Here’s where the frontispiece would go, if I didn’t think that word was kinda nasty.
Here’s a link to the Top 25.
Here’s a link to the Top 50.
51. 1B Triston Casas | Red Sox | 22 | AAA | 2022
52. RHP Andrew Painter | Phillies | A+ | 19 | 2024
53. OF Evan Carter | Rangers | 19 | A+ | 2024
54. OF Jasson Dominguez | Yankees | 19 | A+ | 2024
Triston Casas hasn’t had the season some expected, and Eric Hosmer joining the club muddies his playing time outlook, but he remains a high-probability major league bat.
For all the talk about Eury Perez being huge and young with good command, you don’t hear much about 6’7” 215 lb Andrew Painter, but Painter has been every bit as dominant as Perez, racking up 109 strikeouts through 68.1 innings across two levels and posting a 1.32 ERA along the way. He threw seven shutout innings against the High-A Yankees his last time out, allowing two hits and one walk while recording eleven punchouts. Makes me wonder if they’ll send him to Double-A for September.
Evan Carter has 22 extra base hits and 13 stolen bases over his last 39 games, slashing .333/.415/.605 over that stretch. He’s controlling the zone, too: 11.1% BB and 15.8% K-rates. He’ll turn 20 on August 29 and might be in Double-A before then.
Gotta hand it to Jasson Dominguez for evolving his game to make plate skills his calling card. Or one of his calling cards, anyway. He’s already stolen eight bases in 19 High-A games, where he’s posting a .410 on base percentage and 16.9-to-22.9 walk-to-strikeout rate. The power is coming, too. He’s got 39 extra base hits in 94 games across two levels this season.
55. RHP Tink Hence | Cardinals | 20 | A | 2025
56. C Bo Naylor | Guardians | 22 | AAA | 2023
57. RHP Tanner Bibee | Guardians | 23 | AA | 2023
Takes a lot of restraint for me to keep Tink Hence back here in the fifties. Hence, I ranked some earlier guys wrong!? Lemme tink about it a minute. Hence has a 0.79 WHIP and a 38.8 percent K-BB rate across 38 innings thrown mostly as a 19-year-old. It’s phenomenal stuff. Some risk of arm issues given how skinny he is versus how hard he’s throwing, but who doesn’t have some risk of arm issues?
Bo Naylor should probably be catching in Cleveland right now, but they love their defense behind the plate almost as much as they love their profits. Both come into play here, as does a little hot streak from Luke Maile, but Naylor is a skilled enough defender to get his bat into the lineup.
Got a little messy between Jesse Roche and Keith Law the other day in a tiff over Tanner Bibee, but Bibee himself keeps his innings tidy. We can all get together and toast to a 0.82 WHIP across six Double-A starts and the fact that here we are in one of the best places to find great fantasy starters, looking at a starter who’s poised to give us some great fantasy starts.
58. SS Angel Martinez | Guardians | 20 | A+ | 2024
59. 3B Elehuris Montero | Rockies | 23 | MLB | 2022
60. SS Colson Montgomery | White Sox | 20 | A+ | 2024
61. 2B 3B OF Enmanuel Valdez | Red Sox | 23 | AAA | 2022
Cleveland has a lot of middle infield prospects who’d like to play shortstop, but it’s Angel Martinez who’s always out there for whatever team he’s on, and I think that will continue in the majors. (Partly because Cleveland’s ownership really Guards that bank account.)
Eli’s coming! Helps him that Kris Bryant can’t stay on the field. (Is he okay off the field?) Helps him that he plays in Coors. Hurts him that he plays for the Rockies. Catch 22. The Rockies and the military industrial complex. So much in common. Gotta spend the budget just enough to keep your job and some fans.
I’d have Colson Montgomery higher on a non-fantasy list or an OBP list. Right now you have to pay the premium for a big shortstop prospect who’s thriving ahead of the age-to-level curve. He could wind up a third baseman without enough speed or power to stand out at the corner. Then again, third base is shallower than short, so now I’m just talking myself in circles. Bottom line is I think he’s got a good approach without leaning on passivity to get there.
The Red Sox are catching a little fire for their own Catch 22 of a trade deadline. I think I like the old sell-and-buy approach in a general sense. Best to remain flexible. Specifics got a little wonky here, but I suppose you’ll have that. I like that they brought in Enmanuel Valdez (along with Wilyer Abreu) at the expense of Christian Vasquez. I think he’s a perfect fit for their park.
62. 3B Deyvison De Los Santos | Diamondbacks | 19 | A+ | 2025
63. OF Anthony Gutierrez | Rangers | 17 | CPX | 2026
64. LHP DL Hall | Orioles | 23 | MLB | 2022
65. LHP Kyle Harrison | Giants | 20 | AA | 2023
66. OF Pedro Leon | Astros | 23 | AAA | 2023
DDLS isn’t taking his walks or limiting his strikeouts, but he’s mashing pitchers several years his senior anyway. Double arrows up on Deyvison De Los Santos until further notice.
Most players on my lists earn their spot via outcomes on the field, and you could certainly make that argument for Anthony Gutierrez given his age-to-level, slugging .418 in 18 games on the complex. The more compelling arguments for Gutierrez include things we might not see in the statline for a minute as he’s constantly punching up against older players. That’s fine. He won’t always be the youngest kid on the block.
Kyle Harrison and DL Hall make an interesting duo. Could be a road comedy where neither guy has any idea where they’re going, but they’re both so damn handsome and awesome they thrive anyway.
Michael Brantley is out for the year, and Pedro Leon has a .423 OBP and 18.3 percent strikeout rate since July 1. He’s also hit three home runs and stolen ten bases over that 26-game stretch. They did add Trey Mancini at the deadline, but then Dusty said he’s only played outfield a dozen times. Leon hasn’t played since August 6 due to facial fractures from getting hit in the face with a fastball. (Thanks to C-MAN in the comments for the update.)
67. OF Emmanuel Rodriguez | Twins | 19 | A | 2026
68. OF Brennen Davis | Cubs | 22 | AAA | 2023
69. SS Zach Neto | Angels | 21 | AA | 2023
70. OF Grant McCray | Giants | 21 | A | 2024
Emmanuel Rodriguez has earned this and more on the field but hasn’t been on the field since early June.
Yes, Zach Neto has leaped Elijah Green on my rankings. No, I don’t know if the Angels know what they’re doing, but yes, it does matter that they’ve already jumped him to Double-A, where he’s slashed .429/.467/.500 in three games. Do three games matter as a sample size? Of course not. Does Zach Neto have a shot to open 2023 with the Major League Angels? Yeah I think he does. Would that be neato? Sorry, one too many questions.
Were it not for a back injury, Brennen Davis would be off this list and playing every day in Chicago.
Grant McCray has everything you’d want in a fantasy outfielder, except for the strikeout rate. In the last month, he’s hitting .330/.430/.550 with six home runs and 11 stolen bases but striking out 29.8 percent of the time even during the hot stretch.
71. C Endy Rodriguez | Pirates | 22 | AA | 2024
72. OF Kevin Alcantara | Cubs | 20 | A | 2025
73. OF Lazaro Montes | Mariners | 17 | DSL | 2026
74. OF Elijah Green | Nationals | 18 | CPX | 2027
75. OF Alec Burleson | Cardinals | 23 | AAA | 2022
Endy Rodriguez is a pretty useful check for how heavily your list is leaning toward catchers. He’s just as good as most of these guys, but when you start running up the list, you realize, nah I’d rather not wait on a catcher, let alone a Pirates catcher. Yarrr.
2022 has been a good season for Kevin Alcantara even though he’s slugging .327 since July 1. He’s recorded 34 extra base hits (12 HR) and a 25.8 percent strikeout rate across 93 games. Not bad for a 19-year-old in Low-A. Would be nice to see him rediscover some thump before the season runs out, but fatigue has to be setting in during a grueling first full-season stateside.
Lazaro Montes is a cart-before-the-horse ranking like the Gutierrez one. He’s striking out too much (33.2 percent) but slugging .632 with a .434 OBP anyway. It’s the DSL, so it doesn’t matter much except that it buoys his dynasty value a little.
Alec Burleson just hits and hits and hits and rarely strikes out. This tends to work. His 6.2 percent walk rate is just on the borderline of an approach that doesn’t tend to work. St. Louis has a rep for letting good outfielders walk, but the catch-22 of that issue is their player development group can’t stop drafting and developing too many major league outfielders to fit onto one major league roster. I’ll take that problem any day of the week.
Thanks for reading!
I’m @theprospectitch on Twitter.
Hey Itch, how do you feel about Gorman and Ashby long-term? Have both at $1 in NL-only keeper but they’re attracting some trade interest. I’m superficially competitive this year but don’t think I actually have the juice to make up ground in the cats I’d need to win. They’d both make the keeper cut for me but I’m wondering if I’d be better off turning them into something with a higher floor; I’ve been hesitant so far because both have some loud tools. Speaking of loud tools, how about that Grey?
Also, same league, what kind of bid would you be putting on Grissom? Didn’t have room for him in a MiLB slot but now that he’s up I can fit him in.
“Son, this world is rough and if a man’s gonna make it, he’s gotta be tough and I knew I wouldn’t be there to help you along. So I give you that name, and I said goodbye. And I knew you’d have to get tough or die. It’s that name that helped to make you strong. Now you just fought one heck of a fight. And I know you hate me, and you got the right to kill me now. And I wouldn’t blame you if you do. But you ought to thank me, before I die for the gravel in ya gut and the spit in ya eye ’cause I’m the f-er that named you Tink.”
TANSTAAPP but I’m pulling for Tink!
Hey Itch!
Any Wenceel Perez love coming in the top 100? A tidy AA 900 OPS and 230 ISO has got me excited.
How should we feel about Jay Allen too? Drafted him in the first round of the FYPD last year. Power is concerning, but the plate skills and speed look good, and he just needs to grow into the power a bit more?
Great stuff, itch! I’m in a 16 team, keep forever dynasty. 62 man roster (17 starters, 20 reserve, 25 minors) and while the team is struggling this year (have Will Smith (C), Ezequiel Duran, Nico Hoerner, Steven Kwan, Riley Greene, Vaughn Grissom, Matt Brash to name the younger players), my minor league system is much better (Yanier Diaz, Miguel Vargas, Jordan Walker, Bernabel, Henderson, Carroll, Soderstrom, Drew Romo, Michael Busch, B. Jordan, Colt Keith, De La Cruz, DDLS, Amador, Mayer, Lawlar, Montgomery, Arroyo, Hassell, Chourio, PCA, Caissie, Groshans, A. Gutierrez, T. Bradley, G. Williams, McGarry, C. Wilcox, Eder, Harrison, Hajjar, Taylor Dollard, Boyle, Norge Vera, Ty Madden, Will Bednar, Luis Serna and Susana, Owen White, Ryne Nelson).
My question is how would you attack the offseason? Im sure I’ll get a ton of inquires on the prospects, and most of the younger bats will at least be in AA next year. Would you hold onto them and hope their upside comes to fruition? Thanks for the input!
Hi Itch,
Great list. I have a few of these in my league. Happy to see them here as I haven’t invested much capital to acquire them.
I would appreciate your thoughts on a couple of guys available on my league.
1. Eguy Rosario, for him proximity is the value. Does he have a place to play in SD or merely a Util?
2. Alex Canario, is the double A surge for real? Has he cut down the Ks enough to play at the higher levels?
Appreciate the work you do!
Thanks, Johnny.
1) Might work to his advantage that Tatis is out for so long. Lowers the bar to entry just enough to let him in, I think.
2) Yes, and yes. 17.7 percent strikeout rate since July 1. 16.9 percent walk rate over the stretch. 10 HR in those 30 games. That’ll work.
Thanks again! ‘Preciate you, too!!
Hey Itch! Had the fortune of grabbing some new hotness this year in my 12 team keep 8 roto league. With trade deadline coming up, want to make sure I’m keeping my top 8/9 off limits. How would you rank these keepers? Thanks.
Top 3
$38 Acuna
$25 Devers
$21 Yordan
Options for the other 5 (I’m thinking 3 bats and 2 arms)
$8 Harris II (4th keeper)
$12 Adolis Garcia (5th keeper)
$11 Oneil (30+/20 pace and tools and fun factor alone feel like obligatory keep bc he won’t be available go forward) (6th)
$4 Strider (7?)
$3 C Javier (8?)
$8 Wright
$10 Freddy peralta
$14 valdez
Hey, Duda Want to Build a Snowman!
Harris II
Cruz
Strider
would be locked in for me.
Then probably Framber and Freddy
Leaves you a hitter short but I think you might be able to get Adolis back for not much more than that.
Good call on Adolis. I didn’t keep him this year and was able to draft him back for only that.
I forgot to include in the list a $16 Eloy. That change anything for you? Love the dude, but no speed def hurts the upside vs others of course.
Time is right to toss Eloy back and see what happens, but you could say the same for Freddy. Dealer’s choice on which one you’d be able to sleep better about potentially losing via auction.
I am really intrigued by Bubba Chandler. I have 3 picks left and am looking at him, Gavin Stone, De Los Santos, Colas, and Gutierrez. Can you please rank the 5?
14 Team Dynasty. Need pitching and power. Are you concerned with Stone’s recent command issues? Is Chandler going to be a two way player? What 3 are most likely to make an impact, no matter the time frame?
Not concerned with Stone’s command just yet.
I traded for Chandler in a daily 30 because I think he’s got a shot. It’s not ideal that he’s so far away and in Pittsburgh, but if you’ve got the time, he’s got the topside.
Colas, Stone, then a pick-one from DDLS, Gutierrez and Chandler. Can’t really go wrong, imo. I’d take DDLS and hope Gutierrez made it through the draft because I think he’s the least known in this group.
Thank you!
Itch, You’re a national treasure! Vaughn Grissom is hitting 440′ bombs on my squad for the next decade thanks to you.
Could Oscar Colas be the next Yordan?
Is this Emmanuel Rivera breakout real?
Thanks, Gordeon!
Stoked to hear you’ve got Grissom!!
The physical comp isn’t quite there bc Yordan is enormous, but in the sense that he’s been underrated for a while by most public facing outlets despite his likelihood of early success, there’s a definite connection.
Yordan didn’t even make the Fangraphs Top 100 before he came up, if I remember right. They prize actual hitting skill and outcomes a little more now than they did then, I think, but Colas is still a 45 despite annihilating AA this year, so we’ll see if they adjust that.
Some of this is happening in Coors, so that’s certainly grounds for doubt, but I’ve been buying on Rivera for a long time and think he’s got plenty of talent to establish himself as an everyday player in Arizona.
Hey man, I hope you’re enjoying the Sunday morning coffee!
Thanks for write-up as always.
Jolt
Thanks Jolt!
Having some tasty coffee right now!!! : )
Itch, thanks for the info, as usual. You are appreciated. Couple of questions…
1 Would you trade Ruiz and Grissom for Carroll in a keep 30 dynasty?
2 Do you have any comps for Bibee? Information about his stuff?
3 You were high on Flores before, but he has slipped. What changed?
Thanks, homey!
Thanks, Philip!
1 Yes, I’d take Carroll there.
2 Not much into comps on pitchers or really in general, but he’s got everything Cleveland does well, specifically off-speed command of multiple offerings and a fastball that thrives inside the strikezone due to it’s movement characteristics, specifically some arm-side ride that helps it stay elevated.
3 Still very high on him. Detroit scares me. And now they’re doing this one-point-five-times-through-the-order thing I can’t stand. (He’s averaged 13.4 batters faced over his last five starts. He’s been dominant, but he’s averaging just more than four inning an outing. That’s fine, I guess. Borrows a portion of the Astros plan, but they always turn up the innings on a guy as he nears the majors. Plenty of time here. Flores is just 21.
Morning Itch
Thanks for the update.In a 16 team Dynasty 6×6 league.Do you have a RP prospect that could emerge 2023 as next Camilio Duval or Felix Bautista in 2023?
Morning junior56,
Not really. I mean I like Jonathan Hernandez to hold that job in Texas, and someone who’s not Rowan Wick is likely to emerge in Chicago, where they have a lot of talented bullpen arms.
Evan Phillips is for real in Los Angeles.
I like Jose Quijada in LA of A.
But I don’t have a from-obscurity-to-the-ninth shot to call at the moment. I’ll definitely be making noise about it in this space the second I do though.
Ron Marinaccio is a 2023 sleeper in NY.
I like old man Brazoban in Miami, but he’s got a ways to go before he enters to the closing picture.
Pedro Leon was hit in the face by a pitch a couple weeks back and is out with a facial fracture.
TheCheeeeeeeatttt!!!!!!
Sorry, you probably get that a lot.
Just makes me smile every time I see it.
Thanks!
Pedro Leon has facial fractures. He will be out until mid-september at minimum.
Thanks, C_MAN!
“more than cosmetic”
tough timing for him
Brother Itch!!! I need a ton of help. I just got $10 bid cash to play with and tomorrow night is the deadline. I have a feeling tomorrow you will drop the top 75 which will be a godsend. I am in a 20 team league 20 minor league spots. You can keep someone forever in your minors. I have a win now team, I’m in 4th heading into the playoffs. Which of these guys are droppable for you? Gavin Sheets, Nick Gordon, Luis Rodriguez (lad), Estevan florial, Kerry Howell, yasel antuna, Chris Rodriguez (laa), luis medina, Payton battenfield, Jay groome or Bubba Thompson.
I also have blaze Jordan, Massey, steer, Emanuel Valdez, Kerry carpenter, Bryan Mata, silseth, Braxton Garrett and the ever frustrating nasty nate pearson.
I’ve made a ton of trades the last 2 years and my farm is thin lol. Any help is muuuch appreciated. And if you have some names maybe some wish upon a star guys would be great. Thank you!
I think you could drop C Rodriguez, Y Antuna, K Howell and maybe Luis Rodriguez.
I’d check for De Los Santos and Gutierrez right away.
Pedro Ramirez with the Cubs a lil deeper shot.
Juan Alonso with LAD too.
Itch you are awesome thank you again! Going McNulty on the waver wire right now lol
My league is good, only McGarry is avail. I will snag Alonso and Ramirez and hope I have enough bid cash for McGarry. Mightve been your ranking he went on the noard this morning. Maybe I should disguise my post better lol
Best of luck with your bids!!
The Itch!!!
Awesome!!
a. Loved it, you’re the reason why I’m anywhere near the top of my leagues in dynasty. Thank you much.
b. Hence and Bibee both available in my dynasty. Add either or both in my 4×4 [OBP, SB, RC, TB x WHIP, SVH, QS, K/9] dynasty?
DHarris
Brujan
Lowe
JWalker
Tovar
ERuiz
Serna
Cowser
Gutierrez
Outman
Wiemer
Wilmer Flores
EuryP
Tiedemann
LoganTAllen
c. George Carlin quote of the day for August 14, 2022
‘Some day birth control will come off prescription, and they’ll need those cute little catchy names like the patent medicines have…some day birth control pills will have names like, “Preg-Not”! Doctors prefer “Embry-No”! Here’s one for the ladies, “Nary-A-Carry”! Something lofty and poetic: “Nay Family Way”; something earthhy and crude: “Mom Bomb”; something for the youngsters, “Junior Miss”; here’s a real man’s product, “Inconceivable”! “Mommy-Not”, “Fetus Fail”, “Kiddie Kill”, “Papa Stopper”, “Womb Broom”, “Humpty Dumpty”… I wouldn’t be surprised if they came up with a birth control pill that doesn’t work all the time; they’d call it “Baby Maybe”!’
Cheers,
Ante
Mornin’ Ante!!
a. Glad to hear your teams are thriving!!
b. I’d add Hence over Serna and Bibee over Flores.
Cheers,
Itch
Nice call on De Los Santos, saw him play last week. Some obvious swing and miss, but dang that kid can smash a baseball. Made a couple of athletic plays at third, too. Came away as impressed with him as I was with Lawlar
Thanks! That’s pretty thrilling to hear and not at all surprising that he looks good even next to Lawlar.
Nice to see Hence make the list. I also want to say thanks for mentioning grissom a few articles ago. I snatched him up in a few leagues where he wasn’t owned. He looks great so far. I also read a few analysts say they under estimated his power.
Thanks for also getting back to my Wed question about trading Wander. I rejected the trade and agree with you 100%. I think trading him now is selling low. He was doing better than people are giving him credit for this year. He had multiple injuries on the quad which really affected him for a while which caused his numbers to go down. Now the wrist / hamate bone.
Happy to help! I’m hoping all Razzball readers have Grissom on at least one roster : )
Yeah it’s tough to wait on a guy like Wander, or now, maybe even Tatis, but you rarely if ever get solid return trading a stock-down superstar.