It’s Wednesday. You know what that means. We are back with another prospect report.
Like last week, we have had a lot of movement at the big-league level featuring prospects making their debuts or those who will be debuting within the next week or so.
Let’s not waste any time and get right to it.
Fantasy Baseball Week 5 Prospect Report
All stats are accurate as of Tuesday evening on May 2.
Bryce Miller (SP – SEA)
The Mariners announced that they’d be bringing up their No. 2 prospect, and the best part about it is that it won’t just be for a spot-start. Bryce Miller will be in the Seattle rotation “for at least a few turns.” If he performs, he should be able to stay there moving forward.
Seattle has done this in the past with Logan Gilbert and George Kirby, and while Miller tops out as a potential SP4, there’s still value there for fantasy.
He hasn’t pitched above Double-A, and his K% has dipped this year down to 21 percent with a 6.41 ERA and 5.97 FIP. I’m in on him, but more as an arm in 15-team leagues until we see what he looks like a few turns through the rotation.
Gavin Stone (SP/RP – LAD)
Another west coast team is calling up a fun pitching prospect, as it finally seems it will be Gavin Stone time today.
One thing is for sure: You’ll see GIFs all over Twitter of Stone’s changeup, as it is absolutely filthy. It could just be a spot start for Stone, but I’d put him right behind Tanner Bibee in terms of excitement.
Xavier Edwards (2B/SS – MIA)
I forgot that he was still in baseball, to be honest. That’s not being mean, I swear. Xavier Edwards’ prospect shine has dimmed the last couple of seasons, but he’s off to a hot start in the Minors this year.
The Marlins, of course, need yet another middle infielder, so we’ll see what the playing time looks like. I don’t expect the average to be north of .300 like it is in the Minors, but he has legit speed, which makes him watchlist-worthy at the minimum.
Kyle Stowers (OF – BAL)
Kyle Stowers had a lot of preseason hype this year, but he failed to do anything for Baltimore in four games. After tearing up the Minors to the tune of .293/.427/.569 with five home runs and 32 runs+RBIs, Baltimore has called Stowers up to give him another shot.
He has legit pop. Depending on the playing time, he could be an option in deeper 15-team leagues, but he does have 12-team potential with regular playing time.
Bryan Woo (SP – SEA)
I will try to get some non-debuting prospects in here when I can. This week, we’ll look at Bryan Woo, who looks pretty damn good in Double-A. The 23-year-old has a 1.59 ERA and a 2.09 FIP in 17 innings.
Moreover, he has a 41.5 K% this year, striking out at least seven batters in three of his four games. There’s a chance that the Mariners could jump Woo up from Double-A, similarly to how they did with Miller.
Louie Varland (SP – MIN)
Tyler Mahle is out for at least four to six weeks, and since Bailey Ober took over for Kenta Maeda, the Twins need another arm to cover for Mahle.
Enter Louie Varland, whose stuff is simply filthy. He has four pitches and gets to go against the hapless Royals, Tigers and White Sox regularly – even if it’s less than in years past. Varland has a 40.3 K% so far through 15 innings in Triple-A. He’s on the 12-team radar.
Brandon Pfaadt (SP – ARI)
It’s finally time, as Brandon Pfaadt will debut for Arizona today against the Rangers. He’s on rotation, but it’s a tough matchup for him, as the Rangers have been on fire offensively.
Still, there’s a lot of excitement for him this year and into the future, as he has the highest upside of anyone on this list.
Pfaadt led the Minors in strikeouts last year. His fastball velo is up this season, and the slider has been a whiff-inducing pitch. Giddy up.
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Michael Waterloo is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Michael, check out his archive and follow him @MichaelWaterloo.
