Picture this.
You’re in a dark room. You don’t know how you got here. Your eyes have been sealed shut with a foul crust of dead skin and tears for so long that you labor to let in the smallest amount of light. And when the dim light of the computer monitor in front of you finally hits your tender retina, it’s like staring directly into the sun.
You compose yourself, what little of “yourself” is left. It’s coming back to you now. It’s hour 56 of your dynasty draft, isn’t it? Round 5609. The names flashing across the board no longer resemble any human language you’ve ever seen before.
Who the hell is Bobson Dugnutt?
You might think: Well, I might as well just hit the autodraft button, right? It can’t matter that much, can it?
How foolish you are… You’ve heard the term “lottery ticket” thrown around. This is far beyond a lottery ticket, this is a $1 scratch-off you’re buying with couch lint. You would be ecstatic for it to turn into $5 but maybe… just maybe you’ll be that one in a billion kind of person. Maybe you’ll become a millionaire….
But probably not. This is where heroes are born, my friends.
You have entered… The Trench. And baby, it is time to sink or swim.
We’re going to peer deep and take a look at two guys who just might one day carry you across the finish line… or that you’ll never hear of again. But thus is life, no?
RHP Brennan Malone. Who in the world is this guy?
Fresh out of highschool and drafted by the Diamondbacks with the 33rd overall pick in the 2019 Amateur draft, he and two other prospects (Liover Peguero and an up-and-comer named Cash Considerations) were shipped off to Pittsburgh to acquire Marlins legend Starling Marte. Sitting in the Pirates’ System and at 20 years old, Malone has a ways to go to receive any playing time with only 8 professional innings pitched. But his raw talent deserves more than a second look. At 6’5″ 210, Malone has some pure physicality on the mound and a monster wingspan with a clean release. But Malone is not only a straight power guy who can hammer a 95 MPH fastball across the plate, he also has a burgeoning 4 pitch mix with solid command.
At IMG Academy his 2018-2019 varsity season, Malone posted a jaw-dropping 0.27 ERA in 11 starts, only allowing 2 earned runs, slamming 69 Ks (heh.) with only 14 walks, and embarrassing poor high schoolers across the board. He’s completely unproven at the professional level, allowing 4 runs in 7 IP in the Arizona League with the Diamondbacks but who cares about that? You’re in the Trench now, fool. All you want is upside, baby!
Here’s another one for you. RF Griffin Conine.
Griffin, the son of another Marlins Legend Jeff Conine, was traded last year from Toronto to where he’s always belonged in Miami. Regardless of the killer Chosen One-Manifest Destiny storyline going on here, Conine is a budding power hitter with a nice improvement from A- to A jumping 50 points in AVG in 25 more games bringing him to .283 in 2019 while skyrocketing from 7 HRs to a very nice 22 HRs. His strikeout count almost doubled bringing his K rate up to 35.9% but when he puts the barrel to the ball he hits it hard. But forget about all that, watch the guy hit. The ball just pops off his bat.
Miami has a bit of a logjam in the outfield right now with a bunch of guys highly touted in the organization but sooner or later the fish might just have to carve out a spot for the son of Mr. Marlin himself if he continues to prove that his power can pay off.
