We’re reaching the point on the dynasty calendar where minor league transactions lock for some of our leagues. I hate it, thanks for asking, but it’s out of my hands. I’ve never played that deadline particularly well in my leagues that had one because I’m typically dedicated to maximizing every roster spot over the short term. This year will be different. I mean I hope it will, partly because I’m making room for the guys in this article.
Diamondbacks OF Junior Franco (19, A) is listed at 5’9” 165 lbs, but the sand-snakes have developed a taste for such sparkplug lefty profiles. Alek Thomas is listed at 5’11”, Daulton Varsho at 5’10” and Corbin Carroll at 5’10”. Heck they might all be 5’8” off the page. Junior Franco, like the other three, is displaying senior-circuit-type power in 2022, belting 11 home runs in 71 games at Low-A. He’s also stolen 21 bases and been caught five times. He’s slashing .272/.327/.442 on the season but .337/.377/.622 in his last 24 games, striking out 17.9 percent of the time over that stretch with a 24.9 percent K-rate on the season. Should be in High-A by this time next week. He graduated from the complex league in 27 games last season after slashing .304/.404/.519 with two home runs and ten stolen bases. Won’t be the last time we see him, but for now we bid adieu to young Franco. Feels like one of those rare instances where you could jump in just before the water starts warming. Baseball America has him listed at five-foot-zero with zero supplementary information available, which is one way you know you’re a bit early on a dude.
Come to think of it, I was looking at Reds SS Leonardo Balcazar the other day, and he’s listed at 0’0” on milb.com, which I suspect would make him the shortest baseball player in the world.
Even so, he’s effective (listed at 5’10” 167 lbs elsewhere) and might graduate from the Complex League as fast as Franco did. In 19 games, Balcazar is slashing .344/.419/.594 with four home runs, three stolen bases and a 9.5 percent walk rate. He’s striking out 27 percent of the time, but that’s easy to ignore when a guy’s hitting like this at his age in this context (1.7 years younger than league-average age).
Padres GM AJ Preller has long possessed a unique talent for identifying teens with topside, and SS Rosman Verdugo (17, CPX) out of Ensenada, Mexico is his latest find to catch my eye. Verdugo, a 6’0” 180 lb right-handed hitter, is slashing .307/.377/.613 in 24 games. He’s 2.7 years younger than the average age in the league. Like a lot of this week’s players, we’d be in for a long wait on this one, but I might add Verdugo now/soon in my deepest league and/or watch closely over the next few months.
Rangers OF Anthony Gutierrez (17, DSL) was reportedly set to sign with Washington in this coming year’s international class, but MLB moved the date to January 15, toggling the eligibility cut-off in the process, and Gutierrez landed in Texas because Washington had already spent its money on Cristhian Vaquero. What’s currently just one Covid-era anecdote among many might become part of baseball lore as the origin story of Anthony Gutierrez, a 6’3” 180 lb right-handed hitter who features plus power and speed with a preternatural feel for contact. Across 22 games in the Dominican Summer League, he’s slashing .352/.410/.511 with two home runs and five stolen bases. Given the choice between him and the other two big money guys this year, Roderick Arias and Vaquero, I’ll take Gutierrez.
I know I’ve written about Giants OF Grant McCray (21, A) in this space for Prospect News: My First Baseman Vinnie or Deyvison Might Be Giant, but I might as well mention him again here because I was able to scoop him up in a 15-teamer last week. He’s striking out a lot (30.3 percent) and scuffling at the moment, but he’s doing enough damage on contact to graduate at the break anyway.
Same story for Diamondbacks 3B Deyvison De Los Santos (19, A), in the sense that he’s been mentioned already in that self-titled article, but this is probably last call in a lot of leagues, which feels odd for a 19-year-old who’s about to graduate from Low-A, but that’s the game we play. Really hard to recoup value on these guys by trading for them in my opinion. First or last situation. Either add ’em or wave goodbye.
Boston 1B Niko Kavadas (23, A+) is taking advantage of a cozy hitting environment, but I don’t begrudge him that. Dude’s mashed everywhere he’s played. Only drawback is that’s mostly what he does: mash, slugging a hilarious .829 with a 20.4 percent walk rate through twelve games in High-A. I hope the Sawx give him a quick green light to Double-A. It’s something that doesn’t really happen: a prospect spending just two weeks at a level mid-season, but I wish it did.
Dodgers RHP Gavin Stone got added a short while ago in my 15-teamer, so he might be available in yours.
Kansas City OF Tyler Gentry is rostered in four percent of Fantrax leagues, which feels like an opportunity.
I added Tigers OF Kerry Carpenter and Guardians OF Will Brennan for $0 bids in the 20-team Highlander Dynasty Invitational last Sunday. Neither fits the bill of a young minor leaguer who could burst onto the scene, but both could be added by contending squads in search of near term outfield depth.
Dodgers SS Eduardo Guerrero (17, DSL) went 6-for-6 on Friday night. He’s a 6’2” 165 lb left-handed hitting infielder, so that’s fun for them. No power so far but plenty of success, slashing .324/.435/.366 with a 14/14 K/BB rate through 19 games. It’s just 20 singles, three doubles and two steals so far, and I can’t fit him into any of my rosters, so this might be goodbye Garcia for me. Too bad because it feels like one of those 8 Mile things. Just the one shot.
Seattle OF Lazaro Montes (17, DSL) might be too big a name to belong in this group, but 8 Mile and whatnot. He’s striking out a lot (30 times in 22 games) but has four straight multi-hit games on his ledger along with a .338/.447/.706 slash line.
I missed Pirates Next Big Two-Way Yarrr Bubba Chandler just off the bottom of my claim lists, week after week after week until I missed him right onto someone else’s team. Try to avoid making the same mistake if you’ve got the chance.
Thanks for reading!
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