Eloy Jimenez – Page 2 – Imaginary Brick Wall

Posted on January 19, 2017February 13, 2017 by Michael Halpern

2017 Top 200 Dynasty/Fantasy Baseball Prospects Rankings: 1-25

Prospects season is finally here, and I am ramping it up to a top 200 this year. After 100, I will take a breath and put out a traditional top 100 list, but then I am continuing on. There are just too many legitimately exciting prospects to stop at 100. Consider this more like Prospect Hanukkah rather than Prospect Christmas, because this ranking is gonna be a slow burner. Let’s get started:

Click here for the complete Top 200

*Prime Projection: R/HR/RBI/AVG/OBP/SLG/SB

1) Yoan Moncada CHW, 2B/3B – The betting man’s #1 prospect in baseball. Power/speed combo is unmatched, but feel free to ignore the 30% K rate at Double-A. Prime Projection: 102/22/89/.275/.360/.479/32 ETA: Mid 2017

2) Andrew Benintendi BOS, OF – The safe choice. Triple-slashed .295/.359/.476 with 2 homers and 1 steal in his first 118 MLB PA. Prime Projection: 93/21/97/.300/.362/.477/11 ETA: 2017 Opening Day

3) Austin Meadows PIT, OF – Across the board production with both a high floor and a high ceiling. Prime Projection: 96/20/86/.293/.351/.470/14 ETA: Late 2017

4) Brendan Rodgers COL, SS/2B – Middle infielder with a plus hit tool and plus power playing in Coors Field. Worth the wait. Prime Projections: 89/27/103/.281/.338/.495/7 ETA: 2018/19

5) Alex Reyes STL, RHP – Flashed his considerable upside by going 46 IP, 8 ER, 33 Hits, 23 BB, 52 K in his MLB debut. Still some control/command risk. Prime Projection: 3.21/1.19/228 in 208 IP ETA: 2017 Opening Day

6) Dansby Swanson ATL, SS – Not the highest upside, but safe and MLB ready at a premium position. Prime Projection: 94/17/78/.282/.342/.451/17 ETA: 2017 Opening Day

7) Victor Robles WASH, OF – 5-category stud. Just might be the top prospect in baseball by this time next year. Prime Projection: 96/16/77/.289/.339/.449/30 ETA: 2018/19

8) Raimel Tapia COL, OF – Excellent prospect on his own merits, and Coors Field could turn him into a perennial batting champ. Prime Projection: 92/15/70/.308/.335/.442/18 ETA: Late 2017

9) Lewis Brinson MIL, OF – Upside rivals any of the guys ranked above him, but plate approach is still raw. Prime Projection: 84/24/89/.262/.329/.473/17 ETA: Late 2017

10) Nick Senzel CIN, 3B – First college hitter selected in the 2016 draft, and completely destroyed full season pro ball. Safe 5-category production going to a great hitter’s ballpark. Prime Projection: 90/20/90/.282/.354/.469/14 ETA: 2018

11) Kyle Tucker HOU, OF – Austin Meadows 2.0. Prime Projection: 94/21/86/.286/.357/.482/16 ETA: 2018/19

12) Eloy Jimenez CHC, OF – Nobody had scouts buzzing like the 6’4’’, 205-pound Jimenez did this year. Highest upside of any power hitting prospect in the game. Prime Projection: 85/29/96/.278/.332/.496/8 ETA: 2019

13) Tyler Glasnow PIT, RHP – Stuff is unhittable, but the red flags are getting harder to ignore (control/command, third pitch, repeating delivery). Prime Projection: 3.27/1.20/216 in 200 IP ETA: Mid 2017

14) J.P. Crawford PHI, SS – Advanced plate approach against older competition is impressive even without the fantasy friendly numbers. High floor and the ceiling isn’t too bad either. Prime Projection: 96/14/62/.282/.371/.410/17 ETA: Late 2017

15) Lucas Giolito CHW, RHP – Rough MLB debut had people questioning his “elite” fastball. Trade to the AL didn’t do him any favors, either. Prime Projection: 3.36/1.18/214 in 209 IP ETA: Mid 2017

16) A.J. Reed HOU, 1B – I hope to see Spring Training reports that Reed “is in the best shape of his life,” because poor conditioning didn’t help his bat speed or lower body injuries last year. Prime Projection: 79/31/95/.266/.351/.496/1 ETA: Mid 2017

17) Brad Zimmer CLE, OF – Strikeouts got worse, but excellent plate approach and power/speed combo still shined. Prime Projection: 87/20/80/.255/.340/.453/24 ETA: Mid 2017

18) Derek Fisher HOU, OF – Very similar fantasy profile to Zimmer, except he can hit lefties too. Prime Projection: 81/23/85/.259/.342/.459/17 ETA: Late 2017

19) Jose DeLeon LAD, RHP – Fly-ball pitcher with one of the best fastball/changeup combos in the minors. Gopheritis is the biggest risk. Prime Projection: 3.41/1.16/208 in 190 IP ETA: Mid 2017

20) Josh Hader MIL, LHP – Ignore the Colorado Springs inflated Triple-A numbers, and focus on the nasty stuff and ridiculous Double-A numbers. Miller Park is no picnic, but it is much worse on righties. Prime Projection: 3.38/1.18/196 in 185 IP. ETA: Mid 2017

21) Tom Murphy COL, C – Raked for two years in a row in his September cups of coffee. This is the year he gets fully unleashed at Coors. Prime Projection: 70/27/85/.256/.312/.467/2 ETA 2017 Opening Day

22) Willie Calhoun LAD, 2B – Elite power and contact numbers, but lack of position leaves his MLB future murky. Wrote about Willie (and a bunch of other sleepers I hit on last off-season) in Reviewing My 2016 Fantasy Baseball Dynasty League Prospect Sleepers Post. Prime Projection: 79/28/91/.280/.324/.484/2 ETA: 2018

23) Tyler O’Neill SEA, OF – Developed a solid plate approach at Double-A to go along with his prodigious power. One of the hardest workers in the minors. Prime Projection: 80/27/90/.265/.323/.482/9 ETA: 2017/18

24) Zack Collins CHW, C – Top college bat who immediately put up a triple-slash of .258/.418/.467 with 6 homers and a 39/33 K/BB in 36 games at High-A. If he has any chance to stick at catcher, Chicago will be the team that lets him. Prime Projection: 78/26/87/.269/.364/.485/2 ETA: 2018

25) Aaron Judge NYY, OF – Ranked Judge #1 in my 2017 Top 10 New York Yankees Fantasy Prospect Rankings. Prime Projection: 80/28/90/.254/.336/.474/6 ETA: 2017 Opening Day

Click here for the complete Top 200

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

Posted on November 7, 2016November 14, 2016 by Michael Halpern

2016 Complete End of Season Top 35 Fantasy Baseball Prospect Rankings

Top 100 season is not until early February, but nobody said anything about doing a top 35. Without further ado, here are the 2016 End of Season Top 35 Fantasy Baseball Prospect Rankings:

1) Yoan Moncada BOS, 3B/2B – Struggled with contact in his first 20 MLB PA (60% K rate!), but has unmatched 5-category upside. Prime Projection: 108/22/85/.275/.362/.479/30
ETA: Will likely compete for 3B job in Spring Training. Worst case scenario he is the next man up at Triple-A.

2) Andrew Benintendi BOS, OF – Not gonna lie, it hurts a little bit as a Yankees fan that the top two players on this list are both Red Sox. Only silver lining is that I’m really happy Boston fired the guy who built this Red Sox team and farm system. Prime Projection: 93/21/97/.300/.367/.477/11
ETA: Three months ago

3) Brendan Rodgers COL, SS/2B – Power showed up this year with 19 homers in 110 games at Single-A. OPS was much higher at home than on the road (.978 vs. .682) but I just call that good ole’ fashioned practice for Coors Field. Prime Projection: 89/27/103/.281/.338/.495/7
ETA: Cup of coffee in 2018. DJ LaMahieu will be a free agent after the 2018 season, so Rodgers looks to have a wide open spot in 2019, either at 2B, or at SS with Trevor Story moving to 2nd.

4) Alex Reyes STL, RHP – Averaged 96.8 MPH on his fastball in his MLB debut, to go along with a plus curveball and an 88 MPH changeup that looks more like a normal pitcher’s two seam fastball. If you watched his Futures Game performance, you realized this was a man against boys. Prime Projection: 3.18/1.18/237 in 204 IP
ETA: Will compete for a starting job in Spring Training, but St. Louis hasn’t been afraid to use their top pitching prospects in relief during their rookie season.

5) Lucas Giolito WASH, RHP – If you’ve waited this long for Giolito, you are not about to give up now. He had an up and down year in the minors and got hit around in the majors, but the plus fastball/curveball combo is still intact. Prime Projection: 3.25/1.15/217 in 209 IP
ETA: Washington has good rotation depth, so he will likely start the season in Triple-A before the inevitable injuries/ineffectiveness opens a rotation spot for him.

6) Tyler Glasnow PIT, RHP – Glasnow and Giolito are basically tied for me, but gave the edge to Giolito because Glasnow’s 5.2 BB/9 is one huge red flag. His stuff is unhittable, so once he learns to repeat his delivery and improve his command, the sky is the limit. Prime Projection: 3.15/1.19/222 in 200 IP
ETA: Will depend on free agent signings, but the door is wide open for him to win a rotation spot out of Spring Training.

7) Dansby Swanson ATL, SS – Safe 5-category production from the SS position. Was one at-bat short of losing rookie eligibility, slashing .302/.361/.442 with 3 homers and 3 steals in 129 MLB at-bats. Prime Projection: 89/18/83/.282/.346/.458/16
ETA: 10 weeks ago

8) Austin Meadows PIT, OF – Working through an orbital bone fracture in the beginning of the season and hamstring injury mid-year, Meadows still managed to significantly up his power output and slash a respectable .266/.333/.536 with 12 homers and 17 steals in 87 games split between Double-A and Triple-A. Andrew McCutchen is the only thing between him and a starting job. Prime Projection: 96/20/86/.293/.351/.470/14
ETA: In a classic prospect blocked situation. It will take a trade, injury, or NL DH to get him in the lineup.

9) Victor Robles WASH, OF – The 19-year-old Robles slowed down a bit at High-A after dominating Single-A, but he still flashed 5-category upside that only Moncada can top right now. Prime Projection: 96/16/77/.289/.339/.449/30
ETA: Type of prospect that can be up in a hurry. Wouldn’t be surprised if he was starting sometime in 2018.

10) A.J. Reed HOU, 1B – Rough MLB debut was a major bummer (.532 OPS), but if it’s any consolation, he did rake in the PCL (.924 OPS). I’m still fully on board with him becoming a big time power hitter, it just might not happen as quickly as I originally hoped. Prime Projection: 79/30/100/.269/.351/.499/1
ETA: Will have to earn playing time with a Houston franchise that is stacked with talented hitters. Has ability to carve out an everyday role vs. righties in 2017, but may struggle to find at-bats vs. lefties. Should have an everyday 1B/DH job available in 2018 if he performs.

11) Lewis Brinson MIL, OF – Struggled in the first half due to a shoulder injury, but exploded in the PCL after being traded to Milwaukee. Plate approach took a step back this season, so Milwaukee’s new front office will have to prove they are as good at developing talent as they are at acquiring it. Prime Projection: 82/24/86/.262/.329/.473/17
ETA: Could win the CF job of out Spring Training, but likely needs a few more months of seasoning at Triple-A.

12) Jose De Leon LAD, RHP – Biggest concern is that he will be too homer prone, and giving up 5 homers in his first 17 MLB IP did not exactly alleviate those concerns. He did dominate in the PCL with a pitching line of 2.61/0.94/111 in 86.1 IP. Prime Projection: 3.41/1.16/208 in 190 IP
ETA: MLB ready, but Los Angeles has a number of different rotation options. Working him in as a long man/2-3 inning reliever next season isn’t out of the question.

13) Josh Hader MIL, LHP – Couldn’t overcome possibly the worst pitching conditions in professional baseball, Colorado Springs, but absolutely destroyed Double-A earlier in the year. Maintained his nasty, strikeout stuff all season. Prime Projection: 3.34/1.18/196 in 185 IP
ETA: Probably isn’t a great idea to send him back to that pitching hell hole, but Milwaukee has enough mediocre pitching options ahead of him that it might be inevitable for the first couple months of the season.

14) Raimel Tapia COL, OF – Elite hit tool with plus speed and a little power playing at Coors Field. Cut strikeouts almost in half this season too. Prime Projection: 92/14/70/.305/.333/.442/19
ETA: All 3 Colorado outfielders are injury prone (Dahl, Blackmon, Gonzalez), plus, Blackmon and Gonzalez are both candidates to be dealt this off-season. Worst case scenario, a full time gig should open up when Gonzalez’s contract runs out after this season.

15) Brad Zimmer CLE, OF – Strikeouts spiked at Triple-A (37% K% in 150 PA), but the explosive power/speed combo is too good to pass up. Prime Projection: 87/20/80/.255/.340/.453/24
ETA: Clearly needs more work at Triple-A. Should still be able to debut at some point next season, likely in the 2^nd half.

16) Derek Fisher HOU, OF – Repeated in Double-A and Triple-A what he did in A-Ball last year. Contact issues remain, but like Zimmer, the power/speed combo is an enticing one for fantasy. Prime Projection: 81/23/85/.259/.342/.459/17
ETA: Fisher and Zimmer are almost prospect doppelgangers right now. Like Zimmer, he should debut sometime in the 2^nd half of 2017.

17) Nick Senzel CIN, 3B – I covered Senzel in my 2016/17 Top 40 Dynasty League First-Year Player Draft Rankings, but here is a cool video I found of him plowing into a catcher when he was 10 years old. Prime Projection: 90/20/90/.282/.354/.469/14
ETA: Should be on the Bregman/Benintendi/Swanson timeline, which means he will show up in the 2^nd half of next season.

18) Eloy Jimenez CHC, OF – The athletic 6’4’’, 205-pound Jimenez has the scouts drooling over him, and the stats at Single-A to back it up. Prime Projection: 85/28/96/.281/.335/.490/8
ETA: 2019. There is no obvious opening for him in Chicago, but a lot can change between now and when he will be big league ready, including the uniform he is wearing.

19) Tyler O’Neill SEA, OF – I’ve been hyping O’Neill for about a year now, and the rest of the prospect world has finally caught up after he improved both his K% and BB% as a 21-year-old at Double-A. Prime Projection: 79/27/90/.265/.321/.480/9
ETA: Seattle’s mediocre OF options leaves the door wide open for him as soon as Seattle thinks he is ready. Could be as soon as June 2017, or as late as June 2018.

20) Zack Collins CHW, C – I covered Collins in my 2016/17 Top 40 Dynasty League First-Year Player Draft Rankings. Prime Projection: 78/26/87/.269/.364/.485/2
ETA: Should be on the same track to the bigs that I think Senzel will be on. Working on catcher defense could delay him a bit longer.

21) Kyle Tucker HOU, OF – Power started to emerge towards the end of the year, which tacked on to the advanced hit tool, plate approach, and surprising speed he displayed earlier in the season. Standing a lanky 6’4”, there is likely even more power coming down the line. Prime Projection: 94/21/86/.286/.357/.468/16
ETA: 2019/2020. Houston is in no rush to call him up, and there is plenty of development time to go for the 19-year-old.

22) J.P. Crawford PHI, SS – Continued to display an advanced plate approach despite being more than five years younger than his competition for most of the season. I understand being turned off by his lackluster home run and steal totals, but he is a sure bet to stick at SS and is knocking on the door of the bigs. Prime Projection: 96/13/62/.282/.371/.403/17
ETA: Freddy Galvis is keeping the seat warm until Crawford is ready, which should be sometime in the 2nd half of next season.

23) Tom Murphy COL, C – Ranked 32^nd overall on my top 100 back in February, Murphy went on to easily handle the PCL (1.008 OPS in 303 at bats), and then did more of the same in his September cup of coffee (1.006 OPS in 44 at bats). He is going to strike out a lot, but Coors Field and his positional value gives him a major boost. Prime Projection: 70/27/85/.256/.312/.467/2
ETA: Starting job is his for the taking in 2017, but I would still expect some kind of time share with Tony Wolters.

24) Willie Calhoun LAD, 2B (kinda) – Has an almost unmatched combo of contact and power, cranking 27 homers with a 65/45 K/BB in 132 games at Double-A. Most of his power is to his pull side, so smart defenses will be able to limit his BABIP. Prime Projection: 78/26/89/.278/.324/.475/2
ETA: Defensive concerns make his ETA murky. Howie Kendrick’s contract is up after next season, so if Calhoun improves his defense to an acceptable level, he can be starting for Los Angeles as soon as 2018.

25) Aaron Judge NYY, OF – Strikeout rate exploded in the Majors, but has a history of struggling at a new level before making adjustments. His 6’7’’, 275-pound frame is both a gift and a curse when it comes to hitting a baseball. Prime Projection: 80/28/92/.254/.336/.474/6
ETA: 2017 Opening Day starting right fielder.

26) Clint Frazier NYY, OF – Struggled at Triple-A in 30 games, but handled his business at Double-A, slashing .276/.356/.469 with 13 homers and 13 steals in 89 games. Has legendary bat speed and Instagram game. Prime Projection: 84/23/86/.280/.343/.479/10
ETA: Definitely needs more development time at Triple-A, plus, there is no obvious spot for him as long as Gardner, Ellsbury, and McCann are still on the roster. Post trade deadline 2017, or early 2018 is my best guess.

27) Franklin Barreto OAK, SS/2B – Stat line doesn’t particularly stand out (.763 OPS), but his performance as a 20-year-old in a pitcher’s park at Double-A is a legitimate step forward. Sticking at SS would be a big help, but that isn’t a sure bet. Prime Projection: 89/17/81/.285/.337/.450/19
ETA: It sure seems like Oakland has their foot on the pedal with Barreto, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him in the 2^nd half of next season. The more conservative estimate would be a few months into the 2018 season.

28) Bobby Bradley CLE, 1B – Would have liked to see him take a step forward with his hit tool, but maintaining his homer/walk/strikeout profile as a 20-year-old at High-A will have to do. Prime Projection: 80/33/106/.250/.366/.510/3
ETA: 2019. Don’t think he will be fast tracked because there will likely be adjustments to make as he faces more advanced pitching in the upper minors.

29) Josh Bell PIT, 1B/OF – Power took a step forward this year while maintaining his plus hit tool. Looked strong in his MLB debut too, slashing .273/.368/.406. Prime Projection: 78/19/88/.288/.345/.458/4
ETA: Likely to get at bats at 1B and corner outfield this year, before taking over at 1B full time when John Jaso’s contract runs out after this season.

30) Jesse Winker CIN, OF – Maintained elite hit tool and plate approach in Triple-A. Power dropped off a cliff, but that can be blamed on battling a wrist injury all season. Prime Projection: 87/20/90/.292/.373/.487/4
ETA: Will probably begin the season in Triple-A and be the first OF up if/when one of the starters get hurt or struggles.

31) Ian Happ CHC, 2B/OF – Solid power/speed combo with a good plate approach, but has some contact issues. Is completely blocked in Chicago, and could be used as a super utility guy in his first few seasons. Prime Projection: 85/19/76/.273/.358/.447/13
ETA: Late season call up next year before slowly being worked into the lineup in 2018.

32) Hunter Renfroe SD, OF – Was a bit of a mixed bag at Triple-A (PCL), jacking 30 homers, but striking out 20% of the time and walking a measly 3.9% of the time. Hit 4 homers in his brief 11 game MLB debut. Prime Projection: 74/26/91/.263/.304/.470/5
ETA: 2017 Opening Day starting right fielder.

33) Rafael Devers BOS, 3B – Was too pull happy early in the season, which led to a disastrous first two months at High-A, but turned it around in the second half when he went back to hitting frozen ropes all over the field. Still some projection left on his homerun power. Prime Projection: 83/23/98/.287/.332/.483/7
ETA: Will be interesting to see what Boston does with Moncada and/or Pedroia when Devers is ready, which should be around 2018/2019 if things go relatively well.

34) Gleybor Torres NYY, SS – Has been getting rave reviews in the Arizona Fall League where he is slashing .308/.426/.590 with 3 homers. The power has certainly arrived for the 19-year-old Torres. Prime Projection: 82/21/87/.277/.346/.467/13
ETA: The Yanks have been known to be relatively conservative with their hitting prospects, so I wouldn’t expect him until the 2^nd half of the 2019 season.

35) Cody Bellinger LAD, 1B/OF – Significantly improved both his walk and strikeout rate at Double-A while maintaining his considerable power. Prime Projection: 77/24/91/.268/.357/.480/6
ETA: Is lining up perfectly to take over 1B when Adrian Gonzalez’s contract runs out after the 2018 season.

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

Posted on October 31, 2016November 5, 2016 by Michael Halpern

2016 End of Season Top 30 Fantasy Baseball Prospect Rankings: 11-20

Top 100 season is not until early February, but nobody said anything about doing a top 30. Without further ado, here are the 2016 End of Season Top 30 Fantasy Baseball Prospect Rankings: 11-20

2016 End of Season Top 30 Fantasy Baseball Prospect Rankings: 1-10

18) Eloy Jimenez CHC, OF – The athletic 6’4’’, 205-pound Jimenez has the scouts drooling over him, and the stats at Single-A to back it up. Prime Projection: 85/28/96/.281/.335/.490/8
ETA: 2019/2020. There is no obvious opening for him in Chicago, but a lot can change between now and when he will be big league ready, including the uniform he is wearing.

21-35: End of Season Top 30 Fantasy Baseball Prospect Rankings

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

Posted on August 29, 2016September 8, 2016 by Michael Halpern

2016 Fantasy Baseball Minor League Prospect Rundown: Week 21

Every Monday, I will be running down some of the notable performances from around the Minor Leagues, or anything that might have caught my eye in general. Here is the 2016 Fantasy Baseball Minor League Prospect Rundown: Week 21:

Gary Sanchez NYY, C/Alex Bregman HOU, SS – Remember when people said last season’s rookie class was a huge anomaly and this year’s class wouldn’t have much of an impact? Um … yea. Sanchez and Bregman have just destroyed Major League pitching for the past couple of weeks, which continued the very strong play of this year’s rookies. When people say the same thing about next year’s rookies that they did about this year’s, don’t believe them.

Heath Quinn SF, OF – If you are looking for “the next Willie Calhoun,” you may have to look no further than Heath Quinn. Quinn mashed for 3 straight years at Samford, not exactly a baseball powerhouse, but still D1, and is now ripping it up in his first year of pro ball, slashing .335/.424/.552 with 8 homers. I had him ranked as the 14^th best fantasy prospect coming into the draft, and San Francisco managed to steal him in the 3^rd rd (95^th overall). In the past, you might have been able to scoop him for nothing in off-season drafts, but I get the feeling fewer and fewer people are going to be sleeping on these later draft round sleepers. Either way, definitely target Quinn and you should still get good value on him.

Bryan Reynolds SF, OF – Promoted to Single-A last week and has continued to rake, slashing .395/.410/.579. Reynolds is another sleeper who I ranked much higher than he was drafted, but isn’t quite the sleeper Quinn is, because many people were surprised he fell to the 2^nd rd. Like Quinn, he is still a guy you should be able to get at a good value in first year player drafts.

Ronnie Dawson HOU, OF – I had Dawson pegged as one of the better power/speed combo sleepers in the draft, and he has displayed those skills in pro ball, slashing .360/.385/.560 with 1 homer and 2 steals this week. That gives him a season slash line of .237/.363/.388 with 7 homers and 12 steals in 63 games at Low-A. The hit tool has lagged behind, but you should be able to grab him very late in drafts.

Alec Hansen CHW, RHP – Got roughed up a bit in his first start out of Rookie ball at Single-A, going 5 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BB, 6 K. Ralph Lifshitz and I discussed on Episode 4 of the Razzball Prospect Podcast just how much we should trust his dominant rookie ball numbers, so this start wasn’t exactly encouraging in that regard.

Jason Groome BOS, LHP – Groome began his professional career this week, going 4 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 0 BB, 8 K over two starts. He throws an already plus 12-6 curve which he has good command over, to go along with a low 90’s heater. He has the upside to be worthy of a top pick in a first year player draft, but I still prefer the safety and proximity to the majors of the top college players from the class.

Tom Murphy COL, C – Murphy’s assault on the PCL continued, slashing .444/.444/.889 with 2 homers this week. I ranked him 4^th in my pre-season Dynasty League Prospect Sleepers article, which also featured Trevor Story, Josh Hader, Willie Calhoun, Tyler O’Neill, Derek Fisher, Harrison Bader and Bobby Bradley, among others. Not bad, if I say so myself.

Derek Fisher HOU, OF – Has come alive in Triple-A recently, bringing his OPS up to a very respectable .752. He has has also cut down on his K’s, striking out “only” 21% of the time.

Bobby Bradley CLE, 1B – Has consistently mashed all season in a pitcher’s park, and tacked on 3 more homers this week … ho hum.

Eloy Jimenez CHC, OF – Putting the finishing touches on his breakout season, cracking two more homers. The hype machine will be working overtime for this kid all off-season.

Kyle Tucker HOU, OF – Launched his first homer at High-A this week, and has impressively been nonplussed by the advanced competition at only 19 years old, slashing .297/.409/.514. Pretty sure that is the first time I have ever written “nonplussed” in my life.

Dylan Davis SF, OF – Homered in 3 straight games this week to give him 26 on the season. I doubt he will keep up the .294 average in Double-A, but the power isn’t going anywhere.

Jose De Leon LAD, RHP – Only in baseball do teams consistently not play their best players in order to finagle things like their 40-man roster, team control rules, arbitration etc … But Jose of Leon’s recent performance is not making it easy on Los Angeles, going 14.2 IP, 0 ER, 5 Hits, 0 BB, 23 K in 2 starts this week. If LA ever decides to give him a shot, I would give him a shot on your fantasy team too.

Tyler Glasnow PIT, RHP – Don’t forget about Glasnow. He is on the comeback trail returning from a “minor” shoulder injury, and could rejoin Pittsburgh’s rotation sometime in the next week or two. His control has been off (even more off) since returning, but his stuff has looked great and I would still roll with him down the stretch if you need K’s.

Lewis Brinson MIL, OF – Brinson’s “down year” is quickly not looking all that down. He exploded with 3 more homers this week, including 2 in one game, and his season line now stands at a solid .265/.303/.468 with 15 homers and 17 steals in 98 games.

Jesse Winker CIN, OF – Wrist injuries have completely sapped Winker’s power this year (3 homers), but he has continued to display his elite plate approach and hit tool (.303/.392/.382 with a 54/52 K/BB). I’m still betting on the power coming when he gets completely healthy.

Michael Kopech BOS, RHP – 7 IP, 0 ER, 1 Hit, 2 BB, 10 K. As excited as I am about his 14.2 K/9 and 100 MPH fastball, I am equally as worried that Tommy John surgery is right around the corner. That is just the life of a flame throwing youngster.

Triston McKenzie CLE, RHP – 6 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 1 BB, 9 K. Doesn’t throw 100 MPH but is still putting up the eye popping K numbers (13 K/9).

Dylan Cease CHC, RHP – The hard throwing Cease continues to rack up K’s, striking out 7 batters in 4 IP this week, which comes off an 8 K in 3.2 IP outing last week. He should certainly start to crack top 100’s this off-season.

Kolby Allard ATL, LHP/Brady Aiken CLE, LHP – There seems to be a split over which lefty phenom is the better prospect. Allard went 5 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 0 BB, 9 K this week at Single-A, while Aiken slung 5 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BB, 5 K at Low-A, which is his third consecutive start with a basically identical line. I still prefer Allard, but Aiken’s recent surge as he gets further away from Tommy John surgery certainly has him catching up.

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

Posted on August 1, 2016August 9, 2016 by Michael Halpern

2016 Fantasy Baseball Minor League Prospect Rundown: Week 17

Thomas Szapucki NYM, LHP – There is no time for jokes, pick up Szapucki right now. The hard throwing lefty went 7 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 1 BB, 10 K last night in his second start at Low-A. He has an almost side-arm delivery which he slings a plus fastball and curveball with. I would have led with all the traded prospect stuff, but honestly, none of their values changed all that much in the fantasy baseball world, while Szapucki’s stock is shooting straight up. I wouldn’t be surprised if he is legitimately one of the best pitching prospects in baseball by this time next year.

Clint Frazier NYY, OF/Justus Sheffield NYY, LHP – Ok, now please allow me to wax poetic about the job Brian Cashman and the Yankees have done at the trade deadline. On second thought, I can’t seem to find any wax or poetry books in my apartment, so I’ll just praise them on a job well done. Well done, fellas! You turned a guy you signed for 4 years, $36 million into a prospect haul that is usually reserved for the top aces in baseball. Last thing left to do is force Frazier to cut all of his hair off in the name of your ancient hair grooming policy.

Travis Demeritte ATL, 2B – After beefing up their pitching prospect ranks to obese proportions, Atlanta is finally focusing on the other side of the baseball, absolutely stealing Demeritte away from Texas. Albies already has the inside track on the 2B job, so expect Demeritte to eventually be moved to 3B or OF.

Chris Okey CIN, C – 2 more homers this week, giving him 6 on the season in 30 games. He is a sure bet to stick at catcher, and is definitely rising up my first year player draft board right now. To hear more of my thoughts on which first year players are rising and falling, check out Episode 2 of the final Fantasy Gold Rush Podcast that I co-host with Razzball’s Ralph Lifshitz. It’s not really the final one, but we are moving it over to Razzball (moved to Thursday, as well) where it will be rebranded, and it will be the final one without commercials. Yup, we sold out already. We will also be on Blog Talk Radio now. Big thanks to Grey for helping us get more exposure, and JB for helping us from the get go on the technical side of things.

Andrew Benintendi BOS, OF – Benintendi has been quiet of late, but he exploded at Double-A this week, crushing 2 homers last night to cap off a week where he slashed .500/.545/.950. His OPS is now up to .875 at the level.

A.J. Reed HOU, 1B – On fire since returning to Triple-A, collecting 14 hits and 2 homers in 9 games. Don’t let his brief MLB struggles scare you off quite yet.

Eloy Jimenez CHC, OF – 15 hits and 2 dingers over 6 games this week. I hope the Yanks don’t end up regretting passing on this guy for Gleybor Torres instead.

Christin Stewart DET, OF – Inexplicably still at High-A, and is explicably still raking at the level, crushing 2 more homers to give him 23 on the season. It’s time to get him a taste of Double-A this year before it is too late.

Matt Chapman OAK, 3B – The homers keep coming, with 2 more this week (24 on the season), while the K’s are improving, striking out only 3 times and putting up a 26/13 K/BB in the last 25 games.

Francis Martes HOU, RHP – 7 IP, 0 ER, 1 Hit, 2 BB, 9 K at Double-A this week. The rapid ascent to the majors many thought was possible this past off-season obviously didn’t happen, but he has maintained his nasty stuff all season, and it is starts like this from the 20-year-old Martes that really gets you excited.

Yohander Mendez TEX, LHP – 5 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 2 BB, 6 K. Mendez continues to prove his breakout season is for real, even as the innings pile up (84.2 IP).

Anthony Alford TOR, OF – Slashed .391/.500/.870 with 1 homer and 1 steal this week, and now has a .938 OPS with 3 homers and 7 steals in the last month. It looks like he is finally shaking off those early season injuries (knee, concussion).

Will Craig PIT, 3B – Is still not hitting for much power (.117 ISO) but is showing off his advanced plate approach with a 14.4% K rate and 15.8% BB rate. I have no doubt that the power will come, so this is turning into a very encouraging start for Craig in pro ball.

Heath Quinn SF, OF – Exhibit A of why I think 75% of the teams in baseball have no idea what they are doing when it comes to the Amateur Draft. San Francisco somehow stole Quinn with the 95th overall pick (I ranked him the 14th overall prospect in my pre-draft fantasy rankings), and he is now slashing .341/.431/.537 with 4 homers in 33 games. If you ever wonder how some teams (St. Louis, Houston, San Fran, and now Los Angeles too) seem to just constantly churn out good players from their system, it’s because so many teams are clueless on how to draft properly.

Bryan Reynolds SF, OF – Speaking of San Francisco draft steals, they got another one with Reynolds at 59th overall. He is slashing .296/.373/.480 with 3 homers and 2 steals in 26 games at Low-A.

Ian Anderson ATL, RHP – The 3rd pick in the draft has impressed in the early going, putting up a line of 15 IP, 0 ER, 11 Hits, 4 BB, 14 K in 4 starts. I liked him a lot coming into the draft, and he will probably rise in my top 100 in the off-season.

Luke Weaver STL, RHP – Continued his dominance this week by going 8 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 0 BB, 8 K. Weaver is another pitcher who will be rising up the ranks in the off-season.

Erick Fedde WASH, RHP – 11.2 IP, 1 ER, 11 Hits, 2 BB, 14 K in his two starts this week as he just keeps on dominating the further away he gets from Tommy John surgery. Tack him on to the already strong stable of arms Washington has down in the minors.

Edwin Rios LAD, 1B – I broke Rios down in my Week 15 Rundown, and he has smoked 4 more homers since then. He got promoted to Double-A this week and cranked his first homer at the level last night. I told you to at least keep an eye on Rios in week 15, but it might be time to actually pick him up now.

Isan Diaz MIL, 2B – Diaz has been smoking hot the last two months, and he was starting to get some helium in the prospect world. I piled on the hype train last Friday too when I wrote a Isan Diaz, 2016 Fantasy Baseball Prospect Sleeper/Breakout post for him.

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

Posted on July 11, 2016July 14, 2016 by Michael Halpern

2016 Fantasy Baseball Minor League Prospect Rundown: Week 14

Alex Bregman HOU, SS/3B – If you missed last night’s Futures All-Star Game, you might have missed one of the most exciting baseball games of the year. Bregman put on a show in the first half of the game, going 3 for 3 with a homer short of the cycle. He was mic’d up and giggling like a little school girl about hitting a homer in his next at-bat to anyone who would listen to him. He didn’t, making outs in his final 2 at-bats.

Yoan Moncada BOS, 2B – Moncada picked up where Bregman left off, crushing a 2^nd deck bomb to give the World team the lead in the 8^th inning, which secured him the MVP award. He also laced an opposite field single on a nice inside out swing vs. hard thrower Jeff Hoffman in his second at bat, and then swiped second easily. That power/speed combo is why I ranked him #1 in my mid-season top 100.

Alex Reyes STL, RHP – By far the most impressive pitcher of the night, striking out 4 batters in 1.2 IP. He was hitting 100 MPH easy and dropping good curveballs in for strikes. He also flashed some solid changeups that I originally mistook for two seam fastballs because they were almost hitting 90 MPH. There is still plenty of refinement to go, but his fantasy upside is unrivaled.

Eloy Jimenez CHC, OF – Had the entire Cubs organization holding their breath as he made a daredevil catch over the RF fence down the foul line, and then launched a homerun derby quality homer in the 9^th inning. Not bad for a 19-year-old who has played in Single-A all year.

Yu-Cheng Chang CLE, SS – Did Imaginary Brick Wall just get the Asian market bump that I hear so much about in baseball? After writing a sleeper post for Taiwanese SS Yu-Cheng Chang last week, my website hits from Taiwan spiked by 20%! That gives me over 100 hits all-time from Taiwan! Ni hao, all my new Taiwanese friends. Chang had a 4-hit game just hours after I wrote that article too.

Josh Bell PIT, 1B – It didn’t take long for Bell to show off the power he added this year, crushing a grand slam in his 2^nd Major League at-bat. Too bad it doesn’t look like Pittsburgh is going to make a point of getting his bat in the lineup.

Willie Calhoun LAD, 2B – Willie just keeps on hitting, smashing 3 more homers this week on his way to the Futures All-Star Game (where he went 0 for 2).

Harrison Bader STL, OF – Promoted to Triple-A and went 5 for 22 with 2 doubles and a homer in his first 5 games at the level. He was also caught stealing and put up a 6/0 K/BB.

Austin Byler ARI, 1B – The adopted step child, black sheep, the one we only speak about in whispers of my Finding the Next A.J. Reed article is starting to show a pulse, slashing .417/.481/.792 with 2 homers this week after getting a late start to his season due to suspension. He is 23 years old with a 52/14 K/BB in 36 games at Single-A, so I’m going to need to see a lot more and at a higher level to start really getting excited.

David Dahl COL, OF – Dahl made Bader’s Triple-A debut look like child’s play, slashing .500/.536/.846 with 2 homers and 0 K’s in 6 games. If you took Urias, Giolito, Glasnow, and Reed out of my mid-season top 100, Dahl would have been a top 5 fantasy prospect.

Brendan Rodgers COL, SS – 2 more dingers this week, and continues to impress with his power/contact skills, slashing .295/.362/.505 with 13 homers and a 55/24 K/BB in 68 games at Single-A. I gave Rodgers the slight edge over Bregman on my top 100 because of Coors and a better chance to stick at SS, but they are basically even in my book.

Tom Murphy COL, C – Smashed 4 homers this week, giving him 11 on the year in only 44 games. It also comes with a fun 55/5 K/BB. That huge power at Coors Field from a catcher is why I ranked him 69^th in my mid-season top 100, but the lack of contact skills and plate approach is why he dropped from my 32^nd ranking of him in the off-season. All in all, I’m still on board.

J.P. Crawford PHI, SS – Slashed .480/.515/.840 with 2 homers this week at Triple-A. He is definitely a better real life prospect, but I still think he is going to be an impact fantasy player too.

Tyler O’Neill SEA, OF – Ranked 45^th on Baseball America’s mid-season top 100! And oh yea, Hader (#22), Bader (#89), Fisher (#94), and Calhoun (#98) also cracked their top 100. I mean, I have a sneaking suspicion that I may have a few fans over at BA. They obviously know what they are doing over there, and I love that my favorite sleepers are starting to get some national hype!

Jacob Faria TB, RHP – Continues to pitch well at Triple-A, going 6 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BB, 9 K. He hasn’t shown up on any other mid-season top 100’s so far, so it looks like he is still being slept on.

Yohander Mendez TEX, LHP – Got a spot start at Triple-A this week, and impressed by going 5 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 3 BB, 7 K. This guy has the look of a big time lefty starter, and he is putting up the numbers to back it up too.

Kyle Lewis SEA, OF – The #1 ranked prospect from my MLB Draft Fantasy Baseball Prospect Rankings is starting to show why I liked him so much, slashing .435/.519/.913 with 3 homers and a 2/5 K/BB this week at Low-A. He has a 12/13 K/BB in 21 games on the season, and considering strikeouts were thought to be the main concern with Lewis, he is off to a very encouraging start.

Nick Senzel CIN, 3B – Playing exactly as advertised in his first 19 pro games, displaying an advanced plate approach (11/11 K/BB), speed (10 steals), and doubles power (6).

Christin Stewart DET, OF – 3 more homers in his last 5 games, and his monster power season in the pitcher friendly Florida State League earned him a spot in the Futures All-Stars Game.

Luke Weaver STL, RHP – 6 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 0 BB, 7K in his start this week, which continued his excellent season. Scouts love to drool over dominant curveballs, but it seems like devastating changeups have been slightly undervalued recently, and Weaver has one.

Alen Hanson PIT, 2B – I was seriously starting to think a hot streak was never going to come, but Hanson found his groove this week, slashing .423/.484/.462 with 4 steals. His overall numbers are still unimpressive, but he is stealing bases and the raw talent is still there.

Cody Ponce MIL, RHP – 6 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 0 BB, 12 K in his best start of the season as he he is ramping up after having early season forearm fatigue. Ponce stands a physically imposing 6’6’’, 240 pounds and throws a mid 90’s fastball with a solid slider and inconsistent curveball and changeup. The risk is high here as with many other pitching prospects, but his talent is equal to any of the pitchers showing up on the back half of mid-season prospect lists.

Max Schrock WASH, 2B – I stumbled upon Schrock in early June during the same search that I found Ronald Acuna with (who I wrote about in that week’s rundown) when I went searching for sleeper prospects that Carson Cistulli has made famous, underrated low-k/contact guys. I didn’t mention him because he was 21 years old in Single-A, didn’t have much power, and I just have more fun writing about underrated bat speed/power guys. But Schrock was promoted to High-A recently, and hit 3 homers in his first 13 games (2 in the last week), along with continuing to display his excellent contact skills (27/24 K/BB in 68 games on the year) and speed (19 steals). I would be more excited about him as a real life prospect, but even in fantasy, it is looking more and more like he has the potential to make a legitimate impact.

Luis Urias SD, 2B/UTIL – I found the 19-year-old Urias during that same search, but was even less inclined to mention him because he gets caught stealing more than he is successful (26 for 58 in his MiLB career). He has just kept on hitting, though, and is now slashing .327/.401/.438 with 5 homers, 8 steals, and a 31/30 K/BB in 82 games. He hit a homer in Triple-A last night too. I think I’m gonna start mentioning these guys …

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

Posted on June 30, 2016July 1, 2016 by Michael Halpern

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

Here we go again. It’s ranking season! Well, maybe a week or two before ranking season, but close enough. Over the past week, I have been slowly ranking the top 100 fantasy baseball prospects in all The Land. And I mean that literally, not the lame nickname that Cleveland now has to make them seem cooler. To be clear, I was not just ranking prospects in Cleveland. Today, I put it all together, and without further ado, here are the 2016 Mid-Season Top 100 Fantasy Baseball Prospect Rankings: 1-100 (previous ranking in parenthesis):

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

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

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

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

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

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

5) Lucas Giolito (#4) WASH, RHP – It hasn’t been the smoothest ride in Double-A so far, but he was beginning to turn it around before a poor outing in his last start. The stuff is still electric, so I’m holding tight for now. Prime projection: 3.10/1.10/220 in 210 IP (Update: Looked good in his MLB debut after I released the top 10 last Friday)

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

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

8) Andrew Benintendi (#8) BOS, OF – After destroying High-A, Double-A has slowed him down a bit. The plate approach, power, and speed are all still there, so I don’t think he is going to stay down for long. Prime projection: 89/21/93/.288/15 (Update: He really didn’t stay down for long, going on a tear in his last 7 games)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

64) Travis Demeritte (NR) TEX, 2B – Wrote a Travis Demeritte, 2016 Fantasy Baseball Prospect Breakout post for him. Prime projection: 78/22/81/.247/9

65) Christin Stewart (NR) DET, OF – Ranked him 2nd on my 2016 Mid-Season Top 10 Fantasy Baseball Prospect Breakouts (not on my off-season top 100). Prime projection: 80/24/83/.255/4

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Posted on June 29, 2016June 30, 2016 by Michael Halpern

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Posted on June 17, 2016June 17, 2016 by Michael Halpern

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Posted on May 23, 2016May 23, 2016 by Michael Halpern

2016 Fantasy Baseball Minor League Prospect Rundown: Week 7

Corey Seager LAD, SS – My #1 ranked prospect in my pre-season top 100, Seager has been scorching hot of late, launching 5 homers in his last 12 games. The recently turned 22-year-old Seager is now slashing .273/.328/.472 with 7 homers in 44 games in MLB this season, after dominating there in 27 games last season. I think it’s time for the Dodgers to call him up to the next level. Oh wait, MLB is the highest level, you say? Damn this kid is good.

Andrew Benintendi BOS, OF – It looks like Double-A might have actually slowed Benintendi down a little bit, as he has struck out 5 times in 4 games, after striking out only 9 times in 34 games at High-A. I think he will figure it out and be just fine, but it is a reminder that he was far too advanced for High-A to begin with.

Anfernee Grier Auburn University, OF – Meet the Andrew Benintendi of the 2016 MLB Draft. I ranked Grier 11^th overall in my continuing 2016 MLB Draft Fantasy Baseball Prospect Rankings: 11-21, and he has smacked 2 more homers since then. He is now slashing .366/.457/.576, with 12 homers, and 19 steals in 56 games in the SEC. I was tempted to rank Grier higher at the time I wrote the article, and I’m no longer tempted, because he will be in my top 10, and maybe even top 5 when I finish the rankings and put it all together.

Corey Ray Louisville, OF – My #2 ranked prospect on my MLB Draft Fantasy Prospect Rankings: 1-5, Ray jacked another homer and swiped another bag this week, giving him 14 homers, 37 steals (0 CS), and a .326/.398/.581 triple-slash in 56 games in the ACC. I ranked Kyle Lewis #1, but there is a real case to be made for Ray. They are really 1A and 1B at this point depending on what type of production you are looking for. While we are talking about draft prospects, my #3 ranked Draft Prospect, Zack Collins, launched another homer this week too, giving him 11 on the season.

Harrison Bader STL, OF – Little ole’ 3^rd round pick Harrison Bader didn’t even need High-A, as he continued his assault on Double-A pitching this week, hitting another bomb (8) and stealing another base (6). If you haven’t checked out this excellent interview he gave to David Laurila over at Fangraphs, you should definitely give it read. My favorite part of the interview is where he talked about his hitting approach, and finished up by saying, “my primary goal is to make consistent hard contact.” That’s the attribute that made me so high on him to begin with, and if you hit the ball hard, the homers will come.

Yoan Moncada BOS, 2B – Everyone can’t stop gushing over Moncada’s hitting ability, and for good reason, but he has been nothing short of elite with his legs this year too. He stole 5 more bases this week, and now has 30 steals in 40 games, being caught only 6 times. That brings his minor league career total to 79 steals on 88 attempts in 121 games. For some reason, I still can’t get that excited about him. Oh that’s right, it’s because I’m a Yankees fan, and can’t get over how we let him slip through our fingers. I think I am in the 2^nd stage of grieving, which is anger. That means bargaining and depression are coming next. Fun stuff.

Victor Robles WASH, OF – Popped 2 more dingers this week, bringing his season total up to 5 homers in 39 games. The power is showing up faster than anybody expected, and he is doing it while maintaining a .340 AVG and 20/10 K/BB. His upside is so sky high that it has to ask Air Traffic Control for clearance.

A.J. Reed HOU, 1B – Reed got back in action last night, going 1 for 2 with a walk and a strikeout. With Tyler White struggling of late, Reed can reach the big leagues in a hurry if he can get hot. If he is still available to stash in your league, now is the time to grab him.

Blake Snell TB, LHP/Josh Hader MIL, LHP – Snell: 6 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 2 BB, 9 K – Hader: 6 IP, 0 ER, 4 Hits, 1 ER, 8 K. Just two of the best lefty pitching prospects in the game doing their thing.

Julio Urias LAD, LHP – The 19-year-old Urias threw another shutout this week, and he hasn’t given up an ER in 6 of his 8 starts this year in the PCL. He now sits comfortably as the best pitching prospect in baseball. Unfortunately, he has risen in the Dodgers system faster than his yearly IP totals could keep up, and he is likely to be used out of the Major League bullpen in order to trick his arm into thinking pitching 3-4 times per week is less stressful than just starting once every five games. Baseball teams just love to exploit that imaginary loophole.

Alex Reyes STL, RHP – Reyes made his season debut last night after being suspended for 50 games to start the season, and he dominated, going 4 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 3 BB, 8K. He might never be able to paint the black, but when you throw 99 MPH, you really don’t have to. Definitely get Reyes back on your redraft stash radar.

Dillon Tate TEX, RHP/Carson Fulmer CHW, RHP/Tyler Jay MIN, LHP – This three headed monster will forever be linked after they were all taken in the top 10 of the 2015 Draft. Tate (1.2 IP, 7 ER, 5 Hits, 3 BB, 1K) and Fulmer (2.1 IP, 6 ER, 8 Hits, 1 BB, 2 k) both threw up absolute stinkers in their last outing, while Jay (6 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BB, 6 K) kept rolling. Looks like Minnesota’s risk of taking a college reliever in Jay just might pay off.

Grant Holmes LAD, RHP – 5 IP, 2 ER, 8 Hits, 1 BB, 8 K in his start this week. He now holds a 9.6 K/9 and a 3.4 BB/9 in 42 IP at High-A. It’s nice to see his walk rate improve this year (4.7 BB/9 in 2015), but he’s been a bit more hittable, as well.

David Dahl COL, OF – 2 more homers and 2 more steals this week. Just another week at the office for one of the most exciting fantasy prospects in the game. The fact that he will get to play his home games at Coors Field almost makes my head want to explode.

J.P. Crawford PHI, SS – Promoted to Triple-A this week, where I’m sure he will continue to display his great, but thouroughly unexciting plate approach and moderate power/speed combo. I did still rank him 15^th overall in the pre-season, and he can provide solid 5-category production at the SS position in the not too distant future.

Joey Gallo TEX, 3B – Gallo returned to action in Grande fashion this week after being out with a groin strain, mashing a homer in his 3^rd game back. You can expect him to continue to be prospect blocked, and if I were a Gallo owner, I would be hoping he gets traded away at the deadline. Edit: He was just called up by Texas! I guess the Rangers are going to find playing time for him wherever they can.

Dansby Swanson ATL, SS – Has really turned it up a notch this week at Double-A, slashing .357/.400/.536 with 2 homers. It is nice to see him getting the power stroke going a little bit, and he now has 4 homers and 10 steals in 43 games this season. I honestly have no idea what Atlanta’s plans are with him and Ozzie Albies.

Alex Bregman HOU, SS/3B – Bregman mentioned in an interview recently that he gained 20 pounds of muscle this off season. Combine that with the 10 bombs (3 this week) that he has hit this season in Double-A, and I’m starting to think the power explosion is definitely for real. I projected him for 15 homers in the preseason, which was on the high side from everything I read, but 20+ looks to be the new expectation now. He does have only 3 steals on the year, so he might have traded some speed for power.

Jorge Mateo NYY, SS ¬ Mateo has now been successful in his last 7 steal attempts, after struggling there early in the season. He also tacked on another homer this week, and is slashing .313/.369/.528, with 5 homers, and 15 steals in 41 games at High-A. If he can keep this production up when he gets moved to Double-A, his prospect stock will soar even higher than it already is.

Mitch Keller PIT, RHP – Keller has been long overdue to make the Rundown, as he has been one of the fastest risers among the pitcher ranks this season. After struggling with a forearm injury last season, he has been on fire to start 2016, putting up a dominant pitching line of 1.40/0.69/52 in 45 IP. He has walked 3 guys all season. He throws a low 90’s fastball, plus curveball, and a developing changeup. Considering the success that Pittsburgh has had with pitching prospects in the recent past, Keller has a good chance of cracking many top 100’s if he can keep up his success this season.

Daniel Mengden OAK, RHP – Mengden is another fast rising pitcher who is long overdue for the Rundown. After dominating for 23 IP in a pitcher’s park at Double-A, he has done just as well at Triple-A in the PCL, going 27 IP, 2 ER, 16 Hits, 4 BB, 23 K in 4 starts. He fastball was seen topping out at 98 MPH earlier this year, and he throws a solid curveball and changeup as well. Mengden has a good chance of joining Oakland’s rotation later this season.

Jacob Faria TB, RHP – After struggling with his control all year, it was nice to see Faria absolutely dominate in his last outing at Double-A, going 7 IP, 1 ER, 1 Hit, 0 BB, 11 K. His K/9 has looked great this season at 10.1, but the 4.9 BB/9 is concerning. Considering he hasn’t had major control issues in the past, I think he will figure it out, and his last start was definitely a step in that direction.

Cody Bellinger LAD, 1B – After returning from a hip injury, Bellinger was ice cold to start the season, but he has absolutely caught fire of late, smashing another homer last night, giving him 3 this week and 4 on the season in 22 games at Double-A. He was a Cal League superstar last year, smashing 30 dingers, so displaying that power at Double-A is nice to see. I ranked him 95th in the preseason, and if he keeps powering up, he will rise fast in the rankings.

Hunter Dozier KC, 3B – The 24-year-old Dozier is officially back on the prospect map, as he has dominated since getting called up to Triple-A. He hit 3 more homers this week, bringing his season triple-slash up to .309/.382/.625, with 12 homers, and 4 steals split between Double-A and Triple-A. If you have been holding Dozier since he was a hyped 8th overall pick in the 2013 Draft, it looks like your patience is finally beginning to pay off.

Hunter Renfroe SD, OF – It must be hunting season, because Hunter Renfroe has been killing it this week as well, crushing 3 homers, bringing his slash line up to .327/.355/.588, with 8 homers, and 3 steals at Triple-A. He should get the call to the bigs at some point later this season.

Ryan McMahon COL, 3B – Smacked homers in back-to-back games this week, and McMahon is finally starting to break out of his early season slump. He also struck out only once, and there are finally some positives to point to for McMahon owners to get excited about.

Chris Shaw SFG, 1B – Shaw’s coming out party continues, smashing 3 more homers this week (one inside the park), bringing his season total up to 10 homers in 39 games at High-A.

Eloy Jimenez CHC, OF – The 19-year-old Jimenez is starting to unleash that massive plus power that made him a hyped international signing back in 2013. He crushed 4 homers this week, giving him 6 on the season, to go along with a .327/.363/.526 triple-slash in 39 games at High-A. The time to scoop him is definitely now.

Phillip Ervin CIN, OF – The 27^th overall pick in the 2013 Draft, Ervin is slashing .228/.347/.439, with 5 homers, and 17 steals in 36 games at Double-A. I like a bunch of the other deep sleepers who I wrote about in previous Rundowns more than Ervin, but he has the kind of power/speed combo that is worth keeping an eye on in case he can even moderately improve his hit tool. He doesn’t have major strikeout issues, and he knows how to take a walk, so I don’t think hoping for improvement there is a bad bet.

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