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Please see our player page for Jorge Barrosa 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.

1. SS Jordan Lawlar | 21 | MLB | 2023

The snakes slithered into the World Series on the strength of Corbin Carrol’s fantastic rookie season and some dynamite outings from the starting rotation. Lawlar’s on the books with a chance to repeat Carroll’s rookie of the year feat and establish himself as an everyday player in the top half of a contending lineup. At 6’2” 190 lbs, Lawlar plays plus defense at shortstop and brings plus power and speed on offense. The hit tool was his only question mark, but Lawlar answered that with a midseason surge that landed him in Triple-A, where he slashed .358/.438/.612 with five home runs, three stolen bases and 12 strikeouts in 16 games. He joined the big league club in September but couldn’t keep the hits coming and batted (and slugged) .129 with a 32.4 percent strikeout rate in 14 games. Would’ve been nice to see him help enough to have an obvious job entering 2024, but a couple weeks of 0-fers is no big deal for a guy his age debuting during a pennant race.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

The snakes have a strong system with several waves of help on the way. They have a lot of pieces to sort through and just this week designated OF Stone Garrett for assignment, trading for Kyle Lewis in a separate move that feels connected. Third base could be a platoon between Josh Rojas and Emmanuel Rivera. Roster resource has Pavin Smith penciled in at Designated Hitter, but I imagine that spot’s earmarked for Kyle Lewis or Rivera. Smith slugged just .367 last year as a rag-ball casualty. Lewis would have to get healthy and stay that way to make the lineup, where he could be a key right-handed cog amid a lot of promising lefties. I still think they should find room for Garrett and suspect he’ll clear his own path unless someone else claims him. You just don’t see many weak-hitting teams releasing power hitters who post a 131 wRC+ in their first 27 games as a major leaguer. 

 

1. OF Corbin Carroll | 22 | MLB | 2022

A lightning-quick lefty, the 5’10” 165 lb Carroll calls Mookie Betts to mind for his surprising core strength and plus barrel control. It’s a lofty thought, but Carroll warrants the optimism, cruising through the minors despite losing a season to a major shoulder injury. His all-fields power and double-plus speed helped him to 15 extra base hits in 32 big league games. In 93 games across three levels, Carroll slashed .307/.425/.610 with 24 home runs, 31 stolen bases, 22 doubles and eight triples. I’m not sure how high is too high for redraft leagues, but I suspect his ADP will rise month-over-month from here through April.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

If you came here looking for the next 25 players in the Top 100, I hope you won’t feel misled. I’m planning for that to be a monster Sunday post with all 100 write-ups in the same place.

There’s so many balls in play right now around the game that taking two weeks to snapshot-rank the top 100 leaves some stones unturned in the interim. 

Dodgers OF Josue De Paula (17, DSL) and Cubs SS Pedro Ramirez (18, CPX) might sneak into the next set, or maybe I’d build a just-missed article around them, but I’d rather name them here than feel pressure to squeeze them in because the pick-up clock ticks quickly on big-time talents. Same goes for Red Sox OF Miguel Bleis (18, CPX). Might be late already in some of your leagues. Can’t let it get any later.

I have 37 names in my forever-growing, haven’t-featured-yet list, aka my writing/researching/following queue. It’s the place I store every player I come across that could or should be discussed here, so it’s always kinda crowded in there. That’s why the beat works, I think, when it’s really humming. I’m not just opening a blank screen when it’s Go time. I’m collecting and following and selecting pop-up names every waking hour of the day. (I hope that’s an exaggeration but can’t verify). How many men is too many to be thinking about on a daily basis? It’s not for me to say, but it is time to clear the top of the list.  

Please, blog, may I have some more?