19 mins agoSt. Louis Cardinals pitching prospect Tink Hence has adjusted positively in his second go-around for Double-A Springfield. Over his first three starts, he has a pristine 1.17 ERA in 15 1/3 innings. He has also struck out 17 batters with just two walks on the season. Hence, 21, split time in 2023 between High-A Peoria and Springfield, but struggled in Springfield with a 5.47 ERA in 12 starts versus a 2.81 ERA for Peoria. Hence offers good velocity on his fastball that registers in the mid-90s to go along with a nice changeup and slider. Hence has shown the ability to be a very productive pitcher, but durability remains a concern in the long-term with Hence never throwing more than 100 innings in a season or 82 pitches in a single game. If Hence can improve his stamina, he has the future makings of a MLB starter, but if he continues to have durability issues, Hence would be best suited as a relief pitcher. He remains an intriguing option for dynasty managers to monitor.Source: MLB.com
32 mins agoPittsburgh Pirates second base prospect Termarr Johnson has been off to a slow start over his first 14 games for High-A Greensboro. Johnson, 19, is coming off a strong season between Single-A and High-A in 2023 that saw him hit a combined .244 with 18 homers, 59 RBI and 10 stolen bases in 105 games. So far in 2024, Johnson has struggled to the tune of a .205 batting average with no homers, seven RBI and two stolen bases. Johnson has a keen eye at the plate and follows that up with plenty of power potential. Although second baseman aren't the biggest power hitters, Johnson can be special offensively and should be held onto in dynasty leagues, even though he may be a few seasons away from contributing at the big-league level.Source: MLB.com
39 mins agoMinnesota Twins outfield prospect Emmanuel Rodriguez has been doing it all this season for Double-A Wichita. The 21-year-old outfielder has dealt with injuries the last two seasons, but looks fully recovered in his first 14 games of the season. Over that span, Rodriguez is hitting a healthy .289 with four homers, 10 RBI and eight stolen bases. He also has a shiny 1.219 OPS. Rodriguez has risen a level in each year of professional career with the Twins and held his own at each stop. The left-handed hitter has very good bat speed and strong plate discipline at such a young age and his power game is just developing as he fills out his body. The biggest flaw for the youngster has been his ability to stay healthy, but he has the future makings of a five-tool star, if everything clicks. He is a couple years away, but he should be looked at by dynasty managers and a name for redraft managers to file away for as early as next season.Source: MLB.com
51 mins agoArizona Diamondbacks outfield prospect Druw Jones has been off to a slow start in 2024 for Single-A Visalia. Early in the season, Jones is hitting a weak .171 with five RBI and no home runs or steals. The son of Andruw Jones, Druw has battled injuries in his young professional career, since being drafted second overall in 2022. Jones, 20, already plays great defense like his father and also is very smooth on the basepaths, but he needs to improve his hit tool. Since being drafted, Jones has dealt with shoulder, quad and hamstring injuries and that is a big reason why his hitting hasn't developed as planned. As Jones fully recovers from those past injuries, his hit tool should improve. For now, Jones is a name to monitor in dynasty leagues, but can be a big asset if he reaches all his potential. He remains a few years away from being talked about a big-league promotion.Source: MLB.com
8 hours agoSeattle Mariners shortstop prospect Ryan Bliss went 2-for-4 with a double, a triple, and a walk for Triple-A Tacoma on Sunday. He also drove in a run and scored once. The 24-year-old is having a decent season so far at the plate, goingread more...
9 hours agoDetroit Tigers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal put forth another excellent performance in Monday's 7-1 win over the Rays. Skubal pitched six scoreless innings, allowing just three hits and no walks with nine strikeouts. The 27-year-old has been every bit as good as fantasy managers had hoped for, going 3-0 with a 1.82 ERA, a 10.62 K/9 rate, and a 1.52 BB/9 rate in five starts. He will look to continue his hot streak in his next scheduled start against the Royals.Source: MLB.com
9 hours agoAtlanta Braves closer Raisel Iglesias converted his seventh save of the season in Monday's 3-0 win over the Marlins. Iglesias came in to pitch the top of the ninth inning up by three and delivered a 1-2-3 outing with a strikeout. The 34-year-old veteran has converted all of his save opportunities with a 2.16 ERA, a 6.48 K/9 rate, and a 1.08 BB/9 rate. The strikeouts have been down, but Iglesias should continue to be a higher-end fantasy option serving as the closer on one of baseball's best teams.Source: MLB.com
9 hours agoAtlanta Braves catcher Travis d'Arnaud continued his power surge in Monday's 3-0 win over the Marlins. d'Arnaud went 2-for-4 with a single, a two-run home run, and a strikeout. The 35-year-old veteran has hit five HR in his last four games, bringing his season numbers to a .273/.344/.636 slash line with 14 RBI in 61 plate appearances. d'Arnaud should be a viable fantasy option in at least two-catcher leagues as long as he continues to hit while Sean Murphy (oblique) is on the injured list with an oblique injury.Source: MLB.com
9 hours agoColorado Rockies prospect Hunter Goodman went 1-for-5 for Triple-A Albuquerque on Sunday, extending his current hit streak to five games. After going 10-for-42 (.238) with no home runs over his first 11 games, Goodman has now gone 11-for-36 (.306) with six home runs over his last eight games. The 23-year-old has played catcher, first base, right field, and DH for the Isotopes this season. In 2023, he played first base, right field, and DH during his 23-game audition with the big league club, so it remains to be seen where he'll fit in on the diamond. The right-handed hitter belted 36 home runs in 2022 over 134 games and 34 home runs over 106 games in 2023, so there's plenty of pop in that bat, although he hit just one during his short time in Colorado last season. Assuming he gets another shot with the Rockies in 2024, he could be a sneaky source of power for homer-needy fantasy teams.Source: MiLB.com
9 hours agoSt. Louis Cardinals second baseman Nolan Gorman played the hero in Monday's 5-3 win over the Diamondbacks. Gorman was called upon to pinch-hit in the bottom of the ninth inning with the game tied 3-3, no outs, and a runner on first. The 23-year-old crushed the first pitch he saw deep into the right-field seats to end the game. Fantasy managers expected power from Gorman this season, but he has struggled with a .179/.238/.372 slash line, three HR, and 10 RBI in 84 plate appearances. Hopefully, this HR can help get him going.Source: MLB.com
9 hours agoSan Diego Padres closer Robert Suarez moved to a perfect 8-for-8 in save opportunities in Monday's 3-1 win over the Rockies. Suarez came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth inning up by two. He allowed a leadoff double, got the first out on a flyout, allowed a single, and got the final two outs on a ground-ball double play. Despite several off-season bullpen acquisitions, the 33-year-old has emerged as one of fantasy's top closers for the Padres with a 0.84 ERA and a 7.59 K/9 rate.Source: MLB.com
9 hours agoSan Diego Padres starting pitcher Dylan Cease turned in another stellar start in Monday's 3-1 win over the Rockies. Cease pitched very well in Coors Field, tossing seven innings of one-run ball on one hit and no walks with eight strikeouts. The 28-year-old has settled in with his new team nicely, going 3-1 with a 1.82 ERA, 10.62 K/9 rate, and 3.34 BB/9 rate in his first five starts. He will face a tougher matchup in his next start against the Phillies.Source: MLB.com
9 hours agoPittsburgh Pirates closer David Bednar picked up his third save of the season in Monday's 4-2 win over the Brewers. Bednar came in to pitch the top of the ninth inning up by two. He got the first out on a flyout, allowed a single, and got the final two outs on another flyout and a strikeout. The 29-year-old has now only converted half of his save opportunities with a 10.13 ERA, but his strikeout numbers have been solid with a 12.38 K/9 rate. Fantasy managers shouldn't panic this early in the season given Bednar's track record over the past couple of seasons.Source: MLB.com
9 hours agoPittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Jared Jones turned in another strong start in Monday's 4-2 win over the Brewers. Jones pitched six innings, allowing one run on four hits (including a solo home run) and two walks with seven strikeouts, one of which was true highlight material. The 22-year-old rookie has been excellent to start the season, going 2-2 with a 2.79 ERA, a 12.10 K/9 rate, and a 1.24 BB/9 rate in five starts and 29 IP. He should have a chance to turn in another solid outing in his next scheduled start at the Giants.Source: MLB.com
9 hours agoSan Diego Padres outfield prospect Jakob Marsee went 0-for-4 on Sunday for Double-A San Antonio, bringing his season batting average down to .138. So far, the reigning Arizona Fall League MVP has failed to carry over the success he had last fall into 2024, with just one home run, four RBI, and nine runs scored over 15 games. On the bright side, he has worked 12 walks and stolen eight bases thus far, which were two of his calling cards during his tenure in the minors over the last two seasons. In 2022, Marsee had a BB:K of 30:25 and 15 steals in 31 games, while in 2023 he had a BB:K of 98:97 and 46 steals in 129 games. The 22-year-old has an ETA of 2024 per MLB.com's top prospect list, but he'll need to pick up the pace for that to happen, especially with no Triple-A at-bats to his name yet.Source: MiLB.com