I’m doing these Rundowns all Spring and all season over on the Patreon, with a few per month free here on the Brick Wall. I’m just psyched to have baseball back! Here is the Sunday Morning Dynasty Baseball Rundown (3/2/25):

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Hye-seong Kim – LAD, 2B, 26.2 – I’ve been dogging Hye-seong all week in the Rundowns for his awful start to spring, but he got his vengeance yesterday, tapping a 95.6 MPH homer the other way for his first big day stateside. He didn’t exactly crush it, but the swing changes are meant to get him more cheapies like that, because without the swing change, he was likely only a 5-10 homer guy. And just look at that beautiful swing! How can you not buy into that? I sure did this off-season naming him a low key target, and while the swing changes are taking some time, I still can’t help but be enamored by his talent. If the swing changes start to click, I don’t see why he couldn’t be like a .270/15/30 guy once he really gets his bearings in MLB, which would probably be more realistically in 2026 and beyond.

Jerar Encarnacion – SFG, OF, 27.5 – Encarnacion showed off his truly top of the scale power with a 113 MPH homer out to dead center. The ball landed right over the 410 ft marking in center, but Statcast says it was hit 387 feet. Huh? A bit odd. Somebody is lying right to our faces. Either way, Encarnacion was a bat speed standout in 2024 with a 77 MPH swing, and it resulted in an elite 95 MPH EV in 119 PA. It actually came with a pretty damn solid 28.7% whiff% too, and so far this spring his K% is sitting at a very nice 20% in 15 PA. If he keeps making that much contact, with his bat speed and power, a breakout is inevitable. He’s going to have to kick the door down for playing time, but Encarnacion is in really fun and cheap flier territory right now. He could be an “out of nowhere” bat who cracks 30+ dingers.

Konnor Griffin – PIT, OF, 18.11 – Welcome to pro ball, Konnor Griffin. It didn’t take long for him to make his presence felt, coolly and easily destroying his first homer the other way out to right center. At 6’4”, 225 pounds, that power comes so easy, and that isn’t even his best tool arguably, it’s his 70 grade speed. It’s all about the hit tool though, and so far, so good as he’s 2 for 5 with 0 K’s. I said it in my FYPD Target article (Patreon), but we may be looking back at this class and kicking ourselves that we didn’t take Griffin over the college bats. He’s the only one who truly has elite dynasty asset potential. I see him getting faded in a ton of FYPD drafts. Don’t make that mistake.

Pete Crow-Armstrong – CHC, OF, 23.0 – Pete Crow is going to absolutely explode in 2025. His power is no joke, and he continues to prove that, crushing a 104.4 MPH homer off Cole Ragans and tacking on a 104.6 MPH double off Lucas Erceg. He’s now 7 for 14 on the spring with 1 homer, 1 steal, and a 247 wRC+. His power/speed combo can legitimately rival the very best in the game, and I still feel like he’s getting underrated by the fantasy community. I’ve been all in on him for 4 years now, and I’m still all in this year, ranking him 66th overall on the Top 1,000 2025 Dynasty Baseball Rankings (Patreon). I also placed a long shot bet on him leading the league in steals. This is your last chance to get in on him at anything resembling a reasonable price.

Ben Rice – NYY, 1B, 26.6 – Rice obliterated a 113.3 MPH line drive homer that left the park in like half a second. His barrel ability is special, putting up a 15.6% Barrel% in his very first taste of the majors, and while the hits weren’t falling for him, they are about to start falling in 2025. I closed out Rice’s blurb in my First Base Targets (Patreon) by writing, “I don’t know how. And I don’t know when. But I do know who. And that who is Ben Rice.” … and now that Giancarlo is set to miss the start of the season with double tennis elbow, we know how too. He’s coming for that DH job, and if he can establish himself, I’m sure the Yanks will want to get that bat in the lineup somehow.

Chase Dollander – COL, RHP, 23.5 – Dollander went up against a pretty legit Arizona lineup, and they weren’t scared of the 97.4 MPH fastball, whiffing only 15% of the time on it and hitting it up for a 92.9 MPH EV against. It resulted in a rough outing for Dollander, going 3 IP with 3 hits, 3 ER, and a 4/1 K/BB. He still missed plenty of bats with a cutter and change, leading to an excellent 29% whiff%, and the curve induced weak contact. Pitching prospects are just too volatile for me to bet on any Coors pitching prospect, which is why he ranked 58th overall on my Top 500 2025 Dynasty Prospects Rankings (Patreon), but on his own merits, he would likely land closer to 20th overall. I just can’t ignore the looming Coors monster.

Cade Povich – BAL, LHP, 24.11 – 3 IP, 1 hit, 0 ER, 6/1 K/BB vs. Pitt’s Quad-A+Cruz lineup. Not the best competition, but Povich has been absolutely lights out this spring in 5 IP with 0 ER and a 38.9/5.6 K%/BB%. I thought his path to improvement would be increased stuff, as the fastball only sits low 90’s, but it looks like it could come with improved control/command. He has his stuff on an absolute string this spring, and it’s still missing a ton of bats. I was out on Povich, but his spring performance definitely has me regretting that decision.

Michael Soroka – WSH, RHP, 27.8 – Soroka was another arm that I was out on, and he too might make me regret it, going 3 IP with 0 hits, 0 ER, and a 3/1 K/BB vs. a decently tough Cardinals lineup. The 4-seamer was up 1.4 MPH to 94.9 MPH, and it’s not like it was a 1 inning outing. The slider missed a ton of bats too going 4 for 8 on whiffs, leading to a 29% whiff% overall. He’s moving into acceptable deeper league flier territory for me.

Shane McClanahan – TBR, LHP, 27.1 – McClanahan made his debut coming off Tommy John and went 2 IP with 3 hits, 0 ER, and a 1/0 K/BB vs. a mediocre Mets lineup. The fastball was hitting the upper 90’s, so the stuff is back and he certainly looks healthy. Still remains to be seen how much rust he will have to shake off, but this was a positive first outing.

George Lombard – NYY, SS, 19.10 – If Lombard’s power ticks up, his prospect stock is set to soar, and it looks like that might happen with him obliterating a 108.4 MPH homer for his first of spring. That swing looked so legit, and the 76.4 MPH bat speed backs up the ocular evaluation. He’s still just 19 years old and is coming off a solid first full year of pro ball. He’s just a really good all around ball player.

Grant Taylor – CHW, RHP, 22.10 – 1 IP, 1 hit, 0 ER, 2/0 K/BB. Taylor showed off the electric stuff with a 99.9 MPH fastball that notched a 33% whiff% with a 66.7 MPH EV against. It was simply unhittable. He also mixed in a cutter, changeup, and slider with none of his pitches coming in under 88.2 MPH. The “changeup” sits 92.6 MPH, which is faster than some guys fastballs. There is injury risk and he still has a lot to prove, but his top level stuff is unquestionable.

Christian Encarnacion-Strand – CIN, 1B, 25.4 – CES wrist watch … 111.6 MPH bullet off Dylan Cease for his 2nd of the spring. He had a good AFL too. Wrist injuries scare me for hitters, but Strand looks like he’s back to 100%.

Julio Rodriguez – SEA, OF, 24.3 – 0 for 2 and is now 1 for 11 on the spring … I love it, let’s get that slow start out of the way now, because I think he’s going to literally kill his owners if he doesn’t start hitting until mid summer again …

Noelvi Marte – CIN, 3B, 23.6 – 0 for 2 with 2 K’s and is now 1 for 12 with a 42.9% K% … I think it’s time to get back on the juice. It’s worth the risk, because this ain’t it …

CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY PATREON FOR TONS OF EXCLUSIVE CONTENT ALL OFF-SEASON & SEASON, INCLUDING:
-TOP 1,000 2025 DYNASTY BASEBALL RANKS (analysis, projections, & prime projections for every player)
-TOP 500 2025 DYNASTY BASEBALL PROSPECT RANKS
-TOP 146 2025 FYPD RANKS (+FYPD Target & Strategy Guide)
-POSITION BY POSITION TARGETS
-OBP TOP 400 2025 DYNASTY BASEBALL RANKS
-2025 DEEP DYNASTY POSITIONAL RANKS: Top 78 C–Top 83 1B–Top 98 2B–Top 109 3B–Top 154 SS–Top 260 OF-Top 305 SP-Top 76 RP
-HALP’S DYNASTY BASEBALL PODCAST
-SPREADSHEETS

By Michael Halpern (@MichaelCHalpern)
Email: michaelhalpern@imaginarybrickwall.com
Twitter: Imaginary Brick Wall (@DynastyHalp)
Blue Sky: Dynasty Halp (@ImaginaryBrickWall)