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:

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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)

 

 

Today’s Rundown is more of buy/sell/price check based on early season returns rather than a traditional Rundown. Check out my Patreon for the 2021/22 Top 30 First Year Player Draft Rankings that I will be expanding on as we get closer to the draft, and I’m also working on a Dynasty Rankings update that should drop at the end of the month. Here is the Monday Morning Dynasty Baseball Rundown (4/19/21):

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Yermin Mercedes CHW, C, 28.2 – Ripped his 4th homer and while his exit velocity doesn’t jump out at 87.7 MPH, he has an elite 12.8% whiff% and 10.5% Brls/PA%. Yermin is a “buy high” for me, meaning I would target him in a trade because nobody will expect you to give up your very best prospects and there is a good chance you can strike a very reasonable deal.

Jazz Chisholm MIA, SS, 23.2 – I was encouraged by Jazz’s 25.5% whiff% in 2020, shooting him up my rankings, and he is rewarding my faith in 2021 keeping it at a reasonable 30.7%. He’s also been absolutely crushing the ball with a 92.5 MPH exit velocity, and his speed is up a bit too with a 28.6 ft/sec sprint speed. I don’t have to tell you guys because he’s been the talk of the town, but this is a full on breakout.

Sean Murphy OAK, C, 26.6 – Cracked his 1st homer of the year and there will be more where that came from as he has a 93.3 MPH exit velocity and 17.4 degree launch angle. He is swinging and missing a ton with a 40% whiff%, but he is also walking a ton with a 15% BB%. In OBP leagues especially, Murphy is a buy.

Giancarlo Stanton NYY, OF, 31.5 – Blasted his 3rd homer yesterday. Stanton is still crushing the ball (95.1 MPH exit velo), but his 25.1 ft/sec sprint speed (27.1 in 2019) shows that he is declining athletically. If he can sustain this mini hot streak, it might not be a bad time to cash in and see what you can get for him.

Taylor Trammell SEA, OF, 23.6  – Trammell looks like the odd man out when Kelenic gets called up. He isn’t hitting the ball hard with an 82.4 MPH exit velocity and is striking out a ton (42.6% K%). His 27.4 ft/sec sprint isn’t bad, but it’s not great either.

Rafael Devers BOS, 3B, 24.5 – There was talk he didn’t come into the 2020 season in shape, which is why his speed dropped off and he had a down year, but in 2021 his speed has dropped even more to a 25.2 ft/sec sprint speed (26.5 in 2020), and his whiff% remains high at 31.5%. He’s still demolishing the ball with a 94.2 MPH exit velocity, but the indicators we wanted to see improve haven’t at this point.

Michael Kopech CHW, RHP, 24.11 – Got the start and continued his domination with 3 IP, 1 hit, 1 ER, and a 4/1 K/BB. His fastball/slider combo has been lights out with a .220 xwOBA and 34% whiff% on the fastball, and a ridiculous .057 xwOBA with a 56.3% K% on the slider. This is a growth stock I’m buying even as the price continues to rise.

Christian Yelich MIL, OF, 29.4 – Whiff% remains at career high levels at 32.8%, making it hard to buy into a bounce back in that area. The launch angle gains he made in 2019 also do not look to be sticking as it dropped to 7.1 degrees in 2020 and 5.2 degrees this year. Considering his .333 BA right now, I would see if I could get a haul for him when he returns from the IL.

Trevor Story COL, SS, 28.4 – Surface stats are down with a .674 OPS, but underlying stats look great with a career high 91.8 MPH exit velocity and 19% K%. He’s a buy for me if you are in win now mode.

Charlie Blackmon COL, OF, 34.9 – Blackmon is another Rockie whose surface stats are down (.623 OPS), but underlying stats look much better with a career best 88.5 MPH exit velocity and 13.2% K%. His .350 xwOBA is right in line with career norms. He is a buy for a win now team.

Luis Robert CHW, OF, 23.8 – Whiff% down to 31.8% from 41.5% in 2020 which is huge to see. He’s also crushing the ball with a 91 MPH exit velocity. He won’t come cheap, but Robert is a major buy before his surface stats explode.

Yoan Moncada CHW, 3B, 25.10 – Not hitting the ball hard (85.3 MPH) and now has a below average 26.6 ft/sec sprint speed. Basically everything we wanted to see bounce back has gotten even worse. It is a concerning start, but you have to stay patient and hope he hits his stride at some point. Don’t sell for pennies on the dollar.

Carson Kelly ARI, C, 26.9 – Launched his 3rd homer of the season and his power surge is backed up by a 97.1 MPH FB/LD exit velocity. His .400 BA is not backed up by the underlying stats though with a career high 37.3% whiff% (26.8% in 2020).

Victor Robles WASH, OF, 23.10 – 1 for 2 with a walk. He is getting on base with a career high 12.2% BB%, but his 85.3 MPH exit velocity and career low 26.3 ft/sec sprint speed is not exactly screaming breakout season.

Akil Baddoo DET, OF, 22.7 – It hurts me to say it, but with a 85.8 MPH exit velocity, 46.3% whiff%, and 2.5% BB%, Baddoo is a sell high.

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

With the minor league season delayed until early May, these Monday Morning write-ups will be MLB focused this month, but normally they will be a mix between MLB and MiLB with a heavy lean toward prospects. Other content I’m planning this month for my Patreon members are FYPD rankings and updates to my Dynasty Baseball rankings (as well as these Dynasty Rundowns every day of the week). Here is the Monday Morning Dynasty Baseball Rundown:

CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY PATREON FOR A TON OF WEEKDAY CONTENT THROUGHOUT THE SEASON, INCLUDING ARTICLES, PODCASTS, RANKINGS, AND OTHER COOL STUFF I THINK UP ALONG THE WAY

Gio Urshela NYY, 3B, 29.6 – Cuomo might have snuck some extra Juice into Urshela’s Covid shot as he came back a new man, crushing a 453 foot, 108.1 MPH homer off Michael Wacha for his first of the year. He went 4 for 5 on the day and now has a 93.5 MPH exit velocity on the season.

Brent Honeywell TB, RHP, 26.0 – It’s been a long road with 4 elbow surgeries, but Honeywell persevered and made his MLB debut yesterday, going 2 perfect innings with 2 K’s. He threw a 4 pitch mix (4-seamer, change, cutter, screwball) with his 4-seamer averaging 94.1 MPH. He certainly looked to still have that advanced art of pitching down pat. He’s as high risk as they come, but that first outing makes it easy to buy back in.

Albert Abreu NYY, Setup, 25.7 – Abreu’s dynasty value fell off when it became clear he would be a reliever, but his MLB debut shows he has a chance to be a damn good one with a 98.3 MPH fastball and a swing and miss slider. He pitched a perfect inning with 2 K’s, and while he could get sent back down when the Yanks need a 5th starter, he is an interesting name to watch in relatively deep holds leagues.

Alex Verdugo BOS, OF, 24.11 – I was just recommending Verdugo to my Patreon members as a buy low/buy at a reasonable price early in the season, and that tiny window probably closed with a 400 foot shot for his first homer of the season. He’s raised his launch angle 9.2 degrees to 16.4 degrees which was the final piece to the breakout puzzle.

Randy Arozarena TB, OF, 26.1 – Snuck one over the fence going the opposite way for his 2nd dinger of the year. He’s backing up his 2020 breakout in the early going with a .314/.351/.514 triple slash, 2 homers, 1 steal, and a 100.8 MPH FB/LD exit velocity. Negative 2.7 degree launch angle and 41.8% whiff% aren’t great.

JD Martinez BOS, OF, 33.7 – I already saw the writing on the wall in my last Monday Morning Rundown that JD was back, and he has only solidified that stance since with 3 bombs yesterday. He has a 95.2 MPH exit velocity on the season.

Rafael Devers BOS, 3B, 24.5 – Boston feasted on Baltimore pitching and Devers got in the mix with 2 dingers. More important than the power (.625 SLG), his 26.5% whiff% looks better after dropping to 31.5% in 2020, and his 10.8% BB% is at a career best mark.

Trey Mancini BAL, 1B/OF, 29.0 – Drilled his 2nd homer of the year, showing the power is almost all the way back (88.4 MPH exit velocity), and while the 36.5% whiff% is high (26.9% in 2019), that should come down as he continues to shake the rust off.

Johan Oviedo STL, RHP, 23.1 – After Ponce de Leon got lit up for 7 earned in 1.1 IP, Oviedo came in and dominated in 4.2 shutout innings (2 hits, 4/2 K/BB) with a fastball that was up 1.6 MPH to 96.4 MPH and 3 secondaries that were racking up whiffs (slider, curve, change). Control is a still a major issue, but the stuff looked filthy.

Wilson Ramos DET, C, 33.8 – Cracked his 4th dinger and is just another example of waiting on catcher. I’ll pat myself on the back plenty in these write-ups, but I’m still kicking myself for letting the heat of the auction get to me and going way too high on James McCann in my 18 team dynasty ($15), while I could have waited and got Ramos for much less ($3). I didn’t stick to my own rules, and for that reason, I’m out (my bad, been watching too much Shark Tank lately).

Michael Kopech CHW, RHP, 24.11 – Looks more and more impressive after every outing as Kopech had his 3rd great multi-inning appearance in a row, pitching 2.1 perfect innings with 3 K’s. His fastball sat 97.3 MPH and his slider and curve dominated with a 50% and 67% whiff%, respectively. I don’t know when he will break into the rotation, but his dynasty value is on the rise.

Dylan Cease CHW, RHP, 25.3 – 4.2 IP, 4 hits, 1 ER, 6/3 K/BB. Still waiting on that improved control  …

Taylor Trammell SEA, OF, 23.6 – Rocked a 421 foot, 109.1 MPH homer off Matt Shoemaker for his 2nd of the season. He also struck out twice in 5 at-bats and has a 47.1% K%, which is concerning.

Byron Buxton MIN, OF, 27.3 – Crushed his 5th homer with a 428 foot, 110.8 MPH bomb off Chris Flexen. He went 3 for 4 with 0 K’s on the day. More impressive than the power, he has a career best 22.2% whiff% at the moment.

Trent Grisham SD, OF, 24.5 – Grisham’s been shot out of a cannon since returning from a hamstring injury with his 2nd homer yesterday and 3rd extra base hit in 3 games.

Zach McKinstry LAD, 2B/SS, 25.11 – McKinstry is the Dodgers new unheralded jack of all trades who forces their way into the lineup. He swatted his 2nd homer and is now slashing .321/.355/.679. He’s not exactly smoking the ball with an 89.7 MPH FB/LD exit velocity, and I still question his power ceiling, but you can’t question the results.

Javier Baez CHC, SS, 28.4 – I mentioned in a Patreon Rundown last week that Baez is a sell for me, and after drilling his 3rd homer of the year yesterday, that is still the case. His 26.1 ft/sec sprint speed is way down and his 52.1% whiff% is way up. If you have a surplus at SS, now would be the time to cash in on that.

Luke Weaver ARI, RHP, 27.7 – 7 IP, 1 hit, 0 ER, 8/1 K/BB. He has seemed to almost completely given up on a third pitch, and when your changeup is notching a 56% whiff%, I get it. His upside is capped with only two pitches, but it’s better than getting rocked with his cutter and curve, which is what has happened for most of his career.

Jose De Leon CIN, RHP, 28.8 – 4.1 IP, 8 hits, 6 ER, 9/3 K/BB. The strikeouts are for real as he notched a 41% whiff%, but so are the homer problems as he let up 2 more in this start. With Sonny Gray set to return next week, De Leon could be on the outside looking in for a rotation spot.

Rhys Hoskins PHI, 1B, 28.0 – The new Hoskins is here whether you like it or not, and in OBP leagues especially, you probably don’t like it. He launched his 2nd homer of the year and has been crushing the ball with a 97.9 MPH FB/LD exit velocity and 22.6 degree launch angle, but he has yet to walk a single time in 9 games.

Ozzie Albies ATL, 2B, 24.3 – Smacked his 1st homer of the year and is only hitting .139, but the underlying numbers look much better with a 91.3 MPH exit velocity, 20.5% whiff% and .299 xBA. If you can buy low, which you likely can’t, but if you can, I would do so.

Ronald Acuna ATL, OF, 23.3 – 3 for 4 with 0 K’s and his 4th dinger. A high strikeout rate was the only thing even remotely slowing Acuna down, and the early returns in 2021 has him improving in that area with a career best 13.3% whiff%. He’s still murdering the ball (96.1 MPH exit velocity), and is as fast as ever (29.3 ft/sec sprint speed), so the improved swing and miss is scary for the rest of the league.

Didi Gregorius PHI, SS, 31.3 – Ripped his 2nd homer off Drew Smyly with a 106.1 MPH exit velocity. His 83.5 MPH exit velocity on the season is concerning, but he hit 10 homers in 60 games last year with an 83.8 MPH exit velocity, and has put up below average exit velocities for most of his career. He just might be the exception that proves the rule … whatever that means, but it sounds good.

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

With the minor league season delayed until early May, these Monday Morning write-ups will be MLB focused this month, but normally they will be a mix between MLB and MiLB with a heavy lean toward prospects. Other content I’m planning this month for my Patreon members are FYPD rankings and updates to my Dynasty Baseball rankings (as well as these Dynasty Rundowns every day of the week). Here is the Monday Morning Dynasty Baseball Rundown:

Ian Anderson ATL, RHP, 22.11 – My #3 ranked pre-season prospect (I have an updated Top 100 Prospects Rankings on my Patreon), Anderson did what he does in his first outing, going 5 IP with 4 hits, 1 earned, and a 7/2 K/BB. His much maligned breaking ball put up a 50% whiff% and his celebrated changeup matched that 50% mark. He also ripped a 92.8 MPH double and dove head first into 2B. There is a certain present moment nostalgia with pitchers hitting, and I think we will look back at this time fondly, but add the NL DH already.

Shohei Ohtani LAA, RHP/DH, 26.9 – Now this is what Abner Doubleday had in mind when he “invented baseball” (he didn’t invent baseball), and wanted pitchers to also hit, as Ohtani crushed a 115.2 MPH dinger and also threw fire with a fastball that reached 101.1 MPH. His overall pitching line still wasn’t great (4.2 IP, 2 hits, 1 ER, 7/5 K/BB), but let’s not nitpick and just enjoy the greatness.

Zach Eflin PHI, LHP, 27.0 – Went against a tough Braves lineup and he dominated by going 7 IP with 4 hits, 1 earned, and an 8/1 K/BB. He continued the increased usage of his sinker which he found success with in 2020, and his 35% overall whiff% was better than his 2020 mark of 24%. On the downside, his velocity was down on all of his pitches (down 1.3 MPH to 92.4 MPH on the sinker), but that is merely something to watch so early in the season.

Tarik Skubal DET, LHP, 24.4 – Showed off his new pitch mix (he morphed his changeup into a splitter), but some things never change with him as he still relied heavily on his 4 seamer (60% usage vs. 58.9% in 2020). It resulted in a decent outing (5.1 IP, 4 hits, 2 ER, 4/2 K/BB), and his value holds serve, but it would have been nice for him to come out with a statement game.

Vlad Guerrero Jr. TOR, 1B, 22.0 – You want launch angle? You got launch angle as Vlad launched a 23 degree, 106.9 MPH opposite field bomb off Domingo German. His season launch angle is now sitting at 16.1 degrees. He’s about to torture everyone who sold low on him for the next decade.

Julian Merryweather TOR, Closer, 29.6 – Sure looks like Merryweather is the man to own in Toronto as he picked up his 2nd save of the season. He fired his fastball at 98.9 MPH yesterday which is up 2.2 MPH from 2020.

Nomar Mazara DET, OF, 25.11 – Rocketed a 391 foot, 105.5 MPH homer off Aaron Civale. He’s now 4 for 11 with a 3/0 K/BB on the season. The Nomar Mazara story has not been completely written quite yet, but I’m still hesitant to buy in.

Akil Baddoo DET, OF, 22.7 – The feel good story of spring kept it going in his MLB debut with an impressive opposite field shot off Civale. He also struck out once in 3 at-bats, which will be the number to watch.

Jeff Hoffman CIN, RHP, 28.3 – Nothing like that getting out of Coors Certified Pre-Owned new car smell, as Hoffman made some adjustments to his mechanics this off-season and they were working for him in his season debut by going 5 IP with 3 hits, 1 earned and a 6/0 K/BB. His fastball was down 1.5 MPH to 92.9 MPH, so I’m not exactly jumping in head first, but he isn’t a bad deep league flier.

Nate Lowe TEX, 1B, 25.9 – All the spring tea leaves pointed to Ronald Guzman winning the 1B job, but Texas rope a doped us and stuck with Lowe. It’s working out like gangbusters so far with him absolutely crushing a 465 foot, 113.9 MPH homer that landed in the 2nd deck of the CF waterfall. He’s now 5 for 14 with a 5/0 K/BB.

Brady Singer KC, RHP, 24.9 – Got roughed up in 3.1 IP with 5 hits, 5 earned and a 5/3 K/BB. Silver lining is that his velocity was up 1.5 MPH on the sinker and 2.3 MPH on the slider.

JD Martinez BOS, OF, 33.7 – Early season returns lean towards 2020 being a down year rather than the start of a decline with Martinez crushing a 429 foot homer. He is now 6 for 12 with a 3/0 K/BB.

Cedric Mullins BAL, OF, 26.6 – Mullins is representing the entire Baltimore Orioles lineup here as they dropped 11 runs on Boston. Mullins went 5 for 5 with 3 doubles and all of his hits were hit hard, ranging from 94.9 MPH to 100.6 MPH. Mancini, Santander and Ruiz all had multi hit games as well.

Julio Urias LAD, LHP, 24.8 – Went into Coors and killed it in 7 IP with 6 hits, 1 earned and a 6/1 K/BB. He put up a 30% whiff% which is nice to see (26% in 2020). Threw his changeup 2.1 MPH faster and it worked wonders as it notched a 47% whiff%. He still doesn’t seem to get the love he deserves.

Will Smith LAD, C, 26.0 – The small sample breakout in 2020 is carrying over to 2021 as he went deep yesterday on a 438 foot blast. He’s now 4 for 7 with a 1/1 K/BB, and the only thing holding him back is how smart the Dodgers are to keep him fresh for October.

Ian Happ CHC, OF, 26.8 – Took Mitch Keller deep to dead center on a 108.2 MPH, 428 foot bomb for his first hit of the season in 6 at-bats. He also walked twice giving him a .444 OBP on the season.

Kris Bryant CHC, 3B, 29.3 – Early signs look positive for a bounce back with Bryant hitting the ball hard. He ripped a 107.5 MPH single and a 99.9 MPH double in 3 at-bats yesterday, and now has a 96.1 MPH average exit velocity on the year.

Keston Hiura MIL, 2B, 24.8 – Is not inspiring confidence for a bounce back with another tough day (0 for 4 with 2 K’s). He is now 0 for 11 with a 6/0 K/BB

Brandon Bielak HOU, RHP, 25.0 – Pitched 4.2 perfect innings with 4 K’s in relief of Urquidy on the back of his 93.4 MPH fastball that he threw 66% of the time. His changeup is an above average pitch (.252 xwOBA in 2020), so if he can make improvements to his slider he has a chance to be an impact starter. He’s just a flier in deeper leagues right now, but keep an eye out.

Kyle Tucker HOU, OF, 23.4 – Cracked his first homer of the season with a 407 foot shot off Sean Manaea. It’s been a slow start otherwise as he is 3 for 17, but he hasn’t been striking out with only 2 K’s.

Taylor Widener ARI, RHP, 26.5 – Results were solid (6 IP, 3 hits, 0 ER, 5/3 K/BB), but the fastball sat only 92.8 MPH and he threw it 72% of the time. The slider and changeup were dominant when he went to them, but I would still tread lightly here.

Chris Paddack SD, RHP, 25.3 – 4 IP, 4 hits, 2 ER, 3/3 K/BB. The fastball problems don’t seem to be fixed as his 4-seamer got rocked with a .382 xwOBA. He also only threw two pitches (fastball, changeup).

Dylan Cease CHW, RHP, 25.3 – The Cease breakout will also have to wait as he was back to his wild ways with a 3/3 K/BB in 4.1 IP (5 hits with 3 ER). The stuff is still nasty, so if you bought in hoping for things to click, you gotta just hold tight.

Geraldo Perdomo ARI, SS, 20.5 – Called up to the majors but it is only supposed to be for a week or two. He made a sweet diving play in the field, and it is always nice to see baseball’s most talented young players on the biggest stage even if they are not 100% ready. Baseball needs more of that.

 Jared Walsh LAA, 1B, 27.8 – In a surprise to no one except his manager I guess, Walsh is a breakout waiting to happen if he gets the playing time as he launched a pair of dingers last night at 103.1 MPH and 103.3 MPH. Just play the man.

Fernando Tatis Jr. SD, SS, 22.3 – Demolished a 465 foot, 112.6 MPH homer off Chris Devenski for his first of the year. My hard hitting analysis: he is really fucking good. If I am going to nitpick, he does have a 31.6% K% in 4 games, and while it is obviously a very small sample, it is the one area of his game with risk.

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

I’m going to be running down all of the latest happenings in the dynasty baseball world every Monday morning (check out my Patreon for a ton more of this content all week). Here is the Monday Morning Dynasty Baseball Rundown (3/22/21):

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Shohei Ohtani LAA, RHP/DH, 26.9 – Just another average day for Ohtani where he went 2 for 2 with a walk at the dish, and went 4 IP with 2 hits, 1 ER, and a 5/2 K/BB on the mound. Ho hum.

Julio Rodriguez SEA, OF, 20.3/Jarred Kelenic SEA, OF, 21.8 – Rodriguez and Kelenic both went deep (a sentence that is going to be music to Mariners fans ears for years to come), and both are ripping up spring pitching (1.035 OPS for Rodgiguez and 1.212 OPS for Kelenic).

Freddy Peralta MIL, Setup, 24.10 – Peralta sure looks ready for a rotation spot, going 4.2 IP with 5 hits, 1 ER, and a 5/1 K/BB on 85 pitches. There was a bidding war for him that skyrocketed his price in my auction league on Saturday, so the buy window may already be closed.

Trevor Rogers MIA, LHP, 23.5 – Another excellent outing (5 IP, 2 hits, 2 ER, 6/1 K/BB) as he averaged 94.6 MPH on the fastball and put up a 33% whiff% (50% whiff% on the slider). He’s been a strikeout machine this spring with a 19/4 K/BB in 13.1 IP. I mentioned it in my Patreon Rundown for his last outing, but I’ve been high on Rogers since he was drafted and continued to be this off-season by ranking him 84th overall on my top 100. The hype is in overdrive now, so hope you were able to get in early.

Jazz Chisholm MIA, SS, 23.2 – Chishom is another Marlins prospects I was high on this off-season, and he showed off his power yesterday with a 415 foot, 109.8 MPH homer off Enoli Paredes. He’s out hit Isan Diaz easily this spring (.871 OPS vs. .499 OPS), but it seems like the Marlins want Diaz to win the job, so Chisholm may be sent down regardless.

William Contreras ATL, C, 23.3 – Knocked his first homer of the Spring and is now 3 for 12 with a 4/5 K/BB. He’s not ready to concede the starting catcher job of the future to Shea Langeliers, and ultimately we could be looking at a timeshare for years to come if one isn’t traded.

Matt Manning DET, RHP, 23.3 – 2 IP with 3 hits, 2 earned and a 2/2/ K/BB. He couldn’t maintain the 95.6 MPH fastball velocity he showed in his last outing, sitting 92.7 MPH yesterday.

Akil Baddoo DET, OF, 22.7 – Make it #4 for Baddoo on a 104 MPH blast off Chase Anderson. He also stole his 2nd base of the spring. He might not even be next man up in Detroit’s OF with Victor Reyes ahead of him, but he’s put himself back on the map to say the least.

Jeremy Pena HOU, SS, 23.6 – Got ahold of his 2nd spring homer on a 104.5 MPH bomb off Trevor Rogers. The more he shows off that power the more his stock will rise.

Trevor Larnach MIN, OF, 24.1 – Launched his first dinger of the spring in 8 at-bats. He’s been the forgotten Twin with Kirilloff and Rooker getting all the attention recently.

Ryan Mountcastle BAL, OF/1B, 24.1 – Mountcastle is heating up with a homer in back to back games and now has 3 overall. He has still yet to walk with a higher BA than OBP (.250 vs. .243), and the 7.9% mark he put up in the majors was the highest of his career, so it will be interesting to see if that number regresses a bit in 2021.

Ke’Bryan Hayes PIT, 3B, 24.2 – He’s yet to cool off from 2020, as Hayes ripped his 2nd triple and is now slashing .441/.486/.824 with 1 homer, 2 steals, and a 4/3 K/BB.

Carlos Rodon CHW, LHP, 28.4 – Is running away with the 5th starter job as Rodon pitched well again, going 4 IP with 1 hit, 0 ER, and a 5/0 K/BB (Reynaldo Lopez got hit up for 4 ER with 1 K in 3 IP). He averaged 93.9 MPH on the fastball which is the hardest he has thrown since 2016. He’s put himself on the map as a late round flier.

David Bote CHC, 2B/3B, 28.0 – Bote is one of my favorite part time players in the league, and he went deep twice yesterday to continue his dominant spring (1.212 OPS).

Keibert Ruiz LAD, C, 22.8 – 2 for 2 with 0 K’s yesterday and is now 4 for 4 with 0 K’s on the spring. Ruiz has shown a special ability to hit since he stepped foot on a professional baseball field.

Tony Gonsolin LAD, RHP, 26.11 – Gave up a couple dingers to sully his pitching line (4.1 IP, 3 hits, 3 ER), but the 5/0 K/BB was on point. He’s looked great this spring with a pitching line of 2.61/0.39/12/0 in 10.1 IP. I’m high on him even without a rotation spot, but if he had one, I would be all over him.

Oscar Mercado CLE, OF, 26.4 – Sent down to the alt site in a surprising move (I wasn’t all that high on him to begin with at 341), which opens the door for a possible timeshare with Bradley Zimmer and Amed Rosario. Zimmer went 1 for 3 with a double, walk, and a strikeout yesterday. The batting average might tank you (.224 career BA), but he has a fantasy friendly speed/power combo. Rosario will have to improve his defense to get an extended shot.

Ian Anderson ATL, RHP, 22.11 – He didn’t pitch yesterday, but he impressed in his start on Friday with 9 K’s in 4.1 IP. That gives him 18 K’s in 9.2 IP on the spring as he has consistently induced swinging strikes with his elite ability to tunnel his pitches.

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

I’m going to be running down all of the latest happenings in the dynasty baseball world every Monday morning (check out my Patreon for a ton more of this content all week). Here is the Monday Morning Dynasty Baseball Rundown (3/15/21):

CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY PATREON FOR UP TO DAILY WEEKDAY CONTENT THROUGHOUT THE SEASON, INCLUDING ARTICLES, PODCASTS, RANKINGS, AND OTHER COOL STUFF I THINK UP ALONG THE WAY

Byron Buxton MIN, OF, 27.3 – Cracking his tooth on a steak wasn’t in vain, as eating all that protein is starting to pay off with Buxton jacking a 111.4 MPH homer yesterday, and is definitely looking a little more built up to my eye. The plate approach and how much he runs are still questions, but the power looks unquestioned as he gets deeper into his 20’s.

Alex Kirilloff MIN, 1B/OF, 23.5/Brent RookerMIN, OF, 26.5 – The competition is heating up for the LF job. Kirilloff launched a 420 foot lefty on lefty homer to dead center for his first spring homer on Thursday, and Rooker counter struck with a 3 for 3 day with a double and 0 K’s yesterday. Minnesota is a very smart team who understands the value of depth, so while great for real life, not so much for fantasy.

Tyler O’Neill STL, OF, 25.9 – Tyler O’Neill was one of the first players I ever wrote a sleeper post for in February 2016, and when I did, I did not expect for him to still be a sleeper in 2021! But here we are, and he is. O’Neill went 3 for 3 with a double and 0 K’s yesterday and is now hitting .476 with 2 homers and 5 K’s in 21 at-bats. He looks locked into a starting job. I told you he was a sleeper in 2016, and there is still time to buy! 😉

Lance McCullers Jr. HOU, RHP, 27.7 – Some of the best value in dynasty drafts/trades comes from targeting talented, established MLB pitchers who are out with Tommy John surgery. I was high on McCullers coming into last season, and it paid off in 2020 with a solid season. He could take it to another level in 2021, as McCullers looked excellent yesterday, going 4 IP with 3 hits and a 6/0 K/BB. Luis Severino is the player to target this season that fits that category, and he just got positive reviews in his 1st bullpen session post Tommy John (Sale and Thor are good targets too).

Carlos Martinez STL, RHP, 29.6 – Velocity was down early in spring, so it was great to see it back up at 93.9 MPH. The results weren’t great with 5 hits, 1 BB, 2 ER, and 3 K’s in 4 IP, but the stuff ticking up is the more important takeaway.

Alek Manoah TOR, RHP, 23.3 – Manoah couldn’t have been happy with his relative lack of prospect hype, so he went out and struck out 7 Yankees in a row en route to 3 perfect innings. The fastball averaged 95.3 MPH and he showed off some nasty secondary pitches (slider, change).

 Simeon Woods Richardson TOR, RHP – Richardson followed up Manoah’s performance with 3 excellent innings of his own, giving up 2 hits with a 3/0 K/BB. He doesn’t have the eye popping fastball (92.4 MPH), but the man knows how to pitch.

Odubel Herrera PHI, OF, 29.3 – Continues to make his claim for the CF job with a 444 foot blast at 105.8 MPH. Mickey Moniak did his best to keep pace with another double, while Scott Kingery continued to struggle with an 0 for 3 day.

Shea Langeliers ATL, C, 23.5 – Drafted 9th overall in 2019 for his plus defense, Langeliers showed off some offense with his first homer and 2nd hit of the spring in 11 at bats. Most of his fantasy value stems from the fact he is a lock to stick behind the plate and is the likely catcher of the future in Atlanta.

Dean Kremer BAL, RHP, 25.3 – I’ve been recommending to take a shot on Dean Kremer late in drafts (obviously “late in drafts” is relative to league size), and he is becoming more and more attractive with his fastball velocity averaging 94.1 MPH yesterday, which is a 1.3 MPH bump from last season. He went 3 IP with 1 ER, 3 hits and a 4/2 K/BB.

Tejay Antone CIN, RHP, 27.4 – Left the game with an injury, putting a screeching halt to the hype train for a few moments, but it turned out to be a mild groin strain and he is hoping to be able to make his next scheduled start.

Yusei Kikuchi SEA, LHP, 29.8 – Went 3.1 IP with 0 ER, 2 hits, 1 BB, and 6 K’s. Heater sat mid 90’s and the slider was on point. He’s an obvious breakout/sleeper pick with his 3.51 xERA in 2020 looking much better than his 5.17 ERA.

Bobby Witt Jr. KC, SS, 20.10 – The coming out party is in full force with Witt ripping a deep pull side homer off Julio Urias. He’s now 11 for 32 with 3 homers and an 8/4 K/BB on the spring. Any reasonable buy window that was available has been slammed shut.

Brady Singer KC, RHP, 24.9 – The buy window for another Royal might still be open, as Singer went 4 IP with 1 ER, 4 hits, and a 6/1 K/BB. He had a solid MLB debut on the back of his plus sinker/slider combo, and a continually improving changeup could take his game to the next level.

Gavin Lux LAD, 2B, 23.4 – Lux’s push for the starting 2B job is going quite well with a 2 for 2 day. He is now hitting .381, although it comes with 0 walks and only one extra base hit. Maybe it is better that he is not going absolutely ham, as he could still be had at a reasonable cost.

Luis Campusano SD, C, 22.6 – Could work his way into an expanded role to start the year after Austin Nola fractured the ring finger on his left hand. He’s been rock solid this spring going 5 for 16 with a 4/2 K/BB.

CJ Abrams SD, SS, 20.6 – Sliced an impressive homer to left centerfield that didn’t happen yesterday, but was just too good not to mention. He hasn’t gone all Bobby Witt on us this spring (7 for 27), but has had some really eye opening moments.

Kohei Arihara TEX, RHP, 28.8 – After getting blown up in his first start, Arihara settled down in his last 2, going 4 IP with 2 hits, 0 ER, and a 3/0 K/BB yesterday. The strikeouts won’t be there (5 K’s in 9 IP), so it puts a ton of pressure on the ratios to help your fantasy team.

Tyler Soderstrom OAK, C, 19.4 – Picked up another hit and is now 3 for 6 with 2 doubles. The reports about his mature bat at the alt site do not seem to be overstated as he is off to a strong start this spring as well.

Bubba Thompson TEX, OF, 22.10 – Knocked a dinger for his first hit of the spring in 6 at-bats. He was a former favorite of mine who hasn’t been able to turn his elite athleticism into refined baseball skills. He’s moved into the watchlist category, because the talent is too good to ignore if he starts to figure it out in his mid 20’s.

CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY PATREON FOR UP TO DAILY WEEKDAY CONTENT THROUGHOUT THE SEASON, INCLUDING ARTICLES, PODCASTS, RANKINGS, AND OTHER COOL STUFF I THINK UP ALONG THE WAY

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