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Jakkers

Author: Jakkers

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Jakkers

Top Dynasty Keepers – Nolan Jones And A Hot Bird

September 16, 2023 | 2023 Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball Keepers, Keeper Leagues | 8 Comments

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We are in the stretch run of the 2023 season, and time is running out to find a few more top dynasty keepers.

This week I want to focus on Colorado Rockies outfielder/first baseman Nolan Jones and briefly discuss Toronto second baseman Davis Schneider.

Jones, drafted by Cleveland in the 2nd round of the 2016 draft, is a former Top 100 prospect, ranked as high as 45th by Baseball America, 36th by MLB Pipeline and 52nd by Baseball Prospectus in 2021 before dropping out of the rankings ahead of the 2022 season.

The Guardians (Indians at the time) thought so highly of Jones that he was the team’s representative in the 2019 Futures Game.

Jones, who is now 25, made his Major League debut for Cleveland in 2022 and appeared in 28 games and getting 86 at-bats. But by the end of the season, the Guardians had decided it was time to move on from Jones and traded him to Colorado in November for minor league infielder Juan Brito.

Right now the trade is a win for the Rockies. But let’s dig in and see why I consider Jones a top dynasty keeper.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Jakkers

Top Dynasty Keepers – Cole Ragans

September 9, 2023 | 2023 Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball Keepers, Keeper Leagues | 9 Comments

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If you have been reading this article every week this season, then you know that I am all about finding those diamonds in the rough, especially at this point of the season.

So don’t be disappointed that I am not featuring players such as Jordan Lawlar or Jasson Dominguez. There is a reason for not featuring them – everyone should know they are top dynasty keepers. They have been top prospects for years and if you play dynasty baseball, then they are not sneaking up on you.

Thus, my search for the players who are not only offering value this season but will offer value the next several seasons. The player who falls into that category this week is Cole Ragans, a left-handed pitcher with the Royals.

Tough Road to The Show

For many, Ragans has come out of nowhere this season. But he is not a player who was drafted in the mid-rounds or lower and worked his up. In fact, Ragans is a former first-round selection of the Texas Rangers, who selected him with the 30th overall pick in the 2016 draft out of North Florida Christian High School.

Along the way to the majors, Ragans has had to overcome back-to-back Tommy John surgeries (the first operation failed) in 2018 and 2019 and then had his 2020 disappear thanks to Covid. Overall, Ragans appeared in only 17 games between 2016 and 2020.

But Ragans persevered. By 2022 he as pitching for the Rangers at the end of the season and this year he has burst onto the scene with the Royals after they acquired him at the end of June in the Aroldis Chapman trade.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Jakkers

Top Dynasty Keepers – J.P. France

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

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When it comes to talking about the top dynasty keepers this season, I’ve usually focused on young rookie players. This week I will still be focusing on a rookie. However, I don’t think he can be described as young since he is 28 years old.

J.P. France of the Houston Astros was not a highly sought after baseball prospect coming out of high school, leading him to attend Tulane University in his hometown of New Orleans. He earned a degree there with an emphasis in homeland security, giving him an interesting backup plan in case his baseball career didn’t work out.

After graduating from Tulane, France then transferred to Mississippi as a graduate student and played one season with the Rebels.

Climbing the Ladder

The Astros selected France in the 14th round of the 2018 draft, and after signing with the team, he began his pro career at Low Class A Tri City where he appeared in six games out of the pen before a promotion to Class A Quad Cities. There he finished the season with four appearances in relief.

Overall, France had a successful professional debut season, going 2-0 with a 0.50 ERA and 0.889 WHIP with a 14.0 K/9 rate.

France spent the entire 2019 season at High-A Fayetteville where he was used mostly as a starter, making 20 starts in 25 total appearances. After seeing his 2020 season cancelled due to Covid, he pitched in Double-A and Triple-A in 2021 before spending the entire 2022 season at Triple-A Sugar Land.

With the Space Cowboys he went 3-4 with a 3.90 ERA and 1.255 WHIP in 34 games, 15 of which were starts. He racked up 136 strikeouts and limited opponents to a .233 batting average. However, while he has posted some nice numbers during his minor league career, France is probably more known for his moustache than his pitching ability.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Jakkers

Top Dynasty Keepers – Yainer Diaz (Again) And Ezeqiel Tovar

August 26, 2023 | 2023 Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball Keepers, Keeper Leagues | 2 Comments

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Welcome back to yet another edition of Top Dynasty Keepers. One the field there has been some great baseball played and teams that are proving they are for real this year, meaning there will be a host of good pennant races shaping up for September.

There have also been some players who are proving they should be top dynasty keepers.

This week I want to visit with a player I highlighted earlier this season and one who is new to the Top Dynasty Keepers spotlight. The first player I’ll talk about is Houston catcher Yainer Diaz, while Ezequiel Tovar of the Rockies is the second player.

Diaz is a player I featured back in June. But I want to circle back to him because he is apparently not receiving the love I think he should. Despite being one of the best hitting backstops in the majors, he is available in 44% of Yahoo leagues, 79% of ESPN leagues and 40% of Fantrax leagues.

That doesn’t make any sense, because he has basically been an everyday player since June. While only appearing in 10 games in April and 12 in May, he played in 21 games in both June and July and now 19 games in August.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Jakkers

2023 Top Dynasty Keepers – Chase Silseth

August 19, 2023 | 2023 Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball Keepers, Keeper Leagues | 2 Comments

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When you play in a dynasty league, you should always be looking for some late season adds who will either help you during your playoff run or add depth to your team if you are already building next season.

But who is out there at this point of the season who fits that description? Well, there are plenty of those types of players sitting on the waiver wire, and I’m here to once again shine the light on a player who has thus far been overlooked.

Chase Silseth is a right-handed pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels who did poorly in a brief stint with the club last season and started the year slowly when he joined the Angels this season. But since that slow start, he has been one of the best starting pitchers in the American League since July 1.

A MEANDERING PATH

Silseth did not enter pro ball as a top-ranked prospect. He probably hardly registered as a prospect! Silseth played his high school ball in Farmington, New Mexico, and wasn’t drafted. So he packed his bags and went to pitch for the University of Tennessee.

As a freshman he did a decent job on the mound, going 1-1 with a 4.35 ERA and 1.016 WHIP, appearing in 18 games and making two starts. But Silseth then transferred to the College of Southern Nevada in 2020 – only to have the season whipped out thanks to Covid, and then transferred to Arizona for the 2021 season. With the Wildcats he was 8-1 on the mound, but he had a 5.55 ERA and 1.449 WHIP but did have a 9.7 K/9 rate.

Despite his overall numbers, the Angels were intrigued by Silseth and selected him in the 11th round of the 2021 draft and even paid him an above-slot bonus of $485,00. The decision to draft Silseth appears to have been a good one for the Angels. Only one year later the hurler was seeing action in the majors.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Jakkers

Top Fantasy Keepers – Zack Gelof

August 12, 2023 | 2023 Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball Keepers, Keeper Leagues | 1 Comment

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If you watch the Oakland Athletics on TV or in person, you probably are thinking to yourself that the team is already playing in Las Vegas. The attendance at A’s games is about right for a Triple-A game (actually, it is probably smaller and in a worse stadium) and the club has seemingly called up its entire Triple-A team, which plays its home games in Las Vegas.

I previously highlighted two Oakland players in Tyler Soderstrom and Mason Miller. I held off on talking about Zack Gelof in order to see him get a few more at-bats. With Gelof now approaching 100 plate appearances, it is time to talk about the rookie second baseman.

His Background

Gelof played high school ball in the baseball hotbed of Rehoboth Beach. If you don’t know where that is, I didn’t either. It is in Delaware, and it is on the beach. Proving that scouts can find you no matter where you play baseball, Cleveland drafted Gelof out of high school in the 39th round of the 2018 draft.

Not surprisingly, Gelof chose not to sign with the now Guardians and instead chose to play at Viginia. As a freshman, he showed what he could do by slashing .313/.377/.397 with two homers, 32 RBI and 16 steals in 56 games. The 2020 season saw Gelof get off to a great start, slashing .349/.469/.746 (yes, a .746 slugging percentage) with five home runs, 18 RBI and four steals through 18 games. But then COVID came along and shut the college season down, ending what was looking to be a breakout season for Gelof.

In 2021, Gelof couldn’t quite match what he was doing during his sophomore year, but he still had a solid season, slashing .312/.393/.485 with nine dingers, 41 RBI and 12 steals in 63 games. Thought to be a possible first round selection, Gelof fell into the second round, which is when Oakland selected him and wasted no time in getting him used to professional baseball.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Jakkers

Top Dynasty Keepers – Go Guardians!

August 5, 2023 | 2023 Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball Keepers, Keeper Leagues | 1 Comment

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Everyone knows about the Road to the Show baseball players travel. But what you have to remember is there is not just one road to take to get to The Show.

This week the Top Dynasty Keeper spotlight falls on Tanner Bibee and Gavin Williams – two players who took those different roads to both wind up in Cleveland.

The Overlooked Draft Choice Road

Bibee is having an outstanding rookie season for the Guardians, and it is somewhat surprising when you realize where he was drafted. Unlike many top pitching prospects, Bibee was not a first- or second-round selection. Instead, he was drafted in the fifth round of the 2021 draft out of Cal State Fullerton. And Bibee headed to Fullerton because he wasn’t even drafted out of high school.

While at Fullerton, Bibee had a decent, but not spectacular, career as he actually had a losing record and a career 3.82 ERA. That is good in the majors, but not very eye popping if you are a college pitcher hoping to have a major league career. Even more pedestrian was his career 7.8 K/9 rate. Pitchers with those numbers are the ones who are drafted in the fifth round or lower. But pitchers with those numbers also don’t enter the season ranked as a top 100 prospect by Baseball America, MLB Pipeline and Baseball Prospectus only two years after being drafted.

The Look at Me Draft Choice Road

This is the road we are used to seeing top pitching prospects take. Williams was actually drafted out of high school in the 30th round by Tampa Bay in 2017, but he decided not to sign and instead attend East Carolina.

Once in Greeneville, N.C., Williams was used more as a reliever his first three seasons until making 12 starts out of 15 appearances in 2021. That season he dominated opponents to the tune of a 10-1 record with a 1.88 ERA and 0.959 WHIP. In 81.1 innings, he struck out 130 batters for a 14.4 K/9 rate.

The Guardians loved what they saw from Williams and selected him in the first round with the 23rd overall pick – four rounds ahead of Bibee. The selection was a wise one as Williams entered the season ranked as the No. 20 prospect in Baseball America, 42nd by MLB Pipeline and 26th by Baseball Prospectus.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Jakkers

Top Dynasty Keepers – Soderstrom And Miller

July 29, 2023 | 2023 Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball Keepers, Keeper Leagues | 8 Comments

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Another work week is in the books, so let’s start the weekend off with another dive into Top Dynasty Keepers.

As I mentioned last week, this time of year is when you start to dig a little deeper to find some gems who will help you perhaps this year but with more of the future in mind as well. That leads me to the two players on the Oakland Athletics who I want to feature this week – catcher Tyler Soderstrom and right-hand pitcher Mason Miller.

Soderstrom, the top prospect for the A’s, was recently called up from the minors by Oakland, making his debut on July 14th. It should not be surprising for me to mention Soderstrom as a Top Dynasty Keeper. He is a former first round draft pick, selected 26th overall in 2020 out of high school.

Since signing with the A’s, he has climbed the prospect rankings and was ranked 35th by Baseball America, 39th by MLB Pipeline and 78th by Baseball Prospectus. Despite his prospect credentials, he is currently rostered in only 11% of Yahoo leagues, 1.8% of ESPN leagues and 45% of Fantrax leagues.

Meanwhile, Miller, considered the No. 2 prospect, has actually been with Oakland most of the year – just on the disabled list. Making his debut April 19th, Miller made four starts before landing on the Injured List with a sprained ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow.

This is the first time for me to recommend a player who is currently injured, but when looking for that next diamond in the rough, you need to look everywhere. Because of his current status, Miller is pretty available to immediately add to your roster as he is rostered in 12% of Yahoo leagues, 3% in ESPN and 46% in Fantrax leagues.

Enough with the banter, let’s take a look at Soderstrom and Miller.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Jakkers

Top Dynasty Keepers – Manning And Skubal

July 22, 2023 | 2023 Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball Keepers, Keeper Leagues | 8 Comments

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After a needed two-week break from life, I’m back and ready to go with another edition of Top Dynasty Keepers.

Let’s be honest, at this point of the season the actual TOP dynasty keepers are long gone. They were gobbled up in fantasy drafts or auctions at the start of this season or last year or the year before that depending on your dynasty league. If a top prospect was still out there this season, they have likely now been snagged off the waiver wire.

But that doesn’t mean there still aren’t good players to go after – you just have to be a little more discerning and probably have to dig a little deeper into the mud to pull out a few gems here and there. But that is the fun part of dynasty leagues, finding those players who may or not help you this year but become key players over the next two or three years.

Two players who I think can both help you this year and beyond are a pair of Tiger hurlers who have had their careers slightly derailed due to injuries. Those two pitchers are 25-year-old Matt Manning and 26-year-old Tarik Skubal.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Jakkers

Top Dynasty Keepers – Fishing With Perez And Garrett

July 1, 2023 | 2023 Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball Keepers, Keeper Leagues | 11 Comments

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There are certain players who you know are a top dynasty keeper is an obvious choice. Take for example Elly De La Cruz in Cincinnati or Josh Jung with the Rangers. Then there are the players who slowly work their way into the conversation of being a top dynasty keeper.

This week, we are going to focus on both types of players – and both of them are pitchers for the Miami Marlins.

Eury Perez is the obvious choice as a top fantasy keeper. A former top 20 prospect, he is dominating the competition at this point of the season.

The second player is Braxton Garrett, a former top 100 prospect who kind of fell off the radar. But given a chance to cement a spot in the Marlins rotation this year, Garrett has proven to be a solid pitcher and one worthy of being considered a top fantasy keeper.

Let’s get right to it and dive into a deeper look at Perez and Garrett.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Jakkers

Top Dynasty Keepers – Yainer Diaz

June 24, 2023 | 2023 Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball Keepers, Keeper Leagues | 4 Comments

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When George Springer signed with the Toronto Blue Jays ahead of the 2021 season, it was assumed by many Houston Astros fans that speedster Myles Straw would be the team’s center fielder for years to come.

But that assumption  came to an abrupt end on July 30, 2021, when Straw was traded to the Cleveland Indians (now Guardians). Coming back to Houston was relief pitcher Phil Maton, who filled an immediate need. and a young 22-year-old catcher who was playing in Class A.

The Real Centerpiece?

Because Maton had major league experience and immediately moved into the Astros bullpen, he appeared to be the centerpiece of the trade. But that may not be the case as Diaz was showing talent at a level greater than being just a throw-in for organizational depth.

Diaz, who signed for $25,000 out of the Dominican Republic when he was 16, hit .355 with a .503 slugging percentage in the Rookie-level Arizona League at the age of 18 during his first season as a pro in the United States.

Since then, all he has done is hit for average as his career minor league batting average of .321 proves. But he not just a player who hits for average. As he has grown into his body, his power has developed as well.

Let’s dive more into Yanier Diaz.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Jakkers

Top Dynasty Keepers – MacKenzie Gore

June 17, 2023 | 2023 Fantasy Baseball | 2 Comments

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On Aug. 2 last year, the Washington Nationals sent Juan Soto and Josh Bell to the San Diego Padres in exchange for Luke Voit and a host of prospects in MacKenzie Gore, CJ Abrams, Robert Hassell, Jarlin Susana and James Wood.

Voit is no longer with the Nationals and was never considered a key part of the trade. The last three players listed are still in the minors. Hassell entered the season ranked as the 57th best prospect by Baseball America, 35th by MLB.com and 66th by Baseball Prospectus while Wood is ranked 11th, 17th and 3rd, respectively. Susana is only 19 years old, so it will be a while to see if he ever makes it to the Nationals. much less as a top 100 prospect.

Key Piece

Gore and Abrams are currently playing for the Nationals and were key parts of the deal. I like Abrams, and for deep dynasty leagues, he is a keeper. But I like Gore a whole lot more.

Selected as the third overall pick in the 2017 draft out of Whiteville High School in Whiteville, North Carolina, Gore was already a top 100 prospect in 2018, ranking 26th (BA), 19th (MLB) and 29th (BP). By the end of 2021 Gore was a top 10 prospect.

Now in his second season in the majors, has Gore lived up to the lofty prospect rankings? Not really. In ESPN and Yahoo leagues, many players don’t consider Gore worthy of a roster spot as he is rostered in 21% of ESPN leagues and 48% of Yahoo leagues.

Does that mean he is not a solid dynasty keeper?

Those roster percentages don’t take into account dynasty leagues. In Fantrax leagues, Gore is rostered by 94% of teams, a number that about right as I think Gore is only scratching the surface of what he can do.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
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