Welcome back to the best weekly column on the internet, as we leave week 2 (or week 1 in H2H leagues) and enter week 3 of the fantasy baseball season.

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Fantasy Baseball Roundup

Fantasy Baseball Lineup & Roster Notes

• Baltimore Orioles:
  • Lineup Notes:
    • Austin Hays is hitting .111/.238/.111 from the 6 hole to start the season.
      • Cowser is hitting .500 (in only 8 ABs).
    • Ryan O’Hearn is hitting .250/.308/.333 from the 5 hole (prior to a HR Friday night).
      • Heston Kjerstad is hitting .571/.581/.1.214 with 6 homers in 7 AAA games.
    • Ramon Urias is 1/17.
      • Jackson Holliday is hitting .393/.471/.750 with 2 bombs and a steal.
    • All this is to say it’s only a matter of time before Cowser is starting over Hays, Kjerstad is up and starting over O’Hearn and Holliday is starting at 2B with Westburg at 3B.
  • Rotation Notes:
    • Cole Irvin looked rough, but John Means should be back in a couple weeks and Bradish seems to be tracking toward a May return.
  • Pen Notes:
    • Craig Kimbrel blew his first save shot with the Orioles, but nailed the second.
• Boston Red Sox:
  • Lineup Notes:
    • Tyler O’Neil is off to a hot start with his new team with a .333/.478/.667 slash, 3 homers (including one Friday night) and a steal. The plate skills look significantly improved, if it’s a real improvement, he’s a buy right now.
    • Trevor Story doesn’t look very good, he might be done… and I wrote this before a bad shoulder injury Friday night against the Angels trying to make a defensive stop.
  • Rotation Notes:
    • If you can get him cheap, Bryan Bello is a buy right now with a 19% K-BB rate and 3.59 SIERA against his 5.40 ERA through two starts.
    • Nick Pivetta is looking like a Cy Young candidate right now.
    • Kutter Crawford, Tanner Houck and Garrett Whitlock all look awesome, this rotation is fire.
  • Pen Notes:
    • Kenley Jansen has two saves and has lucked himself into some good outings, the control is off right now, so keep an eye on the walk rate (though it’s a small sample size).
• Chicago White Sox:
  • Lineup Notes:
    • Braden Shewmeke is the strong side of a platoon with Paul DeJong.
    • Stream pitchers against this team, outside of Luis Robert the lineup is terrible.
  • Rotation Notes:
    • Still rolling four starters, Nick Nastrini is apparently sick… maybe because he got rocked in AAA vs. Baltimore or maybe that’s why he got rocked?
  • Pen Notes:
    • Michael Kopech looks to be the closer with a save, but this team is so bad I’m not sure I would expect more than like 25-28 saves even with full-time reps.
• Cleveland Guardians:
  • Lineup Notes:
    • Tyler Freeman is starting in CF every day and hitting fifth, at least until Chase DeLauter comes up.
    • Bo Naylor and Austin Hedges are in a platoon, which is dumb if you ask me. Naylor has a career 96 wRC+ against lefties and Hedges has a career 46 wRC+ against lefties (even as a righty).
  • Rotation Notes:
    • Shane Bieber was back! And just like that he’s gone again.
    • Tanner Bibee and Logan Allen are good.
    • Stay away from Carlos Carrasco.
    • Triston McKenzie is down a couple ticks in velo and looked rough, keep an eye on his next start.
  • Pen Notes:
    • Nothing new.
• Detroit Tigers:
  • Lineup Notes:
    • Mark Canha is underrated in the 5 hole, especially in points leagues. Consider buying him.
    • Flip-flopping Riley Greene to cleanup and Spencer Torkelson to second is interesting.
  • Rotation Notes:
    • Matt Manning had a start that looks great on paper, but is a bit rough under the hood.
    • Casey Mize looked average in his first start back, in 2024.
    • If Jack Flaherty and Jordan Hicks are really this awesome, what does that say about the Cardinals and their pitching coaches / development?
  • Pen Notes:
    • Jason Foley is the closer, despite the Lange vulture save Friday.
• Houston Astros:
  • Lineup Notes:
    • Everyone knows all these guys are awesome, nothing new except Jeremy Pena is off to a hot start and I’m interested to see where it goes.
  • Rotation Notes:
    • Ronnel Blanco had the best start of the season with a no-hitter.
    • Cristian Javier isn’t as good as he looks on paper, a 7% K-BB rate and 5.42 SIERA scream regression.
    • Verlander is going on a rehab assignment and should be back in a week or two.
  • Pen Notes:
    • Josh Hader has 0 saves in 4 appearances this season.
• Kansas City Royals:
  • Lineup Notes:
    • Hunter Renfroe is down to 8th in the lineup.
    • MJ Melendez is off to a nice start with a .304/.385/.609 slash.
  • Rotation Notes:
    • Cole Ragans is a legit ace.
    • Brady Singer has shown some legit improvements through two solid starts, despite a lucky .138 BABIP he has 14 Ks and only 2 BBs in 13 1/3 IP.
  • Pen Notes:
    • James McArthur might have grabbed the closer role with a save on Friday night.
• Los Angeles Angels:
  • Lineup Notes:
    • Nolan Schanuel was finally moved up the order to second with his .391 OBP (despite really doing nothing else well).
    • Logan O’Hoppe needs to be bumped up in the order.
    • Anthony Rendon is off to a 0/19 start and still leading off. When do the Angels just cut bait on him?
  • Rotation Notes:
    • Reid Detmers is the only guy I really want in this rotation, he looked great in his first start against the Orioles.
  • Pen Notes:
    • Carlos Estevez has lucked into two saves…a 7.23 SIERA says stay away!
• Minnesota Twins:
  • Lineup Notes:
    • Edouard Julien is not in a platoon, but is off to slow start, while Alex Kirilloff is slashing .409/.440/.682 and moved up into the 2 hole.
  • Rotation Notes:
    • Louie Varland did what he always does, good metrics and he gave up a home run.
    • Chris Paddack did not look good.
    • Bailey Ober looked terrible in his first start, but let’s give it another go.
  • Pen Notes:
    • Jax still appears to be the temp closer.
• New York Yankees:
  • Lineup Notes:
    • Nothing new.
  • Rotation Notes:
    • Carlos Rodon still isn’t right, 4.4% K-BB rate and 5.61 SIERA through two starts.
    • Nestor Cortes is off.
    • Is Luis Gil the #1 SP with Cole out?
  • Pen Notes:
    • Nothing new.
• Oakland Athletics:
  • Lineup Notes:
    • JJ Bleday looks to be out of a platoon as he hits third and has a realistic looking .333/.379/.593 slash to begin the season.
    • Jd Martinez is off to a hot start, but he’s not that good. He could still hit 25 bombs with a good number of RBI in Oakland with full run though.
    • Esteury Ruiz was sent down for some reason.
  • Rotation Notes:
    • The JP Sears spring was fake, don’t buy low.
    • There might be AA rotations better than this one.
  • Pen Notes:
    • Mason Miller is already the closer and is their best player for fantasy hands down.
• Seattle Mariners:
  • Lineup Notes:
    • Mitch Haniger is hitting fourth and looks to be healthy and rejuvenated back in Seattle with a .261/.346/.478 slash.
  • Rotation Notes:
    • Luis Castillo, George Kirby and Logan Gilbert have all had below average starts this season, but I would not be concerned long-term.
  • Pen Notes:
    • Munoz had looked fire until Friday night, where he walked three batters for the first time in his career… then even walked a fourth to allow a run with walks. The control was off, maybe over use?
• Tampa Bay Rays:
  • Lineup Notes:
    • Brandon Lowe is a little dinged up, hopefully he’s back soon, he’s the only lefty in the lineup and a platoon here also makes no sense, he has a 99 wRC+ against lefties throughout his career. Mead smashes lefties, but he can play another position – they should keep Lowe in the lineup with his power potential.
  • Rotation Notes:
    • Zach Eflin looked good in his second start.
    • My guy Aaron Civale has a 24.4% K-BB rate and 3.02 SIERA to start the season.
    • Tyler Alexander got rocked the first time out.
  • Pen Notes:
    • Nothing new.
• Texas Rangers:
  • Lineup Notes:
    • Evan Carter was bumped down to fifth with Langford hitting fifth.
    • Jared Walsh is off to a hot start, but I wouldn’t trust it, the contact skills are terrible (61.4% contact rate).
  • Rotation Notes:
    • Nathan Eovaldi is looking good after a bad second half with a 19.6% K-BB rate and 3.43 SIERA.
    • Andrew Heaney had a solid first outing, this is a guy I have a lot of shares of in deeper leagues.
  • Pen Notes:
    • Neither Jose Leclerc nor David Robertson has a save, but LeClerc has looked terrible thus far.
• Toronto Blue Jays:
  • Lineup Notes:
    • The lineup has been pretty unimpressive except for newcomer Justin Turner.
  • Rotation Notes:
    • Don’t be afraid of Bowden Francis, the first start wasn’t as bad as it looked.
  • Pen Notes:
    • Chad Green might be the closer until Swanson or Romano comes back, but nobody has a save yet.
• Arizona Diamondbacks:
  • Lineup Notes:
    • Blaze Alexander looks good in limited action with Perdomo hurt.
  • Rotation Notes:
    • Brandon Pfaadt looked strong in his first start of the season.
    • Jordan Montgomery is targeting a 4/19 return.
    • Randall Grichuk was activated Friday night.
  • Pen Notes:
    • Kevin Ginkel pitched in the eighth against the top of the Braves lineup Friday night and they left him in for a two inning save opportunity that he blew (though the defense let him down).
• Atlanta Braves:
  • Lineup Notes:
    • Jarred Kelenic has been great to start the season, hitting .545/.615/.636.
  • Rotation Notes:
    • Max Fried was completely destroyed in his first start back from injury last season. I’m slightly concerned.
    • Chris Sale looks back to his top 30 self, as long as he stays healthy.
  • Pen Notes:
    • Nothing new.
• Chicago Cubs:
  • Lineup Notes:
    • Michael Busch is good, how good? Let’s keep watching.
  • Rotation Notes:
    • Shota Imanaga pitched like a top 20 starter in his first start, let’s see how he can hold up through a couple more starts, because I was projecting more of a top 40-50 starter.
    • Ben Brown is up and could start with Steele out until Taillon returns, the stats aren’t as bad as they look, he has a 3.96 SIERA against his 11.12 ERA.
  • Pen Notes:
    • Alzolay netted the Cubs first save of the season.
• Cincinnati Reds:
  • Lineup Notes:
    • Spencer Steer is up to second in the order after a hot start, slashing .423/.500/.808 to start the season.
    • On the opposite end, Elly De La Cruz has been in the Twitter headlines for having a terrible 48.3% K rate to start the season, but he has a .250/.276/.429 slash despite this.
  • Rotation Notes:
    • Hunter Greene has been better than I expected thus far, despite a higher BB rate.
    • Frankie Montas has been solid, but he’s not as good as he’s looked so far.
  • Pen Notes:
    • Nothing new.
• Colorado Rockies:
  • Lineup Notes:
    • Kris Bryant might be moving down in this order, but money is keeping him in the 4 hole.
  • Rotation Notes:
    • Stay away.
  • Pen Notes:
    • Stay away.
• Los Angeles Dodgers:
  • Lineup Notes:
    • Ohtani is starting to get hot, with homers in back-to-back games.
  • Rotation Notes:
    • A tale of two games for Bobby Miller, but I wouldn’t be concerned.
  • Pen Notes:
    • Evan Phillips already has 3 saves and Daniel Hudson has 1.
• Miami Marlins:
  • Lineup Notes:
    • The Jon Berti trade made no sense.
  • Rotation Notes:
    • Ryan Weathers looks like he could be an average deep league pitcher with Ks.
    • AJ Puk looks like he should be back in the pen.
    • It’s weird to see a rotation with four lefties.
  • Pen Notes:
    • Anthony Bender might take this closer job back, Tanner Scott has been terrible.
• Milwaukee Brewers:
  • Lineup Notes:
    • Rhys Hoskins is hitting sixth (makes no sense) despite a .238/.360/.524 slash.
    • Jackson Chourio is leading off and has a nice .292/.320/.458 slash.
  • Rotation Notes:
    • My prediction of Freddy Peralta winning NL Cy is looking good so far, he has 15 Ks and 2 BBs in 11 2/3 innings.
    • DL Hall has had a major drop in velo as a starter vs. reliever through one start, keep an eye on it, but don’t panic yet.
    • It’s only a matter of time before Joe Ross is replaced with one of Aaron Ashby or Robert Gasser.
  • Pen Notes:
    • Abner Uribe had three saves before a blown save against the Mariners Friday night, but vultured a win.
• New York Mets:
  • Lineup Notes:
    • Jd Martinez is expected to join the team next week.
    • Francisco Alvarez is hitting cleanup and is off to a .333/.360/.583 slash.
    • Brett Baty is looking decent and hitting fifth with a .273/.360/.409 slash.
  • Rotation Notes:
    • Luis Severino was better than he looked in his first start, he’s worth holding or buying cheap if you can.
  • Pen Notes:
    • Nothing new.
• Philadelphia Phillies:
  • Lineup Notes:
    • Brandon Marsh worked his way out of the platoon and is off to a .300/.318/.600 slash despite a 40.9% K rate.
    • Bryce Harper is in MVP form.
  • Rotation Notes:
    • I’m feeling good about having Wheeler in the first tier pre-season.
    • Christopher Sanchez is picking up where he left off last year, which was a concern to me.
    • Spencer Turnbull put up an unexpected excellent outing, keep an eye on him next time out.
  • Pen Notes:
    • Alvarado has not looked good this year, but has the only Phillies save.
• Pittsburgh Pirates:
  • Lineup Notes:
    • Oneil Cruz is on fire.
    • Henry Davis is ice cold.
  • Rotation Notes:
    • Jared Jones says, “Paul Skenes, who?”… this dude has 17 Ks and only 2 BBs in 11 2/3 IP in his first two starts and throws gas.
  • Pen Notes:
    • Nothing new.
• San Diego Padres:
  • Lineup Notes:
    • Fernando Tatis Jr. is back on track.
    • Graham Pauley had a swinging strike on a Tyler Rogers pitch that nailed him in the face, check it out.
  • Rotation Notes:
    • Joe Musgrove looked much better in his start against the Cardinals.
    • Yu Darvish is clearly back to his old self.
    • Dylan Cease is looking strong in a Padres uniform.
  • Pen Notes:
    • Robert Suarez has looked good to start the year despite getting hit pretty hard.
• San Francisco Giants:
  • Lineup Notes:
    • LaMonte Wade Jr. has moved back up to second in the lineup against righties with a .286/.400/.333 slash line.
  • Rotation Notes:
    • Blake Snell is lined up for a two start week next week and his Giants debut.
    • Jordan Hicks has been bullet proof so far as a Giants starter.
  • Pen Notes:
    • Nothing new.
• St. Louis Cardinals:
  • Lineup Notes:
    • Lars Nootbaar is slated to possibly return this weekend and that will possibly result in Victor Scott II going back down unless Willson Contreras is healthy enough for Pages to go down.
  • Rotation Notes:
    • Sonny Gray wants to get back in the rotation, but the Cardinals won’t let him without another rehab start first, so we likely won’t see Gray until the following week.
  • Pen Notes:
    • Ryan Helsley and Gio Gallegos both look back on their game after a rough 2023.
• Washington Nationals:
  • Lineup Notes:
    • Lane Thomas is off to a rough 2/32 start despite a strong spring.
    • Jesse Winker is hitting third (without being in a platoon) and off to a nice .375/.545/.438 start.
  • Rotation Notes:
    • McKenzie Gore might be a useful starter, but will probably continue to run a high WHIP.
  • Pen Notes:
    • Kyle Finnegan has 2 saves and Hunter Harvey has 0, despite Finnegan running a 10.13 ERA.

Fantasy Baseball Injury Notes

Check out our news desk for all fantasy baseball injury news.

• SP Shane Bieber (Guardians) – Bieber is getting Tommy John seemingly out of nowhere. He had pain in his elbow after each of his last two starts, despite going 6 innings in each start with 20 strikeouts, only one walk and allowing 0 runs.
• SP Spencer Strider (Braves) – Strider is undergoing an MRI after a rough 4 inning start on Friday. Unfortunately it looks like there is damage to his UCL. He will be evaluated further.
• SP Eury Perez (Marlins) – This is a strange one, if they were aware of structural damage they could have told us pre-draft season. This seems like a Marlins fail more than deception, but he’s getting TJ and we won’t see him until probably June of 2025.
• 3B Josh Jung (Rangers) – Is out for 8-10 weeks with a broken wrist after getting hit by a pitch.
• SS Trevor Story (Red Sox) – Hurt his shoulder bad Friday night. He’s been placed on the IL and will likely have an extended stay due to the injury.

Tim’s Top Waiver Wire Adds (12-Team Leagues)

NOTE: Under 50% Owned (CBS)

Last Week: OF Victor Scott II (Cardinals – 46%), RP Abner Uribe (Brewers – 39%), SP Jared Jones (Pirates – 49%), SP Luis Gil (Yankees – 42%), C Luis Campusano (Padres – 49%), OF Jake Fraley (Reds – 44%), 3B Eugenio Suarez (Diamondbacks – 46%), UTIL Luis Rengifo (Angels – 39%), SP Max Meyers (Marlins – 32%) & RP Griffin Jax (Twins – 36%)

NOTE: I have a goal to avoid repeats this year, so if there is a repeat on the list, there is a major reason to grab them.

1. OF Lars Nootbaar (Cardinals) 47% – Nootbaar is projected to return to the Cardinals lineup on Monday and there is a decent chance Victor Scott is sent down if he doesn’t have a big weekend. Nootbaar should resume his duties as the three hole hitter and projects out as a 20/15 type player with a .260-.270 batting average.
2. 3B Michael Busch (Cubs) 41% – Busch looks legit with a .316/.417/.474 slash, there’s even more power in the bat than what we have seen thus far; I think we are looking at a .280 hitter with 25 bombs in the bat.
3. SP Logan Allen (Guardians) 48% – Allen should have more strikeouts based on his 30.3% CSW than he has shown to date and could up himself a level if he can maintain the command, while improving the pitch mix to generate more strikeouts.
4. OF Jose Siri (Rays) 36% – Siri is a batting average killer, but he’s kind of the AL version of Jack Suwinski with better speed. He already has a homer and four steals on the season and is on the record stating he wants to steal more bags in 2024.
5. OF Jake Fraley (Reds) 47% – Fraley is a repeat on this list and while he is not benefitting from playing time against lefties, even with all the injuries, he has been hitting fifth in a good Reds lineup and is worth owning in 12 team daily leagues, because he kills righties.

Tim’s Top Waiver Adds (15-Team Leagues)

Under 30% Owned (CBS)

Last Year (Week 1): SS Zach Neto (Angels – 24%), SP Tylor Megill (Mets – 24%), SP Ryan Weathers (Marlins – 14%), OF Michael Conforto (Giants – 27%), OF Joc Pederson (Diamondbacks – 23%), RP Matt Brash (Mariners – 12%), SP Nick Nastrini (White Sox – 7%)

1. 1B / OF Alex Kirilloff (Twins) 29% – Kiriloff is reeling me back in again, still only 26-years-old, he’s now hitting second in the lineup and has a .409/.444/.682 slash with an increased contact profile this season along with a 14.3% barrel rate and 93.4 average EV to start the season.
2. SP Andrew Heaney (Rangers) 26% – Heaney had decreased velo in his first start, but had a 16.7% swinging strike rate and had 7 Ks with 0 BBs in only 4 2/3 IP. If Heaney can bounce back to Dodgers form, he could be a nice back end starter in any league or replacement for an injured SP.
3. SP Ryan Weathers (Marlins) 12% – Weathers has a solid four-seamer (which should actually play up more than it has) with a plus changeup and sweeper. If he can locate the sweeper better and elevate the fastball more, we could see another step forward. For now, he’s at least pitching as a league average pitcher with strikeout potential.
4. OF Joc Pederson (Diamondbacks) 25% – Pederson is hitting fifth against righties in a strongside platoon and is showing an increased contact profile and much better plate skills to start the season. If he can maintain these gains, he could hit closer to .250 this season and get back into the 25 homer range.
5. 3B Brett Baty (Mets) 24% – Baty is starting every day now and is showing improved contacts and plate discipline early in the season from last season. He’s not hitting the ball as hard, but he’s doing a better job of putting the ball in the air and has a 12.5% barrel rate to start the season.

Tim’s Top 10 Re-Draft Prospects (not promoted yet)

Last Year (Week 1): Grayson Rodriguez, Brandon Pfaadt, Sal Frelick, Curtis Mead, Endy Rodriguez, Gavin Stone, Francisco Alvarez, Bo Naylor, Oswald Peraza, Taj Bradley

1. SS Jackson Holliday (Orioles)

• 2023 A/A+/AA/AAA: .323/.442/.499, 12 HR, 24 SB
• 2024 AAA: .355/.475/.677, 2 HR, 1 SB
• Age: 20
• ETA: Late April
• fScores: 107 fContact, 133 fDiscipline, 91 fPower, 91 fSpeed, 53 fDurability
• Comp: Wander Franco
• Prime Skills: Quick bat that can reach all fields, but projects out more as a line drive and doubles hitter than a big power bat. Holliday has ridiculous Kwan-esk plate discipline. Not the fastest runner, but could steal 15-20 bags at the major league level in a season.
• Ranking Explanation: I bumped Holliday to the top ahead of Caminero due to the Caminero injury. Holliday is pushing and as soon as the Orioles lock in that extra year of eligibility, he should be up.

2. 3B Junior Caminero (Rays)

• 2023 A+/AA: .324/.384/.591, 31 HR, 5 SB
• 2023 MLB: .235/.278/.353, 1 HR
• 2024 AAA: .333/.429/.583, 1 HR, 1 SB
• Age: 20
• ETA: Mid May
• fScores: 103 fContact, 74 fDiscipline, 113 fPower, 97 fSpeed, 57 fDurability
• Comp: Ronald Acuna w/o the wheels
• Prime Skills: Probably the quickest bat speed in the minors, the hit tool is ridiculous and now the power is catching up. He could be one of the best hitters in baseball sooner rather than later.
• Ranking Explanation: Caminero is right there with Holliday, the biggest differences are he has more power and possibly a stronger hit tool. The Caminero injury pushes back his time table, thus the swap in my rankings with Holliday.

3. SP Paul Skenes (Pirates)

• 2023 College: 122 2/3 IP, 209 Ks, 20 BBs, 1.69 ERA, 0.75 WHIP
• 2023 Rk/A/AA: 6 2/3 IP, 10 Ks, 2 BBs, 5.40 ERA, 1.05 WHIP
• 2024 AAA: 6 IP, 11 Ks, 1 BB, 0.00 ERA, 0.33 WHIP
• Age: 21
• ETA: Early May
• fScores: 45 fPDurability, 111 fStuff, 104 fControl, 112 fERA
• Comp: Justin Verlander
• Prime Skills: Skenes is more curve than slider, but his fastball is insane and his command is impeccable, especially the fastball. He throws high heat and has shown he’s durable and consistent. He has a good shot to spend most of 2024 at the major league level.
• Ranking Explanation: Skenes is the best pitching prospect in baseball already (unless you count Yoshi Yamamoto – which I think is cheating). He’s spitting absolute fire and looks like he could be a top 40 SP from the get-go once he’s promoted. DeLauter is starting in AA, which potentially pushes his time table back and Skenes only needs to build up to 80-100 pitches to get the call.

4. OF Chase DeLauter (Guardians)

• 2023 Rk/A+/AA: .355/.417/.528, 5 HR, 6 SB
• Age: 22
• ETA: Mid-May
• fScores: 106 fContact, 122 fDiscipline, 113 fPower, 82 fSpeed, 28 fDurability.
• Comp: A raw, LIGHT Bryce Harper (or lefty Matt Holliday)
• Prime Skills: He’s shown a really strong hit tool and has some unrealized power in his small sample size at the minor league level. The pull power from his college days is tantalizing. Coming off injury, we just need to see some health from this doubles machine.
• Ranking Explanation: DeLauter starting the year in AA, rather than AAA could mean they intend to keep him down longer than expected or necessary, or it could mean the Guardians want to keep him close to home. We won’t know until he moves up a level to either AAA or the MLB.

5. SP Ricky Tiedemann (Blue Jays)

• 2023 Rk/A/AA/AAA: 44 IP, 82 Ks, 23 BBs, 3.68 ERA, 1.23 WHIP
• 2024 AAA: 4 1/3 IP, 3 Ks, 6 BBs, 6.23 ERA, 2.21 WHIP
• Age: 22
• ETA: Early May
• fScores: 49 fPDurability, 121 fStuff, 96 fControl, 167 fERA
• Comp: Good Andrew Heaney
• Prime Skills: Tiedemann was a huge breakout last year and has a really nice fastball – slider combo. His changeup plays great off the slider, which is probably his best pitch. He’s a tunnel master who has a short arm / side arm funky delivery from the left side which makes his slider even tougher to pick up. He does have bullpen risk.
• Ranking Explanation: Despite the pen risk, his stuff is pretty ridiculous and a ton of the pitching is so volatile that I’m still willing to rank a guy with killer stuff close to the majors higher than guys further away that look to be safer starters longterm. Long life the high end stuff, even if he’s just the next Matt Brash.

6. SP Christian Scott (Mets)

• 2023 A/A+/AA: 87 2/3 IP, 107 Ks, 12 BBs, 2.47 ERA, 0.86 WHIP
• 2024 AAA: 4 IP, 9 Ks, 0 BBs, 6.75 ERA, 1.25 WHIP
• Age: 25
• ETA: Mid-May
• fScores: N/A
• Comp: Zack Wheeler super light (basically a Wheeler fastball / slider without the other pitches)
• Prime Skills: Scott has a rising fastball he just smokes guys with up in the zone as a big righty that averages 95-96 on the pitch. Scott has fantastic command and pins the fastball wherever he wants it, playing it off a slider, but the fastball is his K pitch.
• Ranking Explanation: This dude is underrated as a college guy who spent time in the pen in 2022 and had an excellent year in 2023 as a full time starter. He has a full time starters arsenal, but needs to build up the innings.

7. 2B / OF Joey Loperfido (Astros)

• 2023 A+/AA/AAA: .278/.370/.510, 25 HR, 27 SB
• 2024 AAA: .208/.222.708, 4 HR
  Age: 25
• ETA: Late April
• fScores: 111 fContact, 96 fDiscipline, 93 fPower, 118 fSpeed, 76 fDurability
• Comp: Christian Yelich (without the peak years)
• Prime Skills: He has all fields gap power and can hit oppo tacos with his bat speed. He has very good speed to go with a great hit tool and very good plate skills. He would be a killer top of the lineup guy, but in Houston, he’s probably looking at super utility duties.
• Ranking Explanation: Loperfido is ready for the big league club, but it seems like the Astros don’t want to promote him to be a super UTIL guy, they want to wait until he has full time ABs.

8. OF Jakob Marsee (Padres)

• 2023 A+/AA: .274/.413/.428, 16 HR, 46 SB
• 2024 AA: .250/.500/1.000, 1 HR
• Age: 23
• ETA: Early – Mid 2024
• fScores: 95 fContact, 140 fDiscipline, 80 fPower, 197 fSpeed, 54 fDurability
• Comp: Ripped Christian Yelich with more air on the ball
• Prime Skills: Nice compact lefty swing with some reach, the dude has all fields power and hits around the yard, which will allow him to beat the shift. The speed is legit and he could reach for a number of 15-30 seasons in his prime with stellar plate skills.
• Ranking Explanation: Marsee is starting in AA despite the chance of breaking camp with the big league club. If Tommy Pham signs with another team besides the Padres, it increases the chances Marsee is promoted once Profar begins to struggle.

9. SP Nick Nastrini (White Sox)

• 2023 AA/AAA: 114 2/3 IP, 139 Ks, 54 BBs, 4.08 ERA, 1.31 WHIP
• 2024 AAA: 3 IP, 5 Ks, 2 BBs, 12.00 ERA, 3.00 WHIP
• Age: 24
• ETA: Early April
• fScores: 66 fPDiscipline, 114 fStuff, 92 fControl, 109 fERA
• Comp: Jose Berrios / Jack Flaherty mash up with worse control
• Prime Skills: Nastrini has a classic four pitch mix of fastball, changeup, slider and curve and all are average to above average offerings, without one pitch that really stands out. I like the change and the curve. The change some movement and he mixes it in well and uses it for punch outs, whereas the curve is the nastiest pitch, while the fastball is kind of just average.
• Ranking Explanation: Nastrini had a rough first outing, but should be up very soon with the big league club and proximity and getting MLB playing time is half the battle in these rankings.

10. OF James Wood (Nationals)

• 2023 A+/AA: .262/.353/.520, 26 HR, 18 SB
• 2024 AAA: .400/.600/.500
• Age: 21
• ETA: Mid-2024
• fScores: 104 fContact, 103 fDiscipline, 117 fPower, 126 fSpeed, 58 fDurability
• Comp: Lefty Aaron Judge
• Prime Skills: Light tower power from the left side of the plate. He has a home run swing if we’ve ever seen one and has the biggest power upside of the top 10, even more than Wyatt Langford and Junior Caminero due to the huge 6′ 7″ frame.
• Ranking Explanation: Wood has MLB read tools, but he does have holes in his swing due to his enormous size and needs to find more consistency before he’s ready for the full time transition to the big leagues in order to avoid the up and down. The Nationals are priming for 2025, rather than 2024 anyway, but if he rakes he should come up around when Elly De La Cruz came up in 2023. Chourio gets the edge for me right now primarily because he’s going to be in the majors to start the year in 2024.

Honorable Mention: 1B Kyle Manzardo (Guardians), OF Pete Crow-Armstrong (Cubs), SS Colson Montgomery (White Sox), SP Cade Horton (Cubs), 1B/2B/3B Tyler Black (Brewers), SP Drew Thorpe (White Sox), SP Robby Snelling (Padres), 2B/OF Joey Loperfido (Astros), 3B Coby Mayo (Orioles), OF Drew Gilbert (Mets), SP David Festa (Twins), SP Jacob Misiorowski (Brewers), SP Carson Whisenhunt (Giants), OF Andy Pages (Dodgers), SP Chase Petty (Reds), 2B/SS Jett Williams (Mets), OF Blake Dunn (Reds), SS Brooks Lee (Twins), SP Ty Madden (Tigers), SP Hurston Waldrep (Braves), 2B Thomas Saggesse (Cardinals), OF Dylan Crews (Nationals), SP Tekoah Roby (Cardinals), SP Chase Hampton (Yankees), SS Carson Williams (Rays), 2B/OF Luisangel Acuna, OF Sterlin Thompson (Rockies), OF Jordan Beck (Rockies), SP Mason Black (Mets), 1B Tyler Locklear (Mariners), SP Carlos F. Rodriguez (Brewers), 3B/OF Justyn Henry-Malloy, SP/RP Ben Brown (Cubs), SP Cristian Mena (Diamondbacks), 2B Connor Norby (Orioles), SP Mick Abel (Phillies), SP David Vasil (Mets), SP Gordon Graceffo (Cardinals), SP Will Warren (Yankees), OF Jacob Melton (Astros), SP/RP Wilmer Flores (Tigers), 2B Justin Foscue (Rangers), SP Jake Eder (White Sox), SP Richard Fitts (Red Sox)

Moves I Made This Week

• CBS Memorial Magazine League (12 Team 5×5 Roto):
  • Dropped Eury Perez (sad)
• CBS NL Only Analyst League (12 Team 5×5 Roto):
  • Dropped Jon Berti for Jonah Bride
  • Added Ronnie Mauricio $0
  • Added Alika Williams for Jonah Bride, $0
• TGFBI (15 Team 5×5 Roto):
  • Added a $168 Abner Uribe for Jhonny Brito
• Fantasy Aceball Invitational (16 Team Ottoneu H2H Points):

• • Added Steven Matz for $1

• Ottoneu Podcaster’s League (12 Team Ottoneu 5×5 Roto):

• • N/A

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