Things change fast in the prospect world. Even during the off-season these lists can be fluid. Now that we’ve actually laid eyes on many of the 2019 versions of these prospects, and have the first indication of how their parent clubs view them fitting in on the future roster, I decided to update the first 100 of my 2019 Top 472 Dynasty Baseball Prospects Ranking. Here is the March 2019 Top 100 Dynasty Baseball Prospects Ranking: 51-75 (w/ new blurbs, updated rankings, and slightly updated projections):
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CLICK HERE FOR 76-114 (PODCAST)
Click the below links for my previous off-season content:
2019 Top 1,000 Dynasty Baseball Rankings
2019 Top 472 Dynasty Baseball Prospect Rankings
11 Dynasty Baseball Rules to Live By
2020 Top 90 Dynasty Baseball First Year Player Draft Rankings (1st Edition)
The Dynasty Baseball Rundown (3/10/19)
+17 (51) Cristian Pache ATL, OF, 20.5 – I was the high guy on Pache back in 2017 when I was the only list to have him in my top 100, telling you to ignore the poor numbers and draft the talent. He’s currently 10 for 22 for 2 homers, 1 steal and a 1.364 OPS. Looking at the other prospects I ranked towards the back of that list, I was also high on Austin Hays, Carter Kieboom (who took Justin Verlander deep twice yesterday), Colton Welker, and Bubba Thompson relative to the rest of the “industry.” Not bad if I say so myself. ETA: Late 2020 Prime Projection: 83/19/76/.269/.3335/.448/26
+101 (52) Austin Hays BAL, OF, 23.9 – On a rampage this spring, blasting another homer yesterday and now has 4 total with a .355 BA and 1.246 OPS. He is the favorite to open the season as Baltimore’s starting RF, and there is no reason not to jump back on the bandwagon. He’s worth a flyer late in redraft leagues too. (Update: Sent down to Triple-A. Note to self: Never take merit into account when trying to guess playing time decisions) 2019 Projection: 52/17/61/.254/.318/.436/2 Prime Projection: 81/26/87/.271/.337/.468/5
-10 (53) Josh James HOU, RHP, 26.1 – The risk of James not being utilized in the most advantageous of ways for fantasy owners is getting greater and greater by the day. The quad injury took him out the running for the 5th starter job, but there were indications even before the injury that he was not the favorite. Forrest Whitley is also knocking on the door and Dallas Keuchel is still not out of the question. The strikeout upside is unquestionable, but opportunity is becoming a legitimate concern. 2019 Projection: 5/3.91/1.28/105 in 90 IP Prime Projection: 13/3.63/1.28/193 in 170 IP
-8 (54) Victor Victor Mesa MIA, OF, 22.8 – I was one of the first to pump the breaks on the Gurriel brothers hype train back in 2016 (incidentally, I think Lourdes is being underrated now), being leery of the Cuban hype machine, but I might have gotten a little too swept up in the Victor Victor hype. Just goes to show you that you can get swept up in propaganda even if you know it is coming. Mesa got hurt in his first game this spring, so the uncertainty of how good he really is continues to grow. ETA: Mid 2020 Prime Projection: 88/14/71/.277/.334/.436/24
55) Triston McKenzie CLE, RHP, 21.8 – Cleveland has been so great with pitching prospects recently (Kluber, Carrasco, Clevinger, Bieber, Bauer) it is hard not to have an extra tick or two of confidence in McKenzie. And why shouldn’t we, considering developing talent is at least half the battle and maybe much more than that. An upper back strain will keep him out about 6 weeks, but that shouldn’t impact his dynasty value much, if at all. ETA: 2020 Prime Projection: 13/3.38/1.14/188 in 176 IP
56) Corbin Burnes MIL, RHP, 24.5 – Battling for the last spot in Milwaukee’s rotation, but considering the attrition rate of starters and Milwaukee’s shaky rotation to begin with, he should get his chance at some point this year even if he loses the competition. 2019 Projection: 6/3.94/1.27/110 in 120 IP Prime Projection: 13/3.61/1.18/175 in 180 IP
57) Ian Anderson ATL, RHP, 20.11 – Soroka has a bum shoulder. Gausman already had inflammation in his right shoulder and got shellacked in his spring debut. Mike Foltynewicz has a sore pitching elbow and just started playing light catch. Touki Toussaint has nasty stuff but still has a lot to prove. Luiz Gohara is feeling tightness in his shoulder. All of this to say it is not so far fetched that we see Anderson make more than a handful of major league starts this season. I moved up his ETA up from late 2020, to late 2019. ETA: Late 2019 Prime Projection: 15/3.45/1.20/210 in 190 IP
58) A.J. Puk OAK, LHP, 23.11 – With a stacked bullpen and how desperate Oakland is for impact starters, a rotation spot should be waiting for Puk when he is ready. In redraft leagues, I would be closely monitoring Puk’s progress, and be ready to pounce at the first hint of him rounding into form. ETA: 5/3.70/1.33/84 in 72 IP Prime Projection: 15/3.42/1.26/214 in 186 IP
59) Austin Riley ATL, 3B, 22.0 – Although Riley’s overall spring numbers are poor (.615 OPS), I take it as a good sign that he has a solid 7/3 K/BB in 32 at-bats after striking out 4 times in 8 at-bats in Spring 2017 and 10 times in 24 at-bats in Spring 2018. Maybe saying it is a “good sign” is a little too strong, but it’s better than the alternative. ETA: 2020 Prime Projection: 79/29/93/.262/.332/.485/2
60) Jesus Sanchez TB, OF, 21.6 – 1 for 13 with 1 homer this spring. Was optioned back to the minors this weekend. Sanchez has a good feel to hit, plus raw power, and some speed too. Hit ultimate hitting profile can still go in any number of different directions. This 21-year-old season should start to truly reveal the player he will likely become. ETA: Mid 2020 Prime Projection: 78/25/83/.276/.332/.478/9
61) Drew Waters ATL, OF, 20.3 – Now seems like a good time to tell you that I’ve been battling the flu this week, but like German Marquez, it’s not gonna stop me from performing. I’ve been trying to stay hydrated as much as possible, so I guess you can say I drew waters out of the faucet all week … my bad, I try to avoid bad puns in my writing, but I get to blame that one on being sick. ETA: 2022 Prime Projection: 86/21/84/.278/.335/.474/20
-28 (62) Mike Soroka ATL, RHP, 21.8 – I find trying to differentiate injury risk between pitchers one of the toughest things to do as a ranker, because all pitchers are already high risk. But now that Soroka has felt renewed pain in his shoulder, it is clear I didn’t factor in last season’s shoulder injury enough on my original ranking. ETA: Mid 2019 Prime Projection: 13/3.49/1.12/170 in 182 IP
+10 (63) Touki Toussaint ATL, RHP, 22.9 – Gets a bump now that he is the favorite for the last spot in the rotation. He’s got nasty stuff evidenced by a 84.9 MPH average exit velocity against and 32 K’s in 29 MLB IP, but control/command is still a work in progress and ultimately the reliever risk is very real. 2019 Projection: 8/4.23/1.38/141 in 140 IP Prime Projection: 13/3.81/1.31/186 in 180 IP
64) George Valera CLE, OF, 18.5 – Saw a great gif in the Rotoworld MiLB Forum comparing Valera’s swing to Robinson Cano’s. It really is uncanny. That forum is a great place to talk about prospects in general and to get the early scoop on some pop up guys during the season. You should definitely check it out. ETA: 2022 Prime Projection: 88/23/88/.291/.365/.493/9
65) Nick Madrigal CHW, 2B, 22.1 – I can’t decide if I’m underrating Madrigal or overrating him. He seems like one of the most divisive prospects in this year’s FYPD pool. It’s going to come down to how hard his contact is now that he is healed up from last season’s wrist injury. ETA: Late 2020 Prime Projection: 92/11/63/.296/.351/.418/24
66) Corbin Carroll OF, HS, 18.7 – Haven’t heard anything new on Carroll. While he is generally ranked too high to say he is underrated, I think his small stature is really preventing the hype train from going into overdrive. Prime Projection: 96/23/92/.285/.358/.478/26 ETA: 2023
67) CJ Abrams SS, HS, 18.6 – Abrams is now the favorite to be the 1st high school player selected in the draft. Witt’s hit tool is too risky for teams drafting at the very top. Prime Projection: 96/18/71/.287/.349/.453/29 ETA: 2023
68) Riley Greene OF, HS, 18.6 – Reports from Fangraphs have been glowing about Greene in the early going this year. You should really check out that article if haven’t already for tons of great draft nuggets. Prime Projection: 91/25/92/.288/.373/.505/13 ETA: 2023
69) Jazz Chisholm ARI, SS, 21.2 – Chisholm has been working on his patience this spring. “You can definitely get yourself out when you go up there overaggressive instead of going up there and taking your pitch and hitting your pitch,” he said. “I’m just working on staying a little less aggressive but still being aggressive. Cutting it loose when I get the pitch to cut it loose on, not trying to do too much.” So he is trying to be aggressive but also not be aggressive and wants to cut it loose but also not try to do too much. Who said this hitting a baseball thing was easy? ETA: 2021 Prime Projection: 82/23/76/.241/.313/.438/16
70) Trevor Larnach MIN, OF, 22.1 – Seems like there are a couple guys in each 25 player group that I don’t have anything interesting to add. Larnach and Edwards are those guys in this group. ETA: Late 2020 Prime Projection: 78/26/87/.263/.347/.483/2
71) Xavier Edwards SD, SS, 19.8 – “As above, so below.” ETA: 2022 Prime Projection: 103/10/56/.291/.366/.401/36
72) Nathaniel Lowe TB, 1B, 23.9 – Not a great spring for someone trying to force their way into a crowded lineup and prove they aren’t a one year wonder, going 3 for 32 with 14 K’s and 1 walk. Ultimately, how he performs at Triple-A is all that will matter. ETA: Late 2019 Prime Projection: 73/25/82/.264/.339/.470/1
73) Michael Chavis BOS, 3B, 23.8 – Since I wrote about Chavis in my first Dynasty Baseball Rundown of the season, he has only continued to mash with 4 homers and a 1.152 OPS. Whether he breaks into the majors through trade, injury, or poor performance, Chavis has the type of power that can carry your fantasy squad for a few weeks if he gets hot at the right time. ETA: Late 2019 Prime Projection: 72/28/88/.254/.328/.476/5
+130 (74) Kyle Lewis SEA, OF, 23.9 – The knee looks good and that is all I need to see for Lewis to rise up my rankings. I ranked him first on my pre-draft list in 2016, and I’m just happy to see him healthy again. ETA: 2020 Prime Projection: 79/27/89/.265/.343/.474/8
-20 (75) Alex Verdugo LAD, OF, 22.11 – The whispers over how well Verdugo handles the mental aspect of the game have grown louder and louder. The power has always been an issue for fantasy, and even if you don’t buy into the mental concerns (lack of effort and focus), if it prevents the Dodgers or another team from really giving him a true chance to grow and develop at the major league level, it is a problem. 2019 Projection: 40/8/36/.273/.335/.415/5 Prime Projection: 84/18/82/.285/.351/.447/9
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By Michael Halpern (@MichaelCHalpern)
Email: michaelhalpern@imaginarybrickwall.com
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