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The Itch

Author: The Itch

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The Itch

Prospect News: Electric Padres or This Deadline Is Alive!

August 3, 2025 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects, Featured | 35 Comments

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Lotta fun to be had tracking the trade deadline this year, so let’s grab our Geiger counters and pick through the fallout.

AJ Preller brought his own fireworks and fuses. San Diego threw down the gauntlet early by moving SS Leo De Vries, RHP Henry Baez, RHP Braden Nett, and RHP Eduarniel Nunez in a package for closer Mason Miller and LHP JP Sears. Speculation came quickly from Buster Olney and others that the club must be looking to move Robert Suarez and Dylan Cease for outfield help. Instead, they kept Suarez to build a monster bullpen. As much as I like Mason Miller, this represents an enormous return for the Athletics. I can’t believe they got Henry Baez just tacked on for some reason. He’s a good pitcher. 

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

Prospect News: Warming Up In Coors or Freeland Could Be Costly

July 30, 2025 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects, Featured | 18 Comments

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Rockies new starting 1B Warming Bernabel is the kind of guy who should thrive in Coors. He hasn’t always hit for power as he’s climbed the system, but he’s always made contact and been difficult to strike out. I know he’s here now because Ryan McMahon is not, but I’m hopeful we’re seeing something of a sea change in Colorado. Perhaps the front office has seen the value of stacking plus contact guys in a big ballpark and will continue to acquire and play guys like Bernabel and Tyler Freeman. Coors hasn’t been a basher’s ballpark for quite some time thanks in part to the humidor, but there’s still a million base hits to be had for anyone who puts the ball in play. Man I wish I hadn’t released Mickey Moniak off a team of mine that has Byron Buxton and Ronald Acuña Jr. At least Cardinals C Ivan Herrera played outfield the other day. Maybe he’ll add eligibility in time to help. On the other end of this trade, new Yankees 3B Ryan McMahon gets a fresh lease on competitive baseball in New York. It’s hard to predict how a Rockie will roll once he’s escaped Coors, but this sure feels like an excellent fit. 

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The Itch

Prospect News: 2025 First-Year-Player Draft Rankings

July 27, 2025 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects, Featured | 5 Comments

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Off the top, I want to point out how this draft and the one before it are great examples of why you should NOT tank in dynasty leagues. Last year’s class was so stacked, you could’ve landed Cam Smith with a pick at the end of round one, as happened in one of my leagues. This year, there’s not much of a difference between the top fifteen or so, and there’s no fast-moving monster among the college bats. 

1. Mariners LHP Kade Anderson

2. Rockies SS Ethan Holliday

3. Marlins SS Avia Arquette 

4. Reds SS Steele Hall

In a class without an obvious bat at the top, Kade Anderson in Seattle represents the best combination of proximity and upside. Easily the top pick in a league where quality pitching is at all hard to find. The shallower the league, the more I’d lean Holliday here. 

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The Itch

Prospect News: Tyson Lewis Looks Like A Fighter

July 23, 2025 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects, Featured | 25 Comments

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Tigers RHP Troy Melton (24) made his big league debut with Detroit today after dominating Triple-A hitters for most of the season. It did not go well, but most debuts don’t these days, so I’m not dropping him off the couple rosters where I have him. I did not start him today. 

Guardians 2B OF Angel Martinez (23) graduated from prospect status a while back, but he’s only recently really found his footing at the highest level. If I had to bet whether this is just a hot steak or the start of a new level for Martinez, I’m betting he’s reaching a new level despite the total lack of patience at the plate. Over his past 13 games, he’s hitting .345 with four home runs. He has walked one time against 14 strikeouts. His walk rate on the season is 2.9 percent. He walked 8.9 percent of the time in 43 MLB games last season and has never had this issue, so I think it’s a case of a young guy stretching himself, testing his limits, swinging more than he ever has and harder than he ever has. The total swing rate is up from 48.2 percent last year to 55.8 percent this year. His bat speed is up from 69 mph to 70.1 mph, which is still below league average, but it speaks to a player in motion, and as a switch-hitter with plus contact skills and above average defense at two up-the-middle positions, Martinez has a long runway to keep improving. 

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The Itch

Prospect News Stash List #8: Wetherholt Stays Hot

July 20, 2025 | 2025 Fantasy Baseball | 33 Comments

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Graduated from Stash List #7: Buy Tong In Time For Grilling Season: Adrian Del Castillo 

Note: Anyone promoted during the current season is ineligible for the stash list.

1. Cardinals SS JJ Wetherholt (22, AAA) 

2B Nolan Gorman has a 101 wRC+ despite a 30.1 percent strikeout rate, and he’s been hot since the calendar turned to June. He’s hit eight of his nine home runs since then, posting a 134 wRC+ despite still striking out an awful lot: 32.5 percent. The team already has something of an extra bat in C Yohel Pozo, but they’re in the wild card race. They’d make the playoffs if they started today, and JJ Wetherholt would be part of the Cardinals’ best playoff roster, so somebody’s going to lose some playing time sooner than later. Wetherholt went 4-for-5 with two doubles on Friday night, his fourth game in Triple-A, where he’s hitting .500 and slugging 1.000.

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The Itch

Prospect News: I Feel A Draft or We’ll Blog It Live!

July 16, 2025 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects, Featured | 21 Comments

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Off the top, I feel compelled to say that, prospect-wise, I love SS Kayson Cunningham. It’s an unrequited, non-romantic love, just fyi, but he’s the guy I’m walking away with after draft night if I’m anywhere outside the top three or so. 

Oh hey, during the brief but effective pre-game show, Carlos Collazo says Cunningham is his favorite hitter in the draft. Fast hands. Smooth swing. Great energy. Models himself after Lindor. Was Team USA’s shortstop. Let’s get it.

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The Itch

Prospect News: Blog Of The Future Dudes or Made In Georgia

July 13, 2025 | 2025 Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball Prospects, Featured | 28 Comments

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Gonna try something different with this year’s Future’s Game story and kind of live blog throughout the afternoon. I know it’s not a live blog because we’re not live, and the game happened yesterday, but I don’t know what else to call it. 

This year’s coverage of the event began with a highlight package of young stars flashing in the game over the years, beginning with Alfonso Soriano in 1999. What a time that was. 

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The Itch

Prospect News: Dante’s Inferno or Aww, Schmidt!

July 9, 2025 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects, Featured | 17 Comments

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It’s been a long time since I’ve shared my own moves in this space. I know nobody cares about anyone else’s fantasy teams, but I figured a mid-season check in could give us a slightly fresh way to discuss the game. 

I traded Padres 2B Luis Arraez for Yankees RHP Clarke Schmidt in a 20-team league a couple weeks back, so that’s been fun. Solid starters are rare there in the Highlander Dynasty Invitational, so . . . good thing I benched two-win Wrobleski for the only Schmidt start I got: a three-inning, four-run loss. I’ve been in fifth place for quite a while. It’s a weekly league, so it’s hard to hustle your way up the categories. I had acquired Arraez along with Drew Rasmussen for Luis Robert in something of a sad, sell-low moment considering I’d drafted Robert 7th overall when the league began. Now I’ve got nothing to show for that whole sequence. Well, I’ve got Rasmussen’s couple innings a week, and I’ll be happy to have him next year, but this has been a lesson in chasing innings. Just Don’t, is the lesson. I’ve figured that out in the daily leagues, but the weeklys make me feel stuck sometimes. Plus the rosters are only 40 deep and the Injured List holds only five. The IL thing is a constant irritation for me. I lost Luis Gil before the season got going and haven’t gotten an inning from Rhett Lowder. I’ve also got Justin Martinez, Anthony Santander, Christian Moore, and Alek Manoah. so I’m down to 39 spots. Doesn’t feel like it’s gonna be my year, but my offense leads the league in At Bats and is near the top in everything, so I can’t exactly tank.

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

Prospect News: Jhonny Levels Up or Marconi’s Cooking

July 6, 2025 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects, Featured | 25 Comments

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Rosters have been set for Major League Baseball’s Futures Game. First pitch is scheduled for Saturday at 4pm EST. Earlier in the day, tastemakers gather around the batting cage to marvel at the prowess of these youngsters, which seems to generate more helium in the prospect-sphere than the game itself. Makes sense to me. It’s a seven-inning exhibition, and while it’s fun, it’s hard to take too much away from that, although if you reacted to Drake Baldwin’s easy opposite field home run in last year’s game, you played it right. 

Here’s a link to the full Futures Game rosters: https://www.mlb.com/news/2025-futures-game-rosters

A few names jump out to me as having a chance to enhance their name value with a nice batting practice session: Pirates OF Esmerlyn Valdez, Pirates SS Konnor Griffin, Phillies C Eduardo Tait, and Athletics 3B Tommy White. None of these guys are going to sneak up on the people there to see them, but they’re all going to be extremely impressive alongside the game’s best prospects. Griffin is the number one prospect in the minors right now. By no means am I unique in this belief, but it’s going to be the consensus soon, and it might happen next weekend. 

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The Itch

Prospect News: Yanquiel Doodle Dandy or Believers In Beavers?

July 2, 2025 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects, Featured | 11 Comments

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Yankees OF Spencer Jones (24) graduated Double-A last week and already has two home runs in three Triple-A games. It’ll be interesting to see how the club handles him during the trade deadline because he’s still striking out a lot (33.7% in AA), and the team doesn’t have much room at the inn. They’ve been benching Jasson Dominguez and Paul Goldschmidt at times since Giancarlo Stanton returned. Bit of a double-edged sword for dynasty players because Jones might be better off in an organization with more roster flexibility, but that would quash the dream of housing the 6’7” 240 lb lefty in Yankee Stadium. 

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

Prospect News Stash List #7: Buy Tong In Time For Grilling Season

June 29, 2025 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects, Featured | 25 Comments

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Graduated from Stash List #6: Chase’s Fire or Colby Jacks Cheese: Chase Burns, Brady House, Harry Ford.

Note: Anyone promoted during the current season is ineligible for the stash list.

1. Guardians OF Chase DeLauter (23, AAA)

Slashing .314/.434/.500 with three home runs and more walks (17.9%) than strikeouts (12.3%). If I have to pick just one of these guys to swing some standings the rest of the way, it’s DeLauter by a mile. Cleveland might drag their feet a bit, but they’ve struggled like crazy to keep this guy on the field, and it makes sense to get him on a big league travel and rest schedule as soon as possible now that he’s locked in. Plus, it takes a while these days for young guys to adjust. Best to get him going now so he can help in August and beyond.

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

Prospect News: What About Bob? Can We Seymour Of Bob?

June 25, 2025 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects, Featured | 15 Comments

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Rays 1B Bob Seymour (26, AAA) might not be a big piece of the plan in Tampa, but he’s peeking over some shoulders while they ponder the blueprints. A 13th round pick out of Wake Forest in 2021, he has smashed his way through every level despite a modest defensive ceiling and a bit of a strikeout problem, although that might going the way of the dodo. Over his last 26 games, he’s slashing .343/.397/.676 with a 19.8 percent strikeout rate and a 172 wRC+. I’m not saying this is who he’ll be at the highest level, but I think players are closer to clay than cement, and Seymour is worth a look in just about every league if he gets a chance in the big leagues. 

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