Posted on by Michael Halpern

The Comeback Dynasty Baseball Rundown

*I posted this on my Patreon a few days ago, but I wanted to post it here too to let you guys know I’m back after my one month break. Much more content coming (some free here on the Brick Wall and most of it over on the Patreon). Let’s have a big 2nd half!

Pete Crow-Armstrong – CHC, OF, 24.0 – I slowly start to open my eyes. I hear a nurse yell out “he’s awake!” I look up to see my friends and family looking down on me. “You’ve been in a coma for one month, Mike.” My lips are cracking. My mouth is sand paper. I’m barely able to lift a finger to indicate for someone to come closer. “He wants to say something!” …. a coughing fit starts … “it’s not important, rest up” … but I grab my friends collar in a burst of energy, and I manage to croak out … “how is PCA doing?” … and oh man did they have news for me, because PCA turned into the best fucking player alive in my absence. When I went to sleep, he was barely scratching a .700 OPS, and after yet another dinger last night, he’s now up to a .888 OPS. He’s slashing .395/.478/.798 with 12 homers, 8 steals, and a 25.4/12.7 K%/BB% in his last 28 games. His Chase% is down to a pretty reasonable 36.6%. His walk rate is in double digits at 10.4%. He’s crushing the ball with a 50.9% Hard Hit%. It’s everything I dreamed of this off-season when I doubled down on him while everyone else was jumping ship after his 2025 2nd half. I don’t think there are doubters anymore though. But that’s okay, because there is room on this party boat for everyone. He’s arrived. This is a top 10 dynasty asset. Let’s goooo …

Ethan Conrad – CHC, OF, 22.0 – … the nurse steps in … “that’s enough, he needs his rest,” … no, I yell, as I start to regain my strength and push her out of the way ;). I need to know how Ethan Conrad is doing!!! Surely he returned from his injuries and has cracked 5 homers this month … well, not exactly, but at least he finally got back on the field to make his pro debut yesterday. And it was a good debut as he ripped a 105.1 MPH single in his first AB. He finished the day 2 for 3 in rookie ball. And while there is no video of it, there is video of him ramping up in late June, and boy oh boy does he look even more jack diesel than before. Dude is an animal, and here he is crushing a 458 foot homer in BP. Absolutely can’t wait to see what he does in the 2nd half.

Kody Clemens – MIN, 1B/OF/2B, 30.2 – … the nurse recovers from my shove, “sir, you need to lie back down right now or I’ll be forced to sedate you!” … I ignore her … Kody Clemens … you have to tell me how Kody Clemens is doing! … and the answer is damn well. After going 2 for 4 last night he now has a .852 OPS with 9 homers in his last 31 games. He was my favorite true blue sleeper this off-season. I doubled down on his Target call in my May Hitter Targets, and he now looks cemented as an impact fantasy player. All of the underlying stuff I loved about this off-season is back. I’m pumped.

AJ Ewing – NYM, OF, 21.8 – … I start to rip the IV’s out of my arm. I rip the catheter out of my peni …. OHHHHHWEEEEEEE … okay, that was a big mistake!!!! But the adrenaline is running through me now. AJ Ewing I yell out through the intense pain! … he had a .614 OPS when I went out. What happened? Good things happened. Very good things happened as he went 1 for 4 last night and is now slashing .314/.394/.500 with 3 homers, 4 steals, and a 18.2/11.1 K%/BB% in his last 26 games. The 22.2% whiff% shows the hit tool is transferring. The 88.8 MPH EV and 42% Hard Hit% is more than solid. The 12.1 degree launch looks good. He now has a .352 xwOBA with a 121 wRC+ in 46 games. The Mets might have made a huge mistake when they traded PCA, but at least they held onto PCA-lite. And now Ewing is starting to live up my PCA/Carroll ceiling comp on him way back when he was drafted 134th overall with a mere $675,000 signing bonus. He’s going to be a fantasy beast.

Griffin Jax – TBR, RHP , 31.7 – … the nurse runs out of the room in a huff … finally some peace and quiet … Griffin Jax I ask? When we left off I named him a target in May once he got into the rotation. He got the start last night and went 6 IP with 5 hits, 3 ER, and a 5/0 K/BB vs. KCR. The fastball sat 96.3 MPH and put up a 44% whiff%. The sweeper put up a 38% whiff%. He now has a 2.79 ERA with a 24.3/5.9 K%/BB% in 42 IP since being stretched out as a starter. The 30.5% whiff% looks even better than the K%. The walk rate looks great. The control looks great. He looks really good.

Jac Caglianone – KCR, 1B/OF, 23.2 – How about Jac I ask? When we left off I said in his Target blurb, “I’m starting to see people give up on Jac. I’m starting to see the mediocre start wear on people. I’m starting to see people lose patience. So now it’s time to take advantage of those impatient people. Patience is a virtue, so the unvirtuous don’t deserve him ;)” … He didn’t do anything yesterday, but he had a .685 OPS when I left. And since then he’s slashed .309/.387/.649 with 9 homers, 2 steals, and a 29.2/9.4 K%/BB% in his last 25 games. His OPS is now over .800 at .806. His launch is coming up with a 10.1 degree launch in June. He’s still utterly destroying the ball. His biggest weakness, Chase, isn’t even that bad at 35.1%. I would say the buy low window is closed.

 Sal Stewart – CIN, 1B/3B, 22.4 – Sal Stewart? Did he fall off a cliff since I ranked him 12th overall? Does everyone still hate me? He stabilized. He went 2 for 4 with a 107.3 MPH homer last night. He has 4 homers and a .832 OPS in his last 19 games. He has a .809 OPS on the season with 16 homers and 11 steals in 84 games. Is he 12th overall good? No. I definitely got too excited. But I mean, he’s still really good. And maybe more Top 30 range would have been more reasonable. Which is still awesome.

Kahlil Watson – CLE, OF, 23.2 – My friend who is in my dynasty league leans in and asks, “I need to know, did you get any visions of the next still under the radar breakout?” … Yes, I say … but why would I tell you? I need to pick him up first in my leagues where he is still available hah … just playing, the visions are of Kahlil Watson. I know, I know, the hit tool risk is very real with a 33.3% K% in his 12 game MLB debut, but the 34.3% whiff% really isn’t that bad. Especially when we are talking about the truly uncommon upside he has. This dude crushes the ball. He has a 93.3 MPH EV. He had a 91 MPH EV with a 50% Hard Hit% at Triple-A. He lifted and pulled a ton. He’s a great athlete who ran a ton. I feel he is still sliding so far under the radar compared to what his upside is. That kind of low 30’s whiff rate isn’t even that bad when we are talking about a guy this talented and who hits the ball this hard. The risk is high, yes, but I’m all over his upside right now and for a super cheap price.

Gage Wood – PHI, RHP, 22.7 – I had visions of Gage Wood making a major 2nd half impact as well. He had his longest outing of the season yesterday, going 5 IP with 3 hits, 2 ER, and a 6/2 K/BB at Double-A. They are stretching him out. He’s only thrown 52 IP so far this season, and while he hasn’t thrown many career innings, it sure seems like they are preparing for him to make an MLB impact in the 2nd half as they battle it out for the division. Maybe it will be a pen role, but they have an opening in the rotation, and I think Wood might just kick the door down and take it eventually. He has a 3.86 ERA with a 32.7/8.4 K%/BB% in 25.2 IP at Double-A. And he’s doing it in the known hitter’s bandbox of Reading. The elite fastball is slicing through upper minors hitters. You can watch the filth here. I loved him as an FYPD Target, and I love him even more now.

Jackson Chourio – MIL, OF, 22.4 – Chourio might have made the leap that we were all expecting. He went 2 for 4 with a 107.8 MPH homer last night for his 11th homer in his last 29 games since dropping into a coma (12 homers in 49 games overall). He’s hitting the ball a lot harder, which is really the main thing we needed to see for the leap with a 92.8 MPH EV and 48.1% Hard Hit%. It’s no surprise as he debuted so young. He’s lifting more too with a 12.5 degree launch. The 22.8% whiff% is a career best by far. If this is his final form, that would be awesome, but he’s still just 22 years old. This might only be leap #1. There is a reason everyone, including me, still ranked him as an elite to near elite dynasty asset, and now he’s doing it.

Santiago Solarte – MIA, SS, 17.4 – I’m now standing up on the bed! I’m dancing like I’m Grandpa Joe from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory! The DSL I call out! I need to know how everyone is doing! How about my boy Santiago Solarte? Is he James Wood 2.0 yet? Well, getting there. He’s slashing .275/.390/.435 with 2 homers, 16 steals, and a 31.7/11.0 K%/BB% in 20 games. I mean, that is pretty much the James Wood starter pack. Yes, the swing and miss is still way too high, but it’s actually been coming down of late. The 45.2% GB% isn’t bad at all. He’s running a ton. I’m encouraged. I’m still all in on this.

Angeibel Gomez – KCR, OF, 17.4 – How about Aneibel Gomez who I ranked right next to the more hype Francisco Renteria and wrote, “He’s very clearly a truly elite international prospect who checks just about every box you want to see checked. You could put his profile against anyone’s from this class.” And that proved to be true as his performance is one the most impressive, if not the most impressive from the class, slashing .379/.519/.672 with 3 homers, 8 steals, and a 7.8/19.5 K%/BB% in 18 games. The 26.5% GB% and 56.6% Pull% is just disgusting, in a good way. My goodness I’m dreaming of that fantasy upside when the man muscles come in. He’s on a beeline for elite dynasty asset.

Diego Frontado – MIL, SS, 18.0 – I gave you the heads up on Frontado before I conked out in the On the House Dynasty Baseball Rundown, and since then it’s just been more destruction, slashing .298/.474/.579 with 4 homers, 11 steals, and a 13.9/21.5 K%/BB% in 17 games. And almost more important than the numbers, is that he has Milwaukee at his back for his development journey. The whiff rate is still high if you can fully believe it (which I kinda don’t believe those whiff rates as I’ve talked about before), but this is a guy and team I just want to bet on.

Cleiner Ramirez – NYM, OF, 17.4 – I gave you the heads up on Cleiner too, and he also kept on raking, slashing .316/.388/.618 with 5 homers, 6 steals, and a 11.8/5.9 K%/BB% in 20 games. This is a full on little man discount situation. I don’t think he’s going to get major hype quickly because of his size (5’9”), but this dude can pack a punch and he’s proving it. He’s making contact, he’s lifting/pulling and he’s running.

Ricki Moneys – MIL, SS, 17.9 – Ricki “he’s so money and he clearly knows it” Moneys is living up to the greatest name of all time, slashing .263/.406/.513 with 3 homers, 10 steals, and a 16.8/17.8 K%/BB% in 21 games. Yup, Milwaukee got themselves another one. Here is what I wrote about him in his Top 1,000 blurb, “He has an open righty batting stance with a quick swing that is looking to do real damage. He already did real damage in the Amateur Scouting League, putting up a 1.723 OPS and winning MVP. Good feel to hit, growing power at a projectable 6’0”, good athlete, and a history of production. Pretty Money(s).” … so he already crushed the Amateur Scouting League. And now he’s killing the DSL. Plus Milwaukee. Plus that name. He’s rising.

Shane Drohan – MIL, LHP, 27.6 – … the nurse storms back into the room and plunges the needle into my arm … I start to get woozy … “wait, Shane Drohan I barely slur out” … and as I start to doze off, I hear, “he starts tonight. We’ll talk about it tomorrow. Get your rest, we got a big 2nd half to prepare for ….”

By Michael Halpern (@MichaelCHalpern)
Email: michaelhalpern@imaginarybrickwall.com
Twitter: Imaginary Brick Wall (@DynastyHalp)
Blue Sky: Dynasty Halp (@ImaginaryBrickWall)

Posted on by Michael Halpern

One Month Patreon/Content Pause

I posted this message to my Patreon and wanted to post it here on my website as well — Hey guys, I’m going to be putting the Patreon (and content here on the Brick Wall as well) on pause for one month. Everything is okay! I’m good! But I’m not going to be able to put out the amount and quality of content I hold myself to this month, and the best thing to do is just put the Patreon/content on pause for this month. For Patreon members, that means that nobody will be charged and all memberships will be frozen for this month. And then everything just picks back up from where it left off after I un pause it in July. I’m in this for the long haul. I’m in this for life. And it’s just me here. So I assumed at some point something like this would come up eventually. So instead of more sporadic content, I think this is the best way to go. I hope you guys understand and totally get if you want to cancel or whatever of course. Again, by putting it on pause, all the Patreon memberships will be frozen where they are today, so there will be no charges once I put it on pause today. And I might still pop in this month here and there if Patreon allows me to do that while on pause (especially if Drohan kills it today;). I appreciate the hell out of each and every single one of you. And I will be back in one month!!! Love you all. Catch you soon …

-Halp

Posted on by Michael Halpern

Tuesday Morning Dynasty Baseball Rundown (5/19/26)

I usually drop these on Monday here on the Brick Wall, but I’ve been doing my Target Series the last 2 Monday’s on the Patreon, so Tuesday it is for this week. The May Mailbag Podcast is coming this week and the Updated May Dynasty Rankings are coming next week on the Patreon too. But first, here is the Tuesday Morning Dynasty Baseball Rundown (5/19/26):

CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY PATREON FOR TONS OF EXCLUSIVE CONTENT ALL SEASON, INCLUDING:
-TOP MLB HITTER TARGETS FOR MAY 2026
-TOP MLB PITCHER TARGETS FOR MAY 2026
-TOP PROSPECT TARGETS FOR MAY 2026
-TOP 417 APRIL 2026 DYNASTY BASEBALL RANKS (May Update coming next week)
-TOP 310 MAY 2026 DYNASTY PROSPECTS RANKINGS
-TONS OF DYNASTY RUNDOWNS
–SPREADSHEETS
-HALP’S DYNASTY BASEBALL PODCAST: APRIL 2026 MAILBAG! (May Mailbag coming this week)

Anthony Volpe – NYY, SS, 25.0 – Volpe’s upgraded supercharged shoulder check … 50% Hard Hit% with a 92 MPH EV … HAHA … shut the fuck up hahah … this shit is wild. Dude has a 201 wRC+ in 5 games hahah … I’m dying. I mean, I told you if Volpe came back with the supercharged shoulder that I’m going under the knife. I gotta start looking up doctors now I guess hah

Colt Emerson – SEA, SS, 20.10 – Emerson got the call to the majors and it didn’t take him long to make his mark with a his first homer that really showcased his excellent feel to hit more than his power. It was impressive bat control and contact ability. He slowed the bat down to get it with a 65.1 MPH swing and only hit it 97.2 MPH, but that is a microcosm of his hit/power combo. We know he can hit it harder than that but even if he doesn’t he has the feel to hit to do stuff like that too. He wasn’t ripping up Triple-A with a 105 wRC+, but he got red hot in the 2nd half of 2025, and maybe we see the same thing this year. Just what Seattle needs, another 2nd half player.

Steele Hall – CIN, SS, 18.9, RK – We can now officially say that Hall is annihilating rookie ball after going 4 for 4 with a homer, double and stolen base. He’s slashing .282/.451/.641 with 3 homers, 7 steals, and a 19.6/21.6 K%/BB% in 11 games. The 26.5% whiff% isn’t bad and has been getting better. He’s lifting and pulling and he’s running a ton. He’s still only 18 years old and age appropriate for the level. While he has to show it at higher levels, that explosive true top level upside is clearly shining through. I thought he was getting faded way too hard in FYPD’s, predicting he would end the year in top 20 prospect land, and while he has a long to way to go to get there, this is step one. I would imagine he gets the call to Single-A pretty soon, and then if he keeps it up, the hype is going to hit hard.

Sam Antonacci – CHW, 2B/3B, 23.3 – Antonacci continues to do nothing but hit, going 2 for 3 with 0 K. He’s now hitting .298 with a 12.5% K%. Just call him Sam McAntonacci. The guy has a .400 xwOBA. He doesn’t hit the ball weakly or anything either with a 10.1% Barrel%, 88.6 MPH EV, and 36.3% Hard Hit%. He hasn’t been a big lift and pull guy in his career, so he’s probably not going to hit a ton of homers, but he should hit enough combined with his BA and steals. He’s getting a caught stealing a ton right now, going 3 for 7 on the bases, but he was a really good base stealer in the minors, and I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt right now. He’s potentially on track to be one of the best hit/speed/enough power combos in the game.

Xavier Edwards – MIA, SS/2B, 26.9 – Dude is a power hitter now after drilling his 5th homer at 101.2 MPH. And the power is most certainly up with an 88.5 MPH and 36.2% Hard Hit%, but he’s also clearly not this good. He doesn’t lift and pull enough with those still only decent hard hit numbers. With his contact and speed though, any uptick in power is a big deal. Just call him Xavier McEdwards.

Noah Schultz – CHW, LHP, 22.9 – 5.1 IP, 5 hits, 3 ER, 6/0 K/BB vs. SEA … not a bad outing but the 20% whiff% and 92.5 MPH EV are a bit less impressive. He really hasn’t been all that impressive in his MLB debut in general with a 4.93 ERA and 21.6/14.2 K%/BB% in 34.2 IP. The 25.1% whiff% is only average. It’s not great. If we are looking for silver linings, the 95.4 MPH 4-seamer is a really good pitch with a 27.7% whiff% and .299 xwOBA. His sweeper and change are also missing plenty of bats with a 34% and 40.7% whiff% respectively. He’s got 3 fastballs with the sinker and cutter. The ingredients are so obviously in here to breakout but it’s not quite there yet. Maybe he’ll get traded to Milwaukee and make it easy on all of us ;).

Shane McClanahan – TBR, LHP, 29.0 – 5 IP, 6 hits, 4 ER, 6/2 K/BB vs. BAL … not his best outing, but even in this one we see the old Shane starting to pop up more and more with a 33% whiff% and 95.8 MPH heat. His season line looks like the old Shane too with a 2.82 ERA and 25.8/9.3 K%/BB% in 44.2 IP. The K/BB really isn’t back to prime form, and neither is the 28.1% whiff%, so he’s still not the guy who was arguably the #1 pitcher in dynasty at one point, but he’s clearly re-establishing himself as an impact fantasy pitcher. I’ll put #2/3 borderline on him right now. After all of his setbacks and long road recovery, it’s just genuinely great to see him back to where he is.

Max Meyer – MIA, RHP, 27.2 – 6 IP, 3 hits, 0 ER, 6/2 K/BB vs. ATL … The excellent slider led the way as usual with a 43% whiff%, leading to a 27% whiff% overall. He now has a 2.85 ERA with a 26.7/8.4 K%/BB% in 53.2 IP. The 31.9% whiff% backs up the strikeouts. But I have to say that I’m still not willing to treat him as a young ace or near ace. The 4.28 xERA isn’t buying it at all. All of his pitches have been getting lucky according to xwOBA. Even in this outing the 93.8 MPH EV against showed luck was on his side. The other ERA estimators are kinder to him, but even those mostly have him as a mid 3’s ERA guy, which is where I land on him too. So more of an impact mid rotation guy is how I would value him in trades personally.

Junior Caminero – TBR, 3B, 22.9 – 2 for 4 with a 105.8 MPH homer for his 13th homer of the season and 7th homer at home. I didn’t have much doubt to begin with, ranking Caminero 12th overall on the Top 1,000, but if you did, I think we can put the minor league ballpark thing to rest now. It don’t matter what ballpark he’s in, he’s going to be one of the premier power hitters in baseball for a long time.

Sal Stewart – CIN, 1B/3B, 22.5 – Nice to see Stewart come back alive as he went the opposite way on a 77 MPH swing that cleared the fence for his 11th homer. He also tacked on a 106 MPH single. He now has 2 homers, 3 steals, and a .820 OPS in his last 11 games. He’s starting to stabilize. He’s still running a ton which I love. The only thing I would like to see is more pulling in the air, but I know he has that skill in him, so I’m not too concerned about. He also has the power and ballpark to be just fine hitting oppo field dingers (this one was in Philly). I was buying low through the struggles and it seems he’s now come out the other end of it.

Kendry Rojas – MIN, LHP, 23.5 – Rojas slowly worked his way into the starting rotation, and now that he’s in, he’s not letting the opportunity slip through his fingers, going 4 IP with 2 hits, 0 ER, and a 3/1 K/BB vs. HOU. He’s coming at you with 96 MPH from left side and it put up a 45% whiff%. The slider notched a 50% whiff% and the changeup notched a 40% whiff%. He had a 81.2 MPH EV against. It was utter domination. He wasn’t quite this good out of the pen, but the stuff is nasty and fastball/slider/changeup combo all miss bats. There is control risk and he can still be raw, but his upside is worth the pick up if you are a pitching needy team.

Michael King – SDP, RHP, 30.11 – 7 IP, 4 hits, 0 ER, 9/2 K/BB vs. LAD … This one was against the Dodgers and he both missed bats (29% whiff%) and induced weak contact (82.7 MPH EV against). He now has a 2.31 ERA with a 25.8/10.5 K%/BB% in 58.1 IP. He looks pretty much back to where he was when he was dominating last year. The only slight concern is that the walk rate is up and the K/BB isn’t great, but he wasn’t even really a great K/BB guy last year either. At the least, he’s a fully locked in #2 and that could be light.

Walbert Urena – LAA, RHP, 22.4 – 6 IP, 4 hits, 0 ER, 4/2 K/BB vs. ATH … he’s a weak contact machine with an 85.1 MPH EV against in this one and a 86.1 MPH EV against on the season. He also missed bats in this one with the changeup (50% whiff%) and sweeper (43% whiff%). The more he keeps it up, the more you gotta believe in him, but I’m still only treating him as a guy to ride until we see more. 1.35 WHIP isn’t good. The 20.7/13.1 K%/BB% isn’t good. The stuff is big, he can miss some bats and he induces weak contact, so again, I’m down to ride it, but I’m not paying up big for him or anything.

JT Ginn – SAC, LHP, 27.0 – 8 IP, 2 hits, 2 ER, 10/1 K/BB vs. LAA … it’s Ginn’s 3rd lights out performance in a row. He has a 94.3 MPH sinker that can keep the ball the ground. The slider and change can miss some bats. The cutter and 4-seamer give him the 3 fastball combo. Like Urena, it’s hard to buy in too hard with a mediocre K/BB (21.7/8.4 K%/BB%), and his 23.2% whiff% isn’t great either, so he’s just a guy I’m happy to ride but not pay up for.

Tatsuya Imai – HOU, RHP, 27.11 – 4.2 IP, 5 hits, 3 ER, 5/0 K/BB vs. MIN … yea, this sucks, but the guys still put up a 43% whiff%. The fastball sat 95.8 MPH. The slider and change missed a ton of bats. He’s been brutal, I know, but I would stay patient here. I think he’s going to figure it out.

Nick Becker – SEA, SS, 19.5, RK –  Time for a Nick Becker check … and it’s not good. He’s a 19 year old in the rookie ball and has a 35.4% K% and a 41.8% whiff%. He’s actually hitting well with a 135 wRC+, but that swing and miss, especially at already 19 years old, just puts him in insane danger zone territory. It’s more or less exactly what we didn’t want to see. His value is on the decline.

Andrew Painter – PHI, RHP, 23.1 – 6 IP, 3 hits, 2 ER, and a 3/2 K/BB vs. CIN … solid outing but the 4-seamer put up a 0% whiff% and he had a 9% whiff% overall. He now has a 5.77 ERA with a 19.1/7.2 K%/BB% in 43.1 IP. The ship sailed on Painter being a true ace level pitching prospect last year, but nobody wanted to believe it. I get it. It’s sad when an injury diminishes such a great prospect. But if you didn’t believe then, you better believe now. He’s still talented with breakout potential down the line, but it’s just not the guy from 2022.

JR Ritchie – ATL, RHP, 22.11 – 4 IP, 6 hits, 6 ER, 4/1 K/BB vs. MIA … the 93.8 MPH 4-seamer didn’t get a single whiff and put up a 95.2 MPH EV against. He put up a 24% whiff% overall. Ritchie has just never been my guy, and that take is cementing with his MLB debut. He has a 4.91 ERA with a 18.4/14.0 K%/BB% in 25.2 IP. The 4-seamer isn’t that good and the whiffs are below average overall. I’ve never been impressed with the stuff. I do still believe he can become a solid MLB pitcher in time. I don’t hate him, but I didn’t see the big fantasy value to go after as a pitching prospect.

Nick Lodolo – CIN, LHP, 28.3 – 5.2 IP, 3 hits, 3 ER, 3/5 K/BB vs. PHI … he’s been rusty as hell since returning with a 7.20 ERA and 16.4/13.4 K%/BB% in 15 IP. Nothing to worry about though. It’s just all part of the plan. He’s not nicknamed the Eternal Target for nothing. He’ll get hot and start pitching well, but because of these early blowups and late start to the season the season line won’t look great, making him, yup, a legit Target going into 2027 for the 29th year in a row. You know something had to happen to keep him a Target. The Universe works in mysterious ways.

CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY PATREON FOR TONS OF EXCLUSIVE CONTENT ALL SEASON, INCLUDING:
-TOP MLB HITTER TARGETS FOR MAY 2026
-TOP MLB PITCHER TARGETS FOR MAY 2026
-TOP PROSPECT TARGETS FOR MAY 2026
-TOP 417 APRIL 2026 DYNASTY BASEBALL RANKS (May Update coming next week)
-TOP 310 MAY 2026 DYNASTY PROSPECTS RANKINGS
-TONS OF DYNASTY RUNDOWNS
–SPREADSHEETS
-HALP’S DYNASTY BASEBALL PODCAST: APRIL 2026 MAILBAG! (May Mailbag coming this week)

By Michael Halpern (@MichaelCHalpern)
Email: michaelhalpern@imaginarybrickwall.com
Twitter: Imaginary Brick Wall (@DynastyHalp)
Blue Sky: Dynasty Halp (@ImaginaryBrickWall)

Posted on by Michael Halpern

Top 310 May 2026 Dynasty Baseball Prospects Rankings (Patreon)

This is a non debuted prospects rankings, which I love to do, because it really highlights the next wave of talent that we haven’t been ranking over and over again for years now. You can reference my Top 417 April 2026 Dynasty Rankings (Patreon) for my rankings on all the fun already debuted “prospects”. It’s still early in the season, but you know me, I lean being aggressive, for better or worse, and I was aggressive in this full shuffle up and re deal. The full Top 310 along with a spreadsheet is on the Patreon. Top 20 free on the Brick Wall down below. So without further ado, here is the Top 310 May 2026 Dynasty Baseball Prospects Rankings:

CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY PATREON FOR THE REST OF THESE RANKS & TONS OF EXCLUSIVE CONTENT ALL SEASON, INCLUDING:
-TOP 417 APRIL 2026 DYNASTY BASEBALL RANKS
-TOP 310 MAY 2026 DYNASTY PROSPECTS RANKINGS
-TONS OF DYNASTY RUNDOWNS
–SPREADSHEETS
-HALP’S DYNASTY BASEBALL PODCAST: APRIL 2026 MAILBAG!
-PREDICTING THE 2027 TOP 50 PROSPECTS RANKINGS

*Off-season ranking in parenthesis but keep in mind my off-season rankings have the most lenient eligibility possible (under 130 BA or 50 IP) and these have the most strict eligibility possible (0 AB or IP in the majors)

1) (4) Jesus Made – MIL, SS, 19.0 – Made vs. Leo is the new Griffin vs. McGonigle which was the new Chourio vs. Holliday which was the new Gunnar vs. Carroll which was the new Witt vs. Julio which was the new Wander vs. Kelenic which was the new Acuna vs. Vlad which was the new … you get the point. We have an old fashioned #1 prospect standoff right now. Both are 19 years old with excellent across the board production at Double-A. Neither are showing major hit tool issues or groundball issues. Both are running. It’s dead even, but someone has to be #1 and it’s Made. The tie breaker was the better K% and more steals/better success rate.

2) (5) Leodalis De Vries – SAC, SS, 19.7 – No shame in being #2 to Made. This is a battle that could flip flop their entire careers.

3) (17) Edward Florentino – PIT, OF/1B, 19.6 – Florentino got a late start to the season but has looked like a superstar since returning, slashing .306/.469/.722 with 4 homers, 1 steal, and a 20.4/24.5 K%/BB% in 11 games split between Single-A and High-A. Maybe it’s a little risky moving him to 3rd overall above some of these upper minor bats, but he’s showing a level of potential superstar that I’m not sure those upper minors bats are showing at the moment.

4) (22) Josue De Paula – LAD, OF, 20.1 – … other than De Paula, who most certainly has that superstar potential, but I still fear he’s not a guy going to sell out for game power. That is only a quibble though, as he’s conquering Double-A with no issue, slashing .309/.442/.454 with 3 homers, 9 steals, and a 15.0/18.3 K%/BB% in 26 games. The 17% whiff% is impressive. Even without selling out for game power, he has the raw juice to hit dingers anyway. The other snafu is the Dodgers. It’s really hard to trust this team to actually roll out the red carpet for their young prospects, especially one who isn’t great on defense. But other than that, you know Josue has been my guy since he was a complete unknown in the DSL, and with him dominating the upper minors, the restrictor plates are completely off. I was debating Florentino vs. De Paula for awhile, but Florentino’s lift/pull and a clear path in Pitt in general is what swayed me.

5) (6) Walker Jenkins – MIN, OF, 21.2 – Down goes Walker again. This time with a shoulder injury after colliding with the OF wall. The Twins curse strikes again … and again and again and again. So disheartening. He was just starting to heat up at Triple-A and the underlying numbers looked good with a 92.1 MPH EV, 17.8% whiff% and 13.8 degree launch. He would have ranked 3rd, but with yet another injury, I just can’t put him there. So frustrating, and maybe this is even still too high but I don’t want to kill him yet. If you are fed up, I get it

6) (40) AJ Ewing – NYM, OF, 21.9 – Ewing is my best call on the Predicting the 2027 Top 50 Prospects Rankings this off-season, predicting he would be a Top 10 prospect by this off-season, and writing, “I dropped Corbin Carroll and Pete Crow Armstrong’s name when I called Ewing a major target in 2024 FYPD’s, and now we will see the Carroll/PCA like blow up. The massively underrated power will show up with 14 homers in 120 games in the upper minors. Combined with the speed, plate skills, and defense, everyone will realize this is an elite prospect in both fantasy and real life.” … and now I think he’s there already. He has a 92.4 MPH EV with a 50% Hard Hit% in 6 games at Triple-A. His 2 homers has already almost matched his entire homer total from 2025 (3 homers). And of course, everything else is there, slashing .388/.500/.588 with 2 homers, 16 steals, and a 16.0/18.9 K%/BB% in 24 games. He’s still not a home run hitter, but this is a fantasy beast even if he can get to 15-20, and there is clearly raw power to tap into down the line. I was all in on Ewing in his draft year, I was all in this off-season, and I’m staying all in. I know this looks high, but using Max Clark as an anchor, why does Clark deserve to be over Ewing? It’s close of course, but I think Ewing has the edge

7) (89) Franklin Arias – BOS, SS, 20.5 – I had Arias ranked 46th overall on my End of Season Prospects Rankings. I gave him a strong blurb in my Top 1,000, writing, “The hype has definitely cooled a bit from last off-season, and the funny thing is I now see I might be slightly higher on him than other places, or at least I’m fully on board with his current value.” … and then I just slowly got cold feet and slipped him to 89th overall this off-season. To be fair, 89th overall was about his value other places too, but I just can’t help myself with hit tool first types hah … I’m going to keep ranking these types high in the future though, and Arias is proving he deserved a lofty ranking, slashing .359/.433/.731 with 8 homers, 2 steals, and a 11.1/7.8 K%/BB% in 22 games. He’s lifting a lot more with a big leg kick, the raw power should only keep ticking up as he gets older, and he’s now proving the hit/plate skills against advanced competition. I’m still not sure the power/speed combo will be huge, but this is obviously a special bat, and I’m done underrating hit tool first types.

8) (9) Max Clark – DET, OF, 21.5 – Doing everything at Triple-A but showing power with only 1 homer and a mediocre 35.4% Hard Hit% in 29 games. He’s still young and the power is only going to tick up from here, but he’s a bit more contact/speed than optimal, and I think it means a few guys sneak past him right now

9) (12) Colt Emerson – SEA, SS, 20.10 – He’s only 20 at Triple-A, so we have to grade on a curve, but he hasn’t been that great with a 94 wRC+, 29.3% K%, 87.1 MPH EV and 50.8% GB%. Again, he’s only 20, and his value holds steady, but he’s not blowing up yet

10) (39) Rainiel Rodriguez – STL, C, 19.4 – Obliterating High-A like he’s obliterated every level before it, slashing .306/.433/.529 with 3 homers, 2 steals, and a 18.3/16.3 K%/BB% in 23 games. There is little doubt this is one of the most special bats in the lower minors. I predicted I was going to be too low on Rodriguez in my Predicting the 2027 Prospects Rankings, ranking him 6th overall (so why didn’t you raise him you ask, idk, I’m stubborn I guess ha)

11) (75) Seth Hernandez – PIT, RHP, 19.10 – I have zero regrets about having some caution on high school righties, but he ain’t in high school anymore with a 1.23 ERA and 50.0/7.3 K%/BB% in 22 IP. The fastball sits 97.2 MPH and the 3 secondaries (changeup, slider curve) all have about 70% whiff percentages. If you want to find a quibble, the fastball actually isn’t missing a ton of bats with a 26.6% whiff%, but that isn’t even that bad. His upside seems to be on a level all to himself. He’s the new #1 pitching prospect in baseball

12) (15) Thomas White – MIA, LHP, 21.7 – 2.13 ERA with a 39.6/8.3 K%/BB% in 12.2 IP at Triple-A. The 95.1 MPH fastball/sweeper combo has been dominant. The change has been solid. He’s done nothing to lose his hold on the #1 non debuted prospect in baseball, but Seth Hernandez just took it from him

13) (47) Kade Anderson – SEA, LHP, 21.11 – 0.37 ERA with a 43.2/4.5 K%/BB% in 24.1 IP. He still doesn’t have the overpowering fastball, so the true test will be vs. MLB hitters, but clearly he is putting the Anderson vs. Doyle to rest, and he’s now in the running for #1 pitching prospect in baseball. I just think Hernandez’ and White’s stuff are on another level, but he’s right there

14) (55) George Lombard – NYY, SS, 20.11 – Very clearly looks like the Yanks SS of the future, and that future can come in the 2nd half with across the board destruction of Double-A. He projects as an impact all category contributor. Just when the entire industry cooled on him, the explosion came

15) (37) Zyhir Hope – LAD, OF, 21.3 – Seeing the hit tool transfer was the most important thing in the upper minors, and it’s passing with flying colors with a 22.8% K% and 24.1% whiff%. Obviously the majors is the ultimate test, but this is big to see, because the power/speed combo will do the rest (5 homers and 4 steals in 26 games)

16) (41) Caleb Bonemer – CHW, SS, 20.7 – Power is exploding at High-A with 11 homers in 26 games, but the reason I was slightly cautious on Bonemer this off-season was because I thought there could be some hit tool risk against more advanced competition, and that hit tool risk is showing with a 30.3% K% and 34% whiff%. For the record, Bonemer was an FYPD Target for me and I was all over his 2025 breakout. I also love to see him smashing High-A. But I do think we can’t completely hand wave away the hit tool risk.

17) (20) Aidan Miller – PHI, SS, 21.11 – Yet to debut with a back injury. Back injuries can be recurring and a constant problem, so it’s not a great, but I don’t want to completely tank him for it. If I owned him, I would want to remain patient

18) (21) Sebastian Walcott – TEX, SS, 20.2 – Yet to debut with internal brace surgery which he’s hoping to return from in August in a best case scenario. We’ve seen hitters return from TJ/elbow injuries with no problem, so it’s really mostly a concern defensively. I’m buying low here.

19) (49) Robby Snelling – MIA, LHP, 22.4 – Just patiently waiting for the call to the majors as he beats up on Triple-A hitters

20) (70) Charlie Condon – COL, 1B, 23.1 – Hit tool concerns are stabilizing at Triple-A with a 18.5% K%, although he’s only been solid overall with a 107 wRC+. I still want to bet on this power bat in Coors, and he’s knocking on the door of the bigs

CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY PATREON FOR THE REST OF THESE RANKS & TONS OF EXCLUSIVE CONTENT ALL SEASON, INCLUDING:
-TOP 417 APRIL 2026 DYNASTY BASEBALL RANKS
-TOP 310 MAY 2026 DYNASTY PROSPECTS RANKINGS
-TONS OF DYNASTY RUNDOWNS
–SPREADSHEETS
-HALP’S DYNASTY BASEBALL PODCAST: APRIL 2026 MAILBAG!
-PREDICTING THE 2027 TOP 50 PROSPECTS RANKINGS

By Michael Halpern (@MichaelCHalpern)
Email: michaelhalpern@imaginarybrickwall.com
Twitter: Imaginary Brick Wall (@DynastyHalp)
Blue Sky: Dynasty Halp (@ImaginaryBrickWall)

Posted on by Michael Halpern

Welcome to the First Dynasty Baseball Prospects Rankings Week of 2026!

The first Dynasty Baseball Prospects Rankings Week of the season has arrived! I’m going over 300 deep with new blurbs for every player. These will be for non debuted prospects as the purpose is to truly highlight the next wave of talent. And there is a ton of talent popping right now in the next wave. Top 25-ish will be free here on the Brick Wall. Full rankings will be on the Patreon along with a spreadsheet. First post is dropping tomorrow. Can’t wait. See ya then …

-Halp

Posted on by Michael Halpern

Monday Morning Dynasty Baseball Rundown (4/27/26)

I’ll be running down everything that caught my eye in the Dynasty Baseball world on most Mondays throughout the season here on the Brick Wall. The rest of the week you can catch my Rundowns on the Patreon. Here is the Monday Morning Dynasty Baseball Rundown (4/27/26):

CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY PATREON FOR TONS OF EXCLUSIVE CONTENT ALL SEASON, INCLUDING:
-TOP 417 APRIL 2026 DYNASTY BASEBALL RANKS (dropped last week)
-TOP 300+ UPDATED DYNASTY PROSPECTS RANKINGS (coming next week)
-TONS OF DYNASTY RUNDOWNS
–SPREADSHEETS
-HALP’S DYNASTY BASEBALL PODCAST: APRIL 2026 MAILBAG!
-PREDICTING THE 2027 TOP 50 PROSPECTS RANKINGS

Eric Hartman – ATL, OF, 19.10, A+ – There is a new collection of beasts breaking out in the prospect world, and they took my Updated Top 417 Dynasty Baseball Rankings (Patreon) by storm last week. Hartman checked in at #305, and then he went lefty on lefty, smacking out his 8th homer in 19 games. I hate to say it, because it’s going to give some people nightmares, but tell me that doesn’t give you shades of Jarred Kelenic. Kelenic used to be good! He used to be a top 2 prospect! I’m not saying that to scare you off, because he’s performing like Kelenic did in the minors, slashing .316/.388/.711 with 8 homers, 8 steals, and a 27.1/8.2 K%/BB%. And he’s doing it at High-A as a still 19 year old. Many of the other similar breakouts are at Single-A, and since the minor league contraction, Single-A pitching can sometimes be closer to rookie ball than anything else. So Hartman doing it at High-A matters to me. I also like the 24.7% whiff% which is much better than the K rate. He’s lightning fast. He’s lifting a ton. He’s leading the charge of the next wave.

Ronny Cruz – WSH, 3B/SS, 19.8, A+ – But Ronny Cruz was right behind Hartman in the Updated Rankings at #307, and he kept pace, coolly knocking out a dinger going the opposite way. When I watch Cruz, I see shades of Alfonso Soriano, and he’s putting up Soriano like numbers, slashing .346/.446/.654 with 6 homers, 15 steals, and a 22.8/12.0 K%/BB% in 20 games. The last 6 of those games came at High-A (3 homers at the level already), which tells you how much Washington believes in this kid that they promoted him so quickly. Unlikc Hartman, some of the underlying stuff isn’t quite as impressive with a 49.1% GB% and 38.7% whiff%, but it’s hard to focus too much on that with his utter destruction at a scouts dream, long and lean 6’2”. Ranking in the Top 300 area on the Updated Top 417 Dynasty Rankings puts him in Top 75 Prospect range, and when I update the Top 300+ Prospects Rankings next week, these guys might just start cracking the Top 50 already.

Taitn Gray – TBR, 1B, 18.9, A – Gray hasn’t reached High-A yet, but this dude is still 18 years old, and he rocketed his 3rd homer to the outfield bar. He’s old enough to hit them in the bar, but he’s not old to go in one himself yet. 3 long years left big man, although I don’t know how many bouncers who would even have the ability to stop you if you wanted to get in at 6’4”, 220 pounds. He’s slashing .344/.451/.563 with 3 homers, 2 steals, and a 17.1/17.1 K%/BB% in 18 games at Single-A. The 24.5% whiff% is strong. Showing this level of elite plate skills at such a young age means he’s got a chance to be a true do everything, middle of the order masher. I was all over him in my FYPD Rankings, ranking him high, and now he’s checked in at #339 on the Updated Dynasty Rankings.

Braylon Payne – MIL, OF, 19.9, A+ – Payne isn’t a new name, he was a FYPD favorite of mine, I stayed high on him this off-season because in Milwaukee we trust, and now that trust is paying off with him going full breakout as a 19 year old at High-A. Just watch the bat control on this one as he goes down to get it and drills it out for 6th bomb. He looks so much more refined out there this year, doing everything we needed to see with more lift (38.2% GB%) and fewer strikeouts (24.6%). He’s slashing .367/.492/.796 with 6 homers, 6 steals, and a 24.6/18.0 K%/BB% in 14 games. He’s now inside the Top 300 at #295, and considering he’s homered in 3 straight games since that ranking, he’s going to rank in an even loftier territory on next week’s Top 300 Prospects Rankings.

Samuel Basallo – BAL, C/1B, 21.8 – Let’s move off the youngsters ripping up the lower minors for a minute, and let’s talk about the youngsters ripping up the majors. And Basallo is at the top of that list with his blow up seemingly here. He went 2 for 4 with a 101.5 MPH homer off Connelly Early. He’s now homered in back to back games, giving him 5 homers with a 114 wRC+ and 22.9/12.0 K%/BB% in 21 games. I’ve been preaching patience with Basallo, and everything you want to see is there with lift (17.5 degree launch), hard hit (46.3% Hard Hit%) and plate skills (22.9/12.0 K%/BB%). His rise to elite power hitter in the realm of Caminero and Kurtz has started.

JJ Wetherholt – STL, 2B/SS, 23.8 – Make it back to back games for JJ as it’s clear everything is transferring to the majors. This one came at 107.4 MPH. He’s hitting it hard with a 43.8% Hard Hit%, he’s lifting it with a 15.6 degree launch, he’s running with 4 steals, and the plate skills are excellent with a 18.5/12.1 K%/BB%. That is everything. He’s going to be a 20/20 machine with a good BA for a long, long time.

Chase Dollander – COL, RHP, 24.6 – And maybe the most exciting/biggest surprise young breakout kept up the magic yesterday, going 7 IP with 5 hits, 0 ER, and 7/2 K/BB at NYM. The 98.6 MPH fastball put up a 28% whiff%. The slider and curve missed a ton of bats. He now has a 2.25 ERA with a 30.0/6.9 K%/BB% in 32 IP, and as crazy as it is to say, I think I’m in on this. Or as in on a Coors pitcher as I’ve ever been.  It really did feel like things were going to be different in Colorado when they hired Paul DePodesta. And then you saw those little things smart franchises do in spring and early in the year. And now there is hope maybe we can actually get our first good Coors pitcher with Dollander blowing up. Keep in mind Coors gets it’s most treacherous as he continues to heat up, so I can’t go true young ace, but I gave him a strong #273 ranking in the Updated Top 417 Dynasty Baseball Rankings (Patreon), and I’m thinking I could have maybe even went higher. We are in the upside down world now.

Kyle Harrison – MIL, LHP, 24.9 – Milwaukee doesn’t fucking miss. Boston is spiraling right now enough, and Harrison is just the final nail in that coffin after going 6 IP with 1 hit, 0 ER, and a 12/1 K/BB vs. Pit. The 94.8 MPH fastball was filthy as usual with a 37% whiff%. The slurve dominated with a 53% whiff%. And the changeup was useful with a 82 MPH EV against. He now has a 2.28 ERA with a 31.3/8.3 K%/BB% in 23.2 IP. Milwaukee didn’t even need to unleash the changeup for the breakout. The elite fastball was enough, and the slurve is performing well too. This is why you bet on organization. He checked in at #358 on the updated rankings, and that is looking low after this outing.

Carlos Cortes – ATH, OF, 28.10 – Cortes ain’t young, but he’s looking like one of the more exciting true late career breakouts we’ve seen in a little while. He went 3 for 4 with a triple and 3 hard hit balls yesterday, and his numbers are impossible to deny to right now. He’s slashing .377/.433/.689 with 4 homers and a 6.0/9.0 K%/BB% in 22 games. He’s crushing the ball with a 52.6% Hard Hit% and the 14.8% whiff% backs up the K% mostly. He’s not lifting a ton right now, but he’s had no lift issues in his career. He put up a 132 wRC+ in the majors last year in 99 PA. I’m pretty excited. I think I’m buying this.

Ildemaro Vargas – ARI, 2B/3B, 34.9 – The 34 year old Vargas laughs at calling the 28 year old late career. This is truly late career, and he keeps raking after going 3 for 5 with a double, triple, and homer. That is one single shy of the cycle. He hit for the tricycle. The 37.7 Hard Hit% and 7 degree launch means I’m not buying this one, but I mean, super fun start.

Jose Fernandez – ARI, 1B, 22.7 – Fernandez is the Diamondack that is much easier to buy in, and he homered yesterday too at 103.1 MPH off Michael King. He tacked on a 109.6 MPH and 93.6 MPH single too. I’ve been slow to buy fully in, and I still am with a .308 xwOBA vs. .379 wOBA, but the more he rakes, the more he draws me in. He hits it pretty hard, he can lift/pull a bit, he’s not showing any major hit tool issues, and he’s a great athlete at 6’3” with double plus speed. He’s not a good base stealer, the walk rates are low, and he’s not a huge launch guy in his career, so I still can’t go all in, but it’s clear his value is on the rise.

Ozzie Albies – ATL, 2B, 29.3 – I usually hate to give sells, because if you have a guy on your roster, it means you like him, and if he’s hitting well, why get cute and try to do too much, but Albies is my top sell right now. If you are looking to get off this ride, now is the time to do it. The surface stats are on fire with 5 homers, a .316 BA and .371 wOBA, but the underlying numbers are telling a different story with a 3% Barrel%, 28.7% Hard Hit%, 86.3 MPH EV, and .298 xwOBA. He has the Statcast Killa profile of lift/pull/contact/weak contact, so I’m not saying all of it is lucky, but I’m just not buying it. He’s still not running either. I think now is the time to take that off ramp if you aren’t going for the title this year.

Rhett Lowder – CIN, RHP, 24.1 – While we’re on the topic of guys I’m not buying, Lowder pitched damn well again, going 5 IP with 6 hits, 2 ER, a 7/1 K/BB vs. DET. The 24% whiff% and 94.9 MPH EV is not as impressive as the surface line, and that sums up his season. He has a 3.18 ERA in 34 IP, but the 4.07 xERA, 17.9/7.1 K%/BB% and 20.4% whiff% aren’t as impressive. I think Lowder can be a solid MLB pitcher, but I don’t buy he’s this good.

Foster Griffin – WSH, LHP, 30.8 – 7 IP, 2 hits, 0 ER, 8/2 K/BB at CHW … he was a bat missing machine in this one with a 35% whiff%, and as usual, he threw the kitchen sink at them with a 7 pitch mix … which got me thinking, where did the expression “throw the kitchen sink” even come from. The kitchen sink is pretty basic. It does like one thing. So why the expression? I AI’d it … “It stems from the phrase “everything but the kitchen sink,” which gained popularity during World War II to describe throwing everything possible at the enemy.” … of course it stems from war. So many sports idioms stem from war. And I actually read a book that claimed sports in general evolved from war. When troops had down time, they would sharpen their skills by competing in “games” that tested speed, throwing accuracy, etc … everything is war, sigh. But back to Griffin, he’s been pitching well all season with a 2.61 ERA and 21.9/7.3 K%/BB% in 33.2 IP. I don’t fully believe in it. The 4.51 xERA is preaching caution, but the 25.2% whiff% actually isn’t that bad. The K/BB isn’t too bad for this type of pitcher either. I think he can be a solid arm.

Spencer Arrighetti – HOU, RHP, 26.3 – 7 IP, 3 hits, 1 ER, 8/1 K/BB vs the Yanks … The 22% whiff% and 92.1 MPH EV isn’t as impressive. He’s been good over 3 outings with a 2.00 ERA, but the 4.99 xERA isn’t buying it, the stuff isn’t great with a 92.5 MPH fastball, and the 11.5% BB% shows the volatility. I can’t buy back in too hard yet.

Tate Southisene – ATL, SS, 19.6, A – Now back to the youngsters ripping up the lower minors. Southisene didn’t crack the Updated Dynasty Rankings, but he had a case for it, and his case got stronger yesterday, slicing an opposite field dinger on one he didn’t even get close to all of. His terrible pro debut scared me off in 2025, but he’s wiping that memory away completely with destruction of Single-A, slashing .270/.444/.527 with 4 homers, 15 steals, and a 23.2/17.2 K%/BB% in 20 games. The 52% GB% is still high, but that is the only thing to nitpick. Atlanta obviously knew what they were doing when they surprised people by taking him 22nd overall. Credit to the Braves front office.

Coy James – WSH, SS, 19.1, A – James was another FYPD player that I wasn’t sticking my neck out for, and he’s making me regret it, hitting one into the forest for his 4th dinger in 19 games at Single-A. He was known as a hit tool first type coming out of the draft, and he’s playing to the complete opposite of that profile, slashing .197/.369/.409 with 4 homers, 11 steals, and a 27.4/19.0 K%/BB%. He’s clearly showing hit tool risk, but the .231 BABIP says he’s definitely getting unlucky. He’s on the rise.

Emil Morales – LAD, SS, 19.7, A – The new kids on the block are getting all the attention right now, but don’t forget about my boy Emil who is handling his business at Single-A after drilling his 3rd homer in 19 games. He’s slashing .318/.394/.553 with 3 homers, 2 steals, and a 24.2/9.1 K%/BB%. The 29.8% whiff% ain’t bad, and as long as it stays in that range the power will most certainly do the rest. I’ve been high on him and I’m still high on him.

Seaver King – WSH, SS, 22.11, AA – King had a rough first full season of pro ball in 2025, but he came out on fire in the AFL, giving hope for a 2026 bounce back, and the 2026 bounce back is quite clearly here after tattooing one the opposite way for his 3rd homer in 6 games. He’s now slashing .278/.402/.542 with 4 homers, 3 steals, and a 21.5/17.2 K%/BB% in 19 games at Double-A. This is what Washington envisioned when they selected him 10th overall. The GB% is down to a respectable 44.2% and he’s making tons of contact with a 21.4% whiff%. His value is back on the rise.

 Justin Gonzales – BOS, 1B/OF, 19.3 – Let’s check in on the beast himself, Justin Gonzales, as he looks to top 4 whole homers in all of 2025. It took him 93 games to get there. It’s 2026 now, and he’s already at 3 after crushing a grand salami to dead center. Just one away from tying what he did all of last season, and it’s only 17 games. The homer power coming was so obvious with how hard this dude cranks the ball. The 50% GB% is still high, but it’s better than last year, and he hits it so hard that he doesn’t have to be a lift/pull guy. He’s still making tons of contact with a 16.9% K%. He’s living up to his off-season hype.

Logan Henderson – MIL, RHP, 24.1 – 5 IP, 5 hits, 1 ER, 9/1 K/BB at Triple-A … how much longer do we have to watch Brandon Sproat get shelled? I liked Henderson much more than Sproat this off-season, but Milwaukee disagreed, and now they are paying the price for that decision. Hard to question Milwaukee, but sometimes you gotta do it. Nobody is perfect. I have to think the switch is coming soon though. I’m not budging off Henderson. He’s got a 1.02 ERA with with a 35.6/12.3 K%/BB% in 17.2 IP. I’m buying low if you can.

CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY PATREON FOR TONS OF EXCLUSIVE CONTENT ALL SEASON, INCLUDING:
-TOP 417 APRIL 2026 DYNASTY BASEBALL RANKS
-TOP 300+ UPDATED DYNASTY PROSPECTS RANKINGS (coming next week)
-TONS OF DYNASTY RUNDOWNS
–SPREADSHEETS
-HALP’S DYNASTY BASEBALL PODCAST: APRIL 2026 MAILBAG!
-PREDICTING THE 2027 TOP 50 PROSPECTS RANKINGS

By Michael Halpern (@MichaelCHalpern)
Email: michaelhalpern@imaginarybrickwall.com
Twitter: Imaginary Brick Wall (@DynastyHalp)
Blue Sky: Dynasty Halp (@ImaginaryBrickWall)

Posted on by Michael Halpern

April 2026 Top 417 Dynasty Baseball Rankings (Patreon)

The first Dynasty Baseball Rankings Week of the season has arrived! It’s always dangerous dealing with small samples, but the wheeling and dealing doesn’t wait for large samples, so decisions must be made with the information we have. I went over 400 deep with new blurbs for every player. Full Rankings and the spreadsheet are on the Patreon with the Top 30 free down below here on the Brick Wall. Here is the April 2026 Top 417 Dynasty Baseball Rankings (Patreon):

CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY PATREON FOR THE REST OF THESE RANKS & TONS OF EXCLUSIVE CONTENT ALL SEASON, INCLUDING:
-TOP 417 APRIL 2026 DYNASTY BASEBALL RANKS
-TOP 300+ DYNASTY PROSPECTS RANKINGS COMING SOON
-TONS OF DYNASTY RUNDOWNS
–SPREADSHEETS
-HALP’S DYNASTY BASEBALL PODCAST: APRIL 2026 MAILBAG!
-PREDICTING THE 2027 TOP 50 PROSPECTS RANKINGS
–2027 TOP 12 FYPD RANKINGS

Off-season Ranking is in parenthesis

1) (1) Shohei Ohtani – LAD, RHP/DH, 31.10 – Stole his first bag of the season yesterday, which was the only thing lacking in his profile this year. Well, I guess saves are actually the only thing lacking in his profile. Come on Ohtani, with Edwin Diaz out, you can’t save a few games too? Slacking.

Shadow1) (1) Shohei Ohtani – LAD, DH only/Weekly Leagues, 31.10 – This is where I would rank Ohtani as a hitter only or in weekly leagues. I’m keeping him Shadow 1, but it he’s still not running that much by next month, I might slip him closer to the Top 5 range

2) (2) Juan Soto – NYM, OF, 27.6 – Hit the IL after 8 games with a calf injury. The only thought is will the calf injury be a reason to not run very much again? But other than that, there is nothing to move off him #2 yet

3) (3) Bobby Witt Jr. – KCR, SS, 26.10 – 0 homers in 23 games, and I can’t say I didn’t at least warn you a little bit, writing in his Top 1,000 blurb, “Witt hit only 23 homers in 157 games, and while I want to completely hand wave it away as just a down power season, I don’t think we can completely dismiss it.” … but just like the off-season, I’m still not letting it scare me away. The dude has a 53.1% Hard Hit% with a 19 degree launch. The homers will come, and everything else is there. I’m not budging off him.

4) (5) Corbin Carroll – ARI, OF, 25.8 – The hamate looks like no problem with a .990 OPS in 20 games

5) (6) Elly De La Cruz – CIN, SS, 24.3 – Power is leveling up with a 95 MPH EV, 53.4% Hard Hit%, and 14.5 degree launch. The 31.7% whiff% with a career 31.8% whiff% really isn’t even that bad. We’re seeing a new level of Elly, and I love it, but the guys I ranked ahead of him still do have more hit tool safety

6) (4) Ronald Acuna Jr. – ATL, OF, 28.4 – .719 OPS vs. .401 xwOBA … if you can buy Acuna even slightly low, I would be all over it

7) (7) Aaron Judge – NYY, OF, 34.0 – The decline ain’t here yet with 9 homers, 4 steals, and a .426 xwOBA. Elite win now piece

8) (16) Paul Skenes – PIT, RHP, 23.10 – Pitt actually has a good offense now. Skenes already has 3 wins. His only weakness is now maybe a strength. He easily ascends to top dynasty pitcher in the game and he might not give up that crown for a long, long time. I don’t remember the last time I had a pitcher in my top 10 dynasty assets.

9) (10) Gunnar Henderson – BAL, SS, 24.10 – Nobody was more frustrated by the 17 homers last year than Gunnar, because he’s out for blood this year with a launch explosion to 19 degrees. The 30.8% Air Pull% has also exploded. It’s working with 7 homers already, which is what we want to see for fantasy, but it is impacting the hit tool with a .196 BA and 30% K%. Hopefully he can find a nice middle ground, but for fantasy, I like the direction he’s headed in assuming the hit tool normalizes

10) (8) Fernando Tatis Jr. – SDP, OF, 27.3 – 67.7% Hard Hit%, 14.5% Barrel%, 94.1 MPH EV, .384 xwOBA … he’s going to be fine. Buy low if you can

11) (9) Julio Rodriguez – SEA, OF, 25.4 – .609 OPS in 24 games … like fucking clockwork … you know the drill, don’t sell low because the big 2nd half is coming. Just gotta sweat it out for 2-3 more months … torture

12) (98) Sal Stewart – CIN, 1B/3B, 22.5 – Maybe I’m a little crazy. Maybe I’m buying too much into a small sample. But tell me what this man doesn’t do. Power (8 homers with a 49.2% Hard Hit%), plate skills (18.4/14.3 K%/BB%), lift (13.9 degree launch), stolen bases (5 steals), and ballpark. And all of these things are things he’s done in the minors and last year in the majors. He’s slow, but he’s in the mold of a Kyle Tucker on the bases. Again, that is everything. I was all in this off-season ranking him in the Top 100 already at #98, and I’m staying all in now. He doesn’t have the hit tool risk of Kurtz. He runs more than Kurtz and Caminero. I can only tell you how I would play the game, and there are just very few guys I’m trading Stewart for right now.

13) (11) Nick Kurtz – SAC, 1B, 23.1 – 98.5 MPH EV with a 64.3% Hard Hit% and .410 xwOBA. I really hope you didn’t panic after his slow start, because he’s already starting the blow up, swing and miss be damned. The 38.6% whiff% is still just a tad high, not gonna lie ha

14) (12) Junior Caminero – TBR, 3B, 22.9 – 5 homers with a 16.8/11.9 K%/BB% in 22 games. He’s lifting and pulling even more. It’s super “fun” that he has a .689 OPS with only 1 homer at the Trop, so we can’t quite put that minor league park career 2025 to bed, but everything still points towards him being one of the premier power hitters in the game for a long time

15) (17) Tarik Skubal – DET, LHP, 29.5 – 2.08 ERA with a 28.0/5.1 K%/BB% … Skenes’ pull ahead with the new and improved Pitt offense, but that is no slander towards Skubal

16) (13) Roman Anthony – BOS, OF, 21.11 – .311 wOBA vs. .348 xwOBA …  he’s lifting more with a 10.2 degree launch … the 26.1/13.6 K%/BB% looks good … he’s nabbed 2 bags … the heater is coming. Buy low if you can. I’m not moving off him as an elite core dynasty bat. And those are the type of bats I just don’t trade

17) (14) Kyle Tucker – LAD, OF, 29.3 – Not off to the best start but even when he’s not hot he still produces with 3 homers and 3 steals in 21 games. We know what we are getting from Tucker when it’s all said and done

18) (18) Zach Neto – LAA, SS, 25.2 – 15.7% BB% shows he’s maturing as a hitter. 5 homers and 2 steals in 23 games shows the near elite power/speed combo ain’t going anywhere. A mediocre BA is the only blemish, but he’s backing up my aggressive ranking of him from this off-season

19) (23) Jose Ramirez – CLE, 3B, 33.7 – 6 homers, 10 steals and a .421 xwOBA in 23 games. I would say the decline ain’t here yet. As always, in pure win now mode, he would rank higher

20) (26) Yordan Alvarez – HOU, OF, 28.10 – I started Alvarez’ Top 1,000 blurb by writing, “Alvarez is the easiest buy low call in the history of buy low calls” … and yea, he has a 1.261 OPS in 23 games. .553 xwOBA leads all of baseball by a mile (Dillon Dingler is #2 at .475). Too easy to even victory lap. Just stay healthy

21) (39) CJ Abrams – WSH, SS, 25.7 – The mid 20’s power explosion could be here with a 48.4% Hard Hit% and 90.4 MPH EV. It’s resulted in 6 homers and a 1.016 OPS. I will say he got off to this same hot start last year before cooling off, so maybe he’s a first half player, but I’ve stayed high on Abrams, and it feels great to see the hot start. Plus, a 20/30 floor is why I kept ranking him high

22) (20) Jackson Chourio – MIL, OF, 22.1 – Yet to debut with a fractured hand that is expected to keep him out until early May

23) (27) James Wood – WSH, OF, 23.7 – When you put up a 96.2 MPH EV with a 64.8% Hard Hit%, who even needs to make contact or hit the ball in the air that often? Both of those things are still bad, but I mean, it doesn’t matter with 7 homers, an .893 OPS and .421 xwOBA. And he’s a perfect 4 for 4 on the bases. He’s putting that scary 2nd half in the rearview mirror, but the .237 BA, 32.4% K% and 35.8% whiff% is still lurking

24) (22) Konnor Griffin – PIT, SS/OF, 20.0 – Rough start to his MLB career both surface and underlying numbers wise, but quite clearly we need to be as patient as a saint with a 19/20 year old in his first taste. Hold strong

25) (25) Vladimir Guerrero Jr. – TOR, 1B, 27.1 – 2 homers with a .354 BA … he continues to be far too much of a BA play for fantasy. It’s why I didn’t rank him higher than 25th this off-season. He just doesn’t lift and pull enough and it doesn’t seem like he’s interested in trying to lift and pull more, but he’s still rock solid beast regardless

26) (37) Kevin McGonigle – DET, SS/2B, 21.9 – No adjustment period needed as McGongile is exactly as advertised with a 12.8% whiff% and .317 BA. A 39.4% Hard Hit% with a 18.5 degree launch and 27.3% Air Pull% says the homer power is going to come (1 homer). He’s not running a ton with 1 steal, so that might be the only thing that holds him back even slightly, but he’s already a near elite dynasty asset and this is just the start. I get going McGonigle over Griffin right now, but I can only tell you what I would do, and my gut still can’t part with Griffin. Griffin’s fantasy upside is still on another level

27) (33) Yoshinobu Yamamoto – LAD, RHP, 27.8 – 2.10 ERA, 0.82 WHIP, 30.9% whiff%, and a 3.2 BB% in 25.2 IP. He’s backing up being the top pitcher in Tier 2, and with Crochet’s struggles, I can’t say I would take Crochet over Yamamoto. Welcome to Tier 1, Yoshi! And I really don’t think he’s far off from Skenes/Skubal right now. He might get there next month

28) (86) Brice Turang – MIL, 2B, 26.5 – The power ain’t going anywhere, and in fact, it’s leveling up again with a 94.5 MPH EV and 58.8% Hard Hit%. He’s lifting a bit more too with a 11.7 degree launch. And he’s back to running a ton with 6 steals. That is a near elite dynasty asset at the least. We gotta start treating him like it

29) (36) Bryan Woo – SEA, RHP, 26.3 – 2.25 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 21.1/4.9 K%/BB% and a 24.2% whiff% in 32 IP. The only thing keeping him out of Tier 1 is the whiffs, and quite frankly, maybe that shouldn’t even matter. True ace on the Tier 1/2 border, and right now, would I really trade Woo for Crochet? I don’t think I would. It could look silly by next month though. That is the small sample game

30) (49) Cristopher Sanchez – PHI, LHP, 29.5 – Bad BABIP luck (.413) has led to a 1.41 WHIP, but he’s so good that it doesn’t even matter with a 1.59 ERA and 31.7/6.5 K%/BB% in 28.1 IP. 32.3% whiff% is in the elite of the elite. Hard to say he’s not a Tier 1 ace right now, or close to it, and like Woo, could I really trade him for Crochet? I don’t think I could

CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY PATREON FOR THE REST OF THESE RANKS & TONS OF EXCLUSIVE CONTENT ALL SEASON, INCLUDING:
-TOP 417 APRIL 2026 DYNASTY BASEBALL RANKS
-TOP 300+ APRIL 2026 DYNASTY PROSPECTS RANKINGS COMING SOON
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-PREDICTING THE 2027 TOP 50 PROSPECTS RANKINGS
–2027 TOP 12 FYPD RANKINGS

By Michael Halpern (@MichaelCHalpern)
Email: michaelhalpern@imaginarybrickwall.com
Twitter: Imaginary Brick Wall (@DynastyHalp)
Blue Sky: Dynasty Halp (@ImaginaryBrickWall)

Posted on by Michael Halpern

Welcome to the First Dynasty Baseball Rankings Week of 2026!

The first Dynasty Baseball Rankings Week of the season has arrived! It’s always dangerous dealing with small samples, but the wheeling and dealing doesn’t wait for large samples, so decisions must be made with the information we have. I’m going over 400 deep with quick blurbs for every player. Full Rankings will be on the Patreon with about a Top 20-ish free here on the Brick Wall. First post drops tomorrow. Can’t wait to see how ballsy I get with Sal Stewart’s rank hah … catch you tom …

-Halp

Posted on by Michael Halpern

Monday Morning Dynasty Baseball Rundown (4/6/26)

I’ll be running down everything that caught my eye in the Dynasty Baseball world on most Mondays throughout the season here on the Brick Wall. The rest of the week you can catch my Rundowns on the Patreon. Here is the Monday Morning Dynasty Baseball Rundown (4/6/26):

CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY PATREON FOR TONS OF EXCLUSIVE CONTENT ALL SEASON, INCLUDING:
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–POSITION BY POSITION TARGET SERIES
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–ALL IN ONE SPREADSHEET
-HALP’S DYNASTY BASEBALL PODCAST
-PREDICTING THE 2027 TOP 50 PROSPECTS RANKINGS
–2027 TOP 12 FYPD RANKINGS

Slade Cecconi – CLE, RHP, 26.9 – I was the only man alive with a bat speed against target this off-season, and in fact, I might have been the only man alive to even look at bat speed against, hah, but when I dug in, there was one major takeaway, and in short, that takeaway was Slade motherfucking Cecconi. Hitters swing in Slow Mo vs. this man, and they were swinging in mud yesterday too. He went 6 IP with 1 hit, 0 ER, and a 6/1 K/BB vs. CLE. He has a well below average 70.0 MPH swing speed against this year, which is even better than last years mark. I was smelling that there was some value in bat speed against when I dug in for my 18 Dynasty Baseball Strategies/Thoughts for 2026, writing in part, “Chis Sale once again led all starters with a 70.9 MPH against, and Hunter Greene was 2nd at 71.1 MPH. Skubal was third and Skenes was 4th. I mean, the fact that those 4 guys are top 4 tells me that bat speed against means at least a little bit. The interesting takeaway from that is that Slade Cecconi is 5th.” The 93.5 MPH 4-seamer dominated in this one with a 44% whiff% (8 for 18). I loved the cutter this spring, and he went to it 29% in this one, using it to induce weak contact with a 72.8 MPH EV. The curve and sweeper were solid too, leading to a 30% whiff% and 87.1 MPH EV on the day. His first outing wasn’t as good as this one and the fastball velo is down a bit, so too early to call this one in either direction, but I’m pumped to continue following how my bat speed against does. And just looking at the early leaderboard this year, I see Andrew Painter sitting pretty at 69.6 MPH. Hmmm .. I like it.

Braxton Ashcraft – PIT, RHP, 26.6 – If you read my first Monday Morning Rundown of the season last week, you know I took my lumps, so let your boy have some fun with this one and take some laps. And nothing more fun than seeing one of my top pitcher targets go off against Baltimore. Ashcraft went 6 IP with 4 hits, 1 ER, and a 8/0 K/BB. The 96.2 MPH gas put up a 31% CSW%. The slider and sinker induced weak contact. And the curve and splitter missed bats and induced weak contact. That’s two good outings to start the season for Ashcraft, and while I would say he’s off to more of a solid start than a truly dominant one, as there are things to nitpick (like the 22.7% whiff%), we’ll take it. I know he started to get a ton of love as the off-season went along (thanks, Eno 😉 … hah, I’m just messing around, I’m an Eno fan! But I planted that flag back on October 6th in the first Dynasty Team Report I wrote up, and I literally wrote in that Pirates Team Report, “There is nothing worse than identifying targets/sleepers early in the off-season, only to watch their value skyrocket by the time your draft comes around. You just sit and pray everyday that some popular analyst doesn’t decide to name them one of their sleepers, because if they do, forget about it, all value is lost in the blink of an eye.” … hah, so can’t say I didn’t see it coming, but he deserved that love and I remained high. Long way to go but good start.

Edward Cabrera – CHC, RHP, 28.0 – Cabrera was another big target for me, and he put in Yeoman’s Work vs. CLE, going 5.2 IP with 1 ER, 0 ER, and a 4/5 K/BB. Sure those walks are scary considering his track record, but when it comes with a one hitter shutout, we won’t get so worked up over them. He went to the 93 MPH changeup 46% of the time and it notched a 35% whiff%. The heaters didn’t miss any bats, but he was pumping them in there at 97 MPH on the sinker and 95.5 MPH on the 4-seamer. The curve and slider combined for 2 for 5 whiffs. That’s two straight shutouts for Cabrera. Great start.

Chase Burns – CIN, RHP, 23.2 – I hade Burns in a completely other Tier than any of the other fun young aces, already putting Top 10 dynasty pitcher status on him, and he hasn’t disappointed, going 6 IP with 5 hits, 1 ER, and a 9/1 K/BB vs. TEX. The 98.6 MPH fastball put up a 32% whiff% and the 91.2 MPH slider put up a 56 whiff%. He didn’t go to the changeup often, but it dominated when he did with 3 of 6 whiffs and a 56.8 MPH EV against. It’s his 2nd dominant outing of the season. I was all gas, no brakes on Burns and this is why. I still think he’s on a level of his own. True ace.

Maikel Garcia – KCR, 3B, 26.1 – Garcia got on the board for his 1st homer with a 101.5 MPH shot off Kyle Harrison, and it was only a matter of time with that 18.1 degree launch. Once he got a taste of that power uptick in 2025, I knew he was going to smell blood in the water and come for more. I saw the Ketel Marte rise since him being one of my top targets in 2024, and I thought he was coming for elite dynasty asset status this year, writing in his Top 1,000 blurb, “I don’t see why Garcia wouldn’t be emboldened by the success he had in 2025, and try to continue to build on that this off-season. Ketel Marte had that similar slow but steady rise in launch, barrels, and air pull, and I still see that same path for Garcia. Even if he doesn’t keep improving, this was a definite leveling up/breakout, and I think there could be more down the line especially with the new ballpark dimensions. I’m buying high.” … and I’m still buying high. I really do believe we could be looking at an elite or near elite dynasty asset in short order.

Joseph Dzierwa – BAL, LHP, 21.11, A+ – I know Dzierwa didn’t pitch yesterday, but I’m too pumped not to include him in this Rundown after his gem of a first outing. He went 6 IP with 1 hits, 0 ER, and a 9/1 K/BB. If you’re on my Patreon, you know he was my top true sleeper college FYPD arm that was getting zero hype, but he’s not getting zero hype anymore as his value already started to rise with a killer Spring Breakout appearance. And now this. Just watch this filth from a funky 6’9” lefty delivery. That is what I was watching when this guy was in college, saying he’s massively underrated. It’s only High-A and there is a long way to go, but you almost got your money’s worth already as a trade piece if you scooped him in your FYPD.

Miguel Sime – WSH, RHP, 18.11, A – Dzierwa was my top college sleeper target, but Sime was my top high school sleeper target, and the start to Sime’s career might be even nastier than Dzierwa. I was seriously on an island with both of these guys. His hype got going in Spring Breakout too, and now it’s going right into the regular season. He went 2.1 IP with 1 hit, 1 ER, and a 6/1 K/BB at Single-A. I watched this entire outing and Single-A hitters were straight helpless up there. The breakers were filthy and he actually commanded them pretty damn well. He was then blowing upper 90’s heat right by guys. There is definitely still control/third pitch risk, but I’m even more all in now than I already was. Don’t make me choose between Sime and Dzierwa! It’s like making me choose a favorite child! But both are legit on a beeline for Top 100 status.

Kaelen Culpepper – MIN, SS, 23.3, AAA – And how about another FYPD Target while we’re on the subject, this one from the 2024 Draft, Culpepper is off to a hot start at Triple-A, going deep twice for his 2nd and 3rd bombs on the year. The first came off Payton Tolle (who pitched well as we are just awaiting his much deserved 2nd shot at the majors) at 101.3 MPH. When Culpepper gets ahold one to his pull side it is a thing of beauty as seen here off Tolle and then here for his 2nd of the day. The camera wasn’t close enough to see if he went Tongue Out, but I like to think he did. He definitely looks bigger and stronger to me this year too, and he’s hitting the ball harder too with a 50% Hard Hit% and 90.3 MPH EV. That is the main thing we needed to see, because the hit, speed and D were already there. The Twins don’t believe in Brooks Lee. That means Culpeper is on the way sooner rather than later at SS, although Marek Houston is going to figure in very soon as well. I’ve loved him for 2 years now, and his value is jumping even higher to start 2026. He basically needs to be owned in just about all leagues sizes, no matter how shallow or how few prospects are owned.

 Jesus Made – MIL, SS, 18.11, AA – Checking on in the 18 year old Made at Double-A … 4 for 5 with an opposite field frozen rope dinger and a stolen base. Yea, I would say that will do. With Griffin, McGonigle, and Basallo all debuted, that makes Jesus Made my #1 non debuted prospect in baseball. But you better believe Leo De Vries is nipping at his heels. If I could name two #1’s, I would. But I can’t. That’s not how rankings work. There can only be one #1. It’s Made … for now.

Marek Houston – MIN, SS, 22.0, A+ – Houston needs to show more power. We know he needs to show more power. He knows he needs to show more power. And then he went out in his 3rd game at High-A and showed more power with an opposite field blast. Although it seemed he lifted that one into the wind stream and let mother nature do the rest. He’s off to a hot start to the season with a 232 wRC+ in 3 games. If the Hard Hit comes, he’s going to look like an FYPD steal, but long way to do and he’s still in the lower minors.

Charles Davalan – LAD, OF, 22.4, A+ – Davalan ripped up his 8 game pro debut in 2025, and now he’s picking right back up after hitting 2 homers in the same inning! That also might tell us something about the level of pitching he was facing, but we’ll gloss over that for a second hah. Davalan is your classic little man discount FYPD pick, and in an era where the little men are starting to get not all that discounted at all, he still did at 41st overall in the draft. LA jumped on that value. He’s little, but he cracked 14 homers his junior year and 10 homers his sophomore year, so the guy has pop. The contact is elite, he’s got good plate skills and plus speed. That is everything. I still fear he’s a 400-500 PA guy on the Dodgers if he doesn’t get traded, but that is only something we can keep in the back of your mind right now. He’s gonna fly up rankings this year.

Jack Leiter – TEX, RHP, 25.11 – 5 IP, 4 hits, 1 ER, 9/1 K/BB vs. CIN … The 97.3 MPH fastball put up a 56% whiff% (9 for 16). The changeup nearly matched it at 54% (7 for 13). And the slider chipped in with 2 for 4 whiffs. It all led to a 47% whiff% with a 86.7 MPH EV against. I was getting pretty excited about Leiter after his first outing, and I can’t help but feel even better after this one. We know he’s inconsistent. We need to see it for longer before really putting young ace on him, but man does he look electric. I’m buying it.

Kyle Harrison – MIL, LHP, 24.8 – 5.1 IP, 3 hits, 2 ER, 6/2 K/BB vs. KC … The Brewers are like, who needs secondaries anyway, we’ll get the breakout just on the back of that nasty fastball on it’s own. It sat 94.2 MPH in this one on 60% usage with a 30% whiff%. The slurve induced weak contact with a 77.5 MPH EV against the changeup was useless with 0 whiffs, 0 called strikes and a 110.8 MPH EV. His value was rising in spring due to the changeup, but the real reason his value was rising because Milwaukee is the model franchise, and they are proving once again their supremacy. The fact the secondaries haven’t been shining still matter to me, so I wouldn’t go too crazy on his value, but he clearly keeps trending up.

Kodai Senga – NYM, RHP, 32.6 – 5.2 IP, 5 hits, 2 ER, 7/2 K/BB vs. SFG … The 96 MPH put up a 29% whiff%. The forkball notched a 44% whiff%. The cutter and sweeper missed bats. It all led to a 32% whiff%. We already knew Senga was back this spring. He dominated in game 1 too. He’s fully back. Now he’s just gotta stay healthy.

Oneil Cruz – PIT, OF, 27.6 – I joked in my Patreon Rundowns that my 2025 Targets were so insane, that the few that didn’t hit are now going off in 2026 (Jordan Walker, Jose Soriano, Garrett Mitchell, Oneil Cruz), and Cruz keeps coming with a 111.8 MPH bomb yesterday. And better, yet, it came with 0 K on a 2 for 4 day. The swing and miss is still in crazy, full blown danger zone with a 48.5% whiff%. Honestly, I’m not even sure what to do with that hah … so I ain’t going back all in as the risk is still sky high, but I love to see the hot start to the season. I still own a lot of the guys I listed above from going after them in 2025. Those 2025 Targets are the gift that keeps on giving.

Ben Rice – NYY, 1B/C, 27.1 – Speaking of those 2025 Targets, Rice might have been my favorite hit from that group, and now he’s going next level nuclear after destroying a 110 MPH homer off Pete Fairbanks. He has a 96.9 MPH EV with a 1.380 OPS and .453 xwOBA. After being unlucky the last two years according to Statcast, the luck gods are in his favor this year. I’m scared to see what a lucky Ben Rice season looks like.

Drake Baldwin – ATL, C, 25.0 – Baldwin wasn’t a target for me in 2025, but there were more than enough catcher targets to go around for everyone last year, and like Rice, Baldwin’s taking it up a notch in 2026 after going 3 for 5 with a 108.4 MPH homer off Pfaadt. That gives him 4 homers with a 6.7% K% and .461 xwOBA. The launch is up a bit to 8.5 degrees. We are in a whole new era of catchers and it’s glorious.

Cole Young – SEA, 2B, 22.8 – Young’s power surge from the spring has transferred to the regular season with him smacking a 104 MPH homer for his 2nd in 10 games. He has a 157 wRC+. The underlying numbers don’t look quite as good as the surface stats though with a 85.4 MPH EV and 37.5% Hard Hit%. That Hard Hit% is up from 2025, so I see the uptick, but it’s still not in true power hitter territory. I still do worry that he’s not running much, and I also worry the power is only going to end up solid rather than truly impact. Which means the upside might not be huge, especially in Seattle, but I can’t hate on the start. Or I guess I can, because I just did hah, but I like him!

TJ Rumfield – COL, 1B, 25.10 – Rumfield was getting some deep sleeper love this off-season, and the guys touting him have to be hyped right now after he lifted off at 107.6 MPH for his 2nd homer. He now has a 168 wRC+ in 9 games. I can’t lie that I’m still not really buying in though. He just simply doesn’t hit the ball hard enough for me. He has a 84.3 MPH EV with a 31.8% Hard Hit%. He didn’t hit the ball that hard at Triple-A either. The hit tool is solid but it’s not elite. Fun start, and maybe I’m wrong, but I still don’t see big upside here. I’m not buying high.

Mickey Moniak – COL, OF, 27.11 – Moniak on the other hand I was buying into more, and he’s looking to build on that 2025 breakout with 2 homers at 108.7 MPH and 103.1 MPH. He crushed the ball in 2025, and he’s back at it in 2026. I’m in here.

Foster Griffin – WSH, LHP, 30.8 – Hit em with that kitchen sink baby as Griffin threw a 7 pitch mix, going 5 IP with 5 hits, 1 ER, and a 6/3 K/BB vs. the Dodgers. He only sits 91.2 MPH, but the myriad of secondaries had the Dodgers in stiches, leading to a 30% whiff% overall. That’s his 2nd excellent outing of the season as Griffin is establishing himself as a legit fantasy option. Back end kitchen sink guy is likely still the projection, but the mid-rotation upside is definitely popping it’s head up. With Cody Ponce down for the count, Foster has to pick up the pieces for his fallen Expat.

Parker Messick – CLE, LHP, 25.5 – 5 IP, 2 hits, 1 ER, 6/3 K/BB vs. CHC … there is nothing prospect rankers hate more than low velo. These guys can literally prove it in the majors, and prospect rankers will still give them all kinds of disrespect. But you know what, Messick averaged 93.3 MPH in this one, which isn’t even low velo for a lefty, and the pitch put up a more than respectable 25% whiff%. The changeup was untouchable with 7 of 10 whiffs. The breakers missed some bats and he mixed in a sinker and cutter, all leading to a 35% whiff% overall. His first start was a gem against the Dodgers. It’s pretty clear this dude isn’t going anywhere. I gave him love as a Top 75 prospect and Top 300-ish dynasty asset, and he continues to climb those rankings.

Christian Zazueta – LAD, RHP, 21.6, A+ – 4 IP, 2 hits, 1 ER, 7/1 K/BB at High-A … Zazueta is a hype beast breakout candidate this year, and his first real start at High-A went just about how his starts at Single-A went last year. Which is that he’s a K/BB King, and a K/BB King is the best kind of King there is as a pitcher. He put up a 29.7/5.9 K%/BB% in 2025. He’s 6’3” with a potentially plus 93+ fastball/changeup combo. Fastball/changeup righties guys can often dominate the lower minors before finding trouble against more advanced competition, so as a 21 year old, we need to see it in the upper minors before really going crazy, but keep him on your radar.

Nathan Flewelling – TBR, C, 19.5, A+ – Flewelling was a popular sleeper catcher prospect this off-season, and he got on the board for his first at High-A as a 19 year old going lefty on lefty. He also has a 50% K% in 3 games, so still a long way to go and a lot to prove, but he looks to be in the next wave of top catcher prospects.

Conor Essenburg – ATL, LHP/OF, 19.6, A – Essenburg was a $1.2 million dollar bonus baby, and while I was unsure if they were going to unleash him as a pitcher or a hitter, it looks like hitter won with him cracking his first pro homer. He utterly obliterated this thing and then hit us with a much deserved stop and stare. I think it left the park. He’s 6’2′, 200 and you can see that power clearly. He’s also hitting .182 with a 40% K% in 3 games, so as with a lot of these super talented high school players, it will come down to if the hit tool will play or not. If it doesn’t though, he’s got the backup plan of going back on the mound.

Kevin Alcantara – CHC, OF, 23.8, AAA – Alcantara is off to a smoking start at Triple-A, crushing his 4th homer in 8 games. These things aren’t chip shots either with him putting up a 93.7 MPH EV in the early going. Dude is 6’6” with no joke power. The same problems from the off-season are still there though, which is the hit tool (35.8% whiff%), and really the biggest problem, which is that he didn’t get traded. He desperately needs a trade and for a team to unleash his truly special talent and power/speed combo. There will be hit tool troubles, but the right team should stay patient with him.

Roki Sasaki – LAD, RHP, 24.5 – 5 IP, 5 hits, 6 ER, 5/3 K/BB vs. WAS … it was nice while it lasted. I don’t think anyone was buying after his first solid appearance and I honestly think the Dodgers are only starting him because they feel like they have to/it’s the right thing to do. He signed for just $6.5 million under MLB’s international free agent rules. Without those rules, he would have probably gotten over $100 million. I think they feel like they owe him this. But I will say the underlying numbers for this start don’t look bad at all. He put up a 32% whiff% with a 85.6 MPH EV against. All 3 of his pitches missed bats. I don’t think this outing should be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. A breakout isn’t impossible even if I’m not betting on it.

George Klassen – LAA, RHP, 24.2 – Klassen made his MLB debut and it was rough, going 2.2 IP with 3 hits, 2 ER, and a 4/5 K/BB vs. SEA … the filthy stuff was there with the 97.1 MPH fastball putting up a 40% whiff%. The slider notched a 67% whiff%. The 40% whiff% with a 86.6 MPH EV overall looked good, but as you can see, the control just wasn’t there at all. That is what he’s struggled with his entire career. I love the stuff obviously, but I hate the franchise, and I just don’t trust the Angels at all to call Klassen one of my guys. He’s definitely in that pitching prospect bucket I love shopping in, but I ended up grabbing other guys in that bucket this year.

Dalton Rushing – LAD, C, 25.1 – 1 for 3 with his 1st homer at 103 MPH in his first start since March 30th and with only 5 PA on the season … James Tibbs, meet your ghost of MLB Debut future …

 James Tibbs III – LAD, OF, 23.6, AAA – Didn’t homer … now I only give you updates when he doesn’t homer. More noteworthy …

CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY PATREON FOR TONS OF EXCLUSIVE CONTENT ALL SEASON, INCLUDING:
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–2027 TOP 12 FYPD RANKINGS

By Michael Halpern (@MichaelCHalpern)
Email: michaelhalpern@imaginarybrickwall.com
Twitter: Imaginary Brick Wall (@DynastyHalp)
Blue Sky: Dynasty Halp (@ImaginaryBrickWaIl)

Posted on by Michael Halpern

Monday Morning Dynasty Baseball Rundown (3/30/26)

I’ll be running down everything that caught my eye in the Dynasty Baseball world on most Mondays throughout the season here on the Brick Wall. The rest of the week you can catch my Rundowns on the Patreon. Here is the Monday Morning Dynasty Baseball Rundown (3/30/26):

CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY PATREON FOR TONS OF EXCLUSIVE CONTENT ALL SEASON, INCLUDING:
-DYNASTY RUNDOWNS, TARGETS, MAILBAG PODCASTS, & MONTHLY DYNASTY & PROSPECTS RANKINGS UPDATES ALL SEASON
-TOP 1,000 2026 DYNASTY BASEBALL RANKINGS
-TOP 500 2026 DYNASTY FANTASY BASEBALL PROSEPCTS RANKS
-TOP 164 2026 FIRST YEAR PLAYER DRAFT RANKS
–POSITION BY POSITION TARGET SERIES
–2026 FYPD TARGET & STRATEGY GUIDE
–ALL IN ONE SPREADSHEET
-HALP’S DYNASTY BASEBALL PODCAST
-PREDICTING THE 2027 TOP 50 PROSPECTS RANKINGS
–2027 TOP 12 FYPD RANKINGS

Munetaka Murakami – CHW, 3B/1B, 26.2 – If you know me, you know I can have a bit of a victory lap problem. I can’t help it. I get excited! So let me thank the Baseball Gods for protecting me against myself this year. If my targets were going off in the first 3 games, I wouldn’t be able to help myself! I would be too early victory lapping all over these pages like a maniac! So it’s super, super appreciated that none of my targets are really going wild crazy to start the season 😉 And some guys I wasn’t super all in on are going off, like Munetaka Murakami. He’s going Babe Ruth to start his MLB career with homers in 3 straight games, this one coming off Sproat at 102.1 MPH. I wasn’t super low on him or anything, I thought he would be a low BA slugger, and I actually ended up drafting him in my 12 teamer when he dropped, but I was a bit scared off by the huge swing and miss, and clearly that isn’t an issue so far. It’s still there though. He struck out 3 times in this one and he has a beyond danger zone 38.5% whiff%. MLB teams were scared off a bit too to be fair. But if you were all in on Murakami, live it up! You know I would be!

Kazuma Okamoto – TOR, 3B/1B, 29.9 – I also was solid but not super all in on Okamoto too, and he got his first bomb of his MLB career, going the opposite way at 110.4 MPH off Luis Morales. Damn impressive. I actually did like Murakami and Okamoto coming into the year, but if the early returns are correct, I didn’t like them enough, and I’m really hard on myself. I live and die with every opinion I made on a player this off-season, and I made an opinion on every player ha. I had a career Target year in 2025. Seriously, every Target I touched turned to gold, and I can’t help but thinking I could be in for some regression this year hah … or maybe this is just the opposite of my victory lapping problem. 3 bad games and I’m throwing in the towel hah …

Tatsuya Imai – HOU, RHP, 27.11 – Imai was the Japanese star I was fully buying into, ranking him 1st in FYPD’s, and of course he had a rough debut, going 2.2 IP with 3 hits, 4 ER, and a 4/4 K/BB vs. LAA. The splitter did nothing. The fastball sat 95.6 MPH, which is great to see, and it put up a 33% whiff%. The slider went 5 for 12 on whiffs. So it wasn’t a complete disaster, but clearly, not the start we want to see. We know the fantasy season isn’t decided by the first 3 games, but just tack Imai’s poor start onto the pile.

Owen Caissie – MIA, OF, 23.9 – I gave Miami a ton of shit for that Edward Cabrera for Owen Caissie trade, so with how these first 3 games are going for me, it’s only fitting that Owen Caissie is proving Peter Bendix right, drilling a 107.9 MPH walk off homer. He’s off to a great start, going 5 for 10 with a 17.6% whiff%. I’m like one of those Tik Tok girls who is dancing and crying at the same time. Baseball is back! But it’s not been a great first 3 games. Which I know is crazy to say after just 3 games, hah, but I can’t be the only one to live and die with this shit everyday. That’s why I love it. I’m in this shit! My Targets will have their day too! It’s just wasn’t on Opening Weekend.

Jordan Walker – STL, OF, 23.10 – I was passing on Jordan Walker, but I actually think I inadvertently ended up the high guy on him in my rankings at #368, so I’ll take my wins where I can get them in these first 3 games as Walker had himself a day, going 3 for 4 with a 114.9 MPH double, 105.8 MPH homer, and 95.7 MPH single. The homer was a pretty nice piece of hitting too. He’s upright and loose in the box with a bit of a leg kick, which is my favorite batting stance. Driveline looks to have done right by him. He now has a 1.400 OPS with a 8.3/16.7 K%/BB% in 3 games. I’ll take my wins any way I can get them in these first 3 games, even inadvertent ones!

Max Muncy – OAK, 2B/3B, 23.7 – … And you damn right one of my deep Targets got one yesterday. Muncy went deep at 104.8 MPH for his 1st of the year. That’s just about all he’s done this year, but it’s a start.

Jonathan Aranda – TBR, 1B, 27.10 – One of my biggest Targets of the year, Aranda, putting him nearly in the Top 100 and yelling from the rooftops that this guy is super underrated, is killing it to start the year, going 3 for 6 with 4 hard hit balls yesterday. He homered in game one and now has a 1.299 OPS in 3 games. Hey, I need to show some self love ha. It’s not all bad.

Kody Clemens – MIN, 1B/OF/2B, 29.10 – Another super deep target, Clemens, look at my boy hitting leadoff and stealing a bag. He hasn’t done much in 10 PA yet, and he’s in a platoon role, but I’m still smelling good things coming.

Wilyer Abreu – BOS, OF, 26.9 – And how about one of my favorite old school targets jumping in the action to cleanse my soul, going ballistic on a 3 for 4 day with a 107.8 MPH single, 103.4 MPH double, and 98 MPH home run. Here is how I closed out his Top 1,000 blurb, “As a platoon bat, 30 dingers with a mediocre BA and a few steals is a Top 200-250 dynasty asset, but if he hits lefties better, and gets a little luck, I’m not exaggerating when I say he might just mess around and pop out 40.” … I still believe there is a beastly season lurking in here

Sal Stewart – CIN, 1B/3B, 22.4 – I did go all in on Stewart, making him a Top 100 dynasty asset already, and he’s right back to raking, going 2 for 2 with a 107.1 MPH double and 2 walks. This coming off his 1st homer on Saturday. He’s now 7 for 10 on the season!

Nolan Gorman – STL, 2B/3B, 25.11 – Gorman was a light target for me based on power and opportunity, and he got on the board with a 108.8 MPH homer. He’s got a .900 OPS with a 20% K% in 10 PA. It’s not all bad!

Carter Jensen – KCR, C, 22.9 – Jensen gets off the Schneid too with a snot rocket at 99.6 MPH. That thing looked faster than that, but in technology we trust.

Drake Baldwin – ATL, C, 25.0 – Baldwin’s looking to build off his great rookie season with his 2nd bomb in 3 games, this one coming at 107.6 MPH. Dude is smashing the ball as usual to start the season. He’s still hitting the ball on the ground a lot, but the contact/hard hit combo looks even better in the early going. If you can’t improve your weaknesses, improve your strengths.

Connelly Early – BOS, LHP, 24.0 – We all loved Early, and Early loved us back in his first outing, going 5.1 IP with 1 ER, and a 6/2 K/BB at CIN. The 16.3% whiff% and 92.1 MPH EV against isn’t so hot, so I think good luck was in play here, but it’s better to be lucky than good. And he was good too with 18 called strikes. The fastball is also sitting 94.4 MPH, which is up a tick from 2025. Not perfect, but a positive first start for sure.

Payton Tolle – BOS, LHP, 23.5 – 4 IP, 5 hits, 4 ER, 6/2 K/BB at Triple-A. It’s Early’s world and like I feared this off-season, all the prospect guys, myself included, with Tolle over Early might come to regret it. Early-1. Tolle-0. ha

Didier Fuentes – ATL, RHP, 20.10 – 4 IP, 2 hits, 1 ER, 4/1 K/BB vs. KCR in a piggyback role … the Spring success has transferred into the regular season outing. He did it more with weak contact and called strikes than whiffs (16.7%), but that still works. It seems like only a matter of time before he gets into that rotation.

Nolan McLean – NYM, RHP, 24.8 – Not that there was any doubt, but McLean kept rolling in his first start, going 5 IP with 4 hits, 2 ER, and a 8/2 K/BB vs. PIT. He used a 6 pitch mix to put up a 38% whiff%. The 4-seamer sat 96.9 MPH. The secondaries missed bats. Nothing we don’t already know. He’s a young ace.

Alex Bregman – CHC, 3B, 32.0 – I warned that people were majorly overreacting to Bregman signing with Chicago, and that this wasn’t an Isaac Paredes situation by any stretch, and then Bregman went out and eased those fears immediately. He jacked out 2 bombs in Chicago yesterday at 102.7 MPH and 100.3 MPH. He put up a career best by far Hard Hit% last year at a very strong 44.4%, and he might be coming for more this year.

Brandon Sproat – MIL, RHP, 25.6 – 3 IP, 6 hits, 7 ER, 3/4 K/BB vs. CHW … I wasn’t going all in on Sproat this off-season, and that looked like the right move after game one. I’m just trying to get my wins where I can ha. The big stuff is there with a 96.8 MPH fastball, but it’s just not dominating MLB hitters with a 22.5% whiff% and 90.1 MPH EV against. This was against a White Sox lineup he should have success against too. Obviously we need to give Milwaukee more time with him, but if it were me, Logan Henderson would have been in this start.

Dustin May – STL, RHP, 28.7 – Another guy I wasn’t chasing with his strong spring, May put up a dud in his first game, going 4 IP with 10 hits, 6 ER, and a 3/1 K/BB vs. TBR. He went 4 for 30 on whiffs, which was always my worry. The guy just doesn’t miss enough bats. The fastball was sitting 96.3 MPH, so better days might be ahead, but he’s still not my guy.

Colson Montgomery – CHW, SS, 24.1 – Montgomery had his best game of the young season, going 2 for 3 with a 108.6 MPH single and 103.6 MPH Grand Salami, both off Sproat. He’s looking to build off his electric rookie year, and while the swing and miss is still there in the early going (33.3% K%), so is the power.

Everson Pereira – CHW, OF, 25.0 – Pereira is getting his shot, and the power is not in question, putting up his 1st of the year at 103 MPH. He also tacked on a 107.1 MPH single. Dude can smash it, but he’s a still a whiff machine with a 45.5% K%. Looks like the same guy to me, but he’s got power and opportunity, which is something.

Joey Wiemer – WSH, OF, 27.2 – They took Dylan Crews from us, but they gave us back our old friend Joey Wiemer, and he’s taking advantage, going 3 for 3 with a 108.9 MPH single, 103.3 MPH triple, and 100.2 MPH homer off Shota Imanaga. He got 3 hits with a dinger in game one too. He’s in a short side of a platoon role right now, which is hard to buy into, but if he keeps hitting like this, I’m sure he will get more opportunity. He’s a worthy pickup in most league sizes. The big talent was always in there. I’m not guaranteeing a huge season, but he’s worth the stab if you got a spot.

Carmen Mlodzinski – PIT, RHP, 27.1 – Mlodzinski won the 5th starter job, and he’s out to hold it, going 4.1 IP with 6 hits, 2 ER, and a 8/0 K/BB vs. NYM. The 21.6% whiff% is not as impressive as that K rate, and the 95.6 MPH EV against shows the stuff got hit hard too. The heater was also down a tick+ to 94.4 MPH. Good outing obviously, but I’m not ready to crown him yet. Staying cautious.

Emerson Hancock – SEA, RHP, 26.10 – 6 IP, 0 hits, 0 ER, 9/1 K/BB vs. CLE … how could I not mention Hancock after a performance like that, but I’m still not in on this. He put up a 23.5% whiff%, which doesn’t back up the K% and the fastball sat only 93.5 MPH. He induced weak contact and obviously pitched really well, but I’m not jumping in yet.

Rhett Lowder – CIN, RHP, 24.1 – 5 IP, 3 hits, 2 ER, 5/2 K/BB vs. BOS … really encouraging outing for Lowder with a 32.6% whiff% and 87.4 MPH EV against. The fastball sat 93.7 MPH and missed a respectable amount of bats (23% whiff%). The slider put up a 40% whiff% and the changeup notched a 75% whiff%. I always had Lowder down as a rock solid MLB starter, and this start at least locked that in for me. He showed a touch more than solid potential too here.

Eric Lauer – TOR, LHP, 30.10 – Lauer killed it in 2025 to no fanfare, and now he’s doing it again in 2026, going 5.1 IP with 3 hits, 2 ER, and a 9/1 K/BB vs. ATH. He doesn’t throw hard at 91.2 MPH, but the pitch was a bat missing machine with a 39% whiff% (12 for 31). The cutter and change missed bats too, leading to a 37% whiff% overall. At full health, this rotation is super crowded, but Lauer is going to make it as hard as possible to pull him. And as we all know, how often is a rotation actually at full strength?

Mick Abel – MIN, RHP, 24.8 – 3.1 IP, 8 hits, 5 ER, 4/4 K/BB vs. Bal … we ain’t in spring anymore, and just like last year in the majors, Abel got hit up. He missed bats with a 33.3% whiff% and he induced weak contact with a 81.2 MPH EV against. So it wasn’t a complete disaster. It was poor control mixed with poor luck. If you took a shot on him this off-season, I wouldn’t want to throw in the towel quite yet, but not the start you want to see.

Luis Morales – SAC, RHP, 23.7 – 4.1 IP, 5 hits, 5 ER, 5/2 K/BB vs. TOR … continuing from the spring, he’s just not putting it together. The 96.9 MPH 4-seamer just doesn’t miss enough bats and gets hit up. So it’s good to see the usage is up on the 97 MPH sinker (18% in this one). And that pitch was good with a 60% whiff% and 82.5 MPH EV against. We need to keep seeing more of that and less of the 4-seamer. The sweeper and change missed tons of bats too, leading to a 29% whiff%. The ingredients are in here. He just needs more tinkering.

Bailey Ober – MIN, RHP, 30.9 – 4 IP, 4 hits, 3 ER, 1/1 K/BB vs. BAL … the velocity dip from the spring is still here with the fastball sitting 89.8 MPH. The bounce back doesn’t look like it’s coming, and in fact, it looks like he’s going to slide further.

Coby Mayo – BAL, 1B, 24.4 – I get on Mayo when he drops O-fers, so how about some love for his first good game of the season, going 2 for 4 with a double, 2 hard hit balls, and 0 K. He needs some early success to let that confidence build.

Carlos Lagrange – NYY, RHP, 22.10 – 4 IP, 4 hits, 1 ER, 3/0 K/BB at Triple-A … not a super standout start, but any 0 BB outing gets a mention from me. The fastball “only” sat 97.9 MPH and went only 1 for 15 on whiffs. He was amped in spring and I think he’s calming down a bit now ha. Still would have liked to see more swing and miss on the pitch though. The sweeper/change/slider missed bats though, and again, the most important thing to see is the control.

Walker Jenkins – MIN, OF, 21.1 – 2 for 3 with a 101.8 MPH double at AAA. He’s healthy. He’s hitting (3 for 7). That’s all we can ask for.

James Tibbs III – LAD, OF, 23.6 – Leave it to LA to get the big breakout out of Tibbs, dropping 2 bombs yesterday on a 3 for 4 day. Great for Tibbs. Great for LA. But I mean, he just has nowhere to play there. Now we need to root for him to get traded yet again.

Spencer Jones – NYY, OF, 24.11 – Speaking of being blocked, Jones might not even be next man up (that is Dominguez), but he’s doing all he can to keep the pressure on, going 3 for 8 in a doubleheader with a 109.1 MPH homer and 3 K. He has a 195 wRC+ with a 38.5% K% in 3 games. That’s what he does.

CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY PATREON FOR TONS OF EXCLUSIVE CONTENT ALL SEASON, INCLUDING:
-DYNASTY RUNDOWNS, TARGETS, MAILBAG PODCASTS, & MONTHLY DYNASTY & PROSPECTS RANKINGS UPDATES ALL SEASON
-TOP 1,000 2026 DYNASTY BASEBALL RANKINGS
-TOP 500 2026 DYNASTY FANTASY BASEBALL PROSEPCTS RANKS
-TOP 164 2026 FIRST YEAR PLAYER DRAFT RANKS
–POSITION BY POSITION TARGET SERIES
–2026 FYPD TARGET & STRATEGY GUIDE
–ALL IN ONE SPREADSHEET
-HALP’S DYNASTY BASEBALL PODCAST
-PREDICTING THE 2027 TOP 50 PROSPECTS RANKINGS
–2027 TOP 12 FYPD RANKINGS

By Michael Halpern (@MichaelCHalpern)
Email: michaelhalpern@imaginarybrickwall.com
Twitter: Imaginary Brick Wall (@DynastyHalp)
Blue Sky: Dynasty Halp (@ImaginaryBrickWall)