup. He batted .302/.361/.442 (115 OPS+) in 38 games.

2. Alex Reyes, rhp, Cardinals
46 innings

If not for a 50-game suspension that delayed the start of his season, Reyes probably would have breezed past 50 innings. Were that true, he also might have helped nudge the Cardinals into the Wild Card Game, given that he went 2-0, 2.20 in five late-season starts after beginning in the St. Louis bullpen.

3. Josh Bell, 1b, Pirates
128 at-bats

Bell drew 21 walks in 45 big league games, so he actually totaled 152 plate appearances. But with 128 at-bats he remains rookie-eligible in 2017. The switch-hitter compiled a 107 OPS+ overall but did most of his damage from the left side, batting .284/.380/.440 with all three of his home runs.

4. A.J. Reed, 1b, Astros
122 at-bats

The Astros struggled all season to find production at first base, trying rookies Tyler White and Reed at the position but reserving the most playing time for utility infielder Marwin Gonzalez. Reed hit just .164/.270/.262 (49 OPS+) with three home runs after blasting 15 at Triple-A and 34 the year before at two minor league stops.

5. Reynaldo Lopez, rhp, Nationals
44 innings

Lopez made six starts for Washington (5.52 ERA, .303 opponent average) but cracked the club’s postseason roster on the strength of his 96 mph fastball and late showing as a long reliever (3.68 ERA, .204 opponent average).

6. Cody Reed, lhp, Reds
47.2 innings

Reed entered the season as the top pitching prospect in the Reds system and would have surpassed 50 innings had he not spent September on the disabled list with back spasms. He remains prospect eligible for 2017, when he will try to redeem a 10-start trial in which he went 0-7, 7.36 but showed promising secondary stuff.

7. Robert Gsellman, rhp, Mets
44.2 innings

Gsellman stood next in line as a rotation option entering the season, and he pitched well when given a chance in the wake of injuries to Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom and fellow rookie Steven Matz. He went 4-2, 2.42 and kept the ball on the ground with 94 mph velocity and a sharp breaking ball.

8. Chad Green, rhp, Yankees
45.2 innings

Acquired last December when the Yankees traded reliever Justin Wilson to the Tigers, Green excelled at Triple-A and got plenty of swings and misses with his slider in the majors. He missed September with a forearm injury.

9. Yulieski Gurriel, 3b, Astros
130 at-bats

The 32-year-old Cuban star signed with Houston on July 16 for $47.5 million and breezed through the minors in two weeks to make his big league debut on Aug. 21. He hit .262/.292/.385 (85 OPS+) with three home runs and would have lost his rookie eligibility with only one additional at-bat. The Astros sat Gurriel out of their final game.

Five Notables Who Lost Prospect Eligibility

Promising young pitchers Jose Berrios of the Twins (58.1 innings), Joe Musgrove of the Astros (62 innings) and Julio Urias of the Dodgers (77 innings) made their final Prospect Handbook appearances in 2016, because they comfortably exceeded the rookie limit for innings during the season. Here are five other rookies who are no long eligible for the Prospect Handbook.

• Mike Clevinger, rhp, Indians (53 innings)

• Edwin Diaz, rhp, Mariners (51.2 innings)

• Carl Edwards, rhp, Cubs (based on 41 relief appearances; he has 41 innings)

• Raul A. Mondesi, ss/2b, Royals (135 ab-bats)

• Jake Thompson, rhp, Phillies (53.2 innings)