Tim Kanak | Sat, May 4th 2024, 6:21pm EDT

Fantasy Baseball Roundup: Lineup News, Injuries, Waiver Wire & Prospect Advice (Week 7)

Welcome back to the best weekly column on the internet, as we enter Week 7 of the fantasy baseball season.

The goal of this column is to give you the most fantasy-relevant information all in one place for a variety of league types to be your one-stop shop or at least the shop you have to hit on the way to all the other shops for fantasy baseball information. Join us for news, lineup and roster notes, injury updates, waiver recommendations for different lead types, prospect rankings, moves we made and a weekly deep dive into something relevant.

Hope you enjoy it. Please subscribe to the Fantasy Aceball podcast and follow me on Twitter for more fantasy goodness.

NOTE: I updated my hitter rankings on FantasyPros and will update my pitcher rankings soon.

Fantasy Baseball Roundup

A.L. Lineup & Roster Notes

Baltimore Orioles:
- Lineup Notes:
  - Colton Cowser is back in a platoon after struggling the last two weeks going 5-for-35. He’s still hitting the ball hard but he has 17 strikeouts over these appearances.
  - Gunnar Henderson is tied with the injured Mike Trout for the most homers in baseball (10) and is third behind Juan Soto and Bobby Witt Jr. in average EV at 94.8.
- Rotation Notes:
  - Kyle Bradish is back in the rotation and had a 32.1% CSW in his first start against a good Yankees team.
  - John Means is also back in the rotation. He hasn’t made an appearance yet but had a rough run in the minors during his rehab. His last start was successful, though, with eight strikeouts in seven innings and zero earned runs.
- Pen Notes:
  - Craig Kimbrel hasn’t appeared since Monday, April 28 after getting rocked in his previous two starts. He’s not on the injured list (IL), so watch him next time out. If you roster Kimbrel, pickup Yennier Cano as a handcuff.
Boston Red Sox:
- Lineup Notes:
  - With Triston Casas out for the foreseeable future, the Red Sox brought in Dominic Smith and Garrett Cooper, who are both in the starting lineup, hitting sixth and seventh, respectively.
  - Tyler O’Neill has a 200 wRC+, which would rank second, if he qualified, behind Mookie Betts. He also is right behind Henderson and Trout in homers (90), despite spending time on the concussion IL after an outfield collision with Rafael Devers a couple of weeks ago.
  - Vaughn Grissom is up and hitting eighth while starting at 2B. He’s hitting .333 thus far, but it’s primarily luck-driven. I wouldn’t be buying into more than a .260 average the way he’s hitting.
- Rotation Notes:
  - Nick Pivetta will be back in the rotation this week, with Brayan Bello possibly returning to the rotation by the end of the week with one more rehab start scheduled.
- Pen Notes:
  - No update.
Chicago White Sox:
- Lineup Notes:
  - Tommy Pham is 9-for-24 with a bomb in his first week back in the two-hole for the White Sox.
- Rotation Notes:
  - Erick Fedde is pitching like a top-50 starter. He has a 21.1% K-BB and 3.18 SIERA.
- Pen Notes:
  - No Update.
Cleveland Guardians:
- Lineup Notes:
  - Estevan Florial is hitting .196/.286/.429 and is warming a spot in the lineup for Kyle Manzardo in the six-hole and at DH — be on watch.
- Rotation Notes:
  - Tanner Bibee got roughed up Friday night after coming off a fairly dominant last three outings rocking a 23.5% K-BB and 3.05 SIERA over those starts. A bad luck outing will regress his overall stats. I’m not sure he’s a buy-low candidate. He will be inconsistent throughout the year, but by year’s end, he will have top-40 numbers.
  - Triston McKenzie has also looked significantly better in his last three starts with a 19.7% K-BB rate and 3.46 SIERA.
- Pen Notes:
  - No update.
Detroit Tigers:
- Lineup Notes:
  - Riley Greene is third in baseball in barrel rate for qualified hitters at 18.2% and has a surprising seven homers. He’s been a bit unlucky and I would buy if I could.
  - Spencer Torkelson was moved down to sixth in the lineup and has zero homers. He has been making good contact, but he’s not barreling the ball and his EV numbers are all down this year.
  - Colt Keith has a .197 batting average on balls in play (BABIP), but he has also not been hitting the ball hard — 21.1% hard-hit rate.
- Rotation Notes:
  - If Kenta Maeda wasn’t on a two-year contract it’s possible he would be designated for assignment (DFA) in a couple of months to make room for someone like Ty Madden, who was just promoted to AAA. I like Madden way better long-term than someone like Casey Mize.
  - Ace Jack Flaherty looks like he’s back. The dude is looking to get paid next year if he can stay healthy as he’s leading baseball with a 30.6% K-BB rate and is also leading baseball with a 2.20 SIERA.
- Pen Notes:
  - Nothing new to report here. A.J. Hinch likes to mix these guys around, evidenced by Jason Foley pitching in the eighth this week with Shelby Miller blowing a save chance against the Cardinals.
Houston Astros:
- Lineup Notes:
  - Jeremy Pena moved up to fifth in the lineup. As noted in previous iterations of this article, his contact rates are up this year and he’s also hitting the ball in the air more leading to a 145 wRC+ with three bombs and five steals so far.
  - Joey Loperfido was called up mid-week and seems to be in a strong side platoon with Jake Meyers, having spent all of his time in the OF thus far, rather than at first base.
- Rotation Notes:
  - Framber Valdez looked good in his first start back in a tough assignment at Colorado with six strikeouts, zero walks and two earned runs.
  - Justin Verlander is finally starting to look his age with a subpar 8.8% K-BB rate and 4.80 SIERA.
  - Spencer Arrighetti is showing some good stuff, but the 12% walk rate is killing him.
- Pen Notes:
  - No update.
Kansas City Royals:
- Lineup Notes:
  - MJ Melendez was moved down to seventh in the lineup as he’s in a 1-for-27 funk through nine games.
- Rotation Notes:
  - Cole Ragans is the only player with a top-five fastball and a top-five slider via Stuff+.
- Pen Notes:
  - No update.
Los Angeles Angels:
- Lineup Notes:
  - With Mike Trout out, Luis Rengifo is hitting second. He should have been at the top of the lineup all along. He’s hitting .326/.376/.465 with two homers and nine steals.
  - Willie Calhoun and his career 84 wRC+ is at cleanup, which makes no sense. Logan O’Hoppe says hello.
  - Jo Adell is mashing with a 15.6% barrel rate and a .290/.338/.565 slash line with four bombs and five steals (was also caught stealing five times).
- Rotation Notes:
  - Nothing new.
- Pen Notes:
  - Nothing new.
Minnesota Twins:
- Lineup Notes:
  - Ryan Jeffers is hitting third every day and is 11th in baseball in wRC+ at 171.
- Rotation Notes:
  - Chris Paddack isn’t a superstar, but he’s solid after another good outing Friday night. Through 31 2/3 innings he has 26 strikeouts, seven walks and a 3.96 xFIP.
- Pen Notes:
  - Jhoan Duran is back as the closer.
New York Yankees:
- Lineup Notes:
  - Alex Verdugo is cleaning up for the Yankees right now even though he’s hitting the ball on the ground more than 50% of the time, which seems like a recipe for double plays.
  - Nobody is talking about it, because Juan Soto and Anthony Volpe have been so good, but Aaron Judge is having a bad season due to some bad BABIP luck. The hard-hit rates are down this season as well.
- Rotation Notes:
  - Clarke Schmidt is the Yankees’ best pitcher with Gerrit Cole out. He has a 16.2% K-BB rate and 3.77 SIERA.
- Pen Notes:
  - No update.
Oakland Athletics:
- Lineup Notes:
  - Lawrence Butler is up and does not look like a fantasy contributor even though he’s leading off.
  - Brett Harris was called up and started at 3B in his first game.
  - Esteury Ruiz is their best player with a 145 wRC+, two homers and four steals. He is stuck in a weak-side platoon, however.
- Rotation Notes:
  - Nothing worth talking about.
- Pen Notes:
  - Nothing new. Just more Mason Miller dominance.
Seattle Mariners:
- Lineup Notes:
  - Jorge Polanco is hitting third again and the bat has come to life in the last few games.
  - Cal Raleigh is hitting fifth, but he’s 11th in barrel rate this year at 16.1%.
- Rotation Notes:
  - Bryce Miller‘s new pitches have allowed him to jump up a tier, the splitter is his worst pitch, but it’s helping his other pitches play up. He has a 20.1% K-BB rate and 3.36 SIERA on the season.
  - George Kirby is elite for whoever was fussing about him early in the season. He has a 25.4% K-BB rate and 2.86 SIERA.
  - Say goodbye to Emerson Hancock as Bryan Woo will rejoin the rotation this week.
- Pen Notes:
  - Nothing new.
Tampa Bay Rays:
- Lineup Notes:
  - This team could use some Junior Caminero… they are trying to lock in that extra arbitration year. My guess is he’s up in the next two weeks.
  - Richie Palacios is getting a lot of BABIP help, but he’s lining the ball all over the field with a 34.7% line drive rate. He has three bombs and four steals from the two-hole in a strong-side platoon.
- Rotation Notes:
  - Nothing new; the top four are rolling.
- Pen Notes:
  - Jason Adam is still the closer, but Pete Fairbanks seems to be working his way back and should be back by next week.
Texas Rangers:
- Lineup Notes:
  - Nathaniel Lowe is cranking with a .316/.422/.447 slash line and 94.4% contact rate since coming off the IL in the three-hole.
  - Corey Seager is right there with Evan Carter in a lefty BABIP slump, getting dragged down by a .256 BABIP. He is not hitting the ball as hard as last year.
- Rotation Notes:
  - Jack Leiter watch is back on with Nathan Eovaldi hitting the IL.
- Pen Notes:
  - For Kirby Yates, it feels like 2019.
Toronto Blue Jays:
- Lineup Notes:
  - Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette are hitting the ball on the ground way too much.
- Rotation Notes:
  - The Alek Manoah watch is on after he dominated in his matchups versus Paul Skenes. In AAA, Manoah had a 23.5% K-BB rate through four starts and a 3.27 xFIP.
- Pen Notes:
  - No update.

N.L. Lineup & Roster Notes

Arizona Diamondbacks:
- Lineup Notes:
  - Jake McCarthy is leading off in a strongside platoon right now, but likely only until Corbin Carroll gets his feet back under him.
  - Christian Walker is having another stellar season as he sits second in baseball in barrel rate at 18.2%.
  - Corbin Carroll has a .234 BABIP, which is doing the majority of the damage to his line, but he’s also not hitting the ball as hard this year.
- Rotation Notes:
  - Brandon Pfaadt for some reason always gets hit much harder than his underlying metrics suggest. He has a 22.1% K-BB rate and 3.11 SIERA, but a 4.63 ERA.
  - Slade Cecconi has looked excellent thus far, including a strong start at the time of my writing on Friday night. He’s rocking a 23.3% K-BB rate and 3.09 SIERA.
- Pen Notes:
  - No update
Atlanta Braves:
- Lineup Notes:
  - Nothing new since last week.
- Rotation Notes:
  - Max Fried has been significantly better in the last couple of starts. A couple more and I’ll believe he’s back.
  - Bryce Elder is not looking very good. I doubt he lasts too long in the rotation.
- Pen Notes:
  - No update.
Chicago Cubs:
- Lineup Notes:
  - Michael Busch has been struggling the last couple of weeks going 6-for-39 with only an 80.9 EV and 10 wRC+.
  - Pete Crow-Armstrong is looking pretty good in his nine games this season despite not taking a walk.
- Rotation Notes:
  - Justin Steele is returning to the rotation on Monday. As of now, it appears the Cubs might go with a six-man rotation.
- Pen Notes:
  - Hector Neris has been bad, but he’s still closing.
Cincinnati Reds:
- Lineup Notes:
  - Christian Encarnacion-Strand is rocking a 44 wRC+.
  - Spencer Steer is all around better than he was in 2023. The underlying metrics all make what he’s doing look legit.
- Rotation Notes:
  - Hunter Greene is second in Stuff+ to Jared Jones on the season with four-plus pitches, two being plus-plus.
  - Nick Lodolo looks like an ace with a 26.6% K-BB rate and 2.60 SIERA.
- Pen Notes:
  - Nothing new.
Colorado Rockies:
- Lineup Notes:
  - Brenton Doyle moved up the order to second and seems to switch off there with Brendan Rodgers depending on who is pitching.
  - Jordan Beck was called up to play in LF every day and has been hitting eighth after a stellar start to the season in AAA.
- Rotation Notes:
  - Nothing new.
- Pen Notes:
  - Justin Lawrence is out and there are a collection of relievers that could temporarily take the role. None of them are good.
Los Angeles Dodgers:
- Lineup Notes:
  - No update.
- Rotation Notes:
  - Walker Buehler rejoins the rotation on Monday. I’m excited to see how he pitches upon his return.
- Pen Notes:
  - No update.
Miami Marlins:
- Lineup Notes:
  - The Marlins dealt Luis Arraez to the Padres Friday night. The one to watch in the trade for impact this season is Jakob Marsee.
- Rotation Notes:
  - Edward Cabrera and Garrett Crochet are similar statistically — insane strikeout stuff, great underlying ERA indicators, and super-high ERAs and WHIPs.
- Pen Notes:
  - No update.
Milwaukee Brewers:
- Lineup Notes:
  - Tyler Black is up and hitting at the top of the lineup every day, either third or fourth. He’s been good so far.
- Rotation Notes:
  - No update, but keep an eye on Robert Gasser.
- Pen Notes:
  - No update.
New York Mets:
- Lineup Notes:
  - Pete Alonso is in his second straight season of an atrocious BABIP. Yeah, he’s a big boy, but will that BABIP be sustainable into his 30s?
- Rotation Notes:
  - Christian Scott is making his debut Saturday (likely by the time you read this) and supposedly replacing Adrian Houser in the rotation.
- Pen Notes:
  - Nothing new.
Philadelphia Phillies:
- Lineup Notes:
  - Trea Turner was pulled from the game Friday night; keep an eye on this.
  - Alec Bohm is on fire and hitting fourth. It’s supported by a .409 BABIP, so it’s unlikely to hold up.
- Rotation Notes:
  - The Phillies are still rolling with a six-man rotation.
- Pen Notes:
  - No update.
Pittsburgh Pirates:
- Lineup Notes:
  - Jack Suwinski has moved down the order to seventh after a terrible start. The underlying metrics are solid, but he’s being smoked by a .192 BABIP. He’s hitting the ball on the ground too much for his profile to work.
  - Henry Davis was sent down as Yasmani Grandal completed his rehab assignment.
- Rotation Notes:
  - Paul Skenes watch is on.
- Pen Notes:
  - Nothing new.
San Diego Padres:
- Lineup Notes:
  - The Padres acquired Luis Arraez, who is projected to DH and hit leadoff for the Padres. It’s funny to see a guy with no power be the designated hitter.
- Rotation Notes:
  - Yu Darvish is back in the rotation, skipping any rehab.
- Pen Notes:
  - Nothing new.
San Francisco Giants:
- Lineup Notes:
  - Jung Hoo Lee has been unlucky with a .255 BABIP, despite an over 90% contact rate, good plate skills and good EVs. He is not barreling the ball, however, and hits the ball on the ground too much for a lefty, even though he sprays it around.
- Rotation Notes:
  - The Giants opted for a bullpen game with Blake Snell out, rather than calling up Mason Black.
- Pen Notes:
  - Nothing new.
St. Louis Cardinals:
- Lineup Notes:
  - This lineup is ice-cold.
- Rotation Notes:
  - Sonny Gray wants a Cy Young. He has 38 strikeouts and five walks in 30 1/3 innings, giving up only three earned runs on the season.
  - Steven Matz hit the IL. Keep an eye on a possible Sem Robberse call-up. He’s been very good in the minors and has some Joe Ryan-esque deception.
- Pen Notes:
  - No updates.
Washington Nationals:
- Lineup Notes:
  - Luis Garcia Jr. is a nice player, hitting third. I wouldn’t expect a ton for fantasy, but he could be a Lourdes Gurriel Jr.-type. Even though he’s been around forever, he’s still only 24 years old.
- Rotation Notes:
  - Mitchell Parker might be a dude. The latest of the barely known prospect types who come out of nowhere as starters. He’s rocking a 17.4% K-BB rate and 3.41 SIERA through four starts.
- Pen Notes:
  - No update.

Fantasy Baseball Injury Notes

SP Max Scherzer (Rangers) – Scherzer ran into a slight setback, or “delay,” but will return to action later this week.
SP Grayson Rodriguez (Orioles) – Rodriguez hit the IL with shoulder inflammation. There’s no news on the severity of his injury, timeline or potential return date.
OF Mike Trout (Angels) – Trout tore his MCL in his left knee and has a best-case return of 4-6 weeks with a potentially longer injury timeline depending upon the outcome of the surgery.
SP Jesus Luzardo (Marlins) – Luzardo has a mild left flexor strain. Depending on recovery, he could be back within two weeks.
SP Jordan Wicks (Cubs) – Wicks hit the IL with a left forearm strain and will likely miss at least 4-6 weeks, even with a lighter strain.
SP Steven Matz (Cardinals) – Matz is out for a couple of weeks (at least) with a back strain. It will be interesting to see who replaces him. Watch out for Sem Robberse.
OF Byron Buxton (Twins) – Is it surprising to see Buxton hit the IL? It happened. He’s on the 10-day IL with right knee inflammation.
SP Nathan Eovaldi (Rangers) – Eovaldi went on the IL with a groin strain. We may see Jack Leiter back up to replace him in the rotation.

Tim’s Top-5 Waiver Adds (12-Team Leagues):

Under 50% Owned (CBS)

Last Week: SP Max Meyer (Marlins, 47%), OF Mark Canha (Tigers, 40%), OF Brenton Doyle (Rockies, 35%), RP Joel Payamps (Brewers, 42%), OF Andy Pages (Dodgers, 48%)

SP Christian Scott (Mets) 49% – Scott has a rising fastball he 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, playing it off a slider, but the fastball is his strikeout pitch. He has a 111 Stuff+ in the minors and is up there with Paul Skenes as top performers at AAA with a 31.9% K-BB rate and 13.7% swinging strike rate. He looks like a top-50 starting pitcher out of the gate.
RP Joel Payamps (Brewers) 43% – Payamps is the Brewers’ closer and you can’t find any closers on the waivers in most 12-team leagues right now. All the roles outside of the Rockies (which you don’t want) seem pretty locked in.
1B/3B Tyler Black (Brewers) 31% – He has ridiculously good plate skills, high-end speed, a solid hit tool and above-average power. He’s an under-the-radar guy who can provide sneaky speed from a position that doesn’t generate many steals. He should also be a stud in points leagues due to plus-plus plate skills with a AAA slash line of .303/.393/.525 this season. It also helps that he has been hitting third or fourth in the lineup.
C/OF MJ Melendez (Royals) 45% – Melendez is in a huge slump, but this is providing a buying opportunity as he’s getting smoked by a .194 BABIP. He hits the ball hard and I would expect he breaks out of this slump in the next week because it’s been a doozy already.
SP Mitchell Parker (Nationals) 45% – More stats on why to pick up Mitchell Parker besides those already provided: his curveball rates out as an above 80th percentile curve in baseball, his splitter has an above 50% chase rate outside of the zone and despite a below average fastball movement and velo-wise, he knows how to spot it in the zone and has excellent command.

Tim’s Top-5 Waiver Adds (15-Team Leagues):

Under 30% Owned (CBS)

Last Week: OF Tommy Pham (White Sox, 4%), SP Ben Brown (Cubs, 16%), OF Heston Kjerstad (Orioles, 8%),

OF Tommy Pham (White Sox) 13% – Pham should be owned in all five-OF leagues, it’s that simple. Last year in only 129 games he hit .256/.328/.446 with 16 bombs and 22 steals. Why is he on the waivers in any league?
OF Richie Palacios (Rays) 10% – Palacios barely ever puts the ball on the ground. He has an excellent line drive rate even when he’s not smoking the ball and he’s a former Cardinals outfielder. What’s not to like besides the fact he’s in a platoon?
SP Slade Cecconi (Diamondbacks) 20% – Cecconi is killing it in pitch level value (PLV) through his first couple of starts. He’s only a three-pitch guy, more or less, but his fastball, which he is throwing 56% of the time, is generating 90th percentile CSW at 35.1%. His slider is a bit underwhelming as a breaking pitch and the changeup plays off the fastball well, but is only slightly above average — plus he only throws it 15% of the time. This might not last because the profile looks a bit like a reliever, but he’s following the 2023 Bryce Miller blueprint.
SP Jack Leiter (Rangers) 25% – Leiter looks like he might be coming up to fill the Nate Eovaldi void in the rotation. Despite getting dinged in his first start, he has been excellent this season at AAA with a 29% K-BB rate and 17.7% swinging strike rate. He’s definitely worth a flier in almost any league.
SP Mike Clevinger (White Sox) 10% – Clevinger is not spectacular. If you have an injured pitcher he’s about to come back and should provide at least a decent WHIP and ERA and about 7-8 strikeouts per nine innings.

Tim’s Top-10 Redraft Prospects (Not Promoted Yet):

1. 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: 23 IP, 41 Ks, 6 BBs, 0.39 ERA, 0.87 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 Yoshinobu Yamamoto, which I think is cheating). He’s spitting absolute fire and looks like he could be a top-40 starting pitcher from the get-go once he’s promoted. He’s ready and I think at this point the call-up is going to be based on what home start will make them the most money, though they could be trying to extend him past the point of being able to compete for the Rookie of the Year.

2. 3B Junior Caminero (Rays)

2023 A+/AA: .324/.384/.591, 31 HR, 5 SB
2023 MLB: .235/.278/.353, 1 HR
2024 AAA: .328/391/.724, 6 HR, 1 SB
Age: 20
ETA: Late May
fScores: 103 fContact, 74 fDiscipline, 113 fPower, 97 fSpeed, 57 fDurability
Comp: Ronald Acuna without 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: The only reason for the Rays to keep Caminero down is to ensure he doesn’t win Rookie of the Year so they can keep the extra year of control. He’s ready and they need him.

3. OF James Wood (Nationals)

2023 A+/AA: .262/.353/.520, 26 HR, 18 SB
2024 AAA: .327/.433/.467, 2 HR, 8 SB
Age: 21
ETA: Late May
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 his huge 6-foot-7 frame.

Ranking Explanation: Wood has shown increased contact and plate skills this season. He needs to put that together with the natural power to be ready. The talent in Washington is thin enough that he should be up, but with a 56% groundball rate this season, they at least have a viable reason to keep him down to avoid the Jordan Walker outcome at this point.

4. 1B Kyle Manzardo (Guardians)

2023 AAA: .237/.337/.464, 17 HR, 1 SB
2024 AAA: .305/.379/.629, 8 HR, 0 SB
Age: 23
ETA: Mid May
fScores: 96 fContact, 122 fDiscipline, 109 fPower, 65 fSpeed, 59 fDurability
Comp: Joey Votto

Prime Skills: Manzardo is a professional hitter with great contact skills and superstar-level plate discipline skills. He could walk into the majors immediately and avoid being overwhelmed. He also has easy 25-homer power and should produce to at least a league-average first baseman in his first season with the odds of performing better than that in points leagues thanks to the plate skills.

Ranking Explanation: Manzardo is on fire and could be called up at any time to help give another boost to the first-place Guardians. He’s in a good place right now and is showing increased power plus his normal contact and plate skill goodness.

5. SP Mason Black (Giants)

2023 AA/AAA: 123 2/3 IP, 155 Ks, 52 BBs, 3.71 ERA, 1.21 WHIP
2024 AAA: 26 2/3 IP, 29 Ks, 8 BBs, 1.01 ERA, 0.90 WHIP
Age: 24
ETA: Late May (basically whenever someone gets a mid-term injury)
fScores: 78 fPDurability, 105 fStuff, 95 fControl, 104 fERA
Comp: Justin Verlander light

Prime Skills: Big dude, reminds me of Michael Lorenzen on the mound with a good fastball/slider combo. The slider is better than the grade he has on it and is his main strikeout pitch. He’s a smart kid and knows how to pitch a game.

Ranking Explanation: Black is dealing at AAA in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) — a hard thing to do. I like Black a lot, especially with the team context, but his coming up requires an injury or innings overload with someone else already in the rotation.

6. SP Drew Thorpe (Padres):

2023 A+/AA: 139 1/3 IP, 182 Ks, 38 BBs, 2.52 ERA, 0.98 WHIP
2024 AA: 30 IP, 28 Ks, 7 BBs, 1.20 ERA, 0.87 WHIP
Age: 23
ETA: Late May
fScores: fPDurability 61, 128 fStuff, 114 fControl, 134 fERA
Comp: George Kirby-light to Chris Paddack-ish

Prime Skills: Primarily a fastball, changeup guy (though the best attribute of the fastball is where he places it), Thorpe might remind Padres fans of former top Padres prospect Chris Paddack. He has a nice slider he mixes in between the two and has dominated the minors to date ala Mr. Paddack.

Ranking Explanation: Thorpe is looking great and I’m assuming he’s only in AA because they want him pitching to Edgar Quero. He’s probably better than a couple of the current White Sox starters, but at this point, they might as well let him work in the minors a little longer with his future teammates. The big league squad doesn’t have many of their long-term assets there.

7. SP Robert Gasser (Brewers):

2023 AA: 135 1/3 IP, 166 Ks, 50 BBs, 3.79 ERA, 1.28 WHIP
2024 AAA: 8 IP, 10 Ks, 3 BBs, 5.63 ERA, 1.50 WHIP
Age: 24
ETA: Mid May
Comp: Jaime Garcia

Prime Skills: Gasser has really good stuff highlighted by an underrated fastball, a killer slider and a solid curve. He is also good at limiting runs, but his control leaves something to be desired. Worst case scenario, he could be an assassin in the bullpen, but the Brewers have too many guys like that. They really need Gasser to hit.

Ranking Explanation: Gasser had a rough second outing, but this is a revamp on his spring training since he was hurt. I bet he’s up if he can string together two nice starts.

8. SS/3B Orelvis Martinez (Jays):

2023 AA/AAA: .243/.340/.496, 28 HR, 2 SB
2024 AAA: .290/.361/.589, 8 HR, 0 SB
Age: 22
ETA: Late May
Comp: Willy Adames and Marcell Ozuna mash-up

Prime Skills: Martinez has a ton of power. If he can manage a major league average hit tool and reign in the strikeouts, he could wind up a very productive fantasy league asset.

Ranking Explanation: Martinez could easily start at 3B for the Blue Jays soon if he keeps mashing like he is in the minors. An average EV over 90 and a max EV over 115 give him a ceiling as a top-10 power hitter in baseball.

9. SP Cade Horton (Cubs):

2023 A/A+/AA: 88 1/3 IP, 117 Ks, 27 BBs, 2.65 ERA, 1.00 WHIP
2024 AA: 16 1/3 IP, 18 Ks, 2 BBs, 1.10 ERA, 0.92 WHIP
Age: 22
ETA: Mid July
fScores: 43 fPDurability, 120 fStuff, 106 fControl, 113 fERA
Comp: Hunter Brown

Prime Skills: Horton looks like a righty Jon Lester throwing 98 miles per hour (MPH) darts and has a nasty curve. He has shown insane command with three plus-pitches between the fastball, slider and curve. He should be moving pretty quickly next season due to his well-above-average command.

Ranking Explanation: Horton was promoted to AAA, bringing him one step closer to a call-up. The Cubs are competing this year and if they want their best chance down the stretch they will want Horton in the rotation.

10. SP Sem Robberse (Cardinals):

2023 AA/AAA: 124 IP, 130 Ks, 57 BBs, 4.28 ERA, 1.35 WHIP
2024 AAA: 35 2/3 IP, 35 Ks, 7 BBs, 1.77 ERA, 0.95 WHIP
Age: 22
ETA: Early May
Comp: Joe Ryan-light

Prime Skills: Robberse is a secondary first guy who has a lot of deception in his delivery, making his 90-92 MPH fastball play up a lot more in velo. I saw him a couple of times this spring and thought he looked more like a future reliever, but he’s been dominating AAA with impeccable command and has figured something out this year as far as maximizing his pitch mix. His slider is more vertical and his cutter looks almost like a power curve, while his change-up against his fastball (which looks like it has some nice induced vertical break) makes for a different look than most pitchers give.

Ranking Explanation: Robberse looks like he could be up this week to replace Steven Matz in the rotation. He could be up to stay if he performs better than Matz (who I think should be in the pen).

Honorable Mentions: 3B Coby Mayo (Orioles), SP Ricky Tiedemann, OF Chase DeLauter (Guardians), SS Colson Montgomery (White Sox), SP Adam Mazur, SP Robby Snelling (Padres), OF Jakob Marsee (Marlins), OF Drew Gilbert (Mets), SP David Festa (Twins), SP Jacob Misiorowski (Brewers), SP Carson Whisenhunt (Giants), 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 Saggese (Cardinals), OF Dylan Crews (Nationals), SP Tink Hence (Cardinals), SP Tekoah Roby (Cardinals), SP Chase Hampton (Yankees), SS Carson Williams (Rays), 2B/OF Luisangel Acuna, OF Sterlin Thompson (Rockies), 1B Tyler Locklear (Mariners), SP Carlos F. Rodriguez (Brewers), 3B/OF Justyn Henry-Malloy, SP Cristian Mena (Diamondbacks), 2B Connor Norby (Orioles), SP Mick Abel (Phillies), SP Gordon Graceffo (Cardinals), SP Will Warren (Yankees), OF Jacob Melton (Astros), SP/RP Wilmer Flores (Tigers), SP Jake Eder (White Sox), SP Richard Fitts (Red Sox)

Graduated (this week): 2B/OF Joey Loperfido (Astros), SP Christian Scott (Mets), 1B/3B Tyler Black (Brewers), OF Jordan Beck (Rockies)

Graduated (this year): OF Wyatt Langford (Rangers), OF Jackson Chourio (Brewers), SS/OF Jackson Merrill (Padres), OF Victor Scott II (Cardinals), 2B/3B Colt Keith (Tigers), SP Jared Jones (Pirates), SS/3B Darell Hernaiz (Athletics), 3B/OF Graham Pauley (Padres), RP Clayton Beeter (Yankees), SP Jack Leiter (Rangers), SS Jackson Holliday (Orioles), SP/RP Ben Brown (Cubs), OF Andy Pages (Dodgers), 2B Justin Foscue (Rangers)

Moves I Made This Week

- CBS Memorial Magazine League (12-Team 5×5 Roto):
  - Added $12 Joey Loperfido for Chase DeLauter.
- CBS NL Only Analyst League (12-Team 5×5 Roto):
  - N/A
- TGFBI (15-Team 5×5 Roto):
  - Added J.D. Martinez for $136, dropping Alex Cobb
  - Added Mitchell Parker for $38, dropping AJ Smith-Shawver
  - Added Jose Soriano for $7, dropping DL Hall

- Fantasy Aceball Invitational (16-Team Ottoneu H2H Points):
  - Added $2 JP Sears (I needed a start with Grayson Rodriguez hitting the IL)
- Ottoneu Podcasters League (12-Team Ottoneu 5×5 Roto):
  - Added a $4 Joel Payamps and dropped a $3 Will Smith.

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