I hope everyone had a great All-Star Break because I certainly did. First watching Alex Bregman tear it up at the Futures Game, then witnessing Giancarlo Stanton blast several miles worth of bombs in the Home Run Derby and finally watching the All-Star Game on Tuesday. It was quite a memorable All-Star Break and some of the more important days of July are still yet to come.

With Drew Pomeranz already traded from the Padres to the Red Sox in exchange for prospect Anderson Espinoza, the trading season has officially begun. There will be some major roster shake-ups with players leaving teams and prospects coming up to fill their places. That is why July (for me) is always one of the most exciting months of the year.

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Hitters

Trea Turner (2B, WAS) - 12% owned

When the Washington Nationals placed first baseman Ryan Zimmerman on the 15-day DL, they made the corresponding move to promote utility speedster Trea Turner. In his first game back since early June, Turner went 0-4 against the Mets while leading off and playing second base, but he should be fine if he gets consistent playing time.

Turner is considered to be among the top prospects in baseball and it is easy to see why. While he lacks the defensive prowess of a lot of today’s middle infield prospects, he has one of the more explosive bats. Scouts believe that he should easily hit .275-.310 in the majors with the potential to mash double-digit home run totals. What really draws the attention of scouts is his speed which many believe is enough to swipe 25-35 bags consistently and possibly reach 40 at his peak.

Turner is an uber-prospect, but he will need a lot of things to happen for him to receive playing time. Manager Dusty Baker has already stated that he is not going to plug Turner in at centerfield where he has limited experience. Baker has also stated that Clint Robinson will see the bulk of playing time at first base, blowing up my theory that Murphy would play first and Turner would play second (granted, that was what happened last Sunday). If more injuries occur and the Nationals get desperate, Turner will see more playing time. But with Baker’s history of consistently relying on veterans over prospects, Turner is going to have a serious up-hill battle to start.

Josh Bell (1B/OF, PIT) - 7% owned

Much like Turner, first baseman Josh Bell plays under a manager reluctant to start the youth movement when there is even a smidgeon of uncertainty. Bell has almost exactly the same issue as Turner with regards to management deciding his Major League readiness. Neither are defensively sound and that trumps the fact that both come with big league ready bats, at least in the eyes of team management.

But there is no doubt that if Bell were to receive some starting time that he would have a major impact. Scouts have always believed that his raw power would translate to home run pop eventually, but it took some time. With 14 home runs hit this season between Triple-A and the majors, he is already two shy of matching his total from both this 2015 and 2014 combined. Less concerning has always been his ability to hit for a high average as he owns a .270+ average at every level (with more than 100 PA) and has consistently struck out at rates around 10-15% while walking at nearly an identical rate.

The Pirates are electing to stick with John Jaso at first base while Bell continues to improve defensively at Triple-A. But with trade rumors circling around Jaso and first base not necessarily being a defensively-demanding position, expect Bell to be back up in August at the latest. Once promoted, his bat is explosive enough to warrant owning in all leagues despite playing at one of the more loaded offensive positions.

Alberto Rosario (C, STL) - 0% owned

A true journeyman, Alberto Rosario spent 10 seasons in the Minor Leagues before finally receiving his promotion to the majors after slashing .281/.323/.325 in 39 Triple-A games this season. He has never been considered to be one of the top prospects in the game, but he has always hit for a solid average in the minors while also showing well above-average plate discipline.

Rosario may be a catcher in the majors, but he has very little value to fantasy owners right now. If he were to snag a starting role with the team, his ability to provide a solid batting average to fantasy owners in a down year for catchers would warrant a look, but the 29-year-old catcher is third on the catcher depth chart right now behind both Yadier Molina and Brayan Pena. Not to mention 25-year-old catcher Mike Oilman who could be knocking on the door of the majors sometime soon. Rosario is a nice story, but that is all he is at this point. He should not be owned in any leagues.

Andy Wilkins (1B, MIL) - 0% owned
Another Minor League journeyman, first baseman Andy Wilkins has spent seven years in the minors with only one previous taste of the majors having come back in 2014 with the White Sox. The 156th overall pick back in 2010 has always shown some decent pop, having mashed at least 15 homers in every season since 2010 with the exception of this season (where he currently has 11).

Unfortunately for fantasy owners looking for some first base help, Wilkins is not going to be the solution at the moment. Though he does have some decent pop and has shown himself to have respectable plate discipline numbers, the 27-year-old lacks a clear path to playing time. If the Brewers did decide to move Chris Carter, he could be worth a look, but he profiles more as a bat off the bench.

Tomas Telis (C, MIA) - 0% owned

The Marlins are known for having one of the weaker stockpiles of prospects, but they have a few solid ones. One such prospect is catcher Tomas Telis. The 25-year-old catcher has never been ranked among the top catching prospects in the minors, but he has always been thought of as a guy who could have an impact at the highest level. Most scouts agree that his future is as a backup, but one who could provide above-average offensive output in that role. He has shown the ability to post moderate home run totals, though he probably tops out at 10 in a season. He has also never struck out more than 20% of the time at any level with more than 25 PA and he usually posts solid batting average numbers.

The second backstop mentioned on this list, Telis has a much better chance of staying on this list than the previously mentioned Alberto Rosario, but he too appears to be more of a backup role at best. With catcher J.T. Realmuto in the middle of a strong season, there is no chance Telis takes over as the starter for Miami unless Realmuto is hurt. If he did find a way to start, Telis would be worth owning in deeper leagues, but his rather lackluster offensive profiles limits his upside. That 0% ownership rate should go unchanged.

 

Pitchers

Andrew Triggs (RP, OAK) - 0% owned

Have you ever heard of Andrew Triggs? Probably not. But that hasn’t stopped this reliever from putting up outstanding numbers wherever he’s gone in the minors. Taking away for a minute the fact that he is a reliever, it is very impressive to know that in his Minor League career spanning 250.1 innings, he has allowed only seven home runs while punching out 251 batters. He has also proven to throw strikes consistently and just refuses to give up free baserunners as evidenced by his career walk rate of 2.33 BB/9 in the MiLB.

But as most fantasy owners probably understand, relievers have little value unless they are closing and Triggs is far from that role. Though Ryan Madson could be dealt at the deadline, Ryan Dull is the next guy in line and Triggs has not necessarily proven at the big league level that he is ready for such a responsibility. His 6.04 ERA is largely the result of a 1.27 HR/9 which is ballooned by an unsustainable 18.2% HR/FB rate (a rate which should go down given his history) so at the very least he should start to provide above-average production at some point in the near future. But until he is saving games or even close to a set-up role, Triggs can be avoided by most owners.

Dylan Floro (SP, TB) - 0% owned

A starting pitcher throughout his Minor League career, Floro was promoted to the Rays in an effort to provide some help out of the bullpen. He had previously spent all of 2016 at Triple-A working out of the bullpen where he had pitched to the highest strikeout rate of his professional career (7.13 K/9). Already in his 3.1 innings of work with the big league club, he has a 2.70 ERA, 1.68 FIP, 10.80 K/9, 2.70 BB/9 and has yet to allow a home run.

But Floro runs into the same problem as Triggs in that without the benefit of serving as a starter or a closer, he does not figure to have much fantasy value. If the Rays went full closer mode and dealt away Alex Colome and Brad Boxberger, Floro could get a step closer to the stopper at the back end, but his lack of experience at the Major League level will keep him down the reliever depth chart for quite some time. If he continues to perform at this rate, he will certainly be worth owning in 14+ team leagues just because his 1.68 FIP is quite a dominating number, but given his history of low strikeout totals it seems unlikely that he will keep up this current pace.

Tyrell Jenkins (SP, ATL) - 0% owned

I have covered Jenkins before, but this time I am discussing him in a slightly different role. While the Braves have not officially made him a starter for their ball club, he made a spot start back on July 6 and was very sharp, lasting 4.2 innings and surrendering only one run on four hits. He only struck out one, but he also only walked one. With the Braves lacking great starting options, it shouldn’t be too surprising to see Jenkins stay in the rotation for Atlanta.

But just because he might be a starter does not mean he will be one worth owning. Though his stuff is sharp, Jenkins has never been a strikeout pitcher and that does not figure to change now that he is in the majors. Without the ability to rack up gaudy strikeout totals, his value is somewhat limited since he will not be winning too many ball games playing for a bad Atlanta Braves team. Still as a starter and one likely to provide an ERA around 3.50, he does have some potential value in 14+ team leagues if teams are desperate for pitching help. That figures to be the extent of his value though.

Dustin Molleken (SP/RP, DET) - 0% owned

Just like every other name on this pitcher’s list, Molleken has been used primarily as a reliever. Unlike several of these names, Molleken has spent essentially his entire professional career as a reliever making a spot start here and there. So far in his big league career, he has appeared in two games, accumulating 4.2 innings with a 1.93 ERA, 2.32 FIP, 9.64 K/9 and 3.86 BB/9 with no home runs allowed.

Molleken has certainly provided some solid production in his brief tenure with the Tigers, but he should go untouched in fantasy leagues. At 31 years of age (32 on August 21), Molleken is no youngster and he probably won’t make any late surprises. In his professional career, he has usually been relatively solid at striking out batters, but has struggled with walks at the higher levels of the minors. His command struggles could continue into the majors and further limit his value. I wouldn’t expect him to see the ninth inning unless the game is a blow out.

Edubray Ramos (RP, PHI) - 0% owned

Last, but certainly not least we come to the Phillies’ reliever, Edubray Ramos. Highly coveted by the Phillies, Ramos has done a spectacular job in his time with Philadelphia as he has compiled eight innings with a 6.75 ERA, 1.68 FIP, 1013 K/9, 2.25 BB/9 and has not allowed a home run. While obviously the 6.75 ERA is not anything to be proud of, he has been very unlucky (.391 BABIP) and the manager of the Phillies has a lot of confidence in him. In fact, so much confidence that Pete Mackanin hinted that a role as a closer could come in the future.

Such words from a manager give a lot of hope for both him and fantasy owners about his value later on down the road. Throughout his professional career, Ramos has been regarded highly by scouts with a lot of them suggesting he could be a potential closer thanks to his mid-90s fastball and hard slider. He struggled with command in 2015 at Double-A, but has since put those concerns to rest thanks in large part to a 0.93 BB/9 between Double-A and Triple-A in 2016. Jeanmar Gomez is currently manning the closer’s role for the Phillies now, but he could be used as a trade bait as could veteran reliever David Hernandez. With Ramos’ history of near elite reliever production, he could be worth owning even if not a closer (but only in much deeper leagues). He looks to be a closer at some point in the near future for the Phillies.

 

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