I’ll be running down everything that caught my eye in the Dynasty Baseball world on most Mondays throughout the season. Here is the Monday Morning Dynasty Baseball Rundown (5/24/21):

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Adley Rutschman BAL, C, 23.3 – The top catching prospect in baseball launched a clutch 445 foot homer to tie the game in the 9th, going 3 for 4 with a 0/1 K/BB on the day. He now has a .432 OBP with 4 homers in 17 games at Double-A.

Francisco Alvarez NYM, C, 19.5 – The soon to be top catching prospect in baseball connected for his 2nd homer and is now slashing a ridiculous .417/.567/.646 with 2 homers and an elite 10.4%/22.4% K%/BB% in 15 games at Single-A. It’s not crazy to say he may end up an even better hitter than Rutschman.

Triston Casas BOS, 1B, 21.4 – A newly minted Top 10 Prospect in my Updated Top 100 Prospect Rankings over on my Patreon, Casas kept raking with his 4th dinger at Double-A. He now has a 162 wRC+ at the level with a very reasonable 24% K%.

Gage Workman DET, 3B, 21.7 – The 102nd overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft, Workman’s been hitting the ball hard all year at Single-A, and he blew up yesterday with 1 homer, 1 triple, 1 double, and 1 single. That’s what we call hitting for the cycle round these parts (and round every other parts in the baseball world too). He’s handled his business with a 143 wRC+ in 17 games.

Brennen Davis CHC, OF, 21.7 – Made noise in his 2nd game of the season after getting hit in the head with a pitch in MiLB spring training, drilling a homer with 3 walks and a stolen base in 4 PA at Double-A. His power/speed combo is obvious, so his plate approach is the number one thing to watch. So far, so good.

Bobby Witt Jr. KC, SS, 20.11 – Heating up at Double-A with a 450 foot bomb and a double in 5 AB yesterday. He’s on a 5 game hitting streak with 2-hit games in his last 3.

Cade Cavalli WASH, RHP, 22.7 – Cavalli hasn’t pitched a bad game yet in 4 outings, going 6 IP with 3 hits, 1 ER and a 7/2 K/BB yesterday. He has a 2.05 ERA with a 34/8 K/BB in 22 IP at High-A with the premium stuff to back up the numbers. His stock keeps rising.

DL Hall BAL, LHP, 22.7 – 4 IP, 2 hits, 0 ER, 8/2 K/BB at Double-A. We are not quite out of the woods yet with his control issues (11.9% BB%), but his stuff is filthy and his K% is blowing up (46.3%). He is one of the top early season pitching risers.

Jo Adell LAA, OF, 22.1 – Smoked 2 homers yesterday for his 8th and 9th of the season in 16 games at Triple-A, but his 34.2%/7.9% K%/BB% is more concerning than the power surge is encouraging. He’s still only 22, so there is plenty of time to figure it out, but the strikeout issues against minor league pitching has his stock dropping a bit for me.

Orelvis Martinez TOR, SS, 19.8 – Got ahold of his 3rd homer at Single-A and has been rock solid in his full season debut, slashing .269/.347/.478 with 3 homers, 2 steals and a 24%/9.3% K%/BB% in 16 games at Single-A. I still don’t think his hype matches his talent, making him a great target in trades for rebuilding teams.

Ke’Bryan Hayes PIT, 3B, 24.4 – Don’t forget about Hayes, as all this guy does is rake. He cranked a homer on his rehab assignment at Triple-A and is now 3 for 6 in 2 games.

Jordan Westburg BAL, SS, 22.1/Hudson Haskin BAL, OF, 22.5 – The 30th and 39th overall pick in the 2020 draft, respectively, both went deep yesterday. Westburg has tallied 2 hits in 8 straight games and is destroying Single-A with a 218 wRC+, 3 homers and 4 steals in 15 games. Haskin hasn’t been bad himself with a 169 wRC+, 2 homers and 8 steals in 15 games.

Anthony Volpe NYY, SS, 20.1 – Volpe connected on his first homer of the year at Single-A and has been impressing overall with a 15.9%/19.5% K%/BB% and 10 steals in 15 games. He might not have the highest upside, but has a good glove with on base ability and solid all category potential.

Tucker Davidson ATL, LHP, 25.2 – 6 IP, 1 hit, 1 ER, 9/1 K/BB. He’s been lights out all year at Triple-A with a 0.90 ERA, and pitched solid in his one MLB start last week. He’s close to the majors with mid-rotation upside, but without overpowering stuff (92.7 MPH fastball), he’s more attractive to me in deeper leagues.

Aaron Ashby MIL, LHP, 23.0 – Had his best start of the season, going 5 IP with 1 hit, 0 ER and a 6/2 K/BB at Triple-A. He still has a 22.1% BB%, making a bullpen role the most likely destination, but he can be nasty in that role.

Josh Lowe TB, OF, 23.3 – Living in the shadow of Wander and Brujan can’t be easy, but Lowe is making due as he cracked his 6th homer yesterday to give him a 171 wRC+ at Triple-A. The 29.8%/3.5% K%/BB% isn’t quite as impressive.

Gabriel Arias CLE, SS, 21.3 – 2 for 5 with 0 K’s. His plate approach was the biggest concern coming into the year and he is answering those questions with a 21.5%/13.8% K%/BB% in 16 games as a 21 year old at Triple-A. The overall numbers aren’t eye popping (110 wRC+), but the arrow is pointing up on Arias.

Alek Thomas ARI, OF, 21.0 – 2 for 4 with 2 doubles and 0 K’s at Double-A. The power/speed totals are far from blowing up (1 homer and 1 steal), but his mature plate approach is transferring against advanced competition with a 21.4%/15.7% K%/BB% in 15 games. He also has 6 double, 2 triples and a .328 BA.

Taylor Trammell SEA, OF, 23.7 – Continues his assault on Triple-A pitching, going 4 for 4 with a homer and is now 22 for 43 with 5 homers in 10 games. He struggled mightily in his MLB debut, but he’ll get another shot eventually and I’m betting on him performing better the next time around.

Blake Rutherford CHW, OF, 24.1/Jake Burger CHW, 3B, 25.1 – In what feels like a blast from the past, Chicago’s 1st round picks in 2016 and 2017 are both starting to find their groove with both tallying 3 hits at Triple-A. Rutherford has a .317 BA and Burger’s flipped 6 homers. I’m more interested in Burger’s power for fantasy, while I’m not buying into Rutherford with a still mediocre 26.2%/7.7% K%/BB% and limited power.

Gabriel Moreno TOR, C, 21.3 – Making a mockery of Double-A pitching his 3rd homer and is now slashing .404/.483/.654 with a 21.7%/10% K%/BB% in 13 games. He’s not a great defender and Toronto has a bunch of interesting catchers, so his path to playing time isn’t very clear at the moment.

Zach DeLoach SEA, OF, 22.9 – I was relatively high on DeLoach this off-season and he has more than held his own at High-A as he cranked his 3rd homer yesterday. He has a 17.1%/11% K%/BB% at the level with 3 steals.

Kai-Wei Teng SF, RHP, 22.6 – 5 IP, 3 hits, 2 ER, 11/2 K/BB at High-A. His first two starts of the year have been rough, but his last two have been excellent with a combined 18/3 K/BB in 10 IP with 2 ER. He can get his fastball into the mid to upper 90’s and has the potential for 3 quality secondaries. He is a pick up in deeper leagues and a watchlist guy in shallower leagues.

UPDATED TOP 100 PROSPECTS RANKINGS ARE UP ON MY PATREON. UPDATED DYNASTY RANKINGS ARE COMING THIS WEEK. JOIN UP FOR THOSE RANKINGS AND A TON OF OTHER CONTENT INCLUDING DYNASTY RUNDOWNS, FYPD RANKINGS AND MORE!

By Michael Halpern (@MichaelCHalpern)
Email: michaelhalpern@imaginarybrickwall.com
Twitter: Imaginary Brick Wall (@DynastyHalp)

I mixed it up with both MLB and MiLB players on this one and I’m planning on doing it this way more often moving forward. Here is the Monday Morning Dynasty Baseball Rundown (5/10/21):

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Rafael Devers BOS, 3B, 24.6 – 2 for 4 with a 110.7 MPH homer and 106.5 MPH double. His sprint speed is back up to 27.6 ft/sec, his K% is back down to 21.3%, and his BB% is at an all time high 11.8%. I was a little concerned with his low sprint speed and high whiff% early in the season, but Devers not only bounced back from 2020, he took his game to another level. He is an elite dynasty asset.

Gleyber Torres NYY, SS, 24.5 – Welcome to 2021, Gleyber Torres, as he knocked his first dinger of the year off Joe Ross. His 18.2%/12.4% K%/BB% is still strong, and there is no reason to think his 84.9 MPH exit velocity won’t normalize as he we get deeper into the season. He’s no Rafael Devers, but don’t sell too low on him either.

Sandy Alcantara MIA, RHP, 25.8 – Alcantara has been dominating with the changeup all year and that continued yesterday as he went 7 IP with 5 hits, 1 earned and a 6/2 K/BB. He threw his changeup 46% of the time and put up a 31% whiff% overall. He’s inching closer to being a top 50 dynasty asset if he isn’t there already.

Pete-Crow Armstrong NYM, OF, 19.1 – Armstrong was my favorite target in first year player drafts this year, and he is showing why in the early going as he is slashing .450/.593/.550 with 2 doubles, 1 steal (on 3 attempts), and a 5/6 K/BB in 20 AB.

Corbin Carroll ARI, OF, 20.8 – Carrol was my favorite target in his draft year too and he went off yesterday, going 3 for 4 with a triple, homer, and 2 steals at High-A. The homer was an opposite field bomb. He’s now slashing .333/.455/.722 with 1 homer, 3 steals, and 7/4/ K/BB in 18 AB.

CJ Abrams SD, SS, 20.7 – Abrams had himself a day at Double-A, going 3 for 5 with a dinger and 0 K’s. His homer was also an opposite field shot. He’s slashing .320/.412/.560 with 1 homer, 2 steals, and a 9/4 K/BB in 25 AB. Both Abrams and Carroll’s strikeout rates are a bit high, but they have been showing off their explosive tools.

Cedric Mullins BAL, OF, 26.7 – The Cedric Mullins breakout continues with his 6th homer of the year off Nick Pivetta. He’s shown a good feel to hit (17.5% K%) with an above average 89.7 MPH exit velocity and a career best 9.4% BB%.

Harrison Bader STL, OF, 26.11 – 1 for 2 with a 1/2 K/BB. It’s only been 32 AB and he has still not hit great vs righties (.660 OPS), but Bader has his K% down to 13.5%. If he did make real improvements to his contact numbers, his power/speed combo has a real chance to shine through. I’m not giving up assets for him, but he is worth a pick up if he is out there on your wire.

Lewis Brinson MIA, OF, 27.0 – Cracked his 2nd homer on a 107.8 MPH, 412 foot shot, and went 3 for 4 on the day. He’s hitting the ball hard at 91.7 MPH, but he is swinging and missing more than ever (38.2% whiff%) and is barely walking (2% BB%). I’m continuing to stay away.

Yordan Alvarez HOU, OF, 23.10 – 3 for 4 and is now slashing .362/.395/.638 with 6 homers. It’s a very encouraging start considering the knee surgeries, but his .438 BABIP is likely juicing up that line a bit. The only other thing that really sticks out is his 3.5% BB% after walking 14.1% of the time his rookie year. Regardless, his stock is back on the rise.

Dane Dunning TEX, RHP, 26.5 – Dunning was a strikeout machine yesterday, going 5 IP with 6 hits, 2 earned, and a 10/3 K/BB. He put up a 43% whiff% on the back of his slider and changeup. Both pitches have dominated all season long with a .138 and .171 xwOBA, respectively. He’s backing up his strong 2020 MLB debut.

Huascar Ynoa ATL, RHP, 22.11 – 6 IP, 4 hits, 1 ER, 6/1 K/BB. His slider dominated with a 47% whiff% and his fastball hit a high of 99.6 MPH. I wouldn’t be so quick to sell high on him.

Kyle Tucker HOU, OF, 23.5 – It’s about time Tucker started to heat up as he went 2 for 3 with a triple, dinger, and a walk. His underlying numbers are still excellent, so I’m thinking he is about to get hot.

Nate Pearson TOR, RHP, 24.8 – Got knocked around in his MLB season debut, going 2.1 IP with 4 hits, 3 earned and a 0/5 K/BB. He put up a 6% whiff%. His stuff is too good to panic, but damn was this a terrible start.

Tyler Anderson PIT, LHP, 31.4 – 8 IP, 4 hits, 2 ER, 6/1 K/BB. He now has a 3.05 ERA on the year, but I buy more into his 3.83 xERA. He can be a solid starter, but I’m not giving up any assets to acquire him.

Adolis Garcia TEX, OF, 28.2 – 3 for 4 with a 106.1 MPH bomb, 2 hard hit singles, and 0 K’s. His 30.3%/5.5% K%/BB% still makes him high risk, but he is absolutely smoking the ball with a 92.3 MPH exit velocity. The longer he keeps raking, the more you gotta trust him.

Shane McClanahan TB, LHP, 24.0 – 4 IP, 4 hits, 3 ER, 5/2 K/BB. Stuff was still nasty with a 97.5 MPH fastball and a slider that put up a 44% whiff%. He does have a 94.4 MPH exit velocity against, which is in the bottom 1% of the league, and his slider has been his only positive value pitch, so it hasn’t been all roses.

Chris Paddack SD, RHP, 25.4/Ryan Weathers SD, LHP, 21.5 – Paddack and Weathers both pitched 3 shutout innings. Paddack’s fastball was up to 95.2 MPH and it put up a 64% whiff% which was great to see. Weathers had his fastball/slider combo working for him and he gave up a single hit in the outing.

Alexander Mojica PIT, 3B, 18.9 – I was already pretty high on Mojica, and he is showing why as an 18 year old in full season ball, slashing .333/.429/.667 with 2 homers and a 5/1 K/BB in 18 AB. He was one of the best hitters in the Dominican Summer League in 2020 with big raw power, and he is continuing that success in 2021. He is a pick up in deeper leagues, and a watch list guy in shallower leagues.

Sammy Siani PIT, OF, 20.5 – Siani hit his first dinger at Single-A which is a good sign as he is known for his good feel to hit with plus speed. He doesn’t project to have a huge impact on the MLB level, but he can be a well rounded player with all category production.

Luis Garcia PHI, SS, 20.7 – After a terrible year in 2019, Garcia is finally getting the chance to bounce back and he is doing just that, hitting his first homer of the season yesterday and is now slashing .375/.448/.542 with 1 homer, 1 steal and a 6/4 K/BB and Single-A. There were reports of increased power in 2020, and his hot start to 2021 has his stock back on the upswing.

Estevan Florial NYY, OF, 23.7 – Absolutely destroyed his 4th homer of the year at Double-A and has a reasonable 6/3 K/BB in 22 AB. Could this finally be the breakout we have been waiting years for?

Josh Lowe TB, OF, 23.3 – Josh Lowe powered up for his 3rd bomb of the season at Triple-A as he joins Wander Franco and Vidal Brujan as the next wave of Tampa’s seemingly never ending pipeline.

Luis Medina NYY, RHP, 22.0 – Had his 2nd lights out start of the season, going 5 IP with 1 hit, 0 earned and a 7/2 K/BB. His stuff has always been nasty, so seeing the improved control is huge.

Lyon Richardson CIN, RHP, 21.4 – 5 IP, 4 hits, 0 ER, 6/1 K/BB for his 2nd strong outing of the season. His velocity was reportedly up in 2020 and he has a real chance to breakout in 2021.

Evan Carter TEX, OF, 18.8 – Carter snuck onto my Top 1,000 at #1,000, and I’m happy he did as he had a 3 hit day yesterday and is now 7 for 18 with 3 doubles and a 8/7 K/BB as an 18 year old in full season ball. At 6’4”, 190 pounds with a plus power/speed combo, Carter has loads of potential, and now has some production to back it up.

CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY PATREON FOR A TON OF WEEKDAY CONTENT THROUGHOUT THE SEASON, INCLUDING UPDATED DYNASTY RANKINGS, FYPD RANKINGS, DYNASTY RUNDOWNS, STRATEGY ARTICLES AND MORE!

By Michael Halpern (@MichaelCHalpern)
Email: michaelhalpern@imaginarybrickwall.com
Twitter: Imaginary Brick Wall (@DynastyHalp)

There weren’t enough screens in my house to keep up with everyone I wanted to watch last night, but I made due by flipping around like a maniac trying to catch everything I could. Here is the MiLB Opening Day Dynasty Baseball Rundown:

Updated Dynasty Baseball Rankings are up on my Patreon! Click here to join for that article and a ton of other content including Dynasty Rundowns, FYPD Rankings, Strategy articles and more

Austin Martin TOR, OF, 22.1 – Martin kicked things off on the opening pitch of the MiLB season with a Jeter-esque single going the opposite way. If things go right, he could be putting up some Jeter-esque batting lines in the majors for years to come.

Wander Franco TB, SS, 20.2 – Launched a deep triple for his first of 3 hits on the day (3 for 5), and his speed looked in top form to my eye flying around the bases. He also tacked on a stolen base. Launch angle? Check. Speed? Check.

DL Hall BAL, LHP, 22.7 – Hall looked unhittable in his Double-A debut throwing his upper 90’s fastball up in the zone and then landing his breaking ball both in and out of the zone. He went 4.1 IP with 2 hits, 0 earned, and a 10/2 K/BB. He wasn’t necessarily consistently hitting his spots, but he also wasn’t completely out of control. If one start could have your stock on the rise, this one was it.

Grayson Rodriguez BAL, RHP, 21.5 – In the battle for Baltimore’s top pitching prospect, Rodriguez did not want to be outdone as he went 4 IP with 1 hit, 0 earned and a 5/2 K/BB at High-A. With John Means dominating on the MLB level, it could be the dawn of a new era in Baltimore.

Shane McClanahan TB, LHP, 24.0 – McClanahan toed the rubber for the Major League club and he looked masterful with a fastball that sat 98.7 MPH and a slider that put up a 57% whiff%. He went 4 IP with 2 hits, 0 earned, and a 5/2 K/BB. He may never rack up innings in Tampa, but it sure looks like he will dominate in the innings he does pitch.

Keibert Ruiz LAD, C, 22.9 – Smashed a 106.5 MPH homer off Kyle Hendricks in his first MLB at-bat of the season. He also homered in his first MLB at-bat in 2020 as well. The guy knows how to make a first impression.

Colin Barber HOU, OF, 20.5 – David Gonos of The Athletic gave me a playful ribbing for leaving Barber off my Top 1,000 Dynasty Baseball Rankings when he named that ranking one of the top free fantasy baseball resources, and Barber set out to prove Gonos right in the early going as he tallied his first dinger at High-A. Barber has a good feel to hit with speed, so showing off the power is exactly what you want to see.

CJ Abrams SD, SS, 20.7 – Abrams already made a big jump for me into the land of the elite based on his spring performance, and he kept is going at Double-A with 2 doubles, 0 K’s and a walk in 5 at-bats.

Gabriel Arias CLE, SS, 21.2 – Arias was 8 for 13 with 3 K’s in spring training, and yesterday he displayed some power with his first homer at Triple-A (1 for 4 with a K). He’s a plus defensive player whose glove will keep him on the field, and there is offensive upside if he can continue to refine his pitch recognition and plate approach.

Nate Pearson TOR, RHP, 24.7 – 3.2 IP, 4 hits, 1 earned, 8/1 K/BB. His fastball velocity was in prime form and so was his swing and miss slider. He is working on new mechanics to keep himself healthy, and if the early returns mean anything, it is going well.

Gunnar Henderson BAL, SS, 19.11 – Cracked possibly the most impressive homer of the day, hitting a no doubter the other way that left the ballpark. The hype was already starting to percolate based on 2020 reports, and that dinger should put it into overdrive.

Jackson Kowar KC, RHP, 24.7 – Kowar went against a relatively tough lineup in his Triple-A debut and was lights out, going 5.1 IP with 2 hits, 0 earned and a 9/2 K/BB. It shouldn’t be long before he joins Daniel Lynch in the rotation.

Matt Manning DET, RHP, 23.4 – 5 IP, 6 hits, 5 earned, and a 6/1 K/BB. He gave up 3 homers. He didn’t look all that great to me in spring training either (5.00 ERA in 9 IP). He’s not exactly forcing Detroit’s hand to say the least, and while I’m holding strong with his ranking, I’m starting to keep my expectations in check when he does get the call.

Michael Harris ATL, OF, 20.2 – Electric start to the season at High-A as he went 3 for 4 with a double, stolen base, OF assist, and a 1/1 K/BB. I was too low on him in my off-season rankings, even though my blurb and projection for him was glowing. I will rectify that mistake in my next update.

 Francisco Alvarez NYM, C, 19.5 – Got off to a hot start at Single-A, going 4 for 5 with a double and a walk. If he keeps this up he’s on track to become the top catching prospect in the game when Adley Rutschman graduates.

 Travis Swaggerty PIT, OF, 23.10 – There were reports of improved pull side power at that alt site and he showed that off at Triple-A yesterday with his first dinger (3 for 4 with a BB). He has speed and a plus glove in the OF, so the power coming around is big to see.

Ronny Mauricio NYM, SS, 20.1 – Mauricio has become a bit of a divisive prospect with more tools than production, but he got off to a strong start at High-A with 2 doubles and a walk in 4 AB. He’ll have to keep producing this season if he doesn’t want his prospect ranking to dip.

 Liover Peguero PIT, SS, 20.4 – Smacked a homer out to deep CF at High-A for his only hit of the day (1 for 4 with a 2/1 K/BB). He has speed with a potentially plus hit tool and glove, so the power is the final piece.

Michael Toglia COL, 1B, 22.8 – Bombs away as Toglia got a hold of his first homer at High-A. He also struck out twice and is a bit old for the level, but his upside at Coors is exciting if they ever give him the chance to play.

Jesus Sanchez MIA, OF, 23.7/Lewin Diaz MIA, 1B, 24.5 – A pair of Marlins went deep at Triple-A as they push for a MLB roster spot. They will get their shot at some point this summer.

 Luis Medina NYY, RHP, 22.0 – 4 IP, 1 hit, 0 ER, 8/2 K/BB at High-A. He looked great in the Puerto Rico Winer League before struggling in spring training. He has nasty stuff, so continuously showing the ability to harness it will be key this season. So far, so good.

Luis Gil NYY, RHP, 22.11 – Gil is another high risk, high reward Yankees prospects who got off to a good start yesterday. He went 3.2 IP with 2 hits, 0 ER, and a 6/1 K/BB. At the least, these guys can be electric arms out of the pen.

Nick Pratto KC, 1B, 22.6 – After dominating in spring with 4 homers in 29 AB (albeit with 14 K’s), Pratto picked right up at Double-A with his first homer (1 for 5 with a K). His stats bottomed out in 2019 with a .191 BA, and it certainly looks like a resurgence could be upon us.

Jordan Walker STL, 3B, 18.11 – Crushed a weak breaking ball for a pull side homer with a quick, vicious hack. Nobody was questioning his power at 6’5”, 220 pounds, but it doesn’t hurt to see it.

Updated Dynasty Baseball Rankings are up on my Patreon! Click here to join for that article and a ton of other content including Dynasty Rundowns, FYPD Rankings, Strategy articles and more

By Michael Halpern (@MichaelCHalpern)
Email: michaelhalpern@imaginarybrickwall.com
Twitter: Imaginary Brick Wall (@DynastyHalp)