Posted on by Michael Halpern

2016 Fantasy Baseball Minor League Prospect Rundown: Week 9

Every Monday, I will be running down some of the notable performances from around the Minor Leagues, or anything that might have caught my eye in general. Here is the 2016 Fantasy Baseball Minor League Prospect Rundown: Week 9:

Byron Buxton MIN, OF – I said back in week 5, “If I were a betting man (I am), I would bet a lot of money that Buxton will not hit like a little leaguer when he gets called back up,” and I was right, as he is hitting .425 in the 6 games since being called back up. Now I just have to figure out how to collect on that imaginary bet I made.

Trea Turner WASH, SS – Washington is expected to send Turner back down to Triple-A after a short, successful stint in the majors, and said they wanted Turner’s defense to improve before calling him up permanently. You can expect that “defensive improvement” to come right around the time Washington can push Turner’s first year of arbitration back, which is around mid-July.

2016 MLB Draft Thursday, June 9, 2016 – I never thought I would say this, but I am actually looking forward to the MLB Draft more than the NBA Draft or last April’s NFL Draft. I think it’s fair to say that the MLB Draft is a sleeper when it comes to sports drafts, or maybe a breakout candidate. Either way, tons of fantasy relevant players are about to join the professional ranks, and as usual, some will rise to the occasion and others will fall. I took a stab at trying to find those sleepers before they even hit the minors in my Updated 2016 Top 30 MLB Draft Fantasy Baseball Prospect Rankings, where I ranked a bunch of players much higher than they are ranked on traditional lists (Craig, Collins, Grier, Quinn, Dawson etc …). Also of note, the Colorado Rockies pick at #4, and they are either going to ruin a pitcher’s career, or turn an above average hitter into a hall of famer. Fun stuff.

Christin Stewart DET, OF – The 34th overall pick of the 2015 draft (see what I mean about finding draft sleepers), Stewart is leaving no doubt that he can absolutely destroy High-A, slashing .255/.395/.561 with 16 homers in 56 games. It will be fun to see what he can do once he gets to Double-A.

Andrew Benintendi BOS, OF – It hasn’t been much fun seeing what Benintendi can do at Double-A, as he is slashing .220/.266/.271 in 64 PA. He also has only one homer on the season. He is due for a hot streak, but Double-A sure does have a way of cutting down on those video game numbers.

Willson Contreras CHC, C – Drilled 3 homers again this week, giving him 9 on the season with a triple-slash of .335/.428/.585 in 47 games at Triple-A. He is already 24 years old and doing this in the PCL, so I wouldn’t be expecting the next coming of Pudge Rodriguez here. I gave him a prime projection of 64/16/81/.293/3 in my off-season top 100, already assuming the power would come around, and I would probably stick with something close to that.

Austin Meadows PIT, OF – Well, that really escalated quickly. Meadows hot steak continued, and is now slashing .296/.359/.536, with 2 homers, and 8 steals in 35 games at Double-A. He hit both homers this week, and if the power keeps coming, there will not be many prospects more exciting than Meadows.

Bobby Bradley CLE, 1B – 2 more homers (13) and 11 more strikeouts (72).

Lucas Giolito WASH, RHP – He’s back. Put up a pitching line of 12 IP, 2 ER, 10 Hits, 5 BB, 14 K in his two starts this week. The Giolito hype train should be reaching peak velocity right about now.

Blake Snell TB, LHP – Snell threw two shutouts this week, going a combined 11 IP, 0 ER, 8 Hits, 5 BB, 14 K. He is walking too many batters and throwing too many pitches, but the drool worthy K numbers are still doing just fine.

Jack Flaherty STL, RHP – Flaherty built off last week’s shutout, throwing another shutout this week, going 7 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 2 BB, 7 K. Did you actually think a St. Louis prospect was going to disappoint all year? Unheard of.

Tyler Jay MIN, LHP – Jay has been impressive all year, and he turned it up another notch this week, going 8 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 1 BB, 11 K in High-A. I think it’s time we see what the 22-year-old Jay can do at Double-A … whaddaya say? … how ’bout some hay? … I’m done with this, okay?

Jake Junis KC, RHP – Junis was a 29th round pick in the 2011 draft who received a large signing bonus after being a two sport start coming out of high school, dominating in both baseball and basketball. He has slowly but surely refined his skills and improved over the course of his professional career, and is putting together a breakout season Double-A this year, with a pitching line of 2.59/0.96/66 in 62.2 IP. He has plus control and command (2.0 BB/9) and flashes three above average pitches (low 90’s fastball, curveball, changeup). At 6’2’’, 225 pounds, Junis is an excellent athlete with a repeatable delivery, and he is an intriguing deep league sleeper with a likely mid-rotation ceiling.

Hunter Renfroe SD, OF/Manuel Margot SD, OF – Renfroe has the power, jacking 12 homers this year with a .934 OPS, and Margot has the speed, stealing 16 bases with a .305 average. If San Diego could put these two guys together, they would have one of the best power/speed prospects in baseball. Unfortunately, we are at least a decade away from being able to combine humans at our ridiculous current rate of exponential technological growth. Or, if you believe renowned futurist Ray Kurzweil, we will all be cyborgs by then, anyway. 80 grades for everyone!

Victor Robles WASH, OF/Brendan Rodgers COL, SS – Two uber-prospects who have fallen down to earth a bit recently. Their prospect stock is still through the roof, but it is a reminder that they are a long way off.

Austin Byler ARI, 1B – The third guy from my Finding the Next A.J. Reed article is back in action after serving a 50 game suspension, and he is off to a slow start at Single-A, slashing .143/.250/.143 in 6 games. After hitting a bullseye with Harrison Bader and Willie Calhoun (both hit another homer this week), and seeing how I was least confident on Byler to begin with, I can’t help but feel he will be a miss. Hope I’m wrong (or right).

Jacob Nottingham MIL, C – Has come alive this week, slashing .412/.444/.1000 with 3 homers. His season line still sits at a mediocre .256/.313/.399 with 7 homers in 45 games at Double-A, but one extended hot streak would make the 21-year-old Nottingham’s numbers look a lot better. Plus, he’s Josh Hader’s catcher, which just makes me want to like him more for some reason.

Matt Olson OAK, 1B – Olson is starting to bring his numbers back up to respectability, as well, slashing .313/.560/.625 with 2 homers this week. The 6 total homers in 52 games in the PCL is still not that encouraging for a power hitting prospect who will play at the Oakland Coliseum.

Renato Nunez OAK, 3B – Hit 3 more homers this week, and is now slashing .264/.319/.510, with 11 homers in 52 games at Triple-A. He isn’t exactly having the breakout it looked like he was about to have earlier in the year, but the numbers are still more than solid.

Nick Williams PHI, OF – Jacked 3 homers this week, bringing his season slash up to .284/.322/.474, with 7 homers, and 4 steals in 49 games. I wasn’t his biggest fan this off-season, ranking him 59th, and giving him a prime projection of 85/18/78/.276/10. I think I will stick with that.

Josh Ockimey BOS, 1B – You seriously gotta love Ockimey. He killed it again this week, and is slashing .298/.437/.538 with 9 homers in 49 games at High-A. Even he knows his days of being underrated are coming to an end, as he tweeted, “Underrated temporally for the moment” last Friday. Ockimey’s prophetic tweets are just the best.

Roman Quinn PHI, OF – Quinn has been on fire this week, and is now slashing .289/.360/.422, with 3 homers, and 25 steals in 49 games at Double-A. He is one of the better pure speed prospects out there right now.

Anthony Alford TOR, OF – Alford has been absolutely horrendous since returning from a knee injury he suffered on opening day. He is triple-slashing .209/.273/.261, with 1 homer, 4 steals, and a 48/10 K/BB in 30 games at High-A. Last year, he OPS’d .825, with a 49/28 K/BB, and 15 steals in 57 games at the same level. I don’t think you need to be a doctor to think something isn’t right here.

Javier Guerro SD, SS – Unfortunately for Guerro, there is no injury to point to for his terrible offensive performance this season. He is slashing .194/.252/.316, with 5 homers, and 2 steals in 51 games at Single-A. I was very low on him this off-season, ranking him #97 on my top 100, and these numbers surely aren’t going to make me change my mind. He did homer last night, so maybe a hot streak is coming.

Yusniel Diaz LAD, OF – I was really hoping to be able to get excited about Diaz when I wrote about him in week 3, but he hasn’t done much of anything since then, and is now slashing .247/.320/.373, with 3 homers, and 4 steals in 41 games at High-A. That $31 million investment on him is starting to look a little pricey.

David Washington STL, 1B/OF – St. Louis is constantly pulling prospects out of their hat, and there is chance they did it again with David Washington. He is already 25 and he strikes out a lot, but he has destroyed Double-A and Triple-A this year, slashing .278/.374/.602 with 15 homers in 50 games. He is a big dude at 6’5’’, 260-pounds, and he has power to all fields. I would put him in the same category as Peter O’Brien. Neither have a position and both are old for prospects, but the power is enough that they can’t be ignored by the fantasy community. Keep an eye on him.

Nick Delmonico CHW, 1B/3B – The 23-year-old Delmonico is a little young to be considered a reclamation project, but that is what he is after Milwaukee straight cut him in 2015. Chicago swooped in, and they are now reaping the benefits. He crushed at Double-A, slashing .338/.397/.676 with 10 homers in 38 games, and is hitting well since being promoted to Triple-A, slashing .283/.353/.413 with 1 homer in 12 games. He is definitely a very deep league sleeper, but with his solid start in Triple-A, he is worthy of being on the fantasy radar.

By Michael Halpern
Email: michaelhalpern@imaginarybrickwall.com
Twitter: Imaginary Brick Wall (@ImaginaryBrickW)

Posted on by Michael Halpern

2016 Fantasy Baseball Minor League Prospect Rundown: Week 8

Every Monday, I will be running down some of the notable performances from around the Minor Leagues, or anything that might have caught my eye in general. Here is the 2016 Fantasy Baseball Minor League Prospect Rundown: Week 8:

2nd Lt. Ange, Sgt. Jackson, Spc. Mackenzie, 1st Lt. Carey, 2nd Lt. Del Pino, Staff Sgt. Thatcher, Sgt. Hill, Sgt. Rivera, Spc. Binge, and Spc. Chambers United States Army – In honor of Memorial Day, I thought the least I could do was include a soldier of the week in the Rundown, and in doing so I stumbled across 10 soldiers of the week. These men and women were the winners of the 10th AAMDC’s Best Warrior Competition, which is a grueling 4-day competition where the soldiers have to complete several mentally and physically strenuous challenges on only 3 hours sleep per night. 15 competitors started the competition, and these 10 soldiers were the ones left standing. Congratulations to them, and if you want to read more about the competition, you can check out this article.

Harrison Bader STL, OF – Went deep in back-to-back-to-back games again this week and now has 11 dingers on the season. For someone “definitely not trying to hit home runs,” he sure hits a lot of home runs.

Willie Calhoun LAD, 2B – Bader isn’t making it easy, but Willie is climbing back in the race to be the best find from my Finding the Next A.J. Reed article that I wrote in the off-season. Calhoun smacked 3 homers this week (including one last night!), bringing his season slash line up to a very respectable .267/.325/.461 with 7 homers as a 21-year-old in Double-A. Welcome to the party, Willie.

Byron Buxton MIN, OF – Buxton is officially destroying Triple-A, slashing .333/.402/.605, with 6 homers, and 4 steals in 28 games. It’s not going to make people forgot about his extreme struggles in the majors these past two years, but it’s a start.

Brendan Rodgers COL, SS – The 22-year-old Buxton might as well be a washed up has been compared to the new cool kid on the block, Rodgers. He smashed a homer in his first game back returning from a hamstring injury, giving him 8 on the year in 35 games at Single-A.

Kyle Lewis Mercer, OF – My #1 ranked prospect in my Top 30 2016 MLB Draft Fantasy Baseball Prospect Rankings, Lewis jacked 3 more homers this week, giving him 20 on the season in 61 games. He is the premiere power hitting prospect in the draft. #2 ranked prospect Corey Ray kept up the pace as well, tacking on another dinger (15) and 2 steals (39) this week.

Matt Thaiss Virginia, C – Blasted another homer this week, and is now slashing .382/.477/.591 with 10 homers in 57 games in the ACC. I ranked him #23 in my Top 30 Draft Prospects due to his elite contact skills, but there could be even more power in his bat too when he gets out of Virginia’s pitcher’s park. He’ll probably be ranked higher when I update the Top 30 list as we get closer to the draft.

Lucas Giolito WASH, RHP – Had his best start of the season this week (7 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BB, 6 K), and he hasn’t given up more than 2 ER in all but one of his starts. I said back in week 5 that he will eventually find his rhythm and turn it around, and I still believe that.

Alex Reyes STL, RHP – 5 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 2 BB, 7 K in his second start back from suspension. You can expect him to continue to rack up those K’s and BB’s.

Braden Shipley ARI, RHP – Shipley has a BB/9 of 1.0 and K/9 of 6.9 in 62.1 IP in the PCL this season. I can’t even get upset at those weak strikeout totals, 7 total walks on the season in that pitching environment is just impressive. More so for real life, but still.

Phil Bickford SFG, RHP – Bickford continues to impress, going 6.2 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BB, 7 K in his start this week, and a holds a stellar pitching line of 2.72/1.02/50 in 43 IP. He is doing this in Single-A, so it’s probably time to see him against tougher competition.

Alex Bregman HOU, SS – Bregman has been so hot the entire season that I didn’t think it was possible for him to get any hotter, but he has managed to heat up even more this week, slashing .364/.440/.591 with 2 more homers. Houston’s 3rd base situation continues to be a disaster, with Colin Moran doing little to help the cause so far, so Bregman may get his chance sooner rather than later.

Willson Contreras CHC, C – Blasted 3 homers this week, giving him 6 on the season in 42 games. His power was the one area he had to improve on coming into this season, and his ISO is now .50 points higher in Triple-A than it was in Double-A last year.

Jorge Alfaro PHI, C – The talented Alfaro is “finally” (he is 22) putting it together this season, hitting 2 more homers this week, and is now slashing .336/.347/.517 with 4 homers in 27 games at Double-A. He has as much fantasy potential as any catcher in the minors.

Tyler O’Neill SEA, OF – This is just your friendly, periodic reminder that Tyler O’Neill exists, and he is very, very good. The 20-year-old O’Neill is slashing .315/.380/.560, with 9 homers, and 3 steals in 48 games at Double-A, and he should be a relatively sought after fantasy commodity.

Bradley Zimmer CLE, OF – 2 more homers, 2 more steals, and had only 5 K’s in his last 6 games before dropping a golden sombrero last night (4 K’s in a game). We know he has the power and speed, so limiting K’s is last thing he has to improve on.

Austin Meadows PIT, OF – Meadows is starting to shake the rust off after coming back from a fractured orbital bone, slashing .409/.458/.591 in Double-A this week. He is slashing .255/.330/.398 on the season, and the power is the last thing remaining to make him a true elite fantasy prospect.

Joey Gallo TEX, OF – Here is what I wrote about Gallo in last week’s rundown: “You can expect him to continue to be prospect blocked, and if I were a Gallo owner, I would be hoping he gets traded away at the deadline.” Then, right on cue a few hours later, Texas called him up the big leagues and everyone got excited (including me), only to see him rarely play and get sent right back down. Your guess is as good as mine as to what Texas’ plans are with Gallo.

John Lamb CIN, LHP – Lamb was one of my favorite pitching prospect sleepers coming into this year, ranking him 40th in my Top 100 before it was revealed he had back surgery earlier in the off-season. He has simply not displayed the same stuff and velocity so far this year, averaging 89.3 MPH on his fastball after averaging 91.1 MPH last year. When you are already in the low 90’s, you don’t really have 2 MPH to spare. Hopefully he gains velocity the further away he gets from that back surgery, but it’s tough to see him take a step back after making so much progress coming off a long Tommy John Surgery recovery.

Jack Flaherty STL, RHP – Flaherty (#69) is another one of my favorite pitching prospect sleepers who has struggled this year, but he had the best start of his season this week, going 6 IP, 0 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BB, 9 K. Flaherty credited the outing to the advice he received from former high school teammates Giolito and Max Fried.

Erick Fedde WASH, RHP – Still trying to fully recover from 2014 Tommy John Surgery, Fedde has now spun two shutouts in a row, striking out 11 and walking 1 in 11 IP. His season line still doesn’t look great, but this season is more about staying healthy and building up his IP count anyway. If he can continue to dominate, even better.

Luis Ortiz TEX, RHP – Got promoted to Double-A last week, and went a combined 11 IP, 4 ER, 11 Hits, 2 BB, 7 K in his two starts at the level. It looks like Texas might fast track the 20-year-old Ortiz, and he could make his MLB debut as soon as next season.

Tyler Viza PHI, RHP – Viza put himself on my radar back in week 6, and he had his best start of the season this week, going 6 IP, 1 ER, 6 Hits, 0 BB, 11 K. He isn’t someone I would be jumping on, but if he gets promoted to Double-A and can keep it up, you will start to see his name popping up in more places.

Ronald Guzman TEX, 1B – The 21-year-old Guzman cranked 2 more dingers this week (in one game), and is now slashing .329/.392/.547, with 7 homers, and a 38/16 K/BB in 46 games at Double-A. He is solidifying himself as one of the top breakout fantasy prospects of 2016.

Dylan Cozens PHI, OF – Cozens keeps on raking, hitting 3 more homers this week, giving him 14 on the season in 49 games at Double-A. I still think he has some holes in his swing and he is doing this is an excellent hitter’s environment, but I can’t deny the power numbers.

Heath Quinn Samford, OF/Ronnie Dawson Ohio St, OF – Quinn and Dawson are two of my favorite sleepers in the upcoming MLB Draft, and they both continued to do damage this week. Quinn knocked 2 more homers, giving him 21 on the season, and Dawson hit another homer (13) and swiped four more bags (20). Dawson (#30) is probably a deeper sleeper than Quinn (#14). We’ll call Dawson a REM sleeper, while Quinn is more of a napper.

By Michael Halpern
Email: michaelhalpern@imaginarybrickwall.com
Twitter: Imaginary Brick Wall (@ImaginaryBrickW)

Posted on by Michael Halpern

2016 Fantasy Baseball Minor League Prospect Rundown: Week 4

Every Monday, I will be running down some of the notable performances from around the Minor Leagues, or anything that might have caught my eye in general. Here is the 2016 Fantasy Baseball Minor League Prospect Rundown: Week 4:

Byron Buxton MIN, OF – Turned it on since getting demoted to Triple-A, seeing his OPS jump .111 points … from .497 to .608. Oof. I oddly see this as a positive, though. He wasn’t simply overmatched by MLB pitching. There is something fundamentally wrong with his swing right now, and it should be correctable.

Ozzie Albies/Dansby Swanson ATL, SS – Both of Atlanta’s shortstops of the future are moving on up, Albies to Triple-A and Swanson to Double-A. Because I’m good at pattern recognition, it looks like Albies will get the first shot to win the SS job at the Major League level.

Harrison Bader STL, OF – Went deep in back-to-back-to-back games this week. It inspired me to write a Harrison Bader, 2016 Fantasy Baseball Prospect Breakout post last Friday after the first 2 homers, and Bader and his former coach both liked the article on Twitter! He is now slashing .345/.402/.560, with 5 homers, and 3 steals in 21 games at Double-A. He might want to think about changing his name to Harrison Gooder, because you know, branding and everything.

Bobby Bradley CLE, 1B – Starting to really heat up, and after launching 3 dingers this week, his season line stands at .253/.340/.529, with 6 homers, and a 36/11 K/BB. Expect more homers, strikeouts, and walks for about the next, say, 15 years or so.

Tyler Glasnow PIT, RHP – Struck out 18 batters and gave up no earned runs over 11 IP in his two starts this week. He walked only 1 in his first start, and then 5 in his second start, so the control is still spotty.

Josh Hader MIL, LHP – Somebody get this man some more hype! I tried to all off season, but it seems like it has barely taken. He has only thrown up a pitching line of 0.78/1.09/32 in 23 IP at Double-A so far, and he hasn’t given up more than a single earned run in any of his 5 starts. I’m not sure if Milwaukee will want to call him up this season, but in Dynasty Leagues, he is a must own.

Phil Bickford SF, RHP – The 18th overall pick of the 2015 draft, Bickford has been nothing short of a strikeout machine these last two years. He had an insane 17.24 K/9 in 86.2 IP in JuCo in 2015, and has now struck out 33 batters in 20.2 IP this year at Single-A. He has excellent control, is still only 20 years old, and has prototypical starter size at 6’4’’, 200 pounds. He doesn’t have the huge fastball, but color me intrigued.

Lucas Sims ATL, RHP – 7 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BB and 11 K in his start this week at Triple-A. He leads all of MiLB with 42 K’s, and is starting to regain some of that prospect shine. He is an underrated stash option in redraft leagues too.

Cody Reed CIN, LHP – 12 IP, 1 ER, 6 Hits, 3 BB and 11 K at Triple-A in his first two starts since returning from a cut finger. With Cincinnati’s shaky rotation, he is another underrated stash option in redraft leagues.

Orlando Arcia MIL, SS – Got his legs going this week, stealing his first 4 bags of the season, and also tacked on his 2nd and 3rd homer. He is triple-slashing .308/.341/.462 at Triple-A, and his 2015 breakout was clearly for real.

Jorge Mateo NYY, SS – Has been quietly putting up a very strong season at High-A, slashing .326/.392/.500, with 2 homers, and 7 steals in 22 games. His K% is up, and he has been caught stealing 5 times, so there are a few things to keep an eye on, as well.

Jesse Winker CIN, OF – Triple-A hasn’t slowed Winker down at all, and he continues to have one of the most advanced plate approaches of anyone in the minors. He smacked his first 2 homers of the season this week, and is now slashing .316/.404/.434 with a 11/12 K/BB in 20 games.

Jose Peraza CIN, 2B/SS/OF – Feet don’t fail me now. Peraza has only 2 steals and has been caught 4 times in his first 21 games at Triple-A this season. Considering basically all of his value comes from his speed, this is not exactly a great sign.

David Dahl COL, OF – Just keeps smoking the ball, hitting 2 more homers this week. He now has 8 homers, 8 steals, and a 1.026 OPS on the season. If he keeps hitting bombs, we might have to start calling him Double D.

Ryan McMahon COL, 3B – Has gone ice cold this week, and is now slashing .192/.271/.274, with no homers, and a 28/8 K/BB in 21 games at Double-A. Sorry Colorado, you can’t have all the breakouts.

Brett Phillips MIL, OF – I think it is time to slap Phillips with the slow starter label. He seemed like a hot starter early on, but his K’s were way up and there wasn’t much power, so I held off on tooting his horn. The singles have started to dry up now, and his season line now stands at .257/.360/.365, with only 1 homer, and 1 steal. He is still walking, but I’m starting to think the power/speed combo may be more of the moderate variety.

Dominic Smith NYM, 1B/Franklin Barreto OAK, SS/Nick Williams PHI, OF – Three really slow starters who have picked it up this week. None of their season lines are anything to write home about, but we can take them off the slow start watch list.

Matt Chapman OAK, 3B – The power is real. Crushed 3 more dingers this week (7 total), which brings his OPS up to .987 in a pitcher’s park at Double-A.

Tyler O’Neill SEA, OF – Another Cal League slugger whose power is translating to Double-A, as O’Neill hit 2 more homers in back-to-back games this week. That brings his total up to 6, and he has a .961 OPS on the season. I’ve been hyping him to death for months now, so you know the deal.

Travis Demeritte TEX, 2B – .294/.378/.718, with 8 homers, and 4 steals in 21 games at High-A. Since I hyped him in my week 1 rundown, he has just kept hitting.

Mike Soroka ATL, RHP – The 18-year-old Soroka has been brilliant in his full season pro debut at Single-A, dominating hitters to the tune of 1.33/0.89/29 in 27 IP. He has a first round pedigree and is very young for his level. There is not a negative to be found here.

Tyler Jay MIN, LHP – Was looking good to start the year until he ran into the Jupiter Hammerheads this week, and the Jupiter Hammerheads lived up to their awesome team name by touching Jay up for 10 hits, 5 earned runs, and no strikeouts in 4.1 IP. Looks like he still has some kinks to work out with his conversion from reliever to starter. Jupiter Hammerheads … I just wanted to say it one more time.

Domingo Acevedo NYY, RHP – The 22-year-old Acevedo has just been destroying Single-A, with a line of 1.91/0.81/32 in 28.1 IP. He relies heavily on his big fastball, so it is tough to get too excited until we see him against tougher competition, as much as I would like to as a Yankees fan.

Hunter Dozier KC, 3B/OF – Put another 2 homers on the board for the hot hitting, former 8th overall pick in the draft. He is slashing .307/.409/.640, with 6 homers, and 4 steals in 21 games at Double-A. At 24, he is old for the level, but the talent is still there and maybe he is just a late bloomer.

Christin Stewart DET, OF – The 34th overall pick of the 2015 draft, Stewart is powering up at High-A this year, hitting 8 homers in 24 games. He jacked 15 homers in the SEC last year, and then 10 more once reaching pro ball. He is striking out too much, and the batting average is low, but the power is too much to ignore at this point.

Ryan Cordell TEX, OF/Jordan Patterson COL, OF/Peter O’Brien ARI, 1B/OF – Three older prospects that I liked very early on in the off season, but convinced myself they were destined to be bench players. They are killing it in the early going, though, and who the fuck am I to say they are destined to the bench? If you like rooting for the underdog, pick these guys up and give em a shot.

By Michael Halpern
Email: michaelhalpern@imaginarybrickwall.com
Twitter: Imaginary Brick Wall (@ImaginaryBrickW)

Posted on by Michael Halpern

2016 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Top 50 Outfielders

The 2016 top 50 outfielders present a nice mix of young upside and veteran reliability. Let’s get right to it:

2016 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Catcher/First Base/Second Base/Shortstop/Third Base/Outfield(Top 25)/(Top 75)/Starters(Top 25)/(Top 50)/(Top 75)/(Top 100)/Closer/Top 250 Overall

26) Jacoby Ellsbury NYY ­– Betting on his health is a roll of the dice, but when healthy, he is a fantasy stud. 2016 Projection: 89/11/55/.273/31

27) Kyle Schwarber CHI-NL – Wrote about Schwarber in my 2016 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Top 20 Catchers post. 2016 Projection: 71/27/89/.254/4

28) Christian Yelich MIA – Another youngster with a safe floor and high ceiling. Will most likely hit in front of Giancarlo Stanton and behind Dee Gordon. 2016 Projection: 82/12/63/.288/19

29) Brett Gardner NYY – Fell apart in the 2nd half after wrist injury. There is some sneaky upside here. 2016 Projection: 85/15/65/.263/23

30) Brandon Belt SFG – Wrote about Belt in my 2016 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Top 20 First Basemen post. 2016 Projection: 78/20/80/.278/8

31) Michael Brantley CLE, OF – Rehab is ahead of schedule after off season shoulder surgery, but will still need a DL stint to start the season. There is concern the injury might sap some of his power. 2016 Projection: 68/14/74/.294/12

32) Shin-soo Choo CLE – Bounced back to normal self last season except for the stolen bases. 2016 Projection: 86/19/72/.273/5

33) Hanley Ramirez BOS – Owning Ramirez is like a roller coaster ride, but his 5-category upside is worth it at this point in the rankings. 2016 Projection: 70/20/76/.270/10

34) Curtis Granderson NYM – Solid 4-category production with a low AVG. 2016 Projection: 84/22/69/.252/9

35) Ben Revere WASH – Traditional leadoff hitter. 2016 Projection: 79/2/47/.297/33

36) Billy Hamilton CIN – Nothing but steals. Lots and lots of steals. 2016 Projection: 66/7/38/.251/51

37) Joc Pederson LAD – Dismal 2nd half last season, but he has too much upside to let fall beyond this point. 2016 Projection: 76/23/69/.246/12

38) Byron Buxton MIN – The #2 ranked prospect in my 2016 Top 100 Fantasy Prospects post. Starling Marte if everything goes right, back to the minors if it goes wrong. 2016 Projection: 79/13/60/.264/23

39) Dexter Fowler CHI-NL – Moderate power/speed combo hitting atop Chicago’s stacked lineup. 2016 Projection: 87/14/46/.258/16

40) Adam Eaton CHI-AL – Breakout season in 2015, but I’m not betting on a full repeat. 2016 Projection: 88/10/52/.286/14

41) Kole Calhoun LAA – Low risk power bat. 2016 Projection: 77/21/74/.266/3

42) David Peralta ARI – Safe across the board production. 2016 Projection: 74/15/68/.288/9

43) Gerardo Parra COL – The move to Coors should give his AVG and power a slight bump. 2016 Projection: 73/13/64/.289/12

44) Alex Gordon KC – If you couldn’t tell, we are smack dab in the middle of the safe and boring part of the rankings. 2016 Projection: 69/17/74/.269/6

45) Ben Zobrist CHI-NL ­– Wrote about Zobrist in my 2016 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Top 20 Second Basemen post. 2016 Projection: 83/16/65/.273/8

46) Matt Holliday STL – I’m not quite ready to write off the 36-year-old Holliday after a down 2015, as he still managed to put up an .804 OPS. 2016 Projection: 70/16/80/.280/3

47) Jay Bruce CIN – Likely to be traded at some point this season. 4-category production with a very low AVG. 2016 Projection: 68/24/80/.240/7

48) Corey Dickerson TB – Trade to Tampa Bay tanks his value. 2016 Projection: 68/18/64/.282/2

49) Khris Davis OAK – Trade to Oakland dings his value. His power is big enough that it shouldn’t make that much of a difference. 2016 Projection: 63/24/74/.253/5

50) Wil Myers SD – Post hype sleeper. Might not have fantasy stud upside anymore, but can still be a reliable starter. 2016 Projection: 70/18/72/.255/9

By Michael Halpern
Email: michaelhalpern@imaginarybrickwall.com
Twitter: Imaginary Brick Wall (@ImaginaryBrickW)

Posted on by Michael Halpern

2016 Top 100 Fantasy Baseball Prospect Rankings: 1-100

Prospect ranking season is finally here! Let’s get right down to business. These rankings are for Dynasty leagues, not for only 2016. Proximity to the majors is favored, but upside is still highly valued. With that in mind, here are the 2016 top 100 fantasy baseball prospects:

1) Corey Seager LAD, SS – Triple-slashed, .337/.425/.561, with 4 homers, and 2 steals in his first 113 MLB PA. Prime projection: 95/22/105/.300/8

2) Byron Buxton MIN, OF – Struggled in his first taste of the majors, but the tools and upside are still enormous. Prime projection: 105/15/80/.285/34

3) Yoan Moncada BOS, 2B – After a slow start to his stateside career, he absolutely tore up Single-A in the 2nd half. Sox paid $63 million to get this kid for a reason. Prime projection: 98/17/89/.280/30

4) Lucas Giolito WASH, RHP – Electric, top-of-the-rotation stuff. Struck out 131 batters in 117 IP in 2015. Prime projection: 2.91/1.03/226 in 210 IP

5) Tyler Glasnow PIT, RHP –  If you missed on Giolito, Glasnow is one hell of a consolation prize. Struck out 136 batters in 109.1 IP last season. Still needs some work repeating his delivery. Prime projection: 2.98/1.12/230 in 205 IP

6) A.J. Reed HOU, 1B – Wrote about him in my Finding the Next A.J. Reed article. Prime projection: 89/32/117/.282/3

7) Julio Urias LAD, LHP – Pitching prodigy in the truest sense of the word. As an 18-year-old, he climbed all the way to Triple-A last season. Easily might end up the best pitcher on this list. Prime projection: 3.10/1.09/211 in 200 IP

8) Andrew Benintendi BOS, OF – The best college bat in the 2015 draft. Didn’t miss a beat once reaching pro ball, triple-slashing, .313/.416/.556, hitting 11 homers, and stealing 10 bases in only 54 games. Prime projection: 90/23/100/.291/15

9) Lewis Brinson TEX, OF – Adam Jones 2.0. Put up a 1.004 OPS last season, and cut down on his strike outs. Legitimate 20/20 potential. Prime projection: 93/28/101/.274/17

10) Steven Matz NYM, LHP – Wrote about Matz in my Matz vs. Severino article. Prime projection: 3.33/1.16/188 in 195 IP

11) Alex Reyes STL, RHP – Fastball can reach 100 MPH. 13.6 K/9 last season. Poor command makes him riskier than the guys ranked above him, but still holds elite upside. Prime projection: 3.35/1.20/240 in 210 IP

12) Jose Berrios MIN, RHP – A bit undersized at 6’0’’, 185 pounds, but the numbers are undeniable. 2.87/1.05/175 in 166.1 IP split between Double-A and Triple-A. Plus command and control. Prime projection: 3.39/1.09/190 in 200 IP

13) Blake Snell TB, LHP– Put up a minuscule 1.41 ERA, striking out 163 batters in 134 IP last season. Rays have a strong history of developing starting pitchers. Prime projection: 3.36/1.15/209 in 198 IP

14) Jose De Leon LAD, RHP – Enjoyed a huge breakout in 2015, putting his name on the prospect map. Only Glasnow and Reyes have higher strikeout upside than De Leon on this list. Prime projection: 3.41/1.14/220 in 190 IP

15) J.P. Crawford PHI, SS – Would rank higher if this wasn’t a fantasy ranking, due to his plus defense and plate discipline. Projects for average power and above average speed. Prime projection: 100/12/62/.289/22

16) Brad Zimmer CLE, OF – 20/30 potential. Numbers dropped off after reaching Double-A last season, but was playing through a hairline fracture in his foot. Prime projection: 88/21/87/.270/25

17)  Joey Gallo TEX, 3B – Sooooooo many homers. Soooooooo many strike outs. Prime projection: 80/38/100/.242/5

18) Bobby Bradley CLE, 1B – Only Reed and Gallo have more power potential than Bradley on this list. Prime projection: 80/33/110/.253/4

19) Nomar Mazara TEX, OF – Rangers paid over $5 million to sign Mazara when he was 16 years old. All the talent in the world. Projects for above average contact and power. Prime projection: 89/24/104/.293/4

20) Derek Fisher HOU, OF – Wrote a Derek Fisher, 2016 Fantasy Prospect Sleeper post. Prime projection: 84/22/81/.270/17

21) Josh Hader MIL, LHP – Started to receive some hype after his fastball averaged 97 MPH in the Arizona Fall League. Big lefty. Reminiscent of Chris Sale. Prime projection: 3.31/1.18/193 in 190 IP

22) Tim Anderson CHW, SS – If I was breaking this up into tiers, this would be the beginning of the SS tier. But I’m not breaking this up into tiers, so this isn’t the beginning of the SS tier. Prime projection: 90/9/59/.277/31

23) Trea Turner WASH, SS – MLB ready, but will Stephen Drew and Danny Espinoza prospect block him? Plus speed and contact, with a little pop. Prime projection: 95/8/51/.282/28

24) Brendan Rodgers COL, SS – Oozing with potential. Can’t help but drool at the possibility of a power-hitting SS playing his home games at Coors. Still a long way off, though. Prime projection:  89/25/100/.280/7

25) Dansby Swanson ATL, SS – #1 overall pick in the 2015 draft. Slightly above average power and average speed. Better in real life than fantasy. Prime projection: 87/17/79/.286/14

26) Alex Bregman HOU, SS – #2 overall pick in the 2015 draft. Climbed all the way to High-A in his first year of pro ball, triple-slashing, .319/.364/.475. Prime projection: 92/15/74.293/15

27) Orlando Arcia MIL, SS – Another SS who would rank higher if this wasn’t a fantasy ranking. Broke out at the plate in 2015. Prime projection: 82/10/70/.274/25

28) Carson Fulmer CHW, RHP– 3rd pitcher selected, but best fantasy pitcher in the 2015 draft. Elite strikeout potential. Prime projection: 3.43/1.19/200 in 190 IP

29) Max Kepler MIN, OF – The big German had a monster 2015, putting up a .947 OPS in Double-A, with 9 homers and 18 steals. Prime projection:  85/18/85/.293/16

30) Trevor Story COL, SS – 20/20 season last year, splitting his time between Double-A and Triple-A. Gets the Coors Field bump. Prime projection: 79/20/83/.258/14

31) Gary Sanchez NYY, C – Wrote about him in my New York Yankees Top 5 Fantasy Prospects article. Prime projection: 67/22/83/.280/4

32) Tom Murphy COL, C – If I told you there was this major league ready catcher, with tons of power, and will play half of his games at Coors Field, is that something you would be interested in? Prime projection: 65/25/85/.259/4

33) Alen Hanson PIT, 2B – Wrote a Alen Hanson, 2016 Fantasy Prospect Sleeper post. Prime projection: 84/13/70/.277/25

34) Aaron Judge NYY, OF – Wrote about him in my New York Yankees Top 5 Fantasy Prospects article. Prime projection: 75/26/90/.260/7

35) Victor Robles WASH, OF – The scouts are slobbering all over this kid. The numbers back up the praise, triple-slashing, .352/.445/.507, in the lower levels of the minors last season. Prime projection: 96/14/75/.304/30

36) Kolby Allard ATL, LHP – Injury concerns be damned! This kid is the real deal. Was the 1st prep arm selected in the 2015 draft. Stuff draws comparisons to Clayton Kershaw. ETA is 3-4 years down the line. Prime projection: 3.25/1.09/210 in 195 IP

37) Anderson Espinoza BOS, RHP – Another teenage arm who could be on the fast track to the majors. Drawing comparisons to Pedro Martinez. Prime projection: 3.35/1.11/198 in 190 IP

38) Jorge Mateo NYY, SS – Wrote about him in my New York Yankees Top 5 Fantasy Prospects article. Prime projection: 87/9/50/.275/42

39) Brett Phillips MIL, OF – Power/speed combo. Hard-nosed player whose tools play up. Prime projection: 86/17/76/.275/19

40) John Lamb CIN, LHP – Sleeper alert! Poor man’s Steven Matz. Put up a pitching line of 2.67/1.17/117 in 111.1 IP in Triple-A last season. Prime projection: 3.42/1.18/190 in 190 IP (Update: Out until mid-April after off-season back surgery)

41) Jesse Winker CIN, OF – Possibly the most advanced plate approach of any player in the minors. Power should continue to develop as he gets older. Prime projection: 94/20/100/.292/4

42) Raimel Tapia COL, OF – Elite contact skills. Above average speed. Average power. Gets the Coors Field bump. Prime projection: 92/13/70/.301/21

43) Willie Calhoun LAD, 2B – Wrote about him in my Finding the Next A.J. Reed article. Prime projection: 90/25/93/.294/3

44) Jose Peraza CIN, 2B – Elite contact and speed. Prime projection: 96/6/51/.285/37

45) Sean Manaea OAK, LHP – Struck out 236 batters in 196 career minor league IP. Comes with injury and bullpen risk. Prime projection: 3.49/1.21/195 in 185 IP.

46) Dillon Tate TEX, RHP – 1st pitcher selected in the 2015 draft. Last season was his first as a starter, so there are a lot of unknowns here. Prime projection: 3.50/1.19/189 in 200 IP.

47) David Dahl COL, OF – Tooled up, with 5-category upside. Had some injury issues the past few seasons. Prime projection: 89/17/73/.280/16

48) Grant Holmes LAD, RHP – The strikeout potential fantasy owners love, but still very raw. Prime projection: 3.44/1.27/199 in 188 IP

49) Ryan McMahon COL, 3B – Sweet swinging lefty, with power and strikeouts. Coors Field bump. Prime projection: 80/23/96/.272/6

50) Ian Happ CHC, 2B/OF – Advanced college bat. Power/speed combo. Played OF in college, but Cubs will try him at 2B. Prime projection: 85/19/76/.269/14

51) Harrison Bader STL, OF – Wrote about him in my Finding the Next A.J. Reed article. Prime projection: 85/20/81/.280/14

52) Willson Contreras CHC, C – Triple-slashed, .333/.413/.478, in a huge offensive breakout at Double-A last season. Hit only 8 homers, but power should come around. Prime projection: 64/16/81/.293/3

53) Austin Meadows PIT, OF – Power hasn’t developed as hoped quite yet, but everything else is there. If power comes, watch out. Prime projection: 94/15/83/.309/12

54) Sean Newcomb ATL, LHP – Tantalizing stuff, but major control issues. High risk, high reward. Prime projection: 3.40/1.28/195 in 180 IP

55) Robert Stephenson CIN, RHP – Look up one inch. Prime projection: 3.51/1.25/187 in 187 IP

56) Raul Mondesi Jr. KC, SS – Pure upside pick. The offense hasn’t come around yet, but he has been far younger than his competition at every level. Baseball bloodline. Prime projection: 79/15/71/.267/28

57) Franklin Barreto OAK, SS – Centerpiece of the Josh Donaldson trade. 5-category potential. Oakland is stacked at SS, so a move to CF is possible. Prime projection: 86/14/77/.287/22

58) Clint Frazier CLE, OF – A breakout waiting to happen. #5 overall pick in the 2013 draft. Game power just started to blossom last season. Prime projection: 79/24/90/.271/8

59) Nick Williams PHI, OF – Has the tools to be higher on this list, but scouts still question his plate approach. Prime projection: 85/18/78/.276/10

60) Josh Bell PIT, 1B – Elite contact skills, but plus raw power has not shown up in games yet. Prime projection: 78/19/90/.299/7

61) Hunter Renfroe SD, OF – Power and strikeouts. Likely to break into the majors this year. Prime projection: 74/24/86/.266/6

62) Forrest Wall COL, 2B – By now, you know I love me some Coors Field hitters. 5-category potential at 2B. Prime projection: 87/14/73/.284/21

63) Rafael Devers BOS, 3B – Another pure upside pick. Triple-slashed, .288/.329/.443, as an 18-year-old in Single-A. Prime projection: 80/21/96/.287/5

64) Manuel Margot SD, OF – More valuable in real life, due to his plus CF defense. There is plenty of time for the bat to come around, though. Prime projection: 85/11/60/.278/29

65) Cody Reed CIN, LHP – Big, strong lefty. Struck out 144 batters in 145.2 IP last season, splitting time between High-A and Double-A. Prime projection: 3.44/1.19/192 in 200 IP

66) Francis Martes HOU, RHP – Came out of nowhere in 2015. Climbed all the way to Double-A as a 19-year-old. Reminiscent of Luis Severino’s rise a few years ago. Prime projection: 3.39/1.10/176 in 185 IP

67) Kyle Zimmer KC, RHP – You feeling lucky? Elite strikeout potential, but major injury concerns. Prime projection: 3.30/1.17/180 in 160 IP

68) Jacob Faria TB, RHP – Sleeper alert! Put up a pitching line of 2.51/1.09/96 in 75.1 IP, pitching in Double-A last season. Doesn’t have the big fastball, but his delivery creates a lot of deception. Gets a bump due to Tampa Bay’s success with developing pitchers like him. Prime projection: 3.50/1.15/185 in 190 IP

69) Jack Flaherty STL, RHP – We can “own” prospects in fantasy, but we still need to rely on actual baseball teams to develop them. And there isn’t a better team at player development than the St. Louis Cardinals. Flaherty struck out 97 batters in 95 IP last season, in his first full season of pro ball at Single-A. Fastball currently sits in the low 90’s, but still time to gain a few MPH as he ages. Prime projection: 3.35/1.18/175 in 200 IP

70) Justus Sheffield CLE, LHP – Cleveland has been on fire of late developing starting pitching. Time to jump on the bandwagon. He is also Gary Sheffield’s nephew. Prime projection: 3.48/1.22/200 in 188 IP

71) Brent Honeywell TB, RHP ­– More Tampa Bay love. Honeywell is advanced beyond his years. Comes with a nasty screwball that he learned from his father. Prime projection: 3.42/1.12/179 in 190 IP

72) Jacob Nottingham MIL, C – Bat-first catcher. Triple-slashed, .316/.372/.505, and hit 17 homers in 119 games last season, splitting his time between Single-A and High-A. Prime projection: 63/20/78/.276/1

73) Renato Nunez OAK, 3B – Another breakout waiting to happen. Not like he hasn’t been hitting already, though, launching 18 homers in only 93 Double-A games last season. This coming off a 29 homer season in High-A in 2014. Prime projection: 82/21/91/.284/1

74) Matt Olson OAK, 1B – After hitting 37 homers in High-A in 2014, hit only 17 in Double-A last season. But some of that had to do with going from an extreme hitter’s park, to an extreme pitcher’s park. Tons of walks and strikeouts. Prime projection: 79/26/90.257/3

75) Ozhaino Albies ATL, SS – Triple-slashed, .310/.368/.404, and stole 29 bags as an 18-year-old in Single-A. Projects as a prototypical leadoff hitter. Prime projection: 95/4/49/.295/33

76) Anthony Alford TOR, OF – 5-category upside with all the tools. Still very raw, but started to show flashes of his enormous potential last season. Prime projection: 81/16/79/.272/18

77) Dominic Smith NYM, 1B – 11th overall pick in the 2013 draft. Plus raw power has not shown up in games yet, but has exhibited elite contact skills. Power should develop down the line. Prime projection: 78/20/90/.293/2

78) Tyler O’Neill SEA, OF – (Update: I wrote a Tyler O’Neill, 2016 Fantasy Prospect Sleeper aritcle) – I might be getting drawn in by the inflated HR total (32 in 106 games) he put up in the notoriously hitterish Cal League. And Seattle’s recent history of developing position players is scary. But the bat speed and exit velocity are for real. I’m willing to take a chance on him here. Prime projection: 73/25/88/.249/9

79) Jorge Alfaro PHI, C ­– Power-hitting catcher with tons of raw talent. Just hasn’t put it together yet. Prime projection: 62/17/73/.245/5

80) Jake Thompson PHI, RHP – We now enter the mid-rotation starter portion of the list. Don’t count on these guys to carry your fantasy staff, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be useful. Prime projection: 3.52/1.20/173 in 193 IP

81) Aaron Blair ATL, RHP – 6’5’’, 230-pound workhorse. Atlanta acquired him as part of the Shelby Miller trade. Prime projection: 3.48/1.19/169 in 200 IP

82) Michael Fulmer DET, RHP – Finally stayed healthy for an entire season. Put up a pitching line of 2.24/1.08/125 in 124.2 IP at Double-A in 2015. Still some bullpen risk. Prime projection: 3.57/1.23/180 in 185 IP

83) Archie Bradley ARI, RHP ­– 7th overall pick in the 2011 draft. Classic mid-rotation starter profile. Prime projection: 3.55/1.24/176 in 189 IP

84) Braden Shipley ARI, RHP – 15th overall pick in the 2013 draft. Classic mid-rotation starter profile. Do I hear an echo? Prime projection: 3.59/1.20/168 in 184 IP

85) Erick Fedde WASH, RHP – We now enter the injured, but tons of upside portion of the list. These guys have top-of-the-rotation potential, but still have to prove it coming off major injuries. Prime projection: 3.41/1.15/169 in 185 IP

86) Jameson Taillon PIT, RHP – Hasn’t pitched since 2013 after undergoing Tommy John surgery. We can only guess if his stuff will return completely to its pre-surgery level. Prime projection: 3.38/1.13/150 in 150 IP

87) Hunter Harvey BAL, RHP – Constant elbow problems have dogged Harvey over the past few seasons. But he has avoided Tommy John surgery, so far. If he puts together a healthy season in 2016, he could vault up this list. Prime projection: 3.45/1.18/160 in 150 IP

88) Dylan Bundy BAL, RHP – Tommy John surgery cost him all of 2013. In 2014, it was more arm trouble. Last season, it was shoulder problems. The potential is still elite, though. Prime projection: 3.50/1.16/150 in 150 IP

89) Kyle Tucker HOU, OF – Most advanced prep bat in the 2015 draft. Drafted #5 overall. Swing draws comparisons to Ted Williams, if outlandish player comparisons are your thing. Prime projection: 86/18/84/.284/14

90) Kevin Padlo TB, 3B – After struggling in Single-A to start 2015, put up a .906 OPS, with 9 homers, and 33 steals in only 70 games after being sent down to Low-A. Buy now before it is too late. Prime projection: 85/16/75/.280/22 (Update: Traded to Tampa Bay in the Corey Dickerson trade)

91) Mallex Smith ATL, OF – MLB ready steals. If you are looking for an immediate contributor in the stolen base category, Smith is your man. Don’t expect much else. Prime projection: 87/6/47/.283/39

92) Roman Quinn PHI, OF – Trouble staying healthy his entire career, but has elite speed and a plus hit tool when he does play. Prime projection: 86/8/57/.284/37

93) Gleybor Torres CHC, SS – Triple-slashed, .293/.353/.386, as an 18-year-old in Single-A last season. Solid tools across the board. Prime projection: 81/15/70/.283/15

94) Matt Chapman OAK, 3B – 25th overall pick in the 2014 draft. Launched 23 homers in only 80 games playing in the Cal League last season. Prime projection: 72/24/86/.263/3

95) Cody Bellinger LAD, 1B/OF – Launched 30 homers in 128 games playing in the Cal League last season. Looking at all of these bloated Cal League home run totals, it makes me think I can hit double-digit homers there (yea, in my dreams). His father is former New York Yankees utility man, Clay Bellinger. Prime projection: 75/21/92/.271/7

96) Luis Ortiz TEX, RHP – Drew comparisons to Jose Fernandez when he was drafted out of high school in 2014. Was dominating Single-A last season before being shut down with an elbow strain. Top-of-the-rotation potential, but need to see more. Prime projection: 3.56/1.17/163 in 175 IP

97) Javier Guerra SD, SS – Known more for his glove than his bat. Still managed to hit 15 homers in 116 Single-A games last season as a 19-year-old. Prime projection: 78/14/69/.280/9

98) Tyler Jay MIN, LHP – 6th overall pick in the 2015 draft. Dominant reliever in college, but has the repertoire and stuff to start. Elite strikeout potential, but just too many unknowns at this point. Prime projection: 3.60/1.25/180 in 180 IP

99) Austin Byler ARI, 1B – Wrote about him in my Finding the Next A.J. Reed article. Prime Projection: 69/25/87/.243/4

100) Jon Gray COL, RHP – If you are sick of hearing about the Coors Field bump, you are in luck, because Gray gets the Coors Field downgrade. Ace potential outside of Coors. Poor guy. Prime Projection: 3.76/1.24/191 in 200 IP

By Michael Halpern
Email: michaelhalpern@imaginarybrickwall.com

Posted on by Michael Halpern

2016 Top 100 Fantasy Baseball Prospect Rankings: 1-15

Prospect ranking season is finally here! We start in reverse, reverse order this year. Most people would start from 100, and count down to 1. But not here at Imaginary Brick Wall, where we turn traditional logic on its head … and then flip it back around again.

The top 15 hold few surprises. These are all highly sought after players, who are getting hyped to death. The fun really begins the deeper into the list we go. But today it is all about the elite of the elite. It should be noted that these rankings are for dynasty leagues, not for just 2016. Proximity to the majors is favored, but upside is still highly valued. With that in mind, here are the 2016 top 15 fantasy baseball prospects:

1) Corey Seager LAD, SS – Triple-slashed, .337/.425/.561, with 4 homers, and 2 steals in his first 113 MLB PA. Prime projection: 95/22/105/.300/8

2) Byron Buxton MIN, OF – Struggled in his first taste of the majors, but the tools and upside are still enormous. Prime projection: 105/15/80/.285/34

3) Yoan Moncada BOS, 2B – After a slow start to his stateside career, he absolutely tore up Single-A in the 2nd half. Sox paid $63 million to get this kid for a reason. Prime projection: 98/17/89/.280/30

4) Lucas Giolito WASH, RHP – Electric, top-of-the-rotation stuff. Struck out 131 batters in 117 IP in 2015. Prime projection: 2.91/1.03/226 in 210 IP

5) Tyler Glasnow PIT, RHP –  If you missed on Giolito, Glasnow is one hell of a consolation prize. Struck out 136 batters in 109.1 IP last season. Still needs some work repeating his delivery. Prime projection: 2.98/1.12/230 in 205 IP

6) A.J. Reed HOU, 1B – Wrote about him in my Finding the Next A.J. Reed article. Prime projection: 89/32/117/.282/3

7) Julio Urias LAD, LHP – Pitching prodigy in the truest sense of the word. As an 18-year-old, he climbed all the way to Triple-A last season. Easily might end up the best pitcher on this list. Prime projection: 3.10/1.09/211 in 200 IP

8) Andrew Benintendi BOS, OF – The best college bat in the 2015 draft. Didn’t miss a beat once reaching pro ball, triple-slashing, .313/.416/.556, hitting 11 homers, and stealing 10 bases in only 54 games. Prime projection: 90/23/100/.291/15

9) Lewis Brinson TEX, OF – Adam Jones 2.0. Put up a 1.004 OPS last season, and cut down on his strike outs. Legitimate 20/20 potential. Prime projection: 93/28/101/.274/17

10) Steven Matz NYM, LHP – Wrote about Matz in my Matz vs. Severino article. Prime projection: 3.33/1.16/188 in 195 IP

11) Alex Reyes STL, RHP – Fastball can reach 100 MPH. 13.6 K/9 last season. Poor command makes him riskier than the guys ranked above him, but still holds elite upside. Prime projection: 3.35/1.20/240 in 210 IP

12) Jose Berrios MIN, RHP – A bit undersized at 6’0’’, 185 pounds, but the numbers are undeniable. 2.87/1.05/175 in 166.1 IP split between Double-A and Triple-A. Plus command and control. Prime projection: 3.39/1.09/190 in 200 IP

13) Blake Snell TB, LHP– Put up a minuscule 1.41 ERA, striking out 163 batters in 134 IP last season. Rays have a strong history of developing starting pitchers. Prime projection: 3.36/1.15/209 in 198 IP

14) Jose De Leon LAD, RHP – Enjoyed a huge breakout in 2015, putting his name on the prospect map. Only Glasnow and Reyes have higher strikeout upside than De Leon on this list. Prime projection: 3.41/1.14/220 in 190 IP

15) J.P. Crawford PHI, SS – Would rank higher if this wasn’t a fantasy ranking, due to his plus defense and plate discipline. Projects for average power and above average speed. Prime projection: 100/12/62/.289/22
2016 Top 100 Fantasy Baseball Prospect Rankings: 16-40

By Michael Halpern
Email: michaelhalpern@imaginarybrickwall.com