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 (7/28/25):

CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY PATREON FOR TONS OF EXCLUSIVE CONTENT ALL SEASON, INCLUDING:
–MID-SEASON 2025 TOP 437 DYNASTY RANKS
–JULY 2025 TOP 349 PROSPECTS RANKS
-TOP 60 2026 FYPD RANKS w/ Analysis & Prime Projections for every player
-TOP 9 MID-SEASON 2025 DYNASTY BASEBALL TARGETS
-HALP’S DYNASTY BASEBALL PODCAST: JUNE MAILBAG! (July Mailbag coming this week)
-TONS OF DYNASTY RUNDOWNS
–SPREADSHEETS

Edward Florentino – PIT, OF, 18.6, A – Konnor Griffin who? There is new Sherriff in Hype Town, and he just so happens to be on the same team as Konnor Griffin. Can’t wait for 2-3 years from now when Pitt really ramps up and builds a beast around Griffin, Florentino, Cruz and Skenes … ha, who am I kidding. But back to reality, Pitt fans can dream at least by watching Florentino unload for his 3rd homer in 3 nights. He’s now slashing .283/.407/.576 with 7 homers, a 167 wRC+ and a 25.8/15.3 K%/BB% in 28 games since getting called up to Single-A. He’s also stolen 16 bags at the level!!! In just 28 games. You can’t tell me this man has 30 grade speed. Ain’t no way. I’m not buying it. He has 22 steals in 25 attempts on the season. The guy can run. The guy can hit bombs. He’s an 18 year old, 6’4” beast whose raw power is only going to tick up. This is a stud, and it’s why I messed around and ranked him 22nd overall on the freshly updated Top 349 Dynasty Baseball Prospects Rankings that dropped on the Patreon last week.

Leodalis De Vries – SDP, SS, 18.9, A+ – Leo De Vries, aka, Yesterday’s News, is trying to force his way back onto the Prospect front pages by smoking his 3rd homer in his last 12 games. He’s finally getting hot again with a .866 OPS in his last 25 games. His season numbers really aren’t all that impressive with 8 homers, 8 steals in 14 attempts, and a .247/.355/.411 triple-slash, but when you take into account he’s an 18 year old at High-A, and when you watch that beautiful and powerful swing, it gets a lot more impressive. He held strong at 11th overall on those Updated Prospects Rankings.

Carson Benge – NYM, OF, 22.5, AA – Florentino and De Vries had cute days hitting one dinger each, but Benge stole the show and cracked 2 yesterday on a 4 for 5 day. Seriously just watch that lefty swing. Or I should say, try to watch it. That thing is almost faster than the human eye. That didn’t even look real. It’s unsurprising that the swing is having no trouble since getting called up to Double-A, slashing .350/.458/.588 with 5 homers, 3 steals, and a 13.5/15.6 K%/BB% in 21 games. The above average across the board potential is easily transferring to the uppers minors. It looks like the Mets got a good one at 19th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft with him surpassing expectations in his first full year of pro ball. That 2024 FYPD class just keeps on looking better and better. Enjoy it, because I don’t think the 2025 class is going to end up as good, although I did my best to find the gems in my Top 60 2026 First Year Player Draft Rankings (Patreon).

Noelvi Marte – CIN, 3B, 23.8 – I just want to talk about Noelvi Marte for a second here, because he’s quietly back to the insanely talented player he was before the PED suspension, but there seems to be a ton of lag on his hype. He went 1 for 3 with a steal yesterday, and he’s now slashing .283/.338/.496 with 6 homers, 6 steals, and a 18.7/5.8 K%/BB% in 37 games. The 74.1 MPH swing is double plus and so is the 29.1 ft/sec sprint. His 116.7 MPH Max EV is in the top 2% of baseball, the 90.1 MPH EV is excellent, and the 13.6 degree launch and 18.6% Air Pull% is good too. And he plays in Cincy. This dude is back to being a fantasy beast, and it really doesn’t feel like many are jumping fully back on board. The plate skills still need improvement, so he’s not a completely finished product, but he’s still only 23 years old. He’s a major target if his current owner isn’t giving him the respect he deserves. This is an easy Top 100 dynasty asset right now and that might be underselling him.

Matt Shaw – CHC, 3B/2B/SS, 23.7 – I’ve been preaching patience with Shaw, imploring you to give him a chance to get comfortable, and just as he’s getting comfortable, Chicago is threatening to trade for a 3B. Maybe hold off on that Chicago, because Shaw is finally showing true signs of a breakout. He went 1 for 4 with a 103.5 MPH double and a steal yesterday, and even his outs were hit hard with a 106.2 MPH groundout, 89.9 MPH fielding error and a 89.8 MPH groundout. The most important thing to see is him hitting the ball harder, and he’s doing that with a solid 88 MPH EV in his last 8 games. He has 4 dingers over that time with a 1.522 OPS. The contact has been strong with a 20.2% whiff% and 17.7% K%. The plate approach has been solid with a 8.5% BB% and 27.9% Chase%. And the speed is there with 14 steals and a 28.9 ft/sec sprint. Now the power is coming, and he looks setup to have a big last 2 months of the season. I really hope Chicago gets outbid for a 3B, because Shaw deserves the chance to continue this heater. But either way for dynasty, this is great to see.

Maikel Garcia – KCR, 3B/2B, 25.4 – Make it double digits for Maikel as he went deep in back to back games, this one at 103.6 MPH for his 10th homer of the season. The launch is up 3.3 degrees to a respectable 9.7 degrees and the Air Pull% is way up 5.3 percentage points to a strong 16.1%. He’s unlocking that game power, and he’s doing it without giving up skills anywhere else. The 13.1% K% and 8% BB% are career bests, he’s smashing the ball with a 91.1 MPH EV, and he’s running with 19 steals. This is the breakout I envisioned in the 2024 off-season when I named him a major target, and I think there could be more home run juice down the line. I still see those shades of the Ketel Marte power come up. Okay, I’ll stop dreaming, but even as is Garcia is extremely exciting. He ranked 76th overall in the Top 437 Mid-Season Dynasty Baseball Rankings (Patreon).

Eury Perez – MIA, RHP, 22.1 – 5 IP, 2 hits, 1 ER, 6/2 K/BB vs. MIL. The fastball sat 97.7 MPH and put up a 21% whiff%, and the 3 breakers missed bats, leading to a 27% whiff% overall. He has a 1.29 ERA with a 31.1/4.9 K%/BB% in his last 28 IP. I would say the TJ rust has been shaken off, and Eury is back to being one of the most coveted dynasty pitchers in the game. He’s back to being a Top 50 dynasty asset, and a few more outings could put him right alongside side that elite Skenes tier. He’s that good when fully healthy, and he’s looking fully healthy.

Noah Cameron – KCR, LHP, 25.10 – 5 IP, 3 hits, 0 ER, 6/1 K/BB vs. CLE. He put up a 30% whiff% on the back of his curve (45% whiff%), cutter (30% whiff%) and changeup (57% whiff%). The 92.2 MPH fastball chipped in with weak contact with a 80.5 MPH EV against, leading to a 79 MPH EV against overall. It was utter domination. The days of doubting Cameron need to be over. He now has a 2.44 ERA with a 22.2/7.2 K%/BB% in 81 IP. Sure that K/BB is still average-ish, but the 27.3% whiff% is well above average, and so is the 5.8% Barrel% against. He misses bats, he induces weak contact, he has a legit 5 pitch mix, and all 5 pitches are good. It reminds me so much of Ranger Suarez really. Another guy who could never get respect despite a career 3.31 ERA in 698.1 IP. Let’s hope Cameron can stay healthier than Suarez has in his career, because I’m betting on the excellent production to continue, but maybe not to this level.

Brandon Woodruff – MIL, RHP, 32.5 – 6 IP, 4 hits, 2 ER, 6/3 K/BB vs. MIA. Who needs the huge velocity anyway? Woodruff is still dominating even with his fastball down over 3 MPH from peak to around 93 MPH. He has a 2.02 ERA with a 34.5/3.6 K%/BB% in 22.1 IP since returning from shoulder surgery. The changeup is still silly elite with a 44.8% whiff%, the 4-seamer misses a ton of bats with a 38% whiff%, and the sinker and cutter have been positive Run Value pitches too. He’s only 32 years old, and while he’s not showing peak velocity, he’s showing he can still be a legit ace without it. He’s easily a Top 100 dynasty asset right now.

Ronny Mauricio – NYM, 2B/3B, 24.8 – 4 for 4 with a 104.7 MPH homer, 101.8 MPH double, 99 MPH double, and a 95.2 MPH single. Mauricio is back from that torn ACL, and while he’s slow as dirt now with a 25.8 fts/sec sprint that is in the bottom 15% of baseball, there is no doubt juice in that bat. He’s got 5 homers in 35 games and it comes with a 73.8 MPH swing, 90.8 MPH EV, 12.1 degree launch, and a 22.8% Air Pull%. This is easily a 25 homer bat at peak, except it was also supposed to come with 20+ steals, and now that is a bit of a question mark. The plate approach is still rough too with a 37.8% Chase% and 30.6% whiff%, so those steals were supposed to mitigates some of that risk. Hopefully with another full off-season to get healthy, he can get back to running, because I really want to bet on his power bat despite the plate skills. I held strong on his ranking throughout the injury because I didn’t let out of sight, out of mind infect me, and I’m happy I did right now.

Otto Kemp – PHI, 1B/3B/OF, 25.10 – If the Phillies can’t land Suarez, we might be seeing a lot more of Otto Kemp, and he made his case for the Phillies to not overpay for Suarez yesterday, blasting two homers at 105.2 MPH and 99.4 MPH. Both came off Carlos Rodon. That officially brings his wRC+ up to 106 in 35 games, and he surely has the fantasy friendly profile to take a shot on in fantasy with power (13% Barrel%, 91.6 MPH EV, 48.1% Hard Hit%) and speed (29.3 ft/sec sprint). He hit 14 homers with 11 steals in 58 games at Triple-A. The plate approach is still rough with a 28.2/4.8 K%/BB%, which is why Philly is going after Suarez, but it’s never been in the true danger zone in the minors with about 25% K rates or less, so it could easily improve as he gets more comfortable. He might get the rug swept out from under him at the deadline, but if he doesn’t, he’s a fun fantasy pickup.

Heriberto Hernandez – MIA, OF, 25.7 – While we’re on the topic of lowkey 25 year old MLB power breakouts, Hernandez is starting to make a name for himself too. He was actually a formerly pretty hyped prospect in his day before everyone got scared off by the hit tool, but hit tool be damned, the power is conquering all right now after he walloped a 99.8 MPH homer off Brandon Woodruff for his 5th homer in 36 games. The power is no joke with a 73.3 MPH swing, 13.2% Barrel%, and 47.1% Hard Hit%. The .375 xwOBA and .908 OPS are excellent. The hit tool is undoubtably still a major concern with a 39.8% whiff%, and he’s not playing everyday yet, but Hernandez is surely entering pick up territory.

Bryce Eldridge – SFG, 1B, 20.8, AAA – There is nobody in the minors with more power potential than Bryce Eldridge, and he keeps on showing that massive power at 6’7” with his 7th bomb in just 25 games at Triple-A, and his 14th homer in 61 games on the season. He has an absurd 96.4 MPH EV at the level. We are talking about elite of the elite type power here. Oneil Cruz level EV’s, and yes, I brought up Cruz for a reason, and that is because the big time whiffs are there too. It comes with a 31.7/8.7 K%/BB% and a 36.9% whiff%. He’s only 20 years old, so there is definitely plenty of leeway we have to give him there for improvements in the future, but strikeouts are always going to be a part of his game. The insane power can overcome it though, and it can also overcome San Francisco’s ballpark. He ranked 15th overall on the Updated Top 349 July 2025 Dynasty Baseball Prospect Rankings (Patreon).

Ryan Clifford – NYM, 1B/OF, 22.0, AA – Speaking of power hitting prospects, Clifford is quietly having a monster power season himself, cracking his 21st homer in 93 games at Double-A. He’s not a true monster like Eldridge, but he’s a 6’3”, 200 pound beast who knows how to lift and pull. He’s made to hit dingers. Like Eldridge, it comes with plenty of hit tool risk with a 26.6/15.5 K%/BB%, but all of the other “3 true outcome sluggers” are getting tons of hype like Montes and Caissie, while Clifford doesn’t get a peep of it really. He was one of my favorite FYPD sleepers from his draft year, not getting nearly the respect he deserved, and it looks like he’ll continue down that no respect path. I guess it will take him ripping dingers in the majors before anyone notices.

Emil Morales – LAD, SS, 18.9, A – If any rookie baller can go all Edward Florentino at Single-A now that he got called up to the level, it’s the athletic and powerful 6’3” Emil Morales, but we know there is always an adjustment period with him. He’s 1 for 9 with 4 strikeouts in his first 2 games at the level. New level, same shit. Major K problems early before he gets comfortable and brings it down. Give him time.

Kristian Campbell – BOS, 2B/OF, 22.6 – Campbell finally came out of his coma recently after being on life support for months. Friends and family were gathered around him, ready to pull the plug. But no! Not yet! He smacked one of those classic 2024 Campbell bombs yesterday, and he’s now slashing .314/.375/.510 with 3 homers in his last 13 games. The 26.8/8.9 K%/BB% and only 1 steal isn’t that great over that time, but we’ll take what we can get. He’s moving his fingers and toes at least. Baby steps. Can’t lie, his dynasty value is shot, but you can’t give up on these young kids at the first sign of trouble. I would stay patient if I owned him in dynasty.

Joe Boyle – TBR, RHP, 25.11 – 3 weeks ago in this here Monday Morning Rundown I predicted that Boyle was coming for Taj’s starting spot, writing, “Boyle was piggybacking Rasmussen in this one, and there isn’t a clear spot in the rotation for him, but I think Taj could be in trouble. Bradley has a 4.79 ERA this season and he has a career 4.76 ERA in 340.1 IP. I still think Taj could breakout down the line. If Tampa had the room, he should stay in the rotation. But keeping Boyle out of the rotation at this point is downright silly. I suspect Tampa is going to do the right thing.” … and then they did the right thing and demoted Taj to the minors. Boyle is taking his spot. I’ve been touting Boyle for months, and his time is now. I’m pumped.

CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY PATREON FOR TONS OF EXCLUSIVE CONTENT ALL SEASON, INCLUDING:
–MID-SEASON 2025 TOP 437 DYNASTY RANKS
–JULY 2025 TOP 349 PROSPECTS RANKS
-TOP 60 2026 FYPD RANKS w/ Analysis & Prime Projections for every player
-TOP 9 MID-SEASON 2025 DYNASTY BASEBALL TARGETS
-HALP’S DYNASTY BASEBALL PODCAST: JUNE MAILBAG! (July Mailbag coming this week)
-TONS OF DYNASTY RUNDOWNS
–SPREADSHEETS

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

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 (7/7/25):

CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY PATREON FOR TONS OF EXCLUSIVE CONTENT ALL SEASON, INCLUDING:
–MID-SEASON 2025 TOP 437 DYNASTY RANKS
–JUNE 2025 TOP 302 PROSPECTS RANKS
-TOP 9 MID-SEASON 2025 DYNASTY BASEBALL TARGETS
-HALP’S DYNASTY BASEBALL PODCAST: JUNE MAILBAG!
-TONS OF DYNASTY RUNDOWNS
-TOP 50 2026 FYPD RANKS COMING NEXT WEEK
–SPREADSHEETS

Joe Boyle – TBR, RHP, 25.11 – I’ve been calling for it. I’ve been pounding the table. And last week, I threw the gauntlet down, demanding Boyle get called up, flying him up to #178 overall in the Mid-Season Top 437 Dynasty Baseball Rankings (Patreon). If there was any question about Tampa’s magical ability to develop pitchers, they done proved it again by fixing Boyle’s control, and it was high time for him to get unleashed. That time came yesterday, and he didn’t disappoint, going 5 IP with 2 hits, 0 ER, and a 7/1 K/BB vs. MIN. The 98.3 MPH fastball put up a 27% whiff%, the slider dominated with a 71% whiff%, and the splitter was good too with a 29% whiff%. And he walked only one guy!!! It’s his 2nd great MLB outing of the season, and he’s been dominant at Triple-A with a 1.85 ERA and 32.9/10.6 K%/BB% in 73 IP. He was piggybacking Rasmussen in this one, and there isn’t a clear spot in the rotation for him, but I think Taj could be in trouble. Bradley has a 4.79 ERA this season and he has a career 4.76 ERA in 340.1 IP. I still think Taj could breakout down the line. If Tampa had the room, he should stay in the rotation. But keeping Boyle out of the rotation at this point is downright silly. I suspect Tampa is going to do the right thing, but honestly, I don’t know. What I do know is that I’ve been calling Boyle a major target for months now, and I have to believe his time has come.

Emmet Sheehan – LAD, RHP, 25.4 – Speaking of pitchers I flew up my Updated Dynasty Rankings, Sheehan checked in at #170, right in that range he sat before going down with Tommy John, because it’s clear he’s 100% healthy and back to being one of the most exciting young pitchers in the game. The Dodgers called him up for the start yesterday, and he too delivered, going 5 IP with 5 hits, 1 ER, and a 4/1 K/BB vs. HOU. The fastball sat 96.1 MPH, the slider notched a 45% whiff%, the changeup notched a 57% whiff%, and the curve went 1 for 2 on whiffs. It all led to a 31% whiff% with an 86.7 MPH EV against. He was silly elite in the minors with a 45.6/2.5 K%/BB% in 19.2 IP, and this was his 2nd strong outing the majors. I don’t know what happens when (or if) the Dodgers rotation gets more healthy, but I’m buying Sheehan hard regardless.

Byron Buxton – MIN, OF, 31.7 – 2 for 5 with a 104 MPH homer, a 101.1 MPH single and a stolen base. He’s now slashing .270/.334/.544 with 20 homers, 16 steals, and a 27.1/8.3 K%/BB% in 73 games. I feel like we’ve slipped into an alternative reality where Byron Buxton fully lived up to his all time great prospect status. Where he was never injury prone. Where 40/40 seasons were just the norm for him. Sure, this timeline also has the hell world this planet has descended into, but it’s all worth it for a healthy Buxton season 🙂 Maybe I’m a sucker, but I couldn’t resist his pull, jumping him up to #82 overall in the Mid-Season Top 437 Dynasty Rankings (Patreon), because if he actually had health on his side, this would  be a Top 20 dynasty asset today, ranked with the likes of Jose Ramirez, Francisco Lindor and Bryce Harper. That is his rightful place. But at this point, we’ll take Top 100 dynasty asset status … until … you know … don’t make me say it.

Ceddanne Rafaela – BOS, SS/OF, 24.9 – The poor man’s PCA is starting to move up into the middle class after another big day at the dish yesterday, going 3 for 4 with a 109.7 homer that was the hardest hit ball of the game. He’s been hitting the ball hard all season with career bests in Barrel% (13%), EV (90.8 MPH), Max EV (112.1 MPH) and Hard Hit% (47.1%). He’s also been making more contact, bringing his K% down 7 percentage points to 19.4%. He combines the improved power and hit with his already elite defense and speed, leading a breakout season, slashing .264/.307/.456 with 11 homers and 11 steals in 86 games. Sure it comes with a 42.6% Chase%, but that is where the middle class man’s PCA comes in. He doesn’t lift and pull nearly as much as PCA, and he doesn’t run nearly as much, but the profiles are so damn similar. Rafaela is on the come up.

Chase Burns – CIN, RHP, 22.6 – It was crucial to see how Burns bounced back from his first true road bump in his professional career after getting bombed in his last outing, and I would say he passed the test, going 4.2 IP with 2 hits, 1 ER, and a 7/4 K/BB vs. PHI. The 98 MPH fastball notched a 26% whiff% and the slider notched a 50% whiff%. That’s what he does. Don’t let the hiccup scare you off.

Brandon Woodruff – MIL, RHP, 32.4 – Woodruff made his return to the majors from October 2023 shoulder surgery, and while the stuff was down, he delivered a vintage performance, going 6 IP with 2 hits, 1 ER, and a 8/0 K/BB vs. MIA. The 4-seamer was down around 3 MPH from prime levels to 93.2 MPH, but it still dominated with a 33% whiff%. The changeup notched a 50%, leading the way to a 30% whiff% overall. He also threw a sinker, cutter, sweeper and curve. That is the type of pitch mix that can survive a drop in velocity. And Woodruff is the type of elite of the elite aces that can still be a damn good pitcher in the back nine of his career with diminished stuff. I got scared off by the surgery, diminished stuff, and the lackluster results at Triple-A (20.6/7.1 K%/BB% in 42 IP) but I never should have doubted legend status. He’s not back to prime levels, but it sure looks like he can still be damn good.

Edward Cabrera – MIA, RHP, 27.2 – I’ve been ringing the buy bell on Cabrera for almost 2 months now, and he keeps on chugging along, going 7 IP with 5 hits, 2 ER, and a 5/0 K/BB v. MIL. He didn’t do it with whiffs (15% whiff%), but he did it with weak contact (86.1 MPH EV). Which quite frankly, Cabrera not needing whiffs to maneuver through a strong start is exciting. He’s becoming a real pitcher and not just a thrower. The control and command have been much better for awhile now with a career best 9.2% BB%, and it’s been even better over the last 2 months at 8%. He has a 2.11 ERA with a 25.3% K% over his last 59.2 IP. The man is learning how to pitch, and he still has the big stuff (96.5 MPH sinker), and whiff ability. I was ready to put Cabrera in the bullpen this off-season as their closer and call it a day, but credit to Miami for never wavering. He jumped up to #164 on the Mid-Season Top 437 Dynasty Ranks (Patreon).

Edward Florentino – PIT, 1B/OF, 18.6 – Florentino was already on the path to Top 100 Prospect status, ranking him 177th overall in the June Top 302 Prospects Rankings (Patreon), writing, “He certainly looks in the next wave of Top 100 sluggers.” And that was before he got to Single-A. After his nuclear explosion yesterday at Single-A, he ain’t waiting on the next wave, he’s here now. Just watch him demolish homer #1 412 feet out to dead center, and then homer #2 with an absolute howitzer of a swing. He’s now slashing .286/.357/.592 with 3 homers, 6 steals, and a 24.6/8.8 K%/BB% in 14 games in full season ball as an 18 year old. He most certainly looks the part at 6’4”, 200 pounds and while you can’t expect him to be a big base stealer, he’s 12 for 14 on the bases in 43 games this season, showing he’s a good athlete. That is all of the ingredients you look for in elite power hitting prospects. He’s blowing up.

JJ Wetherholt – STL, 2B, 22.10 – You don’t gotta be 6’4” to jack a couple dingers, the 5’10” Wetherholt got ahold of 2 of his own, both coming lefty off lefty, and both were frickin laser beams. Here’s the first pull side blast, and here’s the one out to dead center. He’s now slashing .300/.425/.466 with 7 homers, 14 steals, and a 14.5/16.0 K%/BB% in 62 games at Double-A. The profile is completely transferring to the upper minors. He’s going to be hitting atop St. Louis’ lineup for a long time.

Walker Jenkins – MIN, OF, 20.4 – If “out of sight, out of mind” can come for Walker Jenkins, it can come for anyone. I’m actually shocked at the amount of hype that Jenkins lost for being out with an ankle injury. I didn’t think anyone would actually budge on him, but people were budging. They budged. I tried my darndest not to let it take hold of me, and I’m happy I didn’t, because he’s now a 20 year old at Double-A who is having little issue. He went 2 for 4 with a 0/1 K/BB yesterday, and he’s now slashing .284/.429/.418 with 2 homers, 7 steals (in 7 attempts) and a 19.0/19.0 K%/BB% in 18 games. That’s good for a 143 wRC+. Being perfect on the bases shows he’s clearly healthy, the elite plate skills are transferring to the upper minors, and he’s showing some power too. There is also no doubt that a lot more power is coming. I’m always just amazed at how “out of sight, out of mind” almost never fails, but Jenkins is most certainly back is sight, and back in mind right now.

Spencer Jones – NYY, OF, 24.2 – Jones has been absolutely unconscious, and yesterday he blasted one 445 feet into the mountains at Triple-A for his 4th homer in 8 games at level. He had guys trying to climb that rock wall to secure the home run ball. The massive potential has never been a question for Jones, it’s the contact rates, and right now they are sitting at a reasonable 30% K% with a 15% BB%. They were on the way down a bit at Double-A too, sitting at a more palatable 33.7%, at least compared to last year’s 36.8% mark. If he can truly sit low 30’s in the majors, I think that just might be good enough to let his massive power/speed combo shine. The hit tool probably does tank him at the end of the day, but man I just can’t quite this power/speed combo.

Zac Veen – COL, OF, 23.7 – I know the fatigue is strong on Veen, and deservedly so, but he’s actually finally starting to have that raw power explosion that we have been waiting for. He went the opposite way for his 5th homer in 46 games at Triple-A, and while that number isn’t super impressive, it comes with a 50% Hard Hit%. The .311/.382/.494 triple slash with a 17.6/9.8 K%/BB% ain’t bad either. He’s not running as much with only 6 steals, and the 107 wRC+ isn’t super impressive, but I wouldn’t be so quick to give up on him quite yet. Seeing the raw power uptick is low key exciting.

Jacob Reimer – NYM, 3B, 21.3 – Reimer recently got the call to Double-A after destroying High-A (159 wRC+), and he reamed his 3rd homer in just 11 games at the level. The much improved lift and pull he demonstrated at High-A is transferring to the upper minors, although the K% has spiked to 33%. Still a small sample and still just something to watch, but it’s a sign the contact rates could take a step back against more advanced competition.

Grant Holmes – ATL, RHP, 29.3 – 6 IP, 4 hits, 2 ER, 5/3 K/BB vs. BAL. The K/BB wasn’t that impressive, but the whiff% was with a 35% whiff%. The slider led the way with a 50% whiff% as his most used pitch. The 94.3 MPH fastball put up a 82.6 MPH EV against with a 22% whiff%. The cutter dominated with a 40% whiff% and 85.9 MPH EV against. The curve put up a 77.9 MPH EV against. All of his pitches were working, and Holmes is now the midst of that huge breakout I foresaw when I named him a target this off-season. His 31.2% whiff% on the season is in the elite range. He has a 3.44 ERA with a 27.8/11.3 K%/BB% in 102 IP, and he’s been even better than that of late. He rocketed up to #148 on the Mid-Season Top 437 Dynasty Baseball Rankings (Patreon), and even that might not be high enough.

Trevor Rogers – BAL, LHP, 27.8 – Pitching prospects never die. You can slice them up. You can beat them down. You can write them off. And then there they are again. Ready to give it another go on your fantasy team, and now Rogers is calling your name again. Like a ghost you can’t shake. He went 6.2 IP with 4 hits, 0 ER, and a 6/2 K/BB yesterday vs. ATL. The 4-seamer was down to 92.4 MPH, but it still performed well with a 29% whiff%. His sweeper and slider combined for an over 50% whiff%, leading to a 32% whiff% overall. That’s his 4th good start in 5 outings, giving him a 1.57 ERA with a 21.8/7.3 K%/BB% in 28.2 IP. I can’t in good conscious get overly excited here, but it’s wild that he’s firmly back on the fantasy radar. He’s worth a pick up for a pitching needy team.

Cam Schlittler – NYY, RHP, 24.4 – I hate the way Schlittler is getting his shot, because I was a huge Schmidt fan this off-season and have been loving what he’s doing, but when one door closes, another opens. Schmidt is down with Tommy John, and Schlitter is next man up. Schlittler jumped up to #266 on the Updated Dynasty Rankings, as I’ve been just blown away by his stuff at Triple-A. He flings upper 90’s heat with 3 different bat missing breakers. His 35.1% whiff% at Triple-A was straight elite. And he’s a 6’6”, 225 pound beast on the mound. He’s a buy in all league sizes.

Chase Dollander – COL, RHP, 23.5 – 3.2 IP, 5 hits, 3 ER, 2/4 K/BB vs. CHW at home. It could be vs. my 10 year old nephew’s little league team, and if it’s at Coors, he would still get hit up. It brings me no joy to report he now has a 9.37 ERA with a 22/18 K/BB in 32.2 IP at home vs. a 4.25 ERA with a 30/15 K/BB in 36 IP on the road. I implored you with everything I had to stay away from Dollander this off-season. If you haven’t read it already, here was my blurb for him in the off-season Top 1,000, “In a Baseball America Youtube interview (The Hot Sheet Show is a great show in general), Dollander mentioned that he’s literally not planning ahead at all, and doing absolutely nothing different for the looming Coors Field that awaits him. The Rockies literally don’t prepare their pitchers at all for eventually pitching with different air. That makes total sense to me based on how bad their franchise is. If I was heading up a franchise where the ballpark had different air, and their entire history of pitching in that environment was nothing short of horrific, the strategies necessary to thrive in that environment would run deep throughout my organization from rookie ball on up. Dollander answered the question as if nobody has even mentioned it to him ha. I just find that kinda wild. Now, maybe trying to change who you are as a pitcher would only get in your head, and maybe there literally is no good strategy for it, so I guess you might as well not think about it. I’m open to that being the case, but either way, for fantasy purposes, it just reinforces that I’m never going to be the high guy on Colorado pitching prospects, It sure seems like if anyone can slay the beast, it will be Dollander, and as a baseball fan, I’m rooting for him hardcore to be the one who breaks through. A true ace at Coors would be awesome. If we forget about Coors for a second, Dollander is an elite pitching prospect on his own merits with a 2.59 ERA and 33.9/9.4 K%/BB% in 118 IP at High-A and Double-A (he was equally dominant at both stops). The mid to upper 90’s fastball is a double plus bat missing weapon, which he combines with a 3 secondaries (gyro slider, curve, change) that aren’t as good as the fastball, but can be above average to plus pitches in their own right. Below average control is the only other demerit besides Coors Field. I’ve had a zero tolerance policy for Coors pitching prospects my entire life, and it has yet to come back to bite me. Maybe Dollander will be the one to finally make me regret it, and I’m genuinely rooting for him to be the one, even if it won’t happen on my dynasty team.”

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

I’ll be running down everything that caught my eye in the Dynasty Baseball world on most Mondays (in this case, Wednesday) throughout the season here on the Brick Wall. The rest of the week you can catch my Rundowns on the Patreon. Here is the Wednesday Morning Dynasty Baseball Rundown (6/25/25):

CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY PATREON FOR TONS OF EXCLUSIVE CONTENT ALL SEASON, INCLUDING:
–JUNE 2025 TOP 302 PROSPECTS RANKS
–MAY 2025 TOP 443 DYNASTY RANKS (Mid-Season Top 400+ Dynasty Ranks coming next week)
-HALP’S DYNASTY BASEBALL PODCAST: JUNE MAILBAG! (dropped yesterday)
-TONS OF DYNASTY RUNDOWNS
-TOP 50 2026 FYPD RANKS COMING SOON
–SPREADSHEETS

Chase Burns – CIN, RHP, 22.3 – In my FYPD Strategy & Target Guide this off-season, I advised to stay put in that top tier of talent (through 12th overall), writing, “I truly believe that any player in this group can emerge as the top player in the draft class in the long run.” And that is basically exactly what we are seeing. Every week, a different guy in that tier is popping, making us all regret not picking him, and yesterday, my #4 overall (#3 not including Roki) FYPD prospect, Chase Burns, took centerstage. He made his MLB debut and went 5 IP with 6 hits, 3 ER, and a 8/0 K/BB vs none other than Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees. Here is the strikeout reel. The 98.1 MPH 4-seamer put up a 26% whiff% and the slider notched a 40% whiff%. That is the recipe right there. The lesser used changeup was also effective with a 38 CSW% and a 58.3 MPH EV against (on just one batted ball). The dude is an ace, and this debut left no doubt about that.

Ben Rice – NYY, 1B, 26.6 – But of course my man Ben Rice had to give Burns his welcome to the majors moment, cracking a 107.9 MPH homer off him. He slumped for a bit, but he’s back on the rise with a 1.305 OPS in his last 6 games, and if you think I was moving off him and his .412 xwOBA, you are crazy. That xwOBA is 9th best in baseball!!! He’s crushing the ball with a 93.4 MPH EV and he’s making plenty of contact with a 21.7% K%. I’m not budging off this man even with the playing time logjam, as 1B opens up next year, and there is no reason for him not to get that job. You need to be sticking with Rice like white on rice.

Christian Moore – LAA, 2B, 22.0 – Burns definitely owned the day from the 2025 FYPD class, but Moore had his coming out party in the majors too, crushing 2 homers at 108.4 MPH and 107.8 MPH. The 2nd homer was a bottom of the ninth, 2 run walk off. The man has Champion in his blood, just like he said in his Draft Day interview. That gives him 3 homers in 12 games, and the 73.6 MPH swing and 12.5% Barrel% backs that up. It’s also a short swing at 7 feet, which is a combo I love. Granted, the shortness isn’t helping the hit tool right now with a 35% K%, and the hit tool is definitely still a risk, but I’m betting on it getting into a good enough area long term. The 28 ft/sec sprint also shows the steals should start coming at some point too. I didn’t budge off Moore, and last night was just the start.

Kaelen Culpepper – MIN, SS, 22.4, AA – I’ve been waiting on Culpepper to get to Double-A to really start exploding him up my rankings even more than I already have been, and he made his first impression last night with a pull side bomb. Also did he hit us with the Michael Jordan, tongue out, right before crushing that bomb? I feel like “Tongue Out” with a silhouette of his tongue has a RotoWear T-shirt written all over it in the future. This was his 3rd game at the level and there has been a bit more swing and miss with a 28.6% K%, but he’s still killing it with a 147 wRC+. Obviously we need a bigger sample to say anything. I closed out his Top 1,000 blurb by writing, “He’s a nice little “let him come to you” target in off-season prospect drafts right now,” and then I pushed him into the Top 100 in May. And after hitting us with the Tongue Out, he might just be Top 50 for me now 😉

Ching-Hsien Ko – LAD, OF, 18.8, CPX – Speaking of guys I pushed into the Top 100 area, Ching-Hsien Ko showed off the power I know he so clearly has in there with his 3rd homer in 36 games at rookie ball. While the homer totals haven’t been huge, the man has been a hit machine all season, slashing .373/.484/.571 with an 18.5/15.3 K%/BB%. It’s good for a 175 wRC+. He’s 6’3”, 215 pounds with that upright, loose and powerful lefty swing that has damage written all over it. I’m already super high on him.

Chase Harlan – LAD, 3B, 18.11, CPX – Harlan has quietly found his groove at rookie ball after jacking out 2 homers yesterday, and he’s now starting to resemble my Austin Riley ceiling comp more and more, slashing .283/.339/.485 with 4 homers and a 19.6/8.9 K%/BB% in 27 games in stateside rookie. The hit tool and plate approach have been solid all season, and now the power is coming with 4 homers in his last 8 games. This was a underrated FYPD sleeper for me, and he’s starting to make his mark now. Keep an eye on him at the least, and he’s a pickup candidate in medium to deeper leagues right now.

Ryne Nelson – ARI, RHP, 27.5 – I named Nelson a Target in the June Mailbag Podcast (Patreon) yesterday, and then a few hours later he showed why, going 5 IP with 1 hit, 1 ER, and a 7/3 K/BB vs. CHW. The 95.5 MPH 4-seamer continues to dominate with a 29% whiff% and 78% usage. The curve induced weak contact with a 74.6 MPH EV against, and he mixed in a much lesser used slider, changeup and cutter. His 4-seamer now has a +12 Run Value which is tied for 3rd in baseball with Joe Ryan, behind only Hunter Brown and Zack Wheeler. He pitched well in the 2nd half of 2024, and he’s pitching well again in every role they put him in 2025. He’s in the rotation now, and I’m buying.

Denzel Clarke – OAK, OF, 24.11 – 2 for 3 with a 103.2 MPH homer off none other than Tarik Skubal. And most importantly, it came with 0 strikeouts! It’s been a rough offensive debut for Clarke, which honestly was to be expected with a 43.3/2.2 K%/BB%, but I’m actually encouraged by the 32.5% whiff% and 28.3% Chase%. To me, that indicates the K/BB numbers should definitely improve as he gets more comfortable, and he’s proven he’s capable of improving his contact rates in the minors. Someone this talented deserves patience, and with his insane CF defense, the Athletics are going to give him that patience. I’m holding Clarke.

Nick Gonzales – PIT, 2B, 26.0 – If you are struggling at 2B in your league and are looking for anyone to help out, Gonzales could be the guy to take a shot on. He cracked a 395 foot homer off Freddy Peralta yesterday, and he’s been excellent since returning from a fractured ankle that he suffered on Opening Day. He’s slashing .316/.345/.519 with 3 homers, 0 steals, and a 17.9/4.8 K%/BB% in 20 games. The 9.2% Barrel% and 90.3 MPH EV backs up the hot start. He’s not going to be a world beater, but beggars can’t be choosers if you are desperate for 2B help.

Tommy White – OAK, 3B, 22.3, A+ – White has grown on me more and more this season, ranking him 96th overall in the June Top 302 Prospects Rankings (Patreon), and he blasted off for his 8th homer in 43 games at High-A last night. I’m also starting to like his swing and stance much more than I did in college. It’s much more upright and loose, and he’s taking to the changes quite well. The power also comes with great contact with a 11.6% K%. We need to see it at Double-A for an advanced college bat like this, but he’s coming for that starting 3B job in short order. He’s really underrated right now.

Hunter Barco – PIT, LHP, 24.6, AAA – Barco had his best outing at Triple-A, going 6 IP with 5 hits, 0 ER, and a 6/1 K/BB. The sinker was down to 92.2 MPH, which isn’t great to see the velocity uptick slipping a bit as he’s building innings, but it still performed well with a 40% CSW%. The slider and splitter both missed bats and induced weak contact. I don’t love the velocity and the 23% whiff% overall wasn’t super impressive, but it’s still great to see him start to feel comfortable at Triple-A. He hasn’t been bad at the level with a 4.21 ERA and 28.2% K% in 25.2 IP, so hopefully he can keep building on this.

Troy Melton – DET, RHP, 24.7, AAA – It’s time to take Melton very seriously. He utterly dominated Triple-A last night, going 5.1 IP with 6 hits, 1 ER and a 10/1 K/BB. The fastball sat 97.1 MPH!!! and put up a 32% whiff%. The cutter was his next highest usage pitch, putting up a 29% whiff%, and the lesser used slider notched 2 for 3 whiffs. He also threw a change and curve a few times. He now has a 35.6/6.8 K%/BB% in 16 IP at the level. This coming off a 27.4/6.4 K%/BB% in 39 IP at Double-A. It’s an odd pitch mix as it is extremely heavy on 4-seamer and cutter, which makes me a bit hesitant to really go all in, but the guy is throwing mid to upper 90’s gas and he’s dominating the upper minors. It should be noted he does have a 5.63 ERA at Triple-A, and while the 2.47 xFIP looks much better, he had the same ERA problems last year (5.10 ERA with a 3.14 xFIP). I wouldn’t be surprised if he ended up in the pen, but he could end up a really good pen arm. Either way, he deserves our attention.

Travis Sykora – WAS, RHP, 21.1, A+ – 6 IP, 2 hits, 0 ER, 8/2 K/BB at High-A. There really isn’t much more to say about Sykora while he’s at High-A other than he’s an elite pitching prospect. I immediately called him an elite pitching prospect when he returned from hip surgery and looked more athletic on the mound than I had ever seen him. The surgery fixed a hip issue he was having for a few years, and while he was great with the hip issue, he’s even better now with a 1.21 ERA and 44.3/7.5 K%/BB% in 29.2 IP at High-A. He has 3 potentially plus to double plus pitches. We’re just waiting on the upper minors, but I doubt that slows him down too much.

Tyson Hardin – MIL, RHP, 23.5, AA – After handling his business at High-A, Hardin got the call to Double-A and he’s handling his business there too, going 6 IP with 6 hits, 1 ER and a 6/0 K/BB. He had a similar outing his first time out at the level too, giving him a 2.25 ERA with a 24.4/2.2 K%/BB% in 12 IP at the level. He’s a classic Brewers pitcher with a low to mid 90’s bat missing fastball and diverse pitch mix. Solid pitching prospect with mid-rotation upside, and it’s great to see him transfer the profile to Double-A.

Nate George – BAL, OF, 19.0, A – George popped onto my June Top 302 Prospect Rankings (Patreon) at #290 on the back of his strong pro debut at rookie ball, and now he’s looking pretty good at Single-A after going 3 for 4 with a double, triple, walk and stolen base yesterday. This coming off his first dinger at the level the day before. He’s now slashing .364/.417/.568 with 1 homer, 8 steals, and a 24.5/8.2 K%/BB% in 11 games at the level. Sure the K% spiked a bit, but this is a legit athlete at a strong and fast 6’0”, and now he’s doing it at an age appropriate level. He’s getting even more exciting.

Gage Jump – OAK, LHP, 22.1, AA – 3.2 IP, 2 hits, 2 ER, 3/6 K/BB at Double-A. This coming off an outing where he went 4.1 IP with 4 hits, 3 ER and a 3/4 K/BB. He’s human after all, and with that violent delivery, let’s just hope it’s just a rough patch … I don’t even want to put that on him … it’s just a rough patch

Quinn Mathews – STL, LHP, 24.8, AAA – 1.1 IP, 2 hits, 5 ER, 1/6 K/BB at Triple-A. The fastball was down to 92.9 MPH. He now has a 5.27 ERA with a 21.9/23.4 K%/BB% in 27.1 IP. Saying this is not the follow up we wanted to see from his breakout 2024 is an understatement. I warned not to hand wave away the small sample Triple-A struggles last year, and it’s clear this isn’t the guy we thought he was. He’s looking more like a back end arm right now.

CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY PATREON FOR TONS OF EXCLUSIVE CONTENT ALL SEASON, INCLUDING:
–JUNE 2025 TOP 302 PROSPECTS RANKS
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-TOP 50 2026 FYPD RANKS COMING SOON
–SPREADSHEETS

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

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 (6/16/25):

CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY PATREON FOR TONS OF EXCLUSIVE CONTENT ALL SEASON, INCLUDING:
–JUNE 2025 TOP 302 PROSPECTS RANKS
–MAY 2025 TOP 443 DYNASTY RANKS (5/30/25)
-HALP’S DYNASTY BASEBALL PODCAST: MAY MAILBAG! (June Mailbag coming soon)
-TONS OF DYNASTY RUNDOWNS
-PREDICTING THE TOP 50 2026 PROSPECTS RANKS
–SPREADSHEETS

Rafael Devers – SFG, 3B, 28.7 – I don’t know what Devers said to Red Sox owner, John Henry, when Henry flew out to Kansas City to have a meeting with Devers about his refusal to play 1B, but whatever he said, it was not what Henry wanted to hear. In a shocking trade, Devers and his 8.5 year, $254 million contract will head to San Francisco in return for Jordan Hicks, Kyle Harrison, James Tibbs and Jose Bello. I’m probably the only dynasty baseball psycho whose immediate thought was … “James Tibbs gets a lot more interesting not having to hit in San Francisco.” But we know it’s all about Devers, and while it’s most certainly a ballpark downgrade, any guy who hits the ball 94 MPH is highly likely to be ballpark proof. It’s a small downgrade, but I wouldn’t change his value too much because of it right now. Harrison gets the opposite bump with a ballpark downgrade, and like I said, Tibbs is really the most interesting for me, as he wasn’t the type of hitter to profile well in San Francisco. As for real life, I can’t imagine a scenario where you can be happy trading a 28 year old superstar with a .905 OPS. I don’t care that he refused to play 1B. I don’t care that he told the owner to fuck off. Losing a bat like this is not easy to replace. Brutal blow. I truly feel for Red Sox fans.

Konnor Griffin – PIT, OF, 19.1, A+ – Right before Griffin got the call to High-A, I ranked him 1st overall on my non debuted Top 302 June 2025 Dynasty Prospects Rankings (Patreon), and he’s more than proved he deserved that ranking by going bonkos at the level. He’s homered in back to back games, and yesterday’s shot was completely incinerated at 110 MPH. What put Griffin over the top for me, prompting me to place him 1st overall, was that his only weakness, plate skills, were improving massively in his last 16 games at Single-A, and those improvements have carried over into High-A with a 6.3/9.4 K%/BB% in 6 games. It also comes with 2 homers and 6 steals, giving him 11 homers with 32 steals in 56 games overall. This is a 6’4”, 225 pound uber athlete with unmatched upside, and now the plate skills are taking a massive step forward right before our eyes. And he’s doing at High-A as a barely 19 year old. He deserves that #1 spot on non debuted prospect rankings. There is no one else I would rather have.

Roki Sasaki – LAD, RHP, 23.5 – Sasaki has been shut down from throwing and there is a chance he doesn’t return at all this season. He hit the IL in May, after throwing 34.1 IP with a shoulder impingement. This is why I actually predicted this off-season that Roki would still be included on 2026 Prospect lists, ranking him 7th overall on my Predicting the Top 50 2026 Dynasty Prospects Rankings (Patreon), writing ” I don’t want to believe it either, but Sasaki will feel elbow soreness in May, hit the IL, and then succumb to Tommy John surgery with an internal brace procedure after throwing 33.2 IP in the majors.” … Eerily close … I even scare myself sometimes.

Luis Morales – OAK, RHP, 22.8, AAA – The most underrated pitching prospect in baseball is officially starting to conquer one of the hardest places to pitch at. Triple-A is a beast of a challenge these days for all pitchers, with tons dropping off immediately, and Morales got sent to the extra tough Las Vegas in the PCL. But after yesterday, he’s proving my lofty ranking of him (34th overall in the June Top 302 Prospects Ranks) and the hype I’ve been giving him all season is warranted, going 5 IP with 4 hits, 3 ER, and a 9/1 K/BB. All 5 of his pitches were insane whiff machines, leading to a 53% whiff% overall. The 96.4 MPH fastball put up a 36% whiff%, the slider put up an 88% whiff%, the cutter went 3 for 5 on whiffs and the changeup went 2 for 2. He now has a 29.6/8.3 K%/BB% in 26.2 IP at the level. This dude is a near elite pitching prospect, and he doesn’t get nearly that level of hype.

Jonah Tong – NYM, RHP, 21.11, AA – 5 IP, 2 hits, 1 ER, 5/0 K/BB at Double-A. I think this changeup broke both of the batter’s ankles, and almost doesn’t even look real. He had it all working yesterday, blowing mid 90’s heat by guys, dotting the black, vicious breakers, and filthy changeups. It was only his 2nd start of the season with 0 walks, but that 12.3% BB% is more than mitigated by the wild 40.7% K%. And he’s been untouchable with a 1.97 ERA in 59.1 IP. He was an off-season target for me, and now he’s risen to 44th overall on the June Top 302 Prospect Ranks.

Ryan McMahon – COL, 3B, 30.3 – Ryan McMahon is kinda sneakily super intriguing right now. He cracked a 106.1 MPH homer yesterday, and that was his 4th homer in his last 8 games. He’s a 30 year old vet with a 95 wRC+ and a career 90 wRC+, but he’s not the same hitter this year. His bat speed is up almost 2 MPH to 74.4 MPH, and his Pull Air% is up majorly to 17.7% (11.1% in 2024). The 12.7% Barrel%, 94.7 MPH EV, .360 xwOBA and 52.5% Hard Hit% are all career highs. Something is going on here, even if the surface stats are the same as usual. I’m just saying, if he has a crazy 2nd half where he hits like 20 bombs, don’t be completely shocked. He could be a very sneaky acquisition in fantasy leagues right now, and I can’t imagine the price is very high, if not completely free on the waiver wire.

Angel Genao – CLE, SS, 21.0, AA – Genao got a late start to the season due to a shoulder sprain, and after jacking 3 homers in 8 games in rookie ball, he got ahold of his first bomb at Double-A, which unfortunately the camera man was sleeping on, so we only saw the aftermath. This is his first taste of Double-A and the skills are most certainly transferring with a 10.3% K%, .321 BA and 147 wRC+. He’s a bit like the less hyped version of Kevin McGonigle right now, and if he keeps raking, it won’t be less hyped for long.

Luke Adams – MIL, 1B/3B, 21.1, AA – Adams has been quietly destroying Double-A, and it got a lot louder yesterday with him smoking a frozen rope grand slam. He’s now slashing .245/.429/.495 with 11 homers, 9 steals, and a 21.1/16.6 K%/BB% in 56 games. That’s good for a 179 wRC+! He’s lifting and pulling, he’s running, and the great plate approach has completely transferred to the upper minors. He’s doing everything we want of him this season, and I’m pumped to see it as he was a deep FYPD sleeper of mine after getting drafted 372nd overall in 2022. He’s still underrated now, mainly because it’s looking more and more likely that he’s a 1B, but I mean, the OBP, power, speed profile should be good enough to clear that bar. I was buying 3 years ago, and I’m still buying now.

George Wolkow – CHW, OF, 19.5, A – Keep an eye out for Big George, and it sure seems like he’s starting to figure it out a little bit, He smoked his 8th homer in 55 games at Single-A which the fan completely botched the play on, and he’s now slashing .287/.370/.543 with 7 homers, 3 steals, and a 21.3/8.3 K%/BB% in his last 26 games. He’s been showing contact rate gains all season with a 25.4% K%, which is a huge deal, because 6’7”, 240 pound Wolkow has massive power upside, and the 16 steals show the type of athlete he is too. I loved him coming out of the draft, and while there have been some bumps in the road, it looks like he’s in the process of leveling up.

Brandon Walter – HOU, LHP, 28.9 – 6.2 IP, 6 hits, 1 ER, 9/0 K/BB at MIN. This was Walter’s 3rd gem in a row and he now has a 1.53 ERA with a 27.5/1.4 K%/BB% in 17.2 IP. It might feel like Walter came out of nowhere, but I remember when he was getting some near Top 100 buzz a few years ago. When you put up the type of K/BB numbers he has throughout his entire career, you should take notice no matter how fast a guy throws, because once again, K/BB is proving to be King. His 91.7 MPH sinker keeps the ball on the ground, the 88.7 MPH cutter and especially the changeup (.181 xwOBA) keeps righties in check, and the sweeper was his most used pitch in this outing, putting up an 83.6 MPH EV on the season. Even the lesser used 4-seamer dominates when he goes to it with a 55.6 whiff%. And all of his stuff plays up with elite control. He was dominating Triple-A all year with this formula as well. And we know Houston is a great organization. I can’t buy that he’s actually this good, but I think a low WHIP mid rotation starter can definitely be in the cards.

Noah Cameron – KCR, LHP, 25.10 – Nobody wants to believe, and Cameron keeps on humming along, going 5 IP with 4 hits, 0 ER, and a 7/1 K/BB vs. the Athletics. All 5 of his pitches were missing bats in this one, leading to a 32% whiff%, and while the 19.6% K% in 42.1 IP on the season is low, the 26.7% whiff% is well above average. The 92.1 MPH fastball hasn’t been a great pitch with a 8.3% whiff%, but all 4 of his other pitches have been excellent with a +2 Run Value on the changeup, +4 on the slider, +5 on the curve and + 2 on the cutter. He uses all 5 pitches almost equally. It’s led to a 1.91 ERA, and while the 3.07 xERA isn’t as good, that is still a damn good ERA. I’m struggling to truly fully buy into him myself, but he keeps on making his doubters look silly.

Grant Holmes – ATL, RHP, 29.0 – Holmes has been solid all season, but he’s starting to hit another level, especially after yesterday’s gem, going 6.1 IP with 2 hits, 2 ER, and a 15/2 K/BB vs. COL. The 94.5 MPH fastball dominated with a 71.5 MPH EV against and 32% whiff%. The slider was just silly with 16 of 28 whiffs, and the curve and cutter contributed a bit too, leading to a 48% whiff% overall. Even before this outing, the strikeouts were ticking up with 22 K in 14.1 IP (again, not even including yesterday’s start). The 28.1% K% and 28.9% whiff% are now in near elite territory. He was a major target for me this off-season, and everything I liked about him this off-season, is now fully showing up. Well, except the 10.4% BB%, and the 3.97 ERA isn’t exactly dominant, but he’s starting to look really exciting with the uptick in strikeouts of late.

Nick Kurtz – OAK, 1B, 22.3 – Kurtz is going through an adjustment period in the majors, which is to be expected considering he was partying at Wake Forest at this time last year, but he looked comfortable yesterday, smashing a 108 MPH homer off Carlos Estevez on a 2 for 4 day. The huge power has been on full display with a 13.3% Barrel%, 77.8 MPH swing, 92.6 MPH EV and 49.3% Hard Hit%, leading to 6 homers in 33 games. It’s the hit tool that needs some time with a .235 BA and 33.3% K%. He’ll probably always have an elevated strikeout rate, but he has the type of all fields power where he can still have a high BA and hit tons of homers with a mid 20’s K rate, and I’m betting on him being able to bring that K rate down in future seasons. I’m still all in on Kurtz.

Junior Caminero – TBR, 3B, 21.9 – Speaking of getting over that MLB adjustment period hump, Caminero went through the ups and downs in 2024, and now he’s out the other side of it with him cementing himself as one of the top young sluggers in the game. He’s been a homer machine and he cracked his 17th in 65 games with a 103.6 MPH shot yesterday. His 77.9 MPH swing with a 17.8% K% is silly elite, and while the 8.8 degree launch is low, the 21.1% Air Pull% is much better. Dude is an elite young slugger. Simple as that.

Andrew Painter – PHI, RHP, 22.2, AAA – We’ve been staying patient for Painter to shake off that last bit on Tommy John rust, and he looked damn crisp yesterday, going 5 IP with 1 hit, 0 ER, and a 6/2 K/BB at Triple-A. The 4-seamer sat 96.7 MPH and the four secondaries (cutter, curve, change, slider) all missed bats, leading to a 29% whiff% overall. It hasn’t been the pure dominance, perfect pitching prospect performance of his pre surgery days, but this start brings him a bit closer to those days with a 4.35 ERA and 26.3/9.8 K%/BB% in 31 IP. Tommy John is rarely a career ender these days, but it’s not a walk in the park either. Tons of guys have major rust, and some never really return to that tippy top upside. I’m still betting on Painter becoming an ace, but we are seeing that it’s a process coming off the surgery.

Eury Perez – MIA, RHP, 22.1 – Speaking of Tommy John rust, Perez went 4 IP with 4 hits, 1 ER, and a 0/3 K/BB, I mean, good outing, but 0 K’s is wild for him. This coming off his first outing where he gave up 4 ER in 3 IP. This rust was extremely easy to foresee, as it is just part of the process for the vast majority of TJ returnees. The good news is that the stuff is back with a 97.6 MPH fastball, but the control and the secondaries are not fully back. Not to be a downer, but we’ve seen with Shane Baz that there really isn’t a guarantee they ever get fully back to pre surgery levels, but just like with Andrew Painter, I’m betting on Perez getting back to ace level. Definitely stay patient.

Kumar Rocker – TEX, RHP, 25.6 – 5 IP, 4 hits, 0 ER, 6/1 K/BB vs. CHW. I would love to say that Rocker had a statement start here and that he’s back. I would love to say that everyone has given up on this man so fast. But, I mean, it was against the Quad-A White Sox, and the 21% whiff% isn’t very impressive. The 95+ MPH 4-seamer and sinker weren’t particularly great either at inducing weak contact or missing bats. This is still a young, super talented pitcher trying to figure it out, and while some really have seemed to completely give up, I still see the big talent in here. The cutter is coming along and it performed well in this one with a 84.3 MPH EV against and 33% CSW%. He’s got bat missing breakers in his slider and curve. And he’s got huge velocity. He’s still tinkering and he’s still trying to figure out the right pitch mix, but don’t throw in the towel on this man. I would stay patient.

Brady House – WAS, 3B, 22.0 – House got the call to the bigs, and while a lot of places were fading him right off their Top 100’s this off-season, I held strong and ranked him 74th overall, writing, “when evaluating prospects, you have to have an eye towards who they can be, rather than who they are today, and House can definitely still be a middle of the order power bat at peak.” We saw him look more like that potential middle of the order masher in 2025, slashing .304/.353/.519 with 13 homers, 0 steals, and a 26.5/7.1 K%/BB% in 65 games at Triple-A. The power is legit with a 46.2% Hard Hit%, but he’s still really far from a finished product with a below average plate approach and low launch. I would actually be surprised if he stepped into the majors and raked, but his talent deserved patience this off-season, and it will continue to deserve patience even if he struggles in his first taste of the bigs.

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By Michael Halpern (@MichaelCHalpern)
Email: michaelhalpern@imaginarybrickwall.com
Twitter: Imaginary Brick Wall (@DynastyHalp)
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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 (5/19/25):

CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY PATREON FOR TONS OF EXCLUSIVE CONTENT ALL SEASON, INCLUDING:
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-PREDICTING THE TOP 50 2026 PROSPECTS RANKS
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-HALP’S DYNASTY BASEBALL PODCAST: APRIL MAILBAG! (May Mailbag coming this week)

Jack Leiter – TEX, RHP, 25.1 – I always find it so interesting when a prospect starts to get on the radar of smart baseball fans/redraft analyst’s who don’t play dynasty and don’t dive deep into the prospect world. We prospectors and dynasty baseball fiends have been following these guys careers from probably well before they were even drafted, and we see all the ups and downs. We have the big picture, birds eye view. And we value guys accordingly. But then all of a sudden a guy will make their MLB debut, or be on the precipice of their debut, and then a whole new set of eyes will get on them. A whole new group of smart people will discover a guy for mostly the first time, and those fresh eyes bring a different perspective. Enter Jack Leiter, who prospectors rode the ups and down with in his minor league career, and by the time he made his debut in 2024, and then again this off-season, he basically fell off everyone’s Top 100. We all knew about the big stuff, but we saw the problems and inconsistency. But the people really getting a look at him for the first time were all just drooling over the big stuff and flying him up rankings. Sometimes this can reveal a prospect fatigue within the prospect/dynasty industry, and the fresh eyes are correct. But sometimes having the bigger picture wins out, and in the case of Leiter, the inconsistencies are popping back up after a strong start to the season. He went 7 IP with 3 hits, 3 ER, and a 4/2 K/BB vs. Houston yesterday, and he now has a 5.54 ERA with a 15.5/13.6 K%/BB% since returning from the IL. The huge stuff is there with upper 90’s heat but he has below average control/command and he doesn’t have a great secondary. It’s been the story of his career, and it’s again the story of this season. The hyped kick change this off-season has been bad. The slider looked good early, but it’s dropped back off since returning. The tantalizing talent is in there. It’s what got him drafted 2nd overall, but he just hasn’t put it together. This blurb wasn’t meant as a diss at all to anyone. I love it when smart, fresh eyes get a look at a prospect that the same people have been evaluating for years. It’s interesting and it usually does reveal some biases of the prospect community. And as for Leiter, you never want to bet against a guy with this level of stuff eventually figuring it out. I want to buy in. I bought in too much after his hot start. But in the end, it was just flashes. The inconsistency is back unfortunately.

Mick Abel – PHI, RHP, 23.9 – Now after patting the prospect community on the back for Jack Leiter, it deserves to be admonished for Mick Abel. We gave up on this man after his horrific 2024, and now he’s making us regret it in 2025. After massively improving his control and putting up a good season at Triple-A with a 2.53 ERA and 26.6/9.9 K%/B% in 46.1 IP, he made his MLB debut and showed out, going 6 IP with 5 hits, 0 ER, and a 9/0 K/BB vs. PIT. The fastball sat 97.3 MPH and dominated with a 32% whiff%. The curve was untouchable with 8 of 11 whiffs. He also mixed in a slider, sinker and changeup, leading to a 38% whiff% overall. He straight up outdueled Paul Skenes in this one. He’s not actually this good, I don’t think, as he wasn’t even this good at Triple-A, but what an exclamation point to make that his improvement is for real. This is when betting on the stuff and not worrying about the inconsistency pays off … although we do have a track record of up and down performance. So maybe we should keep a little bit of that bird’s eye view and have some caution. But after yesterday, I want to fly him up rankings too.

Jackson Jobe – DET, RHP, 22.8 – Speaking of being patient with huge stuff, ain’t nobody was going off Jackson Jobe, and I’m liking what I’m seeing of late, especially after yesterday, He went 6 IP with 6 hits, 2 ER, and a 5/2 K/BB vs. TOR, and what I’m liking the most is the 31% whiff%. He had a high whiff rate vs. Boston in his last outing too. Seeing the swing and miss is huge, and to me it is a sign that he is starting to figure it out. The season line still isn’t very good with a 18.5/12.5 K%/BB% in 39.1 IP, but the changeup is starting to look like an elite pitch with a 71% whiff% in this one, the 96.6 MPH fastball is missing more bats with a 25% whiff%, and the slider is inducing weak contact with a 82.3 MPH EV. The ingredients are in here, and he’s starting to put it together.

Chase Dollander – COL, RHP, 23.6 – 4.2 IP, 3 hits, 1 ER, 6/2 K/BB at Arizona. Every time Dollander pitches on the road, it’s just a little bit of torture. Just a taste of what his career could have looked like if he didn’t get drafted into Coors. He has a 4.29 ERA, 1.095 WHIP, and a 26.7% K% in 21 IP on the road vs. a 8.66 ERA, 1.811 WHIP and 17.4% K% in 17.2 IP at home. I mean, it just isn’t fair. Life isn’t fair. The 97.5 MPH fastball dominated with a 30% whiff%, and so did the curve with a 39% whiff%. Can they just not use him at home? Let some other scrub get bombed there.

Heliot Ramos – SFG, OF, 25.8 – He got another one at home! This one crushed at 111.2 MPH. The first one he hit at home was like 112+ MPH. That’s all he has to do. Just crush them at 110+ MPH at home and you will be fine. He now has a .968 OPS on the road vs. a .725 OPS at home. He’s like the hitting version of Dollander.

Dylan Crews – WAS, OF, 23.1 – 2 for 4 with a 106 MPH homer off Eflin. Crews is one of my favorite buy lows right now. He has 6 homers and 11 steals in 44 games, which everyone would be crazy over if he just had normal BABIP luck. His .255 xBA and .233 BABIP are screaming that the .191 BA is unlucky. There is absolutely nothing in his profile which would show that he is a low BABIP player. It’s actually the opposite. With normal luck, he would be absolutely flying up the rankings, but right now his value is pretty damn low. I sense people wanting to give up, but now is not the time. It’s actually time to pounce if his current owner is getting tired of him.

Josue De Paula – LAD, OF, 19.11, A+ – The game power breakout has so clearly arrived for De Paula after he unloaded for his 7th homer in 38 games at High-A. Just watch that beautiful and powerful lefty swing, which he combines with an elite plate approach (16.7/17.9 K%/BB%) and athleticism (10 steals). Sure he can’t play a lick of defense, but with a bat like this, I don’t care. I already ranked him 7th overall in the Updated May Top 323 Dynasty Prospects Rankings (Patreon), so I can’t possibly be any higher than I am already, but he just keeps on locking in the gains.

Luis Pena – MIL, SS/3B/SS, 18.5, A – Pena’s homered in back to back games, ripping a liner out yesterday that just kept on carrying over the fence, which puts the final exclamation point on his truly elite prospect blow up to start his stateside career. There can be no doubts now with him slashing .327/.400/.505 with 3 homers, 21 steals, and a 8.7/9.6 K%/BB% in 25 games at Single-A. He was a named Target for me this off-season, writing in his Target blurb, “Pena was a hit/speed breakout whose swing looks damn dangerous to me, and he’s not super small or anything at 5’11.” He’s proving my eyes were not deceiving me as he’s using that explosive swing to rocket the ball all over the field. The contact is elite, the base stealing is elite, and now we are seeing the power uptick right before our eyes. He’s elite.

JJ Wetherholt – STL, 2B, 22.8, AA – Speaking of elite contact with real power and speed, Wetherholt went lefty and lefty for his 3rd homer in 27 games at Double-A, and he did it with some swagger, watching it leave the park. He’s now slashing .296/.383/.449 with 3 homers, 4 steals, and a 11.3/10.4 K%/BB% in 27 games. He’s in the mold of a Jung Hoo Lee. Maybe the power/speed numbers won’t be off the charts, but the hit tool can make up for it, and he can hit the ball damn hard.

Colt Emerson – SEA, SS, 19.9, A+ – Emerson has officially snapped out of his early season slump, slicing an opposite field homer on a 4 for 8 with 2 steal day. He now has a 1.054 OPS with 4 homers, 2 steals, and a 5/7 K/BB in his last 13 games at High-A. The wRC+ is up to a respectable 115 on the season. He’s in that same mold that Wetherholt is in with a bit more swing and miss and a bit more ultimate power potential at peak. The 54.8% GB% is high and he’s only 2 for 5 on the bases, but he hits the ball hard, and the hit tool is plus. He’s also only 19 years old, so the hope is that he can really unleash plus game power at peak too.

Zebby Matthews – MIN, RHP, 24.11 – Zebby made his MLB season debut, and just like last year, he was not able to carry over the success from the minors into the majors, going 3 IP with 5 hits, 4 ER, and a 5/3 K/BB at MIL. The good news is that the increased velocity is sticking with a 96.5 MPH heater. the slider missed bats with a 75% whiff%, and the 81.7 MPH EV against overall shows that he clearly got unlucky in this one. It’s not the outing we wanted to see coming off his destruction of Triple-A, but I’m not budging off Zebby. I’m still buying.

Chen-Wei Lin – STL, RHP, 23.5, A+ – 3 IP, 0 hits, 0 ER, 6/1 K/BB at High-A. Do not miss the boat on Lin. I have been ringing his Target bell since this off-season, and he now has a 1.17 ERA with a 43.3/6.7 K%/BB% in 7.2 IP this season. He got a late start to the season and he’s just ramping up, so let this be your last opportunity to buy in before his value he explodes. He’s 6’7” with upper 90’s gas and multiple bat missing secondaries. You don’t hear a peep about this guy, but one day, he will be a hype machine.

Sawyer Gipson-Long – DET, RHP, 27.4, A+ – 2.2 IP, 5 hits, 1 ER, 3/0 K/BB at High-A. This is getting close to your last call to jump on Sawyer Gipson Long as well. He’s looked good in his return from Tommy John with a 1.29 ERA and 25.0/3.6 K%/BB% in 7 IP. He’s most certainly letting it rip on the mound, showing no signs of favoring that arm, and that K/BB is what he did his entire career. Here is what I wrote about him in my 19 Dynasty Baseball Thoughts/Strategies for 2025: “Not so much a strategy or thought here, but the more I think about it, the more I’m kinda digging Sawyer Gipson Long. He very well might be freely available in many leagues, and you might be able to use an IL spot on him too depending on your league setup. Or just as a free stash in your minors. His MLB debut was no joke. That type of swing and miss is quite rare, even in 20 IP. His 28.5/6.1 K%/BB% in 341 minor league IP is really damn impressive too. He never got the respect he deserved, even from me, and even after that strong debut. I think a lot of people have more or less moved on from him, making it a perfect time to acquire him for nothing or probably almost nothing. If fully healthy, which is obviously a risk, it could be an extremely small gamble for a pretty big payoff.”

Jack Perkins – OAK, RHP, 25.3, AAA – 4.2 IP, 3 hits, 0 ER, 7/1 K/BB at Triple-A. Perkins wasn’t a target for me this off-season, but he was getting some hype, and it’s looking like he deserved that hype with the strong start to his season. He has a 4.08 ERA with a 31.9/6.9 K%/BB% in 17.2 IP. The slider dominated with a 43% whiff, which he combines with 3 different fastballs (mid 90’s 4-seamer, mid 90’s sinker, low 90’s cutter) and a lesser used changeup. I had him in the reliever bucket this off-season, which is still possible, but Oakland doesn’t have much of a reason to not give him every shot in the rotation, and he may end up getting that shot sooner rather than later. Not a bad stash candidate right now.

CJ Abrams – WAS, SS, 24.6 – 3 for 5 with 2 homers at 105.2 MPH and 98.5 MPH. I think we are at the point where I’m not even going to mention Abrams anymore. That is how much of a locked in elite player he is with 8 homers, 9 steals, and a .385 xwOBA in 35 games. I’ve been telling you he’s elite since this off-season, naming him a target, ranking him 25th overall, and then I doubled down in the Updated April Top 437 Dynasty Rankings on Patreon (May update coming next week), ranking him 17th overall. He’s gotten stronger every season and it’s hit a crescendo this year with a 91.3 MPH EV. Way too late to get in now.

Zach Neto – LAA, SS, 24.3 – 2 for 4 with a 109.2 MPH homer. The same thing I wrote about Abrams, I can write about Neto. We are at the point where he is getting locked in as a near elite dynasty player with 7 homers, 7 steals, and a .406 xwOBA in 27 games. I’ve been high on Neto since before he was drafted, placing him 3rd overall in his FYPD class, and then ranking him 43rd overall this off-season in the Top 1,000. I wrote in the Rundowns last week that shoulder surgeries for hitters are starting to look like not that big of a deal with what Ohtani, Neto and also what Varsho is doing right now. I don’t think I’m going to drop hitters much for shoulder surgeries anymore if this is any indication.

Jackson Holliday – BAL, 2B, 21.4 – 2 for 4 with a 103.3 MPH homer for his 6th in 40 games, and I think we can now officially say that keeping the faith on Holliday was the right call. He’s bouncing back from that terrible rookie year with improvements across the board. The whiff% is all the way down to 21.8% (34.1% in 2024), the chase is down to 20.5% (27.2% in 2024), and the EV is up to 90.8 MPH (89.3 MPH in 2024). It’s resulted in a .351 xwOBA. The only thing he isn’t doing well is stealing bases, with 2 steals in 6 attempts. He wasn’t that great of a base stealer in the minor leagues as well, although he went a perfect 4 for 4 in the bigs last year, so I don’t think this is his true talent level. The 8.8 degree launch also isn’t conducive to huge homer totals, but we already knew this about Holliday. It wasn’t some monster power/speed combo that made him an elite prospect, it was hit hit tool, and he’s now living up to our expectations of him. And keep in mind he’s still only 21 years old. I’m just happy to see him shaking off that rough rookie year, and this is just the start.

Will Benson -CIN, OF, 26.11 – I wrote up Benson last week in the Rundowns as someone to keep an eye on, and he’s just kept on mashing dingers non stop, going 3 for 4 with 2 bombs at 106.6 MPH and 102.4 MPH. He also tacked on a 106.7 MPH single. He now has 5 homers with a 94.8 MPH EV in just 9 games. You only have to look at a guy like Kyle Stowers to know that when guys have huge talent, sometimes it can take into their mid to late 20’s before they figure out the hit tool enough, but like Stowers, there is still big hit tool risk here. The 31.3% whiff and 27.3% K% is still high, and it’s only a small sample, so it could go higher as he continues to play. I love betting on big men with this type of talent, so like I said last week he’s definitely worth a flier, but you can’t go too crazy over it quite yet. It’s also only going to be in a platoon role at best.

Miguel Vargas – CHW, 3B/OF, 25.5 – Vargas has risen from the dead for about a month now, and he kept it going yesterday, going 2 for 3 with a 102.1 MPH homer. He now has 6 homers with a 1.055 OPS in his last 22 games. The EV is way up to 89.6 MPH (86.2 MPH in 2024) and the K% is down 6.9 percentage points to 17.2%. He’s always been a lift machine with a 22.6 degree launch, so the increased power and contact are all he needed to breakout. He’s not running with only 1 steal, and he’s still not exactly crushing the ball with a 7% Barrel%, so he’s still not quite the guy we hoped for when he was an elite fantasy prospect, but he’s quite clearly getting comfortable vs. MLB pitching and leveling up.

Cody Bellinger – NYY, OF/1B, 29.10 – 3 for 3 with a 102.3 MPH homer as Bellinger is putting his slow start to the season way behind him. He now has 5 homers with a 1.059 OPS in his last 20 games, and he can actually be on the precipice of a true explosion. The power from the beginning of his career has mysteriously come back with his 11.3% Barrel%, 90.1 MPH EV, and 41.9% Hard Hit% all way up from where they were sitting the last few seasons. His bat speed is also up 1.4 MPH to a more respectable 70.4 MPH. And he’s still making tons of contact (19.7% K%), lifting (21.1 degree launch) and running (28 ft/sec sprint). I mean, this is starting to resemble the true beast he was earlier in his career. And he’s taking advantage of Yankee Stadium with 5 homers and a .891 OPS at home. Bellinger might end up putting together some season this year when it’s all said and done.

Mike Sirota – LAD, OF, 21.11, A+ – Single-A was no issue for Sirota with a 194 wRC+ in 24 games, and now High-A is even less of an issue with a 412 wRC+ in 3 games. He cracked his 2nd homer at the level yesterday, giving him 9 homers in 27 games on the season. The only thing he isn’t doing is running with only 1 steal, but when all you do is hit homers, I guess you don’t have that much opportunity to steal bases. He already cracked my Top 100, and he might just mess around and be a Top 50 prospect by the next update.

Joseph Sullivan – HOU, OF, 22.10, A+ – Sullivan is a player I’ve been sleeping hard on, but that stops today after he drilled 2 bombs yesterday. He’s now slashing .233/.451/.534 with 10 homers, 17 steals, and a 30.9/22.8 K%/BB% in 36 games at High-A. The power/speed is wild, and he’s lifting the ball a lot more than he did when he hit 0 homers in 20 games at Single-A last year, but he always hit the ball hard, and now he’s turning it into game power. Obviously the hit tool is still a big risk as an almost 23 year old in the lower minors with a 30%+ K rate, but I’ve been giving him absolutely zero love, and that was a clear miss for me. He’s a fun prospect.

Noah Schultz – CHW, LHP, 21.8, AA, – 3.1 IP, 3 hits, 5 ER, 6/4 K/BB at Double-A. Schultz has just not looked as crisp this season with a 4.50 ERA and 23.6/13.9 K%/BB% in 36 IP. The command is off and the stuff is down a tick. He dropped from 11th to 25th overall in the Updated Prospects Rankings, so I’m certainly not ignoring it, but by no means would I want to sell low here. He’s been going deeper into games for the first time in his career prior to this outing, so there is likely an adjustment period happening there. And I still see Baby Johnson out there when I watch him. We know pitching development can be all over the place. I’m buying low here if there is an opportunity.

Matt Shaw – CHC, 3B/2B/SS, 23.5 – It’s Take 2 time for Shaw as he just got recalled to the majors! He blasted Triple-A with 6 homers, a 10.0/15.5 K%/BB% and 150 wRC+ in 24 games. That is what we wanted to see. I’m betting on him being much better the 2nd time around …

CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY PATREON FOR TONS OF EXCLUSIVE CONTENT ALL SEASON, INCLUDING:
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By Michael Halpern (@MichaelCHalpern)
Email: michaelhalpern@imaginarybrickwall.com
Twitter: Imaginary Brick Wall (@DynastyHalp)
Blue Sky: Dynasty Halp (@ImaginaryBrickWall)

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 (4/28/25):

CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY PATREON FOR TONS OF EXCLUSIVE CONTENT ALL SEASON, INCLUDING:
–APRIL 2025 TOP 437 DYNASTY RANKS
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-PREDICTING THE TOP 50 2026 PROSPECTS RANKS
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Hunter Barco – PIT, LHP, 24.4 – I gotta seriously consider using my psychic abilities for something other than baseball prospects. After listening to 10 hours of “Awaken Your Psychic Abilities” YouTube music and tones video this off-season, I predicted that Hunter Barco would be the 32nd overall ranked prospect in baseball by next off-season in my Predicting the 2026 Top 50 Prospects Ranks, and I think I even undersold him. He could be the top pitching prospect breakout in the minors this year, and his dominance continued yesterday, going 3 IP with 1 hit, 0 ER and a 8/0 K/BB at Double-A. He now has a 0.00 ERA with a 40.0/5.3 K%/BB% in 20.2 IP. The velocity has ticked up into the mid 90’s, he has two bat missing secondaries in his slider and splitter, the control is solid, he’s 6’4”, 235 pounds and he has that funky lefty delivery that I just love. I mean, that is checking all of the boxes. I already jumped him up to 195th overall on the Updated Top 437 Dynasty Baseball Rankings that just dropped on the Patreon last week. If he can truly keep this up at Triple-A, and we’ve seen more than a few top pitching prospects struggle with that jump (Brandon Sproat and Quinn Mathews), we could be looking at a truly elite pitching prospect.

Arjun Nimmala – TOR, SS, 19.6 – Sticking with guys on that Predicting the 2026 Top Prospects list, Nimmala checked in at #39, and he’s right on track to end up in that area after homering in his 3rd straight game at High-A. This one was out to dead center. With Single-A now becoming a sort of glorified rookie ball, High-A can be considered the first real test for these youngsters, and Nimmala is passing it with flying colors, slashing .289/.349/.539 with 5 homers, 1 steal, and a 21.7/8.4 K%/BB% in 18 games. Seeing the K rate all the way down in the low 20’s is huge. He’s blowing up.

Bryce Rainer – DET, SS, 19.9 – Rainer didn’t crack that Predicting the 2026 Prospects list, but he clearly should have as his pro debut has been damn impressive. He went the opposite way for his 2nd homer in 10 games at Single-A, and he’s now slashing .226/.381/.484 with 2 homers, 2 steals, and a 11.9/19.0 K%/BB%. He’s crushing the ball with a 93.7 MPH EV, the plate skills are elite, and he’s running. He also most certainly looks the part at a powerful 6’3” with a smooth and quick lefty swing. This looks like an elite prospect waiting to happen.

Jacob Misiorowski – MIL, RHP, 23.0 – 5 IP, 3 hits, 0 ER, 9/0 K/BB at Triple-A. Is Misiorowski finally starting to take that step forward with his control? He didn’t walk a single batter in this one, and in the start before, he only walked one guy. His 11.5% BB% in 29.2 IP is actually starting to resemble a semi-reasonable walk rate, and it comes with a 1.82 ERA and 33.6% K%. It also comes with some of the best stuff in the minors. The fastball sat 97.4 MPH in this one and notched a 29% whiff%. The slider, curve and change were all whiff machines too, leading to a 38% whiff% overall. This is the type of stuff that can thrive with a 10+ BB%, and it looks like we might be finally entering that range. We need to see it over a larger sample as the walk rate sat 14%+ last year, but another start or two with solid control and Mis will be among the very best pitching prospects in the game.

Jonah Tong – NYM, RHP, 21.9 – Speaking of 14%+ walk rates, Tong currently has a 14.9% BB% in 17.1 IP at Double-A, but when it comes with a 40.5% K%, I think we can partly overlook that. He had his best outing of the season yesterday, going 4 IP with 1 hit, 0 ER, and a 10/1 K/BB. Here are the highlights of the absolute filth. The curveball is just silly, the changeup was making lefties look foolish, the slider in the dirt induced terrible swings, and the mid 90’s fastball was blowing guys away. He’s obviously having some issues controlling his truly filthy stuff, but he was able to harness it in this one, and if he’s able to build on this, his stock is set to sour. I was a big fan this off-season, and that love continues to grow.

Dylan Crews – WAS, OF, 23.1 – I preached patience with Crews’ early season struggles, as we saw both Chourio and Langford struggle in 2024 before their epic breakouts, and now Crews looks to be headed on that same path. He crushed a 104.8 MPH homer with a 78.7 MPH swing off Tylor Megill, and he’s now slashing .364/.391/.705 with 4 homers and 3 steals in his last 12 games. The underlying numbers looked good even when he was slumping, and he’s now rocking a 14.9% Barrel%, a 90.2 MPH EV, a 29.4 ft/sec sprint, a 73.1 MPH swing, and a .344 xwOBA. He’s coming.

Agustin Ramirez – MIA, C, 23.7 – Ramirez has taken the major leagues by storm after drilling 2 homers at 108.7 MPH and 105.1 MPH last night. He’s been straight unstoppable since getting the call, slashing .474/.524/1.158 with 3 homers, 1 steal, and a 9.5/9.5 K%/BB% in 21 PA. The 17.5% Barrel%, 92.9 MPH EV and .504 xwOBA backs up the surface stats. He wasn’t even this good in at Triple-A before getting the call with a 113 wRC+ in 19 games, so obviously he’s not this good, but at the least, he’s quite clearly proving his big time power bat is no joke. He’s not a good defensive catcher, and Joe Mack is right behind him and crushing the minors, but his bat is clearly going to be good enough to even DH if it will have to. How can you not be buying after this debut?

Anthony Volpe – NYY, SS, 23.11 – 2 for 3 with a 105.3 MPH double and 103.6 MPH homer. Volpe is doing his best to marry his extreme lift and pull profile from his rookie year, with his more all around hitter approach of 2024, and so far, it’s working with 5 homers, 3 steals, and a 123 wRC+ in 28 games. Or maybe he’s just getting stronger and swinging harder with a career high 71.9 MPH swing and 90.7 MPH EV. The underlying numbers back up the surface stats with a 13% Barrel% and .337 xwOBA. I pushed Volpe up my Updated Top 437 Dynasty Rankings to #71 overall despite his low BA, because for fantasy, it’s all about that power/speed combo, and he’s back to gunning for homers.

Ceddanne Rafaela – BOS, SS/OF, 24.7 – 2 for 4 with a 108.4 MPH homer and 100.5 MPH double. Rafaela’s .644 OPS is almost exactly the same as last year’s 664 OPS, which is discouraging on the surface, but when you look under the hood, you are seeing improvements everywhere you wanted to see them. The Barrel% is up to 11.3%, the EV is up to 89.6 MPH, the whiffs are down to 25.7% and the BB% is up to 6.3%. The .332 xwOBA vs. the .273 xwOBA from 2024 tells the story much better than the surface stats. Rafaela is leveling up.

Nolan Jones – CLE, OF, 26.11 – Here’s what I wrote about Jones in the Updated Dynasty Rankings, “He’s been terrible, but he has a 95.2 MPH EV with a .329 xwOBA, 27.2% whiff%, 22.9% Chase% and an 11.8 degree launch. He’s also stolen 2 bags. I mean, this should really be working. I don’t want to give up yet” … and then he went out yesterday and jacked a 109 MPH dinger. He already has a big MLB season under his belt, and this man now has a 96.2 MPH EV on the season! Don’t give up on him yet.

Hunter Brown – HOU, RHP, 26.8 – 6 IP, 7 hits, 1 ER, 9/1 K/BB at KC. Brown shot up to 60th overall on the Updated Dynasty Rankings, and he just keeps on proving he’s a young ace with a 1.22 ERA and 29.9/5.2 K%/BB% in 37 IP. The fastball sat 96.7 MPH with a 27% whiff%, while the changeup notched a 42% whiff%. The only thing keeping him from ranking even higher is that the 26.9% whiff% on the season is more in above average range than truly plus, and even this outing with 9 K’s, it came with a 26% whiff%. It’s just nitpicking, but I think it’s worth mentioning. Either way, he induces weak contact, the control is taking a step forward into plus territory, and the stuff is huge. It’s just a continuation from what he did in the 2nd half of last off-season. He’s a beast.

Nick Lodolo – CIN, LHP, 27.3 – 7 IP, 2 hits, 0 ER, 9/1 K/BB vs. COL. The only thing missing from Lodolo’s excellent start to the season were the strikeouts, and they showed up in a big way in this one with a 29% whiff% led by the curve which put up a 50% whiff%. He now has a 2.25 ERA with a 18.9/3.5 K%/BB% in 36 IP, and those strikeout are on the way up. As long as he stays healthy, this could finally be the blow up year we’ve been waiting for.

Tylor Megill – NYM, RHP, 29.8 – 6.1 IP, 3 hits, 3 ER, 9/1 K/BB at WSH. We’ve all been waiting for this Megill breakout for years now, and while we’ve been faked out before, I so want to buy this. The fastball sat 95.8 MPH and put up a 26% whiff%, while the slider notched a 55% whiff%, leading the way for a 28% whiff% overall. He now has a 1.74 ERA with a 29.8/9.2 K%/BB% in 31 IP. I couldn’t help but fly him up my Updated Top 437 Dynasty Rankings last week to #251 overall, and while that maybe wasn’t even high enough, I did want to have some restraint due to the fact he has faked us out year after year in the past. Regardless, there is always so much to love about Megill, and he might be putting it together.

Kaelen Culpepper – MIN, SS, 22.3 – An injury has limited Culpepper to only 9 games at High-A, but he’s been sneakily really strong in those games, and it got less sneaky yesterday with him blasting a no doubt dinger with an athletic and powerful righty swing. He’s now slashing .344/.432/.563 with 1 homer, 0 steals, and a 13.5/13.5 K%/BB% in 9 games at High-A. The groundball rate is high and he’s not running yet, but I thought he was a sneaky good pick in last year’s First Year Player Draft, and he just keeps on hitting.

Jared Thomas – COL, OF/1B, 21.9 – Speaking of underrated college bats that I liked a lot in last year’s FYPD class, Thomas was another one of those guys, and he’s exploding on another level. He went the opposite way for his 4th homer of the season, and he’s now slashing .366/.480/.561 with 4 homers, 4 steals, and a 21.0/15.0 K%/BB% in 21 games at High-A. He’s done nothing but rake in pro ball with a 148 wRC+ in his pro debut last year. He looks the part at an athletic 6’2”, 190 pounds with a strong across the board profile. Will Colorado ever give him a real shot? Who knows. They are a total wild card, but Thomas looks legitimately exciting.

Wilfred Veras – CHW, OF, 22.4 – If you’re looking for a fun upside proximity play with almost no hype, Veras is your man. Just watch him jack out this homer yesterday. He’s 6’1”, 240 with that vicious righty swing and he loves to run. He now has 4 homers, 7 steals, a 125 wRC+ and a 31.5/13.5 K%/BB% in 20 games. Plate approach was a major issue for him coming into this year, so it’s great to see the high walk rate, although the 31.5% K% is obviously too high. The risk is most certainly high, but Chicago is eventually going to give a guy with this much talent a shot, and the fantasy upside is worth taking a chance on him.

Noelvi Marte – CIN, 3B, 23.6 – Marte must have taken my advice and gotten back on the juice ;), because he’s been a man possessed this season, and it continued yesterday with a 3 for 5 day. He hit a 103.8 MPH double, a 103.2 MPH single and a 99.6 MPH single. His sprint speed is back up to 29.3 ft/sec, which is a career high, and the bat speed is back up too with a 74.2 MPH swing. That is double plus range. He’s definitely been on the lucky side with a .353 xwOBA vs. .458 wOBA, and a 12.8% K% vs. a 25% whiff%, but it’s clear whatever mental and physical issues caused Marte’s horrific 2024 is behind him. He’s back on track to being an exciting all category young dynasty asset.

Andy Pages – LAD, OF, 24.5 – The Dodgers stayed patient with Pages through his slow start, and what a smart move that was, because he’s been on fire of late, culminating with a 4 for 5 day yesterday, punctuated by a 105.1 MPH homer. He now has 5 homers with a .861 OPS, and while the .303 xwOBA isn’t as impressive, the dude is a launch machine with a very respectable 22.4% whiff% and 8.3% Barrel%. The .277 BA might be coming down, but he’s going to rip dingers.

Geraldo Perdomo – ARI, SS, 25.4 – I had absolutely zero faith that Perdomo was going to be an impact major leaguer, even when Arizona showed all signs of loving him, and Arizona was clearly correct. They put their money where their mouth was this off-season, and he’s delivered. He went 1 for 4 with a 102.6 MPH homer yesterday, continuing to lock in the power gains with a career best 89.4 MPH. Combine that with a 15.4 degree launch, 9.4/16.5 K%/BB% and base stealing ability, and you get a really solid across the board fantasy contributor (4 homers, 6 steals, and a .361 xwOBA in 28 games).

Payton Tolle – BOS, LHP, 22.5 – 4 IP, 1 hit, 0 ER, 9/1 K/BB at High-A. The 50th overall pick in the draft got blown up in his first outing of the season, which is bringing his season line down, but this was his 2nd excellent outing in a row. This is a big boy at 6’6”, 250 pounds with a three quarter arm lefty delivery, the fastball has continued to tick up into the mid 90’s now, and he has multiple bat missing secondaries (change, slider, curve). He currently has a 6.52 ERA with a 37.8/11.1 K%/BB% in 9.2 IP at High-A, but like I said, it was really just one bad outing. He’s got high K mid-rotation starter upside.

Gunnar Hoglund – OAK, RHP, 25.4 – After undergoing Tommy John surgery in May of 2021, Hoglund is just now starting to look like his old self. He was on track to be an easy Top 10 pick in the 2021 MLB Draft until he went down with the injury, and teams thought so highly of him that he was still selected 19th overall. But Tommy John recovery is not always super smooth, and while it’s been a bumpy road, he’s slowing starting to look like his prime self. He went 5 IP with 3 hits, 0 ER, and a 5/1 K/BB at Triple-A. The fastball is back up to 94 MPH, which is great to see, and the curve notched a 38% whiff%. He throws a legit 5 pitching mix (4-seamer, curve, change, sinker, slider) with plus control, and it’s resulted in a 2.43 ERA with a 26.1/6.1 K%/BB% in 29.2 IP. He’s not missing quite enough bats to really fly him up the rankings, the stuff is good but not great, and he has a terrible ballpark waiting for him, but Hoglund is definitely taking a big step forward this year and is firmly putting himself back on the fantasy radar.

Logan Evans – SEA, RHP, 23.10 – Evans made his MLB debut and it was pretty unimpressive, going 5 IP with 2 hits, 2 ER, and a 3/3 K/BB vs MIA. The sinker and 4-seamer only sat 92.9 MPH and he put up a lowly 10% whiff%. The stuff and whiffs weren’t that impressive at Triple-A either before getting the call. He has gotten some hype these past 2 off-seasons, but I’m not sure it’s warranted at the moment. He just doesn’t look that special right now.

Matt Shaw – CHC, 3B/2B/SS, 23.4 – Triple-A Matt Shaw homers just don’t hit the same after his struggles in the majors, but he got ahold of his first dinger at Triple-A with a frozen rope out to left field. The crazy batting stance and leg kick has been sorta toned down, but honestly, not really as he still has the pointed in batting stance with the extreme leg kick. Again, it’s not as crazy as it was earlier in the year, but it’s still a weird batting stance. Even though I’m not a fan of the stance, I’ll trust that he knows what he’s doing, and I don’t want to move off him because of it. Plenty of great players struggle in their first taste of the bigs, and I’m staying patient.

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

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 The Underachievers Dynasty Baseball Rundown (4/7/25)

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Festival of Targets – It’s legitimately wild how many of my named Targets in my Position by Position Dynasty Targets articles (Patreon) are going off right now: Tyler Soderstrom, Jesus Luzardo, Heliot Ramos, Ben Rice, Ivan Herrera, Spencer Torkelson, Michael Conforto, Kris Bubic (who dominated again yesterday), Pavin Smith, Otto Lopez, Jose Soriano, CJ Abrams/Oneil Cruz/Hunter Greene (high end targets), Trey Sweeney, Drew Rasmussen, Jordan Walker and more. Honestly, so many of my guys are going off, it’s not even fun anymore 😉 I’ve been on a week and a half celebration bender, and I need to sober up and come up for some air. So let’s turn our attention to some of the underachievers, and see if there are signs of a breakout still coming, or if I missed the mark completely on them. I’ll also go into underachievers I didn’t name as targets. Let’s kick it off with Target Jo Adell …

 Jo Adell – LAA, OF, 26.0 – Adell went 0 for 4 yesterday and now has a 67 wRC+ in 7 games. With his history, it would be so easy to finally write him off and say this is the final nail in the coffin, but when you look under the hood, it’s actually encouraging. The whiff% is down to a career best 26.3%, which is almost in the average range. That is an absolutely wild transformation from his days putting up mid to upper 30’s whiff rates. And it continues a downward trend from 2024 where he put up a 29.8% whiff%, so there is hope there is real improvement here. He’s also doing it while still ripping the ball with a 91.5 MPH EV, and while being more selective with a career best, and above average 25.5% Chase%. Other than the surface stats, I’m damn pumped about this start. Stay the course, as all signs point towards the breakout season finally coming.

Tyler Fitzgerald – SFG, SS/2B, 27.7 – Fitz wasn’t a named Target, but I was definitely excited by the power/speed and also scared off by the plate approach, and after putting up his 3rd straight 0-fer yesterday to give him a 29 wRC+ in 7 games, it looks like the hit tool just might tank him. But his whiff% is actually down 3.1 percentage points to 28.1%, and his K% is down 5.8 percentage points to 25.9%. His exit velocity is also up almost 1 MPH to 88.5 MPH. He’s never going to be a high BA guy with a 20.4 degree launch hitting in Oracle Park, and his current xBA is .180, so I’m not saying it’s all roses, I’m just saying the surface stats aren’t nearly as bad as it really is. Stay the course with Fitz.

Pete Crow-Armstrong – CHC, OF, 23.0 – The Crow went 0 for 4 yesterday and now has a 47 wRC+ in 12 games. If PCA doesn’t work out, that one will seriously hurt me as he’s been my guy since before he was drafted. But before I get too sad, let’s see what’s happening. Just like with Fitz and Adell, the whiff rates are actually down, and his is down to an above average 24%. That is down 5.9 percentage points from 2024. And amazingly enough, he’s done it while upping his bat speed 2 MPH to an above average 72.6 MPH. When you try to swing faster, you are supposed to miss the ball more, not less. He’s still chasing too much, but at least there is some improvement with it down 3.5 percentage points to 37.9%. And even with a .255 OBP, he still has 3 steals in 12 games. I wish the surface stats looked better too, but he has majorly improved whiffs, majorly improved bat speed, slight chase improvement, and he’s running. I’m encouraged.

Dylan Crews – WAS, OF, 23.1 – I thought it would never happen. Crews finally had a decent game, going 2 for 4 with stolen base. That gives him a whopping negative 35 wRC+ in 8 games. I’m not gonna lie, it doesn’t look good under the hood either with a 38% whiff% and 36.4% Chase% which are much worse than his 2024 debut. But you have to remember that Crews got off to a slow start last year as well. There was blood in the streets with him struggling at Double-A, but he eventually found his rhythm, and I’m betting on the same thing happening in 2025. He might just be a slow starter.

Luis Garcia – WAS, 2B, 24.11 – You know I couldn’t go an entire Dynasty Rundown without at least partially victory lapping hah. And that brings us to Luis Garcia, who wasn’t someone I was going after. He’s gone 0-fer in 5 of 7 games this season and now has a 40 wRC+ in 7 games. His plate approach is still terrible and showing no signs of maturing with a 40% Chase% which is worse than 2024. His contact rates remain in that good but not great area with a 19.2% K%, and I’m being generous because the whiff rates are actually all the way up to 28.9% right now (21.3% in 2024). And finally, he continues to not hit the ball that hard with a 87.9 MPH EV. The weird thing about his season is that he has an insane 15% Barrel%, which I’m not buying, but it’s something, and he also has a career high launch at 10 degrees, which is nice to see that continue to go in the right direction. Obviously it’s insanely early, but if I were to buy Garcia, which I wasn’t, these aren’t the signs I want to see for a next level breakout. It looks like more of the same, with some launch/barrell% silver lining.

JJ Bleday – OAK, OF, 27.5 – Bleday was another popular target that I wasn’t buying into. After going 0 for 4 yesterday he now has a 59 wRC+ in 10 games. And he continues to be a below average CF. Here is what I wrote in his Top 1,000 blurb, “Bleday is a low ceiling player with little speed, a below average BA, and above average homer power at best. I also think there is risk too, because he’s a below average outfielder, and Denzel Clark and Colby Thomas are charging hard to compete for those open OF jobs. Kurtz and Soderstrom could push Rooker into more OF duty too.”  … Bleday currently has 0 barrels on the season. The plate approach is really good, which matters, but that is about it. Even his launch is way down to 8.3 degrees, which is down so much I’m wondering if that was a choice. Not a good choice, considering the new hitter’s paradise they play in. Kurtz can’t stop hitting homers at Triple-A (he went deep for his 4th time last night), Soderstrom isn’t going anywhere (he homered for the 4th time in 10 games last night too), and Target Denzel Clarke’s double plus CF glove is sitting at Triple-A with a massively improved hit tool (22.6/16.1 K%/BB% with a .280 BA). I was fading Bleday this off-season, and I’m even more off him now.

Jackson Jobe – DET, RHP, 22.8 – I love Jackson Jobe. I was the first one hyping him as a true elite pitching prospect during his 2nd half 2023 explosion, and I ranked him very high this off-season (21st overall in the Top 500 Prospects Rankings). But because so many places had him Top 10 and in the same tier as Andrew Painter, I got a lot of questions on why I wasn’t higher. And my answer was his 25.6/12.0 K%/BB% last year. And now that mediocre K/BB is back in the majors. He pitched last night against the Quad-A White Sox and went 5 IP with 4 hits, 2 ER, and a 4/3 K/BB. His first start was more of the same at the pitcher’s paradise in Seattle, going 4 IP with 3 hits, 3 ER, and a 3/4 K/BB. The fastball was down to 95.8 MPH in this latest one and didn’t record a single whiff on 14 swings. He has a 20.8% whiff% between the two starts, which isn’t great, and we know he was working on new pitches this off-season because he wasn’t happy with how many bats he was missing. One of those new pitches, the curveball, has yet to get a single whiff this season. I still love Jobe, and how I closed out his Top 1,000 blurb is still how I feel about him: ” Jobe should break camp with the team in 2025, and while I wouldn’t expect an ace season right out of the gate, I’m betting on him getting there eventually.”

Chase Dollander – COL, RHP, 23.5 – Dollander was another elite pitching prospect I wasn’t quite as high on, but in his case, it had nothing to do with his K/BB rates, it had everything to do with him pitching in Coors. And his first MLB start at Coors went basically exactly how you would have thought. Great K/BB. Bad outing. He went 5 IP with 7 hits, 4 ER, and a 6/1 K/BB vs. OAK. The 97.8 MPH fastball put up a respectable 20% whiff%, but it got rocked with a 101 MPH against. The cutter, curve, and changeup all performed well by missing bats and inducing weak contact, leading to a solid 25% whiff% overall. It was a good outing … probably in any other ballpark but Coors. I like Dollander. I still ranked him 57th overall on the Prospects Rankings, but in Coors, I just can’t go higher than that.

Garrett Mitchell – MIL, OF, 26.7 – Mitchell was one of my favorite targets this off-season, and while his start hasn’t been bad with a 102 wRC+, it hasn’t exactly been exciting either with 0 homers and 1 steal. Are we still buying here? Hell yea. The whiff rates are all the way down to 25% (34.8% in 2024), and the launch is all the way up to 9.3 degrees (2.8 degrees in 2024). And not only has he done that while maintaining his elite bat speed, he’s actually taken the bat speed up into even more rarified air with a 76.8 MPH swing (75.7 MPH in 2024). Don’t budge off Mitchell.

Matt Wallner – MIN, OF, 27.3 – Wallner is another target who isn’t having a bad start with a .804 OPS, but the guy has 0 homers, and hitting homers is what he does. Honestly, his start is the wonkiest one to understand. I think I should be over the moon for the 22.9 K%, because that insane 36.4 K% from 2024 needed to come down, but his whiff rates are actually much worse with a 44.2% whiff% (38.4% in 2024). Hard to trust the K rate when the whiff rate is still so bad. But on the flip side, the homers are certainly going to come with a 92 MPH EV, 13.6% Barrel% and 18 degree launch. And it was his career ..252 BA that made me confident enough in the hit tool to call him a target. He again has a good BA with a .267 BA. There is some mixed bag in here, but I’m holding strong.

James Wood – WAS, OF, 22.7 – Wood went 0 for 3 yesterday and now has a 81 wRC+ with a 41.7% K% in 9 games. That K rate is damn scary, but thank goodness he has a 27.4% whiff%, which is actually 2 percentage points better than 2024, because the hit tool is the only thing that can tank him. That whiff% shows to not be scared off by the K rate right now. He’s still crushing the ball with a 16.7% Barrel%. The biggest negative is the negative 2.7 degree launch. He needs to bring that up to really get the true breakout we want to see, but don’t you dare panic on Wood.

Michael Toglia – COL, 1B/OF, 26.8/Triston Casas – BOS, 1B, 25.3 – Now these are two targets where there are reasons to worry. It’s too early to actually worry, but both are having starts you don’t want to see. Casas went 0 for 5 with 2 K yesterday and Toglia went 1 for 5 with a strikeout. The worrisome part is that their hit tools are going in the wrong direction. Toglia is hitting .143 with 44.7% K% and 45.2% whiff%. Casas is hitting .167 with a 34.2% K% and 36% whiff%. Toglia just got back into Coors, and he was a better 2nd half hitter than 1st half last year, so definitely give him some time, but that swing and miss is scary. Casas was supposed to be gradually improving that hit tool as his career went along, and so far, it’s gradually getting worse. Again, way too early to panic on each, but each have red flags that need to start seeing some improvement.

Ben Brown – CHC, RHP, 25.7 – I loved Ben Brown, and I thought if Chicago was smart, they would give him that 5th starter job. They did indeed give him that job, but he’s not making them (or me) look smart. He had his 2nd rough outing last night, going 4 IP with 7 hits, 5 ER, and a 5/4 K/BB vs. SDP. He still can’t find that 3rd pitch, throwing the changeup only 3.7% of the time, and it hasn’t recorded a single whiff. The good news is that the 4-semaer and curve are still whiff machines with a 25% and 40.8% whiff%, respectively, but both pitches are getting hit hard. I love K chasing in fantasy, so Brown’s 33% whiff% on the season is still so damn enticing to me, but so far he hasn’t made the improvements you would really want to see to feel comfortable. In general, I’m still holding.

Kumar Rocker – TEX, RHP, 25.4 – I was buying Rocker’s en fuego finish to 2024, but so far, it hasn’t shown back up in 2025. He got roughed up in his first outing, and his 2nd outing last night was a weird one, going 5 IP with 6 hits, 1 ER, and a 1/0 K/BB vs. TBR. He induced a ton of weak contact with a 84.4 MPH EV against, but he didn’t miss many bats with a 10% whiff%. The famed slider only put up a 27% whiff% and the two 95+ MPH fastballs notched 1 whiff in 28 swings. After getting rocked with poor control in his first outing, it was nice to see him settle down in this one. Remember that he’s only had 64.2 IP in his minor league career due to injuries, so he’s learning on the fly here in the majors. There are going to be bumps, and he needs to find a pitch to get lefties out. I’m holding, but maybe I’m slightly less excited than I was this off-season.

Zac Veen – COL, OF, 23.4 – How can I do an underachieving Target write-up without mention Zac Veen! I couldn’t love Veen more a couple years ago at an uber athletic and projectable 6’3”, 190 pounds with Coors Field waiting for him, but as you know, it’s been a bumpy road to say the least since then. But he’s been drawing us all back in this year, and now he got the call to the bigs to take over for the struggling Jordan Beck. He opened some eyes this spring with 2 homers, 9 steals, and a 113 wRC+ in 28 PA, and then he went to Triple-A and slashed .387/.472/.677 with 1 homer, 1 steal, and a 16.2/10.8 K%/BB% in 8 games. He still doesn’t crush the ball, but he’s been adding muscle and the power has definitely been ticking up. He’s a game changer on the bases with league leading stolen base ability, and while the K rates have been on the high side in the minors, they aren’t in the danger zone and Coors will only help with that. I can’t say I’m still gaga over Veen like I was back in the day, but it’s still so easy to see a monster fantasy player. I’m just excited to see what he can do.

Rafael Devers – BOS, 3B, 28.5 – 5 for 9 with 2 doubles and a homer in a double header. He’s now 10 for 19 in his last 5 games and has a 134 wRC+ on the season. We never doubted you big fella!!! ***I did start to doubt him. Shoulders scare me, but we can all stop holding our breath now …

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By Michael Halpern (@MichaelCHalpern)
Email: michaelhalpern@imaginarybrickwall.com
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