In our 79th episode, Mike Couillard is joined by Keelin Billue, Razzball’s former Ambulance Chaser, and Jordan White, formerly of Pitcher List and Razzball, to discuss the latest MLB moves and preview the AL Central teams. For each team in the division, we each pick a player that for fantasy purposes we would buy, sell, […]
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Gavin Cross
Please see our player page for Gavin Cross to see projections for today, the next 7 days and rest of season as well as stats and gamelogs designed with the fantasy baseball player in mind.
Kansas City Royals Top 10 Prospects For 2025 Fantasy Baseball
December 29, 2024 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects, Featured | 14 Commentsby: The Itch
1. 1B Jac Caglianone | 22 | A+ | 2026
Announced as a two-way player, Caglianone was deployed first in the pros as a full-time hitter after slashing .419/.544/.875 with 35 home runs in 66 games for Florida. The well-developed, left-handed college bat made a nice fit at sixth overall for a Royals team on the rise. With Vinnie P at the slow corner, Caglianone could perhaps fake left field until he figured it out if necessary. The arm would even play in right once he’s accustomed to the angles, but at 6’5” 250 lbs, he may not have the mobility to learn on the fly out there. He didn’t blow the doors off the leagues he’s played as a pro but did pop five homers in 21 games in the Arizona Fall League.
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Hitter Profiles: Prospect Darts
July 28, 2024 | 2024 Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball Hitters | 2 Commentsby: Jeremy Brewer
With the MLB trade deadline looming, fantasy baseball managers know it will soon be time to look beyond blockbuster trades for hidden gems. As teams recalibrate and make their final playoff pushes or look to test young talent for the future, an influx of minor league talent often comes to the forefront. At this juncture, we start to see some surprise callups that can be real difference-makers, injecting fresh energy and unexpected production into our fantasy lineups. In this week’s Hitter Profiles, we dive into a selection of under-the-radar minor league prospects poised to receive the call and make an impact during the crucial stretch run. Whether you’re contending for a title or searching for keeper league gems, these lesser known names could be key to your future success.
Please, blog, may I have some more? Kansas City Royals Top 10 Prospects For 2024 Fantasy Baseball
January 17, 2024 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects, Featured | 16 Commentsby: The Itch
1. 2B Nick Loftin | 25 | MLB | 2023
The 32nd overall pick out of Baylor in the 2020 draft, Loftin plays all over the field, logging eight games at first base, seven games at second base, and four games at third base in his 19 games with the major league squad in September. He hit .323 over that stretch and has a chance to beat out Michael Massey for the primary job at second base after slashing .270/.344/.444 with 14 home runs and six stolen bases in 82 Triple-A games. He’s always controlled the zone well and struck out just 13.1 percent of the time in those 82 games.
Please, blog, may I have some more?76. Pirates 2B Termarr Johnson | 18 | A | 2025
A double-plus hit tool leads the way for Termarr Johnson, a 5’7” 175 lb left-handed hitter who calls Jose Ramirez to mind on a quick visual evaluation. The organization will be thrilled if Johnson follows a similar path, grinding his way up the chain before growing into power at the highest level. He’s off to a great start, slashing .275/.396/.450 with one home run and four stolen bases in 14 Low-A games. He also walked 18.9 percent of the time. Scouts have hung a lot of superlatives on Termarr. Some called him the best high school hitter they’ve ever seen. It’s a high bar, but I’m not going to bet against him.
Please, blog, may I have some more? Top 15 For First-Year-Player Dynasty Fantasy Baseball Drafts
February 5, 2023 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects, Featured | 32 Commentsby: The Itch
1. Orioles SS Jackson Holliday | 19 | A | 2026
The number one overall pick in 2022’s amateur draft, Holliday is a 6’1” 175 lb left-handed hitter who appears to have inherited his father’s all-out approach to baseball. He’s probably in a batting cage or a weight room right now. Everyone works hard at this level, but Holliday’s had access to baseball resources for a long time, and you can see the results in his game and his build. He dominated on the complex for just eight games before the team had seen enough and sent him to Low-A for the final two weeks of the season, where he posted a .439 on base percentage. He’ll likely head back there to open the year but should be able to force a promotion at some point. I suspect we’ll see more aggressive timelines with this next cohort of young Orioles in general. Holliday could be a nice bellwether for that.
Please, blog, may I have some more? Kansas City Royals Top 10 Prospects for 2023 Fantasy Baseball
January 15, 2023 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects, Featured | 28 Commentsby: The Itch
2022 wasn’t fun in the standings for Kansas City fans, but in the long arc of time, 2022 was a good year for the organization. MJ Melendez, Vinnie Pasquantino and Brady Singer all emerged as first-division starters. Melendez even looks like a functional defensive outfielder. Bobby Witt Jr. is also here and good. Needs work on the approach but who doesn’t. Every season brings them closer to the post-Dozier era, which is only addition by subtraction because the team insists he’s an everyday player. New Manager Matt Quataro figures to come in like a kind wind after years with Mike Matheny. Might be some playing-time surprises in our near future.
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2022 MLB Draft Hitters For Your FYPDs
September 15, 2022 | 2022 Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball Prospects |by: Hoove
For you dynasty leaguers, September fantasy baseball isn’t just for those trying to secure league titles. Maybe your spot in the standings is fairly locked in and there’s little movement that can be made in 2022, but there’s still plenty of baseball news of interest for you that can help you in 2023 and beyond. […]
Please, blog, may I have some more? Prospect News: Top 100 for Dynasty Leagues, Post-Draft Update
August 21, 2022 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects, Featured | 28 Commentsby: The Itch
I was going to copy and paste the whole list here, but then I remembered last time I did that, I had to scroll forever to read the profiles on this group, which is arguably the most important group in the list for our purposes given that they’re the likeliest to be available in the most leagues. Anyway, the links are still here and the most streamlined way to build this out, I think.
Here’s a link to the Top 25.
Here’s a link to the Top 50.
Here’s a link to the Top 75.
76. RHP Gavin Williams | Guardians | 22 | AA | 2022
77. RHP Cade Cavalli | Nationals | 24 | AAA | 2023
78. C Tyler Soderstrom | Athletics | 20 | AA | 2023
79. OF Sal Frelick | Brewers | 22 | AAA | 2023
Gavin Williams threw six hitless innings his last time out, bringing his Double-A ERA down to 1.59 and his WHIP to 0.95. That’s in 45.1 innings across 11 starts. WHIP is 0.81 in eight starts since July. Cleveland is somehow getting better at pitcher development, partly because they’re applying their systems to better and better athletes. Williams is 6’6” and 255 pounds but repeats his delivery well. Two plus benders. Double-plus fastball.
Cade Cavalli is similarly enormous at 6’4” 240 lbs. You could convince he’s three inches taller and 30 pounds heavier than that. Looks like a linebacker pumping high heat with extreme run to the right-handed batter’s box. Bigtime tempo guy. When it’s going well, he’s back on the mound and firing in blinks. When it’s not, his whole game slows down. He’s been awesome for three months (2.12 ERA, 1.02 WHIP since May 22) and would likely be in the majors at the moment if the Nationals were.
I’ve never been a Tyler Soderstrom pusher. I think he can hit, and I’ll give him the high-probability big leaguer thing, but ours is a game of impact. Standout tools. Soderstrom’s best tool is hit, which is often what you’d like to see, but Oakland is not the best home for a hit-first catcher who might not catch but doesn’t have much speed to handle the outfield.
Get your money for nothing and your licks for free. Better Call Sal has a 200 wRC+ in 15 games at Triple-A. He’ll be on the next stash list.
Please, blog, may I have some more?I try to take a fairly simplistic view of the draft. My mind resists at times because the Major League Baseball Draft is an exercise in antitrust-exemption hyper-capitalism run amok, spotlighting primarily the lucky few blessed with generational gifts of wealth and circumstance along with their considerable physical skills. It’s a barefaced look at how structures that appear to be egalitarian in their theoretical bones are anything but in practice.
Whoops, I did it again. Got lost in the games. Keep It Simple, Guy.
Reset: it’s about the organizations as much as it is about the players. You’ll see Jackson Holliday third here even though I like Elijah Green more as a player because I think the Orioles are doing well when it comes to communicating with their young players and aiding their development. No knock on the Nats, who have developed some hitters of their own, but Elijah Green brings some swing-and-miss risk along with the big power and elite speed, and I can’t remember this team developing someone with that specific hang-up. Plus, I don’t know . . . something about the whole organization feels bad right now. Can’t put my finger on it. Oh yeah, they’re doing this weird dance with Juan Soto a year after giving Trea Turner to the Dodgers to offload Max Scherzer’s contract. Their minor league system is weak, partly because they insisted on major-league-ready players in return for Turner and Scherzer. Their 2021 first round pick Brady House, also a high school hitter, has not played particularly well this year (0 HR, 2 BB, 31 K in his last 20 games before landing on the IL).
I also like to take my time on stuff like this. Would prefer to see how these guys adapt to the pro game before ranking them for fantasy purposes, but I know some people have drafts that begin immediately after the MLB draft ends, so I burned the midnight oil for the past few weeks in hopes of replicating my best successes from FYPD lists of summers past like CJ Abrams, Corbin Carroll and James Wood.
Please, blog, may I have some more?We’ve come a long way from the 2020 college pitching class that featured Max Meyer, Asa Lacy, Emerson Hancock, Reid Detmers, Garrett Crochet, Bryce Jarvis, Cade Cavalli, Jared Shuster, Bobby Miller… the list is as long as Mandred’s balls are deformed and unpredictable. Think of the 2020 class as Max Scherzer and the 2022 pitching crop as Patrick Corbin. Collegiate hurlers continue to go down with the injury bug, as yet another first-round talent has hit the shelf since the last Collegiate Corner update. In MLB Pipeline’s latest mock, only one college pitcher is projected in the first 26 picks — the recently-recovered Blade Tidwell out of Tennessee. For comparison, eight college arms went in the top 26 selections in both the 2020 and 2021 MLB Drafts. Safe to say, dynasty managers should be looking at this year’s crop and strategizing far differently for first-year player drafts compared to the last two seasons. Personally, I recommend placing a pair of old boxer shorts over your head and pecking at the keyboard with your elbows to make each selection. Truthfully, there’s a lot to like about the bats at the top of the class and a plethora of value options on the hill later on. We’ll discuss a handful of those hitters today in addition to touching base on the health of the pitching class.
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Top 15 College Prospects for the 2022 MLB Draft
February 3, 2022 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects | 10 Commentsby: Hobbs
College prospect coverage is officially back like cardigans and leather. Those are hip again, right? This is coming from a guy who had to ask a coworker what it meant last week when she said the staff taco bar was “bussin’, so you’ll have to pardon my mid-life cluelessness. Fortunately, one thing I’m not clueless about is the 2022 college draft class. After posting way-too-early top-10 rankings in September, I have reworked my original top 10 and added five new names to create the first installment in Razzball’s college rankings for the 2022 MLB Draft. As I’ve done here the last two years, I will expand upon this initial top 15 in the months leading up to July, culminating with a Complete College Top 100 prior to draft day. This year’s top 15 features three stud catching prospects, but only three right-handed hitters and three pitchers. It’s a draft class loaded with left-handed and switch-hitting position players, and everyone I’ll go over today should immediately be on your radar in dynasty formats and any league utilizing a first-year player draft. Once you have your lilac cardigan on with some trendy leather pants, click the button below and we’ll get started on the top 15.
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