Milwaukee Brewers 2025 Dynasty Baseball Team Report (Top 10 Prospects/Interesting MLB guys/Strategy Talk)

The 2025 off-season festivities officially kicked off on the Brick Wall last week with the 2025 Dynasty Baseball Team Reports. Like during the regular season, I will be posting a few articles a month for free on Imaginary Brick Wall with the vast majority of the content over on the Patreon. Off-season content will include these Dynasty Team Reports, along with Deep Positional Rankings, strategy articles, target articles, podcasts, predicting future prospect lists, AFL/Winter League Updates, the Top 100+ FYPD rankings, Top 500+ Prospects Rankings, and Top 1,000+ Dynasty Rankings. Here is the Milwaukee Brewers 2025 Dynasty Baseball Team Report (Top 10 Prospects/Interesting MLB guys/Strategy Talk):

CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY PATREON FOR TONS OF EXCLUSIVE CONTENT ALL OFF-SEASON, INCLUDING:
-END OF SEASON 2024 TOP 322 PROSPECTS RANKS
-END OF SEASON 2024 438 DYNASTY RANKS
-TOP 57 2025 FYPD RANKS with full scouting reports and prime projections
-HALP’S DYNASTY BASEBALL PODCAST: SEPTEMBER MAILBAG!
-SPREADSHEETS
-OFF-SEASON CONTENT! – Dynasty Team Reports (Top 10 Prospects/Interesting MLB guys/Strategy Talk) , Deep Positional Rankings, Predicting Future Prospect Lists, Fall/Winter League Updates, Top 100+ FYPD Ranks, Top 500+ Prospects Ranks, Top 1,000 Dynasty Ranks & so much more!

Previous Dynasty Team Reports on Patreon

Miami MarlinsMinnesota TwinsOakland AthleticsTampa Bay RaysWashington Nationals (free)

Hitters

Garrett MitchellMIL, OF, 26.7 – The new Statcast Bat Tracking data has been such a fun and valuable tool to dive into (I do a deep dive into the bat speed leaderboards below in the Strategy/Thoughts section, and name players to target and also players who we probably shouldn’t expect a power breakout from), and one of the top names to jump out on that list is Garrett Mitchell. He swings an electric bat with a 75.7 MPH swing that is 27th fastest in baseball, and that is with players that have swung the bat even a single time. Bump the threshold up to 100 swings and he ranks 22nd. He combines the elite bat speed with an elite 29.5 ft/sec sprint speed which is in the top 5% of baseball. He’s simply one of the most electric players in the game, and it unsurprisingly resulted in a very good season. He slashed .255/.342/.469 with 8 homers, 11 steals, and a 31.7/11.2 K%/BB% in 69 games. It was good for a 126 wRC+. Like many players who swing that fast, he misses a lot too with a 34.3% whiff%, but that has been headed in the right direction in his career, and he has a career 19.8% K% in 40 games at Triple-A, so I do think there is potential for that to continue to improve. He’s also hitting .264 in 365 career MLB PA, so I don’t think the hit tool is as risky as it seems. He hits the ball on the ground too much with a career 4.9 degree launch, but with his speed and hard hit ability, he can easily make that profile work (as he has been). I named him a major target at mid-season before he got called up to the majors, and I’ll be naming him a target again this off-season. 2025 Projection: 81/18/72/.248/.330/.447/26

Jackson ChourioMIL, OF, 21.1 – I spent most of my waking hours last off-season agonizing over who to place as the #1 prospect in baseball between Chourio, Holliday and Langford. And honestly, it wasn’t only waking hours, I was dreaming of a Chourio 20/20 rookie season in my sleep. I trusted the voices I was getting from the baseball gods, placing Chourio first overall on my prospect rankings, and projecting his 2024 stat line for 21 homers, 22 steals, 75 RBI, a .320 OBP and a .469 SLG in my 2024 Top 1,000 Rankings. And as we know, he ended up outdoing Langford by a solid amount and Holliday by a county mile, hitting 21 homers with 25 steals, 79 RBI, a .327 OBP and a .464 SLG. Damn, it’s almost like I really did see his future stat line in my dreams (and yes, I’m not mentioning batting average or runs because I didn’t nail those ha). He hit the ball very hard with a 89.7 MPH EV, he had elite speed with a 29.7 ft/sec sprint, and he had a slightly above average 21.1% K%. And all of those numbers include his rough first 2 months of the season. If you just look at his last 4 months, which is reasonable considering he was a 20 year old rookie just finding his MLB sea legs, his numbers get even more impressive, slashing .305/.360/.527 with 16 homers, 15 steals, and a 18.4/7.3 K%/BB% in his final 97 games. There is some room for improvement with his plate approach (below average 31.9% Chase%) and launch (7.6 degrees), but neither of those are too bad to begin with, and he has the profile to make that work even if he can’t improve it. But he’ll barely be 21 years old next season, so I don’t see why we wouldn’t expect all areas of his game to improve. He’s already an elite dynasty asset, ranking him 14th overall on the End of Season Top 438 Dynasty Baseball Rankings (Patreon)2025 Projection: 93/26/89/.285/.339/.488/28

Pitchers

Tobias Myers MIL, RHP, 26.8 – Myers doesn’t do anything flashy, and there is no one area of his game that really stands out, but when you add up the sum of his parts, you realize he’s a really interesting young starter to say the least. The fastball only sits 92.9 MPH, but it gets really good movement and it was a pretty good pitch with a +6 run value that ranked 58th in all of baseball. He only went to the changeup 11.4% of the time, but it was elite when he went to it (mostly vs. lefties) with a 44.4% whiff% and .194 xwOBA, and the slider induced weak contact with a .194 xwOBA. He also threw a cutter and mixed in a changeup. Tack on above average to plus control, and you have a really good pitcher which resulted in a 3.00 ERA with a 22.3/6.3 K%/BB% in 138 IP. The xERA sat 4.11, so he definitely got on the lucky side, and his stuff isn’t exactly unhittable with a 89.7 MPH EV against, so we might not be talking about huge upside, but I really like Myers a lot, especially if he doesn’t get any respect this off-season. He’s a “let him come to you” target for me this off-season, meaning don’t reach, but definitely put a star next to his name as you get deeper into the draft. 2025 Projection: 10/3.76/1.23/158 in 165 IP

Freddy PeraltaMIL, RHP, 28.10 – Peralta is just about as close as you can get to a true fantasy ace without actually quite being one. His ERA’s have been a bit too high over the last 3 years to put him in that category, but he did put up true ace numbers in 2021 (albeit in 144.1 IP), and I definitely think he has the capability to put up some truly special seasons again. He’s a bat missing machine with 4 above average to plus pitches that all rack up whiffs. It led to a 31% whiff%. He has a 31.7% whiff% in his career. That is straight elite for a starter. The control is a bit below average, but nothing too bad, and he doesn’t get hit very hard with a 87.6 MPH EV against. He also stayed healthy this year and put up a career high 173.2 IP. It resulted in a 3.68 ERA with a 27.6/9.4 K%/BB%. He’s the type of pitcher who I love to build my staff around. I don’t like fully paying up for the hyped to death aces, but I also don’t want to have to build an entire staff solely from the bargain bin. So Peralta always seems to fall into that goldilocks zone of ace level upside without having to quite pay ace level prices. No matter the league, I always seem to end up with Peralta on a bunch of teams. 2025 Projection: 12/3.49/1.15/200 in 170 IP

Bullpen

Aaron AshbyMIL, LHP, 26.10 – I could have talked about Devin Williams in this section, but I can sum him up for you right now in 2.5 words, he’s elite (are contractions considered one word or two words? Are they one and a half words?). Trevor Megill is definitely interesting because of his weak 2nd half, but nobody is more interesting to me in Milwaukee’s bullpen than Aaron Ashby. Ashby underwent shoulder surgery in April 2023 and didn’t truly get back to full health until late May/early June of this year. Even with his stuff back, he still struggled mightily with his control as a starter in the minors, but once they transitioned him to the bullpen, all hell broke loose. He immediately dominated in the role at Triple-A, and then he rolled it right into the majors with a 1.37 ERA and 36.8/3.9 K%/BB% in 19.2 IP. The sinker sat 96.2 MPH and put up a .291 xwOBA with a 2 degree launch. His changeup (37% whiff%), curveball (42.9% whiff%) and slider (43.8% whiff%) all racked up whiffs. If they keep him in the pen, it’s quite clear he can be a truly elite reliever, but if they decide to put him back in the rotation, he would certainly be one of the leading candidates to go all Garrett Crochet on us. Even as a starter, the velocity was averaging between 94-95 MPH by the end of May. Due to the injuries and control problems as a starter, they may never make that move, but he has the pitch mix for it, and it’s not like Milwaukee has a stacked rotation, so they may have to give it a go out of necessity at some point. Either way, Ashby is looking like a great target this off-season. 2025 Projection: 5/3.72/1.27/111 in 95 IP

Milwaukee Brewers 2025 Top 10 Dynasty Fantasy Baseball Prospects Rankings

1) Jesus Made MIL, SS, 17.11 – I love to see deep international prospects who cracked my Top 1,000 Rankings have big breakouts, and I thought my blurb for him last off-season was pretty interesting considering how things played out: “Stop me if you heard this one before, but the switch hitting Made is a projectable and toolsy 6’1”, 165 pounds with a swing geared towards launching the ball. He has a mature plate approach and he has the potential to be a very good defensive SS. I know these international prospect blurbs can get repetitive especially as we get deep into the class, but these are the prospects that can blow up if you want upside. Embrace the mystery. Prime Projection: 76/24/81/.258/.334/.449/12.” And blow up Made did as one of the top breakouts in the DSL, slashing .331/.458/.554 with 6 homers, 28 steals, and a 13.0%/18.1% K%/BB% in 51 games. He’s projectable, he’s toolsy, he hits the ball hard, the plate approach is very strong, and he’s a good SS. That is the total package, and while there is still a lot of risk as DSL performance is the least trustworthy, there is also truly elite prospect upside. I know there are many leagues, usually shallower ones, where gunning for the top pure upside is the best strategy to take, but even in medium to deeper leagues, Made is worth the risk. And use Made as a reminder to not be afraid to dive into the mystery that is the international class as you get deeper into first year player drafts this off-season. That is why the last third of my Top 132 FYPD Rankings are always jam packed with these guys. Low upside, boring college guys just aren’t likely to be difference makers. Go for the lotto ticket. ETA: 2028 Prime Projection: 94/24/86/.276/.352/.472/26

2) Jacob Misiorowski – MIL, RHP, 23.0 – The hope was that Misiorowski’s control/command would take a step forward this season, but it just didn’t happen. He put up a 14.4% BB% in 97.1 IP at mostly Double-A. They moved him into the bullpen when he got the call to Triple-A, and the control didn’t improve in short outings either with a 14.3% BB%. He finished the season with a 3.33 ERA and 30.5/14.4 K%/BB%. His evaluation basically remains exactly the same from last off-season. He’s 6’7”, 190 pounds with premium stuff and super high upside. The upper 90’s fastball is a double plus bat missing weapon and his breaking balls are plus and miss bats. You hate to say it, but it is really a reliever profile right now. It’s far too early into his development process to write him off as a starter though, and I highly doubt Milwaukee is ready to do that either. Even if he breaks into the majors in the bullpen, he will definitely be a candidate to get transitioned back into the rotation at some point too. I’ll keep betting on the huge stuff and let the chips fall where they may. 2025 Projection: 3/3.91/1.34/67 in 60 IP Prime Projection: 11/3.58/1.27/183 in 150 IP

3) Brock Wilken – MIL, 3B, 22.10 – Wilken is a 6’4”, 225 pound masher who has the 3B job wide open for him right now with Willy Adames hitting free agency, likely moving Joey Ortiz to SS (or Turang to SS and Ortiz to 2B). There is also an opening at DH. There definitely seems to be a path to playing time, and there is little doubt that he will hit dingers and get on base when he gets that chance with 17 homers and a 13.4% BB% in 108 games at Double-A. The hit tool was worse than we hoped for with a .199 BA and 28.2% K%, but some of that was definitely bad BABIP luck. He was also hit in the face with a pitch on April 11th, sustaining multiple facial fractures, so I think we can cut him some extra slack for that, although he performed better the first 3 months after returning than he did in August and September, so maybe that is just an excuse. Either way, I’m betting on the monster power, pedigree (18th pick in the 2023 MLB Draft) and opportunity. 2025 Projection: 27/11/36/.219/.296/.427/1 Prime Projection:  75/28/86/.238/.320/.476/2

4) Eric Bitonti MIL, 3B, 19.5 – In my End of Season Mailbag Podcast (Patreon), I ran down a list of several of my favorite underrated and/or reasonably priced prospect targets to go after, and Bitonti easily cracked that list. He has future elite power hitting prospect written all over him at 6’4”, 218 pounds with a powerful, athletic and sweet lefty swing that is made to hit bombs. He smoked 8 homers with a 157 wRC+ in 51 games at the age appropriate stateside rookie ball, and then he got called up to Single-A and went nuclear with 8 homers in just 28 games. With his raw power and an over 50% FB%, he can’t not hit homers. He also gets on base a ton with a 16.5% BB%, which offsets some of the swing and miss issues (27.9% K%). And he’s a good athlete with 12 steals in 15 attempts over 79 games, so he should contribute at least a handful in that category. He already cracked my Top 100 Prospects Rankings at #90 overall in my End of Season Top 322 Dynasty Baseball Prospects Rankings (Patreon), and this is just the beginning. Definitely go after him everywhere. ETA: 2027 Prime Projection: 84/33/97/.242/.331/.497/8

5) Jeferson Quero – MIL, C, 22.6 – Quero underwent season ending shoulder surgery on his throwing shoulder just 1 PA into 2024. Shoulders are important for hitting, and they are also very important defensively for a catcher. It definitely adds in some risk that needs to be taken into account. He’s also very clearly blocked by William Contreras who isn’t a free agent until 2028, and I don’t think Milwaukee is going to have any urgency to move either of these guys, so Quero might have to wait until 2028 to take over the starting catcher job. Injuries and playing time aside though, Quero is an excellent catcher prospect with an above average hit/power combo and good defense. He hit 16 homers with a 17.8/10.0 K%/BB% in 90 games at Double-A in 2023. He can easily be a top 10 fantasy catcher at peak, and there is top 5 upside as well. If there was a clear path to playing time, I could see ranking him 2nd on this list, and in deeper leagues where a good catcher can be harder to find, I can also see giving him a bump. 2025 Projection: 11/4/15/.245/.304/.408/1 Prime Projection: 65/20/74/.268/.329/.448/4

6) Cooper Pratt MIL, SS, 20.8 – The only thing Pratt didn’t do at Single-A was hit for power, hitting only 3 homers with a 25% FB% in 73 games, but when he got the call to High-A, he immediately proved that he wasn’t going to have any problems getting to his potentially plus power with 5 homers and a 38.7% FB% in just 23 games. At a projectable 6’4”, there is no doubt the raw juice is in there, and he also proved to be an excellent athlete (27 steals) with a strong plate approach (20.0/10.3 K%/BB%). The plate approach was much better at Single-A than High-A, and some of that was certainly because he was trying to get to more of his power. So he’s not a finished product, but the ingredients are in here to be an impact across the board fantasy player. ETA: 2027 Prime Projection: 80/23/80/.262/.328/.453/18

7) Braylon Payne – MIL, OF, 18.8 – When a smart franchise sticks their neck out and selects a high school bat higher than expected, you should take notice. I took notice when it happened with Xavier Isaac and Tampa, and then Ralphy Velazquez with Cleveland. I ranked both very high and named them targets. And now I’m going to do the same with Payne after the Brewers selected him 17th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft. The book on the 6’2”, 186 pound Payne coming into the draft was that he had big time talent and upside, but was still on the raw side. Which is why it was so exciting to see his electric pro debut where he slashed .438/.526/.625 with 0 homers, 4 steals, and a 15.8/15.8 K%/BB% in 4 games at Single-A. It’s only 4 games, and the swing isn’t geared towards power right now, but there is definitely raw power in there with a 110 MPH shot already to his name, and he has game breaking speed. He’s also young for the class and will be 18 years old for most of 2025. Payne is the type of target you stick your neck out for in off-season prospect drafts. He already ranked 20th overall on my Top 56 2025 First Year Player Draft Rankings (Patreon), and I might just mess around and place him in my Top 15 when I release the full Top 100+ FYPD Rankings this off-season. ETA: 2028 Prime Projection: 89/18/63/.267/.334/.436/38

8) Luke Adams MIL, 3B, 20.11 – Everything I liked about Adams when I named him a deep FYPD sleeper in 2022/23, I still like about him now. He’s 6’4”. 210 pounds with plus raw power, good athleticism, and a plus approach. And he keeps proving the profile will transfer one level at a time. He conquered High-A in 2024 with a 154 wRC+, 11 homers, 28 steals and a 21.3/18.7 K%/BB% in 101 games. While there is a lot to like, you can pretty easily build a case against him too. He still hasn’t fully tapped into that raw power, he’s not a true burner and he gets caught stealing a solid amount (10 CS), and the hit tool has been pretty bad with a .227 BA in 2024 and .233 BA in 2023. It’s not hard to see this profile start to fall apart a bit when he gets to the upper minors, and then ultimately the majors. That is why seeing him prove it at Double-A in 2025 is going to be a big step, and only then can his hype really explode into Top 100 prospect range. ETA: 2026 Prime Projection: 81/20/76/.252/.333/.441/14

9) Logan Henderson – MIL, RHP, 23.1 – It’s a little worrisome that Henderson’s production took a big step back when he got to Triple-A, because the stuff isn’t really that huge, but he still wasn’t too bad with a 4.56 ERA and 26.5/6.1 K%/BB% in 23.2 IP. He was lights out at Double-A with a 3.30 ERA and 32.6/3.9 K%/BB% in 46.1 IP. The fastball only sits 92.5 MPH but it gets good movement and is a bat missing weapon. The nasty changeup is his best secondary and a heavily used pitch that both misses bats and induces weak contact. He rounds out the arsenal with a mediocre cutter. Plus control with an excellent secondary and a bat missing, low 90’s fastball can definitely work, but lack of a good breaking ball is a problem. Maybe he’s just a back end starter, but I think there is some mid rotation upside in here, and if he can develop a legitimate breaking ball (he’s still only 22 as of this writing), I don’t think it’s out of the question for him to end up a legit impact fantasy starter. You also have to trust Milwaukee with a guy like this. Henderson is definitely a nice proximity arm to target even in shallower leagues. 2025 Projection: 3/4.31/1.30/63 in 70 IP Prime Projection: 10/3.85/1.23/155 in 155 IP

10) Tyler Black MIL, 1B, 24.8 – Black didn’t play a single game at 2B this year, telling me they have given up on playing him at that position, and he only played 9 games at 3B and 12 games in the OF. He spent the majority of his time at 1B and DH. And the bottom line is that low EV 1B/DH don’t really exist, especially ones who have a good but not great hit tool. He put up an 83 MPH EV with 0 barrels, a .561 OPS and a 29.8% K% in his 57 PA MLB debut. The EV sat at 85.7 MPH at Triple-A. He also doesn’t have the type of extreme lift and pull profile to really pull that off, but it doesn’t go in the extreme the other way either, so he can definitely pop some dingers. If he had a viable position, I wouldn’t mind the speed, OBP, good BA, some pop profile at all, but he doesn’t have a position, and I don’t think the upside is high enough to really wait to find out if he can find one. 2025 Projection: 33/5/24/.245/.306/.383/9 Prime Projection: 77/13/61/.263/.332/.415/24

11) Yophery Rodriguez – MIL, OF, 19.4 – Rodriguez didn’t have the flashiest season with 7 homers, 7 steals, a .726 OPS and a 23.8/12.2 K%/BB% in 110 games at Single-A, but it resulted in a 117 wRC+, and when you take into account he was an 18 year old who skipped over stateside rookie ball, it’s much more impressive. He has a whip quick lefty swing, and he has good size at 6’1”, 185 pounds, so he should be able to get to above average to plus power at peak. He’s also an excellent athlete who signed for $1.5 million in 2023, although he needs to improve his base stealing (19 for 31 in his career and 7 for 12 this year). More refinement is needed in all areas of his game, which is to be expected at this stage in his career, but it’s not hard to see an above average across the board player at peak. ETA: 2027 Prime Projection: 82/22/80/.266/.344/.451/10

Just Missed

12) Luis Pena – MIL, SS/3B, 18.5

13) Robert Gasser – MIL, LHP, 25.10

14) Blake Burke – MIL, 1B, 21.10 – Burke was selected 34th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, which is relatively high for a DH/1B bat to get drafted, which means Milwaukee really believes in Burke’s bat. And why not, as Burke is a 6’3”, 240 pound masher who hit 50 homers in 182 career games in the SEC (20 homers in 72 games this season). He’s had hit tool and chase issues throughout his career, but a 14.9/10.8 K%/BB% this year shows he’s capable of improvement. He played in only 5 games at High-A in his pro debut for reasons I am unsure of. He didn’t hit a homer, but a 22.2/11.1 K%/BB% is a good sign that the hit tool won’t blow up in a bad way in pro ball, and we know the power is in there. He’s not a good defensive 1B, so there is a ton of pressure on his bat to become more than a part time power hitter, but for fantasy especially, why not take the shot here. – ETA: 2026 Prime Projection: 67/23/79/.250/.322/456/2

15) Josh Knoth – MIL, RHP, 19.8 

16) KC Hunt – MIL, RHP, 24.9 

17) Mike Boeve – MIL, 2B/3B, 22.11

Dynasty Baseball Thought/Strategy of the Day (which may or may not be related to the team I’m covering that day)

Jumping off from the Garrett Mitchell blurb, I thought it would be fun to dive into some of the new bat speed data Statcast hooked us up with this season. The first and most obvious thing to jump out is that the top of the rankings are littered with the top power hitters and hard hitting players in baseball, often coming with lots of strikeouts. And the bottom of the rankings are littered with the best contact hitters in baseball, often coming with little to no power. But the real question is if a slow bat automatically eliminates you from hitting for power, and the answer to that is no, there are more than a few exceptions to the rule like Mookie Betts, Isaac Paredes, Marcus Semien, Will Smith, Jose Altuve, Jeimer Candelario, Cody Bellinger, Adley Rutschman, and Ozzie Albies. But as you can see, even with those guys, their power can be kinda variable from year to year. And there are not many of them on the bottom third of that leaderboard. And in fantasy especially where power rules the day, it’s clear that there is a definite advantage to going after guys who swing a fast bat.

Some fun names at the top of those rankings to possibly target this season are Oneil Cruz, Jordan Walker, Jhonkensey Noel, Matt Wallner, Junior Caminero, Jo Adell, Jasson Dominguez, Zack Dezenzo, Tyler Soderstom, Trey Sweeney, Heliot Ramos, Triston Casas, Wilyer Abreu, Lawrence Butler, Hunter Goodman and Addison Barger. And here are some less fun names at the bottom of the rankings where it would seem to indicate a real power breakout might not be so easy: Nolan Schanuel, Jacob Wilson, Brooks Lee, Anthony Volpe (hmmm, uh oh, you better get back to lifting and pulling), Keibert Ruiz, Andrew Benintendi (I only include Benintendi because of course Benintendi is on this list, and of course Bo Bichette has below average bat speed too, who I started to comp to Benintendi’s career arc unfortunately), Bryson Stott, Brice Turang, Jake McCarthy and Andres Gimenez. Of course some of this is a choice. Guys who “swing for the fences” are going to swing faster, hit for more power, and strikeout more. Guys who swing slower are going to make more contact, but not hit for as much power. So I don’t think bat speed is necessarily a completely sticky thing if a player decides to change his approach to hit for more power or contact. We’ll have to keep an eye on this in future years as we continue to build on this data to see how often that happens exactly, and how often it’s successful. Really cool to have this data at our fingertips now.

Previous Dynasty Team Reports on Patreon: Miami MarlinsMinnesota TwinsOakland AthleticsTampa Bay RaysWashington Nationals (free)

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

Monday Morning Spring Dynasty Baseball Rundown (3/4/24)

I’ll be running down everything that caught my eye in the Dynasty Baseball world on most Mondays throughout the season here on the Brick Wall. The rest of the week you can catch my Rundowns on the Patreon. Here is the Monday Morning Spring Dynasty Baseball Rundown (3/4/24):

CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY PATREON FOR TONS OF EXCLUSIVE CONTENT ALL SEASON, INCLUDING:
-TOP 1,000 2024 DYNASTY BASEBALL RANKINGS (these get released on IBW in very late March, right before the season starts)
-TOP 500 2024 PROSPECTS RANKINGS
-TOP 132 2024 FYPD RANKINGS (+Target & Strategy Guide)
-POSITION BY POSTION TARGET ARTICLES
-OBP TOP 450 DYNASTY RANKS
-6+CATS/PTS/OPS “UNIVERSAL TOP 450 DYNASTY RANKS
-PREDICTING THE TOP 50 2025 PROSPECT RANKS
-TOP 11+ 2025 FYPD RANKINGS
-HALP’S DYNASTY BASEBALL PODCAST
-ALL-IN-ONE RANKINGS SPREADSHEET

Zack Littell TBR, RHP, 28.6 – You have to be a damn fool to doubt Tampa in any way, and mama didn’t raise no fool. With Shane Baz announcing he is on a delayed schedule until “early to mid-season,” Littell looks locked into a rotation spot, and he’s now someone I’m going after everywhere. He went against essentially Minnesota’s real lineup yesterday and went 3 IP with 4 hits, 0 ER, and a 1/1 K/BB. He now has a 0.00 ERA with a 4/1 K/BB in 5 IP on the spring. The velocity was down a tick, but assuming he’s just easing into things, his 94+ MPH fastball in 2023 was actually already very good with with a strong .290 xwOBA and 21.8% whiff%. His control entered elite territory with a 3.2% BB%, and while his secondaries aren’t great, he added a sweeper to the arsenal in the 2nd half which was immediately his best secondary with a .247 xwOBA and 30% whiff%. He’s also been working on the now very popular splitter that he’s been incorporating into him arsenal more and more over the past couple years. If he really takes off with any of his secondaries, he’s going to be a major issue, and even if he doesn’t, double plus control of a good fastball will play. I mean, how many times does Tampa have to pull a rabbit of their hat for us to even stop questioning it even a little? Littell is currently going 344th overall in the NFBC and is going to be an afterthought in so many dynasty leagues. Easiest call ever is to grab this guy from the bargain bin in all league sizes.

Josue De Paula LAD, OF, 18.10 – I ranked Josue De Paula 6th overall in my Predicting the Top 50 2025 Prospects Rankings last week, writing, “Seeing Josue De Paula’s name is giving me visions of Scarface, directed by Brian De Palma, and all I can hear is “Say hello to my little friend.” That is what De Paula is going to be saying to minor league pitching as his power explodes in a major way. And combined with his elite approach, it’s going to be shades of Juan Soto all over again.” … And then right on cue he jacked out an opposite field homer off a sidearm lefty on a pitch that was in on his hands. One spring at bat, one homer. I wasn’t lying when I said we are about to see an explosion.

Erick Fedde CHW, RHP, 31.1 – We got our first look at Fedde and his reworked secondaries coming over from winning MVP in Korea, and if making Mike Trout look foolish on a slider is impressive to you, which it should be, I would say the secondaries looked impressive. He went 2 IP with 4 hits, 1 ER, and a 3/1 K/BB vs. LA’s real lineup, so he didn’t dominate, but seeing the swing and miss was the most important part after putting up a 16.4% K% in 2022. I’m not ready to reach for him, but I’ll still happily try to nab him slightly before the last couple rounds. If someone beats me to the punch, so be it.

Garrett Crochet CHW, LHP, 23.9 – Crochet might be the most exciting development out of Sox camp so far, and he pitched another crisp outing, going 2 IP with 0 hits, 0 ER, and a 3/0 K/BB. Here is he getting Trout looking for a called strike 3. Every Sox pitcher was eating off Trout yesterday. Crochet is rocking a windup that the Rockettes would be proud of, which shows off the athleticism, and he’s already hit 100 MPH this spring. He finally looks fully healthy coming off Tommy John surgery, and if Chicago was serious about using him the rotation, I don’t see how he’s not winning one of those jobs right now. He might be entering major target territory.

Juan Soto NYY, OF, 25.6 – 2 for 3 with a homer that showed off both his elite bat control and elite power. He now has a 2.616 OPS with 3 homers in 11 PA. The career year he was supposed to have in the shortened 2020 season, the one where he had the highest xwOBA in Statcast history (.475 xwOBA), is the one the baseball gods owe him over a full season in his contract year. He ranks 7th overall on my Top 1,000 Dynasty Rankings (patreon), and 3rd overall on my Top 450 OBP Dynasty Rankings (patreon).

DL Hall MIL, LHP, 25.6 – 2 IP, 0 hits, 0 ER, 1/1 K/BB vs. some of Arizona’s real lineup. The fastball sat 95.4 MPH with a 29% whiff%, and he threw all 3 secondaries for called strikes. He then did a post game interview with a massive ball of chew in his mouth, which is exactly what a ballplayer should look like. He talked about pounding the zone and being economical with his pitches, which is exactly what he needs to do, because his nasty stuff will do the rest. He’s one of my favorite pitcher targets headed into 2024, and has been from before he even got traded.

Matt Manning DET, RHP, 26.2/Casey Mize DET, RHP, 26.11 – Manning went 3 IP, with 1 hit, 1 ER, and 4/0 K/BB, and Mize went 2 IP with 1 hit, 0 ER, and a 2/2 K/BB vs. half of the Yanks real lineup (including Judge and Soto). Manning and Mize both got a much needed infusion of velocity this spring with their fastballs up 2 MPH to 95.4 MPH. It’s actually eerie how identical that is. There must be something in the water out there in Detroit. It makes me more likely to take a flier on them, but they still aren’t in target territory, because beyond the fastball, their biggest issue is lack of a standout secondary, and I’m not sure you can claim either has found that yet even with the added velocity. Mize didn’t record a single whiff on a secondary and Manning put up a 33% on the slider which is solid, but nothing to write home about. Their values are on the way up, but I would still have some caution.

Jung Hoo Lee SFG, OF, 25.7 – It’s becoming quite clear that all of the skills are transferring over stateside. Lee went 1 for 2 with a steal and 0/1 K/BB, and is now slashing .455/.500/.818 with 1 homer, 1 steal, and a 8.3%/8.3% K%/BB% in 12 PA. The high GB% is also transferring with a 60% GB%. He’s exactly who we thought he was. A .300/15/15 season is definitely within reach, and if he runs more than we think, that is where his fantasy upside will come from.

Colton Cowser BAL, OF, 24.0 – Cowser showed off some of that lift and pull with a 32 degree launch, 98 MPH homer off a Martin Perez 88.6 MPH fastball. Granted, I probably could turn around an 88 MPH fastball too (by probably, I mean 100% not), but especially with Camden Yard’s dimensions, he’s going to have to pull and lift the ball a lot more than he’s done in the minors if he wants to get to all of his power. This was his 3rd homer in 16 PA, and the first one that was pulled. Cowser continues to seem to be the odd man out, but he’s going to make it as tough as possible on Baltimore to make a decision, which is all you can ask of him.

Chris Sale ATL, LHP, 35.0 – 2.2 IP, 3 hits, 0 ER, 5/2 K/BB vs. the Phillies scrubs+Bohm. I mean just look at this utter filth from that arm angle. Is he kidding me? Safe to say the stuff is as good as ever. He had some velocity fluctuations last year, so I don’t think his freshness in spring means he can keep it up all season, but better to see him healthy and throwing filth than to be sitting low 90’s. Your guess is as good as mine as to if he can stay 100% healthy, but if he does, he’s going to rack up strikeouts no problem.

Kutter Crawford BOS, RHP, 28.0 – 3 IP, 2 hits, 0 ER, 4/0 K/BB vs. Toronto’s Quad-A+Kirk lineup. Here he is blowing the fastball by Davis Schneider. And I don’t say “blowing by” lightly. That is the textbook definition. Crawford was one of my favorite sleepers since I wrote the Boston Red Sox Team Report back in early December, but he’s had too much shine on his name recently, and you can’t really call him a sleeper anymore. I hope you were able to trade for him when I was hyping him early. He’s damn good, and everyone realizes it now.

Davis Schneider TOR, 2B, 25.2 – Kutter isn’t the only one blowing pitches by Schneider, as he went 1 for 3 with 2 K’s and now has a 50% K% in 14 PA. The 37.3% whiff% and 30.5% K% were the two majors reasons I preached caution on Schneider this off-season, and at the very least, this spring showing is not assuaging my concerns. I’m not against taking him if the price is right, I actually took him in the 3rd round of my 18 team off-season prospect draft because I need the 2B depth, but make sure the price is right.

Grayson Rodriguez BAL, RHP, 24.5 – 2 IP, 3 hits, 1 ER, 2/2 K/BB vs. about half of Pitt’s real lineup. Grayson wasn’t that great in his first outing either. It’s clear he’s far from mid-season form with the fastball down 1.5 MPH to 95.9 MPH and the slider down 2.6 MPH to 79.7 MPH. He’s also working on a new 2-seamer/sinker that he is trying to mix in. You obviously shouldn’t put much stock in this early spring performance, but it’s worth noting he wasn’t good in the first half of 2023 and didn’t find his rhythm until the 2nd half. If he does get off to a slow start this season, remember not to panic. He’ll find his stride eventually.

Rhett Lowder CIN, RHP, 22.1 – 2 IP, 3 hits, 1 ER, 0/1 K/BB vs. most of KC’s real lineup. We know Lowder is a safe college arm, but how much upside he’s going to have against MLB hitters is the question, and this outing definitely didn’t highlight that upside. He’s obviously just getting his feet wet, so it doesn’t mean much, but at the same time this is the first time we’re seeing him against that advanced competition, so I think it’s worth mentioning.

Nestor Cortes NYY, LHP, 29.4 – 4 IP, 1 hit, 1 ER, 3/1 K/BB vs. Detroit’s mostly backups lineup. Cortes’ 2023 season ended because of a shoulder injury, so the most important thing is to see him healthy, and he looks healthy. The fastball sat 92.4 MPH, up 0.8 MPH from last year, and he notched a 31% whiff% overall. The injury still adds future injury risk, but he looks ready to go for 2024.

Alejandro Kirk TOR, C, 24.9 – Kirk badly needs to find his power again after his EV tanked to 87.6 MPH in 2023, and his homer yesterday sure seems to indicate he may have found it. He crushed a bomb over the replica monster for his 2nd in 11 PA. Toronto’s lackluster off-season is good news for Kirk and Jansen, because they should each be able to find enough at bats to be in the startable catcher range for most leagues.

Gabriel Moreno ARI, C, 24.1 – Moreno’s playoff homer fest has continued into spring with him launching a 38 degree, 400 foot homer off Freddy Peralta for his first of spring. He still has a 66.7% GB% in 12 PA, and his 51.2% GB% was high in the playoffs too, so I don’t think the homer explosion is showing a change in approach. He’s going to be a really really good hitter, but I don’t think he’s going to hit for enough homer power to be an elite fantasy catcher.

Jeferson Quero MIL, C, 21.6 – Quero smashed his first spring homer on a 100.2 MPH shot he had to go down to get, showing off the bat control and power. I would be much higher on Quero if he wasn’t completely blocked, but he’s completely blocked with William Contreras in town, and I don’t think Milwaukee has any intention to trade him.

Gavin Stone LAD, RHP, 25.6 – 3 IP, 2 hit, 0 ER, 1/0 K/BB vs. a depleted Rockies lineup. My money is on Sheehan to take that final starter spot, and my money is on Sheehan long term as well to be the better pitcher, but that doesn’t mean I don’t think Stone will bounce back from a rough 2023. The changeup is legit, he fired off a few crisp breaking balls in this outing, and I trust the Dodgers to improve his fastball command. It’s a jampacked rotation with more talent on the way, so Stone isn’t guaranteed anything, but I do think he can be a good MLB starter. Just not one I’m targeting quite yet.

Jordan Hicks SFG, RHP, 27.7 – The Jordan Hicks experiment is not going smoothly in the early going. He had his 2nd rough outing, going 2.2 IP with 5 hits, 2 ER, and a 2/2 K/BB in 2.2 IP. He already talked about how he isn’t going to sit anywhere close to 100 MPH like he did out of the bullpen, which he obviously doesn’t need to to still have nasty stuff, but quite frankly, he wasn’t even all that dominant out of the bullpen with that level of stuff. He had a 1.36 WHIP last year. As a starter with less stuff, what kind of numbers do you think we will be looking at? I have a sneaking suspicion this might be a short lived experiment with Carson Whisenhunt and Mason Black knocking on the door, along with the Blake Snell rumors intensifying and Ray and Cobb coming off the IL at some point. As a high upside flier of course I get it, but I wouldn’t reach for him.

Caden Dana LAA, RHP, 20.4 – The 20 year old Dana is already in major league camp, which tells you how much LA loves this kid, or it tells you how barren their farm system is, but either way, he’s exciting. He handled his business against a rough (not in a good way) Chicago lineup, going 2 IP with 1 hit, 1 ER, and a 2/1 K/BB. He has a legit plus fastball/slider combo that is already doing damage against MLB vets. He’s set to fly up rankings in 2024.

Kevin Alcantara CHC, OF, 21.8 – The forgotten Unicorn smoothly and easily demolished a ball out of the deep center for his first spring homer. Alcantara gets some criticism for his swing getting out of sync, but that looked pretty damn synced up to me there. He’s also struck out 3 times in 8 PA and had a 33.3% K% in 5 games in his first taste of Double-A, so watching that K% will be super important.

Jonny Farmelo SEA, OF, 19.7 – Farmelo didn’t debut in 2023, so he wasn’t able to get the hype going like some of his other high school brethren, but he’s trying to make up for lost time. He showed off the legs yesterday ripping a ball down the line that he turned into a stand up triple. He’s now 2 for 4 with 2 K’s. That kind of speed from a 6’2”, 205 pound frame is so easy to dream on.

Cade Marlowe SEA, OF, 26.9 – I named Marlowe an “if he had playing time” target, and he showed why going deep off Yu Darvish for his first spring homer. But he still doesn’t have a playing time, which can make it hard to roster a guy like this. At the very least put him on your watch list and jump on him when he does get his shot, because he showed encouraging skills in his MLB debut in 2023. He was a plus defensive player, with plus speed (28.9 ft/sec sprint), an above average barrel% (7.3%), a 112 wRC+, a 12% BB%, and a not horrible 29.4% whiff% (despite a 33% K%). If he does work his way into playing time, he has a very intriguing fantasy profile, especially in OBP leagues.

Kyle Stowers BAL, OF, 26.3 – If Cowser can’t find a job, I don’t know how Stowers is going to be able to do it. I’m doing my darndest to not get sucked back into Stowers, but it’s hard not to when I still firmly believe he can be an MLB masher if given the chance. He cracked a 101.8 MPH single today and now has a 1.308 OPS with 3 homers in 16 PA on the spring. He crushed 17 homers with a 93.8 MPH EV in just 68 games at Triple-A in 2023. I just can’t trust Baltimore to ever give him a chance if history is any indication, and they have more highly touted guys than him blocked.

Estiven Florial CLE, OF, 26.5 – I like Florial as a late round dart throw as much as the next guy, but there is a reason the Yanks gave him away for peanuts. He went 0 for 3 with 3 K’s yesterday and is now hitting .077 with a 50% K% in 16 PA. The Yanks seemed certain the hit tool wasn’t going to play, and so far, it’s not playing.

Nolan Schanuel LAA, 1B, 22.1 – This is your regularly scheduled Nolan Schanuel power check … 1 for 3 with a single. He’s now 6 for 19 with 6 singles, which is good for a .316 BA and .316 SLG. New year, same guy …

CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY PATREON FOR TONS OF EXCLUSIVE CONTENT ALL SEASON, INCLUDING:
-TOP 1,000 2024 DYNASTY BASEBALL RANKINGS (these get released on IBW in very late March, right before the season starts)
-TOP 500 2024 PROSPECTS RANKINGS
-TOP 132 2024 FYPD RANKINGS (+Target & Strategy Guide)
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By Michael Halpern (@MichaelCHalpern)
Email: michaelhalpern@imaginarybrickwall.com
Twitter: Imaginary Brick Wall (@DynastyHalp)

Monday Morning Dynasty Baseball Rundown (7/4/22)

I’ll be running down everything that caught my eye in the Dynasty Baseball world on most Mondays throughout the season. Here is the Monday Morning Dynasty Baseball Rundown (7/4/22):

CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY PATREON FOR TONS OF EXCLUSIVE CONTENT, INCLUDING:
-TOP 10 TRADE NEGOTIATION TACTICS (one of my favorite things I’ve ever written)
-TOP 10 MID-SEASON TRADE TARGETS
-MID-SEASON OBP TOP 447 DYNASTY BASEBALL RANKINGS 
-MID-SEASON POINTS/6+CATS/OPS “UNIVERSAL” TOP 430 DYNASTY BASEBALL RANKINGS
-JUNE 2022 TOP 350 DYNASTY PROSPECTS RANKINGS
-JUNE 2022 TOP 445 DYNASTY BASEBALL RANKINGS

Edward Olivares KCR, OF, 26.4 – 2 for 4 with a 108 MPH homer and 108.9 MPH single. That has been the story of Olivares’ season as he’s been smoking the ball with a 91.2 MPH EV in 59 AB. While I doubt he can keep hitting the ball this hard, coming into more power in his late 20’s isn’t that hard to buy into. He’s also fast and his strong contact rates have transferred to the majors. I’ve never ranked Oliveras all that high in my dynasty rankings throughout his career, but maybe my hate of olives has subconsciously biased me against him. The high groundball rates might limit his upside, but he can be the fake Gucci bag version of Michael Harris and Alek Thomas.

Michael Harris ATL, OF, 21.4 – Speaking of Harris, he nuked a dinger of his own on a 108.8 MPH, 425 foot bomb. If you’re trying to acquire him at this point, you’re going to have to pay up like it’s one of those stores on 5th Avenue where you have to be buzzed in to even be let in the store.

Spencer Torkelson DET, 1B, 22.10 – 1 for 4 with a frozen rope of a homer for his 5th of the year in 70 games. Tork is struggling with a .587 OPS, but his 23.9% whiff% is above average, his 89 MPH EV is above average, his .319 xwOBA is above average and his 10.4% BB% is above average. Whatever you do, don’t give up on him.

Brandon Woodruff MIL, RHP, 28.5 – 6 IP, 6 hits, 0 ER, 8/0 K/BB vs. PIT. The stuff looks great. My dad has had Reynaud’s Syndrome basically my entire life, and while he would be in full arctic tundra gear when watching some of my baseball games, he would still kick my ass in stickball with a 4 pitch mix and pinpoint control. If Woodruff’s anything like my pops, he’ll figure it out.

Max Meyer MIA, RHP, 22.4 – Meyer hit the IL after two terrible starts in mid May, but he’s back to dominating since returning in mid June. He went 6 IP with 2 hits, 0 ER, and a 5/0 K/BB at Triple-A yesterday and now has a 1.62 ERA with an 18/1 K/BB in his last 16.2 IP. He could get the call at any moment.

Emerson Hancock SEA, RHP, 23.1 – 5.2 IP, 3 hits, 0 ER, 6/2 K/BB at Double-A. Hancock gets forgotten about, but he has plus control (7% BB%) of an MLB quality 4 pitch mix. He also understands the art of pitching. If he can stay healthy, I would be pretty surprised if he doesn’t end up a damn good MLB starter.

Vaughn Grissom ATL, SS, 21.6 – 3 for 4 with a double and a homer that he launched over the Green(ville) Monster. Grissom’s power is taking a big jump this year with 12 homers in 68 games at High-A and it hasn’t impacted his elite contact numbers at all (12% K%). He walks and has speed too. He’s easily entering Top 50 prospect status at the least.

 James Triantos CHC, 3B, 19.5 – Triantos homered for the 3rd straight game, and this one left no doubt about his future power potential as he crushed it out to centerfield. It also happened to be some of the best camera work I’ve ever seen on a homer, following the ball perfectly against the backdrop of the clear black sky. The hit tool has been as advertised with a .280 BA and 17.5% K% in 66 games at Single-A, and now he has a decent 5 homers on the year.

Eguy Rosario SDP, 2B/3B, 22.10 – First there was Esports, and now there are Eguys. When will it end? Like Esports, Eguy is taking over, going 3 for 3 with 2 homers and a steal yesterday, and now has 13 homers, 13 steals, and a 21.8%/11.2% K%/BB% in 72 games at Triple-A. He also made one of the best catches I’ve ever seen. Eguys are just built different I guess.

Jordan Lawlar ARI, SS, 19.11 – 3 for 5 with a double and a homer at Single-A. He’s managed to get even better since returning from the IL, slashing .396/.476/.642 with 1 homer, 5 steals, and a 20.6%/12.7% K%/BB% in 14 games. He’s an elite prospect.

Andy Pages LAD, OF, 20.7 – The power explosion was inevitable, and it arrived in full force once the calendar hit June. He went 2 for 4 with a homer yesterday and has now hit 9 homers in his last 27 games at Double-A. His profile is pretty locked in as a low average, high walk slugger.

Shane Baz TBR, RHP, 23.1 – 6 IP, 7 hits, 1 ER, 7/2 K/BB vs. TOR. The fastball averaged 95.9 MPH and put up a 79.7 MPH EV on the pitch, while his slider and curve racked up whiffs with a 45% and 40% whiff%. It’s pretty clear he is healthy and on a beeline to become one of the best pitchers in baseball.

MacKenzie Gore SD, LHP, 22.4 – The walk problems are back as Gore walked 4 batters in 5.2 IP yesterday and has now walked 3 or more in his last 6 starts. It’s well beyond just a couple game blip at this point. You have to expect some growing pains, so I would stay patient, but it’s definitely a little concerning.

Bobby Miller LAD, RHP, 22.3 – Miller had his best start of the year, going 6 IP with 2 hits, 0 ER, and a 10/3 K/BB at Double-A. His season was starting to look pretty mediocre, so he desperately needed a start like this. The stuff is huge and is most certainly MLB quality, so while he might not be an ace, he should be able to get the job done in whatever role LA deploys him in.

Gavin Williams CLE, RHP, 22.11 – 6.2 IP, 4 hits, 0 ER, 6/0 K/BB at Double-A. The upper minors has been no issue for Williams with a pitching line of 1.69/1.13/19/8 in 16 IP. The fastball is his best pitch and it might legitimately be an elite pitch. His secondaries aren’t too shabby either. He’s trending towards being a #2 fantasy starter.

Jeremy Pena HOU, SS, 23.9 – Pena looked a little rusty after coming off the IL with a thumb injury and also after his collision with Alvarez, going 4 for 23 with a 10/0 K/BB in 5 games, but he found his rhythm yesterday going 4 for 5 with 2 homers. The only weakness to his game has been his walk rate with only a 5.1% BB%, and he didn’t walk that much in any league above Single-A, but I still couldn’t rank him any lower 67th overall on my OBP Top 447 Mid-Season Dynasty Baseball Rankings considering how exciting his debut has been.

Julio Rodriguez SEA, OF, 20.6 – 2 for 3 and he obliterated the ball in every at bat with a 112.4 MPH double, 110.6 MPH groundout, and 106.9 MPH homer. I’m almost at the point where it isn’t even worth mentioning him in these rundowns because he’s so locked into elite status.

Cavan Biggio TOR, 2B, 26.0 – Biggio is quietly getting his career back on track, ripping 2 line drive singles in 4 AB at 98.8 MPH and 95.4 MPH. He now has a career high .365 xwOBA and 13% Barrel%. The homer and steal numbers are still subdued with 2 homers and 1 steal in 104 AB, but he’s back to being an OBP beast and is getting near full time at bats in a stacked lineup.

Tyler Wells BAL, RHP, 27.7 – 6 IP, 3 hits, 1 ER, 7/1 K/BB vs. MIN. Wells had no trouble getting whiffs in this one with a 34% whiff% (22.2% on the season). He’s been thriving on weak contact with an 87.6 MPH EV against, but the lack of K’s has made me hesitant to buy in. Doing this against Minnesota’s tough lineup just evaporated a lot of that doubt.

Max Muncy OAK, SS, 19.9 – 1 for 4 with a homer. Muncy swings one of the quickest bats in the minors and it’s resulted in 15 homers in 70 games at Single-A. The 29.7% K% is high, but it’s been better of late with a 24.8%/17.9% K%/BB% in his last 25 games. He’s easily trending towards being a top 100 prospect if he’s not there already.

Jeferson Quero MIL, C, 19.9 – 2 for 4 with a homer at Single-A. Jeferson’s season got off to a slow start with a .665 OPS in April and .587 OPS in May, but he’s exploded in his last 23 games, slashing .333/.426/.556 with 5 homers, 6 steals, and a 12.8%/11.7% K%/BB%. He’s firmly back on track to be one of the top catcher prospects in the game by this time next year.

Endy Rodriguez PIT, C, 22.1 – 2 for 4 with a homer. Rodriguez is putting in Yeoman’s work at High-A with a 122 wRC+. He doesn’t have huge power with 8 homers in 65 games, and his hit tool took a step back against more advanced competition with a career worst 24.2% K%. I think he can be a solid hitting catcher, but I don’t think he is going to be a major fantasy difference maker.

Xavier Edwards TB, 2B/3B, 22.11 – I admittedly have no idea what to think of Edwards. His power is ticking up this year as he drilled his 4th homer in 29 games at Triple-A, and the elite contact rates are still there with a 13.5%/9.5% K%/BB%, but he’s struggled mightily on the bases with 1 steal in 5 attempts. He had 19 steals in 31 attempts last year, so this isn’t a one year blip. I’m personally struggling to buy in, but I get if you’re higher on him than I am.

Bubba Thompson TEX, OF, 24.1 – 2 for 3 with a homer and 0/2 K/BB. Bubba is another one I’m torn on. He was a favorite of mine coming out of his draft year, and his mouth watering talent is self evident with 10 homers and 37 steals in 60 games at Triple-A. The plate approach is rough with a 26.7%/5% K%/BB%, but it’s been better of late with a 23.1%/11.5% K%/BB% in his last 22 games. The improved BB% definitely has me a little excited as he could be setting up to be a late career breakout type.

 Jonatan Clase SEA, OF, 20.1/Luis Rodriguez LAD, OF, 19.10 – Clase and Rodriguez both collected 2 hits with a homer yesterday for their 7th homers of the year, and are both prospects I like a lot, but they each have a 31.6% K% which is preventing me from really getting excited for them. I like Clase more between the two because he’s a speedster with 25 steals, so if he can get the K’s in check, his fantasy stock could soar.

CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY PATREON FOR TONS OF EXCLUSIVE CONTENT ALL SEASON, INCLUDING:
-TOP 10 TRADE NEGOTIATION TACTICS (one of my favorite things I’ve ever written)
-TOP 10 MID-SEASON TRADE TARGETS
-MID-SEASON OBP TOP 447 DYNASTY BASEBALL RANKINGS
-MID-SEASON POINTS/6+CATS/OPS “UNIVERSAL” TOP 430 DYNASTY BASEBALL RANKINGS
-JUNE 2022 TOP 350 DYNASTY PROSPECTS RANKINGS
-JUNE 2022 TOP 445 DYNASTY BASEBALL RANKINGS
-TOP 16 2023 FYPD RANKINGS
-TONS OF DYNASTY RUNDOWNS

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