Posted on by Michael Halpern

2016 Mid-Season Top 100 Fantasy Baseball Prospect Rankings: 71-100

Here we go again. It’s ranking season! Well, maybe a week or two before ranking season, but close enough. Through Thursday, I will be ranking the top 100 fantasy baseball prospects in all The Land. And I mean that literally, not the lame nickname that Cleveland now has to make them seem cooler. To be clear, I will not just be ranking prospects in Cleveland. Enough monkey business, here are the 2016 Mid-Season Top 100 Fantasy Baseball Prospect Rankings: 71-100 (previous ranking in parenthesis):

2016 Off-Season Top 100 Fantasy Baseball Prospect Rankings: 1-100

Graduates: Corey Seager (#1) LAD, SS, Byron Buxton (#2) MIN, OF, Steven Matz (#10) NYM, LHP, Nomar Mazara (#19) TEX, OF, Trevor Story (#30) COL, SS, John Lamb (#40) CIN, LHP, Aaron Blair (#81) ATL, RHP, Michael Fulmer (#82) DET, RHP, Archie Bradley (#83) ARI, RHP, Mallex Smith (#91) ATL, OF, Jon Gray (#100) COL, RHP

1-10
11-40
41-70
Complete Top 100

71) Yadier Alvarez (NR) LAD, RHP – 8.1 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 3 BB, 10 K in his first two starts at Rookie Ball this year. Still a bit of a mystery, but all reports have been glowing with praise since Spring Training. Upper 90’s heat with ace upside. Prime Projection: 3.30/1.18/203 in 190 IP

72) Yohander Mendez (NR) TEX, LHP – 6’5’’, 200-pound lefty with a big fastball and improving secondaries (curveball, slider, changeup). The raw talent and upside is obvious. Check out this video of him battling my boy Harrison Bader, and eventually striking him out (and then scroll down and watch the second video of Bader homering off a reliever later in the game). Prime projection: 3.40/1.17/185 in 185 IP

73) Grant Holmes (#48) LAD, RHP – Both his K/9 (8.8) and BB/9 (3.2) are down this year in the Cal League. Excellent raw stuff, but the development is going to take some time. Prime projection: 3.44/1.26/199 in 188 IP

74) Luis Ortiz (#96) TEX, RHP – Big, strong righty who is built like a workhorse starter, but has had arm troubles in the past. Pitching well as a 20-year-old in Double-A. Prime projection: 3.41/1.16/177 in 185 IP

75) Ryan McMahon (#49) COL, 3B – Struggling badly at Double-A, slashing .218/.313/.327 with 2 homers. Coors Field is really buoying his value right now. Prime projection: 78/20/88/.261/6

76) Jack Flaherty (#69) STL, RHP – Has been on fire in his last 4 starts after a slow start to the season. This is as much a vote of confidence in St. Louis’ organization as it is in Flaherty’s talent. Prime projection: 3.37/1.18/178 in 195 IP

77) Brent Honeywell (#71) TB, RHP – Season has been immaculate other than being sidelined for 6 weeks with a sore arm. Prime projection: 3.46/1.14/179 in 190 IP

78) Anthony Alford (#76) TOR, OF – Hasn’t been the same since injuring his knee, but has started to turn it around this week. He deserves the benefit of the doubt to see if he heats up the further away he gets from that knee injury. Prime projection: 81/16/79/.272/18

79) Dominic Smith (#77) NYM, 1B – Still waiting on that power breakout, but the contact skills and plate approach have been strong in Double-A. Prime projection: 78/19/90/.289/2

80) Cody Bellinger (#95) LAD, 1B/OF – Not hitting for as much power as he did last year in the Cal League, but is still putting up solid numbers as a 20-year-old in Double-A. Prime projection: 79/21/87/.271/6

81) Tyler Jay (#98) MIN, LHP – Minnesota’s gamble looks to be paying off. Transition to starter has been a smashing success so far. Prime projection: 3.51/1.19/180 in 180 IP

82) Will Craig (NR) PIT, 3B – Ranked him 3rd on my 2016 MLB Draft Fantasy Baseball Prospect Rankings. Prime projection: 77/22/92/.281/1

83) Zack Collins (NR) CHW, C – Ranked him 4th on my 2016 MLB Draft Fantasy Baseball Prospect Rankings. Prime projection: 79/21/88/.277/2

84) Nick Senzel (NR) CIN, 3B – Ranked him 5th on my 2016 MLB Draft Fantasy Baseball Prospect Rankings. Prime projection: 80/14/80/.283/13

85) Mickey Moniak (NR) PHI, OF – Ranked him 6th on my 2016 MLB Draft Fantasy Baseball Prospect Rankings. Prime projection: 89/12/63/.290/19

86) Josh Ockimey (NR) BOS, 1B – Ranked him 5th on my 2016 Mid-Season Top 10 Fantasy Baseball Prospect Breakouts (not on my off-season top 100). Prime projection: 85/23/93/.268/4

87) Luke Weaver (NR) STL, RHP – Dominated in his first 5 starts of the season, going 31.1 IP, 4 ER, 30 Hits, 3 BB, 37 K. Velocity has ticked up and is still displaying his plus changeup. Prime Projection: 3.47/1.17/179 in 193 IP

88) Alen Hanson (#33) PIT, 2B – Wrote a sleeper post for him in the off-season, and unlike Fisher and O’Neill, he is making me regret it, slashing .246/.285/.365 with 5 homers and 18 steals in 62 games. The speed still looks good and he is popping a homer every now and then, but it’s now his second year in a row of struggling at Triple-A. Prime projection: 82/10/60/.267/20

89) Sean Newcomb (#54) ATL, LHP – From my off-season top 100: “Tantalizing stuff, but major control issues. High risk, high reward.” – – Same old, same old for Newcomb this year. 9.15 K/9 and 4.46 BB/9. Prime projection: 3.48/1.28/192 in 180 IP

90) Roman Quinn (#92) PHI, OF – Speed is what you are buying here. 25 steals in 50 games at Double-A. His injury history still scares me a bit. Prime projection: 81/8/57/.270/31

91) Ronald Guzman (NR) TEX, 1B – Ranked him 6th on my 2016 Mid-Season Top 10 Fantasy Baseball Prospect Breakouts (not on my off-season top 100). Prime projection: 82/19/88/.279/3

92) Dylan Cozens (NR) PHI, OF – Ranked him 4th on my 2016 Mid-Season Top 10 Fantasy Baseball Prospect Breakouts (not on my off-season top 100). Prime projection: 74/21/78/.241/9

93) Chris Shaw (NR) SFG, 1B – Ranked him 9th on my 2016 Mid-Season Top 10 Fantasy Baseball Prospect Breakouts (not on my off-season top 100). Prime projection: 78/23/87/.270/1

94) A.J. Puk (NR) OAK, LHP – Ranked him 7th on my 2016 MLB Draft Fantasy Baseball Prospect Rankings. Prime projection: 3.59/1.27/198 in 183 IP

95) Ian Anderson (NR) ATL, RHP – Ranked him 8th on my 2016 MLB Draft Fantasy Baseball Prospect Rankings. Prime projection: 3.39/1.16/184 in 190 IP

96) Alex Verdugo (NR) LAD, OF – Slashing .288/.349/.440 with 8 homers and a 38/21 K/BB in 67 games as a 20-year-old in Double-A. He deserves to crack the top 100. Prime Projection: 80/17/80/.286/6

97) Mitch Keller (NR) PIT, RHP – Ranked him 8th on my 2016 Mid-Season Top 10 Fantasy Baseball Prospect Breakouts (not on my off-season top 100). Prime projection: 3.45/1.14/182 in 188 IP

98) Hunter Harvey (#87) BAL, RHP – Has been out all season with a sports hernia injury before making a rehab start last week in the GCL, striking out 5 batters in 2 IP. Reports were positive on his stuff, and we are still in wait and see mode on Harvey. Prime projection: 3.48/1.18/160 in 150 IP

99) Francisco Mejia (NR) CLE, C – Monster breakout repeating Single-A this season, slashing .347/.384/.532 with 7 homers in 60 games. Promoted to High-A yesterday and proceeded to go 2 for 4. He is one of the better lottery ticket catchers out there to take a shot on. Prime Projection: 72/16/79.280/1

100) Chris Paddack (NR) SD, RHP – Insane 6-start run to begin his season in Single-A, going 28.1 IP, 3 ER, 9 Hits, 2 BB, 48 K. Best pitch is a plus, plus changeup. It’s a very small sample, but I’ll take the shot on his clear upside at this point. Prime Projection: 3.60/1.17/190 in 180 IP

**101) Justus Sheffield (#70) CLE, LHP – It got really tight at the end here, and I didn’t want to not mention these last 3 guys at all, so here is 101-103 of my top 100 😉 Sheffield’s K/9 is down (7.8) and BB/9 is up (3.6) in High-A this season. While he drops on this list, his overall potential remains basically unchanged. Prime projection: 3.53/1.22/180 in 180 IP

102) Carson Fulmer (#28) CHW, RHP– Nothing short of a disaster season. 5.88/1.57/75 with a 5.3 BB/9 in 75 IP at Double-A. Went 7 scoreless with 7 K in his last start, though, and I wouldn’t count him completely out yet. Prime projection: 3.55/1.28/175 in 180 IP

103) Dillon Tate (#46) TEX, RHP – Maybe I should call this the hanging on by a thread section. These guys have the ability to turn it around in the 2nd half, but they are being put on notice until then. Prime projection: 3.67/1.20/180 in 190 IP.

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

Posted on by Michael Halpern

2016 Mid-Season Top 100 Fantasy Baseball Prospect Rankings: 41-70

Here we go again. It’s ranking season! Well, maybe a week or two before ranking season, but close enough. Through Thursday, I will be ranking the top 100 fantasy baseball prospects in all The Land. And I mean that literally, not the lame nickname that Cleveland now has to make them seem cooler. To be clear, I will not just be ranking prospects in Cleveland. Enough monkey business, here are the 2016 Mid-Season Top 100 Fantasy Baseball Prospect Rankings: 41-70 (previous ranking in parenthesis):

2016 Off-Season Top 100 Fantasy Baseball Prospect Rankings: 1-100

Graduates: Corey Seager (#1) LAD, SS, Byron Buxton (#2) MIN, OF, Steven Matz (#10) NYM, LHP, Nomar Mazara (#19) TEX, OF, Trevor Story (#30) COL, SS, John Lamb (#40) CIN, LHP, Aaron Blair (#81) ATL, RHP, Michael Fulmer (#82) DET, RHP, Archie Bradley (#83) ARI, RHP, Mallex Smith (#91) ATL, OF, Jon Gray (#100) COL, RHP

1-10
11-40
71-100
Complete Top 100

41) Cody Reed (#65) CIN, LHP – Big lefty with a mid 90’s fastball and wipeout slider. That is a recipe for success. Prime projection: 3.40/1.18/192 in 200 IP

42) Ozhaino Albies (#75) ATL, SS/2B – The 19-year-old Albies zoomed through Atlanta’s system faster than anyone could have expected. Knocking on the door of the bigs, but it looks like it will be as a 2B. Prime projection: 91/8/54/.295/27

43) Eloy Jimenez (NR) CHC, OF – Ranked him 7th (but 1st on this list) on my 2016 Mid-Season Top 10 Fantasy Baseball Prospect Breakouts (not on my off-season top 100). Prime Projection: 83/25/93/.281/7

44) Kolby Allard (#36) ATL, LHP – Pitched only 16 innings after returning from off-season back surgery. Will know a lot more about him by the end of the year. Prime projection: 3.25/1.09/200 in 190 IP

45) Anderson Espinoza (#37) BOS, RHP – Solid but unspectacular as an 18-year-old in Single-A. Talent is immense but still a few years off. Prime projection: 3.38/1.11/194 in 190 IP

46) Raul Mondesi Jr. (#56) KC, SS – Not going to ding him for his 50 game PED suspension. Potential remains the same. Prime projection: 79/15/71/.267/28

47) Kyle Tucker (#89) HOU, OF – Power hasn’t emerged with only 2 homers in 61 games at Single-A, but is displaying a great plate approach (43/22 K/BB) and speed (25 steals). Prime projection: 86/16/84/.284/18

48) Brett Phillips (#39) MIL, OF – K rate has spiked to 31.8% in Double-A, but is still hitting for power with a few steals. Prime projection: 84/20/78/.260/11

49) Nick Williams (#59) PHI, OF – Hasn’t done much in Triple-A to move the needle in either direction. Prime projection: 85/18/78/.276/10

50) Hunter Renfroe (#61) SD, OF – Slashing .325/.345/.597 with 18 homers in 76 games in the PCL. He is using a more contact oriented approach this year, cutting his K rate to 18.0% and BB rate to 3.1%. Prime projection: 74/24/86/.266/5

51) Kyle Lewis (NR) SEA, OF – Ranked him 1st on my 2016 MLB Draft Fantasy Baseball Prospect Rankings. Prime projection: 82/25/87/.278/8

52) Corey Ray (NR) MIL, OF – Ranked him 2nd on my 2016 MLB Draft Fantasy Baseball Prospect Rankings. Prime projection: 90/14/64/.281/24

53) Rafael Devers (#63) BOS, 3B – .637 OPS as a 19-year-old in High-A. Regardless of the poor numbers, raw talent is still elite. Prime projection: 80/21/96/.287/5

54) Manuel Margot (#64) SD, OF – Contact/speed profile remains unchanged at Triple-A this year. Prime projection: 85/10/60/.278/27

55) Franklin Barreto (#57) OAK, SS/2B/OF – Numbers don’t stand out, but is still flashing power (7 homers) and speed (16 steals) as a 20-year-old in a pitcher’s park at Double-A. Prime projection: 86/14/77/.281/22

56) Renato Nunez (#73) OAK, 3B – Triple-slash looks weak (.243/.293/.433) but is still hitting for solid power (.193 ISO) and contact (17.9% K%). Prime projection: 76/21/85/.280/1

57) Matt Chapman (#94) OAK, 3B – 17 homers and a 102/36 K/BB in 74 games at Double-A. Expect more of the same in the majors. Prime projection: 76/26/86/.254/4

58) Chase Vallot (NR) KC, C – Wrote a Chase Vallot, 2016 Fantasy Baseball Prospect Breakout post for him. Prime Projection: 77/27/87/.258/2

59) Jose Peraza (#44) CIN, 2B/SS/OF – Collected 7 steals in 11 games since being recalled to the majors on June 15th. Prime projection: 84/6/51/.272/32

60) Sean Manaea (#45) OAK, LHP – Makes the prospect cut by under an inning. Struggled in his MLB debut, but still has enticing K upside. Prime projection: 3.49/1.21/195 in 185 IP.

61) Forrest Wall (#62) COL, 2B – Got off to a slow start, but has picked it up of late, slashing .329/.352/.476 with 2 homers and 5 steals in the last month. Prime projection: 87/14/73/.279/20

62) Francis Martes (#66) HOU, RHP – Got his season back on track after struggling in the early going. Fastball is still reaching upper 90’s and the curve is nasty. Prime projection: 3.39/1.10/176 in 185 IP

63) Gleybor Torres (#93) CHC, SS – Putting up modest numbers with an uptick in power from last year as a 19-year-old in High-A. He isn’t my favorite fantasy prospect, but his stock is on the rise. Prime projection: 81/15/70/.283/15

64) Travis Demeritte (NR) TEX, 2B – Ranked him 3rd on my 2016 Mid-Season Top 10 Fantasy Baseball Prospect Breakouts (not on my off-season top 100). Prime projection: 78/22/81/.247/9

65) Christin Stewart (NR) DET, OF – Ranked him 2nd on my 2016 Mid-Season Top 10 Fantasy Baseball Prospect Breakouts (not on my off-season top 100). Prime projection: 80/23/80/.255/3

66) Phil Bickford (NR) SFG, RHP – Ranked him 10th on my 2016 Mid-Season Top 10 Fantasy Baseball Prospect Breakouts (not on my off-season top 100). Prime Projection: 3.54/1.18/188 in 183 IP

67) Kevin Maitan (NR) IFA/ATL, SS/3B – I wasn’t planning on ranking Maitan this high when I started this list, but nobody can even touch his upside at this point in the rankings. His hype is so stratospheric with comparisons to Miggy and Chipper Jones, that at the very least, his trade value will be high right from the get go. Prime projection: 90/25/100/.285/6

68) Jacob Faria (#68) TB, RHP – Maintained his K spike from the 2nd half of last season, and looked great in his 1st start at Triple-A last week, going 6 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 1 BB, 6 K. Would rank higher if he didn’t have to pitch in the AL East. Prime projection: 3.59/1.19/187 in 187 IP

69) Tom Murphy (#32) COL, C – Both his K rate (34.0%) and BB rate (2.7%) have seriously regressed as a 25-year-old in the PCL. He is still hitting for power (.255 ISO) and has the luxury of Coors Field at his back, so I’m not completely off the bandwagon. Prime projection: 62/25/77/.241/3

70) Jorge Alfaro (#79) PHI, C – Has absolutely no plate approach to speak of (49/4 K/BB) but has jacked 9 homers in 50 games at Double-A. With the current offensive state of the catcher position, guys like Murphy and Alfaro have value. Prime projection: 62/20/75/.245/5

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

Posted on by Michael Halpern

2016 Mid-Season Top 100 Fantasy Baseball Prospect Rankings: 11-40

Here we go again. It’s ranking season! Well, maybe a week or two before ranking season, but close enough. Through Thursday, I will be ranking the top 100 fantasy baseball prospects in all The Land. And I mean that literally, not the lame nickname that Cleveland now has to make them seem cooler. To be clear, I will not just be ranking prospects in Cleveland. Enough monkey business, here are the 2016 Mid-Season Top 100 Fantasy Baseball Prospect Rankings: 11-40 (previous ranking in parenthesis):

2016 Off-Season Top 100 Fantasy Baseball Prospect Rankings: 1-100

Graduates: Corey Seager (#1) LAD, SS, Byron Buxton (#2) MIN, OF, Steven Matz (#10) NYM, LHP, Nomar Mazara (#19) TEX, OF, Trevor Story (#30) COL, SS, John Lamb (#40) CIN, LHP, Aaron Blair (#81) ATL, RHP, Michael Fulmer (#82) DET, RHP, Archie Bradley (#83) ARI, RHP, Mallex Smith (#91) ATL, OF, Jon Gray (#100) COL, RHP

1-10
41-70
71-100
Complete Top 100

11) Victor Robles (#35) WASH, OF – Displaying the same elite contact and speed profile in his first full season of pro ball that he did in Rookie ball and Low-A. Perfect combination of raw tools and current production. Prime projection: 96/14/75/.304/28

12) Alex Reyes (#11) STL, RHP – 13.9 K/9 and 4.9 BB/9 really does say it all. Can dial it up to 100 MPH, and I’ll take the risk for his through the roof upside. Prime projection: 3.35/1.20/240 in 210 IP

13) Jose Berrios (#12) MIN, RHP – Not going to let his poor 4-start MLB debut scare me off. Future value remains the same. Prime projection: 3.39/1.11/190 in 200 IP

14) Blake Snell (#13) TB, LHP– Look up one inch. Prime projection: 3.36/1.17/209 in 198 IP

15) Jose De Leon (#14) LAD, RHP – Slowly ramping it up at Triple-A after returning from a sore arm. 14.2 K/9 in limited action shows the elite K potential is still there. Prime projection: 3.41/1.16/220 in 190 IP

16) J.P. Crawford (#15) PHI, SS – Having an elite plate approach is like the missionary position for prospects. Not the most exciting, but it gets the job done. Prime projection: 94/12/65/.289/18

17) Brad Zimmer (#16) CLE, OF – 28.8% K rate is higher than we would like, but the power/speed combo is still popping. Prime projection: 86/21/81/.260/24

18) Derek Fisher (#20) HOU, OF – Wrote a sleeper post for him in the off-season, and he is not making me regret it with his strong first half in Double-A. Prime projection: 84/22/84/.270/17

19) Josh Hader (#21) MIL, LHP – Ranked him #3 in my pre-season Dynasty League Prospect Sleepers post. Putting up a pitching line of 1.87/1.13/99 in 77 IP split between Double-A and Triple-A so far this year. Prime projection: 3.31/1.18/198 in 190 IP

20) Jameson Taillon (#86) PIT, RHP – Has looked no worse for wear after not pitching for two full years. Stuff is nasty and has already reached the bigs. Prime projection: 3.38/1.13/180 in 190 IP

21) Willson Contreras (#52) CHC, C – Added power to his already elite hit tool this season. Is now clearly the top fantasy catcher prospect in the game. Prime projection: 70/20/85/.293/3

22) Lewis Brinson (#9) TEX, OF – Shoulder injury cut short his disappointing first half. Hitting profile looked completely different this year, which makes me think he was trying to make an adjustment that wasn’t working. He drops in the rankings, but I would hold if I owned him. Prime projection: 90/25/90/.274/17

23) Bobby Bradley (#18) CLE, 1B – Might as well be named Joey Gallo Jr. Lots of HR’s, BB’s, and K’s. Prime projection: 80/33/105/.250/4

24) Austin Meadows (#53) PIT, OF – Power has ticked up this year, and if he can continue that power surge in Triple-A, will rank even higher in the off-season. Prime projection: 92/18/80/.295/13

25) Tim Anderson (#22) CHW, SS – Not the type of hitter to put up pretty K/BB numbers, but can hit for a solid average with top end speed and sneaky power. Prime projection: 90/12/61/.273/28

26) Dansby Swanson (#25) ATL, SS – Looks to have the inside track on Atlanta’s SS job over Albies. Will do a little bit of everything, but doesn’t have a standout tool. Prime projection: 87/17/77/.282/14

27) Trea Turner (#23) WASH, SS – MLB ready but has been prospect blocked by Danny Espinoza as I suspected he would be in my off-season top 100. Played CF last night in an attempt by Washington to find another path to the big leagues for him. Prime projection: 90/9/55/.282/26

28) Orlando Arcia (#27) MIL, SS – Hasn’t quite kept up his 2015 breakout in Triple-A this season, but is still flashing the same offensive skills. Would rank higher on a non-fantasy list due to his plus defense. Prime projection: 87/11/70/.279/25

29) Max Kepler (#29) MIN, OF – Quietly putting together a very strong season. .757 OPS with 3 homers and 2 steals in 33 MLB games. Prime projection: 85/17/85/.288/15

30) Josh Bell (#60) PIT, 1B – Like Contreras, added power to his already elite hit tool. I expected the power to show up, projecting him for 19 homers in the off-season, but it is still nice to see. Prime projection: 78/19/90/.293/5

31) Gary Sanchez (#31) NYY, C – Doesn’t have the eye-popping numbers, but is still displaying good contact and power skills in a pitcher’s park at Triple-A. Gets a bump for positional scarcity due to the wasteland that catcher has become. Prime projection: 67/22/83/.280/4

32) Raimel Tapia (#42) COL, OF – “Elite contact skills. Above average speed. Average power. Gets the Coors Field bump.” – – Same blurb as the off-season. Nothing changed except he is doing it in Double-A now. Prime projection: 92/13/70/.297/17

33) Willie Calhoun (#43) LAD, 2B – Discovered him in my Finding the Next A.J. Reed article that I wrote in January, and also wrote a Willie Calhoun, 2016 Fantasy Baseball Prospect Breakout post for him this season. Prime projection: 85/24/91/.287/2

34) Ian Happ (#50) CHC, 2B/OF – Going back and forth on Willie vs. Happ. Gave Willie the edge because he has been doing it in Double-A all year, but if you prefer the added speed that Happ brings, I can see swapping them. Happ also has a legitimate logjam ahead of him in Chicago. Prime projection: 85/19/76/.273/14

35) Aaron Judge (#34) NYY, OF – On an absolute tear in the last month, slashing .341/.464/.714 with 9 homers. It brings his OPS up to .845 in Triple-A. Prime projection: 75/26/90/.260/7

36) Jorge Mateo (#38) NYY, SS – Speed is the #1 calling card here. The bat hasn’t taken a step forward this year, but the underlying skills and talent remain the same. Prime projection: 87/11/60/.275/34

37) Jesse Winker (#41) CIN, OF – Maintaining his elite contact skills and plate approach in Triple-A, but the power hasn’t fully emerged with only 2 homers on the year. Prime projection: 88/19/92/.292/4

38) Clint Frazier (#58) CLE, OF – I called him “a breakout waiting to happen” in my off-season top 100, and he is breaking out, slashing .295/.381/.488 with 9 homers and 9 steals in 67 games as a 21-year-old in Double-A. Prime projection: 88/23/88/.284/8

39) Harrison Bader (#51) STL, OF – Discovered him in my Finding the Next A.J. Reed article that I wrote in January, and also wrote a Harrison Bader, 2016 Fantasy Baseball Prospect Breakout post for him this season. Prime projection: 85/20/81/.280/14

40) Tyler O’Neill (#78) SEA, OF – Wrote a sleeper post for him in the off-season, and he has drastically improved his K rate while maintaining his power in Double-A this season. The arrow is pointing up. Prime projection: 76/27/88/.265/8

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

Posted on by Michael Halpern

2016 Fantasy Baseball Minor League Prospect Rundown: Week 12

Every Monday, I will be running down some of the notable performances from around the Minor Leagues, or anything that might have caught my eye in general. Here is the 2016 Fantasy Baseball Minor League Prospect Rundown: Week 12:

Yoan Moncada BOS, 2B – Promoted to Double-A this week and proceeded to collect 8 hits and a homer in his first 5 games at the level. I ranked him as the very best fantasy prospect in baseball in my 2016 Mid-Season Top 100 Fantasy Baseball Prospect Rankings: 1-10 post on Friday. The rankings will continue on Tuesday.

Victor Garcia IFA, OF – I was going to rank the top international free agents for fantasy baseball, but there really isn’t much for me to add that the team at mlbpipeline.com didn’t already cover. They have great content over there, and all of it is free, which is awesome. The one prospect that deserves a legitimate bump for fantasy is 12th ranked Victor Garcia. He has elite bat speed and the best raw power in the class. Of course the St. Louis Cardinals are the team rumored to sign him. Why am I not surprised? Garcia should be considered one of the very top fantasy bats in the 2016 international free agent pool.

Tim Anderson CHW, SS – Anderson’s sneaky power hasn’t been all that sneaky, as he blasted homers in his last 2 games, giving him 3 homers, 5 doubles, and a triple in his first 16 MLB games. He does have a 24/0 K/BB, so there is still plenty of work to do.

Trea Turner WASH, SS – I know we are all sick of waiting on Turner, but he continues to make his case in Triple-A, slashing .385/.484/.769 with 2 jacks this week. Danny Espinosa has been hitting well at the Major League level too, so we will just have to continue waiting.

J.P. Crawford PHI, SS – Finally got it going a little bit in Triple-A, racking up 5 multi hit games in his last 8 games. There might not be a more boring top prospect to follow than Crawford, but we can’t let that affect his value. His advanced plate approach with decent power (for a SS) and speed is a valuable fantasy commodity, especially in an OBP league. Plus, he is still just 21 years old.

Jose Berrios MIN, RHP – Had his best start of the season this week, going 8 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 2 BB, 9 K. I’m still on the bandwagon even with his terrible MLB debut last month, and now is probably the time to try to pry him away from his current fantasy owner.

Aaron Judge NYY, OF – Judge Dredd is back, laying down the law 6 times in his last nine games. He’s hit 15 homers in 72 games in a pitcher’s park this season, and has officially ripped that fork out of his back that more than a few people stuck in him when he was badly slumping earlier this year.

Ian Happ CHC, OF – We now come to the Chicago Cubs portion of the list, because they don’t have enough young talent already. Happ immediately carried over his High-A success into Double-A this week, slashing .667/.692/1.083 with 1 homer. I know Joe Maddon is creative, but he might have to invent a new position to get Happ on the field any time in the near future.

Eloy Jimenez CHC, OF – Jimenez is firmly entrenching himself as one of the top fantasy breakout prospects this season. He smacked 2 more homers this week, and is now slashing .342/.380/.551, with 10 homers, and 5 steals in 69 games in Single-A. He is still only 19 years old, so I wouldn’t start worrying about the Cubs logjam for him quite yet.

Willson Contreras CHC, C – Did Contreras just take over Kyle Schwarber’s life? Contreras is now the new talk of the town catcher playing all over the field to get his bat in the lineup. It ended so well for Schwarber, I guess the Cubs decided it was a good idea to repeat it with Contreras.

Chris Paddack MIA, RHP – I think it’s time to start getting a little excited about Paddack. He had another dominant start this week, going 5 IP, 0 ER, 0 Hits, 0 BB, 9K, which was his third no hit 5 IP start in a row. Miami has a history of moving high school pitchers very fast, so even though he is in Single-A, he might not be that far off if he continues dominating. Tip of the hat to HipsterDoofus31 for bringing him to my attention in the comments section of my week 10 rundown over at Reddit’s fantasy baseball forum.

Reynaldo Lopez WASH, LHP – Lopez has had an absolute K explosion this season. He had his 4th double-digit K start in his last six outings, and now owns a pitching line of 3.18/1.23/100 in 76.1 IP. He has major bullpen risk, especially in the first few years of his career, but any prospect putting up those kind of K numbers will get fantasy owners to raise an eyebrow or two.

Luke Weaver STL, RHP – 5 IP, 0 ER, 6 Hits, 0 BB, 6 K. His velocity has ticked up this year, and he is still displaying that vicious changeup and plus command.

Rhys Hoskins PHI, 1B – Went deep in back-to-back-to-back games this week, and now has 20 homers in 71 games at Double-A. He’s 23 years old and in a hitter’s park, but the power breakout is clearly for real.

Kyle Tucker HOU, OF – Doubled his homer total this week … from 1 to 2. He has displayed an advanced plate approach all year for a 19-year-old, and has surpassed expectations in the speed department with 25 steals. Overall, Tucker’s first season in pro ball has been a resounding success.

Franklin Barreto OAK, SS/2B – While the 20-year-old Barreto hasn’t stood out this year in a pitcher’s park at Double-A, he has done well enough to maintain his prospect shine. He slashed .318/.400/.545 with 1 homer and 2 steals this week, and now has 7 homers and 16 steals in 74 games on the season.

Jacob Faria TB, RHP – Impressed in his first start at Triple-A, going 6 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 1 BB, 6 K. He doesn’t have the huge fastball, but I think his strikeout stuff will still play at the next level.

Brent Honeywell TB, RHP – Returned to the mound this week after being out for 6 weeks with a sore arm, and picked up right where he left off, going 5 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BB, 4 K. He doesn’t have ace upside, but if he can remain healthy the rest of the season, his prospect stock will certainly be on the rise.

Dominic Smith NYM, 1B – Went deep in back-to-back games this week and has now tied his career high in homers with 6. His overall numbers have been lackluster in Double-A so far, especially for a first baseman, but he has maintained his BB and K rates against the tougher competition, and his value probably isn’t that far off from where it was in the off-season.

David Washington STL, 1B/OF – Cranked 2 homers in one game this week, giving him 17 on the season (12 in Triple-A) in 69 games. I wouldn’t bank on him being able to find consistent playing time in the majors, but if a spot does open up for him, he will definitely hit for power.

Trey Mancini BAL, 1B – Another player who will have to battle for a starting spot in the majors. He went deep twice this week, and now has 15 homers in 76 games split between Double-A and Triple-A.

Matt Chapman OAK, 3B – Finally a power hitter who has a starting position in sight. He smacked 2 more homers, as well, and now has 17 on the season in 74 games at Double-A. His 102/36 K/BB is starting to become a serious concern, though.

Javier Guerra SD, SS – Homered in back-to-back games this week (8 on the season). It is nice to see his power surge from last season showing up this year, but his K rate has also exploded to 31.2%.

Tom Murphy COL, C – One of my favorite sleepers heading into this season, Murphy has not impressed in the early going. His already weak plate approach has actually regressed this season as a 25-year-old in the PCL. He is still jacking homers and will play at Coors Field, but his prospect stock has certainly taken a hit.

Kyle Lewis SEA, OF/Will Craig PIT, 1B/Nick Senzel CIN, 3B – None of the top college bats (Corey Ray and Zack Collins have not played in a game yet) from the 2016 draft class are off to a good start. It’s still too early for it to mean anything, but it would have been nice if at least one of them played like a house on fire right from the get go. Ray will soon debut in High-A, so maybe he will be the first guy to breakout from this class.

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

Posted on by Michael Halpern

2016 Mid-Season Top 100 Fantasy Baseball Prospect Rankings: 1-10

Here we go again. It’s ranking season! Well, maybe a week or two before ranking season, but close enough. Today, I will be focusing on the elite of the elite, the top 10 fantasy baseball prospects in all The Land. And I mean that literally, not the kinda lame nickname that Cleveland now has to make them seem cooler. To be clear, I will not just be ranking prospects in Cleveland. Enough monkey business, here are the 2016 Mid-Season Top 100 Fantasy Baseball Prospect Rankings: 1-10 (previous rank in parenthesis):

2016 Off-Season Top 100 Fantasy Baseball Prospect Rankings: 1-100

Graduates: Corey Seager (#1) LAD, SS, Byron Buxton (#2) MIN, OF, Steven Matz (#10) NYM, LHP, Nomar Mazara (#19) TEX, OF, Trevor Story (#30) COL, SS, John Lamb (#40) CIN, LHP, Aaron Blair (#81) ATL, RHP, Michael Fulmer (#82) DET, RHP, Archie Bradley (#83) ARI, RHP, Mallex Smith (#91) ATL, OF, Jon Gray (#100) COL, RHP

11-40
41-70
71-100
Complete Top 100

1) Yoan Moncada (#3) BOS, 2B – Picked up right where he left off in the 2nd half of 2015. No prospect has the 5-category upside that Moncada has. Prime projection: 98/15/82/.280/32

2) Julio Urias (#7) LAD, LHP – Completely destroyed the PCL as a 19-year-old, and is now more than holding his own in the majors. This will likely be his last appearance on top 100 prospect lists. Prime projection: 2.90/1.00/225 in 210 IP

3) Brendan Rodgers (#24) COL, SS – Hits for average and power, plays SS, and will call Coors Field his home. What more is there to say? Prime projection: 89/25/100/.285/7

4) Alex Bregman (#26) HOU, 3B/SS – Has a legitimate case to be the top fantasy prospect in baseball. Elite contact skills with emerging power. Might have to move off SS to accommodate Carlos Correa. Prime projection: 94/22/86/.297/10

5) Lucas Giolito (#4) WASH, RHP – It hasn’t been the smoothest ride in Double-A so far, but he was beginning to turn it around before a poor outing in his last start. The stuff is still electric, so I’m holding tight for now. Prime projection: 3.10/1.10/220 in 210 IP

6) Tyler Glasnow (#5) PIT, RHP – Control might have actually taken a half-step back this season, but it hasn’t hurt his pitching line all that much (1.61/1.14/100 in 84 IP). I’m still betting on his unhittable stuff. Prime projection: 2.98/1.17/223 in 200 IP

7) A.J. Reed (#6) HOU, 1B – Was nicked up with various injuries early in the year, but slashed .307/.366/.587 with 5 homers in the last month. One of the premiere power hitting prospects in the minors. Prime projection: 85/32/110/.274/2

8) Andrew Benintendi (#8) BOS, OF – After destroying High-A, Double-A has slowed him down a bit. The plate approach, power, and speed are all still there, so I don’t think he is going to stay down for long. Prime projection: 89/21/93/.288/15

9) David Dahl (#47) COL, OF – One of the top fantasy breakout prospects in 2016. Slashing .283/.375/.528 with 13 homers and 15 steals in 67 games at Double-A. Has all the raw talent in the world, and will be unleashed at Coors Field. Prime projection: 91/20/82/.276/18

10) Joey Gallo (#17) TEX, 3B/1B/OF – Has taken a step forward in Triple-A this year, lowering his strikeout rate to a more workable 26.8% while maintaining his massive power. The only thing left is for Texas to give him a shot. Or trade him. Prime projection: 80/38/100/.250/5

11-40
41-70

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

Posted on by Michael Halpern

Andrew Dice Clay, Showtime’s Dice Review

The world is a very different place than the one Andrew Dice Clay rose to prominence in during the 80’s and 90’s, and while the world changed, Dice remained the same. You simply can’t say some of the things he used to say on stage anymore. Since his fall from grace, it has been over a decade of mostly futile attempts to regain his foothold in the entertainment industry. His best and most memorable work over that time span were his interviews on the Howard Stern Show. But in his new Showtime comedy series Dice, Dice’s old brash and Teflon act have been replaced by a more vulnerable and self-aware side. He is still the same Dice, but a Dice who the audience can root for.

The very first thing you will notice about Dice, is that the style, tone, and pace are all similar to Curb Your Enthusiasm. Many shows have been heavily inspired by Curb. Some work, some don’t. Dice most certainly works. The show centers around Clay’s life in Las Vegas as an ex-superstar who is now scraping the bottom of show business. He was once selling out Madison Square Garden, and he is now coming up with schemes to get out of paying the $5 ATM fee at a Vegas Casino. He gets into fights with an Elvis Impersonator, accusing him of being bad luck. It is far from the glamorous lifestyle he used to live, but it is a much funnier and relatable one.

Clay absolutely nails the role of playing himself, even in scenes where we are supposed to laugh at him, rather than with him. The only other characters to appear in every episode are his take no crap girlfriend, played by Natasha Leggero, and his lackey/best friend, played by Kevin Corrigan. Both have easy chemistry with Clay, and are hysterical in their own right. The guest stars are also a real strength of the show, with some of the best episodes being carried by Adrien Brody, Michael Rapaport, and Lorraine Bracco.

Dice is exactly the vehicle Clay needed to get back into the public consciousness. It is a funny, well-written show that perfectly plays on the unique circumstances of his life. Showtime hit a homerun with this one. Season 1 has only six episodes, but in this day and age of 1,000+ channels and every show ever seemingly at our fingertips, quality is much more important than quantity, and Dice is quality. “Hey asshole face,” do yourself a favor, and give this show a shot.

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

Posted on by Michael Halpern

2016 Fantasy Baseball Minor League Prospect Rundown: Week 11

Every Monday, I will be running down some of the notable performances from around the Minor Leagues, or anything that might have caught my eye in general. Here is the 2016 Fantasy Baseball Minor League Prospect Rundown: Week 11:

LeBron James CLE, SF – My bad, wrong sport. But did you see those blocks and dunks LeBron was swatting/throwing down last night? I think he can fly.

Willson Contreras CHC, C – The Cubs game was on a smaller TV at the bar I was at for Game 7, and I was probably the only one keeping an eye on it. Actually, I know I was the only one, because when Contreras homered on his very first Major League pitch, I was the only idiot in the entire place to jump up in celebration. Contreras will be rewarded with his first Major League start in tonight’s game.

Travis Demeritte TEX, 2B – I hyped Demeritte in my very first Fantasy Prospect Rundown in week 1 of the season, and he has hit only 14 more homers since then. His breakout season got him ranked #3 on the 2016 Mid-Season Top 10 Fantasy Baseball Prospect Breakouts post that I wrote on Friday, and to celebrate, he hit two more homers the night of that article.

Phil Bickford SFG, RHP – Bickford got promoted to High-A this week, and went 6 IP, 2 ER, 2 Hits, 0 BB, 13 K. He ranked #10 on that Fantasy Prospect Breakouts post.

Willie Calhoun LAD, 2B – Smashed 2 more bombs this week, and now has a 36/24 K/BB with 14 homers in 67 games at Double-A. It is seriously hard to think of another prospect in the entire minor leagues with a better power/contact profile than Willie.

Alex Bregman HOU, SS/3B – Oh wait, I found one. Bregman has a 21/34 K/BB with 14 homers in 56 games at Double-A. He has maintained his power surge all season, and it is becoming clear that he is one of the very top hitting prospects in the minors.

Andrew Benintendi BOS, OF – I was smelling a hot streak coming on in week 9’s Rundown, and right on cue, Benintendi started to fill up the box score at Double-A. He slashed .333/.370/.667, with 2 homers, and 1 steal this week. He has only 4 homers on the season, but 3 of them have been in his last 9 games, so it looks like the power is coming.

Tyler Glasnow PIT, RHP – Pitched a 6 BB no hitter through 6 innings this week in classic Glasnow style. Control problems and all, I still have him as the third best pitching prospect in baseball behind Urias and Giolito.

Alex Reyes STL, RHP – Did someone say control problems? It took Reyes 100 pitches to throw 4.1 innings in his start on Saturday, racking up 6 K’s and walking 2. He now has a 15.6 K/9 and 4.5 BB/9 in 26 IP at Triple-A.

Kolby Allard ATL, LHP – 5 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 0 BB, 5 K. It looks like the top high school pitcher chosen in last year’s draft is starting to shake that rust off after off-season back surgery.

David Dahl COL, OF – Double-D crushed two more homers this week, giving him 13 on the season, and made an over the fence, home run saving catch in the OF too. Please don’t pay any attention to the fact the fence looks a little on the small side.

Josh Bell PIT, 1B – Answered the Bell 3 times this week, giving him 10 homers and a .319/.408/.520 triple-slash in 67 games at Triple-A. He is doing this in one of the tougher parks and leagues for hitting, so this certainly looks like the power surge we have been waiting for.

A.J. Reed HOU, 1B – Reed is starting to heat up, slashing .357/.357/.607, with 1 homer, and 4 doubles this week. It brings his OPS up to .826 on the season, and I still believe he has the potential to make a major impact in fantasy leagues in the second half.

Austin Meadows PIT, OF – Promoted to Triple-A this week, and knocked 3 hits in his first game and then drilled a homer in his second. Not bad for a 21-year-old kid.

Max Kepler MIN, OF – Kepler has quietly been having a very nice season. He slashed .381/.435/.714, with 1 homer, and 1 steal this week for the big league club, and he now has a very respectable .750 OPS on the year in the majors. He isn’t going to have the eye popping homer or steal totals, but he will do a little bit of everything.

Chris Paddack MIA, RHP – Paddack no hit the Rome Braves at home last week, striking out 11 and walking 1 over 5 IP. He clearly wasn’t satisfied with that, though, as he faced them again on the road this week and threw 5 perfect innings with 8 K’s this time. Apparently the Braves don’t believe in hitting on any level. They also took pitchers with their first 6 picks of the draft this year! Either way, Paddack’s pitching line looks stupid so far on the year, 1.16/0.47/39 in 23.1 IP at Single-A, and if you have the space on your roster, I would definitely scoop this guy up.

Byron Buxton MIN, OF – Buxton went back to hitting like the worst kid on your little league team, collecting 4 hits in his last 12 games. As frustrating as it is, you just have to give him more time.

Carson Fulmer CHW, RHP – This season has been nothing short of a disaster for Fulmer. He gave up 6 ER in 4.1 IP this week, bringing his ERA up to 5.82 at Double-A. I had high hopes for him coming into the year, and the stuff is still there, but he is one of the biggest top 100 prospect fallers for me. He is also not helping the reputation of small right-handed starters everywhere, and just when they were starting to shed the negative stigma attached to them too.

Dillon Tate TEX, RHP – Tate is doing his very best to not be outdone by Fulmer, as he is having an awful season of his own. He went 5 IP, 4 ER, 8 Hits, 3 BB, 2 K in his start this week, and now has a 5.58 ERA at Single-A.

Dominic Smith NYM, 1B – Smith went ice cold this week, hitting .136, and his season triple-slash has now fallen to .260/.311/368 with 4 homers in 64 games at Double-A. With a bunch of other 1B prospects taking a step forward this year, Smith’s prospect stock has certainly taken a hit.

Brayan Hernandez SEA, OF – That isn’t a typo. Brayan with two a’s was a highly touted international free agent in 2014, signing with Seattle for $1.85 million, and he is the early breakout in Rookie Ball this year. He leads the Dominican League with 4 homers, to go along with a .358/.393/.660 triple-slash and 5 steals in 12 games. I wouldn’t jump on him quite yet, but you should definitely remember the name (which should be pretty easy considering the whole two a’s thing).

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

Posted on by Michael Halpern

2016 Mid-Season Top 10 Fantasy Baseball Prospect Breakouts (not on my off-season top 100 rankings)

This list would have been a lot easier if I could have just included Derek Fisher, Josh Hader, Willie Calhoun, Harrison Bader, and Tyler O’Neill. Unfortunately, I already had all of them ranked on my off-season Top 100 Fantasy Baseball Prospect Rankings (#20, #21, #43, #51, and #78, respectively), and also in my pre-season Top 12 Dynasty League Prospect Sleepers post. Plus, all of these guys are starting to get their fair share of hype, so it is time to dig deeper and focus on the next group of up and comers. Here are the 2016 Mid-Season Top 10 Fantasy Baseball Prospect Breakouts:

1) Chase Vallot KC, C – I might have jinxed Vallot, because since I wrote a Chase Vallot, 2016 Fantasy Baseball Prospect Breakout post earlier this month, he has had one freak injury after another. Here is the Cirque du Soliel, acrobatic collision at home plate that he had the same night I wrote the breakout post, which resulted in a two week back injury. And here are the nasty results of taking a 93 MPH fastball right to the mouth on the very first day he returned from the back injury this week. Selfishly, these injuries might actually help fantasy owners who have off-season prospect drafts, because it will keep his overall numbers down.

2) Christin Stewart DET, OF – I’ve been kicking myself for not being higher on Stewart in the off-season, as he was literally right in my favorite prospect sleeper wheelhouse. He triple-slashed .311/.443/.633 with 15 bombs his junior year of college before being drafted 34th overall by Detroit in last year’s draft, and then he crushed 10 dingers directly upon reaching pro ball. It’s been more of the same this year, as he is slashing .239/.389/.509, with 16 homers, and a 69/48 K/BB in 65 games at High-A. He will likely never hit for a high average, but 20+ homers with a good OBP is a fair expectation once he reaches the majors.

3) Travis Demeritte TEX, 2B – I wrote a Travis Demeritte, 2016 Fantasy Baseball Prospect Breakout post way back in the first week of the season, and he has continued his assault on High-A pitching since then. He is slashing .253/.342/.549, with 16 homers, and 10 steals in 64 games. His 90/33 K/BB is a bit concerning, and he will definitely need to cut down on his K’s some, but Demeritte is like the 2B version of Trevor Story.

4) Dylan Cozens PHI, OF – As I’ve mentioned a few times in my Weekly Prospect Rundowns, Cozens does not possess that super quick, direct path to the ball swing that I love. There probably isn’t much he can do about that, seeing as he is 6’6’’, 235 pounds, and oftentimes tall guys inevitably have long swings. He also plays in a hitter’s park, his K numbers have ballooned this year, and he might ultimately end up at 1B. Having said that, the numbers he is putting up right now are undeniable, slashing .294/.371/.595, with 19 homers, and 13 steals in 65 games at Double-A. He deserves a high spot on this list.

5) Josh Ockimey BOS, 1B – Ockimey is like the Babe Ruth of Twitter, constantly calling his shot. On February 4th he tweeted, “This is the year,” and then just a few weeks ago he tweeted, “Underrated temporarily for the moment.” Maybe it is more of a self-fulfilling prophecy sort of thing, because the 20-year-old Ockimey’s breakout is very real. He is slashing .285/.424/.500, with 9 homers, and a 59/49 K/BB in 58 games at Single-A. Barring a trade, he has the inside track to be Boston’s 1B of the future.

6) Ronald Guzman TEX, 1B – Here is what I wrote about Guzman in my Week 6 Fantasy Prospect Rundown, “The Rangers paid the 6’5’’, 205 pound Guzman $3.5 million back in 2011, and it is just now starting to pay off in a big way. Guzman is slashing .319/.382/.529, with 5 homers, and a 29/10 K/BB in 32 games at Double-A this season. He has a sweet lefty swing and has always had a reputation for being a pure hitter. He doesn’t have huge power right now, but I don’t think it is a stretch to assume it will come as he continues to age and get stronger. You don’t have to squint all that hard to see Nomar Mazara-lite here, and Guzman is another excellent deep league sleeper.” He has continued his strong season since then, and is now slashing .287/.355/.498 with 9 homers in 62 games. Considering his $3.5 million price tag, I assume the Rangers are definitely going to want to give him a real shot.

7) Eloy Jimenez CHC, OF – Jimenez was another highly touted International free agent, signing for $2.8 million with the Cubs in 2013. He always had super quick bat speed and prodigious raw power, and it is starting to really show up in his numbers this year, slashing .332/.370/.526, with 8 homers, and 4 steals in 62 games at Single-A. His 62/15 K/BB is pretty weak, so I doubt he keeps up the high average, but this is just the beginning for the 19-year-old Jimenez. He might end up ranking higher than a few of the guys ranked above him on this list in my mid-season top 100.

8) Mitch Keller PIT, RHP – Keller was the 64th overall pick of the 2014 draft, and after showing promise in his first year of pro ball, he struggled with a forearm injury last season. This season has been an entirely different story, as Keller has displayed insane command with a minuscule 0.9 BB/9, to go along with a pitching line of 2.42/0.81/76 in 67 IP at Single-A. He only throws in the low 90’s, but he does so with an extremely easy and repeatable delivery. He also gets a bump for being in a great situation for pitchers in Pittsburgh.

9) Chris Shaw SFG, 1B – Shaw has cooled down a bit since his smoking hot start, but the overall numbers still look good, slashing .273/.340/.517 with 13 homers in 62 games at High-A. Full credit goes to “The Baltimoron” for scoping him out in the comments section of my Finding the Next A.J. Reed article. I would still be a little cautious, though, because San Francisco has one of the top pitcher’s parks in the majors.

10) Phil Bickford SFG, RHP – Bickford is an absolute strikeout machine. He struck out 166 batters in 86.2 IP in JuCo last season, and he carried that success over to pro ball, putting up a line of 2.70/1.07/69 in 60 IP at Single-A this year. He also has solid control (2.2 BB/9). He does have a high effort delivery that creates some bullpen risk, but in fantasy baseball, I don’t really care about a pitcher having a safe (low K) floor. I’ll take the high K’s and bullpen risk.

*) My 1-year-old Nephew – I just got him to start throwing food with his left hand. Is it probably a little too early to call him a 2016 fantasy baseball prospect breakout? … No, the kid is already making adjustments at 13 months old!

Honorable Mentions: Dan Vogelbach, Drew Ward, Ronald Acuna, Rhys Hoskins, Chris Paddack, Anthony Banda, Mike Soroka, Ryan O’Hearn

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

Posted on by Michael Halpern

Top 5 Curb Your Enthusiasm Scenes

With the surprise announcement that the greatest TV comedy of all time, Curb Your Enthusiasm, will be returning for a 9th season, I did anything but curb my enthusiasm, as I dove headfirst into the Youtube archives in search of the show’s very best scenes. After watching several hours of hysterical clips, I dumped all of that data into my personal super computer (my brain), and produced a highly scientific top 5 ranking based on three key factors: Hilarity, Relatability, and Memorability. Here are the top 5 Curb Your Enthusiasm scenes:

1) The Weatherman – “I’ve got a sneaking suspicion that you’re predicting rain to clear the golf course for yourself.”

Hilarity – No one scene captures the essence of the show like this one.

Relatability – Even if you don’t play golf (I notoriously don’t), everyone can relate to getting screwed over by a crappy weather report.

Memorability – My friends still randomly send me clips of this scene (you know who you are … Blake).

2) Big Vagina – “He said the problem didn’t lie with his small penis, but rather, with your big vagina.”

Hilarity – Larry’s hand sign for “big vagina” is now embedded in pop culture.

Relatability – Well, I guess it depends on how big your penis and/or vagina is.

Memorability – How can anybody possibly forget this scene?

3) Larry refuses pie from Ted Danson – “Take this fucking piece of pie, and get it out of my face!”

Hilarity –  Watching this scene makes you instantly remember how great this show was/is.

Relatability – Most of us just take a bite when people push food on us … but not Larry.

Memorability –  It isn’t the first scene that comes to mind when you think of Curb, but the clip was too funny to leave out of the top 5.

4) Susie yelling about a doll’s head – “Get me the fucking head, alright, both of you, cause I’ve had it, you four-eyed fuck and you fat piece of shit. Get me the head!”

Hilarity – I’m literally dying of laughter as I’m writing this.

Relatability – I seriously hope this scene isn’t that relatable for you.

Memorability – Susie was a great character, and this scene was probably her most memorable.

5) The Larry David Sandwich – “You have two fishes in the sandwich?”

Hilarity – I’m just now realizing the “hilarity” category is kinda useless. The entire show is hilarious.

Relatability – White fish, sable, cream cheese, capers, and onions. Who wouldn’t want to get rid of that sandwich?

Memorability – Jeff’s little asides in this scene are classic.

*) Larry stare down compilation – Bonus scene (more like scenes) of Larry’s many stare downs, often times accompanied by a well placed, “hmmmmmmm …”

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

Posted on by Michael Halpern

2016 Fantasy Baseball Minor League Prospect Rundown: Week 10

Every Monday, I will be running down some of the notable performances from around the Minor Leagues, or anything that might have caught my eye in general. Here is the 2016 Fantasy Baseball Minor League Prospect Rundown: Week 10:

Lucas Giolito WASH, RHP – It was already obvious that Giolito was back, but he put the final nail in the coffin on his slow start this week, dominating the Akron RubberDucks by going 7 IP, 0 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BB, 12 K. If the RubberDucks were going for the least intimidating nickname possible, I think they nailed it.

Josh Hader MIL, LHP – With nothing left to prove in Double-A, Milwaukee called Hader up to their dreaded (for a pitcher) Colorado Springs PCL affiliate, and Hader didn’t even blink an eye. He went 6 IP, 2 ER, 1 Hit, 4 BB, 9K. I’ve been turning trade offers down for him left and right this season, most notably for two cheap years of Todd Frazier, so he better pan out.

Willie Calhoun LAD, 2B – Willie has been smoking hot for a few weeks now, and after hitting 2 bombs in one game this week, I just couldn’t help myself but to write a Willie Calhoun, 2016 Fantasy Baseball Prospect Breakout article. If that wasn’t enough, he has hit homers in back-to-back games since that article, as well.

Tim Anderson CHW, SS – I gave you Anderson as a Top 3 Buy Low Dynasty League Prospect back on May 4, and wrote, “With Jimmy Rollins not doing much of anything at the Major League level, we might see Anderson take over the White Sox SS job sooner rather than later.” Well, “sooner” has come this week, as the Sox designated Rollins for assignment, and called up Anderson to take over the SS role. Stolen bases will be his calling card, but he has some sneaky pop too.

Bobby Bradley CLE, 1B – I feel like Bradley hits 2 homers every single week, and if that first line didn’t give it away, he hit 2 more homers this week. He is now slashing .243/.362/.518, with 15 homers, and a 81/37 K/BB in 59 games at High-A.

Derek Fisher HOU, OF – Stole 3 bases this week, and now has 8 steals in his last 15 games. He hit another dinger too, and Fisher is basically replicating in Double-A the breakout season he had last year in High-A. Maybe even topping it.

Dansby Swanson ATL, SS – Swanson’s numbers have taken a nose dive in Double-A, and after going ice cold this week, he is now slashing .242/.327/.383 at the level. I mentioned back in Week 5 that I would be sniffing out some sell high opportunities, but at this point, it is probably best to hold.

Julio Urias LAD, LHP – Urias has now strung two good starts in a row on the Major League level this week, going a combined 9.1 IP, 3 ER, 7 Hits, 2 BB, 14 K. He is doing this as a 19-year-old! For comparison’s sake, the Yankees just took a high school kid, Blake Rutherford, in the first round of the MLB Draft, and he is also 19.

Francis Martes HOU, RHP – Martes is starting to turn his season around, and he threw an absolute gem this week, going 6.2 IP, 0 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BB, 9 K. The reports on his stuff have been excellent all season, so this turnaround is not exactly unexpected.

Luke Weaver STL, RHP – Weaver has been shot out of a cannon since returning from a wrist injury, dominating in his first two starts of the season to the tune of 12.1 IP, 1 ER, 12 Hits, 2 BB, 19 K at Double-A. After putting up a K/9 of 7.5 last season, it is great to see the early spike in K’s.

Jack Flaherty STL, RHP – It’s a hat trick for Flaherty, as he makes the Rundown for the third week in a row. This week’s start was arguably his best of the season, throwing 7 IP, 0 ER, 5 Hits, 0 BB, 10 K. He remains one of my favorite pitching prospect sleepers.

Jacob Faria TB, RHP – Speaking of my favorite pitching prospect sleepers coming into the year, Faria went off this week as well, putting up a line of 7 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 3 BB, 9 K. That brings his K/9 up to 10.0 on the season at Double-A.

Riley Pint COL, RHP – Pint lost the game of MLB Draft Russian Roulette after being drafted by the Colorado Rockies on Thursday night. He was my top pitching prospect coming into the draft, but I have no interest in investing in a Colorado pitcher, at all. He falls completely out of my Post-Draft 2016 Top 30 MLB Draft Fantasy Baseball Prospect Rankings, and you can check out that article for a few more of my thoughts on the MLB Draft as it pertains to fantasy, as well.

Tyler O’Neill SEA, OF – O’Neill smashed 2 more homers this week, giving him 12 on the season, to go along with a .318/.378/.559 triple-slash in Double-A. And now with the premiere power hitting prospect in the MLB Draft, Kyle Lewis, falling into Seattle’s lap at #11, Seattle’s offensive future is looking very bright … that is until they trade them all for the chance to maybe play in a one game playoff.

Aaron Judge NYY, OF – Judge’s prospect stock has taken a hit this year as a 24-year-old with mediocre numbers in Triple-A, but I wouldn’t completely write him off yet. He hit homers in back-to-back games this week, which gives him 9 on the season in 60 games. You also have to remember that he has been playing in pitcher’s parks basically his entire minor league career. He is still a beast who is going to hit homers on the next level.

Rhys Hoskins PHI, 1B – 7 homers in his last 10 games! That will definitely get you on the Rundown. Hoskins is now among the minor league leaders in homers with 16, and he could be battling for Philadelphia’s 1B job in the not too distant future.

Jorge Alfaro PHI, C – Alfaro continued his strong season in Double-A, slugging .609 with 2 homers this week. His 36/3 K/BB in 38 games is concerning, though.

Dylan Cozens PHI, OF – Cozens cannot be stopped, as he crushed 4 more taters this week, giving him 19 on the season. He doesn’t possess my favorite type of swing (short and quick), but not everyone is going to fit that profile.

Anderson Espinoza BOS, RHP – Espinoza hasn’t made the Rundown since week 1, but he has been solid all year, putting up a pitching line of 3.35/1.23/54 in 53.2 IP as an 18-year-old in Single-A. He’s also thrown shutouts in 3 of his last 4 starts.

Tyler Viza PHI, RHP – The 21-year-old Viza was promoted to Double-A this week, and he was excellent in his first start, going 6 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 0 BB, 3 K. If you are looking for under the radar mid-rotation dynasty prospects, you should be able to grab Viza for nothing.

Kolby Allard ATL, LHP – Allard returned from pretty serious back surgery this week, and he has not looked good in either start (7 IP, 11 ER, 13 Hits, 4 BB, 7 K). He is still basically in Spring Training mode, and he is an 18-year-old in Single-A, so I wouldn’t read too much into the bad start.

Kevin Padlo TB, 3B – Padlo’s been having an odd statistical season all year, slashing .186/.330/.383, with 8 homers, and 6 steals in 52 games at Single-A. We in Yankees land like to call that, “pulling a Stephen Drew.” I liked him as an intriguing power/speed combo sleeper when he was with Colorado, ranking him 90th in my top 100, but considering his mediocre at best numbers this year and his new home in Tampa, I’m definitely off the bandwagon.

Drew Ward WASH, 3B – I think it is fair to say that the 21-year-old Ward has been one of the top breakout hitting prospects this season. He is slashing .297/.396/.528 with 10 homers in 54 games at High-A. The only problem is, there are doubts he can stick at 3B, and he won’t look nearly as enticing as a 1B prospect.

Ronald Acuna ATL, OF – Acuna is an 18-year-old performing very well in Single-A right now. He is slashing .300/.389/.391, with 2 homers, 12 steals, and a 20/15 K/BB in 30 games. Think of him like a Victor Robles-lite. He has plus speed and projects for average to above average power, to go along with his absurdly advanced plate approach for such a young player. Acuna has the chance of shooting up prospect lists everywhere this year and should be on the radar in Dynasty Leagues of all sizes.

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