Posted on by Michael Halpern

Dynasty Baseball Rundown: 3/3/21

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Vlad Guerrero Jr. TOR, 1B – Crushed a 113.2 MPH groundout. Skinnier Vlad, same results (so far).

Pablo Lopez MIA, RHP – 2 IP with 2 hits and a K. Lopez came out firing about 95 MPH heat, which could be a small bump up from last season’s 93.9 MPH mark. If the velocity bump holds, it would make him an even more attractive target than he already is.

Orelvis Martinez TOR, SS – Smacked a 105.3 MPH single with a 9 degree launch angle. Martinez has the type of plus hit, plus power profile that could put him in the conversation as a top 10 prospect in short order.

 Ke’Bryan Hayes PIT, 3B – Continues his hard hitting ways with a 104.1 MPH lineout at a 19 degree launch angle, and also ripped a 99.7 MPH double at a 19 degree launch angle. The high exit velocity from 2020 does not look like a fluke thus far.

Casey Mize DET, RHP – Mize came out slinging fire, with the fastball and sinker both reaching 96.3 MPH and consistently sat 94-96 MPH on both pitches. It is a small bump from last year. He struck out 3 and walked 3 in 2 IP, so he was struggling to control his stuff.

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

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

Posted on by Michael Halpern

Dynasty Baseball Rundown: 3/2/21

I know, I know, it is too early to draw any conclusions and it is silly to extrapolate much from Spring Training numbers, but I’m excited for baseball and I’m following everything so closely anyway so why not write about it. I did yesterday’s Rundown in podcast form which you can find the link to below. Here is the Dynasty Baseball Rundown: 3/2/21:

-Halp’s Dynasty Baseball Podcast: 3/1/21 Dynasty Rundown
-Top 1,000 2021 Dynasty Baseball Rankings

Nate Pearson TOR, RHP – Pearson was dialing the fastball up to 99.9 MPH en route to 1 IP with 2 K’s, 1 BB and 1 unearned run. I’m expecting the WHIP to be on the high side early in his career, but so will the strikeouts.

Austin Martin TOR, OF – 0 for 1 with a walk and stolen base. Martin is the type of all around player who can contribute and produce even when the hits aren’t falling.

Anthony Alford PIT, OF – Smacked a dinger, going 1 for 2 with a strikeout. Alford got a relatively late start on focusing solely on baseball as a two sport athlete, so he has late career breakout written all over him. He’s a great athlete with an above average power/speed combo and a wide open centerfield job in Pittsburgh. He is shaping up to be an interesting late round flier.

Thomas Szapucki NYM, RHP – 1 IP with a hit and strikeout. It looks like he is going to work out of the pen at least early in his career. He knows how to strike guys out and is someone who could really pop in one inning stints.

Sandy Alcantara MIA, RHP – 2 IP with 2 hits, 1 BB and 0 K’s. The average strikeout rate is what made me hesitant to move Alcantara too far up in my dynasty rankings.

Brent Rooker MIN, OF – Knocked a dinger. All the focus is on Kirilloff for that open OF job, but Rooker is in the mix too with his monster power.

Garrett Mitchell MIL, OF – Crushed a 109.7 MPH single with a 4 degree launch angle in his only at bat of the game. That shows the raw power and impressive overall upside if he is able to raise his launch angle.

Corbin Burnes MIL, RHP – Pitched a clean inning with 2 K’s. Looked to be in mid-season form, ramping his sinker up to 98.2 MPH.

Bryson Stott PHI, SS – Ripped a 108.7 MPH groundball single. Stott was the 14th overall pick in 2019 and is 6’3”, 200 pounds, so while he hasn’t shown truly impact power yet,  there could be more in the tank.

Austin Hays BAL, OF – 2 for 2 with a pair of singles in his first game action. He’s competing with Cedric Mullins for the CF job.

Jameson Taillon NYY, RHP – In his first game action since undergoing Tommy John surgery, Taillon was able to hit 93.4 MPH on the fastball. The pitch has averaged about 95 MPH in his career, so it is something to watch.

Josh Lowe TB, OF – 1 for 1 with a walk and stolen base. He’s been getting underrated since he had a rough 2017 and 2018, but he broke out in 2019 and is capable of putting up high OBP’s with a plus power/speed combo.

Riley Greene DET, OF – 1 for 1 with a stolen base. He is such a good all around hitter that if he gets the green light on the base paths it could take his fantasy value to the next level.

DJ Stewart BAL, OF – Ripped a homer, going 1 for 3 with 0 strikeouts. His power and patience exploded in 2020, and his upside is probably not getting enough respect in drafts.

Nick Yorke BOS, 2B – Drafted 17th overall on the back of his plus hit tool and advanced plate approach and he didn’t disappoint in his first game, going 1 for 1 with a walk. He looked like a seasoned vet at the dish.

Carter Kieboom WASH, 3B – He’s going to get another shot at the 3B job and started the spring off well going 2 for 3.

Robert Hassell SD, OF – Crushed a double off the centerfield wall. I was skeptical about how much power he was going to get to, but if he keeps hitting bombs like that I might have to reconsider.

Bobby Bradley CLE, 1B – Bradley is competing for 1B at bats, and there is no question he can hit for power as he knocked his first homer of the Spring yesterday.

Yasel Antuna WASH, SS + Freudis Nova HOU, SS – Antuna and Nova are two of the most talented prospects from the 2016 international class, and while they haven’t broken out yet, 2021 could be setting up to be their coming out parties in their age 21 year old season. They didn’t have huge games or anything, Antuna went 1 for 2 with a K and Nova went 0 for 2 with a walk and a K, but they are worth keeping tabs on this spring.

Gavin Lux LAD, 2B – Lux will have to perform well to carve out a role on LA’s crowded roster, and he got off to a good start going 2 for 3. Winning the 2B job outright is not out of the question.

Andy Pages LAD, OF – One of my favorite slightly under the radar prospects for a few years now, Pages started the spring off well going 1 for 1. He’s a high OBP power hitter who is set up for the hype to explode in 2021. Try to get in now if you can.

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

Posted on by Michael Halpern

The Dynasty Baseball Rundown (3/10/19)

Throughout the 2019 season, I will be running down some of the notable performances impacting dynasty baseball leagues, or anything that might have caught my eye in general. Here is The Dynasty Baseball Rundown (3/10/19):

Click the below links for my previous off-season content:
March 2019 Top 100 Dynasty Baseball Prospects Ranking
2019 Top 1,000 Dynasty Baseball Rankings
2019 Top 472 Dynasty Baseball Prospect Rankings
11 Dynasty Baseball Rules to Live By
2020 Top 90 Dynasty Baseball First Year Player Draft Rankings (1st Edition)

Bo Bichette TOR, SS – If you are going to watch only one gif of prospect spring training exploits, this gif (made by Prospect Live’s Lance Brozdowski) of the ball taking off like a rocket ship from the bat of Bo Bichette is the one to watch. Part of me thinks it is too good to be true and there is something going on with the speed of the video, but either way, it is really fun to watch.

Anthony Alford TOR, OF – I told you not to give up on Alford’s plus athleticism in my Top 1,000 Dynasty Ranking (I acquired him as a throw-in in one of my leagues) and he is showing you why with a beastly spring, going 7 for 21 with 4 homers and 2 steals. He isn’t going to break camp with the team, but if he puts up big numbers in Triple-A, he’s got a shot to make an impact in the 2nd half.

Kyle Lewis SEA, OF – Blowing up this spring, going 7 for 15 with 2 homers and a stolen base. More importantly, the knee looks healthy. Lewis is firmly back in my Top 100. Hold on to him for dear life.

Jo Adell LAA, OF – Speaking of knee injuries, Adell avoided a serious one while running the bases yesterday, but he did come away with a sprained right ankle and strained left hamstring that should keep him out for several weeks. It doesn’t impact his dynasty value at all, but it is a reminder that the injury gods are always lurking, ready to destroy your fantasy teams on a whim.

Cristian Pache ATL, OF – 8 for 19 with 2 homers and a steal. Considering his bat is supposed to be a weakness, this is quite the impressive performance. He has a chance to explode up prospect lists by mid-season.

German Marquez COL, SP – Struck out 9 batters in 3 IP with the flu. That’s some Michael Jordan shit right there, except Jordan did it in Game 5 of the Championship series, while Marquez did it in Spring Training. So I guess maybe it isn’t some Michael Jordan shit.

Matt Strahm SD, SP – The Strahm hype is real, throwing 4 scoreless innings with 2 hits and 8 K’s yesterday. He won’t be underrated in smarter fantasy leagues, but my guess is you will be able to steal him in the majority of leagues out there.

Eloy Jimenez CHW, OF – The hype has been very quiet on Eloy, maybe because he is 3 for 23 with 8 K’s, 0 walks and 1 homer. He’s making it really hard for prospect social media to get up in arms and outraged over manipulating his service time. Help us, help you.

Keston Hiura MIL, 2B – Starting to heat up, homering and driving in four yesterday. He’s now slashing .273/.385/.591 with 2 homers and a steal. This guy is going to contribute in every category when he finally gets his shot.

Ronald Guzman TEX, 1B – Hitting .292 with 3 homers and a 1.079 OPS. Guzman is a big dude at 6’5”, 225 who focused on being a good hitter rather than selling out for power in the minors. Now that he is entering his physical prime, there is some serious underrated upside here.

Triston McKenzie CLE, SP – Shut down with an upper back strain. It’s probably from carrying around all that extra weight. The 6’5”, 165-pound McKenzie could stand to lose a few 😉

Ryan McMahon COL, 2B – Leads all qualified spring hitters with a 1.333 OPS. Garrett Hampson is 7th with a 1.033 OPS. It’s never easy with Colorado.

Lewis Brinson MIA, OF – Leading all hitters with 5 homers, although a 8/2 K/BB in 26 at-bats is not exactly sparkling. He was bad last year, but the numbers looked even worse because he was also unlucky. There is nowhere to go but up.

Domingo Santana SEA, OF – Slashing .455/.520/1.091 with 4 homers and a 5/3 K/BB. I’ve still seen Domingo going silly low in drafts. I would own him everywhere at the price he is available at right now.

Austin Hays BAL, OF – Getting an early jump on his bounce back season, slashing .320/.346/.800 with 3 homers. With Mancini, Hays, Stewart and Diaz, the Orioles corner OF spots are up for grabs.

Vlad Guerrero Jr. TOR, 3B – Left oblique strain will keep Guerrero out for about 3 weeks. Toronto already announced he will start the year in the minors, but it might push his timetable back another week or two at least. This hurts more for the people aggressively drafting him in re-draft leagues.

Domingo German NYY, SP – My guess is German is next man up with Severino on the shelf. He’s got nasty stuff and is dominating this spring with a 2.35 ERA and a 12/1 K/BB in 7.2 IP. By the time Severino returns, Paxton will probably be on the DL. Or CC. Or Tanaka. Point being, German is going to get a ton of innings this year one way or another.

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

Posted on by Michael Halpern

The Dynasty Baseball Rundown (2/24/19)

Baseball is back! And with the super fun way the rules are set up in MLB, now is the only time to watch the best young players compete in MLB uniforms and in High Definition on your television screen. When the games start to count, you can watch them “work on their defense” in grainy footage on your laptop, although MiLB.tv is claiming more games will be available in high quality video this season. We shall see. Here is The Dynasty Baseball Rundown (2/24/19):

Click the below links for my previous off-season content:
2019 Top 1,000 Dynasty Baseball Rankings
2019 Top 472 Dynasty Baseball Prospect Rankings
11 Dynasty Baseball Rules to Live By
2020 Top 90 Dynasty Baseball First Year Player Draft Rankings (1st Edition)

Yoan Moncada CHW, 3B/2B – Writing about Moncada brings back memories to the very first Rundown I wrote back on April 11, 2016. It was a simpler time back then, when doing a write-up like this was a novelty and there weren’t 1,000 other websites in the fantasy prospect game. Other than Baseball America’s prospect hot sheet, my fantasy prospect rundown was just about the only other game in town, and definitely the only fantasy slanted one. I like to think I helped inspire the boom in prospect and fantasy prospect coverage which transpired very shortly after that first rundown hit the wire, and while the landscape is more competitive, dynasty baseball fans deserved the content explosion. Watching the community build from the ground up has been awesome. As for Moncada, he went 2 for 3 with a run, RBI, and K. Adding him in the rundown was more about bringing this thing full circle than for his performance, but also to remind you that he is still a future stud despite his lukewarm MLB numbers thus far.

Pete Alonso NYM, 1B – Pete “don’t call me Peter” Alonso blasted a mammoth homer to center field off a 94 MPH Touki Toussaint fastball. If he keeps this up, he can make us all call him P-Diddy for all I care.

Willie Calhoun TEX, DH – The re-motivated Calhoun lost 24 pounds this off-season by not eating after 7:30 pm and not playing late night video games. I cut down on video games in my early 20’s too, which resulted in me playing more Baseball Mogul on my computer. I don’t know, it felt like a win at the time. Being that Calhoun was already a relatively small guy, I hope dropping that weight doesn’t negatively impact his power at all. He went 0 for 4 to kick things off in the DH spot, and was one of the few players around baseball to get a full game of at-bats.

Byron Buxton MIN, OF – 2 for 2 with a homer and 5 RBI. He was atrocious in the majors last year and wasn’t all that hot in the minors either, so any glimpse of dominance is a good sign in my book.

Yusniel Diaz BAL, OF – Smacked a 2 run homer to left field on a swing where he wasn’t even completely on balance. Diaz looked like an absolute beast at the plate too, and while I gave him a prime projection of 23 homers, I’m thinking even that might be too low.

Cedric Mullins BAL, OF – Set the table going 2 for 2 with 2 runs, a walk and a stolen base. Don’t be surprised if this is common practice for Mullins during the season. He’s still being underrated.

Enyel De Los Santos PHI, RHP – 2 IP with 4 K’s, 0 BB and 0 ER. He isn’t going to crack the opening day rotation, but he has some nasty stuff, and when injuries/ineffectiveness inevitably hits the Phillies starters, you should scoop Enyel before it’s too late. Adonis Medina pitched a clean inning in this game too, with 1 strikeout and a fastball that reached 96 MPH.

Max Schrock STL, 2B – 3 for 4 with a homer, 2 runs, 4 RBI, and 0 K’s. Somewhere far, far away (Canada), in a windowless office deep in the bowels of the stadium with a single fluorescent light bulb overhead, Carson Cistulli is smiling. Or at least that’s how I imagine it anyway.

Sandy Alcantara MIA, RHP – Will need a strong spring to lock down a rotation spot, and Alcantara showed well in his first outing, going 2 IP of scoreless ball with 3 K’s, 1 BB, and 1 hit. He hit 98 MPH on the gun, and was generally in control of his plus stuff.

Adalberto Mondesi KC, SS/2B – Possibly the most divisive player in fantasy baseball this season, Mondesi opened the spring going 2 for 2 with 2 runs scored. He’s going to be one of the most fun players to follow all year … or one of the most depressing.

Kris Bryant CHC, 3B – 2 for 2 with a dinger. Bryant was feeling good about himself after the game too, basically telling all of his doubters to piss off and how the negative chatter only motivated him coming into this season. Not gonna lie, I’m a little concerned about trading him away in my hometown dynasty league for Joey Gallo, Bo Bichette, and Garrett Hampson. I needed the haul to kick start my rebuild, but I’m starting to sweat a bit.

Corey Ray MIL, OF – 2 for 3 with a homer and more importantly 0 strikeouts. Considering he is the former 5th overall pick in the draft and coming off a season where he hit 27 homers and stole 37 bases, the hype around Ray is mighty quiet.

Gleyber Torres NYY, 2B/SS – Smoothly lifted a homer to dead center field. With The Boss’ sons now pinching pennies, Gleyber may end up the Yanks long term SS if they don’t pay up for Didi next off-season.

Michael Chavis BOS, 3B – Scorched a frozen rope the opposite way for an impressive homer. Chavis has one of the quickest and most powerful bats in the minors.

Nick Madrigal CHW, 2B – 1 for 3 with a strikeout. Only mentioning him because I’m just shocked he struck out.

Taylor Ward LAA, 3B – 1 for 3 with a grand slam. I wouldn’t be surprised if Ward snuck his way into legitimate playing time season, and would keep an eye on him in deeper leagues.

Shed Long SEA, 2B – 1 for 3 with a bomb to dead center. He’s blocked right now, but if Seattle continues to sell off during the season, Long has a chance to put up some fantasy friendly stat lines.

Colton Welker COL, 3B – In his first career MLB (spring training) at-bat, Welker blasted a 2 run homer off a 79 MPH curveball. I’ve loved his swing for a long time now. Sam Hilliard knocked a homer in this game too

Jake Faria TB, RHP – After an awful 2018 it was nice to see Faria look crisp in the early going, throwing a perfect 1.2 innings with 3 strikeouts and his fastball reaching 93 MPH.

Chance Sisco BAL, C – Sisco is trying to nail down Baltimore’s starting catcher role, both for this season and the future. He made a strong opening argument yesterday, going 1 for 1 with a homer and a walk. He always had more raw power than he showed in the minors, so hopefully this is just the start of things to come.

Fernando Romero MIN, RHP – 1 IP with 2 K’s. Romero is in that hype-less prospect-ish void where he isn’t quite a major leaguer yet, but has also graduated from prospect status. Regardless of the role, Romero is ready and has the stuff to make an impact in fantasy leagues this year.

Ramon Urias STL, 2B – Luis Urias‘ older brother. Ramon raked in the Mexican League before slashing .300/.356/.516 with 13 homers and a 58/24 K/BB split between Double-A and Triple-A in 2018. He continued to impress yesterday going 2 for 4 with a dinger. St. Louis has about a dozen underrated infielders in the majors and minors, so who knows if he can find playing time.

Derek Fisher HOU, OF – 0-3 with 2 K’s. He is going to need to play better than this to force his way into an overstuffed Houston organization.

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

Posted on by Michael Halpern

2017 Fantasy/Dynasty Baseball Minor League Prospects Rundown: Week 5-ish

It’s been a little while since I banged one of these out, so let’s forego the small talk and get right to it. Here is the 2017 Fantasy/Dynasty Baseball Minor League Prospects Rundown: Week 5-ish:

Yoan Moncada CHW, 2B – Apparently, a triple-slash of .342/.414/.538 with 6 homers and 9 steals at Triple-A isn’t enough for the Chicago White Sox to call up one of the best 21-year-old baseball players in the world. Sorry baseball fans, you’ll have pay $50 for MiLB.TV if you want to catch a glimpse of Moncada on video equipment that looks like it was purchased from the Salvation Army.

Derek Fisher HOU, OF – One of my favorite sleepers for two years running, Fisher is going ham at Triple-A, slashing .325/.390/.563 with 7 homers and a 35/13 K/BB in 31 games. Unfortunately, due to Houston’s outfield surplus, the only other place Fisher can go ham is at Boston Market, because that is all he can afford with a Minor League per diem of $25.

Brendan Rodgers COL, SS – Don’t forget about Rodgers, who is slashing .365/.388/.566 with 2 homers and a 12/3 K/BB in 15 games at High-A since returning from a hand injury. With Trevor Story struggling, the odds are increasing Rodgers sticks at SS.

Raimel Tapia COL, OF – Hitting over .400 in 24 games at Triple-A, and isn’t hitting the ball on the ground an exorbitant amount of the time either (44.5%). Without Coors Field, his fantasy value would take a major hit, and with Colorado in the playoff hunt this year, I’m a little worried.

Aaron Judge NYY, OF – Just a friendly reminder that I was the only person on Earth (can’t account for the advanced civilization that is living inside of Earth) to have Judge as the #1 ranked prospect in the Yankees system, as evidenced by my off-season New York Yankees Top 10 Fantasy Baseball Prospect Rankings. Would you trade Judge for Gleybor Torres right now?

Cody Bellinger LAD, 1B/OF – Just an unfriendly reminder that I was close to the low man on Bellinger this off-season, but I stand by my analysis of his insane swing when nobody else was really mentioning it. Turns out I should have just been insanely high on it, instead of worrying it was too extreme. Viva la Swing Path Revolucion!

Hunter Renfroe SD, OF – .202/.226/.349 with 5 homers and a 38/4 K/BB in 34 games in the Majors. I know it is the era of the K and everything, but turns out you still have to take a walk every now and then too.

Kyle Tucker HOU, OF – I ranked Tucker in the top 10 in my off-season Top 200 due to his late season power surge, and that has continued into this year with 8 homers in 31 games at High-A. Houston’s High-A affiliate isn’t in Lancaster anymore either, so nobody can just mindlessly dismiss the power numbers.

Andrew Benintendi BOS, OF – On pace for 103/24/108/.328/14 in his rookie season, but I’m sure Texas and Minnesota are just as happy with Dillon Tate (er, 2 months of Carlos Beltran) and Tyler Jay (already being converted back to a reliever), respectively. Please MLB, get better at drafting.

Nick Senzel CIN, 3B – Coming on after a slow start, slashing .339/.397/.516 with 2 homers and 3 steals in his last 16 games. The 20+ homerun power is still a question mark, but the floor is a solid 5-category contributor.

Zack Collins CHW, C – Another top college bat from the 2016 class who is coming on after a slow start, Collins is slashing .324/.415/.500 with 1 homer and a 6/5 K/BB in his last 10 games. More importantly, all reports on his defense have been positive.

Mitch Keller PIT, RHP – Pulled early from his latest start when a bee stung his forearm. I was watching MLB Network last week when host Lauren Shehadi mentioned an ex-boyfriend of hers would sting himself with frozen bees, because bee venom supposedly has some amazing healing qualities. I’m giving it a 50/50 chance that Keller now has a superhuman forearm.

Luke Weaver STL, RHP – Looked strong in his return from lower-back stiffness, going 13 IP, 7 Hits, 0 ER, 0 BB, 9 K in two starts. Between injuries and ineffectiveness, odds are good that he sees plenty of time in the Majors this year.

Josh Naylor SD, 1B – After focusing on contact earlier in his career, Naylor is unleashing the beast this season, slashing .306/.358/.531 with 5 homers and a 22/7 K/BB in 23 games as a 19-year-old at High-A. He hit the ball on the ground almost 50% of the time last season, and he has that number down to 38% this year. Considering his raw power, it is safe to say this is the power breakout we were waiting for.

Jorge Mateo NYY, SS/OF – It might be time to officially jump off the Mateo bandwagon, if you haven’t already. He is slashing .220/.270/.315 with 0 homers and a 38/8 K/BB in 32 games at High-A. The elite speed probably makes him a Major Leaguer, but the lack of hard contact could preclude him from a starting job.

Eric Lauer SD, LHP – Don’t sleep on my boy Eric Lauer, who is putting up a 2.22 ERA with a 10.8 K/9 in 28.1 IP in the Cal League. There isn’t one thing that stands out with him, but he couldn’t have found himself in a better situation than with San Diego and the NL West.

Patrick Weigel ATL, RHP – Everyone’s favorite pitching prospect sleeper was promoted to Triple-A this week. The early numbers on SunTrust Park put it firmly as a hitter’s park, so while it is still the NL East, it’s something to keep in mind with Atlanta prospects in general from here on out.

Scott Kingery PHI, 2B – A recent comment I got from Paste says it best, “Halp! I’m kinda diggin’ on Scott Kingery. Looks like he has joined the launch angle revolution this year and is hitting a TON of fly balls (54.5%) and very few ground balls (24.7%), which is a far departure from his previous seasons in the Minors. Also, he’s showing a much better approach at the dish with an 11.8% walk rate while striking out 22.8%. He’s a smallish dude listed at 5’10” 180, but also has speed to burn. I’d love to hear you and Ralph go in on him and perhaps his teammate at AA Reading Andrew Pullin. Let’s find some sleepers! Shhhhhh” … Sorry, Paste. Couldn’t keep it a secret for very long 😉

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

Posted on by Michael Halpern

MiLB.TV Prospect Scouting from the Couch: Opening Day

MiLB.TV is like the first two days of March Madness, except it’s on every day, and every game looks like your dad’s home videos from the 80’s. I was flipping around like crazy trying to catch as many high profile at-bats as I could, along with extended stretches from pitchers of interest. Whenever I have something of value to pass along, or something to add to the conversation, I will do a quick write-up the morning after. Here is the first MiLB.TV Prospect Scouting from the Couch: Opening Day:

Max Fried ATL, LHP –  The hype was in overdrive this off-season for Fried, with talk of three 70 grade pitches and ace upside. That might all be well and true, but he certainly didn’t show it in this start before leaving with back tightness in the 2nd inning. He was sitting around 89-92 MPH with his fastball all night, and had very little control or command over it. To be fair, the ump was squeezing him a bit. The curveball is MLB ready right now, breaking off one nasty curve after another that hitters had no shot on. He used his changeup often as well, which is more solid than spectacular right now. If he can stay healthy and have the fastball tick up a few MPH as the year goes on, the hype will surely continue to roll, but there is legitimate control/command and injury risk.

Harrison Bader STL, OF – There was no way I was missing Bader lead off the season for Triple-A Memphis, and he didn’t disappoint by crushing a homer on the 2nd pitch. I don’t know what the pitch was or where he hit it out, because the camera man decided a tight shot of mostly Bader’s ass was the right move to start the game. It reminded me of the brilliant work of Howie Halpern from my childhood, when he forgot he was supposed to be video taping his children, and focused just on his feet. Either way, it was obvious he crushed the pitch with his wrecking ball of a swing, and I found out it was a homer when he started jogging half way to first base.

Josh Hader MIL, LHP – Back to pitching on the dark side of the moon in Colorado Springs, Hader battled through 5 scoreless innings, giving up 1 hit, 5 walks, and striking out 6. His stuff is so unhittable it looked like the very best opposing hitters could do was foul off as many pitches as possible and hope for a walk eventually. He was mostly fastball/slider all night, and is going to need to work on a third pitch if he wants to reach his ace potential. He could probably be a dominant reliever in the Big Leagues right now.

Jacob Faria TB, RHP – Faria will throw that nasty change-up for strikes in any count, but try not to laugh when he flings up some dinky curveball. Even he shook his head after a few particularly lame ducks. Until he figures that out, it will be more of the same of what we saw last night, which was 9 K’s and 2 homers allowed in 4.1 IP.

Cody Bellinger LAD, 1B – There is not a more exciting at-bat in the minors than Bellinger. Every single swing is an epic hack. Combine that with athleticism and blinding bat speed, and it is a thing of beauty when he makes contact. He crushed two doubles last night. I’m still worried that better pitching with a specific game plan could give him trouble, but I’m really rooting against that. Baseball will just be more fun if Bellinger has success and kids start emulating him.

If at any point in the season you are interested in my thoughts on a player, please let me know in the comments section or on Twitter, and I will try to make it a point to catch a few of their games.

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

Posted on by Michael Halpern

2017 MLB Rookie Watch: Week 1

I just can’t let these guys go quite yet. This season, I’m planning on keeping track of how the 2017 rookies’ skills are translating against MLB pitching. It will also give me an opportunity to gloat a little bit on my hits, and beat myself up on my misses. Here is the 2017 MLB Rookie Watch: Week 1:

Andrew Benintendi BOS, OF – Many of the mainstream prospect writers have been doubting Benintendi’s power all off-season, calling it moderate and topping him out at 20. It is the same reason he fell to #7 in the MLB Draft, and the same reason he wasn’t in anybody’s 2016 top 10 overall prospects except mine. But Benintendi is out to prove the doubters wrong early, absolutely crushing a Gerrit Cole 97 MPH fastball over the right field fence. Just watch how fast the ball jumps off his bat, and you quickly realize judging his power based on his size is silly.

Ronald Torreyes NYY, SS – Benintendi is a barrel-chested beast compared to Torreyes, who stands 5’8’’, 151 pounds, but it didn’t stop him from running into a homer of his own. This picture of Aaron Judge congratulating him at home plate is an absolute classic, and truly a reminder to not let anybody tell you that you can’t do something. Of course, in reality, Judge is probably at more of a disadvantage in baseball than Torreyes, as I’m pretty sure baseball is the only sport to adjust the rules based on how tall you are.

Aaron Judge NYY, OF – Speaking of Judge, he has looked very comfortable at the plate in the early going, and has been making good hard contact. There were a few pitches he missed by just a hair that had Paul O’Neill cooing in the booth. I’m expecting good things in the near future.

Dansby Swanson ATL, SS – Calmly laced an opposite field single vs. Noah Syndergaard. It was Jeter-like. There is nothing that truly stands out about Swanson’s offensive profile, but it sure seems like he is going to be very productive. Or maybe he will hit .250 and just look good doing it.

Joey Gallo TEX, 3B – Not technically a rookie, but still kinda rookie-ish, Gallo showed off his no joke 80 grade power by placing a Carlos Carrasco offering into the last rows of the upper deck. If you want to see bat speed, launch angle, and exit velocity, just watch that swing over and over again.

Manuel Margot SD, OF – Showing off his skills early as well, collecting 3 hits in 8 at-bats and swiping his first bag. I question how high the batting average is going to be in his first MLB season, but I have no questions about the plus speed.

Jesus Aguilar MIL, 1B – Took his first start away from Eric Thames and capitalized with a 1 for 2 day and an RBI. He got only two at-bats, and it looks like it could be awhile before getting starts vs. righties, but he is worth a stream every time Milwaukee faces a lefty.

JaCoby Jones DET, OF – Doesn’t get much better than a homer and steal to drive the nail home on that starting centerfield job. I’m still concerned there isn’t enough power or speed to overcome a low average, but he has plenty of upside to prove me wrong.

Mitch Haniger SEA, OF – 4 strikeouts in his first 9 plate attempts. It goes without saying that everything is a miniscule sample size, but thought it was worth mentioning considering his Spring Training stats were a driving force in his increasing draft price as Opening Day approached. I took a shot on Haniger very late in a couple leagues, and surely plan on holding for now.

Jacob Barnes MIL, RHP – One of my favorite relief pitcher sleepers this year, Barnes got off to a good start by pitching one clean inning with a strikeout. He was among the league leaders in whiff rate in his 26.2 IP last year, while also putting up a pitching of 2.70/1.13/26. He has prototypical closer’s stuff with mid 90’s heat and a slider that is pushing 90 MPH. Watch for Barnes to rise in Milwaukee’s pen as the year goes on.

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

Posted on by Michael Halpern

Thursday Afternoon Monday Morning Minor League Prospect Rundown

In honor of one of my favorite comedians, Bill Burr, I decided to name this new weekly segment the Thursday Afternoon Monday Morning Minor League Prospect Rundown. It will be about half the size as my usual Monday Morning Rundown, but twice the fun (probably not). Here is the Thursday Afternoon Monday Morning Minor League Prospect Rundown:

Aaron Judge NYY, OF – It looked the Yanks were going to revert to their old ways for a second there, but in a moment of clarity, they finally named Judge their starting right fielder. He surely deserved it after slashing .345/.406/.569 in Spring, and more importantly, striking out only 20.3% of the time. I ranked him 23rd overall on my Top 200, and 1st on my New York Yankees Top 10 Fantasy Baseball Prospect Rankings.

Rookie Davis CIN, RHP – Like Billy Beane in Moneyball, or Andrew Friedman in The Extra 2%, Brian Cashman struck gold when he brilliantly discovered a new market inefficiency, Domestic Violence. He stole Aroldis Chapman from Cincinnati under the cover of darkness, flipped him for one of the most highly touted prospects in baseball, and then re-signed him to a long-term deal in the off-season. You see kids, having morals just doesn’t pay. All Cincy is left with is a back end starter, but I’m sure their fans will still show up and buy tickets to support their morally superior franchise anyway.

Yandy Diaz CLE, 3B – When I didn’t list Diaz as one of my favorite 2017 Rookie/Prospect Sleepers in yesterday’s post, one of my Twitter followers, Barry Baker, sent me along this message and picture. Not gonna lie, I’m kinda rethinking it now. He also smacked his 3rd Spring homer yesterday, which continued his dominant Spring. Consider this me running alongside the Diaz bangwagon, trying to find an opening to hop on.

Tyler Glasnow PIT, RHP – After putting up a 1.87 ERA in 20 starts last year at Triple-A, Glasnow really doesn’t have much more to prove down there, and it seems like Pittsburgh is leaning towards letting him figure out his inconsistent control on the MLB level. Nothing is official, and Trevor Williams is still in the mix, but if Glasnow locks down the job, I would look to pick him up in re-draft leagues of all sizes. His upside is unmatched, and there will always be safer options waiting to be picked up on the waiver wire. I always shoot for the moon on early season pick-ups.

Luis Severino NYY, RHP – Won the 4th starter job, but I really didn’t see anything much different from him this Spring than I did last year. He is obviously worth a pick up based on raw talent alone, but I’m personally staying away until he proves it, especially in the AL East.

Daniel Norris DET, LHP – Going through a “dead arm” period, and while it is easy to dismiss, things seem to keep popping up with him.

Dylan Unsworth SEA, RHP – Once upon a time, Doug Fister was an upper 80’s throwing, control master Seattle prospect who got zero respect until he came up to the Majors and had nothing but success right from the get go. Unsworth is following in that path. He has a career MiLB walk rate of 1.2 BB/9, and with a 7.7 K/9, it’s not like he can’t miss bats either. Unsworth is an excellent deep league sleeper.

Jacob May CHW, OF/JaCoby Jones DET, INF/OF – Allow me to introduce your by default centerfielders for the rebuilding Chicago White Sox and transitioning Detroit Tigers. May has already been named the starter and Jones is probably not far behind. At the least, Jones will fill in while JD Martinez is on the DL. I put my full trust in both of these guys to absolutely tank your batting average.

Albert Almora Jr. CHC, OF – Heavily overshadowed by just about every single one of Chicago’s young stars, both Majors and Minors, Almora is looking to change that this year, and has started by completely destroying Spring Training pitching. He finished the Spring by hitting .339 with 4 homers and 2 steals in 62 at-bats, and should get the majority of playing time in centerfield.

Steven Matz NYM, LHP – Shut down for the next 3 weeks and was given a platelet plasma rich injection. The MRI looked great though. And yes, every time someone from my Post-Tommy John Surgery Death Zone so much as gets an itch on their elbow, I will be there to tell you about it 😉

Washington Closer Update: Much like how most things run in Washington, days of gridlock and consternation has lead to a worst of all worlds compromise. Neither the progressives (Koda Glover), nor conservatives (Shawn Kelley) got their way, and now we are all left holding the bag with Blake Treinen.

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

Posted on by Michael Halpern

2017 Fantasy Baseball Minor League Prospect Rundown: Spring Training, Take Two

Spring Training stats should always be taken with a grain of salt, but if a player transformed his body, or improved his swing, or impressed coaches with a renewed mindset and work ethic, it could be a sign of legitimate improvement. Here is the 2017 Fantasy Baseball Minor League Prospect Rundown: Spring Training, Take Two:

Andrew Benintendi BOS, OF – If you are concerned about Benintendi’s .179 batting average and 36% K% in his 33 MLB at-bats against lefties, maybe this rocket shot he crushed last night that cleared the fence in .2 seconds will help ease those fears. This guy is going to absolutely wear out Pesky Pole. Actually, the Red Sox are already preparing for the assault, reinforcing Pesky Pole with 40 feet of new steel, among other repairs.

Steven Matz NYM, LHP – Well, that was quick. Shortly after listing Matz 1st on my Post-Tommy John Surgery Death Zone Watch List, he was scratched from his next scheduled start due to “irritation” in his left elbow. He won’t have an MRI, but don’t worry, the trusty Mets PR department and front office assures that there is nothing structurally wrong. “There is nothing structurally wrong” sounds like the new “dreaded vote of confidence” mangers get right before being fired.

A.J. Reed HOU, 1B – The work Reed put in this off-season on conditioning and bat speed has clearly paid off, as not only has he raked in Spring, but Houston coaches have been raving about him. This is how you like to see young players respond to adversity, because it won’t be the last time they have to overcome obstacles, whether it be due to injury or the constant game of adjustments that is MLB hitting.

Kyle Lewis SEA, OF – I’m no doctor, but this video certainly looks like an encouraging sign that Lewis’ knee rehab is going well. Feel free to draft him with increasing confidence in prospect and Dynasty drafts.

Corey Ray MIL, OF – Ray also returned to game action this week after tearing his meniscus in October. While we are on the topic of injured 2016 college bats …

Nick Senzel CIN, 3B – Doubled in his first game back after taking a pitch to his wrist in live batting practice a couple weeks ago. There is nothing worse than a wrist injury for a hitter, so hopefully this will be the last we hear of it.

Jesus Aguilar MIL, 1B – Spring Training stats don’t matter, unless you are a 26-year-old bad bodied first baseman who basically has to hit like Babe Ruth in order for somebody to give you a shot. And that is exactly what Aguilar is doing this Spring, hitting .462 with 5 homers in 52 at-bats. He has been completely outplaying the Korean sensation, Eric Thames, and is making Milwaukee rethink their opening day roster. If you are looking for an Adam Duvall like breakout in the next couple years, keep your eye on Aguilar.

Jose Berrios MIN, RHP – Minnesota claims Berrios won’t make the MLB team because the WBC prevented him from being properly stretched out, but I have a sneaking suspicion it might also have something to do with his 8.02 ERA in 14 starts last year. I’ve jumped so far off the Berrios bandwagon that I actually had a Coors pitcher (Gray) and an AL East pitcher (Bundy) ranked ahead of him when I Re-Ranked the Graduates from My 2016 Top 100 Fantasy Baseball Prospect Rankings back in early January (I would probably put Turner #1 now).

Raul Mondesi Jr. KC, SS/2B – It’s odd that people seem to completely ignore the obvious step forward Mondesi took last year in the upper levels of the minors, OPS’ing .779 at Double-A and .863 at Triple-A in 172 combined at-bats, while they overly focus on the inevitable struggles he had in the Majors. He hit well in Winter Ball, has been raking in Spring, and even if he doesn’t break camp with the team, I wouldn’t expect him to be held down for long. This is a potential elite speed/power combo who is not being valued like that in Dynasty drafts.

Franklin Barreto OAK, SS/2B – Billy Beane can’t wait until he can finally show something from that awful Josh Donaldson trade, and with Jed Lowrie and Chad Pinder the only thing in the way of that, you can bet Barreto will be called up sooner rather than later.

Cody Reed CIN, LHP/Amir Garrett CIN, LHP – I think I could have made a run at a rotation spot in Cincinnati’s dumpster fire of a starting rotation. Their ballpark is a launching pad and while I think both of these guys can be solid mid-rotation starters long term, they look like nothing but landmines for this season.

Alen Hanson PIT, UTIL – MLB’s cockamamie team control rules will finally help the player and not the team, as Hanson is out of options, and if he doesn’t make the big league club, there would be no shortage of teams who would jump at the chance to claim him. Plus, the United States doesn’t look all too keen about letting Jung-ho Kang back into the country, so there could be more playing time available than originally thought.

Jose Quintana HOU, LHP – Seriously Houston, just pull the trigger already. You have a million talented outfielders who deserve a shot and a highly volatile starting rotation.

Derek Fisher HOU, OF – Speaking of Houston outfielders, Fisher hit well this Spring, but has really impressed on the base paths, jacking 10 bases in 34 at-bats. It can be hard to know how much to trust minor league steal numbers, but it sure does seem like this man loves to run.

Austin Meadows PIT, OF – Meadows crushed a ball out of the ballpark against a lefty on Saturday, which continued his torrid Spring. I don’t care that he doesn’t have a spot yet (Polanco did just get scratched with shoulder soreness), I would be going out of my way to grab him in any Dynasty drafts where he is still available.

Koda Glover WASH, RHP – Dusty Baker knows who the closer is, but nanny nanny poo poo, he’s not telling.

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

Posted on by Michael Halpern

2017 Fantasy Baseball Minor League Prospect Rundown: Spring Training

I just couldn’t help myself. After a long off-season with no baseball, the first week of Spring Training games has got me amped up for the 2017 season. Lots of legitimately exciting stuff happened already too. Here is the 2017 Fantasy Baseball Minor League Prospect Rundown: Spring Training:

Aaron Judge NYY, OF – It was the homerun heard round the Twittersphere. Judge smashed a 93 MPH fastball that didn’t so much land as it did get stopped by the tippy top of the outfield scoreboard. I love a fundamentally sound 4-3 putout as much as the next guy (I was an expert at them), but bombs like this are what make you hit rewind on your DVR like 25 times.

Tyler Glasnow PIT, RHP – Glasnow came out throwing fire with his newly refined delivery, striking out 6 batters in 2 IP. The fastball clocked as high as 98 MPH, and he didn’t walk a single batter. If there is a real competition for Pittsburgh’s 5th starter spot, Glasnow jumped out to the early lead.

Harrison Bader STL, OF – Bader’s quick and powerful swing is still being underrated on mainstream prospect lists, and it is scorched bullet shots like this that makes you scratch your head as to why he doesn’t get more love. I guess he’ll have to settle for being another in a long line of Cardinals prospects who gets the “came out of nowhere/Cardinals voodoo” tag, even though he has been raking since freshman year in the SEC.

Cody Bellinger LAD, 1B – On last week’s Razzball Prospect Podcast: The Top 100 Fantasy Baseball Prospects Show, I wondered if Bellinger’s extreme uppercut swing is the future of baseball with launch angle and swing path being all the rage these days. This absolute moon shot only reinforced that thought. Of course, that same extreme uppercut is why I was a bit conservative on him in my Top 200, ranking him 26th overall.

Matt Chapman OAK, 3B – If those pull side homers didn’t do it for you, how about an opposite field dinger from one of the best power hitting prospects in the minors. There isn’t a clear path to playing time for Chapman at the moment, but there is no reason for Oakland to not trade Trevor Plouffe at the deadline if he has any value at all.

Jacob Faria TB, RHP – One of my favorite pitching prospect sleepers for two years running, Faria struck out 3 batters in 2 IP. Unless Tampa Bay’s rotation stays unusually healthy, Faria is almost sure to have his number called at some point this season.

Rhys Hoskins PHI, 1B – Non-Reading aided homer alert! Non-Reading aided homer alert!

Brad Zimmer CLE, OF – Drove in 5 runs in his Spring debut. Lined a single to center and showed off his raw power with an opposite field homer that he didn’t even get the sweet part of the bat on. With Cleveland’s shaky outfield situation, Zimmer could force his way into the lineup sooner rather than later.

Billy McKinney NYY, OF – Here’s a quick reminder of why McKinney was a former 1st round pick. He’ll have to keep showing off that power to regain his lost prospect shine.

Rowdy Tellez TOR, 1B – This is the play-by-play of Tellez’ 2nd at-bat on Sunday: late on a 1st pitch fastball, looked completely lost on a 12-6 curve, and finally whiffed bad on a breaking ball in the dirt. Drawing conclusions from one at-bat sample sizes in Spring Training is fun.

Carson Fulmer CHW, RHP –  Pitched two scoreless innings, striking out Joc Pederson, Yasiel Puig, and Franklin Gutierrez. Also unveiled a new, toned down delivery that will hopefully allow him to remain a starter.

Mark Appel PHI, RHP – I’m old enough to remember a time when Mark Appel vs. Kris Bryant was an actual debate. Feels like an eternity ago. He’ll get a fresh start in Philadelphia this year, and his stuff looked legit in his two inning, 3 K performance on Saturday. A wild pitch and hanging breaking ball were his only blemishes on the day.

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