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Author: Jakkers

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Jakkers

Top Dynasty Keepers – Reds, Reds And More Reds

June 10, 2023 | 2023 Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball Keepers, Keeper Leagues | 4 Comments

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Could the Big Red Machine be making a comeback in Cincinnati?

OK, maybe I am putting the cart in front of the horse, but when it comes to young players who are exciting to watch, the Reds are one of the top teams to keep an eye on. This week I am shining a spotlight on three young Cincy players. But spoiler alert, I am NOT going to talk about Elly De La Cruz.

If you play in dynasty leagues, then you should already know all about De La Cruz. The man is a stud and we all know it. If you are new to dynasty league baseball then all you need to know about De La Cruz is he is a player everyone wants on their team. If you can get him, do so. If you already have him, keep him.

Prospects Galore

Entering the 2023 season the Reds had six prospects listed on the MLB.com Top 100 list – De La Cruz, Noelvi Marte, Edwin Arroyo, Cam Collier, Matt McLain and Andrew Abbott. It appears the Reds love to collect middle infielders as De La Cruz, Marte, Arroyo and McLain can all play shortstop while Collier is a third baseman and Abbott is a left-handed pitcher.

But I am not here to talk about all six of those players. Out of that group, only McClain is featured this week. Joining him is former top 100 prospect Jonathan India and Spencer Steer, who finished the 2022 campaign as the Reds’ No. 7 prospect, according to MLB.com.

Let’s get to the breakdowns of each player.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Jakkers

Top Dynasty Keepers – A Pair Of Rookie Hurlers

June 3, 2023 | 2023 Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball Keepers, Keeper Leagues | 4 Comments

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Welcome back to another edition of Top Dynasty Keepers.

The past two weeks have featured two young hitters in Nolan Gorman and Christopher Morel. So this week I am going to focus the spotlight on two rookie pitchers. The first is Eury Perez of the Miami Marlins and the second is Bobby Miller of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

If you have been reading my articles for a while, then you know my love of young hitters over young pitchers. But in dynasty leagues you still need young pitching to help build your staff for future seasons. Perez and Miller are both pitchers you can build a staff with.

Time to Shine

The Marlins signed Perez out of the Dominican Republic in 2019, and thanks to COVID it took until 2021 for him to make his professional debut. When Perez finally made his first pro pitch, he had added close to four inches and 45 pounds to his frame.

Despite being only 18-years-old, an age in which he would be in high school if he grew up in the United State, Perez dominated hitters on two different levels of A ball that season.

As for Miller, after being drafted in the 38th round by Baltimore out of high school in 2017, he decided to attend Louisville and didn’t join the starting rotation until midway through his sophomore season. He then only made four starts in 2020 when COVID shut down the college season.

Despite few starts in college and some concern about his delivery, the Dodgers jumped at the chance to draft Miller, nabbing him with the 29th overall pick in 2020 and handing him a bonus of more than $2 million.

Let’s dive more into each player.

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Jakkers

Top Dynasty Keepers – Christopher Morel

May 27, 2023 | 2023 Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball Keepers, Keeper Leagues |

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Welcome back to another edition of Top Dynasty Keepers.

Last week I wrote about Nolan Gorman, a top 100 prospect who entered the 2022 season with high expectations. After being promoted to the majors he performed well only to have opposing pitchers adjust their game plans, leading Gorman to ultimately fall short of the high expectations people had of him only to rebound this year and now living up to those expectations.

This week I am going to focus on another player who has followed a similar path in Christopher Morel of the Chicago Cubs. Morel burst onto the scene last year only to ultimately struggle greatly down the stretch but is now performing well.

Road to the Show
Powerful Bat

Morel was signed by the Cubs in 2015 out of the Dominican Republic for $800,00 but had his pro debut delayed until 2017 after suffering a cut arm in a household accident after he signed. After spending the 2020 COVID season at the Cubs’ alternate training site and the Instructional League, he was added to the 40-man roster ahead of the 2021 season.

One of the main reason’s Chicago signed Morel was the power he saw in his bat due to excellent bat speed that produces a lot of high exit velocities – and home runs. The power was not immediately apparent when he first started his career in the minors. But since 2021, he has shown off his power in both the minors and majors and doing so to all fields.

Speed and Versatility as Well

While Morel’s power is a great tool, he also has the ability to swipe a bag. An aggressive base runner, he stole 58 bases in 356 career minor league games and has added another 11 in 127 major league games.

In the field, Morel has displayed a strong arm and the ability to play multiple positions. With Chicago he has played in left field and center field as well as second base, shortstop and third base.

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Jakkers

Top Dynasty Keepers – Nolan Gorman

May 20, 2023 | 2023 Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball Keepers, Keeper Leagues |

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Every year there are rookies everyone is looking forward to see make their major league debut. Some of these top prospects immediately live up to expectations. Julio Rodriguez, for example, is one of those prospects who have lived up to the hype.

Other top prospects, however, don’t immediately hit the ground running upon their arrival in the majors. Sometimes they need a little more seasoning before they really start to produce for their team.

One player who appears to have fallen into that category is Nolan Gorman of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Looking the Part

Gorman was one of the top power-hitting high school players in the country ahead of the 2018 draft. When he was still on the board when the Cardinals were selecting in the 19th spot, St. Louis jumped at the chance to add him to their organization. After signing, Gorman immediately showed everyone why the Cardinals drafted him as he hit 17 home runs in 63 combined games at Rookie ball and Class A.

The rankings services took note of Gorman’s production. Baseball America ranked Gorman 75th on its prospect list ahead of the 2019 season while MLB.com had him ranked 61st and Baseball Prospectus 34th. In 2019 and 2021, Gorman combined to hit 40 home runs and drive in 137 runs in 244 games. By the start of the 2022 season, Gorman appeared in two Futures Games and was ranked 34th by Baseball America, 33rd by MLB.com and 28th by Baseball Prospectus.

In 2022, Gorman would finally get his chance to show what he could do on the major league level.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Jakkers

Top Dynasty Keepers – Bryce Miller And Josh Jung

May 13, 2023 | 2023 Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball Keepers, Keeper Leagues | 4 Comments

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Welcome back to another edition of Top Dynasty Keepers. This week we are going to focus on rookie pitcher Bryce Miller of Seattle and Josh Jung, a young third baseman for the Rangers.

Both players are currently trending up in ESPN leagues, as Miller is now rostered in 40 percent of leagues, an increase of 31% over the last week. Meanwhile, Jung has seen a 9.2% jump in ESPN leagues he is rostered in and now sits at 31.9%.

Texans Making Their Mark

Miller, who is from Mount Pleasant, Texas, was drafted in the 38th round out of high school. Wisely, he decided to not sign with Miami and instead attended Blinn Junior College for a year before heading to Texas A&M.

His first season with the Aggies was spent pitching out of the bullpen and he made eight appearances out of the bullpen in 2020 before COVID ended the college season. In 2021 he appeared in 13 games and made 10 starts, striking out 70 hitters in 56.2 innings of work.

Miller battled control problems while at Texas A&M, walking 4.6 batters per nine innings and 5.9 per nine innings his last season on campus. However, the Mariners liked what they saw from Miller and drafted him in the fourth round of the 2021 June draft.

Jung, who hails from San Antonio, ventured to Lubbock after high school to attend Texas Tech where he starred for the Red Raiders. During his three-year career, he slashed .348/.455/.577, leading the Rangers to draft him with the eighth overall pick in the 2019 draft and giving him a $4.4 million signing bonus.

Jung would have likely been with Texas in 2021 but suffered a stress fracture in his left foot and then went through COVID protocols, leaving him to finish his year in the minors. He would have likely been the starting third baseman on Opening Day last year but suffered a torn labrum in his left shoulder while lifting weights in February, thus delaying his debut with Texas to late in the season.

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Jakkers

Top Dynasty Keepers – Hunter Brown

May 6, 2023 | 2023 Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball Keepers, Keeper Leagues | 2 Comments

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When putting together a dynasty team, you should always have a blueprint to how you want to build that team and maintain it. But that doesn’t mean you sometimes make exceptions to those plans.

I tend to shy away from young pitchers because they are so volatile as they get their feet wet on the major league level. But some pitchers quickly show they deserve a spot on your roster. Hunter Brown is one of those pitchers.

I had Brown ranked at 198 in the preseason Top 200 Dynasty Keepers, so his performance is not a total shock. However, he is making me eat my words about avoiding young pitchers until they are proven. While he has only two full months of major league experience along with a month of postseason experience, he has more than shown that he can get major league hitters out.

Very Good, Not Great

Brown didn’t race his way to the majors. After not being drafted out of high school, the right-hander went to Wayne State University in his hometown of Detroit. While there he showed off his great fastball but also his propensity for not being able to command the strike zone.

In three seasons at Wayne State he appeared in in 41 games and made 25 starts, going 14-3 with a 3.33 ERA. He had an outstanding 10.0 K/9 rate, whiffing 178 batters in 159.2 innings of work while allowing only 139 hits. But he also walked 72 batters, or 4.1 per nine innings and had a 1.322 WHIP.

Obviously, scouts weren’t demanding that Brown be drafted as he lasted until the Astros selected him in the fifth round in 2019. Perhaps the fact Brown went to a small college instead of a power school played a part in him dropping to the fifth round. But it appears the Astros struck gold in Brown.

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Jakkers

Top Dynasty Keepers – Neto And Baty

April 29, 2023 | 2023 Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball Keepers, Keeper Leagues |

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Welcome back to another edition of Top Dynasty Keepers. It is hard to believe we are already done with the first month of the season.

With that in mind, major league teams are already making changes to their rosters. The Cardinals have decided Jordan Walker needs a little more seasoning in the minors, especially in right field. But if you are a Walker owner, don’t fret. He will be back soon enough because he did show why he is one of the top prospects in the game his first week in The Show.

Meanwhile, clubs are bringing players up some of their top prospects to give them their shot in the majors. Two of those players are Zach Neto and Brett Baty

The Fast Track

Neto was recalled by the Los Angeles Angels two weeks ago after a very successful, but brief, stint in the minors. The shortstop was a star at Campbell University, but he was only drafted last summer. Now, less than a year after the draft, he is starting for the Angels after entering the season ranked as the 53rd best prospect by Baseball America, 89 by MLB.com and 47th by Baseball Prospectus

The More Traditional Route

Unlike Neto, Baty has taken the more traditional route on his way to New York. Drafted out of high school, he has played at every level in the minors. But while doing so, he climbed up the prospect rankings. He broke into the top 100 in 2020 when MLB.com ranked him 93rd and then 94th in 2021. By 2022 he was a top 100 prospect pretty much across the board.

MLB.com moved him up to 27th while Baseball America ranked him 39th and Baseball Prospectus 13th. Baty saw time with the Mets last season but was still a prospect entering 2023. MLB ranked him at 21 while he was ranked 33rd and 17th by Baseball American and Baseball Prospectus.

With both players now in the majors, let’s take a look at them.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Jakkers

Top Dynasty Keepers – Jarred Kelenic

April 22, 2023 | 2023 Fantasy Baseball | 2 Comments

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We’re three weeks into the season and getting a good feel of who some of the surprise players are. A few of these players are fringe prospects – players who have had a good year or two in the minors, may be in an organization’s top 10 list, but are not on any top 100 prospects lists.

But some of these early breakout players are former top prospects who have not lived up to expectations over the past year or two. One of those players is Jarred Kelenic of the Seattle Mariners.

Kelenic has been on the radar screen of dynasty owners for years. Coming out of high school he was one of the best pure hitters in the 2018 draft class, leading him to be selected by the New York Mets with the sixth overall pick. He was assigned to the team’s Gulf Coast League team but was soon promoted to the more challenging Appalachian League.

It didn’t take long for Kelenic to hit the top 100 prospect rankings. Baseball America ranked him 68th entering the 2019 season while MLB.com ranked him 56th and Baseball Prospectus ranked him 63rd.

Over the next two years, Kelenic’s stock continued to rise, moving to 11th and then 4th by Baseball America  and MLB.com by 2021 and 7th and 6th by Baseball Prospectus. 

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Jakkers

Top Dynasty Keepers – Looking At A Pair Of Catchers

April 15, 2023 | 2023 Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball Keepers, Keeper Leagues |

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When it comes to finding players to add to your dynasty team, the easy thing to do is just look at the pedigree of a player and add him or trade for him, thinking he will eventually come around if he is underperforming or stay the course if playing as expected.

But sometimes (many times?) the highly touted prospects never live up to the hype while the under-the-radar players seemingly come from out of nowhere to become stars. Today we are going to look at two catchers who may or may not fit into that category by the end of their careers or even this season but currently appear to be on one of those tracks.

The Players

Washington Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz has been one of baseball’s top catching prospects since coming to the United States from Venezuela. Signed by the Dodgers as an international free agent, Keibert started the 2018 season as the 40th best prospect by Baseball America and was ranked 20th, 81st, 53rd and 11th ahead of the 2019-2022 seasons. MLB.com and Baseball Prospectus also had him ranked in the top 100 from 2018-2022.

Meanwhile, when the 2018 MLB draft rolled around, many experts believed Logan O’Hoppe was going to go play for East Carolina, the school where his father and uncle attended. But the Philadelphia Phillies liked what they saw in O’Hoppe and drafted him in the 23rd round and signed him for an above-slot bonus of $215,000.

Despite starting his pro career later that summer, it wasn’t until this year that O’Hoppe showed up in any top 100 prospect lists. Baseball American ranked him 42nd before the start of this season while MLB.com ranked him at No. 53 and Baseball Prospectus ranked him at No. 77.

As a whole, Ruiz has always been the prized catcher to try to nab for your dynasty team while O’Hoppe is the player seemingly coming out of the woodwork and now getting noticed by fantasy players. But should Ruiz be the player you really want, or should you instead go after O’Hoppe?

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Jakkers

Top Dynasty Keepers – Turang And Bae

April 8, 2023 | 2023 Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball Keepers, Featured, Keeper Leagues | 2 Comments

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Welcome back to another installment of Top Dynasty Keepers. That waiver wire in fantasy baseball is now on fire as players are making adds and drops in reaction to the first week of the season.

This week we are going to take a look at two second basemen who play in the National League Central Division – Brice Turang of the Milwaukee Brewers and Ji Hwan Bae of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Road to The Show

Turang had an outstanding prep career in California, leading the Brewers to select him with the 21st overall pick in the 2018 draft. Entering the season as the No. 4 prospect in the Brewers system, Turang entered this season as the Brewers’ fourth-ranked prospect and was ranked as high as the 88th best prospect by Baseball America and 96th by MLB.com prior to the 2021 season before falling out of the Top 100.

Given a chance to earn a spot on the Opening Day roster this spring, Turang did so and is off to a solid start. Now, he is starting to get love from fantasy players as he is now rostered in 13.2% of ESPN leagues, an increase of 11.9% over the last seven days, and in 27% of Yahoo leagues.

Bae, who hails from South Korea, originally signed with the Atlanta Braves in 2017 but was declared a free agent after the fallout from Atlanta’s international signing violations. The Pirates swooped in and signed Bae in the spring of 2018 for $1.2 million. Unlike Turang, Bae is not getting as much love from fantasy owners as he is owned in 2.3% of ESPN leagues, though that is up two percent over the last seven days. In Yahoo leagues he is rostered in 19% of leagues.

Now that we know a little more about Turang and Bae, let’s breakdown each player.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Jakkers

Top Dynasty Keepers – Bohm, Gorman And Meadows

April 1, 2023 | 2023 Fantasy Baseball, fantasy baseball keepers, Keeper Leagues | 3 Comments

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Finally, after months of waiting, the regular season is here. The pomp and circumstance of Opening Day on Thursday has come and gone, but we now have months and months remaining of the best game on Earth!

That means we have months and months to discuss who may or may not be some of the best dynasty keepers. This week, I am spotlighting three players who I actually think are all solid dynasty keepers but at varying levels of success.

The Players

The three players under the spotlight this week are Austin Meadows, Alex Bohm and Nolan Gorman.

Meadows was drafted 9th overall in the 2013 draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates and was a top 100 prospects every year he was in the minors. He was first ranked 45th in 2014 by MLB.com, 49th by Baseball America and 89th by Baseball Prospectus. He eventually rose as high as 6th by BA, 10th by MLB and 6th by BP in 2017 before finally making his debut in 2018 with the Pirates.

Bohm was a standout at Wichita State University, leading the Phillies to select him with the third overall pick in 2018. With the Shockers, Bohm hit .317/.393/.548 with 33 homers and 125 RBI in 166 games over three seasons. By 2020, he was ranked as the 28th best prospect by BA, 20th by MLB and 40th by BP.

Gorman is the youngest of this group, entering the season as a 23-year-old. Like Meadows and Bohm, he was a first-round selection as the Cardinals drafted him with the 19th pick in the 2018 draft.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Jakkers

Top Dynasty Keepers: It’s Twins, Or Really Triplets!

March 25, 2023 | 2023 Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball Keepers, Keeper Leagues | 12 Comments

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With the regular season just around the corner, dynasty league players all over the place are looking for dudes that may have been overlooked in drafts but have great upside or can fill a need. In leagues with only 25 or 30 man rosters, this is a little harder to do. But if you are in leagues with 40-man rosters, stashing a player or two is a little easier to do.

But who do you stash?

Do you look for players who can help you immediately? Do you try to get a player who is still in the minors but is knocking on the door? And a third option is do you snag a young, injured player with great upside? The Twins have three players who address each question in Nick Gordon, Edouard Julien and Royce Lewis.

Gordon can help immediately as he is healthy and is battling to be the Opening Day starter at second as Jorge Polanco is not being ready to play as he recovers from a knee injury suffered last season. Julien is the minor leaguer who is knocking on the door and Lewis is the injured player with great upside.

Think About the Future

Jorge Polanco is not the answer at second base for the Twins in the near or distant future. His power decline last season compared to 2021 is likely not a blip as the juiced balls in 2021 played a large part in his power production. Additionally, Gordon, Lewis and Julien are all younger than Polanco, and one of them will be taking over the job at second base soon – but who will it be?

Let’s take a look at all three players.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
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