Posted on by Michael Halpern

Chicago Cubs 2022 Dynasty Baseball Report (Top 10 Prospects/Interesting MLB guys/Strategy Talk)

Along with a Top 10 Dynasty Baseball Prospects Ranking, I wanted to highlight some interesting MLB guys and talk some team specific strategy for every team to give a more complete Dynasty Team Report. Like during the regular season, I’m still going to be posting a few articles a month for free on my website. This is one of those articles. Here is the Chicago Cubs 2022 Dynasty Baseball Report (Top 10 Prospects/Interesting MLB guys/Strategy Talk):

CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY PATREON FOR TONS OF CONTENT ALL OFF-SEASON, INCLUDING:
–A Top 200 Sneak Peek of my 2022 Top 1,000 Dynasty Baseball Rankings with more early releases coming all off-season
-Dynasty Team Reports for every team (Top 10 Prospects/Interesting MLB guys/Strategy Talk)
–Positional Dynasty Baseball Rankings (Top 56 Catchers/Top 76 1B/Top 81 2B are up now)
-End of Season 2021 Top 466 Dynasty Baseball Rankings
-End of Season 2021 Top 322 Dynasty Prospects Rankings

Hitters

Ian Happ CHC, OF, 27.8 – Happ couldn’t hit his way out of a paper bag (grumpy high school baseball coach idioms are my favorite) all the way through August 15th with a triple-slash of .176/.284/.321 in 368 PA, and he couldn’t run his way out of said bag either with 1 steal in 2 attempts. But from then on he ripped that damn bag to shreds, slashing .333/.407/.680 with 13 homers, 8 steals, and a 41/17 K/BB in 167 PA. He brought his K% down to a more reasonable 24.6%, he started lifting the ball more, and he ran more than he has since 2018. The stolen bases are the true X factor for his value going forward, because with a 32.3% whiff% he’s not going to hit for a high average, and while he hits the ball hard, a 46% GB% caps his power upside a bit. 27 years old was always the classic age for a breakout season, and maybe Happ’s last month and a half surge was foreshadowing what is to come. I’m willing to take that shot. 2022 Projection: 78/28/84/.245/.341/.475/7

Frank Schwindel CHC, 1B, 29.9 – Schwindel’s been raking in the minor leagues since 2012, he just needed someone to give him his chance. Chicago gave him that chance and he took advantage of it, slashing .342/.389/.613 with 13 homers and a 36/16 K/BB in 56 games. He’s had plus contact rates with plus power his entire career, and that carried over into the majors. There are some red flags however. His 86.9/91.5 MPH AVG/FB EV is well below average, and so is his 6.2% BB%. He doesn’t currently have any competition for the job, but I’m concerned about his playing time long term. He ranked 40th on my Top 76 Dynasty First Base Rankings. 2022 Projection: 67/24/79/.267/.318/.462/1

Patrick Wisdom CHC, 3B/OF, 30.7 – Wisdom was cracking eggs of knowledge all over everyone’s faces (shoutout Always Sunny fans), putting up near elite hard hit numbers with a 15.7% Barrel% (top 9%), 96.2 MPH FB/LD EV, 114.2 MPH Max EV (top 8%), and a 51.6% HardHit% (top 8%). It led to 28 homers in 106 games. He’s mashed his entire career going back to his freshman year at St. Mary’s in 2011, so the power is for real. He’s also struck out a lot in his career, and the K’s ballooned in 2021 with a 41.3% whiff% and 40.8% K%. He’s going to hit homers, but there is a real chance he also hits under the Mendoza Line. 2022 Projection: 64/26/75/.208/.298/.447/6

Starting Pitchers

Marcus Stroman CHC, RHP, 30.11 – Stroman’s been doing a lot of chirping on Twitter recently, but he’s backed up the trash talk with production. He put up a pitching line of 3.02/1.15/158/44 in 179 IP. He keeps the ball on the ground with a 91.9 MPH sinker and with a worm killing splitter that he added this season. He’s been slowly improving his strikeout rates throughout his career, and it reached a career best 21.7% K% in 2021, although that is still below average. He’s a better real life pitcher than fantasy one because of the strikeout numbers, but maybe the trend will hold and he will continue to unlock more K’s in the future. 2022 Projection: 11/3.54/1.26/161 in 180 IP

Adbert Alzolay CHC, RHP, 27.1 – Alzolay threw his relatively new slider more than ever in 2021 (39.8% usage), and it proved to be an excellent pitch with a 37.4% whiff% and .256 xwOBA. He combines that with a groundball inducing 93.8 MPH sinker and a 94 MPH fastball that put up a very respectable 26.8% whiff% (he also mixes in a changeup, cutter, and curveball). The K/BB numbers were excellent with a 128/34 K/BB in 125.2 IP. He finished the season in the pen during September, but he’s expected to win a rotation spot back in 2022. I’m definitely going to be grabbing him in a lot of places to fill out of the back of my rotation. 2022 Projection: 9/4.14/1.28/156 in 150 IP

Chicago Cubs Top 10 Dynasty Baseball Prospects

1) Brennen Davis CHC, OF, 22.5 – Davis is 6’4”, 210 pounds with easy power and no problems keeping the ball off the ground. He smacked 19 homers in 99 games split across 3 levels (A+, AA, AAA). Like many guys this tall, he has some strikeout issues with a 28.7% K%, and while he will definitely chip in with steals, he went 6 for 10 in 76 Double-A games and he didn’t attempt a steal in 15 Triple-A games. The upside is very high, but there is still some risk here too. 2022 Projection: 48/17/55/.242/.313/.441/7 Prime Projection: 88/33/99/.261/.338/.510/11

2) Cristian Hernandez CHC, SS, 18.4 – Hernandez was my #1 international prospect heading into 2021, and he lived up to the hype in his pro debut, slashing .285/.398/.424 with 5 homers, 21 steals, and a 20.4%/15.7% K%/BB% in 47 games in the DSL. I fell in love with his explosive swing from Youtube videos, and at 6’2”, 175 pounds, he’s a good bet to grow into plus power, although he will have to raise his 56.5% GB% to get to all it (he has plenty of time to do that). He also has plus speed and showed a very mature approach at the plate. He has star upside. ETA: 2025 Prime Projection: 88/26/88/.274/.353/.483/16

3) Pete Crow-Armstrong CHC, OF, 20.0 – Armstrong was my favorite target in last year’s first year player drafts, ranking him 7th overall, and he got off to a glorious start with 10 hits in his first 24 at bats, but it all came to a screeching halt when he tore his labrum (shoulder), which required season ending surgery. He’s already back in the batting cages, so he should be good to go for 2022. He has a plus hit, speed, and a defense profile, but I think there is more power in the tank than he is getting credit for. ETA: 2024 Prime Projection: 91/16/66/.278/.355/.434/22

4) Kevin Alcantara CHC, OF, 19.9 – Alcantara is 6’6”, 188 pounds and has potential written all over him. He is an excellent athlete with plenty of room on his frame to fill out and end up with at least plus power at peak. There is some swing and miss to his game, but it’s not expected to be an extreme problem. He showed out in rookie ball this year, slashing .345/.423/.588 with 5 homers, 5 steals, and a 26.1%/12.3% K%/BB% in 34 games. He’s a great high upside shot to take, and his price should remain very reasonable this off-season. ETA: 2024 Prime Projection: 76/27/85/.250/.325/.473/11

5) Reginald Preciado CHC, SS, 18.11 – Preciado is a sinewy and projectable 6’4”, 185 pounds, and he got off to a strong start in his pro career, slashing .333/.383/.511 with 3 homers, 7 steals, and a 22.7%/7.1% K%/BB% in 34 games in rookie ball. He’s a switch hitter with a quick and simple swing that is geared for both power and average. While he stole 7 bags, he’s not a burner and will likely be more of a power hitter as he ages. He will still be 18 years old when the 2022 season starts. ETA: 2025 Prime Projection: 78/25/83/.267/.332/.472/7

6) Owen Caissie CHC, OF, 19.9 – Caissie is a 6’4”, 190 pound lefty masher who looks a bit like Joey Gallo at the dish. He performed a bit like Joey Gallo at the dish too with a 29.6%/18.6% K%/BB% to go along with 7 homers in 54 games split between rookie ball and Single-A. He decimated rookie ball with a 179 wRC+ in 32 games, but when he got to the more age appropriate Single-A, his numbers took a dive (.695 OPS). He’s your classic power and patience slugger who gets a big boost in OBP leagues. ETA: 2024 Prime Projection: 81/29/85/.243/.335/.486/2

7) James Triantos CHC, 2B/SS, 19.2 – Selected 56th overall in the 2021 MLB Draft, Triantos had an eye opening pro debut, slashing .327/.376/.594 with 6 homers, 3 steals, and a 16.5%/6.4% K%/BB% in 25 games in rookie ball. He has a textbook righty swing and a great feel to hit. He doesn’t project for huge power, but he should be able to get to all of the power he has through quality of contact. The hype has started to percolate for him, but he should still come at a good value in off-season drafts. ETA: 2025 Prime Projection: 85/23/78/.283/.341/.462/6

8) Brailyn Marquez CHC, LHP, 23.2 – It was a lost season for Marquez as he never got on the mound in 2021 due to getting Covid in the spring and then suffering a shoulder strain when he was ramping back up. The stuff is too nasty to just forget about though with an upper 90’s fastball, plus slider, and a changeup that supposedly showed improvement at the alt site in 2020. He needs to improve his control and the shoulder injury adds more risk, but I still love taking a shot on his upside. 2022 Projection: 4/4.15/1.33/76 in 70 IP  Prime Projection: 10/3.76/1.29/175 in 155 IP

9) DJ Herz CHC, LHP, 21.3 – Herz has a bit of a funky lefty delivery which always wrecks havoc on hitter’s ability to pick up pitches. It can add some injury risk and control problems (4.8 BB/9), so it’s a give and take. He used that delivery to fire 3 potentially plus pitches in his mid 90’s fastball, curve, and changeup. The stuff is nasty and it led to a pitching line of 3.31/1.05/131/41 in 81.2 IP split between Single-A and High-A. ETA: 2023 Prime Projection: 11/3.76/1.28/180 in 160 IP

10) Nelson Velazquez CHC, OF, 23.3 – Velazquez put on a show at the Arizona Fall League, slashing .385/.480/.712 with 9 homers and a 27.6%/13.8% K%/BB% in 26 games. This coming off his destruction of Double-A with a .938 OPS in 34 games. He didn’t fair as well at High-A (.776 OPS with a 33.7% K%), but he was still hitting for power with 12 homers in 69 games. He rips the ball extremely hard and he has some speed too with 17 steals in 19 attempts in 103 games. The plate approach still needs refinement and there is hit tool risk, but he has very fantasy friendly upside. 2022 Projection: Prime Projection: 74/26/83/.247/.321/.478/8

11) Jordan Wicks CHC, LHP, 22.7 – Selected 21st overall in the 2021 MLB Draft, Wicks is a safe pick that is more appealing the deeper the league is. His money maker is a double plus changeup that he relies on heavily. The fastball sits in the low 90’s and he has two average-ish breaking balls with his slider being the better of the two pitches. He had a pitching line of 3.70/1.28/118/28 in 92.1 IP in the Big 12, so while that is solid, he hasn’t exactly been lights out. ETA: 2023 Prime Projection: 11/4.09/1.28/176 in 173 IP

Strategy

The Cubs tore it down in 2021 and in doing so they built one of the best farm systems in baseball with both depth and elite talent. They could legitimately be a juggernaut by 2024. They’ve done an excellent job of developing talent in the recent past, especially hitting talent, and a lot of their top hitting prospects should come at a great value this off-season. I’m going to be all over Cubs prospects in drafts.

CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY PATREON FOR TONS OF CONTENT ALL OFF-SEASON, INCLUDING:
–A Top 150 Sneak Peek of my 2022 Top 1,000 Dynasty Baseball Rankings with more early releases coming all off-season
-Dynasty Team Reports for every team (Top 10 Prospects/Interesting MLB guys/Strategy Talk)
–Positional Dynasty Baseball Rankings (Top 56 Catchers/Top 76 1B/Top 81 2B are up now)
-End of Season 2021 Top 466 Dynasty Baseball Rankings
-End of Season 2021 Top 322 Dynasty Prospects Rankings

Previous Teams on Patreon
Arizona Diamondbacks–Baltimore Orioles-Chicago White Sox–Cincinnati Reds–Cleveland Indians–Colorado Rockies–Detroit Tigers–Houston Astros–Kansas City Royals–Los Angeles Dodgers–Miami Marlins–Milwaukee Brewers–Minnesota Twins–New York Mets–New York Yankees–Oakland Athletics–Philadelphia Phillies–Pittsburgh Pirates–Seattle Mariners–San Francisco Giants–St. Louis Cardinals–Tampa Bay Rays–Texas Rangers–Toronto Blue Jays–Washington Nationals

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

Posted on by Michael Halpern

Los Angeles Dodgers 2022 Dynasty Baseball Report (Top 10 Prospects/Interesting MLB guys/Strategy Talk)

Along with a Top 10 Dynasty Baseball Prospects Ranking, I wanted to highlight some interesting MLB guys and talk some team specific strategy for every team to give a more complete Dynasty Team Report. Like during the regular season, I’m still going to be posting a few articles a month for free on my website. This is one of those articles. Here is the Los Angeles Dodgers 2022 Dynasty Baseball Report (Top 10 Prospects/Interesting MLB guys/Strategy Talk):

CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY PATREON FOR TONS OF CONTENT ALL OFF-SEASON, INCLUDING:
–A Top 100 Sneak Peek of my 2022 Top 1,000 Dynasty Baseball Rankings with more early releases coming all off-season
-Dynasty Team Reports for every team (Top 10 Prospects/Interesting MLB guys/Strategy Talk)
–Positional Dynasty Baseball Rankings (Top 56 Catchers dropped last week)
-End of Season 2021 Top 466 Dynasty Baseball Rankings
-End of Season 2021 Top 322 Dynasty Prospects Rankings

Hitters

Mookie Betts LAD, OF, 29.5 – I originally ranked Betts 14th overall on my Top 100 Sneak Peek of the Top 1,000 Dynasty Baseball Rankings, but when I was on the clock at 18th overall in the Rotowire 20 team OBP Dynasty Mock Draft, I found myself concerned that his hip injury could be the catalyst for him to stop running as much in the 2nd act of his career. A bone spur in his right hip led to a down season in 122 games where his sprint speed tanked to 27.1 ft/s and he stole only 3 bases in 5 attempts in his final 58 games. I’m more confident in his bat being just fine, because even in a down year he was still damn good with 23 homers and a 131 wRC+ in 122 games. None of his underlying hitting numbers really dropped off from career norms at all. The fear that he will stop running as much even if he does regain his speed, like we see with Trout and Altuve, has me thinking he will drop a bit on my next Sneak Peek update. 2022 Projection: 111/30/80/.288/.369/.519/13

Cody Bellinger LAD, OF/1B, 26.9 – I’m blaming the off-season shoulder surgery. It’s gotta be. I know pitchers started exploiting him up in the zone more too, but there is no other reasonable explanation for how insanely he fell off. There is no guarantee his shoulder ever truly goes back to what it was, and he was inconsistent even before the injury, so I’m not buying back in at elite level prices, but I’m certainly willing to take him on at a buy low price. 2022 Projection: 86/28/89/.251/.338/.494/10

Gavin Lux LAD, 2B, 24.4 – Lux significantly improved his plate approach in 2021 with a career best 21.8% K% and 10.8% BB%, and he notched a career high 89.8 MPH EV. But it’s homers and steals that rule in dynasty, and he’s still lacking there. He hits the ball on the ground too much (47.2% GB%), and while he put up a career best 92.6 MPH FB/LD EV, it’s still not great. He’s fast with a 29.1 ft/s sprint speed, but he’s only attempted 8 steals in his 144 game career. He did enough in 2021 to still be enticing in dynasty leagues, but not quite enough to get really excited. 2022 Projection: 76/18/68/.265/.340/.428/9

Starting Pitchers

Tony Gonsolin LAD, RHP, 27.11 – Right shoulder inflammation limited Gonsolin to 55.2 IP. He has two nasty secondaries in his slider and splitter, which put up a 47.8% and 41.4% whiff%, respectively. I would love him more if he was able to maintain the 95.1 MPH fastball he had in 2020, but it dropped down to 93.8 MPH this year. The pitch plays much better at the higher velocity. He also lost his control with a career worst 14.2% BB%. All together he is an above average strikeout pitcher with a career pitching line of 2.85/1.09/148/56 in 142.1 IP. It looks like he has a rotation spot. I’m buying Gonsolin, and the price is very affordable right now. 2022 Projection: 9/3.86/1.27/151 in 140 IP

Julio Urias LAD, LHP, 25.8 – I’ve been beating the don’t forget about Urias drum for a few years now and have consistently been the high man on him. It keeps paying off. Urias went next level breakout in 2021 with a pitching line of 2.96/1.02/195/38 in 185.2 IP. He has plus control (5.1% BB%-Top 6% of the league) of a 3 pitch mix that consistently induces weak contact (86 MPH EV against-Top 6% of the league). 2022 Projection: 14/3.42/1.09/193 in 180 IP

Bullpen

Blake Treinen LAD, Closer (for now), 33.9 – Treinen is the epitome of the volatile reliever with ERA’s all over the map in his 8 year career. 2021 was a great one, and he made real changes which gives hope this one is actually sustainable. He heavily reduced the use of his sinker and went to his slider and cutter more than ever. It led to a strikeout resurgence with a 29.7% K%. His 83.3 MPH EV against lead the league (150 BBE cutoff), with Loaisiga coming in 2nd and Jansen placing 3rd. Speaking of Jansen, Treinen is currently in the closer role, but they could easily bring Jansen back, or acquire a different closer altogether, so going after Treinen in Saves leagues is a risk right now. 2022 Projection: 5/3.30/1.18/71/25 in 65 IP

Los Angeles Dodgers Top 10 Dynasty Baseball Prospects

1) Miguel Vargas LAD, 3B, 22.4 – Vargas is 6’3”, 205 pounds with potentially plus power that he naturally grew into more of this season. He doesn’t have to sell out to get to it, using the entire field and putting up excellent contact numbers. He slashed .319/.380/.526 with 23 homers, 11 steals, and a 16.4%/8.3% K%/BB% in 120 games at mostly Double-A. He’s not a burner but he’s been very successful on the bases in his minor league career (31 for 37 in 297 games), so at the least he won’t be a zero in that category. Vargas has started to get more love this off-season, but he’s still considerably underrated. ETA: 2023 Prime Projection: 86/26/88/.278/.344/.492/7

2) Bobby Miller LAD, RHP, 23.0 – Miller is 6’5”, 220 pounds with good control over a premium, MLB ready 5 pitch mix. His 4 seamer consistently reaches the upper 90’s and his 2 seamer has that nasty tailing action. The slider is plus, the changeup is potentially plus, and his curve can be an effective pitch too. It led to a pitching line of 2.40/0.94/70/13 in 56.1 IP at mostly High-A. He missed 6 weeks with an undisclosed injury and he rarely went more than 4 IP. He also got mashed in the AFL (9.90 ERA), but he mentioned he was specifically working on his curveball, so I wouldn’t be too concerned. Miller still has to prove it over longer outings and for more than 56.1 innings, but he has legitimate ace upside. 2022 Projection: 1/4.21/1.33/22 in 20 IP Prime Projection: 13/3.66/1.23/195 in 170 IP

3) Andy Pages LAD, OF, 21.4 – Pages had the 8th highest flyball percentage in all of the minor leagues among qualified hitters with a 55.3% FB%. It led to 31 homers in 120 games at High-A. He walks a ton with a 14.3% BB% and he has reasonable contact rates too with a 24.5% K%. LA’s High-A ballpark is a pitcher’s park that reduces homers, so he was actually much better on the road (1.016 OPS) than he was at home (.846 OPS). ETA: 2023 Prime Projection: 86/32/89/.255/.345/.503/4

4) Michael Busch LAD, 2B, 24.4 – Busch was unable to carry over his plus contact rates from college (26.1% K% in 107 games at Double-A), but he was able to carry over the power (20 homers) and walks (14.1% BB%). He’s your classic power, patience, and K’s slugger who would be helped if the NL adds a DH, because he’s not a great defensive player. 2022 Projection: Prime Projection: 84/25/84/.260/.347/.481/2

5) Diego Cartaya LAD, C, 20.7 – Cartaya is a big man at 6’3”, 219 pounds, and he had no trouble getting to his at least plus raw power with 10 homers and a 39.2% GB% in just 31 games at Single-A (a passport issue and then a hamstring injury ended his season early). Here he is smoking a 97 MPH fastball for a dinger in June. His 27% K% was high, but he was still able to show a good feel to hit with a .298 BA, and he also had a high 13.1% BB%. ETA: 2024 Prime Projection: 69/26/77/.260/.336/.472/0

6) Landon Knack LAD, RHP, 24.8 – If you’re going to trust just one minor league stat, K/BB rate is a great one to trust, and Knack is elite in that category with an 82/8 K/BB in 62.1 IP split between High-A and Double-A. He throws a mid 90’s fastball up in the zone with 3 secondaries that flash plus (slider, curve, change). He doesn’t go to the change that often and his slider is more consistent than his curve. I’m not necessarily seeing top of the rotation upside, but a low WHIP, high K mid-rotation starter plays up in fantasy. 2022 Projection: 1/4.40/1.30/15 in 15 IP Prime Projection: 11/3.90/1.21/175 in 165 IP

7) Eddys Leonard LAD, SS, 21.4 – Leonard isn’t physically imposing at 6’0”, 160 pounds (probably heavier than that now), but the ball definitely jumps off his bat. He whacked 22 homers in 107 games split between Single-A and High-A. His plate approach was solid with a 23.6%/10.4% K%/BB%, and he has some speed too with 9 steals. He isn’t likely to win you any one category, but he can be a damn good overall hitter. ETA: 2023 Prime Projection: 78/21/76/.265/.339/.446/7

8) Wilman Diaz LAD, SS, 18.5 – Diaz struggled in his first taste of pro ball with an 89 wRC+ and 27.7% K% in 24 games in the DSL. He was getting better as the season went along, and 24 games is a very small sample, so I wouldn’t panic based on the slow start to his career. He still has all the tools that made him a high priced international signing, but he obviously has a long way to go. ETA: 2026 Prime Projection: 82/23/76/.267/.333/.450/12

9) Jorbit Vivas LAD, 2B/3B, 21.1 – Vivas’ power broke out in 2021 with 14 homers in 106 games, but 13 of those homers came at Single-A with Rancho Cucamonga, a known hitter’s paradise, as his home ballpark. He hit just one homer in 23 games at High-A. Regardless, his power definitely ticked up this year, and he combines that with elite contact rates (11.5% K%). He’s a lefty with extreme splits, so there is platoon risk. LA just added Vivas to their 40 man, protecting him from the Rule 5 draft, so they definitely like him a lot. ETA: 2024 Prime Projection: 76/16/68/.278/.342/.423/6

10) Ryan Pepiot LAD, RHP, 24.7 – It’s all about that filthy, double plus changeup for Pepiot. It is one of, if not the best changeup in the minors. He combines that with a mid 90’s fastball and a much improved slider. His control has been an issue going back to college, and it hasn’t improved much with an 11.2% BB% at Double-A and 10.4% BB% at Triple-A. He destroyed Double-A in general (2.87 ERA in 59.2 IP), but he got destroyed in Triple-A (7.13 ERA in 41.2 IP). His control needs to improve to reach his mid rotation upside. 2022 Projection: 2/4.55/1.38/28 in 30 IP Prime Projection: 9/4.17/1.33/160 in 155 IP

Just Missed

11) Jose Ramos LAD, OF, 21.3

Strategy

LA is one of the best developmental organizations in the league, but they can also go out and sign big time free agents to fill any hole they have on the MLB level, so their prospects don’t get a very long leash (see, Gavin Lux). Many times they break in as depth pieces earlier in their career and have to earn more playing time later on. The same goes for their pitchers, as they love to mess with their rotation to give guys extra rest. It can be a nightmare when you are expecting a two start week in weekly lineup leagues. Overall, I don’t shy away from going after their prospects, but lack of playing time/innings is definitely something I factor in.

Previous Teams on Patreon
Arizona Diamondbacks–Baltimore Orioles-Chicago White Sox–Cincinnati Reds–Colorado Rockies–Detroit Tigers–Houston Astros–Miami Marlins–Milwaukee Brewers–Minnesota Twins–New York Mets–New York Yankees–Oakland Athletics–Philadelphia Phillies–Pittsburgh Pirates–Seattle Mariners–San Francisco Giants–St. Louis Cardinals–Tampa Bay Rays–Texas Rangers–Toronto Blue Jays–Washington Nationals

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

Posted on by Michael Halpern

Tampa Bay Rays 2022 Dynasty Baseball Report (Top 10 Prospects/Interesting MLB guys/Strategy Talk)

Along with a Top 10 Dynasty Baseball Prospects Ranking, I wanted to highlight some interesting MLB guys and talk some team specific strategy for every team to give a more complete Dynasty Team Report. Like during the regular season, I’m still going to be posting a few articles a month for free on my website. This is one of those articles. Here is the Tampa Bay Rays 2022 Dynasty Baseball Report (Top 10 Prospects/Interesting MLB guys/Strategy Talk):

CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY PATREON FOR TONS OF CONTENT ALL OFF-SEASON, INCLUDING:
–A Top 100 Sneak Peek of my 2022 Top 1,000 Dynasty Baseball Rankings with more early releases coming all off-season
-Dynasty Team Reports for every team (Top 10 Prospects/Interesting MLB guys/Strategy Talk)
–Positional Dynasty Rankings
-End of Season 2021 Top 466 Dynasty Baseball Rankings
-End of Season 2021 Top 322 Dynasty Prospects Rankings

Hitters

Wander Franco TBR, SS, 21.1 – I ranked Franco 14th overall on my 2021 Top 1,000 Dynasty Rankings, writing, “the floor is so high due to that innate hitting ability that he doesn’t have the normal risks associated with prospects.” Kelenic was my #2 overall prospect, but I ranked him 52nd on the dynasty list because he simply didn’t have that elite floor. And that is exactly how it played out in 2021 with Franco putting up a 12% K% en route to a solid MLB debut, slashing .288/.347/.463 with 7 homers and 2 steals in 70 games (he also knocked out 2 homers in 4 playoff games). The underlying skills are there for a homer/steal breakout as he notched a 28.5 ft/sec sprint speed, 88.2 MPH EV and 9.7 degree launch angle. The arrow is only pointing way up from here. 2022 Projection: 101/23/83/.302/.360/.484/11  Prime Projection: 116/31/111/.320/.392/.555/13

Brandon Lowe TBR, OF/2B, 27.9 – Lowe went bonkos in the 2nd half, slashing .289/.376/.638 with 26 homers and 3 steals in 80 games (.689 OPS in first 69 games). He brought his K% all the way down to 21.1% in 67 games post-break (32.2% in 82 games pre-break). The power was never in question, so if those K% gains are real, it takes Lowe to the next level. 2022 Projection: 89/36/95/.263/.355/.519/6

Randy Arozarena TBR, OF, 27.1 – Arozarena went 20/20 on the dot in 2021, but the underlying numbers are a mixed bag. He had a below average .302 xwOBA (.350 wOBA), 32.4% whiff%, and 7.6 degree launch angle. On the other hand, he had an above average exit velocity (89.9 MPH), BB% (9.3%) and sprint speed (28.8 ft/sec). If you can hit it hard, get on base, and run fast, good things generally happen. I’m more excited for the things he can do well than scared off by the things he doesn’t. 2022 Projection: 88/22/75/.268/.347/.462/17

Austin Meadows TBR, OF, 26.11 – As expected, Meadows bounced back from a Covid induced down 2020 with 27 homers and 106 RBI. He brought his K% down 12.3 percentage points to a career best 20.6%, but he still had a low .234 BA, partly because of bad luck (.249 BABIP) and partly because of a high launch angle (21.7 degrees) mixed with a low FB/LD exit velocity (91.9 MPH). Even in his down 2020, his FB/LD EV was 94.2 MPH, so I’m betting on that bouncing back. There is a Max Kepler-ish vibe that is starting to come from Meadows (and I still think Kepler can have that monster year!), so I’m not as high as I once was on him, but he has the plate approach and power skills to put up a truly big season. 2022 Projection: 82/30/95/.259/.338/.482/6

Pitchers

Shane McClanahan TBR, LHP, 24.11 – I love McClanahan as much as anyone. I’ve been touting him all year and put him in my July 1st, 10 Dynasty Baseball Players to Target article (he put up a 2.97 ERA with 80 strikeouts in 72.2 IP after that). But there is no denying that when batters did made contact, they hit him very hard with a 91.7 MPH EV against (bottom 2% of the league) and 45.7% Hardhit% (bottom 6% of league). Most of the damage comes off his 96.7 MPH fastball, and it brings back to mind helpless little league coaches who had nothing else to say but, “the harder it comes in, the farther it goes out,” as some over grown 12 year old blows like 80 MPH fastballs passed everyone. Those hard hit numbers are the reason for the disparity between his 4.57 xERA and 3.23 xFIP. So which xStat will prevail? I’m betting on it landing somewhere in the middle, leaning more toward xFIP because his ability to miss bats (32% whiff%) and throw the ball over the plate (7.2% BB%) are more important skills to me. 2022 Projection: 12/3.67/1.25/178 in 160 IP

Luis Patino TBR, RHP, 22.5 – Patino held his own as a 21 year old in the majors with a pitching line of 4.31/1.27/74/29 in 77.1 IP on the back of his plus fastball/slider combo. His strikeout and walk rates were about average, and he wasn’t able to develop his changeup very much throwing it only 5% of the time, so on the surface the year wasn’t very exciting, but taking age into account, this is him basically establishing his floor. Upside is still high, even if it might take him a couple years to hit it. 2022 Projection: 8/4.02/1.28/145 in 140 IP Prime Projection: 13/3.62/1.19/190 in 170 IP

Tampa Bay Rays Top 10 Dynasty Baseball Prospects

1) Shane Baz TBR, RHP, 22.10 – Baz’ control took two huge steps forward, going from well below average to near elite with a 1.7% BB% at Double-A, 6.2% at Triple-A, and 6.1% in the majors. He sacrificed nothing to do it, throwing an elite 97 MPH fastball that put up 30.4% whiff%. He combines that with two plus breaking balls in his slider (40.7% whiff%) and curve (50% whiff%), while his changeup lags behind. He’s in a two man race with Grayson Rodriguez for the top pitching prospect in baseball. 2022 Projection: 9/3.78/1.20/148 in 130 IP Prime Projection: 15/3.35/1.07/220 in 187 IP

2) Vidal Brujan TBR, 2B/OF, 24.2 – Brujan couldn’t maintain his early season power surge of 7 homers in his first 16 games (12 homers in 103 games at Triple-A), but his power definitely took a step forward this year. He combines that uptick in power with an elite plate approach (15.4%/11.1% K%/BB%) and plus speed (44 for 52 on the bases). He played all over the field (2B, SS, 3B, OF), and Tampa loves to move guys around, so Brujan is setting up to be the ultimate multi-position eligibility player who will see the field almost everyday at peak. 2022 Projection: 48/7/39/.262/.326/.398/16 Prime Projection: 92/14/66/.283/.355/.423/30

3) Josh Lowe TBR, OF, 24.2 – Lowe blew up at Triple-A, slashing .291/.381/.535 with 22 homers, 26 steals (in 26 attempts), and a 26.2%/13% K%/BB% in 111 games. I’ve been high on him since his 2019 breakout because he is a premium athlete at 6’4”, 205 pounds with a plus power/speed combo and high walk rates. Even though his K% remained high, his hit tool took a step forward this year, which is the one thing that could hold him back. 2022 Projection: 23/7/21/.237/.310/.428/6 Prime Projection: 84/24/76/.256/.338/.467/16

4) Curtis Mead TBR, 3B, 21.5 – Mead has baseball bloodlines with his dad playing professional baseball in Australia. His swing reminds me of my stickball swing, staying upright and loose in the box before ripping liners all over the parking lot, er, baseball field. He hits the ball very hard and makes great contact (15.5% K%), and even though his swing is geared for line drives he still hit 15 homers in 104 games at mostly Single-A (163 wRC+ in 47 games) and High-A (117 wRC+ in 53 games). He is now destroying the AFL, slashing .324/.368/.577 with 3 homers in 18 games. ETA: 2024 Prime Projection: 79/22/85/.276/.332/.457/7

5) Greg Jones TBR, SS, 24.1 – Jones is all about that pure, uncut upside with double plus speed and plus raw power. He knocked 14 homers and was 34 for 36 on the bases in 72 games split between High-A (144 wRC+ in 72 games) and Double-A (60 wRC+ in 16 games). He was a perfect for 7 for 7 on the bases at Double-A, so the stolen base prowess is definitely real. His strikeout rates are in the danger zone (29.2% at High-A and 35% at Double-A), and he’s on the older side, so the risk is very high, but the upside is worth chasing. ETA: 2023 Prime Projection: 75/16/61/.242/.318/.428/24

6) Taj Bradley TBR, RHP, 21.0 – Bradley relies heavily on his plus mid 90’s fastball which he has above average control of and gets plenty of whiffs with. He combines that with a breaking ball that flashes plus, but is still inconsistent, and a lesser used developing changeup. He rolled right through the lower minors with a pitching line of 1.83/0.93/123/31 in 103.1 IP split between Single-A and High-A. Good control of a plus fastball makes him relatively safe, and his ceiling will be determined by how much he can improve his secondaries. ETA: 2023 Prime Projection: 10/3.98/1.25/163 in 160 IP

7) Carson Williams TBR, SS, 18.9 – Selected 28th overall in the 2021 MLB Draft, Williams was one of the youngest players in his class and still stepped right into pro ball and performed well with a 130 wRC+ in 11 games. He has a good feel to hit with quick bat speed, and at 6’2”, 180 pounds more power is definitely coming as he matures. He also has some speed. He’s shaping up to be an above average all category contributor. ETA: 2026 Prime Projection: 79/22/80/.268/.333/.447/9

8) Heriberto Hernandez TBR, OF, 22.4 – Hernandez is your classic 3 true outcome slugger with a 28.1%/15.3% K%/BB% and 44.2% FB% in 73 games at Single-A. He’s always been old for his level and he isn’t good on defense, so playing time could always be a struggle, especially in Tampa’s stacked organization. ETA: 2024 Prime Projection: 74/25/77/.251/.335/.467/4

9) Carlos Colmenarez TBR, SS, 18.3 – A hamate injury limited Colmenarez to 26 games, and he didn’t do much in those games with 0 homers, a 26.3%/7.0% K%/BB% and a 79 wRC+ in the DSL, but it’s too early to go off him. He did manage to lift the ball with a 45.7% FB%, so when the raw power inevitably comes, he won’t have any trouble getting to it in games. He still has that same above average across the board potential which made him a very high priced international signing. ETA: 2026 Prime Projection: 79/20/76/.270/.330/.440/10

10) Ian Seymour TBR, LHP, 23.4 – An elbow injury delayed the start of Seymour’s season until July and limited him to only 55.1 IP, but he quickly proved too advanced for minor league hitters in his pro debut with a pitching line of 1.95/0.81/87/19 split across 3 levels (A, A+, AAA). He doesn’t have huge stuff but he has above average control of a low 90’s fastball and two potentially plus secondaries in his slider and change. He also mixes in a cutter and curve. ETA: 2023 Prime Projection: 9/4.08/1.29/154 in 155 IP

Just Missed

11) Xavier Edwards TBR, 2B, 22.8

12) Cole Wilcox TBR, RHP, 22.9

13) Seth Johnson TBR, RHP, 23.6

Strategy

Tampa Bay can be a nightmare for fantasy owners. They pull their pitchers early and sometimes they don’t even start their starters, they use them as followers. They also use their entire bench and impressive depth to give plenty of days off to all of their position players. While frustrating, there is a method to their madness. They are trying to put their players in the best position to succeed and stay healthy throughout the season, so you can’t be too mad at them. Regardless, it makes me hesitant to go after their pitchers in quality start leagues, and you can’t count on them to rack up innings for you.

Previous Teams on Patreon
Arizona Diamondbacks–Baltimore Orioles-Chicago White Sox–Cincinnati Reds–Colorado Rockies–Detroit Tigers–Houston Astros–Miami Marlins–Milwaukee Brewers–Minnesota Twins–New York Mets–New York Yankees–Oakland Athletics–Philadelphia Phillies–Seattle Mariners–San Francisco Giants–St. Louis Cardinals–Toronto Blue Jays

CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY PATREON FOR TONS OF CONTENT ALL OFF-SEASON, INCLUDING:
–A Top 100 Sneak Peek of my 2022 Top 1,000 Dynasty Baseball Rankings with more early releases coming all off-season
-Dynasty Team Reports for every team (Top 10 Prospects/Interesting MLB guys/Strategy Talk)
–Positional Dynasty Rankings
-End of Season 2021 Top 466 Dynasty Baseball Rankings
-End of Season 2021 Top 322 Dynasty Prospects Rankings

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

Posted on by Michael Halpern

Patreon Post: A Top 100 Sneak Peek of the Top 1,000 2022 Dynasty Baseball Rankings

I’m going to be releasing “Sneak Peeks” of my Top 1,000 Dynasty Baseball Rankings all off-season over on my Patreon. Here is A Top 100 Sneak Peek of the Top 1,000 2022 Dynasty Baseball Rankings:

CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY PATREON FOR THE REST OF THIS ARTICLE AND TONS OF CONTENT ALL OFF-SEASON, INCLUDING:
-Dynasty Team Reports for every team (Top 10 Prospects/Interesting MLB guys/Strategy Talk)
–Positional Dynasty Rankings
-End of Season 2021 Top 466 Dynasty Baseball Rankings
-End of Season 2021 Top 322 Dynasty Prospects Rankings

Tier 1

1) Shohei Ohtani LAA, RHP/DH, 27.9 –Tatis has a shoulder issue. Acuna tore up his knee. Soto and Vlad don’t steal a ton, and they sure as hell don’t pitch. Yea, Ohtani’s older than them, but we are talking about a 27 year old, not someone approaching the dreaded 3 – 0 (see Mike Trout). He’s changed the definition of “all category” and “across the board” production in fantasy baseball forever. 2022 Projection: 96/37/98/.261/.365/.541/22 – 8/3.48/1.15/150 in 125 IP

2) Juan Soto WASH, OF, 23.5 – The underlying stats were elite all season, but it took until the 2nd half for the surface stats to catch up, slashing a ridiculous .348/.525/.639 in 72 games post break. He was my top pick in all non 5×5 AVG leagues last year (I will be updating those “Universal Rankings” this off-season too), and with his OBP projected to outpace everyone by a large margin, I might actually pick him over Ohtani in those leagues this year too. 5.8 degree launch angle is really the only thing you can quibble with. 2022 Projection: 108/33/103/.318/.460/.575/10

3) Ronald Acuna Jr. ATL, OF, 24.3 – Torn ACL could keep him out for at least a month into 2022, and it will be interesting to see how much he is willing to run when he returns. In the long run, missing a month shouldn’t impact his dynasty value too much, but when we are talking about the elite of the elite, every little bit counts. He would easily slot in at #2 without the injury. 2022 Projection: 99/35/85/.282/.389/.583/19

4) Fernando Tatis Jr. SD, SS, 23.3 – Tatis is foregoing surgery on his left shoulder, which after seeing the year Bellinger just had, I don’t blame him. It does add a layer a risk to an otherwise almost spotless fantasy profile. I say “almost” spotless, because his whiff% jumped up 6.8 percentage points to a pretty dangerous 34.8%. 2022 Projection: 102/39/99/.277/.366/.581/21

5) Vladimir Guerrero Jr. TOR, 1B, 23.0 – Vlad raised his launch angle 4.8 degrees to 9.4 degrees and all hell broke loose as he demolished 48 homers. He maintained his near elite K% and also notched a career high 12.3% BB%. This was the breakout we were promised. 2022 Projection: 113/41/110/.298/.385/.590/3

Tier 2

CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY PATREON FOR THE REST OF THIS ARTICLE AND TONS OF CONTENT ALL OFF-SEASON, INCLUDING:
-Dynasty Team Reports for every team (Top 10 Prospects/Interesting MLB guys/Strategy Talk)
–Positional Dynasty Rankings
-End of Season 2021 Top 466 Dynasty Baseball Rankings
-End of Season 2021 Top 322 Dynasty Prospects Rankings

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

Posted on by Michael Halpern

New York Mets 2022 Dynasty Baseball Report (Top 10 Prospects/Interesting MLB guys/Strategy Talk)

Along with a Top 10 Dynasty Baseball Prospects Ranking, I wanted to highlight some interesting MLB guys and talk some team specific strategy for every team to give a more complete Dynasty Team Report. Like during the regular season, I’m still going to be posting a few articles a month for free on my website. This is one of those articles. Here is the New York Mets 2022 Dynasty Baseball Report (Top 10 Prospects/Interesting MLB guys/Strategy Talk):

CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY PATREON FOR TONS OF CONTENT ALL OFF-SEASON, INCLUDING:
–A Top 18 Sneak Peek of my 2022 Top 1,000 Dynasty Baseball Rankings with more early releases coming all off-season
-Dynasty Team Reports for every team (Top 10 Prospects/Interesting MLB guys/Strategy Talk)
–Positional Dynasty Rankings
-End of Season 2021 Top 466 Dynasty Baseball Rankings
-End of Season 2021 Top 322 Dynasty Prospects Rankings

Previous Teams on Patreon
Arizona Diamondbacks–Baltimore Orioles=Chicago White Sox=Miami Marlins–Milwaukee Brewers–Minnesota Twins–New York Yankees–Oakland Athletics–Philadelphia Phillies–Seattle Mariners–St. Louis Cardinals

Hitters

Francisco Lindor NYM, SS, 28.4 – Baseball players are human beings. When you’ve spent your entire career, from the time you were 17 years old, with one organization, it is going to take time to adjust to a new city, new fans, new teammates, coaches, expectations etc … And that goes doubly when that new city is New York. And even if you don’t buy into all that mumbo jumbo, his underlying numbers in 2021 were almost exactly in line with career norms. He just got a bit unlucky this year. One thing slightly outside of his career norms was that he swung and missed at a career worst rate (23.2% whiff%), but he offset that with a career best 11.1% BB%. Lindor is an easy buy this off-season. 2022 Projection: 93/29/85/.267/.344/.482/17

Pete Alonso NYM, 1B, 27.4 – Alonso quietly took a huge step forward with his contact ability, notching career bests in K% (19.9% vs. 25.5% in 2020) and whiff% (24.9% vs. 30.4% in 2020). He also had a career best 91 MPH EV. And while it led to an excellent season (37 homers and a 133 wRC+ in 152 games), there is now potential for him to put up some truly historic seasons as he enters his peak years. I would buy high on Alonso. 2022 Projection: 94/45/112/.268/.357/.561/2

Starting Pitchers

Jacob deGrom NYM, RHP, 33.9 – You almost have to do a double take when looking at deGrom’s season numbers. 1.08 ERA? 0.55 WHIP? 45.1%/3.4% K%/BB%? Give me a second to pick my jaw up off the ground. Of course, in this flawed universe we live in, there always has to be a yang to the yin. He put up those numbers in only 92 IP because of a partial tear in the UCL of his elbow. He already started to throw side sessions at the end of September, so the hope is that he will be 100% for 2022, but it certainly adds a healthy dose of injury risk. 2022 Projection: 13/2.48/0.93/258 in 175 IP

Tylor Megill NYM, RHP, 26.8 – Megill quickly cruised through the upper levels of the minors before immediately impressing in his MLB debut, putting up a 26.1%/7.1% K%/BB% and 3.87 xERA in 89.2 IP. He has the stuff to back up the numbers with an above average 3 pitch mix led by his 94.6 MPH fastball. His 4.52 ERA should keep the hype in check, and I’m planning on grabbing Megill for cheap in every size league I play in this off-season. 2022 Projection: 8/3.90/1.27/161 in 155 IP

Bullpen

Edwin Diaz NYM, Closer, 28.0 – Diaz’ ERA jumped to 3.45, but everything in his underlying numbers shows he is still elite with a 2.63 xERA. His 4 seamer and slider both hit a career high in velocity at 98.8 MPH and 90.6 MPH. His strikeouts did dip a bit, but with a 35.1% whiff% and 34.6% K%, he is still in rarified air. 2022 Projection: 3/2.76/1.10/94/34 saves in 61 IP

New York Mets Top 10 Dynasty Baseball Prospects

1) Francisco Alvarez NYM, C, 20.4 – Alvarez is a bulldog at the plate at 5’10”, 233 pounds with massive raw power and a precocious plate approach. He put up a silly 227 wRC+ with a 10.4%/22.4% K%/BB% in 15 games at the age appropriate Single-A before he went to High-A and bashed 22 homers in 82 games. This is a do it all, middle of the order bat who has a good chance of sticking at catcher. Rutschman is going to have some competition for that top spot in a couple years. ETA: 2023 Prime Projection: 78/30/92/.272/.355/.495/4

2) Mark Vientos NYM, 3B, 22.4 – Vientos is 6’4, 185 pounds and was a power breakout waiting to happen. It happened. He crushed 22 homers in 72 games at Double-A and then he cracked 3 homers in 11 games at Triple-A to close the season. His strikeout rate spiked with the power to 28.4% at Double-A (30.2% at Triple-A), so there is risk, but his power has true elite potential. ETA: 2023 Prime Projection: 76/32/88/.248/.327/.502/1

3) Brett Baty NYM, 3B, 22.4 – Baty personifies the proverbial “professional at-bat.” He slashed .292/.382/.473 with 12 homers and a 25.5%/11.9% K%/BB% in 91 games split between High-A and Double-A. There is some swing and miss to his game (39.3% K% in 13 AFL games) and while he has at least plus power, his groundball percentage is way too high to take advantage of it (61.2% at Double-A). He would rank #2 on an OBP Ranking. ETA: 2023 Prime Projection: 83/25/81/.269/.353/.477/4

4) Alex Ramirez NYM, OF, 19.2 – I fell in love with Ramirez the second I saw his Youtube international prospect hype videos a few years ago. He remains a high upside lottery ticket who the Mets thought enough of to send straight to full season ball for his pro debut. He managed to hold his own with a near average 96 wRC+ and a respectable triple-slash of .258/.326/..384 with 5 homers, 16 steals and a 31.1%/6.9% K%/BB% in 76 games. He’s a projectable 6’3”, 170 pounds with a wicked righty swing and a potentially plus power/speed combo. ETA: 2025 Prime Projection: 78/23/81/.263/.331/.452/17

5) Ronny Mauricio NYM, SS, 21.0 – The power breakout arrived for the 6’3” Mauricio as he ripped 20 homers in 108 games at mostly High-A (1 homer in 8 games at Triple-A). He also cranked out this bomb a few days ago in LIDOM (Dominican Winter League). The plate approach is still raw with a 24.7%/5.7% K%/BB%, but 2021 was a step in the right direction to reaching his considerable upside. ETA: 2023 Prime Projection: 74/24/81/.261/.323/.465/7

6) Matt Allan NYM, RHP, 20.11 – Allan underwent Tommy John surgery in May of 2021 which may keep him out until towards the end of the 2022 season. When healthy, he throws a mid 90’s fastball with a plus, high spin rate curveball and a changeup that was getting rave reviews at the alt site in 2020. He’s only pitched 10.1 professional innings in his career, and is now undergoing major arm surgery, so the risk is high, but so is the upside. ETA: 2024 Prime Projection: 12/3.83/1.25/175 in 160 IP

7) Khalil Lee NYM, OF, 23.9 – Lee has put up elite walk rates throughout his career and it hit a crescendo in 2021 with a career high 18.3% BB% in 102 games at Triple-A. It led to an impressive .951 OPS. He also has plus speed and plus raw power, but his high groundball rates (51.5%) and poor stolen base percentage (8 for 18 in 2021) makes it hard to project big homer and steal totals. His strikeout rates have also always been high with a 29.6% mark in 2021. It’s an interesting mix of tools and skills that has a very wide range of outcomes. 2022 Projection: 31/5/27/.222/.308/.391/4 Prime Projection: 77/18/74/.244/.333/.431/12

8) J.T. Ginn NYM, RHP, 22.10 – Ginn induces extreme groundball rates (64.1% at High-A) with a low 90’s, heavy sinking two seamer that generates a ton of drop and tail action. He combines that with a plus slider and developing changeup. It resulted in a strong season in the lower minors with a pitching line of 3.03/1.05/81/22 in 92 IP split between Single-A and High-A. He had also just undergone Tommy John surgery in March 2020, so he should only get stronger from here. ETA: 2023 Prime Projection: 10/4.06/1.28/159 in 165 IP

9) Carlos Rincon NYM, OF, 24.6 – The 6’3” Rincon has beastly raw power and he has been able to get to all of it his entire professional career with 94 home runs in 479 career games. It was more of the same in 2021 with 22 homers in 101 games at Double-A. He doesn’t have any problem keeping the ball off the ground and while his strikeout rates have always been high, a 26.8% mark in 2021 isn’t that bad. 2022 Projection: 6/2/11/.218/.291/.415/1 Prime Projection: 66/22/72/.243/.318/.475/3

10) Jose Butto NYM, RHP, 24.0 – Butto is the type of pitcher to work fast and throw the ball over the plate. A nasty changeup is his money maker and he combines that with an average slider and a low 90’s fastball that seems pretty hittable. He put together a strong year split between High-A and Double-A with a pitching line of 3.83/1.10/110/24 in 98.2 IP. He has a 4/5 starter profile with mid rotation upside if the fastball or breaking ball tick up. 2022 Projection: 1/4.52/1.35/27 in 30 IP Prime Projection: 8/4.24/1.31/153 in 160 IP

Just Missed

11) Joel Diaz NYM, RHP, 18.1

12) Calvin Ziegler NYM, RHP, 19.6

13) Dominic Hamel NYM, RHP, 23.1

14) Carlos Cortes NYM, OF, 24.5

Strategy Talk

It seemed like things were headed in the right direction when Steve Cohen took over as owner, but it’s been nothing but a hilarity of errors since then. They’ve been turned down by everyone with a pulse for their open front office job. And it turns out one of the people involved in that search is none other than noted baseball mind Chris Christie. Their former GM got fired for a DWI after attending a party at Cohen’s house earlier that night. And all of this just makes me think of a story of one of my favorite comedians, Chris Distefano, told about bombing in front of Steve Cohen at his birthday. He might be a good time to hang out with, but I’m not sure I would want him owning my favorite baseball team. What does all this mean for dynasty owners? Admittedly not much because we still don’t know who is going to be running the show, and the Mets haven’t had any major issues developing talent, except when it comes to pitcher injuries. Even with the circus like atmosphere, I wouldn’t shy away from Mets prospects.

CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY PATREON FOR TONS OF CONTENT ALL OFF-SEASON, INCLUDING:
–A Top 18 Sneak Peek of my 2022 Top 1,000 Dynasty Baseball Rankings with more early releases coming all off-season
-Dynasty Team Reports for every team (Top 10 Prospects/Interesting MLB guys/Strategy Talk)
–Positional Dynasty Rankings
-End of Season 2021 Top 466 Dynasty Baseball Rankings
-End of Season 2021 Top 322 Dynasty Prospects Rankings

Previous Teams on Patreon
Arizona Diamondbacks–Baltimore Orioles=Chicago White Sox=Miami Marlins–Milwaukee Brewers–Minnesota Twins–New York Yankees–Oakland Athletics–Philadelphia Phillies–Seattle Mariners–St. Louis Cardinals

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

Posted on by Michael Halpern

St. Louis Cardinals 2022 Dynasty Baseball Report (Top 10 Prospects/Interesting MLB guys/Strategy Talk)

I decided to switch it up a little bit, and instead of only doing a Top 10 Prospect list, I wanted to highlight some MLB guys too and talk some team specific strategy for every team to give a more complete Dynasty Team Report. Like during the regular season, I’m still going to be posting a few articles a month for free on my website. This is one of those articles. Here is the St. Louis Cardinals 2022 Dynasty Baseball Report (Top 10 Prospects/Interesting MLB guys/Strategy Talk):

CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY PATREON FOR TONS OF CONTENT ALL OFF-SEASON, INCLUDING:
-Dynasty Team Reports for every team (Top 10 Prospects/Interesting MLB guys/Strategy Talk)
–Positional Dynasty Rankings
-A slow rollout and early access to my 2022 Top 1,000 Dynasty Baseball Rankings
-End of Season 2021 Top 466 Dynasty Baseball Rankings
-End of Season 2021 Top 322 Dynasty Prospects Rankings

Previous Team Reports on Patreon
Arizona Diamondbacks/Baltimore Orioles/Chicago White Sox/Miami Marlins/Milwaukee Brewers/Minnesota Twins/New York Yankees/Oakland Athletics/Philadelphia Phillies/St. Louis Cardinals

Hitters

Tyler O’Neill STL, OF, 26.9 – Who needs a good plate approach anyway? O’Neill is just a power/speed glutton, smashing 34 homers with a 93 MPH EV, and stealing 15 bags with a 29.7 ft/s sprint speed. There is tons of risk with a 31.3%/7.1% K%/BB% and 34.7% whiff%, but you can’t rule out improvement there with only 892 MLB AB under his belt. The BA is certainly coming down, but the power/speed combo is elite, and I’m willing to take on the risk for that upside 2022 Projection: 85/32/86/.263/.337/.510/13

Dylan Carlson STL, OF, 23.5 – Carlson is basically the anti Tyler O’Neill, putting together a yawner of a year, but sometimes boring can be good. He put up a 113 wRC+ in his rookie year which is quite good, he showed a mature plate approach with a 24.6%/9.2% K%/BB%, and he showed the ability to lift the ball with a 15.1 degree launch angle. He also popped off in his final 16 games with 5 homers and a 1.157 OPS to show what could be in store for the future. Carlson is a major buy this off-season. 2022 Projection: 89/23/79/.273/.350/.468/5

Starting Pitching

 Jack Flaherty STL, RHP, 26.6 – I’m starting to grow a bit concerned with Flaherty. He put up a 5.07 xERA in 2020 and a 4.83 xERA in 2021. He missed time with an oblique strain earlier in the year and then with a shoulder strain later in the year, and his velocity was down a bit when he returned from those injuries. I guess you can look at this as a buying opportunity, but I would be hesitant to buy at name value price right now. If you can get a discount, then by all means. 2022 Projection: 10/3.83/1.18/181 in 168 IP

Adam Wainwright STL, RHP, 40.7 – Wainwright is a reminder that age can be such a dominating factor for dynasty owners, that older players can consistently get undervalued. He was a major reason why the eventual champion in my 12 team QS Dynasty League pulled away from the pack in the 2nd half of the season after I stupidly turned down multiple opportunities to trade for him myself before the deadline (I snuck into 2nd place on the final day of the season). He’s outperformed his xERA, xFIP, and FIP for the last 3 years, so I’m not exactly going after him, but I’m not going to completely dismiss him either. 2022 Projection: 11/3.95/1.27/156 in 175 IP

Bullpen

Alex Reyes STL, RHP, 27.7 – Reyes rightfully lost the closer job to Gallegos late in the year, and now has his eye on a rotation spot for 2022. He certainly has the arsenal to do it with a 5 pitch mix headlined by a 96.6 MPH 4-seamer and an elite slider, but his control is truly atrocious with a 16.4% BB%. He’s the ultimate high risk/high reward pitcher. If he improves his control, there is legitimate ace upside, but there is also a really good chance he ends up a high WHIP middle reliever. I’m prone to lean upside in fantasy, so I’ll definitely be willing to “overpay” by a few bucks (or a few rounds) in leagues where he is available this off-season. 2022 Projection: 7/3.89/1.34/130 in 115 IP

St. Louis Cardinals Top 10 Dynasty Prospects

1) Nolan Gorman STL, 3B/2B, 21.11 – Gorman’s hit tool took a huge step forward this year. He brought his K% down to 22% in the upper levels of the minors (29.7% in 2019), and he didn’t sacrifice much power with 25 homers in 119 games (and he’s already knocked one out in 3 games in the Arizona Fall League). The ingredients are there for him to become a complete middle of the order masher. 2022 Projection: 38/12/36/.248/.312/.445/2 Prime Projection: 83/28/90/.266/.339/.491/4

2) Jordan Walker STL, 3B, 19.10 – Walker has huge raw power at 6’5”, 220 pounds, and he got to a lot of it in his pro debut with 25 doubles, 4 triples, and 14 homers in 82 games split between Single-A and High-A. He’s also a good athlete for his size as he snagged 14 bags. While his plate approach regressed at High-A (27%/6.1% K%/BB%), it looked more advanced than expected at the age appropriate Single-A (17.2%/14.8% K%/BB%). He’s far from a finished product, but there is star upside. ETA: 2024 Prime Projection: 86/29/93/.262/.344/.502/8

3) Juan Yepez STL, 1B/3B/OF, 24.0 – Yepez completely destroyed the upper levels of the minors, slashing .286/.383/.586 with 27 homers and a 18.9%/11.8% K%/BB% in 111 games at mostly Triple-A. He carried that right over to the Arizona Fall League, going 3 for 10 with a homer, double, and 2/1 K/BB in 3 games. He’s always made solid contact throughout his minor league career and was showing seeds of a power breakout in 2019 before exploding in 2021. He’s not great on defense and he doesn’t exactly have a position, but you can’t ignore those offensive numbers. 2022 Projection: 21/5/25/.241/.303/.434/1 Prime Projection: 73/24/81/.258/.325/.470/3

4) Matthew Liberatore STL, LHP, 22.5 – Liberatore was given an aggressive assignment, jumping straight from Single-A in 2019 to Triple-A in 2021. He was a bit up and down in the first half, but he finished the season strong with a 2.55 ERA and 53/14 K/BB in his final 53 IP, which is a great sign. He doesn’t have overpowering stuff, but he has plus command of a 4 pitch mix and he knows how to pitch. 2022 Projection: 4/4.37/1.32/73 in 80 IP Prime Projection: 12/3.91/1.22/182 in 190 IP

5) Masyn Winn STL, SS/RHP, 20.0 – Winn might actually have a shot at being a two way player as he has explosive tools as both a pitcher and hitter. At the very least it gives him a legitimate back up plan if he can’t make enough of an impact at the plate. As for his hitting, he didn’t show much power in his pro debut with only 5 homers in 97 games split between Single-A and High-A, but there is more power coming down the line, and he had the wheels working with 32 steals in 37 attempts (obligatory disclaimer: rule changes made stealing bases easier at Single-A and High-A). He put up a 112 wRC+ in 61 games at Single-A before struggling at High-A with a 48 wRC+ in 36 games. As a pitcher, St. Louis gave him one inning towards the end of the season to show his stuff, and he impressed with a mid 90’s fastball and a nasty breaking ball. He pitched a clean inning with one K. ETA: 2024 Prime Projection: 77/15/62/.261/.320/.415/17 – 2/3.95/1.31/36 in 30 IP

6) Joshua Baez STL, OF, 18.9 – Drafted 54th overall in the 2021 MLB Draft, Baez was one of the youngest players in the draft and has one of the best power projections, notching a 102 MPH exit velocity at a Perfect Game event. He’s also relatively fast with a 6.67 60 yard dash time, showing he is not just a lumbering slugger. He doesn’t project for major strikeout issues, but there is some swing and miss to his game. ETA: 2025 Prime Projection: 79/25/84/.253/.336/.473/8

7) Ivan Herrera STL, C, 21.10 – Power broke out with 17 homers in 98 games at Double-A (played 1 game at Triple-A), and the plate approach remained strong with a 22%/13.7% K%/BB%. He’s not going to be a league winner, but he should be in the top 12 catcher conversation at peak. ETA: 2023 Prime Projection:  69/20/73/.271/.342/.448/2

8) Alec Burleson STL, OF, 23.4 – Burleson was drafted 70th overall in 2020 on the back of his strong hit tool, but there was definitely more power in the tank at 6’2”, 212 pounds. That power was unleashed in 2021 as he cracked 22 homers in 119 games split between 3 levels (A+/AA/AAA). He didn’t sacrifice his hit tool to get to it either as he put up a 20.1%/8.3% K%/BB%. The ceiling might not be huge, but he has a chance to be a damn good overall hitter. 2022 Projection: 8/2/11/.245/.300/.410/0 Prime Projection: 68/20/75/.273/.330/.453/2

9) Michael McGreevy STL, RHP, 21.9 – Drafted 18th overall in the 2021 MLB Draft, McGreevy is a control artist who had a 1.5 BB/9 in his college career over 189.1 IP. The stuff isn’t huge with a low 90’s sinker and 3 secondaries (curve-best secondary, slider, change), but he’s young for his class and there could be more in the tank. ETA: 2023 Prime Projection: 10/4.18/1.26/158 in 170 IP

10) Lars Nootbaar STL, OF, 24.7 – Tink Hence was originally in this #10 spot, but Nootbaar’s AFL performance made me rethink that. He’s going bonkers in Arizona, slashing .314/.437/.643 with 5 homers and a 15/14 K/BB in 18 games. He held his own in his MLB debut with a 101 wRC+, an above average 89.1 MPH exit velocity and an advanced plate approach (22.6%/10/5% K%/BB%). He’s never stolen many bases, but he does have speed with a 28.4 ft/sec sprint speed. I’m worried he’s only a part time player, which is why I didn’t have him in the top 10 to begin with, but he deserves to crack this list. 2022 Projection: 41/10/38/.258/.327/.420/2 Prime Projection: 74/19/68/.272/.338/.448/4

11) Tink Hence STL, RHP, 19.8 – Hence was the 63rd overall pick in the 2020 Draft. He shows good control of a fastball that can reach 96 MPH, to go along with a plus slider and developing changeup. He has an easy delivery with lightening quick arm speed. ETA: 2025 Prime Projection: 9/4.12/1.28/167 in 160 IP

Just Missed

12) Luken Baker STL, 1B, 25.1

13) Brendan Donovan STL, 3B/2B, 25.2 

14) Zack Thompson STL, LHP, 24.5 

Strategy

St. Louis is known for their keen eye on drafting underrated hitters and their top notch ability to develop them. They do such a good job of it that there always seems to be a logjam for playing time, and it can be hard for them to know which ones to keep and which ones to trade. The ones they kept finally had big years, O’Neill especially, but Bader too. Guys like Burleson and Yepez fit this mold exactly, and both will almost certainly end up better values than it will cost to acquire them this off-season. If they can’t find playing time in St. Louis, they will get flipped to a team that does have room for them.

CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY PATREON FOR TONS OF CONTENT ALL OFF-SEASON, INCLUDING:
-Dynasty Reports for every team (Top 10 Prospects/Interesting MLB guys/Strategy Talk)
–Positional Dynasty Rankings
-A slow rollout and early access to my Top 1,000 Dynasty Baseball Rankings
-End of Season Top 466 2021 Dynasty Baseball Rankings
-End of Season Top 322 Dynasty Prospects Rankings

Previous Team Reports on Patreon
Arizona Diamondbacks/Baltimore Orioles/Chicago White Sox/Miami Marlins/Milwaukee Brewers/Minnesota Twins/New York Yankees/Oakland Athletics/Philadelphia Phillies/St. Louis Cardinals

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

Posted on by Michael Halpern

Patreon Post: Top 322 September 2021 Dynasty Baseball Prospects Rankings

I went tiers on this one, because why not? Here is the Top 322 September 2021 Dynasty Baseball Prospects Rankings:

CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY PATREON FOR THE REST OF THIS ARTICLE AND TONS OF CONTENT THE REST OF THE SEASON AND ALL OFF-SEASON, INCLUDING:
-Top 466 September 2021 Dynasty Baseball Rankings
-2021/22 Top 50 First Year Player Draft Dynasty Baseball Rankings
-Tons of Dynasty Rundowns
-Off-season content: Team Prospect Lists, Positional Dynasty Rankings, and early access to the Top 1,000 Dynasty Baseball Rankings

Tier 1
1) Bobby Witt Jr. KC, SS, 21.3 – Your only job if you have Witt or Julio in your farm system is to resist the urge to trade them for the inevitable Trevor Story offer

2) Julio Rodriguez SEA, OF, 20.9

Tier 2

3) Spencer Torkelson DET, 3B/1B, 22.1

4) Brennen Davis CHC, OF, 21.11 – Put the cherry on top of his awesome season with 3 homers in 6 games at Triple-A

5) Riley Greene DET, OF, 21.0

6) CJ Abrams SD, SS, 21.0

7) Grayson Rodriguez BAL, RHP, 21.11 – Pitchers hold more risk. There is no way around that, but at some point you have to shoot your shot. Rodriguez and Baz are two great pitchers to shoot your shot on.

8) Shane Baz TB, RHP, 22.3 – Talk of the baseball town after showing off his elite stuff on the MLB stage. He went 5 IP with 2 hits, 2 ER, and a 5/0 K/BB vs. Toronto yesterday. The fastball sat 96.9 MPH and his slider dominated with a 50% whiff% and 40% usage rate.

9) Adley Rutschman BAL, C, 23.8

Tier 3

10) Zac Veen COL, OF, 19.8

11) Noelvi Marte SEA, OF, 19.11

12) Vidal Brujan TB, 2B, 23.8

13) Anthony Volpe NYY, SS, 20.5 – It took him 14 games to hit his first homer this year, and then he didn’t take a breath as he smashed 27 homers in 95 games the rest of the way

14) Marco Luciano SF, SS, 20.0 – Never turned it on at High-A, struggling to the very end with a .542 OPS and 17 K’s in 13 games in September

15) Jasson Dominguez NYY, OF, 18.8 – It wasn’t a perfect season, but he ended up an above average hitter as an 18 year old in full season ball with a 105 wRC+

16) Luis Matos SF, OF, 19.7 – Closed the season on a homer binge with 3 homers in his last 7 games. It gives him a respectable 15 homers on the season in 109 games

17) Corbin Carroll ARI, OF, 21.1

18) Robert Hassell SD, OF, 20.1 – K% jumped to 28.7% at High-A in 18 games, but the power jumped with it with a 48.1% FB% and 4 homers

19) Hunter Greene CIN, RHP, 22.2 – He may have hit a wall at the end of the season after pitching the most innings of his career by far (106.1 IP) with a 5.23 ERA and 19/8 K/BB in his last 20.2 IP

CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY PATREON FOR THE REST OF THIS ARTICLE AND TONS OF CONTENT THE REST OF THE SEASON AND ALL OFF-SEASON, INCLUDING:
-Top 466 September 2021 Dynasty Baseball Rankings
-2021/22 Top 50 First Year Player Draft Dynasty Baseball Rankings
-Tons of Dynasty Rundowns
-Off-season content: Team Prospect Lists, Positional Dynasty Rankings, and early access to the Top 1,000 Dynasty Baseball Rankings

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

Posted on by Michael Halpern

Patreon Post: Top 465 September 2021 Dynasty Baseball Rankings

I’m finishing the season strong with the final Updated Dynasty Baseball Rankings before I go over 1,000 deep this off-season. Here is the Top 465 September 2021 Dynasty Baseball Rankings:

CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY PATREON FOR THE REST OF THIS ARTICLE AND TONS OF CONTENT THE REST OF THE SEASON AND ALL OFF-SEASON, INCLUDING:
-Top 316 August 2021 Dynasty Baseball Prospects Rankings
-2021/22 Top 50 First Year Player Draft Dynasty Baseball Rankings
-Tons of Dynasty Rundowns
-Off-season content: Team Prospect Lists, Positional Dynasty Rankings, and early access to the Top 1,000 Dynasty Baseball Rankings

1) Shohei Ohtani LAA, RHP/DH, 27.2 – I’ve officially run out of shit to say for him. I’m speechless (written word less?)

2) Fernando Tatis Jr. SD, SS, 22.9 – Announced in this interview that his move to the outfield is temporary and he isn’t planning on getting off-season shoulder surgery. He’s attempted only 1 steal in his last 18 games since returning from his latest shoulder injury. I think it is fair to wonder if he will continue to be more cautious on the base paths moving forward.

3) Vlad Guerrero Jr. TOR, 1B, 22.6 – Had been slumping a bit with a .672 OPS in 26 games from Aug 3-29, but he broke out of it in a big way with 4 homers in his last 7 games.

4) Juan Soto WASH, OF, 22.11 – .505 OBP post all star break.

5) Ronald Acuna ATL, OF, 23.9

6) Bo Bichette TOR, SS, 23.6 – Has only been caught stealing once all year in 22 attempts

7) Trea Turner LAD, SS, 28.2

8) Kyle Tucker HOU, OF, 23.9 – Hasn’t struck out a single time in his last 37 PA and has a .818 SLG over that time

9) Ozzie Albies ATL, 2B, 24.8 – Homered in 3 straight games and has 9 homers in his last 23 games.

10) Luis Robert CHW, OF, 24.1 – 16.8% K% since returning is insanely encouraging. He’s also smacked 6 homers in those 21 games

11) Wander Franco TB, SS, 20.6 – Homer and steal totals aren’t huge with 7 homers and 2 steals in 59 games, but trading a 20-year-old Franco for one of the 28 year olds ranked after him seems like a decision you will regret pretty quickly.

12) Bryce Harper PHI, OF, 28.10 – Smoked 13 homers in his last 38 games

13) Mookie Betts LAD, OF, 28.11 – .667 OPS in his last 11 games since returning from right hip inflammation

14) Jose Ramirez CLE, 3B, 28.10 – Picked up the pace on the bases with 9 steals in his last 26 games

15) Rafael Devers BOS, 3B, 24.10

16) Mike Trout LAA, OF, 30.1

17) Yordan Alvarez HOU, OF, 24.2

18) Corbin Burnes MIL, RHP, 26.11

CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY PATREON FOR THE REST OF THIS ARTICLE AND TONS OF CONTENT THE REST OF THE SEASON AND ALL OFF-SEASON, INCLUDING:
-Top 316 August 2021 Dynasty Baseball Prospects Rankings
-2021/22 Top 50 First Year Player Draft Dynasty Baseball Rankings
-Tons of Dynasty Rundowns
-Team Prospect Lists, Positional Dynasty Rankings, and early access to the Top 1,000 Dynasty Baseball Rankings

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

Posted on by Michael Halpern

Patreon Post: Top 314 August 2021 Dynasty Baseball Prospects Rankings

I was very strict with my definition of a prospect in this one. Any player currently in the majors was excluded. Here is the Top 314 August 2021 Dynasty Baseball Prospects Rankings

CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY PATREON FOR THE REST OF THIS ARTICLE AND TONS OF CONTENT THE REST OF THE SEASON AND ALL OFF-SEASON, INCLUDING:
-Top 422 August 2021 Dynasty Baseball Rankings
-2021/22 Top 50 First Year Player Draft Dynasty Baseball Rankings
-Tons of Dynasty Rundowns
-10 Dynasty Baseball Players to Target
-Dynasty Baseball Trade Strategies at the Halfway Point (Contending, Mid Pack, Rebuilding)

1) Bobby Witt Jr. KC, SS, 21.2 – He destroyed Spring Training. He obliterated Double-A. He’s annihilating Triple-A. MLB … you’re next

2) Julio Rodriguez SEA, OF, 20.8 – Plate approach has been better than Witt’s in the minors, so I might lean Julio in a league where speed is devalued, but Witt’s speed puts him over the top in a 5×5.

3) Brennen Davis CHC, OF, 21.10 – Strikeout rate has improved tremendously in his last 25 games at Double-A with a 22.4%/14.3% K%/BB%. He’s only 7 for 11 in stolen base attempts in 73 games on the year, so while he will contribute in stolen bases, he may not get close to 20

4) CJ Abrams SD, SS, 20.11 – With Tatis playing outfield, it now looks like the shortstop position is Abrams to lose in the long run.

5) Marco Luciano SF, SS, 19.11 – Strikeout rate has spiked to 42.9% in 17 games at High-A, but we’ve seen Luciano play this game before at a new level. Fool me once …

6) Spencer Torkelson DET, 3B/1B, 22.0– First six games at Triple-A have been rough with a 8/0 K/BB and a .465 OPS. Even if he doesn’t end up dominating the level by the end of the season (and I think he will), it’s been a hell of a year in his first year of pro ball.

7) Riley Greene DET, OF, 20.11 – Strikeouts are a concern with his K% rising to 38.5% at Triple-A (27.3% at Double-A), but considering his age relative to level, that should come down over time.

8) Zac Veen COL, OF, 19.7 – Continued to kill it in August, slashing .400/.467/.631 in 17 games.

9) Vidal Brujan TB, 2B, 23.7 – He hasn’t hit single homer since being sent back down, but he’s been an absolute hit machine with a 7.8% K% and .352 BA in 23 games. He also has a 13.6% BB% and 17 stolen bases over that time.

10) Noelvi Marte SEA, OF, 19.10 – He might be ready for a promotion as he’s ripped up Single-A in August with a .965 OPS and 8 steals in 18 games

11) Luis Matos SF, OF, 19.6 – He’s powering up with 9 homers in his last 49 games

12) Adley Rutschman BAL, C, 23.7 – Hasn’t missed a beat at Triple-A, maintaining his near elite 15.2% K% and putting up a 162 wRC+ in 10 games

13) Corbin Carroll ARI, OF, 21.0 – I’m seeing him being traded for a mighty reasonable price. The shoulder injury seems to have created a buying opportunity.

14) Grayson Rodriguez BAL, RHP, 21.10 – He always seems to have a bad start right before I update these rankings. He gave up 5 earned in 3.2 IP on Sunday, but he has continued to dominate the level with a 2.92 ERA (2.67 xFIP). I can see pushing Rodriguez up to as high as 9th on this list if you prefer the pitcher.

CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY PATREON FOR THE REST OF THIS ARTICLE AND TONS OF CONTENT THE REST OF THE SEASON AND ALL OFF-SEASON, INCLUDING:
-Top 422 August 2021 Dynasty Baseball Rankings
-2021/22 Top 50 First Year Player Draft Dynasty Baseball Rankings
-Tons of Dynasty Rundowns
-10 Dynasty Baseball Players to Target
-Dynasty Baseball Trade Strategies at the Halfway Point (Contending, Mid Pack, Rebuilding)

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

Posted on by Michael Halpern

Patreon Post: Top 422 August 2021 Dynasty Baseball Rankings

The trade deadline is approaching in many leagues and now is your last chance to make any last minute deals to fine tune that championship roster, or plan ahead for 2022. Here is the Top 422 August 2021 Dynasty Baseball Rankings:

CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY PATREON FOR THE REST OF THIS ARTICLE AND TONS MORE, INCLUDING:
-Top 300 July 2021 Dynasty Baseball Prospects Rankings
-2021/22 Top 50 First Year Player Draft Dynasty Baseball Rankings
-Tons of Dynasty Rundowns
-10 Dynasty Baseball Players to Target
-Dynasty Baseball Trade Strategies at the Halfway Point (Contending, Mid Pack, Rebuilding)

1) Shohei Ohtani LAA, RHP/DH, 27.1 – Ohtani is making himself at home in this top spot. He actually managed to improve on the sole thing he was struggling with, his control, as he walked only 2 batters in his last 19 IP since last month’s update. He is so miraculous, I’m half expecting him to turn 26 years old next year. But seriously, even being four and a half years older than his main competition for this top stop, I’m not sure how you can turn down this level of all category production.

2) Fernando Tatis Jr. SD, SS, 22.7 – I wrote that the shoulder injury was “still in the back of my mind” on the July rankings, and it is now in the front of everyone’s mind with Tatis going down with a shoulder injury yet again. It looks as if he is going to try to gut through it this year, possibly as an outfielder, and then I wouldn’t be surprised if he underwent off-season surgery (but that is pure speculation based on zero medical knowledge).

3) Vlad Guerrero Jr. TOR, 1B, 22.5 – Only has an .888 OPS in the last month. It’s all falling apart :). Vlad gets the slight nod over Soto because of the beastly lineup he hits in.

4) Juan Soto WASH, OF, 22.9 – That “inevitable monster 2nd half” I called for in the July rankings has arrived in force, as Soto has a 1.204 OPS in his last 22 games.

5) Ronald Acuna ATL, OF, 23.8 – Tore his ACL and will be out for at least the rest of the this season, and who knows how much it cuts into his 2022 season. It is also fair to question if he will take it easy on the base paths when he does return. If non competing in a 5×5, I likely still rank him above Vlad and Soto.

6) Bo Bichette TOR, SS, 23.5 – The pure hitting numbers, both surface and underlying, aren’t necessarily elite, but the guy is a machine in a 5×5 league with 20 homers, 17 steals, and a .293 BA. He’s still only 23 years old, and I’m betting that his best is yet to come.

7) Trea Turner LAD, SS, 28.1 – He’s gunning for a 30/30 season and he now sits atop the Dodgers’ lineup.

8) Kyle Tucker HOU, OF, 23.8 – I hope you stayed patient through his April struggles because the underlying numbers didn’t lie as Tucker continues to explode with a .945 OPS post all star break. He’s an elite all category stud.

9) Bryce Harper PHI, OF, 28.9 – Harper’s BB% was sitting at a career low 12.9% in the last update and I mentioned it has nowhere to go but up, and up is exactly where it went as it now sits at 14.6%.

10) Mookie Betts LAD, OF, 28.10 – Hip injury has been a thorn in Betts’ side all season, but he was exploding when he was on the field with a 1.415 OPS in his last 13 games.

11) Jose Ramirez CLE, 3B, 28.9 – Quietly putting together another elite fantasy season. He is running at his lowest rate since 2017, and as he approaches his 30’s, I think you have to expect that to continue.

12) Rafael Devers BOS, 3B, 24.9 – BB% continues to rise as he’s walked 13 times in his last 21 games to bring his career best mark up to 9.6%

13) Mike Trout LAA, OF, 30.0 – The big 3 – 0 is here and Trout was fittingly sitting on the IL for his birthday due to this calf injury that just won’t heal. It hurts me to do it, but father time is undefeated, and he slides out of my top 10

CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY PATREON FOR THE REST OF THIS ARTICLE AND TONS MORE, INCLUDING:
-Top 300 July 2021 Dynasty Baseball Prospects Rankings
-2021/22 Top 50 First Year Player Draft Dynasty Baseball Rankings
-Tons of Dynasty Rundowns
-10 Dynasty Baseball Players to Target
-Dynasty Baseball Trade Strategies at the Halfway Point (Contending, Mid Pack, Rebuilding)

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