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The Itch

Author: The Itch

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The Itch

Prospect News: Stash List Volume 9: Hero In A Half Shell

August 13, 2023 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects, Featured | 24 Comments

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Graduated from Prospect News: Stash List Volume 8: Winn At All Costs: Sal Frelick

1. Orioles OF Heston Kjerstad | 24 | AAA 

Tough time of year for the stash list. I run out of things to say about the guys who’ve been left on the farm. Feel pretty negative in most of the blurbs, but it doesn’t make sense to me that guys like Heston Kjerstad are still in the minors, but here he is, and I’m not even sure I can recommend him as a redraft stash. You might be better off picking up a mediocre hitter who’s hot in the majors now. And while that’s always the proposition of a stash list to a certain extent, the board tilts significantly late in the season as the 2024 incentives of suppressing a player’s timeline grow closer. If roster spots aren’t a key concern, then by all means scoop these top two.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
The Itch

Prospect News: Mauricio Gets A Corner Office or Weapon X Sharpens His Claws

August 9, 2023 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects, Featured | 19 Comments

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Mets 3B Ronny Mauricio is listed here as a third baseman today because that’s what he is today, apparently, according to a report that Buck Showalter told him as much during a meeting this week. Brett Baty is reportedly a man without a position for the near term. Seems like they have a great plan over there. Real shared mental map of the organizational outlook from top to bottom. 

Please, blog, may I have some more?
The Itch

Prospect News: Mead Up For A Cup or Caissie Cooking With Gas

August 6, 2023 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects, Featured | 30 Comments

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I finally saw the Mario movie last night, which my family could do because I subscribed to Peacock to watch seven innings of the Futures Game, so . . . good work on that one, MLB. 

In other good-move news: Rays 1B Curtis Mead is in the majors today. We’d be short-sighted to assume he’s going to play regularly going forward, but the team needs a spark, and Mead’s all-fields approach and excellent plate skills (12.8-to-14.7 percent walk-to-strikeout rate) give the club another tough out in a solid lineup. 

Mead went for $6 in the CBS AL-Only Analysts League. I have zero dollars and could’ve really used him but feel pretty good about landing a $0 Davis Schneider. I’m in first place and trying to win a second-straight championship there but have been dealt a series of body blows these past few weeks. Josh Bell and Jake Burger got traded out from under me. I also have Tyler Wells and Taj Bradley on that team. Not a recipe for success in an Only: losing four key pieces in the same week. With the two free roster spots, I added Red Sox 3B Luis Urias and Royals LHP Cole Ragans for zero dollars. I was a bit surprised they were free, but it’s late, and there were a ton of guys to bid on in that run. I really like Ragans, though. Great get for the Royals in the Aroldis Chapman trade. 

Please, blog, may I have some more?
The Itch

Prospect News: A Whole New World or Trade Deadline Review

August 2, 2023 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects, Featured | 14 Comments

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The New York Mets are the weirdest team in recent memory for me. It’s tough to disagree with much of what they’ve done in a general kind of way, and it’s good for the game whenever one of these billionaires decides to invest in their team, but my brain still struggles to enfold the idea of paying someone else 36 million dollars to take a player you just signed last year then 54 million dollars to take a player you signed this year. I realize they acquired Luisangel Acuña, Drew Gilbert and Ryan Clifford in the process of jettisoning Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander, which complicates the issue a little, but my question would have been which prospects can I have for free. I’d almost certainly prefer the free options to paying 36 mill for young Acuña, assuming I could allocate that 36 million however I pleased. Same goes for Verlander. My next question would be when will the money-flow stall. There’s just no way I can believe this guy is willing to spend half a billion dollars annually simply because we’ve never seen that. 

Please, blog, may I have some more?
The Itch

Prospect News: Here’s To You, Mr. Robinson or Sightler Sore Eyes

July 30, 2023 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects, Featured | 25 Comments

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A 15th round pick in 2022, Pirates 1B Josiash Sightler checks in at 6’3” 234 lbs and faces some uphill battles to carve out a major league role. He’s a corner-only bat who lost a key season to the pandemic and is pretty old for his current level, but he’s also hit eight home runs in 27 professional games across three levels. This week, he earned a promotion to High-A after slashing .500/.563/.891 with nine strikeouts and nine walks in 18 games at Low-A. The plate skills will be the key to his climb, and he’s already got twice as many walks (4) as strikeouts (2) in three High-A games. If he keeps this up, he should close the season in Double-A and open next year at spring training with the big club. Pittsburgh will probably bring in another veteran first baseman on the cheap, but Sightler is already the most interesting 1B in the organization. 

Please, blog, may I have some more?
The Itch

Prospect News: Stash List Volume 8: Winn At All Costs

July 23, 2023 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects, Featured | 23 Comments

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Graduated from Prospect News: Stash List Volume 7: Baltimore Stacks Backups:

Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Colton Cowser, Dominic Canzone, Tyler Soderstrom.

 

1. Cardinals SS Masyn Winn | 21 | AAA 

If I’m the Cardinals, I want Winn to get acclimated to the majors before heading into 2024 because I want him to be my opening day shortstop. He’s been improving throughout the year and has been elite for a while now, slashing .328/.390/.533 with a 12.5 percent strikeout rate over his last 42 games. He has 12 home runs and 16 stolen bases in 87 games on the season and even leads the league in hits with 106.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
The Itch

Top 100 Prospects For Fantasy Baseball: Mid-Season Snapshot 2023

July 19, 2023 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects, Featured | 26 Comments

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For this list, I used the players’ ages as of July 9, 2023.

The cut-off lines for eligibility were 130 at bats for hitters and 50 innings for pitchers.

Here’s a link to the Top 25.

Here’s a link to the Top 50. 

Here’s a link to the Top 75.

76. Mets SS Ronny Mauricio | 22 | MLB | 2023

Breakout season began in winter ball but has been complicated by the club’s efforts to find its best lineup. Probably should’ve been playing big league second base a long time ago. Jeff McNeil was a nice find, but he’s 31 years old with a .324 slugging percentage. He’s essentially Luis Guillorme without the cool infield defense. How any club lets him block a bonus baby coming into his own is beyond me.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
The Itch

Top 75 Prospects For Fantasy Baseball: Mid-Season Snapshot 2023

July 16, 2023 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects, Featured | 36 Comments

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For this list, I used the players’ ages as of July 9, 2023.

The cut-off lines for eligibility were 130 at bats for hitters and 50 innings for pitchers.

Here’s a link to the Top 25.

Here’s a link to the Top 50. 

51. Rays RHP Shane Baz | 24 | MLB | 2021

With 40.1 innings, Baz remains eligible by the laws of this list. His value is pretty dependent upon your play style and/or league setting, I think. He’s a good bet to gain value between now and spring training 2024. 

Please, blog, may I have some more?
The Itch

Prospect News: 2023 Futures Game Rosters Reviewed

July 5, 2023 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects, Featured | 17 Comments

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The Orioles recalled Colton Cowser, who should make the lineup just about every day from here forward. Baltimore is six games behind Tampa, but the Rays have been ravaged by injury and could probably be caught if a team got hot enough. Cowser should cut into the playing time of Ryan O’Hearn and Aaron Hicks. 

Marlins RHP Eury Perez finally got touched up by a major league lineup, surrendering six earned runs and recording just one out against Atlanta. Best to just let that pass, I think. One thing I noticed this week in building a new Top 100 list: Perez has 47.1 innings pitched and will graduate as the number two prospect to my eyes, second only to Elly De La Cruz. I haven’t been doing this all that long, but I’ve never ranked a pitcher that high. 

My mind is a little bouncy this week in return from vacation, in preparation for the new Top 100, the MLB Draft, and the Futures Game, but I’ll try to stay focused on that last piece as we peruse the Futures Game rosters together. 

American League 

Catchers: Harry Ford (SEA), Edgar Quero (LAA), Tyler Soderstrom (OAK)

Fun group. Ford feels overrated in some ways. He’s hitting .223 with a .357 slugging percentage since June 1, down from his season marks of .244 and .396. He does have eight homers and 14 steals in 71 games as a 20-year-old in High-A, which gives us a lot to dream on. Soderstrom has been trying to hit his way out of Triple-A over that same stretch, slugging .609 with ten home runs since June 1. 

Please, blog, may I have some more?
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