I’ll be running down everything that caught my eye in the Dynasty Baseball world on most Mondays throughout the season here on the Brick Wall. The rest of the week you can catch my Rundowns on the Patreon. Here is the Monday Morning Dynasty Baseball Rundown (5/13/24):

CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY PATREON FOR TONS OF EXCLUSIVE CONTENT ALL SEASON, INCLUDING:
-APRIL TOP 427 DYNASTY BASEBALL RANKS (4/19/24)
-MAY TOP 301 PROSPECTS RANKS (5/10/23)
-HALP’S DYNASTY BASEBALL PODCAST: APRIL MAILBAG! (4/24/24)
-TONS OF DYNASTY RUNDOWNS
-TOP 42 PROSPECTS TO STACH FOR 2024 ONLY (May Update coming soon)
-MAY DYNASTY TARGETS COMING SOON
-SPREADSHEETS

Chase Jaworksy HOU, SS, 19.9 – Jaws has been one of my low key prospect sleepers since he was drafted 164th overall by Houston, and he stole the show on Mother’s Day, blasting two dingers. Doesn’t he know his mom is supposed to be the star on Mother’s Day? So selfish. He now has 3 homers, 13 steals, a 20%/14.5% K%/BB% and 136 wRC+ in 26 games at Single-A. He’s a legit great athlete with plus speed, plenty of power potential at 6’1”, 170, and an excellent plate approach. He’s extremely exciting and is silly underrated. He just checked in at #279 on the May Top 301 Prospects Rankings update that dropped on the Patreon last week, and a day like yesterday will have him continuing to rise. It’s time to grab him if he’s still out there in your league.

Brady House WAS, 3B, 20.11 – House has been so quietly destroying Double-A as a 20 year old, and that continued on the Day of Mothers, obliterating his 7th bomb in 30 games. He now has a 146 wRC+ with a 21.7%/11.6% K%/BB%. He’s finally living fully up to the hype from his draft year, slotting in at #22 on those Updated Prospect Rankings. Like a good mother, he’s turning this House into a Home, because he’s becoming that core dynasty piece that you settle down in and don’t flip. The kids are starting to grow up in Washington (Wood, House, Gore, Abrams, Garcia etc). The future is bright.

MacKenzie Gore WAS, LHP, 25.2 – Speaking of the kids blossoming in Washington, Gore threw another gem yesterday, going 6 IP with 6 hits, 2 ER, and a 9/3 vs. BOS. He now has a 3.38 ERA with a 29%/7.4% K%/BB% in 40 IP. The control is improved, the velocity is up, he’s inducing more weak contact, and he’s missing more bats. It’s a total across the board leveling up. Gore was my “pitching development isn’t linear” target this off-season, and this sure looks like the breakout we have been waiting for. He ranked 127th overall on the Updated Top Top 427 Dynasty Baseball Rankings (Patreon).

Justin Wrobleski LAD, LHP, 23.8 – Let’s stick with flame throwing lefties and talk about Wrobleski. It’s probably too late to jump on the Gore bandwagon, but there is still plenty of time to jump on the underrated Wrobleski train. He went 5 IP with 5 hits, 3 ER, and a 6/0 K/BB at Double-A, which has been the story of his season with a 4.86 ERA and 25.4%/2.9% K%/BB% in 33.1 IP. But be happy that ERA is elevated, because it just keeps his buy window wide open with a 3.13 xFIP, legitimately nasty stuff from the left side, much improved control, and a great organization. This is the type of pitcher that should be approaching elite pitching prospect status, and he really doesn’t have much hype at all. He should be owned in all league sizes.

Matt Wilkenson CLE, LHP, 21.5 – From lefty flamethrowers to lefty Tugboats, Wilkenson dominated again, going 5 IP with 5 hits, 1 ER, and a 8/0 K/BB at Single-A. He’s been insanely good on the season with a 1.02 ERA and 48.5%/6.9% K%/BB%, but he has to prove it against more advanced competition before really going all in on him, as the fastball only sits upper 80’s/low 90’s. I can’t help but be reminded so much of David Wells when watching him pitch, and there is no doubt he’s so easy to root for, but it still feels like more of a back end profile on the major league level. I like him, but I am going to continue to have some caution until I see him do this against more advanced hitters.

 Jonny DeLuca TBR, OF, 25.9 – DeLuca finally made his Tampa debut in May after fracturing his hand in spring, and he’s showing why he was a named target for me this off-season. He’s off to a scorching start after going 1 for 3 with a double and walk yesterday, and now has a .930 OPS in 33 PA. The plate approach has been elite with a 9.1%/15.2% K%/BB%, he’s lifting the ball more with a 16.9 degree launch, and the speed is almost double plus with a 28.9 ft/sec spring and 2 steals. The 85.7 MPH EV is low, but if any team knows how to get the most out of low EV players, it’s the Rays (see Isaac Paredes). DeLuca is becoming the next Paredes, except with more speed. He’s now becoming a major target for me. Get him everywhere you can.

Xavier Isaac TBR, 1B, 20.4 – Isaac has officially shook off his bit of a rocky start with an absolute missile yesterday for his 6th homer in 28 games at High-A. And most importantly, the uncharacteristically poor hit tool has been much better of late with a .315 BA and 18.8%/15.6% K%/BB% in his last 16 games. He now has a 142 wRC+ at the level. He’s on a beeline for elite prospect status if he isn’t there already, and once he gets to the upper minors, it’s very possible he can rise to #1 overall fantasy prospect status in the near future.

Orelvis Martinez TOR, 2B/3B/SS, 22.5 – With Toronto slowly falling out of the race at 18-22, and Addison Barger getting off to slow start, it’s only a matter of time before they start calling up their big guns, and Orelvis is the biggest gun they got right now. He smoked his 10th homer yesterday with an athletic and powerful righty swing that looks just about ready for the majors. He now has a 136 wRC+ with a 20.8%/9.4% K%/BB% in 35 games at Triple-A. Toronto has scored the 3rd least amount of runs in the game, and they desperately need a shot in the arm. Orelvis could be that shot. He’s a great stash.

Damiano Palmegiani TOR, 3B/1B, 24.3 – If Orelvis doesn’t give them that shot, Damiano will, as his bat is so sincere after cracking his 7th homer in 37 games at Triple-A. He hasn’t been destroying the level with a 97 wRC+, but his high K, high BB slugging profile is fully intact with a 91.4 MPH EV and 29.6%/12.5% K%/BB%. Considering their ages, it’s possible Toronto goes to Damiano first, but Orelvis has the much better glove and is the much better prospect in general. Regardless, Damiano is a very good prospect in his own right and is worth a stash in medium to deeper leagues.

Tyler Locklear SEA, 1B, 23.4 – While we’re on the topic of hitting stashes, Locklear should firmly be on your radar. France continues to slump with another 0-fer day, and Locklear’s footsteps keep getting louder and louder. He’s been destroying Double-A, slashing .295/.419/.500 with 4 homers, 3 steals, and a 22.6%/14.6% K%/BB% in 30 games. He’s done nothing but rip up pro ball at every stop, and while he’s not at Triple-A yet, I don’t think Seattle will make him spend much time there, if any, when they feel they are ready to make the switch. France isn’t a particularly good defensive player and he isn’t the type of bat you want at 1B. Locklear is that type of bat, and he’s coming for that 1B job of the present and the future.

Zac Veen COL, OF, 22.4 – I did all my mea culpas for ranking Veen so highly last year, but I knew I wasn’t going crazy thinking that this guy should be really good, and with a healthy hand, he’s back with a vengeance in 2024. He’s been straight unconscious, going 2 for 5 with a steal yesterday, and is now slashing .341/.434/.593 with 5 homers, 9 steals, and a 23.6%/12.3% K%/BB% in 26 games at Double-A. That’s good for a 191 wRC+. This is everything I thought he was capable of in 2023, but the hand injury clearly prevented the breakout. Today, we spell redemption, H-A-L-P … let’s not talk about Parker Meadows which now swaps with Veen as my worst call 😉

Christopher Morel CHC, OF, 24.11 – Talking about former favorites of mine, Morel is starting to lock in a true leveling up, going 2 for 4 with a 397 foot homer off Bailey Falter for his 9th in 40 games. Most importantly, he didn’t strike out once, and his 21.8%/10.9% K%/BB% is looking oh so sweet combined with his hard hit ability (91.3 MPH EV), lift (14 degree launch), and athleticism (4 steals). The reasonable 29.8% whiff% mostly backs up the strikeout rate gains. His .384 xwOBA is in the top 8% of the league, and Chicago looks committed to getting his bat in the lineup despite continued poor defense. The surface stats haven’t completely caught up with the underlying numbers quite yet, so there could still be a buy window here if you are looking to buy offense that won’t cost you an arm and a leg.

Oneil Cruz PIT, SS, 25.6 – In my last Monday Morning Rundown, I implored you to not sell low on Cruz, and he’s exploded since then, crushing a 112.7 MPH bomb off Kyle Hendricks yesterday. He’s now slashing .344/385/.623 with 4 homers and a 14/4 K/BB in 18 games since that Rundown. The dude is a beast with a 94.2 MPH EV and a declining K rate (21.5% over those last 18 games). Any buy low window has been shut.

 Jazz Chisholm MIA, OF, 26.2 – I called Jazz a buy low in that same Rundown, and he’s also hit very well since then, going 2 for 3 with a double, triple, and 0/1 K/BB yesterday. He now has 3 homers, 4 steals, a 21% K% and .836 OPS in 19 games since that writeup. The dude is a gimme for 20/20, and 30/30 is so easily within reach too if he can just stay healthy. So far, he’s healthy. Corbin Carroll and Jordan Walker were my two other buy low calls from that Rundown, and while they haven’t broken out yet, I still implore you to hold on to both, especially Carroll. My faith is Walker is maybe cracking a bit more after he got sent down, but long term, I still think he ends up really really good.

Jesus Baez NYM, SS, 19.1 – Baez is quickly becoming one of the most exciting Single-A breakouts, going 2 for 6 with a homer, and now has 4 homers, 5 steals, a 10.1% K%, and 131 wRC+ in 31 games. He hits the ball hard with a vicious righty swing and the K rate is in the elite range. He’s not a perfect prospect as he’s not a burner and the 5.8% BB% is low, but the hit/power combo is looking legit right now.

Alek Manoah TOR, RHP, 26.3 – We finally have a pulse. Manoah went 7 IP with 4 hits, 0 ER, and a 6/1 K/BB vs. MIN. The fastball sat 93.8 MPH and all 4 of his pitches missed bats for a 33% whiff% overall. You obviously still can’t fully trust him, but just seeing him capable of putting together a good start is great to see after his complete implosion and poor 1st outing. Tread carefully here, but this is as close to the old Manoah we’ve seen since it all went wrong.

Ethan Salas SDP, C, 17.10/Leodalis De Vries SDP, SS, 17.6 – Let’s check in on San Diego’s experiment of being stupid aggressive with their assignments. Salas has a 67 wRC+ with 0 homers in 28 games at High-A. De Vries has a 65 wRC+ with a 30.3% K% in 7 games at Single-A and hasn’t played since May 1st. I hated the old way of being so conservative to the point of stunting prospects development and robbing baseball fans of seeing the best young players in the game at the highest levels, but San Diego has taken it to cartoonish levels, and it’s starting to come back to bite them.

CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY PATREON FOR TONS OF EXCLUSIVE CONTENT ALL SEASON, INCLUDING:
-APRIL TOP 427 DYNASTY BASEBALL RANKS (4/19/24)
-MAY TOP 301 PROSPECTS RANKS (5/10/23)
-HALP’S DYNASTY BASEBALL PODCAST: APRIL MAILBAG! (4/24/24)
-TONS OF DYNASTY RUNDOWNS
-TOP 42 PROSPECTS TO STACH FOR 2024 ONLY (May Update coming soon)
-MAY DYNASTY TARGETS COMING SOON
-SPREADSHEETS

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