Finally!  The long wait for Chase Headley is over, as the Padres announced he would be called up this weekend, possibly starting in the lineup on Sunday.  There has been a lot of speculation on Headley recently, as he is the top hitting prospect in the Padres system, but has been tearing it up in the minors while San Diego flounders in the majors.

A lot of people speculated that June 1st would be the date, since that delayed "Super Two" status for a year.  I can't help but notice that this call up comes 14 days in to June.  Last year Headley was calledup for a total of 13 days in June.  I don't know the exact rules of the "Super Two" status, which puts me in the same boat as about 98% of baseball general managers, but my guess is that since Headley was up for 13 days last year, the Padres needed to wait 13 extra days this year to delay his status.

Last week I rated my top ten prospects for the remainder of the year , and rated Headley number two, right behind Jay Bruce, and ahead of guys like Evan Longoria, Clayton Kershaw, and Carlos Gonzalez.  Headley is eligible at third base, but will probably get the majority of his playing time in the outfield.  Headley got off to a slow start this season, but ended up hitting .305 with 13 homers in 259 at bats.

I think for the remainder of the season Headley is capable of 15 to 20 homers with a .290 to .300 average.  To put that in perspective, Longoria is projected to hit .256 with 15 homers for the remainder of the season in AccuScore simulations.

Headley is a must start in all NL-only leagues and deeper mixed leagues.  He is a must-own in keeper leagues, and is a guy to keep a close eye on in shallow leagues, just in case he catches fire in his debut.