The MLB regular season may be over, but that means Dynasty Leagues are just starting to ramp back up. Leading up to Friday’s special edition of the Razzball Prospect Podcast: First-Year Player Mock Draft, I will be ranking the top draft picks and international free agents who signed with pro teams this season (make sure to also check out Ralph Lifshitz’ Top 30 over at Razzball). Here are the 2016/17 Top 40 Dynasty League First-Year Player Draft Rankings: 21-30:
1-10 – 2016/17 Dynasty League First-Year Player Draft Rankings
11-20 – 2016/17 Dynasty League First-Year Player Draft Rankings
*All projections are now juiced, like the balls
21) Jorge Ona SD, OF – 19-year-old Cuban outfielder who signed for $7 million with San Diego. He is 6’2’’, 200 pounds with plus bat speed and raw power. He also dominated in the 2014 U18 Pam American Championship. There is risk due to the fact he just hasn’t played that much in the past year, but the upside is massive for fantasy. Prime Projection: 83/25/92/.260/.330/.500/5
22) Blake Rutherford NYY, OF – The 19-year-old Rutherford was ripping up Rookie ball (albeit with an over 20% K rate) before a hamstring injury ended his season. He doesn’t currently possess huge power or speed, but he can do a little bit of everything, and there is potential for more power down the line. Prime Projection: 80/18/80/.276/.332/.451/11
23) Alex Kirilloff MIN, OF – Known for his raw power coming into the draft, Kirilloff didn’t disappoint, knocking out 7 homers with solid contact numbers (32/11 K/BB) in 55 games at Rookie ball. He doesn’t have the quickest swing and he still needs to refine his plate approach, but there is a lot to like. Prime Projection: 77/22/87/.270/.329/.462/7
24) Braxton Garrett MIA, LHP – The 7th overall pick in the draft, Garrett throws an advanced curveball to go along with a low 90’s heater and developing changeup. He got drafted into a great situation for young pitchers in Miami, and is actually relatively safe as far as high school pitchers go. Prime Projection: 3.40/1.17/180 in 190 IP
25) Matt Manning DET, RHP – Basically the complete opposite of Garrett. Manning throws a fastball that can approach 100 MPH, but has an inconsistent curve and a changeup in the very early stages of development. His 46/7 K/BB in 29.1 IP in Rookie ball shows his limitless upside, but he is still very raw. Prime Projection: 3.72/1.29/198 in 187 IP
26) Justin Dunn NYM, RHP – Dunn is a recently converted reliever who throws an electric fastball/slider combo. Limited experience as a starter and slight build (6’1’’, 170 pounds) prevents me from ranking him higher, but the Mets have done an excellent job with developing starters in recent years (especially if you ignore the whole injury thing). Prime Projection: 3.61/1.24/173 in 180 IP
27) Anfernee Grier ARI, OF – I ranked Grier 10th in my pre-draft rankings, but his lackluster pro debut (.236/.277/.337) has him dropping. I love the power/speed combo, and am far from jumping off the bandwagon, but other guys have just passed him at this point. I would still target Grier in drafts, and you should be able to get him at great value now. Prime Projection: 79/16/72/.260/.316/.432/18
28) Chris Okey CIN, C – Okey was another one of my favorite pre-draft sleepers (ranked 19th overall), and he had a solid, if unspectacular pro debut, slashing .243/.323/.432 with 6 homers and a 49/14 K/BB in 42 games at Single-A. He also gets a bump for being a sure bet to stick at catcher. Prime Projection: 72/20/78/.258/.319/.447/4
29) Lucas Erceg MIL, 3B – Was a bit of a mystery coming into the draft because after a strong sophomore season in the PAC-12, he was forced to transfer to the less competitive Menlo College for academic reasons. But a strong pro debut, where he slashed .281/.328/.497 with 7 homers in 42 games at Single-A, has allayed some of those concerns. Erceg is your classic power hitting corner infielder. Prime Projection: 72/20/83/.262/.309/.449/7
30) William Benson CLE, OF – His Rookie ball numbers say it all, where he slashed .209/.321/.424, with 6 homers, 10 steals, and a 66/22 K/BB in 44 games. High risk, high reward. Prime Projection: 81/27/90/.241/.323/.473/10
31-40 – 2016/17 Dynasty League First-Year Player Draft Rankings
You can check out my Top 30 MLB Draft Rankings for more in depth information and scouting reports on most of these players.
By Michael Halpern (@MichaelCHalpern)
Email: michaelhalpern@imaginarybrickwall.com
Twitter: Imaginary Brick Wall (@ImaginaryBrickW)