X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Join the Best Live Fantasy Chat Community!

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Pickups & Streamers
Rookies & Call-Ups
News and Alerts

Eric Cross' Dynasty News and Notes: Rookie Arms, Cincinnati Prospect Bats, and More

In the dynasty world, news and notes articles take on a whole new meaning. Not only are we discussing short-term value with these players, but we need to look long-term as well. A good dynasty manager is like Crazy Eyes from the movie Mr. Deeds. You have to have one eye on the present and one eye on the future. "I wasn't talking to you, Deeds. I was talking to that squirrel over there. [points at a goat]."

So that's what I'm going to do each week with this Dynasty News and Notes article here on RotoBaller. I'll be going around the league, discussing all the notable storylines and players both from a short-term and long-term perspective. Let's get to it.

In this week's report, I'll be discussing several exciting Cincinnati prospects, trending major league outfielders, rookie pitchers, and much more.

Editor's Note: Our incredible team of writers received 13 award nominations by the Fantasy Sports Writers Association including Baseball Writer of the Year, Football Writers of the Year, Golf Writer of the Year and many more! Be sure to follow their analysis, rankings and advice all year long, and win big with RotoBaller! Read More!

 

Fantasy Baseball Dynasty News and Notes

Cincinnati Reds Prospects Making Noise

Well, two in particular. Both Christian Encarnacion-Strand and Matt McLain have been dominating in Triple-A this season and you’ve seen them slowly rise up my Top-25 Prospects to Stash article series here on RotoBaller every Monday.

With another THREE home runs yesterday, Encarnacion-Strand is now up to seven home runs in 10 games with a .432/.468/.935 slash line. I’ve mentioned Encarnacion-Strand in my stash article from a redraft perspective, but I’m even more excited about him for dynasty purposes.

Yes, he’s pretty aggressive and chases outside of the zone too much, but the quality of contact is elite and he’ll have one of the two most hitter-friendly ballparks awaiting him when he reaches the majors.

I’ve comped him to a Pete Alonso-lite and wholeheartedly stand by that. Long-term, Encarnacion-Strand could be a .260-.270 hitter with more than 30 home runs annually. I’m trying to acquire him everywhere I can right now in dynasty leagues.

Another Cincinnati Reds prospect I’m targeting heavily is Matt McLain, who did his best to try and top Encarnacion-Strand’s performance yesterday by hitting for the cycle himself. With the four-hit performance, McLain is now up to a stellar .324/.450/.638 slash line with 16 extra-base hits, eight home runs, and eight steals in 29 games.

He’s also trimmed the strikeout rate from 28.1% to 21.8% while still walking at a lofty 16.9% clip. McLain is rising back up rankings in a hurry right now and just entered my top 50 overall. This is a profile that we could see approaching 20/20 seasons with a high OBP.

As for the other big Cincinnati Reds hitting prospects, I’m firmly in the buy-low camps for Noelvi Marte and Edwin Arroyo if you can. Neither have gotten off to great starts this season, but the skills are there and I’m still very high on both long-term. As for Elly De La Cruz, he obviously will remain inside my top five overall, but the strikeout rate has gone up this season early on and remains a major red flag.

Masataka Yoshida Exceeding Expectations

The Boston Red Sox are playing pretty well lately, and Masataka Yoshida is a big reason for that. With another three hits and a home run on Thursday, Yoshida is now up to an exceptional .317/.400/.548 slash line with 21 runs, six home runs, 24 RBIs, and a pair of steals.

As expected, the contact skills and approach have been elite as Yoshida currently sports an 11.3% walk rate, 9.6% strikeout rate, 21.4% chase rate, 17.5% whiff rate, and an 83% contact rate. That's not overly surprising given his performance in Japan and the scouting reports from evaluators that saw him live. But what has been really impressive is the amount of power he's been hitting for.

Yoshida flashed solid power during the spring and that has carried over into the regular season. So far, Yoshida has a 10.1% barrel rate, 90.3 mph AVG EV, and 48.3% hard-hit rate, along with a .529 xSLG. Are those metrics elite? No. But they're definitely very good and better than I expected.

If Yoshida can be a 20-25 homer guy (instead of 12-15) to go along with a high AVG/OBP and plenty of run production, maybe he can hold top-50 value for the next few years. It's still early, but that's the level we're looking at if the power sticks.

Adolis Garcia Improving

I’m not sure there’s a player who is doubted more than Adolis Garcia. Despite having two straight seasons with more than 25 home runs and 15 steals, including a 27-homer, 25-steal season in 2022, many continue to avoid him given the approach. Yes, Garcia has been overly aggressive throughout the years, but he continues to improve that approach year after year, including here in 2023.

In 2021 during Garcia’s breakout season, he recorded a 73.7% zone contact rate, 35.7% chase rate, 34.2% whiff rate, 5.1% walk rate, and a 32.1% strikeout rate. So while he racked up 31 home runs and 16 steals, many were still rightfully skeptical, myself included.

Last year was more of the same with plenty of power and speed along with similar chase, whiff, and zone contact rates, but Garcia did drop the strikeout rate a few ticks. Now in 2023, he’s improved those metrics significantly across the board.

Year Zone Contact Contact Chase Whiff BB K SwStr
2022 73.4% 68.6% 37.3% 33.5% 6.1% 27.9% 16.7%
2023 81.2% 73.9% 26.0% 28.4% 7.9% 21.3% 12.1%

These are all tangible and notable improvements that Garcia has made this season. And the best part is that he hasn't sacrificed his immense power in order to improve his contact skills and approach, as often can be the case. In fact, Garcia has the best hard-hit rate of his career thus far at 50.6% and has already cranked eight home runs through his first 127 plate appearances. With these improvements, it's time to start believing that Garcia is here to stay as a top-100 dynasty player.

Daniel Espino Having Surgery

Unfortunately, it’s going to be a bit longer before we see Daniel Espino back in action. The electric right-hander is undergoing anterior capsule repair on his right shoulder, which will keep him out of action for the next 12-14 months. The track record with this surgery isn’t exactly promising, with the only success story being Julio Urias that I could find.

So, what should you do if you have Espino in dynasty leagues? Well, it really comes down to league depth. I’m still settling on an exact ranking but Espino will definitely still be top-150 overall, likely in the 125 range. Given his immense upside, he still warrants a ranking like that in my eyes. So, if your league rosters that many prospects or more, I’d recommend holding if you’re okay with waiting until 2025 for him to contribute in the majors.

 

Dynasty Quick Hits

After a rough first outing, Josiah Gray has really turned his season around, rattling off five straight starts of at least five innings with two earned runs or less. He’s been frustrating to roster over the last few seasons but made an adjustment to his arsenal this season, throwing fewer four-seamers while adding a cutter that he’s been using around 14% of the time.

The decreased fastball usage has been huge as Gray’s four-seamer recorded a .305 BAA and .742 SLG and allowed a whopping 24 home runs last season. Definitely encouraged by the changes and results this season.

It wasn’t the greatest of debuts for Brandon Pfaadt and Gavin Stone, but don’t be concerned too much with one start. The issue for both really comes down to inconsistent command. Pfaadt limits walks well and can miss bats with his slider and changeup, both of which had a 40% whiff rate in his debut. The command has been spotty all season, and that caused him to serve up four home runs in the start after allowing 28 in 29 starts last season.

Stone has always been able to miss bats with his changeup, but the slider and overall command haven't been as consistent as I would like. Overall, both of these guys have bright futures as high-end #3 starters, so don't let these rough debuts alter your value of them.

Bryce Miller on the other hand had a fantastic debut the day before Pfaadt and Stone. Yes, it was against the Oakland Athletics, but you have to be impressed with six shutout innings and 10 strikeouts, allowing just two hits with zero walks. Miller was very fastball-heavy in this one. This was to no surprise as he has one of the best fastballs in baseball, grading as an easy 70.

Offsetting the fastball is a cutter, slider, and occasional changeup, with the slider grading as above-average to plus. Ignore the underwhelming stats in Double-A this season and focus on the profile. Miller is electric and probably has a higher upside than Pfaadt or Stone. He's an easy buy in dynasty leagues right now.

I'm starting to sour on Andrew Vaughn a bit. That's not to say he's not a solid hitter, but I'm really beginning to question if he has that next level to unlock that makes him a top-10 fantasy first baseman year in and year out. Vaughn continues to hit the ball fairly hard with a 45.9% hard-hit rate and 10.6% barrel rate, but he hits the ball in the ground too often and only has a trip of home runs to his name as we begin to near the 1/4 mark of the season.

His zone contact and whiff rates have also taken a step back this season. At this point, I'm valuing Vaughn as a .270/20 type of hitter and not expecting the .280/30 bat that I once thought was possible. He's more of a top-150 dynasty asset than a top-100 one.



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy baseball app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, sleepers, prospects & more. All free!



More Fantasy Baseball Advice




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Pickups & Streamers
Rookies & Call-Ups
News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Derek Carr13 mins ago

No Practice For Derek Carr On Wednesday
Jerry Jeudy18 mins ago

Limited With Knee Injury
Golden State Warriors35 mins ago

Rudy Gay Signs Deal With Warriors
40 mins ago

Kobe Brown Healthy To Begin Training Camp
Bryce Young42 mins ago

On Track To Start In Week 4
Victor Oladipo47 mins ago

Won't Be Ready For Training Camp
Jerome Ford48 mins ago

Limited On Wednesday
Puka Nacua53 mins ago

Still Dealing With Oblique Injury
Miami Heat1 hour ago

R.J. Hampton Joins Heat On Two-Way Deal
James Conner1 hour ago

Dealing With Back Injury
Joe Burrow1 hour ago

Listed As Full Practice Participant
Kawhi Leonard1 hour ago

Paul George Healthy For Training Camp
Cooper Kupp1 hour ago

Rams Hoping Cooper Kupp Can Return In Week 5
Austin Ekeler1 hour ago

Returns To Practice
Christian Watson2 hours ago

Is Questionable For TNF
Corey Seager2 hours ago

To Play On Wednesday
Aaron Jones2 hours ago

Officially Questionable For TNF
Chas McCormick2 hours ago

Out Of The Lineup On Wednesday
David Montgomery2 hours ago

Listed As Questionable Ahead Of TNF
Brandon Aiyuk2 hours ago

Logs A Limited Practice On Wednesday
Deebo Samuel2 hours ago

Does Not Practice Wednesday
Joel Edmundson4 hours ago

To Miss 4-6 Weeks With Hand Injury
Jordan Kyrou4 hours ago

Misses Practice Wednesday
Justin Faulk4 hours ago

Expected To Return To Practice Thursday
Josh Norris4 hours ago

Inching Towards Return
Ryan Mountcastle4 hours ago

Back From Injured List
Jakob Pelletier4 hours ago

To Undergo Shoulder Surgery
Randy Arozarena4 hours ago

Back In Rays Lineup
Nassir Little4 hours ago

Keon Johnson Shipped To Suns
Dylan Gambrell4 hours ago

Suffers Concussion
Yandy Díaz4 hours ago

Yandy Diaz Still Out Wednesday
Mikael Backlund4 hours ago

Signs Two-Year Extension With Flames
Starling Marte4 hours ago

Won't Play Again This Year
Grayson Allen4 hours ago

Headed To Phoenix
Jrue Holiday5 hours ago

Moved To Portland In Massive Swap
Jusuf Nurkic5 hours ago

Joining Suns In Three-Team Deal
Jimmy Garoppolo5 hours ago

Progressing Through Concussion Protocol
Deandre Ayton5 hours ago

Portland Obtains Deandre Ayton In Huge Trade
Deshaun Watson5 hours ago

Resting His Shoulder
Damian Lillard6 hours ago

Bucks Acquiring Damian Lillard In Blockbuster Trade
Gus Edwards6 hours ago

Back At Practice Wednesday
Justice Hill6 hours ago

Working On The Side On Wednesday
Odell Beckham Jr.6 hours ago

Rashod Bateman Not Practicing Wednesday
Luis Arraez6 hours ago

Remains Out For Game 1 Of Twin Bill Wednesday
Kareem Hunt7 hours ago

Expected To Play In Week 4
Jaylen Waddle7 hours ago

Set To Practice In Full
Blake Wheeler12 hours ago

Makes Scoring Debut For Rangers
Alex DeBrincat13 hours ago

Debuts For Red Wings With Two Assists
Kasperi Kapanen13 hours ago

Battling Minor Upper-Body Injury
Justin Faulk13 hours ago

Exits Preseason Contest With Injury
Cam Atkinson13 hours ago

Dealing With A Lower-Body Problem
Joel Edmundson13 hours ago

In Danger Of Missing Start Of Season
Chas McCormick19 hours ago

Injured Tuesday
Tanner Scott19 hours ago

Goes On Paternity List
Corey Seager20 hours ago

Says He's Fine After Suffering Forearm Bruise
Corey Seager20 hours ago

Exits Early With Right Forearm Contusion
Damian Lillard21 hours ago

Joining Heat Becoming "Unlikely"
Scottie Barnes21 hours ago

"Not Available" In Trade Talks
Buddy Hield22 hours ago

Pacers Want To Keep Buddy Hield
Chris Paul22 hours ago

Steve Kerr Still Undecided On Chris Paul's Role
Rhys Hoskins23 hours ago

Likely Won't Play This Year
Ryan Preece23 hours ago

Will Remain With Stewart-Haas Racing In 2024
Los Angeles Clippers23 hours ago

Clippers, Brodric Thomas Agree To Exhibit 10 Deal
Tyler Herro23 hours ago

Jazz, Bulls, Hornets, Nets All Interested In Tyler Herro
MLB23 hours ago

Mets-Marlins Postponed On Tuesday
Ben Simmons24 hours ago

Is '100 Percent Healthy' Entering Training Camp
24 hours ago

Dereck Lively II Will Get The Chance To Start
Matt Ryan24 hours ago

Timberwolves Ink Matt Ryan To Two-Way Deal
Garrett Mitchell1 day ago

Unlikely To Be Activated
Carlos Correa1 day ago

Could Return This Weekend
Adam Wainwright1 day ago

Done For The Season
Luis Robert Jr.1 day ago

Season Over Due To MCL Sprain
Ketel Marte1 day ago

Feeling Better, Returns Against White Sox
Yandy Díaz1 day ago

No Yandy Diaz For Rays
Randy Arozarena1 day ago

Out For Rays On Tuesday
Torey Krug1 day ago

Expects To Be Ready For Season Opener
Matt McLain1 day ago

Out For Rest Of The Season
Filip Chytil1 day ago

Day-To-Day With Upper-Body Injury
Artemi Panarin1 day ago

Day-To-Day With Lower-Body Injury
Logan Couture1 day ago

Unlikely To Play Opening Night
Easton Cowan1 day ago

Impresses In Preseason Debut
NJ1 day ago

Cory Schneider Announces Retirement From Hockey
Ilya Mikheyev1 day ago

Leaves Practice Early Tuesday
Rasmus Dahlin2 days ago

Pleased To Link Up With Connor Clifton
Minnesota Timberwolves2 days ago

Trevor Keels Signs With Timberwolves
Rafael Fiziev2 days ago

Suffers Knee Injury To Cut Main Event Short
Rafael Fiziev2 days ago

Mateusz Gamrot Victorious After Rafael Fiziev Suffers Knee Injury
Michelle Waterson-Gomez2 days ago

Dominated In TKO Loss
AJ Fletcher2 days ago

Drops To 1-3 In The UFC
AJ Fletcher2 days ago

Bryan Battle Submits AJ Fletcher For Second Straight Finishing Win
Ryan Blaney2 days ago

Speeding Penalty Costs Him Big At Texas
William Byron2 days ago

Earns Sixth Win Of Season At Texas
Denny Hamlin2 days ago

Secures Third Straight Top-Five Finish At Texas
Tyler Reddick2 days ago

Late Wreck Ruins Tyler Reddick's Race At Texas
Chase Briscoe2 days ago

Delivers Big Value At Texas
Kyle Busch2 days ago

Championship Hopes Take Big Hit After Texas Wreck
Ross Chastain2 days ago

Overcomes Throttle Issue To Finish Second At Texas
NASCAR2 days ago

Bubba Wallace "Gave it Away" At Texas, Finishes Third
Chris Buescher2 days ago

Has Another Strong Points Day At Texas
Kyle Larson2 days ago

On Playoff Hot Seat After Wrecking At Texas
Ricardo Ramos3 days ago

Submitted Early At UFC Vegas 79
Charles Jourdain3 days ago

Extends Win Streak To Two
Marina Rodriguez3 days ago

Scores One-Sided TKO Win At UFC Vegas 79
Dan Ige3 days ago

Falls Short Against Another Top-10 Opponent
Bryce Mitchell3 days ago

Returns To Win Column At UFC Vegas 79
Brad Keselowski3 days ago

Feels Good About His Car at Texas
Tyler Reddick3 days ago

a Very Strong Option at Texas
Denny Hamlin3 days ago

Pegged as Favorite to Win at Texas
Carson Hocevar4 days ago

Looks Impressive Again at Texas
Zane Smith4 days ago

Slow In Practice and Qualifying at Texas
Todd Gilliland4 days ago

in Downgraded Equipment for Texas
Ryan Preece4 days ago

Will Start 25th At Texas
Chase Briscoe4 days ago

The Top Value Play On Sunday At Texas
Ricky Stenhouse Jr4 days ago

.'s Struggles At Texas To Continue This Weekend
Joey Logano4 days ago

Makes For A Nice Bounce Back Play At Texas
Mateusz Gamrot5 days ago

Seeking Victory In Seventh UFC Appearance
Rafael Fiziev5 days ago

Looks To Get Back In Win Column
Michelle Waterson-Gomez5 days ago

In Dire Need Of Victory
AJ Fletcher5 days ago

Set To Showcase On Main Card
Bryan Battle5 days ago

A Favorite At UFC Vegas 79
Ricardo Ramos6 days ago

Set For First Fight In Over A Year
Charles Jourdain6 days ago

Hoping To Bring UFC Record Above .500
Marina Rodriguez6 days ago

Gets A Rematch At UFC Vegas 79
Dan Ige6 days ago

Enters UFC Vegas 79 On Two-Fight Win Streak
Bryce Mitchell6 days ago

Looking To Bounce Back After First Career Loss

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP