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 (7/19/21):

CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY PATREON FOR:
-Top 450 July 2021 OBP/OPS/PTS “Universal” Dynasty Baseball Rankings
-10 Dynasty Baseball Players to Target
-Dynasty Baseball Trade Strategies at the Halfway Point (Contending, Mid Pack, Rebuilding)
-Top 300 June 2021 Dynasty Baseball Prospects Rankings
-2021/22 Top 50 First Year Player Draft Dynasty Baseball Rankings

Wander Franco TB, SS, 20.4 – Demolished a 418 foot, 104 MPH homer off Drew Smyly for his 3rd of the year in 18 games. The 3 homers are nice, but the underlying numbers on his MLB debut aren’t great with a .275 xwOBA and a below average 25.2% whiff%. I still think he is going to be a beast, but damn would it have been nice for him to just come out and rake. I’m sick of having patience with top prospects …

Jarred Kelenic SEA, OF, 21.11 – Jarred “have patience” Kelenic has returned to the majors and it is not going much better in his first 3 games, going 3 for 13 with 3 singles and a 6/0 K/BB. Sometimes in fantasy you just gotta dust off that ole’ Zen Buddhism skillset and remind yourself to not sell low no matter how frustrating it can be.

Jasson Dominguez NYY, OF, 18.5 – Dominguez is living up to the hype as he’s ripping the ball all over the park at Single-A as an 18 year old, slashing .400/.429/.700 with 1 double, 1 triple, 1 homer, and a 3/1 K/BB in 5 games. For all of the people that took that leap of faith on his insane upside, this has to make you feel good. He ain’t no Kevin Maitan.

Orelvis Martinez TOR, SS, 19.10 – Martinez is going absolutely gangbusters with 7 homers in his last 6 games to bring his season wRC+ to 152 at Single-A. He doesn’t get the hype that some of the other 19 year old phenom mashers are getting, but he’s right up there with them.

Luis Matos SF, OF, 19.5 – Speaking of prospects not getting the hype they deserve, Matos has been heating up in his last 10 games with 4 doubles, 2 homers, 1 triple and a .405 BA. I ranked him 10th overall in my latest Top 300 Dynasty Prospects Rankings on Patreon because of his exceptional contact ability (14.4% K%), speed (16 steals in 19 attempts) and emerging power (6 homers in 59 games with a 42% FB%). 5.3% BB% is really the only negative to his game right now.

Grayson Rodriguez BAL, RHP, 21.8 – Considering I think Grayson has the stuff to dominate MLB hitters right now, it’s not too surprising to see him obliterate Double-A as he went 5 IP with 2 hits, 0 earned, and a 12/1 K/BB. He has a 2.04 ERA with a 57/8 K/BB in 39.2 IP at the level.

Brennen Davis CHC, OF, 21.8 – Davis cracked the top 100 overall (#94) in my latest OBP/OPS/PTS “Universal” Top 450 Dynasty Baseball Rankings on Patreon, and for good reason as he smashed a homer in back to back games at Double-A and now has a 151 wRC+ in 37 games at the level. I told you in last week’s Monday Morning Rundown to treat him like an elite asset, and he is living up to the billing.

Logan Gilbert SEA, RHP, 24.2 – 5.1 IP, 4 hits, 2 ER, 9/2 K/BB. It was his most strikeouts in a start all season as his secondaries are proving to be elite swing and miss pitches. His slider has a 40.5% whiff% on the season and his changeup has a 73.1% whiff% on the season. 73.1%!!! He only throws the change 7.9% of the time, but he threw it 17% of the time yesterday, and I have a sneaking suspicion we are going to see more of it

Brandon Marsh LAA, OF, 23.7 – Marsh made his MLB debut and went 0 for 4 with 2 K’s. He is a great athlete with a plus power/speed combo, but his groundball rates have been high throughout his career and his strikeout rates have been on the high side too. There is upside here, but there is also potential for struggles.

Shohei Ohtani LAA, RHP/DH, 27.0 – Ohtani went 2 for 3 with 2 walks and a homer. One of those hits was an infield single to first base where he beat the first baseman to the bag. There is nothing this guy can’t do. I’m half expecting him to drill a 3 in Game 6 of the NBA Finals tomorrow. He’s my newly minted #1 overall player in Dynasty Leagues.

Nolan Gorman STL, 3B/2B, 21.2 – Gorman is starting to find his groove at Triple-A as he walloped 2 homers yesterday and now has 3 homers in his last 2 games. His overall numbers at the level are mediocre with a .733 OPS in 15 games, but that is bound to keep rising.

Zac Veen COL, OF, 19.7 – The power has arrived in full force as Veen’s crushed 5 homers in his last 5 games to give him 9 on the season in 61 games. He’s shown a mature plate approach with a 24.6%/14.6% K%/BB% and is running like wild with 27 steals in 38 attempts. He’s shaping up to be an all category beast.

Heriberto Hernandez TB, 1B/OF, 21.7 – Heriberto has been in a deep power slump since his hot start with only 1 homer in his last 49 games prior to last night, but he broke out of it yesterday with 2 bombs, one an opposite field shot and one to his pull side. He was still walking a ton over that 49 game time period with a .354 OBP, and with a 47.5% FB%, the homeruns were bound to come back around

Miguel Vargas LAD, 3B, 21.8 – Vargas is one of my favorite still under the radar/underhyped prospects in the minors, and he keeps handling his business at Double-A with an opposite field bomb for his 7th homer in 28 games at the level (14 homers in 65 games on the season). He makes good contact (20.6% K%) and hits the ball in the air (50% FB%). He’ll eventually start getting the respect he deserves and you’ll hope you bought in before that.

Michael Conforto NYM, OF, 28.4 – Crushed a 418 foot homer off Richard Rodriguez yesterday and went 2 for 4 with 2 doubles the day before. I told my Patreon members to target Conforto weeks ago as he’s bound to have a big second half with a .356 xwOBA and a career high 14.6% BB%.

JD Davis NYM, 3B, 28.2 – JD Davis is another Met who is looking set up for a big 2nd half. He cracked two dingers on Saturday and has a career high 93.9 MPH exit velocity and 15 degree launch angle in 17 games, although his whiff% has exploded into the danger zone (41.3%).

Heliot Ramos SF, OF, 21.10 – Ramos went opposite field for his 10th homer of the year in 62 games at Double-A in an otherwise underwhelming season. He has a 27.4% K% and a 106 wRC+. He is only 21 and is putting up a 10.2% BB%, so you can look at it glass half full, but if you are looking to use him as trade bait I’m not sure he is going to get the other owner real excited (and I know because I’ve tried).

 Jairo Pomares SF, OF, 20.11 – Pomares has been quietly ripping up Single-A with a full power breakout, drilling his 9th homer of the season yesterday in 27 games. He’s not exactly young for the level and his 26.9%/6.7% K%/BB% isn’t great, so there are some reasons for caution.

Dillon Dingler DET, C, 22.9 – Dingler hit a brick wall at Double-A (.604 OPS in 25 games) after destroying High-A (.925 OPS in 32 games), but he did slice an opposite field shot for his 10th homer of the season. He’s bound to get hot again.

Jordyn Adams LAA, OF, 21.8 – Adams was getting a lot of 2020 hype as a potential breakout prospect, but it has yet to materialize with him struggling hard at High-A with a 37.4% K% in 28 games. He did rip his 3rd homer of the year and 2nd in 2 games, so maybe this is the beginning of a hot streak, but that K% scares me. He’s dropping down my rankings.

Graham Ashcraft MIL, RHP, 23.5 – Double-A hasn’t slowed Ashcraft’s roll at all, as he went 6 IP with 4 hits, 0 ER, and 5/1 K/BB yesterday. He has a pitching line of 2.33/0.93/27/11 in 27 IP at the level. With his mid 90’s heat and a plus, high spin rate breaking ball, he is one of my favorite pop up prospects this year.

CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY PATREON FOR:
-Top 450 July 2021 OBP/OPS/PTS “Universal” Dynasty Baseball Rankings
-10 Dynasty Baseball Players to Target
-Dynasty Baseball Trade Strategies at the Halfway Point (Contending, Mid Pack, Rebuilding)
-Top 300 June 2021 Dynasty Baseball Prospects Rankings
-2021/22 Top 50 First Year Player Draft Dynasty Baseball Rankings

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

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 (7/12/21):

CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY PATREON FOR:
-July 2021 OBP/OPS/PTS “Universal” Dynasty Baseball Rankings
-10 Dynasty Baseball Players to Target
-Dynasty Baseball Trade Strategies at the Halfway Point (Contending, Mid Pack, Rebuilding)
-Top 300 June 2021 Dynasty Baseball Prospects Rankings
-2021/22 Top 50 First Year Player Draft Dynasty Baseball Rankings

Ronald Acuna ATL, OF, 23.6 – The baseball world wept as Acuna went down with a torn ACL. Even if you are contending, I think you just gotta suck it up and hold no matter how much it sucks. Acuna is too good of a long term piece to give up even if it does get a you championship this year. I just ranked him #2 overall in my ongoing Updated Dynasty Rankings over on my Patreon, and this injury will knock him down to 5th overall.

Brennen Davis CHC, OF, 21.8 – Davis was the star of the Futures Game as he blasted off for 2 dingers, one of which was a 428 foot bomb. He was heating up at Double-A too, slashing .338/.416/.618 with 4 homers, 3 steals, and a 21/7 K/BB in his last 19 games. He is quickly ascending into elite prospect territory. Do not deal him off unless you are getting an elite win now return.

Jose Barrero CIN, SS, 23.0 – Barrero also went deep in the Futures Game on a pull side, 426 foot missile. He’s struggled a bit since his promotion to Triple-A with a .171 BA, but is still showing power with 2 homers in 10 games

Henry Davis PIT, C, 21.10 – The newly minted #1 overall pick of the 2021 MLB Draft is my 5th ranked prospect in my Top 50 FYPD Rankings. You have to remember the MLB Draft doesn’t pick purely based on talent (not to say Davis wasn’t deserving), but signing bonus demands also come into play. Davis was the best college hitter in the class and with everyone expecting robo umps in the near future, seems very likely to stick behind the plate. Offensive catcher production will almost certainly see a huge boost with robo umps as pitch framing becomes worthless. Arm and bat will now rule the day, and Davis has those two areas covered.

Marcelo Mayer BOS, SS, 18.7 – Mayer fell right into Boston’s lap at #4 overall, and he is my #1 overall FYPD pick in non 5×5 leagues. He also had all the guys on MLB Network gushing over his good looks, how he has the “it” factor, and how he looked great in that Red Sox cap, which actually has me worried a bit. A big part of “Moneyball” was Billy Beane recognizing how easily scouts can be fooled by a guy that looks great in a uniform. I also always go back to Joey Harrington in the NFL who got similar praise for being good looking and playing a mean guitar. I love Mayer, and I’m just joshing around a bit, but these thoughts are in the back of my mind.

Jordan Lawlar ARI, SS, 19.0 – Lawlar went 6th overall to Arizona, and he is my #1 overall FYPD pick in 5×5 leagues. His stolen base potential gives him the edge over Mayer in leagues where speed matters a lot.

Kahlil Watson MIA, SS, 18.3 – Watson fell to #16 overall which creates a buying opportunity in more casual dynasty leagues where draft order carries a ton of weight. I have him ranked #3 overall. It is actually the exact same thing that happened with Corbin Carroll, who I also had as my #3 overall player before falling to #16 in the draft.

Gerrit Cole NYY, RHP, 30.10 – We might have been a little premature on pouring dirt over Cole’s grave, as he pitched angry on Saturday, going 9 IP with 3 hits, 0 earned and a 12/3 K/BB. His spin was still down and he put up only a 24% whiff%, so I’m not sure we are completely out of the woods quite yet, but this start inspires confidence he will be damn good regardless

Alec Burleson STL, OF, 22.7 – Burleson has caught fire again at Double-A, going 2 for 4 with his 15th homer of the year yesterday, and now has 4 homers in his last 4 games. His contact numbers have actually improved at Double-A too with a 23.4%/7.2% K%/BB%. He continues to be one of the most underrated prospects in the minors.

Jose Rodriguez CHW, SS, 20.2 – Rodriguez had a monster day yesterday, going 3 for 5 with a homer and 2 steals. He’s now slashing .284/.325/.470 with 8 homers, 18 steals and a 17.4%/5.1% K%/BB% in 55 games at Single-A. He’s now homered in back to back games and is easily worthy of a pick up in medium size leagues and deeper.

Benny Montgomery COL, OF, 18.9 – It’s hard not to get excited when Colorado drafts a hitter even with their poor track record of development and willingness to play young hitters. Montgomery was drafted 8th overall by the Rockies and is possibly the highest upside bat in the draft, putting up a 103 MPH exit velocity and a 6.32 60 yard dash time. That puts him at the top of the class in power and speed. Hit tool is still raw and he has to refine his swing, but this is the type of bat you target in fantasy. Colorado did dynasty players a solid on this one.

Edward Cabrera MIA, RHP, 23.3 – 5.2 IP, 5 hits, 4 earned, 7/1 K/BB at Double-A. This was Cabrera’s worst start since returning from injury and I mean that in the best possible way as it wasn’t all that bad and the K/BB was on point. His stuff is nasty and he is quickly re-establishing himself as one of the most exciting pitching prospects in the game.

Shane Baz TB, RHP, 22.1 – Baz was electric in his one inning at the Futures Game, striking out 2 with no hits or walks. He flung 99 MPH heat and showed off his newfound control by painting the black. There is a reason I have him as the #2 overall pitching prospect in baseball behind Grayson Rodriguez.

Cade Cavalli WASH, RHP, 22.10 – Cavalli impressed in his one inning as well, taking out Jasson Dominguez on a 100 MPH fastball. He struck out 2 and walked 2.

Spencer Strider ATL, RHP, 22.8 – 0.2 IP, 0 hits, 5 ER, 0/5 K/BB at Double-A. I still like Strider a lot but it is a reminder to not get too carried away with pop up pitching prospects in leagues where you can pick up prospects during the year. It’s easy to fall in love with every prospect who is dealing in the minors, I’ve definitely been guilty of it, but that is how you end up with a farm system with over 50% pitching prospects, which is a recipe for disaster. You have to pick your spots and take a chance on a few of them, but you can’t grab them all.

Hunter Greene CIN, RHP, 21.11 – Greene did his best Shohei Ohtani impression yesterday, going 5 IP with 6 hits, 1 earned and a 2/2 K/BB on the mound and went 1 for 2 with a RBI at the dish. He has the talent to truly be able to do both, but he won’t be given the opportunity.

Gilberto Jimenez BOS, OF, 21.0 – Jimenez went 3 for 6 with 2 doubles and a steal yesterday at Single-A, and he’s been heating up over his last 9 games, slashing .361/.400/.556 with 1 homer, 3 steals, and a 10/0 K/BB. He’s a dropper overall on the season though with a poor 21.1%/2.2% K%/BB% and only 2 homers in 51 games.

Kyle Harrison SF, LHP, 19.11 – Harrison had his longest outing of his career, going 7 IP with 6 hits, 2 earned, and a 7/0 K/BB at Single-A. Harrison’s stock took a big jump this season, but he still needs to work on his control/command (4.9 BB/9).

Joe Ryan TB, RHP, 25.1 – Ryan had the best pitching outing of the day yesterday, going 7 IP with 1 hit, 0 ER, and a 9/1 K/BB. He has utterly dominated every minor league level and now has a 34.8%/5% K%/BB% at Triple-A. There is no guarantee he ends up a starter, especially in Tampa, but I’m betting on him being effective in any role he pitches in.

CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY PATREON FOR:
-July 2021 OBP/OPS/PTS “Universal” Dynasty Baseball Rankings
-10 Dynasty Baseball Players to Target
-Dynasty Baseball Trade Strategies at the Halfway Point (Contending, Mid Pack, Rebuilding)
-Top 300 June 2021 Dynasty Baseball Prospects Rankings
-2021/22 Top 50 First Year Player Draft Dynasty Baseball Rankings

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