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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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