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Eric Cross' Dynasty Notes - Andrew Abbott, Spencer Steer, Sebastian Walcott, and More!

Andrew Abbott - Fantasy Baseball Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

Eric Cross' fantasy baseball dynasty news and notes analysis for Week 15 (2023). Notable prospects and risers/fallers for longer-term fantasy baseball dynasty leagues.

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 even more Cincinnati Reds players, recent promotions, low-level standouts, and more.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy baseball lineup tools and resources:

 

Fantasy Baseball Dynasty News and Notes

Last week's Dynasty News & Notes was centered around plenty of exciting players in Cincinnati and Baltimore. Well, we're not done talking about the Cincinnati Reds this week as Andrew Abbott has been highly impressive since debuting in early June. In seven starts overall, Abbott has posted a 2.38 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 8.4% walk rate, and a 28.9% strikeout rate. That line looked even better before he allowed six earned runs in four innings against the Brewers yesterday. Abbott has been missing bats consistently and has a whiff rate above 28% on all three of his offspeed pitches so far, including 42.6% on his changeup.

However, there are some red flags in the profile too that I just can't ignore. Abbott is allowing plenty of hard contact (11.5% BRL, 43.3% HH) and a whopping 69.2% of his batted balls allowed have been fly balls or line drives. That's certainly concerning when Abbott pitches half his games in the most pitcher-friendly venue in baseball. Long-term, I'm very much a believer in Abbott being an impact arm for fantasy, but now might be a decent time to at least see what you could get for him via trade given his hot start.

Let's keep it in Cincinnati for one more player and discuss Spencer SteerWhile Steer might not be the shiny new toy in Cincinnati, his performance this season has him currently inside my top-10 dynasty first base rankings, right in the same tier as Triston Casas and Nathaniel Lowe. In 368 plate appearances, Steer has racked up 14 home runs, nine steals, and a .284/.375/.489 slash line along with an impressive 11.4% walk rate and 18.2% strikeout rate.

Steer's quality of contact metrics, while solid, won't blow you away. However, he's able to maximize his power output and home ballpark given his optimum 18.9° launch angle. Steer is also displaying above-average plate discipline metrics with an 83.2% zone contact rate, 20.9% chase rate, and 22.5% whiff rate. And to wrap it all up, Steer's sprint speed is in the 77th percentile. I'm seeing no reason to believe that Steer can't remain a top-100 caliber fantasy player moving forward and a top-10 first baseman for dynasty leagues.

Moving to another National League Central team, St. Louis' Nolan Gorman has been in a major funk lately. Entering play on June 4th, Gorman had an impressive .276/.364/.564 slash line. but since then, he's slashing only .151/.232/.279 with a massive 40% strikeout rate in 95 plate appearances. Gorman's quality of contact metrics are very good with a 13.6% barrel rate and 49.4% hard-hit rate, but when you're running a 74% zone contact rate and 34.4% whiff rate, inconsistency will usually rear its ugly head throughout a full season.

Even if Gorman is more of a .240ish hitter moving forward, his ability to swat more than 30 homers annually keeps him in the top-10 overall discussion at the second base position long-term. So if you're fine with that, he makes for a decent buy-low right now. If you roster him and don't want to deal with the inconsistency, wait for him to heat back up then explore trade options.

Who knows how long he'll be up for, but it was exciting to see Dominic Canzone finally get the call to Arizona. If you've been following my Top 25 Prospects to Stash article every Tuesday here on RotoBaller, you'll know that Canzone has been a mainstay near the top of those rankings. And even though he's excelled in the minors over the last few seasons, Canzone still feels a bit underrated and undervalued to me.

Season Levels PA Slash Line HR SB BB% K%
2019 RK/A- 195 .281/.318/.535 8 5 4.6% 14.9%
2021 A+/AA 339 .302/.375/.522 14 19 9.4% 20.9%
2022 AA/AAA 436 .300/.367/.541 22 15 8.5% 19.0%
2023 AAA 304 .354/.431/.634 16 2 12.8% 13.2%

Canzone isn't running as much this season, but the rest of his offensive profile has been incredible, hitting for average and power while showing an exceptional approach at the plate. Yes, those numbers get inflated by the league and home ballpark he was in, but Canzone is absolutely legit. My only area of concern right now, and it's a minor one, is that he only has one home run in 84 plate appearances against southpaws. But again, that's minor as he's still hitting .271 against them. Long-term, I could see a Bryan Reynolds type of player here with Canzone if everything clicks at the Major League level.

The other notable promotion over the past week was Baltimore promoting outfielder Colton CowserIn 56 games for Triple-A Norfolk this season, Cowser slashed .330/.459/.537 with 10 doubles, 10 home runs, and seven steals. He's always been an elite source of OBP and even dropped his strikeout rate from 27.8% to 23.3% this season. With above-average to plus power and average or better speed, Cowser has top-50 overall upside and is basically Canzone with more speed and higher OBP upside. He's going to cost a lot more to acquire though as Cowser has been considered a top-20 fantasy prospect for a while now. But it should be worth it.

It's been around a month since rookie leagues started up and one of the most impressive bats so far has been Texas Rangers shortstop prospect, Sebastian WalcottIn nine games for Texas' Complex Level squad, Walcott has already racked up eight extra-base hits, five home runs, and three steals. The upside here is massive and Walcott's dynasty stock is already beginning to skyrocket. Given his big and projectable 6'4 frame along with the power and athleticism he's already displaying, Walcott could be a top-10 dynasty prospect by this time next season. This is a player that could cause major FOMO.

Another teenage prospect shooting up rankings this season is Gabriel Gonzalez from the Seattle Mariners. While he was already rising up rankings given his performance last season, he's taken his game to the next level this season in Lo-A, slashing .350/.402/.529 in 71 games with 19 doubles, nine home runs, and eight steals. Scouts have long praised his power and strong throwing arm, but Gonzalez has made strides in the hit tool department as well, now projecting as at least an average hitter with the potential for plus power. Don't expect a ton of steals from him as he's a fringe-average runner, but the all-around offensive profile is exciting for fantasy purposes and could have him flirting with the top-25 in my prospect rankings by the end of the season.

Out of all the impressive rookie arms this season, the one that isn't getting talked about enough is Seattle's Bryan Woo. On the surface, Woo has a 4.08 ERA which isn't overly impressive by itself. But this is why surface stats can be misleading. When you dig deeper, you see that Woo has an impressive 2.72 xERA (94th percentile), 6.7% walk rate, 32.8% strikeout rate (94th percentile), 33.2% chase rate, and a 29.1% whiff rate. If you take out Woo's Major League debut against the offensive juggernaut Texas Rangers, he would have a 2.36 ERA and 0.94 WHIP.



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REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Joe Burrow

Bengals Not Closing the Door on Joe Burrow Returning This Year
CFB

LaNorris Sellers to Play Against Missouri?
Kyle Tucker

Progress has "Plateaued"
Isaac Paredes

has "Outside Chance" to Return This Weekend
CFB

Kaidon Salter Expected To Start for Colorado on Saturday
Willson Contreras

Goes on 10-Day Injured List, Done for Season
Justin Fields

Ruled Out for Week 3 Due to Concussion
Jayden Reed

Out Indefinitely After Foot and Shoulder Surgery
Washington Commanders

Preston Smith Signs With Commanders
Trey Jemison III

Joins Knicks on Two-Way Contract
Kevin McCullar Jr.

Signs New Two-Way Deal With Knicks
Matt Ryan

Returns to Knicks on Exhibit 10 Contract
New York Knicks

Alex Len Signs Exhibit 9 Deal With Knicks
Nickeil Alexander-Walker

Expected to Take on Larger Offensive Role With Hawks
Thomas Sorber

Undergoes Surgery
Dominic Canzone

Has Five-Hit, Three-Homer Game Tuesday
Cal Raleigh

Sets Single-Season Home Run Record for a Switch-Hitter
Jayden Reed

Undergoes Clavicle and Foot Surgeries, Out for Foreseeable Future
Bo Bichette

to Miss Rest of Regular Season
Zach Neto

Placed on 10-Day Injured List With Hand Injury
Yordan Alvarez

Out on Tuesday, Dealing With "Significant" Ankle Sprain
Aaron Jones Sr.

Vikings Place Aaron Jones Sr. on Injured Reserve With Hamstring Injury
CFB

Diego Pavia Refutes Report of Seeking Seventh Collegiate Season
Christian Kirk

Expected to Return in Week 3
CFB

Diego Pavia Seeking Another Year of Eligibility
Tarik Skubal

on Track to Start Thursday
CFB

Kevorian Barnes Questionable Against SMU
Bo Bichette

has Short-Term Knee Injury, Could Return for Postseason
Tosan Evbuomwan

Joins Knicks
NBA

Kai Jones Links Up With EuroLeague Team
Bismack Biyombo

Returns to Spurs
Bones Hyland

Rejoins Timberwolves
Kobe Bufkin

Moves to Brooklyn
Trey Yesavage

Sets Franchise Strikeout Record On Monday
Yordan Alvarez

To Receive MRI For Sprained Left Ankle On Tuesday
Willson Contreras

Exits Early Monday With Right-Biceps Tightness
Yordan Alvarez

Exits With Ankle Sprain
Brock Bowers

Officially Active on Monday Night
Jauan Jennings

Day-to-Day With Ankle Injury
Logan O'Hoppe

Activated Off Seven-Day Injured List
CBJ

Denton Mateychuk Dealing With Groin Issue
Bo Horvat

Fine for Training Camp
Kirby Dach

on Track to Be Ready for Opening Night
Jose Altuve

Returns Against Rangers
J.J. McCarthy

Expected to Miss 2-4 Weeks With High-Ankle Sprain
J.J. McCarthy

Likely Out for Week 3 With High-Ankle Sprain
Jean Silva

Gets Finished For The First Time In His Career
Aaron Jones Sr.

Unlikely to Play in Week 3 Due to Hamstring Injury
Diego Lopes

Returns To The Win Column
Jayden Daniels

' Week 3 Status in Doubt
Rob Font

Outclassed In The Noche UFC 3 Co-Main Event
David Martinez

Wins His Second UFC Fight
Jared Gordon

Suffers Brutal TKO Loss At Noche UFC 3
Rafa Garcia

Wins Back-To-Back Fights
Brian Thomas Jr.

Dealing with Wrist Injury
Dustin Stoltzfus

Drops A Decision At Noche UFC 3
Kelvin Gastelum

Gets Back In The Win Column
Diego Ferreira

Suffers Second-Round TKO
Alexander Hernandez

Extends His Win Streak With A Brutal TKO
Quang Le

Suffers First-Round Knockout
Santiago Luna

Shines In His UFC Debut
Christopher Bell

Earns his First Bristol Cup Series Victory
Alex Bowman

Falls Short of Advancing Through Cup Series Playoffs
Chase Briscoe

Collects his Third Top-10 Finish at Bristol
Ryan Blaney

Strong Top-Five Bristol Performance Advances him to the Playoffs
Corey Heim

Earns his First Career Cup Series Top-10 Finish at Bristol
Giannis Antetokounmpo

Leads Greece to Bronze Medal
Alperen Sengün

Alperen Sengun Drops 28 Points in EuroBasket Finals
CFB

Indiana's Lee Beebe Jr. Out for Season with Knee Injury
Dennis Schröder

Dennis Schroder Named EuroBasket MVP
Bryce Eldridge

Giants to Promote Bryce Eldridge
Jaren Jackson Jr.

Progressing in Recovery
Jonathan Kuminga

Receives New Offer From Warriors
Kenneth Walker III

Bounces Back with Big Week 2 Performance
Bijan Robinson

Rushes for 143 Yards in Week 2
Justin Fields

Currently in Concussion Protocol
Cincinnati Bengals

Bengals Calling Around to Available Free-Agent Quarterbacks
Joe Burrow

to Undergo Surgery, Out at Least Three Months
Emil Heineman

Aiming to Take the "Next Step" This Season
Braeden Cootes

Good to Go for Camp
Ivan Fedotov

Blue Jackets Acquire Ivan Fedotov From Flyers
Aaron Jones Sr.

Injures Hamstring During Sunday Night Football
Darren Waller

Not Expected to Play in Week 3
Garrett Crochet

Punches Out 12 in Win
Cole Ragans

to Return on Wednesday
George Kirby

Strikes Out 14 in Win
Carlos Estévez

Carlos Estevez Exits with Back Tightness
Quentin Grimes

Still Not Close to a New Contract Agreement
Joel Embiid

"Looking Slender, Spry and in Positive Spirits"
Ty Gibbs

Has Arguably his Best Career Drive, but Only Finishes 10th
Chase Elliott

Despite Crashing Out at Bristol, Chase Elliott Advances to Round of 12
Austin Dillon

Misses Round of 12 After Extremely Mediocre Bristol Run
Shane Van Gisbergen

Shane van Gisbergen Fails to Advance to Round of 12
Josh Berry

Finishes Last in All Three Round of 16 Races to Fail to Advance
CFB

Ryan Williams Explodes In Return To Field
CFB

Drew Allar Plays Mediocre Game In Blowout Win
CFB

LaNorris Sellers Exits Game In Blowout Loss
CFB

DJ Lagway Tosses Five Interceptions In Loss
CFB

Garrett Nussmeier Plays Game Manager in Saturday's Win
CFB

CJ Carr Remains Poised In Narrow Loss
CFB

John Mateer Leads Oklahoma In Rout
CFB

Arch Manning Struggles Against UTEP
CFB

Jeremiah Smith Impresses In Win
CFB

Sam Leavitt Shines As Arizona State Rebounds From Week 2 Loss
Ivan Demidov

Turning Heads in Rookie Camp
NHL

Calvin de Haan Signs With Swedish Team
Samuel Girard

Skates With Non-Contact Jersey
Mackenzie Blackwood

Dealing With Injury Ahead of Training Camp
Spencer Knight

Signs Three-Year Extension With Blackhawks
Chris Buescher

May have Another Solid Run at Bristol
Corey Perry

Out 6-8 Weeks Following Surgery
Kyle Busch

Should DFS Managers Roster Kyle Busch at Bristol?
Ricky Stenhouse Jr

Is Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Too Risky to Consider Rostering at Bristol?
Michael McDowell

Could be A Solid Value Option For Bristol DFS Lineups
Chase Elliott

Probably Won't Factor in for Bristol Win
NASCAR

Bubba Wallace Not as Strong at Bristol as Other Short Tracks
Alex Bowman

Needs to Win to Make Round of 12
Ross Chastain

has Never Led at Bristol but Has Been Pretty Consistent
Austin Dillon

Richmond Speed Unlikely to Carry Over to Bristol
Josh Berry

Might Run Well at Bristol, but Almost Certainly Won't Win to Advance
Justin Haley

Bristol One of Justin Haley's Few Recent Bright Spots
CFB

Austin Simmons Listed As Game-Time Decision Against Arkansas
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Nico Iamaleava Struggles In Fourth Straight Loss
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen

Dealing With a "Tweak"
BUF

Alexandar Georgiev Joins Sabres on One-Year Deal
Corey Perry

Injured During Pre-Camp Skate
CFB

Antonio Williams Out Against Georgia Tech
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CJ Bailey Flashes Again in Win Over Wake Forest
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Jaxson Moi a Game-Time Decision for Tennessee on Saturday
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A Favorite At Noche UFC 3
Diego Lopes

Set For Noche UFC 3 Main Event
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Looks For His Third Consecutive Win
David Martinez

Set For Noche UFC 3 Co-Main Event
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Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Dustin Stoltzfus

Looks To Return To The Win Column
Kelvin Gastelum

In Dire Need Of Victory
Diego Ferreira

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Malcolm Brogdon

Heading to Knicks on One-Year Deal
Landry Shamet

Staying with the Knicks
Adam Lowry

Aims for Early-Season Return
P.J. Washington

Officially Signs Contract Extension

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