Sometimes it is easy as a fantasy baseball writer to get caught up in creative writing puns.  However, this week as we frame up our hitter profiles, this is going to be a serious column.  As we sit in mid-May, we finally have enough data to really understand what is signaling results of our favorite fantasy hitters.  This week, we dig into what once was a thin position behind the plate but has in recent years become a sneaky spot to receive value.  We are of course talking about the catcher position spanning the spectrum from aging veterans like Salvador Perez and young stars like Adley Rutschman.  As we dig into our hitter profiles this week, we are digging for the underlying signs of change that may have been masked by early season sample sizes.  There is the good, the bad and those that have crossed us up so far this season.  Let’s get to the run down in this rendition of our Hitter Profiles before the puns get away from us.

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See all of today’s starting lineups

# MLB Starting Lineups For Fri 5/17
ARI | ATL | BAL | BOS | CHC | CHW | CIN | CLE | COL | DET | HOU | LAA | LAD | MIA | MIL | MIN | NYM | NYY | OAK | PHI | PIT | SD | SEA | SF | STL | TB | TEX | TOR | WSH | KC

Graduated from Stash List Volume 1: Skenes The Mountain: Paul Skenes (1), Christian Scott (6), Joey Loperfido (7), Kyle Manzardo (8)  

Jackson Holliday is not on this list. One of the few rules I’ve implemented here is that once you’re a big leaguer in the current season, you’re off the list. Holliday cashed those major league game checks, so he won’t be represented here. Neither will Tyler Black even though I’m writing this part on a Friday and thinking about his namesake Rebecca. 

1. Nationals OF James Wood | 21 | AAA

This is fun, huh? In Washington’s defense, Wood does seem to be making little leaps in his approach, and he is still young in the baseball sense. But the growth he’s made in a short time makes me feel like he’s going to be good right away, especially because he’ll bring the impact whenever he connects, even if he’s struggling to connect from time to time. By the way, this man is slashing .344/.443/.552 with five homers and nine steals.

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Another week down and another weekend to enjoy life, which obviously includes reading this post about up-and-coming dynasty players. This week I want to talk about Michael Busch of the Chicago Cubs.

A left-handed hitter, Busch played for North Carolina from 2017-2019 and was considered one of the best offensive players in the 2019 draft. The concern scouts had about him, however, was where would he play in the field. Primarily a first baseman, he wasn’t exactly a Gold Glover at the position.

With the universal DH now in use, his glove wouldn’t be a concern. But it was a real concern in 2019 and his lack of a real defensive position led to him falling to the 31st pick of the first round when the Dodgers selected him.

If you don’t follow college baseball, Busch still shouldn’t have snuck on anyone who plays in dynasty leagues as he has been considered a top 100 prospect since 2021, when he was ranked as the 87th best prospect by Baseball America and 91st by Baseball Prospectus. Ahead of last season he was ranked 54th by Baseball America and MLB Pipeline and 59th by Baseball Prospectus and entered this year ranked 43rd, 51st and 71st by those three ranking services.

Let’s dive deeper into why Busch is an up-and-coming dynasty player.

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This ain’t no Taj mirage, sports fans, Tampa Bay Rays former top pitching prospect slash heartthrob Taj Bradley is finally back and made his season debut Friday night against the New York Yankees pitching six strong innings allowing just six base runners (four hits, two walks) and striking out seven. Hopes were high for Bradley […]

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Hey there, Razzballers! It’s not every article I get to make a “Quantum Leap” reference, but this is how I also found out they (the Big TV lobby) tried to revive the show in 2022, which was canceled after two seasons. It’s going to be difficult, and maybe impossible in today’s landscape, to recapture the […]

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It’s been another brutal week friends, at least for any fantasy baseball type who has (had?) Willson Contreras rostered, or for any sentient human being who just doesn’t enjoy seeing other humans in excruciating physical and emotional pain, and watched the reply of Contreras’ injury. His 6-8 week recovery timetable sounds awfully optimistic, and even […]

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You’re gonna say, “C’mon, Grey, you’re putting us on, like you put on a shirt to perfectly complement your handsome face,” but I was at an art gallery yesterday and looking at this piece of (f)art right when Robert Gasser was called up: Guys and five girls, that’s what you call synergy. I swear I’m […]

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