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    Tim Kanak | Sun, Jun 23rd 2024, 7:27am EDT

Fantasy Baseball Roundup: News, Injuries, Waiver Wire & Prospects (Week 14)

Welcome back to the best weekly column on the internet, as we enter week 14 of the fantasy baseball season.

The goal of this column for us to give you the most fantasy relevant information all in one place for a variety of league types to hopefully 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 from news, to 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.

Fantasy Baseball Roundup

I hope you enjoy! Please subscribe to the Fantasy Aceball podcast and follow me on Twitter @fantasyaceball for more fantasy goodness!

Fantasy Baseball Lineup & Roster Notes

As of FRI 6/21

  • Baltimore Orioles:
    • Lineup Notes:
      • Gunnar Henderson has the second best wRC+ in baseball since May 10th (last six weeks) with a 200 wRC+.
      • Anthony Santander has been the second best Orioles hitter over this time span with 1 154 wRC+ despite being dragged down by a .222 BABIP.
      • Cedric Mullins is having such a strange season and could finish with close to a 20/30 line despite a terrible batting average which has been weighed down by both decreased exit velocities in 2024 and also a .231 BABIP even though the contact rates are a career best.
    • Rotation Notes:
      • With Bradish going down, the Orioles should definitely be looking to add a top end starter at the deadline to help Corbin Burnes and Grayson Rodriguez down the stretch.
      • Grayson Rodriguez is third in Stuff+ over the last six weeks with a 120 Stuff+ only behind Carlos Rodon and Dylan Cease, as a .322 BABIP against is keeping the numbers down further than they should be.
      • On the other hand Corbin Burnes has been one of the luckiest pitchers in baseball this year and has a 1.40 ERA against a 3.63 SIERA over the last six weeks.
    • Pen Notes:
      • Nothing new.
  • Boston Red Sox:
    • Lineup Notes:
      • Jarren Duran is making me regret trading him for Lars Nootbaar in an Ottoneu league as he has a 144 wRC+ over the last six weeks, making him a top 25 hitter, while Nootbaar hasn’t even played.
      • Tyler O’Neil has regressed back some to his Cardinals numbers as he’s running a 37% K rate over the last six weeks with a .224/.309/.459 slash with 6 bombs and has been boom or bust.
      • Rafaela kind of reminds me of Duran a couple years ago oddly, where he has the power and speed tools, but we just hope he can hit enough to make them play up. Over the last six weeks, he has a .282/.314/.435 slash with five homers and six steals… this is aided by a .364 BABIP, but he’s hitting the ball hard more than 40% of the time with only a 4.5% barrel rate, so if he can make strides on barreling the ball more we could have a really good player here.
    • Rotation Notes:
      • Boston’s starters rank 22-24 in Stuff+ over the last six weeks with Tanner Houck at 107, Kutter Crawford at 107 and Brayan Bello at 105.
      • Brayan Bello has actually been one of the ten most unlucky pitchers over the last six weeks with a 5.95 ERA despite a 4.28 SIERA.
      • Kutter Crawford is almost as unlucky with a 5.44 ERA against a 3.66 SIERA.
    • Pen Notes:
      • No update.
  • Chicago White Sox:
    • Lineup Notes:
      • Tommy Pham has been hitting .292/.452/.458 with a homer and a steal at leadoff since returning from injury last week.
      • Luis Robert is looking like Tyler O’Neil since coming back all boom or bust with a 37% K rate, .179/.281/.464 slash (with a .185 BABIP) and five bombs since returning from injury on June 4th.
    • Rotation Notes:
      • Garrett Crochet is leading the league with a 31.9% K-BB rate over the last six weeks and leading the league in SIERA over this timeframe at 2.19.
      • Jonathan Cannon has continued to roll after I had him as a top buy last week with an 18.3 K-BB% and 3.29 SIERA since being recalled over his last three appearances.
    • Pen Notes:
      • This team doesn’t get saves, Michael Kopech‘s last save was May 15th and Jonathan Brebbia has the only save in June on 6/18.
  • Cleveland Guardians:
    • Lineup Notes:
      • Kyle Manzardo was sent down after not getting full playing time, thanks to the emergence of David Fry who is third in wRC+ over the last six weeks at 180 with a .304/.423/.554 slash.
      • Josh Naylor has been good despite having some of the worst luck in baseball over the last six weeks with a .196 BABIP dragging him down to a .206/.281/.443 slash, but 9 homers are keeping him afloat.
    • Rotation Notes:
      • Tanner Bibee has been a top five pitcher in baseball over the last six weeks with a 28.8 K-BB% and 2.51 SIERA.
    • Pen Notes:
      • No update.
  • Detroit Tigers:
    • Lineup Notes:
      • Colt Keith was bumped up to second in the lineup and has a .292/.322/.416 slash with 3 bombs and two steals over the last six weeks. There’s a lot more power in this bat, but he’s in a tough park and it might take some time for that power to break out, similar to Riley Greene.
      • Riley Greene has come back down to Earth over the last six weeks with a solid, but not amazing .259/.327/.453 slash with five bombs and four steals.
    • Rotation Notes:
      • Tarik Skubal only has a 104 Stuff+ over the last six weeks and hasn’t been as good as the start of the season, but he still has a 20.3 K-BB% and 3.27 SIERA.
      • Jack Flaherty rates out as a top five starter over the last six weeks with a 29.2 K-BB% and 2.36 SIERA.
    • Pen Notes:
  • Houston Astros:
    • Lineup Notes:
      • Joey Loperfido is back up in a strong-side platoon in RF until Kyle Tucker returns and is hitting ninth and went 3/4 with a couple of doubles Friday night in his first start.
    • Rotation Notes:
      • Hunter Brown has been a top 10 starter over the last six weeks with a 22.8 K-BB% and 2.88 SIERA. He’s really figured it out by generating more groundballs, however he has still been giving up a good number of homers.
    • Pen Notes:
      • No update.
  • Kansas City Royals:
    • Lineup Notes:
      • Witt has been carrying the Royals offense, but the good news is Hunter Renfroe is back from injury already.
    • Rotation Notes:
      • Cole Ragans continues to roll as a top 15-20 starting pitcher in baseball, sitting at 17th in Stuff+ at 110 and 14th in K-BB% at 20.4% with a 3.36 SIERA.
      • Alec Marsh has been surprisingly good with an 18.7 K-BB% and 3.60 SIERA against a 5.40 ERA over the last six weeks.
    • Pen Notes:
      • No update.
  • Los Angeles Angels:
    • Lineup Notes:
      • Taylor Ward has a top 10 barrel rate in baseball over the last six weeks with an 18.8 K-BB%.
      • Logan O’Hoppe is 8th in hard hit% with a 44.3% hard hit, seven homers and a .263/.311/.509 slug over the last six weeks. Hitting fifth.
      • Luis Rengifo has been one of the best speed options in baseball this season, especially considering all the positions he plays with a .298/.346/.397 slash with 2 bombs and 11 steals over the last six weeks.
      • Jo Adell has been the most unlucky player in baseball over this time period with a .136 BABIP.
    • Rotation Notes:
      • Nothing worth talking about here.
    • Pen Notes:
      • Nothing new.
  • Minnesota Twins:
    • Lineup Notes:
      • Royce Lewis has been a top five player in baseball with a 251 wRC+ since returning from injury and a .345/.422/.873 slash with 9 bombs since coming back over only 15 games.
      • Carlos Santana has a 169 wRC+ and a .303/.376/.571 slash over the last six weeks doing his best classic summer Santana.
      • Carlos Correa has also been hitting very well with a .322/.366/.534 slash with six bombs over this time period.
    • Rotation Notes:
      • Joe Ryan has been the Twins best pitcher this year, but has also had some luck on his side. While he has a 20.3 K-BB% (good for 16th during the last six weeks), his Stuff+ is not even top 25 and a 3.56 SIERA against his 2.81 ERA shows there has been some luck and there’s room for regression.
      • Buy Pablo Lopez. A 20.3 K-BB% and 3.37 SIERA against his 5.63 ERA screams positive regression.
    • Pen Notes:
      • Nothing new.
  • New York Yankees:
    • Lineup Notes:
      • Aaron Judge has been the best hitter in baseball this year and over the last six weeks he has a 278 wRC+, 40% barrel rate and .375/.494/906 slash with 18 homers.
    • Rotation Notes:
      • Gerrit Cole is back.
      • Carlos Rodon rates as the top pitcher via Stuff+ over the last six weeks with a 124 rating, but he only has a 16 K-BB% and 4.06 SIERA… so he’s obviously not utilizing his pitch mix well.
    • Pen Notes:
      • No update.
  • Oakland Athletics:
    • Lineup Notes:
      • The Athletics have some power. Brent Rooker and Shea Langeliers both are rocking top 20 barrel rates over 14.5%.
      • Tyler Soderstrom started getting regular playing time on June 5th and since that time he’s slashing .314/.397/.588 with four homers. He also has a near 18% barrel rate over this time, which has never been the problem – it was the contact rates.
    • Rotation Notes:
      • I don’t trust any of these guys, except as a last resort in points leagues.
    • Pen Notes:
      • No update.
  • Seattle Mariners:
    • Lineup Notes:
      • Tyler Locklear was moved to the bench after the return of Ty France, which can’t be good for his development. He was playing well.
      • Seattle’s offense has generally been unimpressive this season and they announced they are going to be trading for offense this year. I would not be surprised to see a big Luis Robert type move here.
    • Rotation Notes:
    • Pen Notes:
      • Nothing new.
  • Tampa Bay Rays:
    • Lineup Notes:
      • The Rays offense has been a lot of Lowe and Lowe, but has still been disappointing.
    • Rotation Notes:
      • Taj Bradley has been a top 12 pitcher in baseball over the last six weeks with a 112 Stuff+ (12th overall) and a 21.2 K-BB% (12th overall) with a 3.31 SIERA against a 4.06 ERA, so he should only improve his back of baseball card numbers.
    • Pen Notes:
      • Nothing new.
  • Texas Rangers:
    • Lineup Notes:
      • Corey Seager has a 22.1% barrel rate, good for third in baseball over the last six weeks pushing him to a .280/.389/.617 slash.
      • We haven’t heard much from Adolis Garcia this season, but he’s still top 30 in barrel rates, but is getting smoked by a .163 BABIP.
      • Wyatt Langford is hitting .314/.385/.486 with a bomb and five steals over the last two weeks.
    • Rotation Notes:
    • Pen Notes:
      • Nothing new.
  • Toronto Blue Jays:
    • Lineup Notes:
    • Rotation Notes:
      • Nothing new.
    • Pen Notes:
      • Nothing new.
  • Arizona Diamondbacks:
    • Lineup Notes:
      • Christian Walker has been great again this season with a 15.9% barrel rate (top 15) over the last six weeks and 10 bombs over this time, despite some lackluster plate skills during this time.
      • Joc Pederson has been a stud for the Diamondbacks and has a 159 wRC+ with a .301/.383/.538 slash since May 10th.
    • Rotation Notes:
      • With Zac Gallen out, Brandon Pfaadt has been the D-backs best starter at a 108 Stuff+, but he’s only managed a 12.9 K-BB% out of it, so there appears to be room for improvement.
    • Pen Notes:
      • No update.
  • Atlanta Braves:
    • Lineup Notes:
      • Jarred Kelenic is leading off with Acuna and Harris now out and since hitting leadoff the last week he has a .321/.345/.571 slash with 2 homers and a steal.
      • Marcel Ozuna has a 19.4% barrel rate and 157 wRC+, carrying the Braves offense the last six weeks, including a .308/.380/.541 slash line.
      • Forrest Wall is starting a strong-side platoon in LF for the Braves.
    • Rotation Notes:
    • Pen Notes:
      • No update.
  • Chicago Cubs:
    • Lineup Notes:
      • Ian Happ has been turning things around and has a 19% barrel rate over the last six weeks with a 142 wRC+ and a .246/.336/.533 slash line.
    • Rotation Notes:
      • Buy Imanaga if someone is selling on the terrible start.
    • Pen Notes:
      • Hector Neris has been terrible and is destined to be replaced as the closer at some point.
  • Cincinnati Reds:
    • Lineup Notes:
      • Elly De La Cruz has had a rough six weeks slash line wise at .207/.303/.352, but he still has 4 bombs and 14 steals over this time frame.
      • Jeimer Candelario doesn’t have anything really sticking out in his numbers, but he has been much more productive over the last six weeks with ten bombs, three steals and a .286/.327/.586 slash.
    • Rotation Notes:
      • Hunter Greene has been fourth in baseball with a 120 Stuff+ over the last six weeks, but his K-BB rate is only 16.4% and the SIERA is only 3.86, so despite the crazy stuff, he’s still only about a top 30-40 starter right now.
    • Pen Notes:
      • Nothing new.
  • Colorado Rockies:
    • Lineup Notes:
      • Nolan Jones has been back for a week and looking good with a 200 wRC+ and a .389/.556/.556 slash with a bomb and a steal.
    • Rotation Notes:
      • Nothing new.
    • Pen Notes:
      • Nothing new.
  • Los Angeles Dodgers:
    • Lineup Notes:
    • Rotation Notes:
      • Landon Knack is back with Yamamoto and Buehler going down and the Dodgers can’t wait for Kershaw to return at this point.
    • Pen Notes:
      • Nothing new.
  • Miami Marlins:
    • Lineup Notes:
      • Nothing new.
    • Rotation Notes:
      • Braxton Garrett has been one of the most unlucky pitchers in baseball this season with a nice 18.6 K-BB%, but a 5.35 ERA against his 3.32 SIERA.
      • Trevor Rogers has looked pretty good lately, but I’m not buying it. He only has an 8.3 K-BB% over the last six weeks.
    • Pen Notes:
      • Nothing new.
  • Milwaukee Brewers:
    • Lineup Notes:
      • Tyler Black was promoted and he’s playing first with Hoskins taking DH and Perkins heading to the bench.
    • Rotation Notes:
      • This team needs to trade for a starter.
      • BUY Freddy Peralta if you can, he has a 22.5 K-BB% (top 10) and 3.19 SIERA against his 4.57 ERA over the last six weeks.
    • Pen Notes:
      • No update.
  • New York Mets:
    • Lineup Notes:
      • J.D. Martinez is the ageless wonder with a bat and has a near 20% barrel rate over the last six weeks, placing him sixth in baseball and he’s hitting .284/.361/.553 with a 161 wRC+.
      • Teammate Francisco Lindor has been on fire with a 16.9% barrel rate himself with a .274/.339/.471 slash with six bombs and eight steals.
    • Rotation Notes:
      • Nothing new.
    • Pen Notes:
      • Nothing new.
  • Philadelphia Phillies:
    • Lineup Notes:
      • Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper are both on fire and Trea Turner is back in the lineup hitting between the two lefty mashers.
      • Schwarber has a 172 wRC+ with a .302/.438/.527 slash over the last six weeks, while Harper has a 159 wRC+ with a .304/.394/.551 slash.
    • Rotation Notes:
      • Zack Wheeler has a 109 Stuff+ over the last six weeks, but only an 11.6 K-BB% and 4.43 SIERA, something seems off here.
    • Pen Notes:
      • Nothing new.
  • Pittsburgh Pirates:
    • Lineup Notes:
      • Oneil Cruz has been killing the ball with a 26.6% barrel rate for second in baseball over the last six weeks, but he still has only a .231/.283/.444 slash with a 31% K rate… the issue here seems to be contact related, not luck related.
    • Rotation Notes:
      • The Pirates have two top 15 starters per Stuff+ over the last six weeks with Jared Jones (5th, 119) and Paul Skenes (14th, 112).
      • Paul Skenes has the third best K-BB% in baseball since coming up with a 29.9 K-BB% and 2.33 SIERA with actually some bad luck pushing against him.
      • Oddly, Jones only has a 9.5 K-BB% over the last six months despite that killer Stuff+ rating, which means he is likely in a rookie adjustment period where the hitters know his plan and he has to change something up.
    • Pen Notes:
      • Nothing new.
  • San Diego Padres:
    • Lineup Notes:
      • Fernando Tatis Jr. is crushing the ball right now with a 15.3% barrel rate, but a crazy 95.1 average EV for sixth in baseball. Oddly the ISO is still below .200 during this period, which might be ballpark influenced because nothing else really makes sense, but he still has a .305/.375/.497 slash.
    • Rotation Notes:
      • BUY Dylan Cease if you can. He is tied with the best Stuff+ in baseball at 124 over the last six weeks and is seventh with a 23 K-BB%, but has a ridiculous 6.43 ERA against his 3.11 SIERA. He’s been terribly unlucky, so if you can get him cheap – do it.
    • Pen Notes:
      • Nothing new.
  • San Francisco Giants:
  • St. Louis Cardinals:
    • Lineup Notes:
      • Nolan Gorman has a 21.9% barrel rate over the last six weeks, good for fourth in baseball to go along with 12 bombs and 3 steals, but a near 40% K rate and bad BABIP bring his line down to .226/.290/.540.
    • Rotation Notes:
      • Sonny Gray is 9th in baseball with a 113 Stuff+ and 11th in baseball with a 21.2 K-BB% and 3.23 SIERA on the season.
    • Pen Notes:
      • Nothing new.
  • Washington Nationals:
    • Lineup Notes:
      • Nothing new.
    • Rotation Notes:
      • MacKenzie Gore is a top 20 starter at this point with a 112 Stuff+ (13th) over the last six weeks and a 21.1 K-BB% (13th).
      • Mitchell Parker is still demonstrating excellent control, but the strikeouts are fading.
      • DJ Herz has been surprisingly dominant in an almost Jared Jones like fashion with a 2.80 SIERA against a 4.50 ERA and a 26.2 K-BB% through four starts.
    • Pen Notes:
      • No update.

Fantasy Baseball Injury Notes

  • OF Mookie Betts (Dodgers) – Betts suffered from a broken hand after getting hit by a pitch and is expected to miss 6-8 weeks.
  • SP Yoshinoby Yamamoto (Dodgers) – Yamamoto will be out for a while (still no timeline) with a strained rotator cuff. I wouldn’t expect to see him again until at least August at this point.
  • SP Walker Buehler (Dodgers) – Buehler was placed on the 15 day IL with a strained hip, putting some strain on the Dodgers rotation thanks to the Yamamoto and Sheehan injuries. Good thing Kershaw is on the way back soon.
  • SP Robert Gasser (Brewers) – It was announced Gasser would be undergoing some sort of UCL surgery as previously expected.
  • OF Kyle Tucker (Astros) – Tucker was supposed to return last week, but is still on the IL from the shin injury and will likely need a rehab assignment when he returns.
  • OF Mike Trout (Angels) – The Trout recovery is taking longer than expected as he should have been close to a rehab assignment at this point based on the original timeline.
  • OF Jasson Dominguez (Yankees) – While he’s at AAA, he was close to the majors but is now out 6-8 weeks with a strained oblique, so we will likely see him in August.
  • OF Michael Harris II (Braves) – Harris has a Grade 2 strain in his hamstring and is likely out for somewhere between 4-8 weeks.
  • SS Bo Bichette (Blue Jays) – Bichette was placed on the IL with a right calf strain, which probably will keep him out for at least 3-4 weeks.
  • SP Justin Verlander (Astros) – Verlander was placed on the 15 day IL due to neck discomfort, which could be a minimum stay or could turn into a thing, neck and back injuries are hard to predict.
  • OF Alex Kirilloff (Twins) – Kiriloff hit the IL (surprise, surprise) with a back issue with no clear timeline back, but perhaps the Twins can backfill with someone like Brooks Lee who has been on fire at AAA.

Tim’s Top 5 Fantasy Baseball Waiver Adds (12 Team Leagues)

NOTE: Under 50% Owned (CBS)

Last Week: 1B/3B Mark Vientos (Mets, 47%), SP Drew Thorpe (White Sox, 41%), SP Max Meyer (Marlins, 47%),SP Jordan Wicks (Cubs, 18%), SP Spencer Arrighetti (Astros, 35%)

  1. OF Joc Pederson (Diamondbacks) 48% – The platoon is gone, he plays every day now and is hitting third in the lineup most days with a .286/.379/.510 slash with a 150 wRC+ in the month of June.
  2. C/1B Tyler Soderstrom (Athletics) 49% – Soderstrom failed in his first couple attempts in the majors, but I think the Athletics moved him too fast last year, because the hit tool was far behind the power tool for him, but I think he has figured it out now. He’s been playing first every day, but is catcher eligible in most leagues and hit .333/.417/.571 with a 187 wRC+ and a near 95 average EV this last week.
  3. 1B Carlos Santana (Twins) 35% – Santana is infamously a summer player, despite seemingly always playing in cold places. The cold weather is gone and with it, the bat is hot as he has a .356/.415/.611 slash in June with four bombs.
  4. SP DJ Herz (Nationals) 41% – His walk rate is insanely low compared to what he was doing in the minors, so I expect that to rise, but as long as he can maintain the strikeout stuff – he is worth owning as long as the walks only hover around the 10% mark. A 14.6 SwStr% and over 30% CSW lead me to believe the K stuff should be at least in the mid 20s.
  5. SP Simeon Woods Richardson (Twins) 33% – This one was a toss up between Richardson and Thorpe for me (who is 31% owned). In shallow leagues, I’d lean Thorpe for the upside, but in deep leagues I believe Richardson will be more consistent and has the higher floor right now. SWR has a 15.9 K-BB% in the month of June.

Tim’s Top 5 Fantasy Baseball Waiver Adds (15 Team Leagues)

NOTE: Under 30% Owned (CBS)

Last Week: 1B/OF Luke Raley (Mariners, 23%), SP Adam Mazur (Padres, 11%), SP Cade Povich (Orioles, 23%), SP Jonathan Cannon (White Sox, 2%), SP Andrew Heaney (Rangers, 20%)

  1. SP Cade Povich (Orioles) 30% – He’s a lanky lefty with some loopy stuff that plays up in the minors for K’s. He has a lower velo fastball, but it comes out with enough extension to hide for better performance than Liberatore’s higher velo fastball. The big pitch is his curve, which is a bit slurvy and how he tunnels it against the fastball and slider. He’s now three starts into his career with one good start and two bad starts. These rookie pitchers take a few starts to figure it out, but he has the stuff to make it work.
  2. SP Jonathan Cannon (White Sox) 21% – I was all over the big starter last week and he killed it – go get Cannon in all leagues! He’s had some luck, but he projects out as a high command guy with stuff that will sometimes play up enough to get Ks.
  3. OF Tommy Pham (White Sox) 20% – Pham is healthy again and is sneakily putting up a good batting average, a good OBP and 20/20 pace power and speed. He’s worth owning in all deeper leagues.
  4. OF Jose Siri (Rays) 14% – In June, Siri has a .279/.323/.574 slash with 4 bombs. We saw this from Siri last year, he’s very streaky and right now he’s on a good streak – so if you need power or speed from the OF, go get him.
  5. 1B / 3B Tyler Black (Brewers) 15% – The big question for Black will be about his playing time. Black has been hitting .275/.374/.483 with 9 homers and 11 steals in AAA this season.

Tim’s Top 10 Fantasy Baseball Redraft Prospects

Not promoted yet

1. OF James Wood (Nationals)

2023 A+/AA: .262/.353/.520 | 62 XBH, 26 HR, 18 SB

2024 AAA: .345/.459/.579 | 17.7 BB%, 18.7 K% | 22 XBH, 9 HR, 10 SB

Age: 21

ETA: Post All Star Break

fScores: 102 fContact, 107 fDiscipline, 108 fPower, 135 fSpeed

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. fPower likes Caminero and Langford a bit more at the moment due to the higher number of ground balls, which is the one thing concerning me about Wood right now – especially after watching Jordan Walker struggle with the same thing close-at-hand as a Cardinals fan.

Ranking Explanation: Wood just returned from the IL and could be up after a couple more weeks or warming back up and raking. My thoughts now are after the All Star Break.

***Christian Scott would be placed here.

***Jordan Walker would be placed here.

2. 3B Junior Caminero (Rays)

2023 A+/AA: .324/.384/.591 | 56 XBH, 31 HR, 5 SB

2023 MLB: .235/.278/.353| 5.6 BB% / 22.2 K%| 2 XBH, 1 HR, 0 SB

2024 AAA: .301/.368/.540 | 8.8 BB% / 21.6 K%| 13 XBH, 7 HR, 1 SB

Age: 20

ETA: Early August

fScores: 97 fContact, 86 fDiscipline, 121 fPower, 78 fSpeed

Comp: Ronald Acuna w/o the wheels

Prime Skills: Probably the quickest bat speed in the minors with some big time power potential. He could be one of the best hitters in baseball sooner rather than later. The lack of a higher walk rate and being overly aggressive might ding him a bit in points leagues, but the power will be his carrying tool right out of the gate as he should at worst put up numbers similar to Willy Adames, but with a better batting average.

Ranking Explanation: Caminero is still out another 1-3 weeks, plus at least another 2-3 weeks of AAA recovery time before we can expect any call up, which will likely only occur after the trade deadline at this point – pushing him below Wood for re-draft reasons.

3. SP David Festa (Twins)

2023 AA/AAA: 92 1/3 IP | 119 Ks, 42 BBs | 4.19 ERA, 1.39 WHIP

2024 AAA: 59 2/3 IP | 25.4 K-BB%, 16.8 SwStr%, 33.4 CSW% | 3.77 ERA, 1.29 WHIP

Age: 24

ETA: Post All Star Break

fScores: 115 fStuff, 93 fControl, 106 fERA

Comp: George Kirby without a curve and worse control

Prime Skills: Festa rocks a mid-90s fastball, a plus slider and above average changeup with way above average control, which will help him cement a starter’s role in the majors in the near future.

Ranking Explanation: I think Festa could be one of the better pitchers stuff-wise who comes up this year, but the command is iffy. If he can keep the walks in check, he could be a top five rookie pitcher call up per IP. Paddack is coming off TJ surgery and can’t make it the full year.

***Heston Kjerstad would be placed here.

4. 3B Coby Mayo (Orioles, 2024)

2023 AA/AAA: .290/.410/.564, 29 HR, 5 SB

2024 AAA: .299/.363/.620, 29 XBH, 14 HR, 3 SB

Age: 22

ETA: Late July

fScores: 96 fContact, 102 fDiscipline, 114 fPower, 77 fSpeed

Comp: Nolan Arenado as a hitter

Prime Skills: Mayo has a quick and powerful swing that portends to future 25-30-ish homer power with 5-ish steal speed. He has an average enough hit tool, but the potential strikeout rate is a bit concerning if he can’t hold it down closer to 25% at the major league level.

Ranking Explanation: The chase rate is up this year, but the contact rates and the power have both improved. I was wrong on him and thought the hit tool was worse than it actually is due to lack of some statcast data I now have available to me. You’re buying Mayo for the power numbers and he’s back in the lineup, he’s probably up once the Orioles trade for a starter at some point before the deadline.

5. SS Brooks Lee (Twins)

2023 AA/AAA: .275/.347/.461 | 58 XBH, 16 HR, 7 SB

2024 AAA: .351/.383/.632 | 5 BB%, 15 K% | 8 XBH, 4 HR, 0 SB

Age: 23

ETA: Late June

fScores: 95 fContact, 95 fDiscipline, 89 fPower, 66 fSpeed

Comp: Chipper Jones light meets David Freese

Prime Skills: He’s an extra base hitter and switch hitter on top of it, he has great contact skills with only 15-20 homer power to go along with above average plate skills, but no speed.

Ranking Explanation: Lee is mashing at AAA and with Kirilloff hitting the IL, there’s a chance we could see Lee up soon, but this depends on the Twins plans for Edouard Julien. Lee could come up and just play super sub to spell guys like Lewis, Correa, etc. to avoid injuries.

***Jackson Holliday would be placed here.

***Jasson Dominguez would be placed here.

6. SP Carson Whisenhunt (Giants)

2023 A/A+/AA: 58 2/3 IP | 83 Ks, 23 BBs | 2.45 ERA, 1.02 WHIP

2024 AAA: 61 IP | 17.9 K-BB%, 14.8 SwStr%, 31.9 CSW% | 4.87 ERA, 1.57 WHIP

Age: 23

ETA: Late June

fScores: 121 fStuff, 93 fControl, 107 fERA

Comp: A plus version of Braxton Garrett or lefty Brandon Pfaadt

Prime Skills: He has a super slurvy-like curve and possibly the best change up in the minors, but he’s playing these against a below average fastball. Whisenhunt missed basically all of the second half in 2023 and was thrown to the wolves in the PCL in 2024, so his damage stats shouldn’t be held too much against him.

Ranking Explanation: The Giants have run into a ridiculous rash of injured pitchers and it’s possible Whisenhunt is up soon to fill the void.

7. 2B / 3B Jace Jung (Tigers)

2023 A+/AA: .265/.376/.502 | 57 XBH, 28 HR, 5 SB

2024 AAA: .270/.390/.500 | 16.6 BB%, 22.6 K% | 30 XBH, 11 HR, 1 SB

Age: 22

ETA: Late July

fScores: N/A

Comp: Nolan Gorman meets Josh Jung

Prime Skills: The pull power is legit. His swing reminds me a ton of Nolan Gorman and his approach is very similar to his brother Josh. All things look good for success, except that he will have to hit in Detroit.

Ranking Explanation: Jung is having a great season and the Tigers could really use him, I think he does come soon, because the Tigers need his bat if they want to stay in the race for a Wild Card spot.

8. 1B Deyvison De Los Santos (Diamondbacks)

2023 AA: .254/.297/.431 | 38 XBH, 20 HR, 4 SB

2024 AAA: .314/.365/.629 | 7 BB%, 21.7 K% | 18 XBH, 7 HR, 0 SB

Age: 20

ETA: Late July

fScores: N/A

Comp: Cristian Encarnacion-Strand

Prime Skills: Big time power potential with an improved contact rate and decrease in strikeouts.

Ranking Explanation: De Los Santos continues to crush and just needs to be up in AAA at this point. Rule 5 pick by the Guardians was sent back to Arizona and has just been on a revenge tour. The question is going to be if he can keep the K rate down enough to be an effective major league hitter. He’s going to get stuck at DH if he comes up unless he can take 3B from Suarez.

9. SP Ricky Tiedemann (Blue Jays)

2023 Rk/A/AA/AAA: 44 IP, 82 Ks, 23 BBs, 3.68 ERA, 1.23 WHIP

2024 AAA: 8 IP, 10 Ks, 9 BBs, 5.63 ERA, 2.00 WHIP

Age: 22

ETA: Post All Star break

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 he’s throwing again at complex so it’s possible we see him ramp up into the majors mid-season, especially with some of the rotation injuries they have been dealing with this season. He had his first rehab start in low A and was looking pretty good, so keep an eye on this.

10. SP/RP Jairo Iriarte (White Sox)

2023 A+/AA: 90 1/3 IP | 128 Ks, 45 BBs | 3.49 ERA, 1.28 WHIP

2024 AA: 71 IP | 15.3 K-BB%, 13.5 SwStr%, 32.9 CSW% | 4.31 ERA, 1.30 WHIP

Age: 24

ETA: Early August

fScore: 114 fStuff, 91 fControl, 124 fERA

Comp: Young Luis Severino and Ryan Pepiot mash

Prime Skills: Iriarte runs a 94-96 MPH fastball with a hard 84-85 MPH 12/6 slider that tunnel together fantastically. The fastball actually has a little bit of ride on it rather than rise and goes the opposite direction of the slider. The changeup is also a solid pitch, but most of his swinging strikes come on the slider.

Ranking Explanation: Iriarte has been dealing this year and while many think he’s slated for the pen, he is proving he has the makings of a starter.

Honorable Mention: SP Cade Horton (Cubs), OF Chase DeLauter (Guardians), SS Colson Montgomery (White Sox), OF Jakob Marsee (Marlins), OF Drew Gilbert (Mets), SP Jacob Misiorowski (Brewers), SP Ty Madden (Tigers), 2B Thomas Saggesse (Cardinals), OF Dylan Crews (Nationals), SP Tink Hence (Cardinals), SS Carson Williams (Rays), 2B/OF Luisangel Acuna, SP Cristian Mena (Diamondbacks), SP Mick Abel (Phillies), SP Will Warren (Yankees), OF Jacob Melton (Astros), SP Jake Eder (White Sox), OF Owen Caissie (Cubs), OF Caleb Durbin (Yankees), OF Deyvison De Los Santos (Diamondbacks), SS Jacob Wilson (Athletics), SP Gunnar Hoglund (Athletics), SP Carson Palmquist (Rockies), SP Mason Adams (White Sox), SP Blade Tidwell (Mets)

Graduated (this week): N/A

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 Darrell 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), 2B/OF Joey Loperfido (Astros), SP Christian Scott (Mets), 1B / 3B Tyler Black (Brewers), OF Jordan Beck (Rockies), SP Paul Skenes (Pirates), 1B Kyle Manzardo, SP Robert Gasser (Brewers), SP Mason Black (Giants), SP Cade Povich (Orioles), SP Adam Mazur (Padres), 1B/3B Tyler Locklear, 2B Connor Norby, SP Drew Thorpe, SP Hurston Waldrep, SS Orelvis Martinez and more…

Fantasy Baseball Moves I Made This Week

  • Fantasy Aceball Invitational (16 Team Ottoneu H2H Points):
  • Ottoneu Podcaster’s League (12 Team Ottoneu 5×5 Roto):


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