Amy Amanda 'Triple A' Allen - contributing reporter
They’ve got the talent. They’ve put in the work. They’ve dazzled the scouts, outshined the veterans, and turned Triple-A ballparks into their own personal highlight reels. So why are some of the best young players in Hardball Stitches still riding the bus instead of making their grand entrance to the majors?
It’s a question that burns hotter than a fastball under the chin, and fans are getting restless. Some say it’s all about service time manipulation. Others whisper about front-office politics. And then there’s the age-old excuse—"seasoning"—as if these rising stars haven’t already proven they can play with the best.
In this exclusive Hardball Stitches report, we take a deep dive into the top prospects who should be cracking major-league lineups right now but are instead waiting in the wings. From flame-throwing pitchers to power-hitting phenoms, these are the future faces of the league—if only someone would give them the call.
So grab your peanuts and cracker jacks, folks. It’s time to expose the roster moves that don’t make sense and shine a light on the next generation of stars waiting for their moment in the spotlight. Starting with our previous list.
- Catchers
- Brian Matsuzaka - Charlotte - still in AA
- First Base
- Bucky Ward - Boston - still in AAA
- Charles Tuivailala - Los Angeles - promoted to AAA
- Second Base
- Victor Ayala - Charlotte - still in AAA
- Ivan Gonzalez - Scranton - still in AAA
- Shortstop
- Chan Wang - Vancouver - still in AA
- Jason Wagner - Tacoma - promoted to AAA
- Frank Ball - Cincinnati - promoted to AAA
- Third Base
- None
- Left Field
- Andy Barker - Syracuse - still in AAA
- Randy Uribe - Fargo - still in AAA
- Center Field
- Jeff Gray - Indianapolis - promoted to AAA
- Right Field
- None
- Designed Hitter
- None
- Starters
- Bernard Moran - Chicago - promoted to AAA
- Stubby Lowry - Trenton - still in AAA
- Neal Barker - Scranton - still in AA
- Francisco Cordero - Nashville - still in AAA
- Vinny Jenson - Nashville - still in A+
- Relievers
- Jimmie Esposito - Scranton - still in AAA
- Steve Hannity - Nashville - still in AAA
- Bingo Pryce - Boston - still in AAA
- Ryota Yamada - Scranton - still in AAA
We are on the cusp of service time call-ups, so we'll see what the list looks like in a couple of days. My guess is Charlotte and Scranton will still have their guys in the minors; but the others stand a good chance to get into the Majors this year.