<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0V4BbQ_0vnOV2uh00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0V4BbQ_0vnOV2uh00" width="1600" height="900" ></figure>The end of the 2024 regular season is fast approaching, and teams are either gearing up for a playoff run or pivoting their focus to 2025. The September call-ups allow teams in either situation to get a sneak peek at some of their young stars before baseball pauses for the winter. Each team handles their prospects differently and every player’s late-season performance should be taken with a grain of salt. Adjusting to the Majors is hard, as we’ve seen plenty of times this season, but any MLB experience serves prospects well as they have the chance to build on what they’ve learned later in their career. Here are five noteworthy players who were called up in September that could build off of their end-of-2024 performance.<h2>Jackson Jobe, SP – Detroit Tigers</h2>Talk about a trial by fire! The Detroit Tigers called up Jackson Jobe on September 24th to join their bullpen as they enter the final days of the season fighting for their playoff lives. As things stand, Detroit sits in the final Wildcard spot, two games ahead of the Twins and tied with Kansas City at 84 wins. Jobe made his MLB debut at home against the Tampa Bay Rays on September 25th, allowing one hit but retiring the rest of the batters he faced, giving his team a 7-1 win. Should the Tigers hold onto their position, they will enter the postseason for the first time since 2014.<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">MLB's top-ranked pitching prospect Jackson Jobe works a scoreless frame in his big league debut for the <a href="https://twitter.com/tigers?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@tigers</a>!The 22-year-old topped out at 99.3 mph in his first official relief appearance as a pro. <a href="https://t.co/v0jQZPZyWQ">pic.twitter.com/v0jQZPZyWQ</a>— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) <a href="https://twitter.com/MLBPipeline/status/1839114106709606723?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 26, 2024</a><input type="image" src="empty.gif" style="opacity:0" onerror="s=document.createElement(&quot;script&quot;);s.src=&quot;https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js&quot;;document.body.appendChild(s);"></blockquote>Don’t be fooled by his current bullpen role. Jobe has the potential to be a top-of-the-line starter and will likely end up in the rotation before long. He started 21 games this year, logging 91.2 innings for an average of just over 4 innings per start. That figure doesn’t tell the full story though, as he went at least four innings 16 times, and some shorter outings dragged down his average. His best start of the season came on September 9th. Jobe went seven innings, striking out eight and allowing just one run. That would end up being his final start at AA.Jobe’s season hasn’t come without adversity though, he missed significant time early in the season because of a hamstring strain. He missed the entire month of May and most of June before returning with three rehab starts in High-A. Since then, he’s been lights out. Hitters had a .189 BAA, swatting just four home runs. Jobe had a WHIP of 1.15 in that timeframe, striking out 72 batters in 75 innings.He joins a Detroit bullpen that has been really good in 2024. The Tigers have the fourth-best ERA among all Major League bullpens (3.57) and the second-best WHIP (1.14). Jason Foley and Tyler Holton have been great in the late innings, and Brant Hurter has broken out as a legitimate weapon in long-relief situations. If the Tigers do make a run in October, Jobe will not be relied upon in high-leverage situations, but the experience of pitching in the postseason will serve him well as he looks to 2025.A strong postseason performance parlayed with a good run in spring training could land Jobe on the Major League roster to open 2025. My prediction is that the Tigers opt to send Jobe to AAA to open the season to re-adjust to a starting role before calling him up in May.<h2>Nick Yorke, 2B – Pittsburgh Pirates</h2>Those who followed the Stash List articles this season have to be getting sick of reading about Nick Yorke, as he featured in nearly every article since early July. The 22-year-old looked like he was making a claim to audition for a spot in the Red Sox infield, hitting .310 with six home runs and six steals. Right when it looked like Yorke was poised to make his debut at Fenway Park, the Red Sox traded him to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Quinn Priester in one of the more baffling moves of the deadline.Since arriving in Indianapolis to join the Pirates’ Triple-A team, he’s done nothing but hit. In 40 games with his new team, he hit .355 with two home runs and a wRC+ of 147. In his final twelve games before promotion, he hit .388 with an OPS of 1.104. There’s an old saying: “Patience is a virtue” and Yorke has plenty of patience. His 11.1% walk rate on the season would rank him in the top 20 among big-league hitters. Yorke likely won’t clear the 20-home-run mark, his career high is just 14, but he has enough juice in his bat to make pitchers wary.His MLB career so far hasn’t set the world on fire, but he’s been good enough to keep him in the conversation for a permanent role. The best game of his career so far came against the St Louis Cardinals just days after he was called up. Yorke went 3-4 with three singles. He followed that with his first career home run a week later. Yorke took a fastball inside from Fernando Cruz and smashed it into the left-field bleachers at Great American Ball Park. The ball was marked at 412 feet and would have been a home run in every ballpark in Major League Baseball.<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">The first MLB home run for Nick Yorke was a no-doubter. <a href="https://t.co/cdMdqOWgdn">pic.twitter.com/cdMdqOWgdn</a>— Jamie Gatlin (@JamieGatlin17) <a href="https://twitter.com/JamieGatlin17/status/1837925112940462362?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 22, 2024</a><input type="image" src="empty.gif" style="opacity:0" onerror="s=document.createElement(&quot;script&quot;);s.src=&quot;https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js&quot;;document.body.appendChild(s);"></blockquote>Yorke still has a way to go before he’s considered a regular in the Pirates lineup, but he may outplay his competition. Nick Gonzales hasn’t been stellar and Isaiah Kiner-Falefa shouldn’t keep a prospect out of the lineup. If Yorke continues to impress with the big league club and comes back with a strong spring, he could break camp as the Pirates’ second baseman.<h2>Luisangel Acuña, 2B – New York Mets</h2>When you share a last name with the 2023 Most Valuable Player, who just happens to be your older brother, expectations are going to be high. In the case of Luisangel Acuña, he seems to be meeting them. He’s off to a blisteringly hot start with the Mets. In ten games so far, he has three home runs, a 1.175 OPS and a 224 wRC+. He’s accumulated 0.9 WAR in those games, which ranks 10th on the Mets. For reference, J.D. Martinez, Jesse Winker and Brett Baty combined for 0.9 WAR in over 200 combined games.He may not have as high of a ceiling as his superstar brother, but he’s proven to be a player with some legitimate potential to be a star in his own right. Since 2019, he’s accumulated 198 stolen bases, including four straight seasons with more than 40 stolen bases. His career high of 57 came in 2023, during a season in which he hit .294 with nine home runs. His speed will likely be the bigger asset to his game in the Majors, but his power has been evident so far in his stint in the show. His third home run came off of Phillies’ starter Ranger Suárez’s hanging curveball that was deposited deep into the left field seats.<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">Luisangel Acuña is insane right now. That's three home runs for him in his first 24 Major League plate appearances. <a href="https://t.co/IBJDPJFUfV">pic.twitter.com/IBJDPJFUfV</a>— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) <a href="https://twitter.com/AnthonyDiComo/status/1837593199335903340?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 21, 2024</a><input type="image" src="empty.gif" style="opacity:0" onerror="s=document.createElement(&quot;script&quot;);s.src=&quot;https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js&quot;;document.body.appendChild(s);"></blockquote>Acuña’s future with the New York Mets will likely take place at second base, as the double-play partner for Francisco Lindor. He won’t be alone in vying for the spot though. Jeff McNeil is going to miss the end of the regular season, but he’s under contract until at least 2026. His experience and contact tool will likely make him the incumbent in the infield, but his spot is far from secure. J.D. Martinez and Pete Alonso are both free agents and despite their down years, they represent most of the power threat in the middle of the lineup.Acuña may not have the 40-home run bat that his sibling does, but his power threat could be valuable if the Mets can’t retain their stars. The absolute worst case scenario for Acuña is that he starts 2025 in the minor leagues then returns sometime during the summer, but the best case is that he breaks camp with the team and establishes an everyday role in the infield.<h2>Kumar Rocker, SP – Texas Rangers</h2>The third overall pick in the 2022 Draft looks like the real deal. Rocker broke out for Vanderbilt during a collegiate career that saw him strike out 321 batters in 236.2 innings pitched. In 2019 he made himself a household name among baseball fans, striking out 19 Duke Blue Devils en route to a no-hitter in the NCAA super regionals. He was originally selected by the New York Mets in 2021, but after medical concerns arose, they decided not to sign the right-hander. The Texas Rangers were the beneficiary, drafting Rocker after a 20-inning stint in independent baseball for the Tri-City ValleyCats.Since arriving in affiliated baseball, the tools that made him one of the top collegiate pitchers in recent memory continued to shine through. Rocker started six games for Texas’ High-A affiliate, posting a 2.41 FIP and a 13.5 K/9 rate. However, despite the sold start, he was shut down to undergo Tommy John surgery. Rocker made his return to the mound on July 5th, allowing one run in two innings of work.From July 26th to August 28th, Rocker allowed one earned run in six starts and 24.2 innings of work. Before being called up, he had struck out 55 batters in 36.2 innings and had a 1.96 ERA. Perhaps even more impressive, he only walked 3.6% of the batters he faced in the minor leagues. The Rangers rewarded his dominance with an MLB debut on September 12th in Seattle.Rocker hasn’t been as dominant as he was during his time in the minors, but he’s gotten pretty close. In his first start with the Rangers, he struck out seven batters and allowed just one hit. He followed that performance by striking out five more batters in three innings. However, he has struggled with walks since arriving in the Majors. He had six walks in his first two starts, including four in the three-inning start. He bounced back in the final game at the Oakland Coliseum, not letting anyone reach base via walk. He got hit around a little bit against the A’s, but it was encouraging to see the control improve.<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">Kumar Rocker, 85mph Slider and 97mph Fastball, Overlay. <a href="https://t.co/8pJPBjtLPe">pic.twitter.com/8pJPBjtLPe</a>— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) <a href="https://twitter.com/PitchingNinja/status/1834424238473703768?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 13, 2024</a><input type="image" src="empty.gif" style="opacity:0" onerror="s=document.createElement(&quot;script&quot;);s.src=&quot;https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js&quot;;document.body.appendChild(s);"></blockquote>The rest of the 2024 season is an audition for Rocker. He has shown flashes of brilliance that make keeping him with the MLB club a no-brainer. However, the issues with walks early in his big-league career are something to keep an eye on. Looking to 2025, Rocker has the chance to assert himself as a key cog of the Rangers’ rotation as Texas aims to get back into the playoffs. The World Series hangover was real in 2024, and they will be expected to return to contention next season, especially with Jacob DeGrom, Max Scherzer, and Corey Seager all returning to the fold. The starting rotation spots are limited in Texas, and there are at least five pitchers under contract for 2025 who have started games this season (six if Nathan Eovaldi’s club option is picked up). Andrew Heaney and Max Scherzer will be free agents, and it’s unclear whehter the Rangers will want to bring them back. Rocker’s immediate MLB future lies in the hands of GM Chris Young. If Texas opts to not add or retain their pitching depth, the 24-year-old will have a larger role on his hands.His dynasty outlook remains positive though. Rocker has now proven that he has what it takes to perform in the Major Leagues. The Rangers rotation is not getting any younger, and with the injury concerns that revolve around DeGrom, Scherzer and Tyler Mahle, they may be forced to accelerate Rocker’s development plan. Given his excellence this season, and the roster situation that Texas finds themselves in, I expect Rocker to bring camp with the big-league club next season and begin 2025 on the Opening Day roster.<h2>Kevin Alcántara, OF – Chicago Cubs</h2>Of all of the players on this list, Kevin Alcántara’s call-up was the one that surprised me the most. Chicago’s outfield is already very crowded, and opportunities for the “Jaguar” may be few and far between. However, it is encouraging to see that the Cubs continue to give their young outfielders chances, even if they’re not in full-time roles just yet. In his fourth at-bat during his debut, Alcantara topped a ball down the third base line and beat it out for an infield single.<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">First career hit for Kevin Alcántara.Welcome to The Show! <a href="https://t.co/SAfoe4Sqej">pic.twitter.com/SAfoe4Sqej</a>— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cubs/status/1839104285004517799?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 26, 2024</a><input type="image" src="empty.gif" style="opacity:0" onerror="s=document.createElement(&quot;script&quot;);s.src=&quot;https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js&quot;;document.body.appendChild(s);"></blockquote>The infield single is evidence of the speed that has made him a top prospect in the Cubs organization since arriving from the Yankees in 2021. So far in 2024, Alcantara has 14 home runs, 14 steals and a 123 wRC+. He started the year slow (.261 AVG, 5 HRs) but stepped it up big-time in the second half of the season (.291 AVG, 9 HRs). He reached red-hot status in September, hitting .344 with three home runs and putting up an OPS of 1.002.His swing speed in his MLB debut was clocked at 75.7 miles per hour, which would rank him 13th in the league, above Juan Soto, Pete Alonso and many more. Perhaps even more impressive, his 29.4 miles per hour sprint speed on his hit would place him in the top 30 in Major League Baseball. Alcantara possesses a rare combination of power and speed that, combined with his 6’6″ frame, could make him a bona-fide superstar.Looking forward, Alcantara may have to force the issue to lay claim to a spot on the roster. Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki are under contract until the end of next season, and Pete Crow-Armstrong broke out in the second half of the season, which should lock him into the everyday center-field role next season. He has competition in the minors too. Alcantara and Owen Caissie are both bat-first, corner outfielders that have proven that they’re ready for a shot at Wrigley Field. “The Jaguar” won the race to the Majors, but he has lots of work to do before he establishes a permanent role in Major League Baseball.</div></body>

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What to Make of These Five Late Season Call-Ups

The end of the 2024 regular season is fast approaching, and teams are either gearing up for a playoff run or pivoting their focus to 2025. The September call-ups allow teams in either situation to get a sneak peek at some of their young stars before baseball pauses for the winter. Each team handles their prospects differently and every player’s late-season performance should be taken with a grain of salt. Adjusting to the Majors is hard, as we’ve seen plenty of times this season, but any MLB experience serves prospects well as they have the chance to build on what they’ve learned later in their career. Here are five noteworthy players who were called up in September that could build off of their end-of-2024 performance.

What to Make of These Five Late Season Call-Ups

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