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    Tim Kanak | Sat, Apr 27th 2024, 9:38am EDT

Fantasy Baseball Roundup: Lineup News, Injuries, Waiver Wire & Prospect Advice (Week 6)

Welcome back to the best weekly column on the internet, as we enter week 6 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.

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

NOTE: I updated my hitter rankings on FantasyPros and will update pitcher rankings next week. Click HERE to see the updated hitter rankings.

Fantasy Baseball Roundup

A.L. Lineup & Roster Notes

  • Baltimore Orioles:
    • Lineup Notes:
      • Jackson Holliday was sent down to AAA for a little reset on his big league call up with Westburg moving to second and Ramon Urias re-claiming third for now.
      • Cedric Mullins is back and looks like a possible 25/25 contender this year with the biggest difference being he’s improved his zone-contact %.
      • Heston Kjerstad has only started in one game since being called up and might just end up as a bench bat unless he just demolishes in his starts.
    • Rotation Notes:
      • Dean Kremer is a weird one to figure out… He has a very good 18.4% K-BB rate, great peripherals at a 3.52 SIERA, but he gets hit hard with a 13.6% barrel rate against and has both good and bad luck at the same time (.227 BABIP and 58.3% LOB rate).
      • I would not be worried about Grayson Rodriguez‘s ERA. He has a 20.7% K-BB rate and 3.29 SIERA against a bad luck .365 BABIP.
    • Pen Notes:
      • Nothing new.
  • Boston Red Sox:
    • Lineup Notes:
      • Rafael Devers is back and hitting second with Tyler O’Neil hitting his 8th homer on the year from the three hole.
      • Wilyer Abreu is hitting fourth, but is rocking a .395 BABIP, so expect an average closer to .230 than .300 moving forward.
      • Connor Wong and Reese McGuire are forming a powerful catching duo, however both of them are both hitting above their skis. Wong has an inflated .417 BABIP and McGuire is at .375… while they are both likely being played in their best matchups, those batted ball outcomes are extremely unlikely to continue.
    • Rotation Notes:
      • I’m curious how Tanner Houck improved his command so much this season, because that’s why he has been so good this season and it looks real based on the underlying stats.
      • Buy Tanner Houck over Kutter Crawford.
      • The Red Sox have a decent track record with Houck and Garrett Whitlock of moving bullpen guys back into the rotation and Josh Winckowski looks like he could be a decent deep league option – I give it a 50/50 chance of working out.
      • Stay away from Cooper Criswell.
    • Pen Notes:
      • No update.
  • Chicago White Sox:
    • Lineup Notes:
      • Tommy Pham was brought up on Friday and immediately was placed into the two hole.
      • Eloy Jimenez is 7/28 with 2 bombs over the last week and at least should bring some cheaper power.
    • Rotation Notes:
      • If you can buy Garrett Crochett off his bad start, do it. He still has a 25.6% K-BB rate and 2.72 SIERA against his 6.37 ERA and only a 4% barrel rate against.
      • Jonathan Cannon actually has some decent underlying metrics, but he’s a sinker, cutter guy and I’m not a fan of his arsenal. I would take a look in deep leagues though.
      • Erick Fedde is actually pretty good – I was wrong on this one and had more Miles Mikolas vibes than Merrill Kelly, but he has a 19.1% K-BB rate and 3.34 SIERA.
    • Pen Notes:
      • No Update.
  • Cleveland Guardians:
    • Lineup Notes:
    • Rotation Notes:
      • Nothing new in this rotation, for a team so loaded with pitching at the beginning of the season it’s looking a little rough right now with guys like Ben Lively and Carlos Carrasco in there.
    • Pen Notes:
      • No update.
  • Detroit Tigers:
    • Lineup Notes:
      • No updates to the lineup.
    • Rotation Notes:
      • Reese Olson had another strong outing Friday night with 8 Ks and only 1 earned run in seven innings.
      • Jack Flaherty should have positive regression coming if you can nab him on the cheap.
    • Pen Notes:
      • Jason Foley is still closing, but the underlying metrics aren’t great with an 11.9% K-BB rate and 3.83 SIERA.
  • Houston Astros:
    • Lineup Notes:
      • Jon Singleton is getting the majority of the playing time at 1B. Despite the poor play, the lineup is performing pretty well offensively outside of first.
    • Rotation Notes:
    • Pen Notes:
      • No update.
  • Kansas City Royals:
    • Lineup Notes:
      • Adam Frazier is in a strong-side platoon with Hunter Renfroe in RF, which is weird. Frazier is not good, but I suppose he can at least make contact. Renfroe has a .163 BABIP, so I wouldn’t quite call him toast.
      • Vinnie Pasquantino has a .232 BABIP holding down his profile, if he regresses closer to his career average in the .275 range, he should have a very strong season.
    • Rotation Notes:
    • Pen Notes:
      • James McArthur is locked in – looks like he’s going to hold onto the roll with his 22.6% K-BB rate and 2.35 SIERA to date.
  • Los Angeles Angels:
    • Lineup Notes:
      • Mike Trout is leading off now and is destroying baseballs even with a .206 BABIP, as long as he’s healthy – he’s still a top 10 hitter in baseball.
      • Just when I was celebrating O’Hoppe hitting fifth, he’s moved back down to seventh behind duds like Miguel Sano and Mickey Moniak.
      • The lineup really makes no sense, why is Luis Rengifo hitting eighth when he’s second in batting average on the team to O’Hoppe? Why do people think Ron Washington is so great?
    • Rotation Notes:
    • Pen Notes:
      • Carlos Estevez is locked in and has actually looked very good over the last couple weeks.
  • Minnesota Twins:
    • Lineup Notes:
    • Rotation Notes:
      • Simeon Woods Richardson replaced Louie Varland in the rotation and is still only 23-years-old despite it seeming like he’s been around forever. He has very good control, but don’t buy the 25% K rate, he only has a 9.2% swinging strike rate. He might be serviceable in 15 team leagues.
    • Pen Notes:
      • Jax is still rolling strong for now until Duran returns.
  • New York Yankees:
    • Lineup Notes:
      • Anthony Volpe is leading off and really rolling.
      • Glebyer Torres is striking out at a career rate in his contract season, but the chase rate is a career low, so that is telling me he is being too patient.
    • Rotation Notes:
      • Luis Gil has a 20.2% BB rate, which is way too high to be a successful starter. He’s still making it work to be average, but if he can’t control it – he’s going to end up in the pen.
    • Pen Notes:
      • No update.
  • Oakland Athletics:
    • Lineup Notes:
      • This lineup is a wreck, especially with Zack Gelof out.
    • Rotation Notes:
      • Ross Stripling is quietly the best Athletics starter, but that’s not saying much.
    • Pen Notes:
      • Mason Miller has a 42.2% K rate and 41.6% CSW. He keeps getting better.
  • Seattle Mariners:
    • Lineup Notes:
    • Rotation Notes:
      • Nothing new since last week.
    • Pen Notes:
      • Do not by Ryne Stanek, he’s not good and has an 11.9% K-BB rate and 4.00 SIERA. Andres Munoz will be fine and seems to be getting past the walk issues.
  • Tampa Bay Rays:
    • Lineup Notes:
      • Richie Palacios is hitting second in a strong side platoon and has a .264/.381/.415 slash line.
    • Rotation Notes:
      • Nothing new, the top four are rolling.
    • Pen Notes:
      • Jason Adams is the closer with Fairbanks out, as one of the better setup men in baseball – he should get some good run.
  • Texas Rangers:
    • Lineup Notes:
      • Nathaniel Lowe is back and hitting pretty well thus far in the three hole.
      • Lowe’s return moved Evan Carter down to fifth, who is breaking out from the bad luck with three homers over the last week.
      • Wyatt Langford will just blow up at some point, all the metrics are great except for the power and this is the guy destroying everything in spring.
    • Rotation Notes:
      • Jon Gray is the only above average starter for the Rangers thus far in 2024.
    • Pen Notes:
      • No change since last week, but Kirby Yates is still rolling.
  • Toronto Blue Jays:
    • Lineup Notes:
      • Addison Barger was called up and looks like he’s the strong side platoon in LF.
    • Rotation Notes:
      • Kevin Gausman is actually looking worse and starting to scare me a bit.
    • Pen Notes:
      • No update

N.L. Lineup & Roster Notes

  • Arizona Diamondbacks:
  • Atlanta Braves:
    • Lineup Notes:
      • Ozzie Albies is a machine, how is he back already?
      • Albies is back in the 2 hole, with Harris moving back down to sixth.
    • Rotation Notes:
      • Max Fried is coming off a Maddux, but still only has a 16.5% K rate this year.
      • Bryce Elder is back and in the rotation.
    • Pen Notes:
      • Raisel Iglesias had a nice rebound week and is looking like he is settling in now for 2024.
  • Chicago Cubs:
    • Lineup Notes:
    • Rotation Notes:
    • Pen Notes:
      • Hector Nerris seems to have taken the closer role, despite a terrible start with a negative K-BB rate.
  • Cincinnati Reds:
    • Lineup Notes:
    • Rotation Notes:
      • Andrew Abbott does not look good and at this point doesn’t look like a long-term starter.
    • Pen Notes:
      • Nothing new.
  • Colorado Rockies:
    • Lineup Notes:
      • Brendan Rodgers is back in the lineup after missing some time and hitting eighth.
      • Nolan Jones‘ bat has still not woken up.
      • The Rockies look like they are tanking this year, they just look atrocious.
    • Rotation Notes:
      • Nothing new.
    • Pen Notes:
      • Stay away.
  • Los Angeles Dodgers:
    • Lineup Notes:
      • Andy Pages is playing more than James Outman… I did not see that coming. He hasn’t walked yet, but he’s making good, hard contact.
    • Rotation Notes:
      • Landon Knack might not be a stud, but looks like a solid deep league replacement level pitcher if you have injuries.
    • Pen Notes:
      • No update.
  • Miami Marlins:
    • Lineup Notes:
      • Just when I thought it couldn’t get worse than the Rockies. The Marlins and the Rockies are basically the same if you consider how similar Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Nolan Jones are.
    • Rotation Notes:
      • Jesus Luzardo is hurt, but we aren’t sure how bad yet and Sixto Sanchez is in the rotation and I would stay far away.
      • Trevor Rogers looks okay, but he doesn’t have the strikeout stuff back yet.
      • Edward Cabrera looks legit through two starts with a 27.7% K-BB rate, but it’s still a small sample size.
    • Pen Notes:
      • Tanner Scott is still the closer and has been much better the last few times out.
  • Milwaukee Brewers:
  • New York Mets:
    • Lineup Notes:
      • Jd Martinez is finally in the lineup and hitting fifth. He went 2/4 in his first game.
    • Rotation Notes:
      • Jose Butto was hit up by the Cardinals a little bit Friday night.
    • Pen Notes:
      • Nothing new.
  • Philadelphia Phillies:
    • Lineup Notes:
    • Rotation Notes:
      • The Phillies are going six-man rotation with Taijuan Walker coming back on Sunday.
      • Aaron Nola has been kind of rough, but had a decent start Friday night against the Padres.
    • Pen Notes:
  • Pittsburgh Pirates:
    • Lineup Notes:
      • Oneil Cruz has dropped down to seventh in the lineup with a 35.5% K rate.
      • Andrew McCutchen is at leadoff even though he has a career high 33.8% K rate.
      • Joey Bart looks like a new man. Pittsburgh is a pitcher’s park and he’s 7/23 with 3 homers in his new digs.
    • Rotation Notes:
      • Mitch Keller got a nice deal off a career year, he’s back to his pre-2023, mediocre self now.
    • Pen Notes:
      • Nothing new.
  • San Diego Padres:
    • Lineup Notes:
      • Jackson Merrill is up to seventh in the lineup now.
      • Graham Pauley was called back up and hit a homer Friday night – just let the kid play.
    • Rotation Notes:
      • Dylan Cease is having a career year right now.
      • Joe Musgrove is getting whiffs, but he’s not finishing guys and has a Padres worst hard hit rate against him. He’s off right now and it’s very possible I need to work on how fScores factor injury recovery and how pitchers will return off major injuries.
    • Pen Notes:
      • Nothing new.
  • San Francisco Giants:
    • Lineup Notes:
      • Patrick Bailey is having a much better offensive year in 2024. The plate skills are much improved, however he’s still supported by a .372 BABIP.
    • Rotation Notes:
      • Keaton Winn is only slightly above average. He limits hard contact, but only has a 13% K-BB rate.
      • Buy Kyle Harrison and his 16.7% K-BB rate and 3.85 SIERA.
      • The Giants only have four starters with Snell going on the IL, will Mason Black come up?
    • Pen Notes:
      • Nothing new.
  • St. Louis Cardinals:
    • Lineup Notes:
      • Willson Contreras is hitting second as the Cardinals have mixed up the lineup pushing Paul Goldschimdt down to fifth as he fights to get out of his slump.
      • Nolan Gorman was pushed down to eighth.
      • Masyn Winn is hitting .299/.372/.403 with four steals.
    • Rotation Notes:
      • Nothing new.
    • Pen Notes:
      • No updates.
  • Washington Nationals:
    • Lineup Notes:
      • The outfield is rough without Lane Thomas. I don’t get waiting on James Wood when they already have the extra year on him.
    • Rotation Notes:
      • McKenzie Gore had another strong start against the Dodgers going six innings with four Ks and only 1 earned run.
    • Pen Notes:
      • Kyle Finnegan has a 9.8% K-BB rate and 4.14 SIERA, while Hunter Harvey has a 31.4% K-BB rate and 1.54 SIERA. Finnegan as the closer makes no sense.

Fantasy Baseball Injury Notes

  • Framber Valdez (SP – HOU) – Framber is to be activated on Sunday after an elbow scare and only missing a few weeks of time.
  • Wade Miley (SP – MIL) – Speaking of elbow injuries, Wade Miley hit the IL with elbow inflammation and will undergo further testing to look for ligament damage… Good thing Robert Gasser was just activated in the minors.
  • Bowden Francis (SP – TOR) – More pitching injuries, Francis hit the IL with forearm tendonitis and is being replaced by Yariel Rodriguez since Ricky Tiedemann has his own injury issues. Alek Manoah comeback?
  • Zac Gelof (2B – OAK) – Gelof hit the IL with an oblique strain with Darrel Hernaiz getting recalled to play in his stead. He’s likely out 4-8 weeks depending on severity.
  • Brusdar Graterol (RP – LAD) – Graterol was shut down from throwing, which is a bit scary and seems he’s further off than originally expected.
  • Cody Bellinger (1B,OF – LAD) – Bellinger hit the IL with a couple broken ribs, which based on track record, Lars Nootbaar missed 3-4 weeks with a similar injury.
  • Lane Thomas (OF – WSH) – Thomas has a grade 2 MCL sprain and is likely out for 6 weeks or so.
  • Gavin Williams (SP – CLE) – Williams had a setback due to elbow inflammation and he will be shut down for a week before being re-evaluated.
  • Brayan Bello (SP – BOS) – Bello hit the IL and is likely out 3-4 weeks with right lat tightness, at a minimum.
  • Blake Snell (SP – SF) – Snell is expected a minimal stay on the IL with an adductor strain, likely due to having an improper spring training.
  • Triston Casas (1B – BOS) – Casas is expected to miss a significant amount of time with his rib fracture, so at least a month.
  • Merrill Kelly (SP – ARI) – Kelly is to miss at least one month with a shoulder strain. These are scary injuries for pitchers.
  • Frankie Montas (SP – CIN) – Montas was placed on the 15-day IL with a right forearm contusion.
  • Pete Fairbanks (RP – TB) – Fairbanks was placed on the IL with a nerve related issue and one must ask if this is a real or fake IL stint, either way he needs to fix himself.
  • Cristian Javier (SP – HOU) – Javier was placed on the 15-day IL in order to get him some more rest.
  • DL Hall (SP,RP – MIL) – Hall hit the IL with a knee sprain, which might be a good reset for him.

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

Under 50% Owned (CBS)

Last Week: OF Daulton Varsho (Blue Jays, 51%), OF Mitch Haniger (Mariners, 39%), C Ryan Jeffers (Twins, 40%), SP Jose Butto (Mets, 17%), 1B Ryan O’Hearn (Orioles, 34%)

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. Max Meyer (SP – MIA) 47% – Meyer rocked his one AAA start and with Luzardo likely going down for at least a few weeks, it only makes sense for Max Meyer to jump back up to the majors where he had a 16.9% K-BB rate and 3.51 SIERA.
  2. Mark Canha (1B,OF – DET) 40% – Canha is hitting second for the Tigers and is rocking a nice slash of .259/.394/.519 with 5 bombs and a steal despite only a .276 BABIP.
  3. Brenton Doyle (OF – COL) 35% – Doyle is being helped by a .450 BABIP, but he’s hot and has shown his power and speed combo is legit. I think he’s more like a .250 hitter, but he should be able to get close to 20/20 in the power and speed departments.
  4. Joel Payamps (RP – MIL) 42% – Payamps looks to be the Brewers closer and locked down two more saves over the last week for four on the season.
  5. Andy Pages (OF – LAD) 48% – I did not expect Pages to get full time playing time, but here we are and he has a .258/.303/.548 slash with two bombs. There’s a chance Heyward supplants him, but if he keeps mashing – he will earn himself a spot.

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

NOTE: Under 30% Owned (CBS)

Last Week: RP Joel Payamps (Brewers, 29%), SS/OF Amed Rosario (Rays, 27%), SP Ben Brown (Cubs, 16%), SP Ryan Weather (Marlins, 13%), SP Nick Nastrini (White Sox, 9%), SS Blaze Alexander (Diamondbacks, 19%)

  1. Tommy Pham (OF – CWS) 4%
  2. Ben Brown (SP – CHC) 16% – Brown has a 31.6% CSW, 16% K-BB rate and 3.61 SIERA. He might be bouncing back and forth between the pen and rotation, but he’s one of the top 3-4 starters on the Cubs right now.
  3. Heston Kjerstad (OF – BAL) 8% – Kjerstad has only made one start so far since getting called up and was blown away by Mason Miller Friday night, but it makes no sense for him to be called up to ride the bench. Kjerstad was absolutely destroying the minors and should get more run.
  4. Wilyer Abreu (OF – BOS) 29% – Abreu is boosted by a near .400 BABIP right now, but he has a nice power/speed combo with 2 homers and 4 steals and has a propensity to hit the ball hard with decent enough plate skills.
  5. Albert Suarez (SP – BAL) 14% – Suarez was dealing in the spring and has been solid through two starts for the Orioles in 2024. He’s no spring chicken, but in deep leagues you’ll take a 16% K-BB rate, bolstered by a 17.7% swinging strike rate and 3.87 SIERA on a winning ball club.

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

1. Paul Skenes (SP – PIT)

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: 17 IP, 34 Ks, 5 BBs, 0.53 ERA, 0.88 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. They’re building him up slowly, but he is ready for the bigs once he is working 5 innings. This seems like we are only 1-2 weeks away with him pitching more than 4 innings.

2. Junior Caminero (3B,SS – TB) 

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

2023 MLB: .235/.278/.353, 1 HR

2024 AAA: .275/341/.500, 2 HR, 1 SB

Age: 20

ETA: Late 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: The arbitration deadline for Caminero should be passing sometime in the next week and whenever he is clear, we should be on the lookout for a potential call up. Caminero did leave a game this week with an injury though, so keep an eye on it.

3. Joey Loperfido (2B,OF – HOU)

2023 A+/AA/AAA: .278/.370/.510, 25 HR, 27 SB

2024 AAA: .275/.364/.703, 12 HR, 3 SB
Age: 25

ETA: Early May

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 it’s more likely he’s at the back of the lineup.

Ranking Explanation: Loperfido is now playing first base, so I’m assuming it’s the glove and not the bat keeping him down until he’s ready with how bad Abreu and Singleton have been.

4. Christian Scott (SP – NYM)

2023 A/A+/AA: 87 2/3 IP, 107 Ks, 12 BBs, 2.47 ERA, 0.86 WHIP

2024 AAA: 20 2/3 IP, 34 Ks, 4 BBs, 3.48 ERA, 0.73 WHIP

Age: 25

ETA: Early 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. I think he’s right behind Skenes in call up order.

5. James Wood (OF – WSH)

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

2024 AAA: .310/.420/.488, 2 HR, 5 SB

Age: 21

ETA: Mid 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 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. Wood is probably ready, the Nats can’t keep him down all year.

6. Kyle Manzardo (1B – CLE)

2023 AAA: .237/.337/.464, 17 HR, 1 SB

2024 AAA: .308/.387/.577, 5 HR, 0 SB

Age: 22

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 super star level plate discipline skills already. He could walk into the Majors day 1 and avoid being overwhelmed. He also has easy 25 homer power and should produce to at least a league average 1B 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.

7. Mason Black (SP – SF)

2023 AA/AAA: 123 2/3 IP, 155 Ks, 52 BBs, 3.71 ERA, 1.21 WHIP

2024 AAA: 22 2/3 IP, 25 Ks, 5 BBs, 1.19 ERA, 0.93 WHIP

Age: 24

ETA: Late April

fScores: 78 fPDurability, 105 fStuff, 95 fControl, 104 fERA

Comp: Justin Verlander light

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

Ranking Explanation: Black is dealing at AAA in the PCL, a hard thing to do. I like Black a lot, especially with the team context, but him coming up requires an injury or innings overload with someone else already in the rotation. Black could be up this week to replace Snell in the rotation.

8. Drew Thorpe (SP – SD)

2023 A+/AA: 139 1/3 IP, 182 Ks, 38 BBs, 2.52 ERA, 0.98 WHIP

2024 AA: 24 IP, 21 Ks, 5 BBs, 0.75 ERA, 0.88 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 Quero. The big question will be how the fastball plays at the major league level, because it’s sub-par.

9. Tyler Black (2B,3B – MIL)

2023 AA/AAA: .284/.417/.513, 18 HR, 55 SB

2024 AAA: .298/.402/.488, 3 HR, 3 SB

Age: 23

ETA: Late May

fScores: 90 fContact, 132 fDiscipline, 73 fPower, 143 fSpeed, 69 fDurability

Comp: Faster Ben Zobrist

Prime Skills: He has ridiculously good plate skills to go along with high end speed, a solid hit tool and above average power. Under the radar guy who will kill it at 2B as soon as next season.

Ranking Explanation: Black has had a killer year, vaulting himself way up the rankings by showing he has more speed than originally thought. He had a rough spring, but is rebounding at AAA and if Adames is moved or their 3B combo struggles, Black is next in line.

10. Jordan Beck (OF – COL)

2023 A+/AA Stats: .241/.365/.448, 3 HR, 3 SB

2024 AAA Stats: .315/.406/.629, 5 HR, 4 SB

Age: 23

ETA: Mid May

fScores: 93 fContact, 122 fDiscipline, 95 fPower, 97 fSpeed, 62 fDurability

Comp: A Hunter Renfroe and George Springer mash up

Prime Skills: Big country boy with a future 30 homer power. He has a little speed to boot, a nice arm and unlike Renfroe (despite the Ks), he can take walks.

Ranking Explanation: Beck is at the right level now and we can see some contact issues, however the power is legit and he has a tad of speed to boot. He also has a good eye for taking walks. He’s a future 12-15 team league fantasy asset. If Beck continues to produce and Bouchard fails again in RF, how can they keep him down?

Honorable Mention: SP Ricky Tiedemann, 1B Kyle Manzardo (Guardians), OF Chase DeLauter (Guardians), SS Colson Montgomery (White Sox), SP Cade Horton (Cubs), SP Adam Mazur, SP Robby Snelling (Padres), 3B Coby Mayo (Orioles), OF Jakob Marsee (Padres), 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), 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 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)

Graduated (this week): SS Jackson Holliday (Orioles), SP/RP Ben Brown (Cubs)

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)

Moves I Made This Week

    • CBS Memorial Magazine League (12 Team 5×5 Roto):
    • CBS NL Only Analyst League (12 Team 5×5 Roto):
      • N/A
    • TGFBI (15 Team 5×5 Roto):
      • N/A
    • Ottoneu Podcaster’s League (12 Team Ottoneu 5×5 Roto):
      • N/A


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