6 days agoTexas Rangers top pitching prospect
Jack Leiter pitched well in his return to Triple-A Round Rock on Wednesday. Leiter struggled in his previous start at the big-league level, but has found success at Round Rock this season. In his return to Round Rock, the 24-year-old tossed five scoreless frames with just two hits allowed and six strikeouts with two walks. Albeit a level lower, Leiter bounced back in a nice way and continues to find plenty of success on the farm where has a 2.37 ERA. The big leagues haven't been as kind to the teams top pitching prospect this season, but Leiter will get more seasoning in Triple-A and still has a bright future ahead of him. Leiter will likely get more opportunities in Texas this season, but is a better option in dynasty leagues than redraft leagues for now.
--Daniel Burdeen - RotoBallerSource: Milb.com
6 days agoMinnesota Twins pitching prospect
Zebby Matthews' streak of not allowing a walk came to an end on Wednesday evening in Double-A Wichita's loss. Matthews still had a beautiful night on the mound in six innings and allowed three hits, two runs (one earned), one walk and eight strikeouts in the no-decision. The big moment of the night came in the fifth inning, when Matthews issued his first walk of the season. Before issuing his walk, Matthews had struck out 49 batters on the season. Only closer
Kenley Jansen in 2017 and
Corbin Burnes in 2021 had longer streaks since 1893. It has been an impressive year for the Twins' No. 20 prospect, as he also owns a miniscule 1.02 ERA for Wichita. Matthews has shown unbelievable control but still needs to fine tune his pitch mix before making another jump. Matthews is unlikely to reach the big leagues in 2024, but he could be an option in 2025.
--Daniel Burdeen - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
6 days agoNew York Mets first base/outfield prospect
Ryan Clifford went 2-for-4 with a three-run homer for Double-A Binghamton on Wednesday. Clifford, 20, was promoted from High-A last week and his home run on Wednesday was his first with Binghamton in seven games. Clifford is the Mets No. 4 prospect after coming over with outfielder
Drew Gilbert for starting pitcher
Justin Verlander at last year's trade deadline. The left-handed hitter has hit .198 between High-A and Double-A this season with two homers and 13 RBI. Clifford showed power last season with 24 homers, but the power has been slow to develop this season. He should continue to be a good source of power with his body continue to develop with him learning to pull the ball better to all fields as well. Clifford is a few seasons away from making any sort of impact in fantasy circles, but managers in dynasty leagues should monitor him on their watch-list.
--Daniel Burdeen - RotoBallerSource: Milb.com
6 days agoMiami Marlins closer
Tanner Scott earned his sixth save of 2024 in Wednesday's win over the visiting Milwaukee Brewers, fanning one and allowing one hit before locking down the shutout victory.
William Contreras singled to get
Christian Yelich to the plate and make things interesting in a one-run ballgame, but Scott got Yelich to ground out to wrap this one up. The 29-year-old left-hander remains manager Skip Schumaker's preferred ninth-inning man despite the return of fellow southpaw
A.J. Puk to Miami's bullpen, and he hasn't surrendered an earned run in 14 straight appearances with five saves during this span. Scott owns a dicey 22:18 K:BB through 21 innings overall, however, and he could be on the move at July's trade deadline with many anticipating for the Marlins to host a fire sale later this summer. That makes Scott a sell-high piece in fantasy leagues.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
6 days agoMiami Marlins outfielder
Jazz Chisholm Jr. launched his seventh home run of the year in Wednesday's win over the visiting Milwaukee Brewers, helping lift his team to victory. Chisholm wasted no time getting Miami on the board, drilling a leadoff homer to right field off Brewers right-hander
Freddy Peralta to give them a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Despite the last-place Marlins' struggles, the dynamic 26-year-old slugger has managed to stay healthy and go about his business while slashing .254/.329/.429 with seven round-trippers, 25 RBI, 26 runs scored, and nine stolen bases through 210 plate appearances (50 games) as the engine to Miami's offense. A three-game series with the Arizona Diamondbacks is on deck starting on Friday. In five games against Arizona in 2023, Chisholm hit a mere .176 (3-for-17) with no extra-base hits and zero RBI.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
6 days agoTexas Rangers shortstop
Corey Seager clubbed his eighth home run of the year in Wednesday's loss on the road to the Philadelphia Phillies, adding a single and two walks in the blowout defeat. Seager smashed a solo shot to left-center field in the seventh inning, cutting the Rangers' deficit to 10-4. The 30-year-old All-Star slugger is still recovering from a painfully slow start to the season, but he's starting to look like the fantasy stalwart we've come to expect over the years. Over his last 17 games, Seager is hitting .313 with six big flies, 11 RBI, and nine runs scored. A daunting task awaits Seager in the form of Phillies right-hander
Zack Wheeler in Thursday's series finale, but the veteran infielder has gone 5-for-14 with a double and an RBI in 14 career plate appearances against Wheeler.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
6 days agoPhiladelphia Phillies catcher
J.T. Realmuto broke out at the dish in Wednesday's blowout win over the visiting Texas Rangers, belting his first home run in 14 games since April 28 with three RBI in the rout. After smashing a solo homer to left field to give the Phillies a 3-2 lead in the third inning, Realmuto knocked a two-run single to left field to up the lead to 8-2 during the sixth. The 33-year-old perennial All-Star has been regularly batting second in Philly's lineup since
Trea Turner (hamstring) went down, and while he's hitting an excellent .350 (21-for-60) in May, Realmuto only has five RBI and zero stolen bases over 14 games this month. Realmuto will clash with Rangers left-hander
Andrew Heaney in Thursday's series finale, and the veteran backstop is batting .360 (18-for-50) with two long balls, three doubles, and six RBI against left-handed pitching this year.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
6 days agoMiami Marlins starting pitcher
Jesus Luzardo twirled a gem in Wednesday's victory over the visiting Milwaukee Brewers, striking out four batters and allowing just three hits (all singles) and no walks over a career-high eight scoreless innings for his second win of the season. It was the longest start of Luzardo's career, and he's now posted back-to-back scoreless outings for the Marlins after retiring 17 straight batters at one point on Wednesday. The 26-year-old left-hander has fared far better over his past four starts than he did during his first four starts to begin the campaign, turning in a 1.40 ERA and 25:4 K:BB since April 20. His hot streak will face a tough test when Miami takes on the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on Tuesday, when Luzardo is next scheduled to take the ball, but it's hard to sit the former top prospect in fantasy with the way he's throwing right now.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
6 days agoSan Diego Padres second baseman
Luis Arraez slapped his first home run of the year in Wednesday's victory on the road against the Cincinnati Reds, flexing some pop while going 4-for-5 with two RBI in the win. Not known for his power, Arraez got the scoring started on Wednesday with a leadoff homer in the first inning off Reds right-hander
Nick Martinez, later adding three singles. The 27-year-old two-time batting champion is now riding a ridiculous seven-game multi-hit streak, hitting .391 (27-for-69) with three doubles, six RBI, eight runs scored, and three stolen bases in 16 games overall since joining San Diego, and he should get more work at second base with
Xander Bogaerts (shoulder) on the injured list. Arraez next gets Cincinnati righty
Frankie Montas during Thursday's series finale. In six plate appearances against Montas in his career, Arraez is 3-for-6 with a double.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
6 days agoNew York Yankees outfielder
Juan Soto put up his second two-homer game of the season in Wednesday's win over the visiting Seattle Mariners, going 2-for-4 with three RBI in the victory. Soto tagged Mariners pitcher
Bryce Miller for a two-run jack to score
Anthony Volpe in the third inning before going deep once more to make it a 5-0 ballgame in the sixth. On the season as a whole, the 25-year-old perennial Silver Slugger is slashing an elite .313/.409/.569 with 13 home runs, 40 RBI, 37 runs scored, and four stolen bases in 195 at-bats over 51 outings as New York's everyday No. 2 batter. Soto will next face M's right-hander
Luis Castillo in Thursday's series finale. In 13 plate appearances against Castillo in his career, Soto is 2-for-8 with a homer, an RBI, and five walks.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
6 days agoArizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher
Merrill Kelly (shoulder) is scheduled to undergo an MRI this week to see how his strained right shoulder is progressing. It's possible that he could begin a throwing program relatively soon if everything looks good, manager Torey Lovullo said on Wednesday. Kelly remains without a clear timetable for a return from the injury, and he isn't eligible to be activated from the 60-day injured list until late June. The 35-year-old veteran right-hander carries a 2.19 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, and 21:6 K:BB over 24 2/3 innings (four starts) for the D-backs while sitting on the shelf, and he's still worth a stash for fantasy managers who can afford the roster spot. With Kelly sidelined,
Ryne Nelson and
Logan Allen will help eat innings in Arizona's rotation.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: Nick Piecoro - The Arizona Republic
6 days agoCleveland Guardians first base prospect
Jhonkensy Noel blasted three solo home runs for Triple-A Columbus on Wednesday, bringing his season total to 12. The slugger is a career .251 hitter in the minors, but the power is real after he hit 32 long balls between High-A and Double-A as a 20-year-old in 2022 and 27 homers last season at Triple-A as a 21-year-old. It's possible the 22-year-old sees some time in Cleveland this season at some point, and his power should put himself into the season-long conversation once he gets the call. But it could come at the expense of average, as he's currently sporting nearly a 26% strikeout rate in 2024 at Triple-A, and that probably won't get better at the big-league level.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
6 days agoChicago White Sox outfield prospect
Zach DeLoach was called up from Triple-A Charlotte on Wednesday after
Eloy Jimenez was placed on the 10-Day IL. DeLoach started in right field for the White Sox in Wednesday's 9-2 loss to Toronto, going 0-for-3 with a walk in his MLB debut. The 25-year-old was hitting .263 at Triple-A with two home runs and eight stolen bases in 38 games. Last season, the left-handed hitter batted .286 with 23 home runs over 138 games. The former second-round MLB draft pick has had no worse than an 11.2% BB% at any stop in the minors, posting a strong .375 OBP in his minor league career. This is already the second time Jimenez has missed time this season, and based on his injury history, it's probably not the last. With the Sox going nowhere and Jimenez a free agent at the end of the year, DeLoach has a chance to stick around if he can perform.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
6 days agoThe Oakland Athletics made outfielder
Henry Bolte their second-round pick in 2022 and convinced him to sign an over-slot deal rather than attend the University of Texas. Bolte offers a rare blend of power and speed, using the latter trait to swipe plenty of bases and hold down the fort in center field. He also has a strong glove and a decent hit tool, though he definitely needs to cut down on strikeouts. Last week, Bolte went 10-for-22 with two homers and seven RBI. He also drew six walks, slugged four doubles, and stole four times. If the young outfielder can continue to reduce his strikeout total, he could be shuttled through the minors and to the majors by this time next year.
--Andersen Pickard - RotoBallerSource: FanGraphs
6 days agoCleveland Guardians second baseman prospect
Nate Furman went 4-for-5 with his sixth home run of the season for High-A Lake County. The left-handed hitter also scored four times. What's even more remarkable is that it was the 22-year-old's third four-hit game in his last seven games, and seventh multi-hit game in his last 10. On the season, Furman is now slashing a robust .349/.414/.508 with six home runs, 24 RBI, 27 runs scored, and six steals in 30 games. With that type of performance, it seems a promotion to Double-A is in the cards this season, but it may be a couple of years until he sees the MLB. Still, a strong run like this should at least pique the interest of dynasty managers.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
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