5 days agoLos Angeles Dodgers outfield prospect
Chris Newell is a former 13th-round pick who has developed into a promising power hitter. The left-hander is capable of putting a charge into any pitch thrown his way, and he's even shown some improvement in terms of hitting to all parts of the field. He also lets his power-happy approach lead to swings and misses, and while that's okay to some extent, he simply strikes out too much. Defensively, Newell has decent speed but below-average arm strength, keeping him in center or left field for the foreseeable future. Last week was a memorable one for Newell as he went he went 8-for-18 with three homers, six RBI, six walks, and five strikeouts. He was also a threat on the basepaths, stealing five bags on five attempts. Newell's upside is undeniable as long as he can keep his strikeout rate in check.
--Andersen Pickard - RotoBallerSource: FanGraphs
5 days agoPittsburgh Pirates starting pitching prospect Carlson Reed is a former collegiate closer who has shown real potential as a starter in the lower levels of affiliated ball. He throws a mid-90s fastball while also deploying an incredibly effective changeup that sits in the mid-80s. He rounds out his repertoire with a mid-80s slider. The right-hander's advanced repertoire helps mask some of his control issues, which are the biggest stain on his profile to this point. Reed did look quite effective once again last Thursday, striking out nine batters over five shutout innings. He limited damage along the way, surrendering just two hits and one walk. The lefty is still far from making his MLB debut, but he's a promising pitcher to keep tabs on nonetheless.
--Andersen Pickard - RotoBallerSource: FanGraphs
5
days
agoHouston
Astros
shortstop
prospect
Brice
Matthews
was
the
club's
first-round
pick
last
year.
Houston
selected
him
out
of
Nebraska
and
he
has
wasted
no
time
making
an
impact,
already
climbing
to
No.
3
on
MLB
Pipeline's
ranking
of
top
Astros
prospects.
The
22-year-old
read more...
5 days agoBoston Red Sox pitching prospect Noah Dean is a former fifth-round pick out of Old Dominion. He's an athletic southpaw with a mid-90s fastball, low-80s curveball, and mid-80s changeup. He's had trouble locating the breaking ball at times, allowing his changeup to emerge as his best secondary offering even though he didn't throw it consistently in college. Control remains a concern with the 23-year-old, but there's some optimism in Dean given that he still has some more development and hasn't nearly reached his ceiling. Fans got a glimpse into the type of pitcher Dean could be last Sunday. He spun five shutout innings in Single-A, allowing just one walk and zero hits along the way. He also struck out eight batters. Dean has now allowed just one run over his last 12 innings, showing comfort as both a starter and reliever.
--Andersen Pickard - RotoBallerSource: FanGraphs
5 days agoChicago White Sox catching prospect
Edgar Quero was acquired from the Angels during Los Angeles' brief window of aggressive buying last July. He's one of the best defensive catchers in the minors and should have no trouble staying (and contributing) behind the dish long-term. He frames pitches well and is capable of throwing out plenty of baserunners. Offensively, he hits well enough to maintain a decent average and produce respectable power. Fielding is his top skill, but an average (or slightly above average) hit tool rounds out his game. Quero was terrific at the plate last week, going 13-for-21 with three homers, five RBI, five walks, and just three strikeouts. He showed advanced vision with the bat in his hands, creating some optimism about the impact he could have with his bat and glove down the road. All signs point to Quero being a starting catcher with All-Star potential.
--Andersen Pickard - RotoBallerSource: FanGraphs
5 days agoTrenton Thunder first baseman Rintaro Sasaki hit a home run in his debut in the MLB Draft League on Tuesday, going 2-for-5 with a walk, three RBI, and two runs scored. The power-hitting Japanese prospect followed that up with a 1-for-4 day with two RBI on Wednesday. All three of the teenager's hits have had an exit velocity of 97.4 or more. He'll look to continue his hot start on Thursday against the Frederick Keys in hopes of building upon his potential draft stock.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: MLB Pipeline
5 days agoChicago Cubs catching prospect
Moises Ballesteros hit his eighth home run of the season on Wednesday for Double-A Tennessee. The blast came off the Brewers' top prospect
Jacob Misiorowski and Ballesteros leads the team in home runs as well as RBI, but at just 20 years of age. Last season he hit 14 home runs as a 19-year-old across three levels of the Cubs' system. The backstop also hits for average, collecting hits in 12 of his last 14 games and posting a .289 BA with an .835 OPS on the season. After moving into MLB.com's Top 100 Prospects list a month ago (91st overall), Ballesteros could see Triple-A before season's end and needs to be on the radar of dynasty managers.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
5 days agoChicago Cubs infield prospect
James Triantos went 2-for-4 with a home run on Wednesday for Double-A Tennessee. The home run was his fifth of the season and the two-hit performance was the 21-year-old's fifth multi-hit effort in his last seven games. So far in June, the former second-round draft pick is 15-for-29 (.517) with four doubles, two home runs, five RBI, and seven runs scored. Coming into Wednesday, Triantos had a six-game stolen base streak going that ended, having collected 20 steals on the season now. The right-handed hitter is batting .306 with a .799 OPS and a low 10.6% strikeout rate. Having yet to struggle at any minor league stop so far, putting up strong numbers in the 2023 Arizona Fall League, and displaying strong contact skills and speed throughout, dynasty managers should be all over this prospect.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
6
days
agoThe
scuffling
Atlanta
Braves
have
some
clear
needs
with
seven
weeks
to
go
before
the
trade
deadline.
Barring
a
big
surge
soon
from
outfielder
Adam
Duvall,
who
has
filled
in
at
right
field
since
Ronald
Acuna
Jr.'s
(knee)
season-ending
knee
read more...
6 days agoIn a video interview posted on social media by the Toledo Mud Hens, Detroit Tigers first baseman
Spencer Torkelson admitted to being hurt by the club's decision to option him to Triple-A back on June 3. Torkelson also said that he still has confidence in his ability to stick as a major-league player, but that he needs to make some tweaks to become more consistent with his swing. The 24-year-old former No. 1 overall pick has found no issues mashing in the minor leagues since his demotion, slashing .333/.455/.556 with one home run, three doubles, and six RBI through 27 at-bats, and he should be back with the Tigers at some point later this summer if he continues to hit like this. Fantasy managers in shallow redraft leagues don't need to stash Torkelson, but they should closely monitor his numbers in the minors to try and gauge when Detroit might be ready to recall him.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: Toledo Mud Hens on X
6 days agoTampa Bay Rays starting pitcher
Jeffrey Springs (elbow) made his first minor-league rehab start with Triple-A Durham on Wednesday, striking out three batters over two innings of work. Springs' velocity looks to be back to his 2023 levels, considering he generated eight whiffs on just 18 pitches on Wednesday. Still with a long way to go to build up his pitch count during his recovery from Tommy John surgery, Springs is likely to return to the Rays sometime in the middle of July. After yielding a lone run with a 24:4 K:BB over 16 innings in Tampa Bay's rotation last season, the 31-year-old left-hander has the upside to eventually be an upper-echelon starter for fantasy managers once he's fully built back up and could significantly help rosters down the stretch of the campaign.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: Thomas Nestico
6 days agoCleveland Guardians starting pitcher
Ben Lively (undisclosed) is listed as the team's probable starting pitcher for Sunday's game against the Toronto Blue Jays. Lively was sent back to Cleveland after being pulled from his last outing due to general stiffness, but he's been given the green light to rejoin the club and is cleared to make his next scheduled appearance. The 32-year-old veteran right-hander is working to maintain a spot in the Guardians' rotation when
Gavin Williams (elbow) is presumably activated from the 60-day injured list later this month, producing a career-best 2.59 ERA and 1.11 WHIP with 48 punchouts and 15 walks through 55 2/3 innings this year. Fantasy managers should feel pretty good about deploying Lively against a disappointing Jays lineup on Sunday.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: Ben Nicholson-Smith - Sportsnet.ca
6 days agoSan Diego Padres outfielder
Jackson Merrill made history in Wednesday's win over the visiting Oakland Athletics, becoming the youngest player all-time to record two home runs in a game, with one of them being a walk-off blast. After Merrill connected with a solo homer to center field off Athletics left-hander
Hogan Harris to extend the Padres' lead to 2-0 in the fifth inning, he took shutdown closer
Mason Miller deep to right field to give San Diego a 5-4 win. The 21-year-old former top prospect has been a consistent fantasy asset as the Friars' everyday center fielder in 2024, and he's now batting .355 with the two big flies, four RBI, five runs scored, and two stolen bases over his last eight outings. Although his overall upside remains diminished while hitting in the lower part of the lineup, Merrill is still a strong source of batting average and steals.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: AJ Cassavell - MLB.com
6 days agoSan Diego Padres starting pitcher
Michael King racked up a season-high 12 strikeouts in Wednesday's win over the visiting Oakland Athletics, but he didn't factor into the decision. It was a strong outing for King, who dominated Oakland and managed to throw five innings of two-run ball before departing. Across his past five appearances, the 29-year-old former New York Yankee is 2-0 with a 2.20 ERA and 34:8 K:BB. As long as he can stay healthy during his first season as a full-time starter, King should remain a higher-end mixed-league fantasy contributor for his ability to miss bats a high rate and keep the ball in the yard with regularity. He draws a difficult matchup against the first-place Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on Tuesday, but he's tough to consider sitting right now.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
6 days agoHouston Astros outfielder
Yordan Alvarez stayed hot in Wednesday's loss to the hosting San Francisco Giants, clubbing his 14th home run of the season. Alvarez cut the Astros' deficit to 5-3 with a two-run homer off Giants right-hander
Logan Webb to left-center field in the sixth inning, continuing to put his early-season struggles in the rear-view mirror on Wednesday. Over his last 31 games, the 26-year-old superstar slugger is batting .347 with seven long balls, 17 RBI, and 20 runs scored for the Astros as Houston's everyday No. 3 hitter. The buy-low window in fantasy has been shut for a few weeks now, as Alvarez remains one of the premier four-category players in this talented lineup.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
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