Dylan Bundy was once considered a can’t miss prospect. Can he return from injuries to prodigious form?
This week I’ve been writing a series on rookies in baseball this season. Yesterday I brought you 23 position players from the National League that can help your fantasy baseball team win a championship in 2016 and another two-dozen players from the AL on Wednesday. Joey Gallo, Domingo Santana, Byron Buxton and Corey Seager were listed as favorites to take home Rookie of the Year this season. Part three of the three-part series proved to be longer than expected, so I broke it into two separate articles. I wanted to split it by AL and NL, but as you will see, most fantasy-relevant rookie pitchers this season are in the NL. You can find the first piece to the article here. This portion of rookie pitchers are primarily for deeper leagues, but it may be helpful to standard league owners to familiarize yourself with these future MLB pitchers.
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Keep an Eye On
Jose De Leon – Los Angeles Dodgers – The next time you hear this name will be in the National League playoffs and you see this setup man blowing smoke by Bryce Harper. De Leon is not currently a setup man, but as you surely know, the Dodgers have a wealth of starting pitching, even despite the loss of Greinke. De Leon is still in Double-A but struck out 283 hitters over the past two seasons in just 191 innings pitched. No one else in the minor leagues, even Glasnow or Reyes, has those numbers. He is a special talent, and in case he finds a way into the Dodgers’ rotation, you had better keep an eye on him.
Dylan Bundy – Baltimore Orioles – The often injured pitcher began his minor league career with 30 scoreless IP while only surrendering five hits. As you might imagine, he quickly morphed into the top pitching prospect in the world. Multiple shoulder injuries have held him back the previous three seasons, but he appears good to go for the 2016 season. If he is indeed ready, I have no regards about saying he will jump into the rotation and become an elite major league pitcher from day one, but I sadly have my doubts about him ever returning to full health.
Jack Leathersich – Chicago Cubs – I can’t for the life of me, understand why the Mets would let this guy go for free! To make matters worse, he ended up with the Cubs. Leathersich has 15.2 K/9 over 210 minor league innings. That is really all you need to know about him because that is head and shoulders above any other minor leaguer. The lefty might not have the top WHIP or ERA, but if you roster him he will rack up 100 Ks over 60 IP for you out of the pen.
John Lamb – Cincinnati Reds – He barely made the cut since he has 49.2 (terrible) MLB IP. This season he has a spot wrapped up in the Reds’ rotation and the former top-20 prospect will look to make the most of it. Don’t be too discouraged by his rough MLB numbers, because in the minors, he was quite good with a 2.67 ERA and 117 Ks in 111 IP. I do not expect him to win games with that lousy offense, but a sub-4.00 ERA and 150 Ks is well within hope.
Aaron Blair – Atlanta Braves – The 6’5″, top-80 prospect is sitting in Triple-A with mediocre pitchers ahead of him in the big leagues. His strikeout rates dropped off last season, but the stuff is still there and he is capable of becoming much more than he has displayed. When he gets a chance, monitor him just in case he proves to be useful at a fantasy level.
Robert Stephenson – Cincinnati Reds – This top-40 prospect has long been highly regarded, but over the past two seasons his numbers were sub-par. Fortunately for Stephenson, he pitches for the Reds, so he will get his opportunity soon. If he comes into some of that potential, he could toss eight K/9 and become useful, but I am not counting on it.
Brian Johnson – Boston Red Sox – I do not anticipate him getting any chance to play for the Red Sox this season since he is probably 9th on the depth chart. What I do expect, is that he will be traded to a team that is out of contention and has nothing to lose by testing this guy. The 25-year-old rookie is a 6’4″ lefty that always posts strong ERAs and a stellar WHIP.
Longshot Contributors
Sean Manaea – Oakland A’s – My favorite minor leaguer sports a ridiculously bad fantastic mustache and goes by the nickname “Baby Giraffe. Billy Beane acquired him as part of the Ben Zobrist trade despite a recent injury, then he proceeded to get shelled in High-A ball where he closed his year. So why in the world is he on the list? Manaea had 146 Ks in 121 IP, was previously considered the No. 1 overall pick before an injury and plays for the A’s where they churn out no-name pitching prospects yearly. He likely will not get called up this year, but if he does, roster him immediately.
Akeel Morris – New York Mets – If Jeurys Familia gets injured or loses his command, Morris is a future closer and could step into that roll in time for the playoffs. Granted, he is still in Triple-A, and they would more likely turn to the trade market or another experienced bullpen arm, but Morris struck out 13 hitters per nine IP the past two seasons with a 0.82 WHIP and 1.32 ERA, so stay tuned.
Jaime Schultz – Tampa Bay Rays – Nowhere is he regarded as a prospect, but the fireballer could have a similar impact as Morris. Schultz is currently a starting pitcher in AA and behind a deep rotation, but struck out 168 in 135 IP with his very good fastball and hammer-curve. If Boxberger goes down, Schultz could make a more natural transition to closer and end the season picking up saves for your team.
Mark Appel – Philadelphia Phillies – The former first overall pick in the draft has had a crummy minor league career, with a 5.12 ERA and just 7.9 K/9. The reasons I mention him is because he is still a strong prospect, pitches for an organization with opportunities galore, and is currently in Triple-A. It does happen sometimes where a player flips a switch and finds his potential, so don’t be too surprised if it happens with Appel.
A.J. Cole – Washington Nationals – I do not expect much from him over his career, but several outlets are high on his potential. In 2016, he is blocked by several great pitchers, but we know injuries happen, and if one does, he might get the call. Cole is 23 years old and posted 7.5 K/9 over his career with a 4.03 ERA. I can hardly contain my enthusiasm (sarcasm).
Jacob Faria – Tampa Bay Rays – Again, the Rays have eight major league ready pitchers, but that does mean injuries, regression, or more likely, trades, won’t open up a spot for Faria later in the season. He finished 2015 in Double-A with 96 Ks in his final 75 IP and had a season ERA of 1.92. He is more probable to get his chance in 2017 but monitor his development.
You can find the first piece to this article here.
Thank you for reading my series. I hope you gleaned some useful information whether you merely participate in standard leagues or if you are in a 30 team dynasty deep league with 60 man rosters (these leagues are great by the way, if you haven’t tried one, please do). Keep your eyes peeled for more prospect stories from me. In the coming month, you will receive, among other articles, a top-300 prospect list, complete with players still living in Japan, Cuba, Venezuela, and even some playing high school or college ball in the states.
