Every other week Razzball ranks the prospects closest to contributing to your fantasy roster. The list is limited to players who still have rookie eligibility (less than 130 at bats or 50 innings pitched) and who are currently in the minor leagues. It’s not a list based on talent alone, but rather it’s a mixture of talent and opportunity. It will change frequently over the course of the season as prospects graduate to the majors, injuries occur, or service time roadblocks are passed. Here are the top 15 prospects on the cusp of the major leagues for 2015 fantasy baseball…
1. Carlos Correa, SS | Astros
Need ideas for things to do while waiting for Correa’s promotion?
1) Organize your MIDI files
2) Play Facade and actually try to beat the game instead of just cursing at Trip/hitting on Grace
3) Apply for citizenship in Liberland
4) Reread old Razzball posts
2. Corey Seager, SS | Dodgers
Jimmy Rollins is 36 years old and hitting .209 on the year. He was recently moved to eighth in the lineup. Seager is hitting .405 with two homers in his last ten games at Triple-A. Whether it’s an injury, trade, or just performance, I don’t see how this story doesn’t end with Seager at shortstop for the Dodgers by August.
3. Byron Buxton, OF | Twins
Buxton hasn’t homered yet this month, but he has hit over .300 with five stolen bases in his last six games. That’s what makes Buxton so great and also what reminds me of a Carlos Gomez type. When Buxton isn’t hitting homers, he’s stealing bases/scoring runs and vice versa. To put it another way, he’s always going to be doing something to help your fantasy team.
4. Hector Olivera, 2B/3B | Dodgers +3
Olivera won’t need much time in the minors, so a promotion by the end of June is definitely a possibility. The recent injury to Howie Kendrick (although minor) will only add fuel to the speculation if Kendrick misses substantial time. I went to add Olivera on ESPN and saw he was listed as a first baseman despite playing all of 16 games there in his entire career…so naturally I responded by cooking my computer in my microwave. Get your shizz together ESPN!
5. Francisco Lindor, SS | Indians -1
Jose Ramirez is hitting .184 with a .252 on-base percentage. The Indians’ defense ranks 27th of 30 MLB teams according to Fangraphs. Terry Francona recently said Lindor “wasn’t ready”. Then he flexed his man muscles and rode off on a unicycle to Yakety Sax.
6. Jose Peraza, 2B | Braves -1
Maybin is playing pretty well at the moment, but he’s not exactly the poster boy for health. Peraza has played four of his last five games in center field, which could imply – a) the Braves are happy with Jace Peterson at second, b) Maybin could be traded at some point, or d) they just want to increase Peraza’s versatility and a call-up isn’t necessarily imminent.
7. Andrew Heaney, LHP | Angels -1
Hector Santiago has continued his Sandy Koufax impersonation, but his 4.66 xFIP suggests that the good times may not last much longer. Matt Shoemaker isn’t exactly doing much to instill confidence and Garrett Richards, well…I love Garrett Richards but holy cow that was bad yesterday. Heaney (2.4 BB/9 and 8.6 K/9 at Triple-A) should find his way into the Angels’ rotation before long.
8. Steven Matz, LHP | Mets
Even when the Mets went to a six-man rotation they didn’t have room for Matz, so it’s hard to rank him much higher than this until something opens up. Since our last list, Matz has thrown another 18 innings with 14 strikeouts and only two earned runs.
9. Daniel Norris, LHP | Blue Jays +2
Norris is still struggling with his control, but did turn in a pretty outing on Wednesday. The southpaw threw seven innings with eight strikeouts and, more importantly, only one walk. Norris should be next in line when the Jays need another starter or if they decide to move Marco Estrada back to the bullpen.
10. Matt Wisler, RHP | Braves +5
Wisler debuted on the list in week 8, but jumps up five spots already thanks to another solid outing at Triple-A Gwinnett and my hunch that we’ll see him in the majors fairly soon. Wisler struck out seven batters in 8.1 scoreless frames his last time out and I’m starting to stash him in deeper formats. Williams Perez is striking out almost a batter per inning, but I’m betting on Wisler taking that fifth rotation spot before long.
11. Adam Duvall, 3B | Giants
While Matt Duffy is holding his own at third for the Giants with four homers and 23 RBIs, Duvall could force the issue by the end of this month with his play at Triple-A. He’s slashing .298/.329/.563 with 13 homers and 41 RBIs in Sacramento. Duvall hit .192 in a 28-game audition with the big club last year, so it’s not a given he’ll succeed upon arrival.
12. Miguel Sano, 3B | Twins -3
The three-spot drop is not about anything Sano did or didn’t do, and more about the three players ahead of him being a little closer to their promotions. In fact, Sano is hitting .342 with a pair of home runs in his last ten games. An optimistic ETA would be late July/early August, but a more realistic one would probably be September.
13. Aaron Nola, RHP | Phillies +1
I’m excited to see who my Phils take at #10 in tomorrow night’s draft, but it’s equally exciting to see last year’s first-round pick performing so well at Double-A Reading. He’s gone seven innings in each of his last two starts with one walk between them. Advanced command and control will limit the damage when Nola faces big league lineups (hopefully later this year).
14. Luis Severino, RHP | Yankees
Severino’s promotion to Triple-A brings him one step closer to the majors. The Yankees are getting by with what they currently have, and they’ll soon add Ivan Nova to the mix. Nevertheless, Severino should be able to contribute at some point this season. In two games started at Triple-A, the 21-year-old righty has pitched 11.1 innings with four strikeouts and three earned runs.
15. Jose Berrios, RHP | Twins
Now that Alex Meyer is working out of the pen, Berrios could be next in line for a promotion should the Twins decide to dip into their minor league pitching. We’ve seen a few pitchers skip straight to the majors from Double-A already this season, and Berrios currently leads the Southern League in strikeouts with 77 ponches in 69.1 innings pitched.
Graduates
I’ve been tracking the graduates from these lists, but wasn’t happy with just regurgitating their stat lines. So we’ll try something a little different (and hopefully a little more useful). Each graduate is listed with their highest appearance on the rankings, as well as their “Season to Date” and “Rest of Season” values from the Razzball Player Rater. I used the standard 12-team ESPN values entering Saturday night’s games and the table is sorted by $ROS.
| Player (Highest Rank) | POS | $STD | $ROS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kris Bryant (1) | 3B | 19.7 | 33.6 |
| Yasmany Tomas (3) | 3B/OF | -0.3 | 6.0 |
| Addison Russell (8) | SS | -7.6 | 3.4 |
| Raisel Iglesias (13) | SP | -8.8 | -2.4 |
| Rusney Castillo (1) | OF | -27.7 | -2.8 |
| Maikel Franco (2) | 3B | -8.8 | -3.4 |
| Noah Syndergaard (3) | SP | -2.0 | -3.5 |
| Carlos Rodon (2) | SP | -7.2 | -5.9 |
| Eduardo Rodriguez (10) | SP | 2.0 | -7.2 |
| Alex Colome (12) | SP | -5.6 | -8.6 |
| Alex Gonzalez (12) | SP | -0.2 | -17.7 |
| Blake Swihart (11) | C | -14.3 | -28.8 |
Previous Rankings: Week 2 | Week 4 | Week 6 | Week 8
variety of velasquez related dynasty waiver questions. Either low waiver number or small amount of money left with waiver bid money, but might as well try.
1. 20 team roto with QS and K per 9. 15 out of 100 left. X amount and drop which of happ/heston/c.anderson?
2. 12 team with holds/QS/OBPA. 12th waiver. options are c.anderson/happ/heston/bolsinger, OR i could drop rodney (who i’ve benched anyway). we have 5 RP slots and currently benched is rodney, with perkins/f-rod/cecil/siegrist/tazawa in RP slots. deep benches for a 12, so it’s really a 14 team league here depth-wise
3. 16 team roto with QS. drop which of mchugh/hendricks/j.garcia or one of the andersons? 11th waiver
4. 16 team roto with K/BB and QS over wins. $33 out of 100 left. over any of hendricks/buchholez? and how much
5. 20 team H2H with QS and K/9. over either of j.garcia or heston and how much of 43 out of 100 left? thanks.
@Bull in a Chinese Restaurant: or colon in #5.
you are in luck my bovine friend, as I’m just putting the finishing touches on his writeup for tomorrow’s prospect profile…assuming these are all dynasties? (he’s more valuable there)
1. all of it…leaning Anderson
2. Bolsinger or Rodney if you think he’s toast
3. Anderson
4. eh, probably over Hendricks…maybe 15 bucks?
5. Garcia…20 bucks
@Maikel: yeah, all dynasties. good ralph line there.
ha thanks
@Bull in a Chinese Restaurant: also, trying to be sure, there’s not a fear of him being sent down again, right? since it would suck to spend that much free agent money and find out i don’t have NA slot room in any of those leagues (all higher ranked guys slotted already)
there is always that possibility….from what I’m gathering in writing up the profile, he doesn’t have many innings under his belt either. The Astros may need to monitor his workload as the season progresses even if he is pitching well.
@Maikel: i don’t mind a guy getting days off or start off here or there to dodge innings, but i’d rather not be roster fouling all over the place in some of these leagues to have an NA guy in active slot.
makes sense…unless he gets shelled, I don’t see anybody taking his spot away from him. At least, I don’t think they’ll have to worry about it until July when Feldman comes back, and even then, they’ll make it work if he’s pitching well
@Maikel: i wouldn’t mind if he went to bullpen either, i remember a few years back that was a fear with him, but in a lot of these leagues i have 6-7 RP slots, and if he were to go into one of those, and next year be a starter that wouldn’t be awful either.
yup, that’s not a bad alternative
@Bull in a Chinese Restaurant: oh, in #5 it’s a 14 teamer, so much better streamers than in others. I also have option to move rodon to RP for short term, keep jaime garcia to see if he continues recent play and drop b.logan for vince if i get him. i’m assuming that changes nothing with bid amount though. caminero and some other good RP are out there.
does FAAB bid become the salary? if not, then I’d be aggressive with him
@Bull in a Chinese Restaurant: no salaries, just keep or not. binary, simple. in #3 you meant to drop c.anderson, not b.anderson. in #3 i have both.
I did…player rater seems to like Chase over Brett, but I like Brett
Yeah, that’s great that it’s just a straight keep…be aggressive with him then.
5×5 HTH OBP 12 team league…better add Lindor or Olivera?
I’d take Olivera, but I guess it depends how badly you need a shortstop.
@Maikel: I have Alexi and Semien whos 3 position eligible but neither are exactly killing it. At the corners I have Freeman and Carlos Santana.
I’d lean Lindor there
Hey man, I just read that read Matz’s promotion is getting real close would you look to add & stash Matz?
“NEW YORK — Left-hander Steven Matz, who has a Pacific Coast League-leading 1.94 ERA, should not have to wait much longer for a promotion to the New York Mets. Asked about a published report suggesting July 1 might be the target date for Matz’s major league debut, a team source told ESPN.com it very well might be sooner — as in within the next three weeks.
In 74 1/3 innings at Triple-A Las Vegas, Matz has a league-leading 75 strikeouts, a 1.103 WHIP and a .207 opponent batting average. He has allowed only four homer runs despite pitching in the hitter-friendly PCL.
Matt Harvey, Zack Wheeler and Noah Syndergaard all made their major league debuts on the road. Though Rafael Montero and Jacob deGrom debuted against the Yankees at home, that was out of necessity because of injury. So perhaps the Mets will look to have Matz debut on the next road trip. The Atlanta Braves have no shortage of left-handed hitters, and the Milwaukee Brewers rank near the bottom in the NL in most offensive categories, including a league-worst .233 team average.
The Mets do not want to commit too early to how they will open a rotation spot for Matz. But make no mistake: Matz’s promotion will be for starting duty, not relief.
Optimally, a trade would present itself that would clear out Jonathon Niese and/or Dillon Gee. Injuries happen, too. Otherwise, Niese could receive the same fate as Gee in terms of moving into more of a spot-starter role.
Mets officials this week are more focused on the draft, as is the case with many other teams. So trade dialogue is taking a back seat for the next few days.
The Mets ideally will add a bat via trade — whether in the deal that ships out Niese and/or Gee or otherwise. Still, the Mets are not expected to pursue a player locked into third base, including Milwaukee’s Aramis Ramirez. The Mets do not want to be boxed in once David Wright ultimately returns from his lower-back injury. They are not keen on Ramirez’s diminishing skills anyway, and do not view him as an upgrade over what they have. And that’s before taking into account the $14 million contract Ramirez has for this season.
If the Mets were to trade for a position player, the optimal acquisition would be versatile, such as Oakland’s Ben Zobrist or Miami’s Martin Prado, so that adjustments could be seamlessly made once Wright returns.
There has been no hurdle cleared involving Wright so far this week. In fact, Dr. Robert Watkins was away, so he and Wright did not meet on Monday, as has been their customary practice, a Mets official said.
The Mets are expected to start recouping insurance money for Wright beginning in mid-June — 75 percent of his salary for the remainder of the time he is out beginning from that point. Still, a team official noted he would much rather have Wright playing than some payroll relief.
Meanwhile, the Mets have several roster decisions looming in coming days. Travis d’Arnaud and Dilson Herrera likely will be activated from the disabled list on Wednesday, with Bobby Parnell potentially to return the following day, when his 30-day rehab window will have expired. There was an outside chance Parnell would be asked to accept staying in the minors to get on track, but a source did not believe that request has been made by the team — not yet anyway.
Ideally, the Mets would rebalance their bench and bullpen, dropping a reliever as part of the flurry of roster moves that are coming. But that does not appear possible, because the Mets do not want to lose Rule 5 pick Sean Gilmartin. So Kevin Plawecki, Danny Muno and Jack Leathersich appear the most logical players to be demoted assuming d’Arnaud, Herrera and Parnell all return in the next two days. That would leave the bench with four players and the bullpen with eight arms, including Gee.”
– that’s the article I just read.
Yup :)
@Maikel: copy and pasting a link?
@Maikel:
I’m excited to see what he has; who do you think has better stuff or too soon to tell him or syndergaard?
– do you see the mets trading either Thor or matz , etc for tulowitzki or do you think they trade gee or niese for someone like zobrist who may not cost a lot
I think Thor has better stuff / higher ceiling…
As much as it pains me to say this as a Phils fan, I would hope the Mets would be smart and hold on to their young pitching – trading somebody like Gee or Niese instead
@Bobby the waterboy: why would anybody trade for aramis ramirez? that doesn’t seem to need to be argued against at all.
Grey didn’t like it, let’s see what you think. In dynasty with holds and K/9 would you trade melancon to get kela and caminero. i already have tolleson/k-rob and am TEX so i need to keep at least 9 of them on roster at all times, currently have 11. If not for Melancon’s K rate i probably wouldn’t do this. I’ve proposed a three way trade wherein
1. i get kela from LAA and caminero from PIT
2. PIT gets melancon
3. LAA gets papelbon
It seems LAA needs to give up more to PIT in this one. LAA didn’t want Heaney from me (which sucks, since both it would help make his prospects better and i might have to just drop heaney later, but he wants help now he said), is it too much for me to throw in Hughes if LAA finds Hughes an upgrade over his worst SP? I could stream or maybe grab hendricks (no guarantee he’s around long if this deal takes too long)
@Aubrey Plaza’s Pillow: or i could just wait and do heaney for kela when heaney’s up. LAA owner is apprehensive about guys with future only value. i told him heaney should be up soon, but he’ll need to see it. Basically he’d rather stash c.rasmus for some silly ass reason, even though i’m dangling LAA’s top prospect, a SP. I did grab t.anderson and hendricks, having to bring up gallo too.
I’d hold Heaney.. he just got shelled I think , but long term he should have better value than Rasmus.
send Hughes and grab Hendricks, sure
I don’t mind Kela and Caminero for Melancon unless saves are really precious (assuming they aren’t since it’s holds too). Those guys have the velo I’d want in my bullpen arms
@Maikel: c.rasmus only brought up since this other owner with kela is LAA and i find it funny that he doesn’t want heaney for kela, he said it’s since he’s in 20th out of 20, just took the team over and wants present value, yet he is stashing c.rasmus. If i were in his spot i’d much rather have heaney. I really shouldn’t have dropped kela back before he had 7th inning and wasn’t doing well. When he first came up he got hit pretty often, had a bad whip, and wasn’t K’ing guys, in addition to not getting holds. Now all that stuff has gone away and he’s 8th or no less than 7th inning.
true, I’d rather have Heaney also
yeah, Kela is likely going to get even better if his velo ticks up with the weather
Vincent Velasquez and Zach Walters just got called up but neither have been on this list. How good are those guys? Can you give comps? In dynasty leagues are both must-adds?
Velasquez is billed by some as Houston’s best pitching prospect. Ahead of Appel and McCullers. A #1 pick and a guy who is ripping up major league hitters. How serious should we be taking him?
Should I buy up a few shares of Vincent Velasquez before his debut on Wednesday? His stats so far seem fantastic. It seems his only question was health, but he healthy now, so…
I would, yup
Correa called up, and thanks to your post two weeks ago he has been safely tucked away on my bench!
Thanks!
As for Buxton, I think as with Correa and the Astros (who originally said they wanted him to have a full year in the minors) his timetable might be moved up with the Twins actually competing… How long until he’s worth a stash in a short bench league?
awesome! I’m glad it helped
it really just depends if you have room/how badly you need an OF in the second half
it wouldn’t be totally crazy to stash Buxton in late June expecting a call-up sometime in July
Thoughts on Giolito? September arrival?
possibly, but not before then and an early 2016 ETA is what I’d bet on
What do you think of yelich…is he droppable in a 8 team keeper league?
8-teamer? sure
just wondering where you would put peter o’brien and what kind of ETA on him
even with Trumbo gone, they still have a full outfield, and it looks like he’s not catching anymore. Where they put him I have no idea, but he’s basically major league ready with the bat so a July ETA makes sense. By then they may have a logical place for him or maybe the Tomas/Lamb 3B shakes out with one guy the clear starter
Great info as always Maikel, keep up that power stroke!
Not really a prospect question but…
I’m trading for Billy Hamilton in a dynasty. I’d like to know what you think his ceiling is and if you think he ever reaches it? Thanks
@Dan: Also, same question for Puig! Thanks again!
thanks!
ceiling? I guess .270 with 80+ steals. From what we’ve seen so far though I think he’s closer to .250-260 with 60 steals.
Hey Mike, how’s it going?
In a dynasty league — keep everyone no prices — I have soria, boxberger, holland/wade, grilli and carson smith as RP & lackey, burnett, carrasco, arrieta, teheran, morrow, harang as SP
I was offered cashner for smith and teheran, good deal or shoot way higher SP to get back?
Thanks
it’s fair, especially since you really don’t need Smith
BUT, if you’re looking ahead I’d rather have the Teheran/Smith side of that trade to be honest
I meant boxberger!
u drop bomber!
Plus u drop bomber get and pick up K ROD or Carson smith? Rodney is out as closer
Thanks
haha Rodriguez feels like a no-brainer add
14 team h2H dynasty with OPS/holds/QS/hits/K per 9. right when i needed a RF some twit drops souza. have to have at least 3 BN bats out of 4 BN spots. this results in very good streamers for a 14 team league.
d’arnaud (in active slot since he’s back soon and i wanted to hold both werth/byrd)
lind
altuve
c.davis
segura
LF delino
CF marte
RF j.butler (or grichuk, i’m streaming it)
util kang
BN howard/b.hamilton/tucker
DL byrd/werth
NA dahl/a-jax/bell/sano
SP – colon/arrieta/hamels/b.anderson (streamer)/rodon/j.garcia
RP – britton/ramos/tolleson/kela/scribner/strop/b.logan
DL – darvish/walden/iwakuma
NA stephenson
If i got 93 out of 100 free agent bid money left, how much on grabbing souza to drop j.butler I’m thinking somewhere in the 30’s or so. But dynasty, it could be more.
that’s a bad drop on their part. I’d bid 50 on him.
@Maikel: i know, right. i just took that one over less than a week ago and same day my only RF gets hurt (byrd) which was weak RF anyway.
@I got $100 for groceries, $1400 for liquor, and $6,000 for you to bail a couple of shit puppets out of jail: $50 did it. it would be really helpful if we got to see the 2nd highest bids in these leagues.
oh yeah for sure
In one FT league I can see them, in another FT league I can’t. Only difference is one is premium so I’m guessing it’s a premium feature for them. I use it to make trades actually. I can see who else was in on a guy or even who they were thinking of dropping…
why isn’t baez ranked (he shouldn’t be now with the finger break, but you wrote this first)? 20 team dynasty, very soon comish is gonna come after me for having DL guys in active slots, which means i likely have to call up gallo, even though i don’t want to yet. stupid yahoo doesn’t let you leave people in NA slots while making transactions.
the team where i’m TEX and have to keep 9 of them at all times.
zunino
fielder
forsythe
andrus
franco
LF choo
CF ozuna
RF stanton
util inciarte
BN leonys/owings/rios
DL beltre/profar
NA tapia/gallo/a-jax
SP hughes/liriano/quintana/hammel/c.anderson/bradley (in active slot, no DL room)
RP melancon/k-rob/tolleson/giles/betancourt/fien/ohlendorf (just got hurt too)
DL walden/darvish/d.holland
NA heaney/urias
Hoping for Bradley to get AAA’d, and i have no problem dropping fien/betancourt now (fien lost job, and betancourt’s been terrible lately) and olendorf. I would get some leeway time to make roster legal. Is it worth it to
1. trade rios or hughes and/or draft pick for kela? (i’m not sure kela owner wants to do this). then i would promote gallo, grab t.anderson and get healthy RP.
2. just drop rios or inciarte (or even owings) promote gallo, drop 2 or three RP, grab t.anderson and stash, and fix up bullpen.
3. just noticed hendricks was dropped, he’s gotta be better than hughes right now anyway, right?
Baez isn’t eligible cuz too many ABs (technically not a spec anymore)
1. pick for Kela sounds good
2. stash Anderson, lose Rios
3. Hendricks over Hughes, yeah
@Maikel: wow, rios has became a straight up drop in 20 team dynasty. that is the easiest way to fix this. I sent fien and 3rd rounder (these picks are worth less than nothing, since 20 team league) for kela, i’d go as high as a 1st really, since i have 25 guys to keep anyway if i want, and i’m a mid pack team at worst, so 9th pick is best i’d ever have anyway. Gallo coming up early has really left no roster mobility of any kind with yahoo not allowing active guys in NA slots. I will like it when he gets LF later when beltre comes back though. If rios is the drop i might as well send rios for kela too to kela owner.
@Aubrey Plaza’s Pillow: i forgot baez did have that many at bats last year.
yup, him and Singleton are two guys that still feel like specs but aren’t
nice, Gallo could also go back down when Beltre comes back
@Maikel: right, that was original plan, to leave him down and wait, but now that bradley and ohlendorf have made my roster illegal getting hurt, (and betancourt being awful and fien having job taken by two guys with worse K rates than even he has in boyer/AA ron thompson making team competitively worse). I’ll drop heaney and keep t.anderson when that happens. Or maybe Bradley gets sent down too (that would force anderson out)
ah gotcha
Hey Maikel,
Sounds like Baez took a detour and went and hurt his hand while sliding into base today. Hopefully it isn’t a big issue.
Great read as always.
oh bummer…thanks for the info slew!
thanks!
@slew: broken.
Thanks
Then who does Correa’s type would be in next 2 or 3 year?
I am stashing him and considering keeper in his ceiling is high. Thanks
oh gotcha…his ceiling is sky high. Whether he gets to it next year is another thing, but he’s got the potential to hit 290+ with 20+ bombs and stolen bases to boot. He’s pretty studly long term.
Hi Mike
How do u think who Correa’s type in big league would be this year? Thanks
probably similar to what Semien is doing…power, speed, 280ish average
Hey Mike, replying to my earlier post. The Altuve owner wouldn’t go for Wacha. How fair is Shelby and Heyward for Altuve? Am I still getting the better side of that deal? Basically selling high on Shelby and I’m not sure Heyward heats up especially since he platoons now. Thanks!
it’s still fair…I’d want Altuve
Figured I’d drop this here:
Gordon Wittenmyer
Maddon plans conversation with Theo before going to Detroit about possible extra bat with DH. #schwarber
Cubs beat writer, who is reliable, dropping a hint that Kyle Schwarber may get called up for the Detroit series. I can’t see it happening, but there’s no reason for Wittenmyer to BS. I would’ve bet money it was going to be Baez.
hmmm, that’s really interesting…thanks!
I would have thought Baez before Schwarber as well, but who knows
Would appreciate some advice on a Trade I’ve been offered – it’s a League where I can keep 12 players as long as I like
Christian Yelich for Garrett Richards
Richards is borderline on the 12 I would keep and I think Yelich would be around the same level … I have strong OF and SPs already
Is that an offer you would take? Or maybe trying to get Dellin Belances, as his owner is also looking for SPs. Thanks – all opinions welcome!
If you’re getting Yelich, I like it long term. Richards might be more valuable short term but I’d take Yelich there in a keeper.
@Maikel: Thanks – I do think his struggles are just the normal growing pains of a young bat. Will sleep on it, and try to make it work for me with keeping 12.
anytime
Matz update:
The Mets are likely to promote pitching prospect Steven Matz to the majors before the All-Star break, the New York Post reports.
The Mets want to manage Matz’s innings, the Super-2 cutoff for arbitration eligibility, which is expected to be around June 20, is another likely factor for the delay in Matz’s major-league debut.
nice! yeah I think we were looking at this in one of the links in the comments above
McCullers was never on this list? I wonder, where would he be on your list of graduates (STD, ROS)? His peripherals look awfully good. Do you believe he can keep it up?
nope, he was one of these oddballs who jumped from Double-A to the majors this year, so I never even had him ranked.
$STD = +2.4
$ROS = -8.6
Hey Prospector Maikel, lol, love the name change!
Any the who, love The Who, by the by, Just thought I would try and make your sunday extra special with this bit of MLB news:
The San Diego Friars plan on activating Melvin Upton on Monday! If you are like me, I was hoping he would never come back, what a waste of talent!
have a GREAT Sunday Maikel!
haha thanks! you too!
The buzz on Matz approaching soon is really heating up all over today. Young arms don’t last too long in my leagues, he’s only available in one of them, H2H redraft.
Weakest link of my staff is the very underwhelming Yordano Ventura, would you drop him for Matz?
nice! I’d hold honestly. Matz in the bigs probably isn’t giving you more than what Ventura already has.
What do you think of Hamels + Casilla/Grilli for Sale?
It’s fair
Hey Mike, I’m in a 12 team roto keeper league and im trying to get Altuve.
I could give him Wacha straight up or Shelby Miller and Jason Heyward. Does either deal greatly benefit me? Thanks
Also, just want to add we only keep 7 players and Wacha would be kept unless I trade him. Thanks!
Wacha for Altuve is a no-brainer IMO
Who two would you want as last round picks on your roster next year? Swihart, Franco, Heaney, Eduardo Rodriguez, Chi Chi Gonzalez? Thanks.
anytime :)
Franco and E-Rod
You share the same name as a certain someone I have on my team. COINCIDENCE…I think not. Glad I have him as $1 keeper next year or possibly trade bait.
I was going to pick up Capps this morning after I used and abused a spot starter, but he got snagged last night. So this morning first thing I see is that K. Johnson is checking into rehab for a few. I grab him, only to read 15 minutes later that the Mets plan to call Matz up before AS (and possibly as early as 2 weeks). I have two other guys rehabbing (Myers and Dickerson), so I don’t have much room to spare. The guys I’m playing over the next two weeks just made trades to bulk up their hitting, so dropping a hitter doesn’t help right now. With two guys on rehab this week, you never know if there will be a setback. Will Matz be worth the risk of dropping Lake, KJ, or Romo? If so, it will save me from having to trade Dickerson for an ace and my hitting stays really strong.
NL Only H2H 5×5 with OBP.
Ca Pena
1B Goldschmidt
2B Flores
3B Bryant
SS Kang
INF Franco
OF Pollock
OF Myers
OF Guerrero
OF Lake
Util. Bour
Bench Dickerson
Bench K. Johnson
CL Chapman
CL Melancon
RP Ziegler
RP Romo
SP Shields
SP Arrieta
SP Garza
SP Hendricks
SP Heston
B W.Peralta
@Pugs&Slugs: Matz just got picked up, so no worries. I should have pulled the trigger.
my bad…I wouldn’t sweat Matz TOO hard
@Maikel: Thanks. I would have snagged him if he was keeper eligible. Pitching is so chaotic in H2H anyway and I need bats right now.
no problem
20 man H2H dynasty league where we can keep 20 players every year based on a tiered system.
I’m contending but somewhat hurting at SP, and have been offered Matt Harvey for Byron Buxton and Chi Chi González. Yay or nay?
I’d hold
Hello Mister,
You have one aring omission from your graduate list…
The Joseph Gallo!!!
:)
Truth be told, he has as many K’s as Russell in his first 5 games. I’ve seen them all and they are “good” strikeouts, if there is such thing. He’s not swinging at everything, he”s getting a lot of balls, hitting a lot of fouls, etc. I think this is the normal progression and a great sign. A true magna cum laude graduate!
A question about Schwarber, where would you rank him today on you prospect list. Ahead of Sano with his bat?
Thanks!
haha I love Gallo, but he jumped my list completely! I never ranked him (didn’t see the promotion coming TBH), so that’s why he’s not on the graduates table.
Schwarber is really impressive. I would still be hesitant to rank him over Sano though since the Cubs seem pretty committed to him staying behind the plate.
When is Maikel Schmidt getting promoted? He’s killing it this year!!!
if Maikel Schmidt got promoted it would break the internet…well, my internet at least
Hi Mr. Maikel,
I am in an NL league and my weakest link is Phelps. I have Corbin, Peavy and Alvarez on the DL and I am wondering if you would drop any of them for Wisler.
Thanks in advance, comrade!
no problem…hold Corbin and Peavy. I wouldn’t sweat dropping Phelps or Alvarez though if you wanted to take a shot at Wisler
should i start samardzija today? he was so bad last time out that he’s gotta bounce back, right? tigers not playing so well…thanks!
yeah I’d start Shark
@Maikel: ok i’m counting on ya!
jk, was planning to start him anyway. he can’t be this bad.
haha…for real
Why isn’t Baez on this list? Also, if you were to add him where would you rank him?
Many believe he’s getting that call up today or tomorrow for DH duties.
@Decisions, Decisions…:
I see why now, hr ABs are greater than 130. Still, where would you put him in the ranks?
yup..top 3, probably #2 right behind Correa
Baez isn’t eligible for this list because he’s not considered a prospect (213 MLB at bats)
If I could turn him back into a prospect, I would probably rank him in the top three
@Maikel: i should’ve read this first, it always pays to do that first.
haha no worries man, it happens all the time
Howdy Mike / maikel!
In a h2h pts with a weekly lock who would add to play at utility or just for depth;
Souza, Jean segura, Chris Carter, billy burns, Cameron maybin, Yasmany Tomas or maikel Franco
My current utility is Carlos Santana but I’m moving him to DH, I just dropped my DH I was using before. On my bench I do have Joey gallo, Napoli, reddick, Howie Kendrick & wil Myers on DL
Thanks have a great Sunday!
thanks…you too!
I’d go with Souza or Tomas…leaning Souza.
@Maikel:
Thanks bud;
Are you starting Addison Russell or howie Kendrick this week at 2b?
Next looks like Carlos correa could be up soon would you look to add / stash him or wait it out?
Lastly would you look to add Eduardo Rodriquez or do you want to see more starts out of e Rod?
no problem…Russell this week
I’d add Correa in most leagues if you have room
Add E-Rod
@Maikel:
Thanks man! Just noticed DJ lemahieu is available , still go with Russell at 2b or add & start lemahieu at 2b?
DJ gets a home series to start this week I think, so might be better to go with him.
Fowler, kemp, or lind at utility spot ROS??
Thx
I’d rank them like that
What kind of production do you see out of Olivera when he is called up, and do you anticipate regular playing time?
he can hit and hit for power…but with that Dodger infield and Mattingly calling the shots I could seem him sharing time
Can you please rank these younger SS(es) for the ROS:
Addison, Correa, Baez, Lindor
Do you think Addison ever gets out of the 9-hole?
Thanks
I think you’ve got it right…I do, but it might not be any time soon.
Can only keep players for 3 years with a $3 raise each year.
4 keepers mixed 12 team ( 5 reserves/team)
Who r the keepers next year?
Arrieta &8/1year left
Harvey $7/1year left
Buxton-correa-CseagerLAD all $5/ 2 years left.
Pederson &9/2years left
I’d go with Pederson, Correa, and Harvey…but you don’t have to decide now do you?
No but seager harvey are not on my team YET.
Have Harper Arrieta and lots more to trade if I can’t win this year. Betts Abreu puig yelich even pence R all bad choices this year and I’m in 8th. Ugh!!
SO JUST DECIDING ON MY TOP 5 for now
Thanks for asking
ah gotcha….man you have a ton of great options, nice work!
I’d go hitters over arms with only 4 keepers, so like a 3 hitter/1 arm ratio
I’ve stashed Correa and a few others already in roto leagues but I also play in a couple H2H redrafts. Where do you project Correa to rank among current shortstops once he gets the call up?
Thanks for all the work bud I always look forward to these write ups!
thanks! It’s hard to say where he’d rank, but with shortstop kind of a graveyard he’d probably be in the top ten. He could put up numbers similar to what Semien is doing in Oakland…some power, some speed, .280ish.
@Maikel: with upside of much much better than semien, who was never projected as much.
@goodfold2: Yeah, Semien is outperforming Semien right now, so to speak.
yup…Steamer’s ROS for Semien (10 HR/10 SB) seems about fair, but Correa could hit for a better average than Semien’s projected .250 and like you said has loads more upside, especially long term
When is Correa getting the call up and when he does will he be the everyday SS? Thanks Mike
I was originally thinking early July, but really it could be anytime now. Yup, I’d imagine he’d play SS everyday once he’s up.
@Maikel: someone just dropped him and I was lucky enough to swoop him up off wavers. I’m pretty pumped. Desmond has been so frustrating this year. I need some new blood
nice! yeah if you have the room he’s a no-brainer stash
Javi Baez?!
great stash! not eligible for this list since he’s got over 130 ABs though :)
Hahahaha hi Maikel. On a power binge lately bro, keep it up!
What would you likely demand for Franco if selling him in a keeper, we use contracts and he’s still on my farm so would be $0 next year and then likely $8 for 3 more (we keep 8 max a year). Would be a typical buyer/seller deal, I’d need back a couple of studs for this year right?
Any worries on Mookie this year, not exploded like some thought he might. Though still stealing a fair number and has a few homers, expect him to improve and get his leadoff spot back soon?
will do!
I’d be patient with Mookie. As far as Franco, it’s hard to say without knowing your league’s tendencies, but if you can get a more proven MLB player for him, I’d go for it. Considering he’d be basically free to keep next year, I would want some quality in return.
Let’s float his name out there and see what kind of response we get :) I’d shop him to rebuilding teams first
@Maikel: Holy hell he’s I mean you’re on fire now! I’ve put him on he trade block now to selling teams, people say the best time to sell rookies is when they are called up, but no THIS is the best time to sell rookies haha. When they are on an absolute tear.
Should definitely fetch a better return now….monster! Will let you know what offers I get.
haha nice!
im in a 16team keeper league and was offered shark for him last night, i didn’t hesitate
ah nice…Shark’s a solid return
@Maikel: They way you are hitting right now I think I’ll need a great return for a keeper league, that I might not get. I mean you are slugging .529 now, that is pretty insane for a rook.
I need better CI help with only Crush and Longo in our 10 team league. If I don’t get offered what I want would it be a totally crazy move to promote you myself start the clock early) and roll with you at 3B/CI? You have already out-homered Longo on the season ha.
it’s all relative…if you’re not happy with offers, keep him. He’s a good player and if you can keep him for nothing that’s great value. Promoting him now won’t kill you, as long as you don’t lose service time or anything like that based on your league’s rules.
@Maikel: Well yeah I would as I’d be starting his clock now, rather than at the start of 2016 season. But I could still keep him for $8 for 3 more years after, so it might be worth it if he continues mashing and I need him now.
gotcha…let’s look at the ROS projections then
Franco 9 HR/30RBI/.250
Longo 15 HR/50RBI/.258
Davis 20 HR/50RBI/.235
so basically you’ve got to weight the risk…if Franco beats his projections it might be worth it to bring him up now…otherwise, it’s probably better to keep him down (and that’s coming from a guy who really loves him). Basically it might benefit your team more in the long run not to promote him yet.
@Maikel: Yeah, it does seem a low projection for you (ok enough of that ha, I mean him) seeing as he’s bopped 6 HR in only 90ABs so far which is terrific. Will see what offers come in, either way not giving him away cheaply!
Thanks for the insight.
no problem
When is Buxton getting his MLB callup?
Aggressive would be late June/early July. Realistically probably August.
What to make of baez?
I was preaching patience in keepers and dynasties in the offseason, so I’m still optimistic. Those two months in the minors are a small price to pay if he truly tweaked his swing and adjusted his approach in different counts.
whoa a tim and eric reference, amazing
Praise Rang!
Seriously Cuban position eligibility has been bizarre over the years
for real…they must be going by the last position he played. Otherwise it takes all of five seconds on his B-Ref page to realize that’s not his primary position. That or ESPN is just trolling us
Regardless of position, who do you like more in the long haul….Pederson or Bryant?
Bryant would have been an easier answer two months ago. I’ll still say Bryant though.
@Maikel: Any specific reasons why you still prefer Bryant over Pederson?
I think over the long haul Bryant will hit for more power and for a better average. Pederson could make up that ground in steals, so we’re talking about a coin flip, especially if Bryant moves off 3B
Your computer fits in your microwave?
walk-in microwaves are the new thing man
@Maikel: the radiation can not be good
it explains a lot
I know he is mot a prospect but why are the Phillies taking so long to call up Dominic Brown?
I don’t know for sure. He’s only hitting .250 at AAA, but you would think his trade value would be higher if they played him in the majors. Amaro has been a little vague about it, so maybe they have some pieces they plan to shuffle first.
In a predicament here. To activate Puig must drop someone. Fowler and JD Martinez weakest links, also Maybin on the wire?
hmmm, I guess I’d drop Fowler
Doesn’t sound like you have room for Maybin
Mike Mike mike mike mike, love the new name. Franco coming through strong on the team!
Would you be adding correa or Seager dropping segura or forsythe? Nice try watch both square off against each other last week, although not overly exciting. Thanks for the update, look forward to the prospect rankings every week.
thanks!
Correa, sure. I probably wouldn’t drop anybody just yet for Seager unless my team was out of it and it was a keeper.
h2h redraft you keep running Addison out? or grab Phillips,Owings or stash Baez?
time to cut bait on Devon Travis or Soler?(redraft)
Deep league stash Heaney or Ervin santana?(roto)
I’d roll with Russell
Heaney’s the stash there IMO