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.
Yankees RHP Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz (21, AA) has thrown two solid starts in Double-A after graduating High-A with a 2.26 ERA and 1.06 WHIP in 83.2 innings. Rodriguez-Cruz came over from Boston in the Carlos Narvaez trade and could be on the move again this summer. Pretty comfortable Top 100 prospect at this point on the strength of a high-90’s heater and well-rounded pitch mix he can command.
Giants OF Bo Davidson (23, AA) continued his march to the majors, earning a promotion to Double-A after slashing .309/.412/.507 with ten home runs and 12 stolen bases in 72 High-A games. He’s already homered and swiped a base through three games in Double-A. Rafael Devers played his first game at first base on Tuesday, while Bryce Eldridge went 2-for-4 with a homer in Triple-A. The lineup this team brings into next season is going to look worlds better than the one it brought into 2025, and Davidson should elbow his way into the picture before the All-Star break. He could also be moved to a more inviting park for lefties around the deadline. Either way, he’s a lot closer to impacting our game than a typical 23-year-old who’s played half a week in Double-A. If I’m making a move with the Giants, I’m trying to buy Bo Davidson and Luis Matos, who fits a profile from which teams have found value over the past few years. The best way to use your roster spots in a rebuild, I think, is taking fliers on young big leaguers who are struggling and stuck on first-division contenders. I don’t believe in the 4A player myth.
Reds SS Tyson Lewis (18, CPX) was the 51st overall pick in the 2024 draft as a prototype high upside infielder at 6’2” 195 lbs. He didn’t play last year or early this year but has made his presence felt on the complex, slashing .333/.387/.529 with six home runs and 18 stolen bases in 43 games. If you’re a seller in your dynasty league this season, Lewis makes sense as a long-term investment at a reasonable price.
White Sox OF Christian Gonzalez (18, CPX) made the jump to stateside play after a 21-game return trip to the Dominican Summer League, where he batted .431 with more walks than strikeouts. Complex League pitching should be significantly better than DSL pitching right now, but it hasn’t bothered Gonzalez, who is slashing .438/.471/.594 with a homer and two steals through nine games. He’s not an under-the-radar type after signing for $550,000 in the 2024 class, but he could be an important piece in this rebuild for a team that needs a few balls to bounce their way.
Red Sox 3B Louis Andujar (17, DSL) signed for just $20,000 and already looks like a smart investment for Boston. It’s only been eight games, but Andujar has drawn seven walks against two strikeouts, and he’s slugging .688 with a homer and two steals. Get him on a watch list.
Thanks for reading!
you weren’t the only one saying this, but i had seen many that had this backwards, and by now just 60ish% into their first seasons (less since neither was up right away to start either): kurtz over caglianone. i bet a lot forget this, you should get props for this though, as many of us in march (or earlier for some) in dynasties had this exact decision if picks in the 1-10 range. and surely they might turn out similar eventually or near equal %, but it’s sure a LARGE gap already. one of them is playing like he’ll be possibly the top CI guy in redrafts maybe by next year (minus the rare all tool CI guys like jose ram, maybe), the other is only started even in 16’ers from prospect grades, and by now if anybody still starts in say a 12’er knows he shouldn’t be.
Thanks!!!
I remember it the same: compared to the echo chamber, I wound up high on Kurtz and low on Cags.
So much so that I felt that pull of, should I bridge this distance a little? . . .
Itch!
Keen to get your thoughts on the below offer:
I get – Abrams and Woo
I give – JRod and Walcott
12 team, standard 5×5 cats with OPS and holds
I’ve got a strong team and a lock for the playoffs and have an excess of OFs (Acuna, Carroll, Tucker and Anthony). O.Cruz is my ss this year so this move kind of has an eye to the future with it by getting Abrams as Cruz loses eligibility next year. Also have Made and De Vries in the farm (you’ve got them all ranked about the same as Walcott)
Should I pull the trigger?
Given your specific build, I’d take that deal.
Read on MLBTR that Dombrowski discussed bringing up Crawford if they can’t solve their OF woes elsewhere. He said that he won’t bring him up unless the plan is to play every day. Maybe just lip service, but it’s nice to hear his name in a conversation.
I suspect it’s lip service, especially around the trade deadline
esp dombrowski, who always punts his future for his present, always kicking the can down the road to try to win now, and leave behind a junk cabinet system who’s problem isn’t his as he’ll get promoted somewhere else just after (win anything big or not).
Yeah, kind of stating the obvious, feels like lip service
Not technically a prospect at this point, but any thoughts on Kristian Campbell at AAA and his outlook RoS and as a keeper?
i’d not dump in a keeper/dynasty or even sell at present value. dude already hit well in MLB for like a month, now learning 1B as well. i’d be interested in him upon a recall in redrafts too even shallower. and my only spot owning him was a h2h 14’er redraft where i kept him during the bad parts after that first month the whole time.
I agree. I’m not moving off him.
Thanks Itch, good stuff as always, and I have picked up a few shares of Davidson lately…….in your opinion and all things equal, please rank these prospects as to whom you think will be better long term: Briceno, De Paula, Quintero, Eldridge and Siroka. Thank you.
Eldridge
Briceno
De Paula
Quintero
Siroka
all good tho
Find myself liking Angel Martinez a lot, good stuff, Itch!
Thanks, Grey!
Not a comp, but I get Jose Ramirez vibes in the developmental path. Rough first few years as a young part-timer, clicked at age 23.
Can make it look easy from both sides of the plate in a similar way
Oh me likey
In a keep forever league, would you drop Volpe for Angel Martinez?
Does it have to be Volpe?
He’s another up-the-middle guy with speed and power.
I do prefer Martinez, but that’s a tough move to make.
I could drop Kim of the Dodgers or Langeliers since I have Goodman.
Delauter out again fractured hamate bone in wrist. It is so unfortunate. This guy can’t catch a break.
Oooffff
super rare instances of somebody getting that exact thing fixed and WHAM right back killing it (olson that one year, something like 37 HR’s in like 4 months AFTER having that part of his hand/wrist removed, fixed DURING that season). this is really rare though, it was barely believable his value changes that season, from high, to super low, to even higher than the high before the removed hamate bone.
Love these write-ups. Monocling these name.
Showed a retired scout clips of C Burns and Jacob Misiorowski – his notes.
Burns – flat fastball, very hittable but impreses with speed and location. Nasty slider. Nastier curve? Splitter? Whatever dropped impressed him and he stated that he needed to emphasize that pitch
Misiorowski – locked in and confident presence. Up Down delivery, especially for his height, caught him off guard. I didn’t understand and he stated that he throws like Nolan Ryan.
Thanks!
That tracks for Miz. His ball just moves differently. Has LIFE.