Joshua Baez – Imaginary Brick Wall

Posted on December 9, 2025December 30, 2025 by Michael Halpern

St. Louis Cardinals 2026 Dynasty Baseball Team Report (Top 10 Prospects/Interesting MLB guys/Strategy Talk)

Make sure to check out the Strategy/Thoughts section towards the bottom of the post for my thoughts on the Oviedo and Ford trades. And A Top 132 Sneak Peek of the 2026 Top 1,000 Dynasty Baseball Rankings just hit the Patreon. But first, it’s all about the Cardinals on the Brick Wall today. Here is the St. Louis Cardinals 2026 Dynasty Baseball Team Report (Top 10 Prospects/Interesting MLB guys/Strategy Talk):

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Arizona Diamondbacks—Atlanta Braves—Baltimore Orioles—Chicago Cubs (free)—Cincinnati Reds (free)—Colorado Rockies—Detroit Tigers—Houston Astros—Kansas City Royals—Miami Marlins—Milwaukee Brewers—Minnesota Twins—New York Yankees (free)—Pittsburgh Pirates (free)—Sacramento Athletics—Seattle Mariners—Tampa Bay Rays—Texas Rangers—Toronto Blue Jays—Washington Nationals

Hitters

Jordan Walker – STL, OF, 23.10 – Walker is a cautionary tale of when bat speed targets go wrong. The man swung a 78.1 MPH bat, which was 5th fastest in baseball (minimum 50 swings), behind Giancarlo Stanton, Oneil Cruz, Junior Caminero, and Riley Adams (and one ahead of Jhonkensy Noel). Just look at that list. That thing ain’t bulletproof. Cruz was a huge disappointment, Adams put up a .560 OPS in 286 PA, and Noel fell off the face of the earth with a .480 OPS in 153 PA. And of course, Walker was almost incomprehensibly bad with a .584 OPS in 396 PA. I’ve talked about it a bunch now this off-season, but don’t overrate bat speed. I was all over it last off-season and got some major hits from it, but it wasn’t some be all, end all stat that perfectly predicted breakouts. Many players were able to increase their bat speed substantially, making it risky to assume a players current bat speed is set in stone, and there were huge power breakouts from guys who actually decreased their bat to below average levels (Michael Busch). You can swing the bat as fast as you want, but if you can’t hit, you are in trouble, and Walker can’t hit anymore. The 31.8% K% and 36.6% whiff% were career worsts, leading to a .215 BA. He chases with a 34.1% chase% and he doesn’t lift/pull with a 11.3% Air Pull%. You can have all the talent in world, and Walker does have all the talent in the world, but it doesn’t matter if you can’t hit. He’s still young and he has a 116 wRC+ season under his belt in 2023, so of course I’m not sticking a fork in him, but I’m no longer going after him. As a free flier, bottom of the roster guy, sure, but anything more than that and I’ll pass. – 2026 Projection: 53/13/59/.233/.300/.400/11

Ivan Herrera – STL, C/DH, 25.10 – Herrera was my top catcher target last off-season, and I’m definitely pumped about the awesome season he had, clearly seeing his value rise majorly, but let’s be honest, a monkey could have thrown a rock and hit on a catcher breakout in 2025. He also lost catcher eligibility in most leagues with only 14 games played, but all signs point towards him getting it back quickly into 2026. Both Herrera and the Cardinals are fully committed to him as a catcher and working to improve defensively this off-season. He underwent elbow surgery to remove loose bodies in October, which is a great sign, because there is hope that can improve the biggest weakness of his game, throwing guys out. Even if he can’t maintain eligibility long term, it seems highly likely he will have it for most of 2026, and his bat is good enough to go after even with that risk. The reason I loved him so much last off-season was that his .367 xwOBA led all catchers, and while he didn’t lead all catchers in 2026, he took it up a notch to .371. There is no question this dude is a special hitter. He increased his bat speed 1.1 MPH to 74.3 MPH and it led to even more power with a 1.9 MPH increase in EV to 91.2 MPH and a 5.6 point increase in Hard Hit to 47.7%. It led to 19 homers in only 107 games. He combined the power increase with a 18.6/9.5 K%/BB%, and while he doesn’t lift and pull a ton, the 10.1 degree launch and 14.6% Air Pull% is conducive to both homers and BA. He also runs a bit with 8 steals. The bat is good enough to profile anywhere (they dabbled with him in the OF in 2025) and is clearly one the Cards are going to get in the lineup no matter what. – 2026 Projection: 78/23/78/.280/.368/.465/9

Willson Contreras – STL, 1B, 33.11 – The hope that Contreras would unlock some new level of hitting without having to be a catcher didn’t come to pass with him putting up a 124 wRC+ vs. his career 122 wRC+. Still really good, but 20 homers with a .257 BA didn’t exactly blow the doors off even being able to use him at catcher. There was also hope playing full time would make him a cheat code at the position, and while he wasn’t a cheat code, it definitely helped him to finish 6th at the position. He put up a career high 563 PA and it led to a career high 70 Runs and 80 RBI. It wasn’t the beast we wanted, but we at least got a small bump from it. Now going into 2026 he will be losing catcher eligibility and turning 34 years old, so it would be hard to expect anything more than a solid 1B bat, but I do see an avenue to some upside. He put up a career best 19.8% Air Pull%, and while he couldn’t fully take advantage of it in the 5th worst park for righty homers (7 homers at home vs. 13 on the road), he is getting major trade buzz this off-season. If he lands in the right ballpark, we might see that offensive explosion we hoped for in 2025. Even without out, he’s still an excellent hitter regardless of position with an elite 76 MPH swing and 13.9% Barrel%. Losing catcher eligibility hurts, but don’t underrate him going into 2026. We could still see a huge season depending on if he gets traded or not. – 2026 Projection: 73/24/84/.260/.350/.465/4

Pitchers

Matthew Liberatore – STL, LHP, 26.5 – Liberatore put up a 4.21 ERA with a 18.8/6.2 K%/BB% in 151.2 IP … and that makes him the fearsome staff ace of the St. Louis Cardinals … remember this when everyone calls Tink Hence, Brandon Clarke, and even Liam Doyle future relievers. St. Louis would have to be out their damn mind to shift anyone into the bullpen until they’re like 29 years old and 3 Tommy John’s deep. Until that time, they are starters. How could you draw any other conclusion looking at this shit show? To Liberatore’s credit, he did actually “breakout” in 2025 by improving his control to plus levels with a 6.2% BB%. The curveball put up an impressive .192 xwOBA and 32.6% whiff%, the changeup put up a +7 Run Value, and the slider was solid with a +2 Run Value and 32% whiff%. The problem was that the 93.9 MPH fastball just wasn’t very good. It got destroyed with a .379 xwOBA and a lowly 12.1% whiff%. A bad fastball with maybe above average secondaries and above average to plus control just isn’t very enticing. It’s a #4/5 profile that plays down in fantasy due to the lack of strikeouts. – 2026 Projection: 9/4.08/1.29/139 in 160 IP

Michael McGreevy – STL, RHP, 25.9 – Liberatore better be careful, because McGreevy might just surpass him as staff “ace.” Sure all of his secondaries are bad, and sure his 4-seamer is actually worse than Liberatore’s, but his control is bordering on elite with a 5% BB%, and his 91.8 MPH sinker is a genuinely awesome pitch. It put up a +9 Run Value with a .278 xwOBA and negative 1 degree launch. It was dominant in 2024 in the majors too, so that wasn’t a fluke. It led to a 4.42 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and a 14.5/5.0 K%/BB% in 95.2 IP. That K% is awful, and while the 19.2% whiff% shows his true talent level is higher than that, that whiff rate is really bad too. Like I said, his secondaries and 4-seamer were bad. He threw the sinker only 21.7% of the time, and I have no idea why. He should throw it like 70% of the time and I’m not sure I’m kidding. If you want to look for some hope, the secondaries were much better at Triple-A and he put up a 25.5% K% there, so he should do better as he gains more experience in the majors. He’ll be in a great ballpark and even if he’s a back end starter, his WHIP has the potential to be a plus in fantasy due to the elite walk rates. There are worse options out there in deeper leagues, but he’s only a deeper league play right now. He’s not going to be one of my favorite fliers in shallower leagues. – 2026 Projection: 9/4.05/1.21/121 in 160 IP

St. Louis Cardinals 2026 Top 10 Dynasty Fantasy Baseball Prospects Rankings

1) JJ Wetherholt – STL, 2B/SS, 23.7 – Wetherholt was exactly who we thought he was. It’s exactly who he’s been since his freshman year of college. It’s exactly who he’s been since his pro debut in 2024. And now it’s exactly who he’s been through the upper minors, slashing .306/.421/.510 with 17 homers, 23 steals, and a 14.7/14.5 K%/BB% in 109 games split between Double-A and Triple-A. He crushes the ball with a 91.4 MPH EV and 49% Hard Hit%, he’s got speed, and the plate skills are near elite. He’s not a huge lift and pull guy, but he doesn’t have to be for this type of profile. The 12 degree launch and 13.6% Air Pull% aren’t too bad, and he can easily improve on those over time. The 24.3 whiff% at Triple-A wasn’t quite as good as the K%, so he might not truly be an elite contact guy, but the hit tool is clearly plus at least. He was projected to be a .280/20/20 type coming out of the draft, and that is now cemented with his excellent first full year of pro ball. He’s also expected to break camp with the big league club as their starting 2B. Proximity, safety, upside … he’s got it all. This is an elite prospect. – 2026 Projection: 76/16/68/.262/.331/.425/19 Prime Projection: 103/21/82/.284/.369/.473/24

2) Joshua Baez – STL, OF, 22.9 – Back in early July, when Baez was still getting lukewarm love, when people were still hesitant to really go all in, I saw the opportunity to strike, naming him one of my top Mid-Season Targets, writing, “This guy just has Lawrence Butler 2.0 written all over him. I know his hype has been rising, but I still think even a super savvy dynasty owner might be looking at him as a perfect sell high opportunity. Popped up “out of nowhere,” there is hit tool risk, they just might be thinking they are the one getting one over on you, but it’s going to be the other way around. Play possum on this one. Dummy up. Because what Baez is doing is exactly what Butler did. He’s an absolute specimen at 6’3”, 220 pounds, he crushes the ball, he has 34 steals in 39 attempts in 69 games total, and he now has a 25.8/16.4 K%/BB% in 31 games at Double-A. He’s proving his hit tool gains are real. And the insane, true elite talent is there. Pretend you’re the fool buying in too hard, and then don’t gloat when in a year or two their former owner realizes the mistake they make. You just got lucky ;)” … and then not only did he continue to keep it up, he took the hit tool up a notch with a 14.1%/10.6% K%/BB% in his final 40 games of the season at Double-A. The dude is a jacked 6’3” version of Kevin McGonigle out there ha, not quite, but you get the point. He finished the season going 20/54 in 117 games. Like we saw with Lawrence Butler in 2025, it’s hard to feel we are ever completely out of the woods with the hit tool risk on these types, but the massive improvement he showed, combined with his monster upside, is worthy of an extremely high ranking on a fantasy list especially. Since I wrote that Target blurb, his hype has already exploded, and if you took my advice back then, you almost surely already feel like you got one over on somebody. But he’s still on the underrated side now too, so it’s not too late. This is a Top 20 dynasty prospect, and that might still be underselling him. – 2026 Projection: 17/6/23/.228/.301/.418/7 Prime Projection: 79/25/84/.248/.327/.471/28

3) Liam Doyle – STL, LHP, 21.10 – Having an elite fastball is so important if you want to truly break into to the upper echelon of MLB pitchers. I wrote about it in the Blue Jays Team Report when I was giving my reasoning for going Burns over Yesavage (I still love Yesevage) as the #1 pitching prospect in baseball, and it’s my reasoning for giving Doyle the very slight edge over Kade Anderson in FYPD Rankings. Doyle has the type of overpowering, high strikeout, mid to upper 90’s, elite movement profile fastball that has the potential to simply bulldoze through the minors in the blink of an eye, a la Chase Burns. He’s not as good as Chase Burns, but he’s the closest thing this draft has to him. The secondaries aren’t as impressive as the fastball, which is where the edge goes to Anderson (and Anderson has an excellent fastball too despite the mediocre velocity), but I think they get undersold. The splitter dominated college hitters with elite whiff rates, the slider has above average potential with bat missing ability, and he’s working on a cutter too. His 42.6% K% led all of D1, and the 8.3 BB% shows the control isn’t in the true danger zone. I also think it says something that the Cardinals drafted him 5th overall. This isn’t the usual Cardinals type of pitcher. They lean floor over upside (although that seems to be changing of late). But quite clearly they fell in love with Doyle’s upside, which I’m also falling in love with. Kade Anderson is the safer choice and he landed in the perfect situation in Seattle, but I lean pure explosion, and Doyle has more of that explosion than Anderson has right now. St. Louis also has a pitcher’s park. Doyle is my top pitcher in FYPD’s, non Imai division (who I have 1st overall), and it sure seems like he’s going to debut in 2026. – 2026 Projection: 4/3.82/1.27/75 in 70 IP Prime Projection: 14/3.33/1.07/209 in 178 IP

4) Rainiel Rodriguez – STL, C, 19.3 – Because I felt the need to kinda shit on Rodriguez a bit in the Duno blurb (which you can read in the Cincinnati Reds Team Report that I posted on the Brick Wall a few weeks ago), let me start off this blurb with some excitement, because Rodriguez deserves it. He was the top catcher breakout in the DSL in 2024 with a monstrous 10 homers and 190 wRC+ in 41 games, and then he managed to one up even that at stateside rookie in 2025 with 7 homers and 237 wRC+ in 20 games. That kind of dominance at the rookie ball levels is some of the best we’ve really ever seen, so it was no surprise to also see him kill it at Single-A, slashing .249/.373/.498 with 13 homers, 3 steals, and a 17.4/14.0 K%/BB% in 60 games. I completely understand looking at this level of production as an 18 year old and saying this is one of the most special bats in the minors league, period, regardless of position. He’s a lift and pull god with a 20 degree launch and 29.4% Air Pull%, the plate skills are excellent, and he hits it hard, especially for his age, with a 104.3 MPH 90th% EV and 39.2% Hard Hit%. I love his bat. The things to quibble with are just that, minor quibbles. Sure the path to playing time isn’t clear, but a bat like this generally clears the way for itself no matter who is in it’s path. The ballpark isn’t great, and with his current level of lift/pull and hard hit, it could result in low batting averages, but he’s so young that it would be silly to just say this is always who he is going to be. He will likely hit the ball harder at peak and also refine his general approach. Just because I have Duno ranked higher by a hair doesn’t mean I don’t love Rodriguez. I think it says more about how much I love Duno. Both are awesome. He ranked 15th overall in the Top 81 Catcher 2026 Dynasty Baseball Positional Rankings (Patreon). – ETA: 2028 Prime Projection: 76/27/83/.268/.354/.477/3

5) Tink Hence – STL, RHP, 23.0 – Just look at St. Louis’ rotation. There is no reason for them to prematurely put anyone in the bullpen, and while Hence might not have the durability required to stick in the rotation, I don’t think St. Louis is done giving him that chance. I know everyone else is writing him off, but I’m not willing to do that yet. 2025 was basically a lost season, pitching just 21.1 IP due to a ribcage injury and shoulder inflammation. He battled shoulder, chest and lat issues in 2024. I’m not saying the injury risk isn’t sky high, because it is, I’m just saying if it were me, I’m holding him. His stuff is too good and his delivery is too smooth. The changeup might be straight elite, he’s got two good breakers in his gyro slider and curve, and the fastball sits mid 90’s. The righty delivery is truly a thing of beauty. He’s coming off a season where he put up a 2.71 ERA with a 34.1/8.1 K%/BB% in 79.2 IP at Double-A. Giving up on this would be nuts to me. I’m not willing to do it. I’m holding or grabbing him for free if his current prospect ranks are any indication of his dynasty value. – 2026 Projection: 2/4.05/1.32/28 in 30 IP Prime Projection: 9/3.68/1.23/147 in 140 IP

6) Brandon Clarke – STL, LHP, 23.0 – Remember what I said in the Doyle blurb about St. Louis moving away from their usual safety over upside approach when it comes to pitching? Well, targeting Clarke in the Sonny Gray trade is Exhibit B. When you talk about “looking the part,” nobody looks the part more than Clarke at 6’4”, 220 pounds with an athletic and smooth lefty delivery that he uses to fire upper 90’s gas with a potentially double plus slider. When he got off to a hot start to the season, it was giving visions of Garrett Crochet 2.0, but he couldn’t keep it up, finishing with a 4.03 ERA and 34.5/15.5 K%/BB% in 38 IP at mostly High-A. The lack of control got him in the end, and it’s that lack of control that can end up relegating him to the bullpen. Even if he does end up in the pen, he has the potential to be a dominant closer, but St. Louis has every reason to be as patient as possible. He simply hasn’t pitched very much, redshirting his freshman year at Alabama and barely pitching his sophomore year at Junior College. He dominated when healthy his junior year, and then he flashed that upside in pro ball, albeit in limited innings due to blisters. He underwent Tommy John surgery and had issues with his elbow earlier in his amateur career, which is why he barely pitched before his junior year. You might see that as risk, well, because it is risk, but I see it as opportunity for so much improvement potential. St. Louis is the perfect place for him, and I’m buying that upside. – ETA: 2027 Prime Projection: 7/3.77/1.28/142 in 130 IP

7) Deniel Ortiz – STL, 1B/3B, 21.7 – I can’t help myself, I’m going after Ortiz. The red flags are there. He put up a 32% whiff% at Single-A, he’s not fast despite the high steal totals, he’s not a good defensive player and he was 20 years old in the lower minors, but man I’m a glutton for upside, and he has upside for days. Ortiz slashed .300/.416/.462 with 13 homers, 39 steals, and a 26.0/14.9 K%/BB% in 107 games split between Single-A and High-A. I take it as a great sign that the K rates were much better at High-A to close out the season with a 168 wRC+ and 22.3/13.8 K%/BB% in 30 games. He was a 16th round pick out of community college in 2024, so seeing an adjustment period in his first taste of advanced competition is normal. It’s not just the surface stats though, the underlying numbers jump off the page with a 91.5 MPH EV, 49.3% Hard Hit%, 18 degree launch, and 25% Air Pull%. He’s not fast, but he’s definitely a good base stealer, and we’ve seen plenty of not fast, good base stealers rack up plenty of steals in the majors. He’s also a solid rock at 6’1”, 230 pounds (although that weight looks high to me) with a beastly righty swing. I’m dodging those red flags left and right, because this is such a fun upside fantasy prospect. I’m taking on the extra risk. He’s a great target. He ranked 52nd overall in the Top 91 First Base 2026 Dynasty Baseball Positional Rankings (Patreon). – ETA: 2028 Prime Projection: 69/24/77/.244/.322/.449/15

8) Quinn Mathews – STL, LHP, 25.6 – I had a bad feeling that Mathews 2024 implosion at Triple-A to end the season shouldn’t have been completely dismissed, writing in his Top 1,000 blurb, “I think it’s easy to completely hand wave Mathews getting bombed at Triple-A to close out the season (6.48 ERA with a 27.8/17.7 K%/BB% in 16.2 IP), but I do think there might be at least a small amount of signal there that we shouldn’t just 100% dismiss.” … and I wasn’t nearly scared away enough, as his 2025 season looked much closer to what he did at Triple-A to close out the year than he what he did at Double-A. He put up a 25.4/17.5 K%/BB% in 94 IP. That is scary bad, and while I’ve been pounding home the point in 2025 that Triple-A is fucking hard, Mathews doesn’t have the big stuff to fall back on either. The fastball sat 93.1 MPH and put up a 18.2% whiff%. It wasn’t a complete disaster as the 3.73 ERA isn’t terrible, and the secondaries (slider/changeup/curve) all missed a ton of bats with the changeup standing out with a 56% whiff% and .208 xwOBA, but this wasn’t nearly the guy we expected coming off the huge 2024 breakout. He simply wasn’t able to keep it up, and he now looks more like a back end starter with mid-rotation upside, which isn’t a very highly valued dynasty asset. Pitching in St. Louis should help and there is nothing but opportunity there, so I wouldn’t completely give up on him, you just need to change expectations. – 2026 Projection: 4/4.38/1.41/79 in 90 IP Prime Projection: 9/4.06/1.33/142 in 155 IP

9) Leonardo Bernal – STL, C, 22.2 – Bernal was seemingly having a big breakout as a 21 year old at Double-A with 11 homers and a .937 OPS in his first 47 games, but it proved to be just a hot start. He cratered after that with a .559 OPS in his final 65 games. He finished the year slashing .247/.332/.394 with 13 homers, 13 steals, and a 16.9/10.8 K%/BB% in 107 games. I closed out his Top 1,000 blurb last off-season by writing, “Bernal is a very solid catcher prospect who is probably on the underrated side, although he projects as more of a solid all around hitter rather than a true beast.” … and that evaluation still holds today. He’s a switch hitter and I like his swing a lot from both sides of the plate, but he did much more damage with his righty swing this year (.848 OPS vs. lefties). He also has strong plate skills and is a solid defensive catcher. Ivan Herrera has the hype on the MLB level, but it seems a long shot they will actually give him full time reps at catcher. Rainiel Rodriguez has the hype in the minor league system, but he’s 3 years younger than Bernal and his glove still needs work. Jimmy Crooks is ahead of Bernal on the depth chart at Triple-A, but Crooks looks more like a backup to me after a mediocre at best season. That leaves Bernal as the kinda middle option of all of them, and I wouldn’t be surprised at all if he were the one that emerged, as least until Rainiel is ready. – ETA: 2027 Prime Projection: 64/17/68/.258/.327/.421/3

10) Jimmy Crooks – STL, C, 24.8 – Crooks could very easily be St. Louis’ main catcher in 2026. Herrera is a major question on defense, Pages is terrible on offense, Bernal is one level behind him on the depth chart, and Rainiel Rodiguez is a few years away. He has a good glove and he was solid at Triple-A with the bat, slashing .274/.337/.441 with 14 homers, a 104 wRC+ and a 26.5/8.4 K%/BB% in 98 games. He doesn’t crush the ball, but he can hit it hard with a 89.7 MPH EV and 42.1% Hard Hit%. The hit tool can so easily tank him though as we see with that AAA K/BB, and then it got exposed even more in the majors with a .133 BA and a 37.0/0.0 K%/BB% in 46 PA. He may be worse than Pages with the bat. That is why I have Bernal as the highest ranked non Rainiel option in the Cards minors, but Crooks could end up being the short term guy to emerge. Long term, it seems like he’s a backup. – 2026 Projection: 18/4/24/.226/.289/.355/0 Prime Projection: 38/10/46/.243/.309/.391/2

Just Missed

11) Ryan Mitchell – STL, SS, 19.2

12) Ixan Henderson – STL, LHP, 24.2

13) Yairo Padilla – STL, SS, 18.9

14) Jesus Baez – STL, SS/3B, 21.1

15) Nate Dohm – STL, RHP, 23.3

16) Tanner Franklin – STL, RHP, 21.10

17) Nathan Church – STL, OF, 25.9

Dynasty Baseball Thought/Strategy of the Day (which may or may not be related to the team I’m covering that day)

Pittsburgh trades Johan Oviedo, Tyler Samaniego, and Adonys Guzman for Jhostynxon Garcia and Jesus Travieso

Well, well, well … looks like I’m not only the one who loves Johan Oviedo. In my very first Dynasty Team Report of the off-season on the Brick Wall, I named Oviedo a true sleeper target that I didn’t think would gain a ton of hype as the off-season went along, but it turns out I didn’t have to just worry about other analysts jumping on board, I needed to worry about the Red Sox. They saw what I saw with that new and improved fastball, extension, size and near elite whiff rates. While I can’t be sure they are going to put him in the rotation, I kinda find it hard to believe they target him in this trade if he wasn’t going to be a favorite for a rotation spot. My love for him is even more emboldened by Boston sticking their neck out for him too. Unfortunately, he’s probably not as much of a sleeper anymore. And as for The Password, hell fucking yea. I pleaded with Boston to not make the same mistake the Orioles did and let their depth rot away, and they did the right thing. They freed him, and now it’s a clear runway for him to win an opening day job. That 75 MPH swing in his small sample MLB debut is all you need to know about the offensive upside in here. I won’t lie, the 86.4 MPH EV, 34.6% Hard Hit%, and 34.2% whiff% at Triple-A is quite bad, and it’s also a ballpark downgrade, so I can’t really say he’s some major target now. He gets a bump for sure, but look at those Triple-A underlying numbers one more time. Don’t go too crazy on him. As for real life, I think this is a very fair trade. Oviedo is majorly underrated, Boston had to trade Garcia, and Pitt had a surplus of pitchers and a dearth of hitters. Great trade all around for everyone involved.

Washington trades Jose Ferrer to Seattle for Harry Ford and Isaac Lyon

I was already out on Keibert Ruiz in my catcher rankings, writing, “Ruiz is not a starting MLB catcher. I mean, he is, but he shouldn’t be … Washington desperately needs to acquire at least a decent catcher in trade or free agency.” … and they very smartly did just that. This is an obvious huge boost for Ford’s dynasty value who not only leaves a situation where he was completely blocked, but enters one that is absolutely begging for him to take the job. I’m sure it will be a timeshare to start, and Ford’s potential is more solid across the board than standout, but especially in medium to deeper leagues, Ford becomes a lot more interesting. He already ranked higher than Ruiz for me in the catcher rankings, and this move will have him jumping about 7 spots to sit right under Joe Mack. On the flip side, it looked like Ferrer had a real chance to close in Washington, and that is now done. As for real life, while seemingly an overpay for Seattle on it’s face, I actually think it’s a fair deal. I’ve been a big fan of Ferrer since last off-season, and there is definitely more upside in the tank. 4 years of a very good reliever deserves a good haul, and considering Ford is more of a fringy Top 100 prospect with defense risk, that is a completely reasonable swap. I would have said yes from both sides of the aisle. Seattle had nowhere for him to play.

Previous Dynasty Team Reports on Patreon

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

Posted on September 2, 2025October 14, 2025 by Michael Halpern

End of Season 2025 Top 300+ Dynasty Baseball Prospects Rankings (Patreon)

I’m sticking with non debuted eligibility for the final prospects rankings of the season. I know it’s fun to see where all the new callups would slot in, but that is what the End of Season Dynasty Rankings are for, coming in a few weeks. And lets give some more time to build that MLB sample to really dive into it. And of course, over the off-season, any player with less than 50 IP and 130 AB will get added back into the off-season prospect rankings. But for now, it’s all about the non debuted, fresh faced kids. Previous Rankings are in parenthesis. Top 25 free here on the Brick Wall. Here is the Top 300+ End of Season 2026 Dynasty Baseball Prospects Rankings:

CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY PATREON FOR THE REST OF THESE RANKS & TONS OF EXCLUSIVE CONTENT ALL SEASON & OFF-SEASON, INCLUDING:
–AUGUST 2025 TOP 444 DYNASTY RANKS (end of season ranks coming soon)
–END OF SEASON 2025 TOP 300+ PROSPECTS RANKS
-TOP 60 2026 FYPD RANKS w/ Analysis & Prime Projections for every player
-HALP’S DYNASTY BASEBALL PODCAST: AUGUST MAILBAG!
-TONS OF DYNASTY RUNDOWNS
–SPREADSHEETS
–OFF-SEASON CONTENT: Dynasty Team Reports (Top 10 Prospects/Interesting MLB guys/Strategy of the Day), Deep Positional Rankings, Top 1,000 Dynasty Rankings, Top 500 Prospects Rankings, Top 100 FYPD Ranks + much more

1) (1) (1) (21) (35) Konnor Griffin – PIT, SS/OF, 19.4 – The 19 year old Griffin got called up to Double-A to finally give us something to compare Walcott to (Griffin is actually over 1 month younger), and as expected, Griffin is showing Walcott how it’s actually done, slashing .318/.385/.545 with 3 homers, 5 steals, and a 21.2/7.7 K%/BB% in 11 games. No age to level qualifiers needed. Straight dominance. This is what a truly elite prospect looks like

2) (7) (15) (40) (54) Kevin McGonigle – DET, SS/2B, 21.0 – Here is what I wrote about McGonigle in the Dynasty Rundowns last week, “McGonigle is an elite prospect. Arguably the best prospect in baseball. There really isn’t anything else to discuss on that front, but there does still seem to be some mystery around what his profile is actually going to look like on the MLB level. I called him a souped up Steven Kwan this off-season, and while that comp still holds, the power he’s showing at Double-A could end up making even that look really light. He crushed his 7th homer in August with a clutch, Top of the 11th 2 run shot last night. That gives him 8 homers in 32 games at Double-A and 15 homers in 74 games on the season. He lifts and pulls, he hits it hard, and the 10.9/17.4 K%/BB% at Double-A is insanely elite. I don’t see how he’s not an easy 20+ guy. The ballpark isn’t great, and at 5’10” he’s never going to be Vlad Guerrero raw power wise, but shit, Jacob Wilson is on a 20+ pace over a full season. Can McGonigle go 25+? Can he Mookie Betts us with 30+? At this point, I’m definitely leaning more toward the Betts side than the Kwan side. He might not steal 30+ bags either, but I think 20 is in play there as well on the high end. You know I’ve been a bit of a party pooper on McGonigle in his pro career, but there is really nothing left to doubt. He rose to 68th overall on the August Top 444 Dynasty Rankings, and he’ll be Top 50 at least on the End of Season Dynasty Rankings coming in couple of weeks.”

3) (6) (12) (17) (17) JJ Wetherholt – STL, 2B, 22.11 – When we saw JJ have considerably better strikeout rates in his debut than Bazzana, that should have been the indicator right there that JJ was the pick over Bazzana. I had them back to back, and I still like Bazzana, but JJ is proving that he is the superior prospect. He crushes the ball with a 50% Hard Hit%, the plate skills are elite with a 14.9/14.4 K%/BB%, and he runs with 21 steals. He’s an impact all category contributor

4) (9) (14) (22) (19) Max Clark – DET, OF, 20.8 – Is it just me or does it still feel like Clark gets so much less hype than he deserves. Maybe it’s McGonigle overshadowing him. I don’t know. But he’s a 20 year old at Double-A with 5 homers, 7 steals, a 129 wRC+ and a 15.8/13.3 K%/BB% in 34 games. I’m not saying he’s getting underrated. He gets ranked highly. I’m just saying I feel like almost every other elite prospect gets talked about and hyped so much more than him

5) (10) (9) (8) (32) Jesus Made – MIL, SS, 18.4 – Called up to High-A and is putting the final exclamation point on his elite prospect season with a 176 wRC+ in 22 games. He still needs to work on getting to more of his raw power with only 6 homers in 105 games, but there is little doubt that is going to come as he’s still barely 18 years old. He fully lived up to the hype

6) (3) (2) (4) (15) Sebastian Walcott – TEX, SS, 19.6 – Turns out it is possible for a 19 year old to rip up Double-A (see Konnor Griffin), but that doesn’t mean what Walcott is doing still isn’t impressive. He’s an above average hitter at Double-A with a 104 wRC+, the 20.5/12.4 K%/BB% is strong, and the talent is elite. He’s still an awesome prospect, but we are seeing the difference between a bulletproof elite prospect (Griffin), and one that isn’t quite bulletproof.

7) (84) (105) (148) (144) Carson Benge – NYM, OF, 22.6 – This feels high, I know, but tell me where Benge doesn’t deserve this ranking? What doesn’t he do? What box hasn’t he checked? He got called up to Triple-A and has a 95 MPH EV with a 8 degree launch, 26.3% Air Pull%, 2 steals, and a 17.9/10.7 K%/BB% in 7 games. Obviously a small sample, but I feel it’s pretty representative of what you are getting. He obliterated High-A (169 wRC+) and Double-A (183 wRC+). The swing is vicious. He crushes the ball. The plate skills are strong. He has speed. He can lift and pull a bit. This is an impact all category contributor. Every time I try to lower him down the rankings, I say, why? He deserves this.

8) (4) (8) (5) (9) Walker Jenkins – MIN, OF, 20.6 – I know he doesn’t hit the ball super hard right now, but he’s still just 20 years old, and at 6’3”, 210 pounds, I would be pretty damn surprised if that Hard Hit rate wasn’t plenty good enough by the time he’s in his prime. And when that Hard Hit does get there, everything else will be waiting for it with near elite plate skills, stolen base ability, and good batted ball angles. I comped him to Kyle Tucker at the time of the draft, and I still see that comp

9) (15) (25) (37) (24) Bryce Eldridge – SFG, 1B, 20.9 – 95.1 MPH EV with 16 homers in 54 games at Triple-A, but it comes with a 31.6% K%. You know exactly what you are getting here. The 33.6% whiff% actually isn’t really that horrific considering his age though. If someone is going to Nick Kurtz the majors in 2026, it will be Eldridge

10) (5) (3) (7) (18) Josue De Paula – LAD, OF, 20.3 – It seems like that little injury robbed us of seeing De Paula at Double-A, although the season’s not over yet, so maybe he gets a cup of coffee there. He’s been a bit cold since returning from injury, but there is not much more he can do at High-A to change his value in either direction

11) (8) (4) (41) (252) Luis Pena – MIL, SS/3B/SS, 18.10 – Unlike Made, Pena’s numbers did take a big step back at the higher level with a 51 wRC+ in 20 games, and while a .175 BABIP is a huge reason for that, the K% spiked to 23% at well. This last little surge popped Made back ahead

12) (22) (177) (UR) (408) Edward Florentino – PIT, OF, 18.7 – It was obvious that Florentino was a near elite prospect last month for me, raising him all the way up to 22nd overall, and he just continued to lock that in with 10 homers, 29 steals, a 23.6/13.8 K%/BB% and a 150 wRC+ in 51 games at Single-A. They are still running him out there in center and he’s still stealing a ton of bags (35 for 40 on the season). He’s as exciting as it comes

13) (17) (17) (23) (104) Bryce Rainer – DET, SS, 20.2 – I’ve been taking about it for most of the season, but shoulder surgery doesn’t seem to be that big of a deal for hitters anymore. Neto, Ohtani and Varsho all returned this season ripping dingers, arguably stronger than they’ve ever looked before. So I’m not fading Rainer at all due to the shoulder surgery. I closed out Rainer’s Top 1,000 blurb by writing, “Riley Greene might actually be the perfect comp here, and Detroit has done a great job developing Greene. Detroit got their SS version of Greene” … and he basically performed right to that comp. He’s a buy low off the surgery if you can

14) (31) (46) (54) (45) Thomas White – MIA, LHP, 20.10 – Chandler, Tong, and Tolle got called up. Painter’s been stinking. Susana got hurt again. So that leaves White as the top non debuted pitching prospect in baseball, and he very well might end up better than all of them anyway. Just watch this filth he laid down in his modern no hitter on Saturday (5 IP, 0 hits, 0 ER, 10/4 K/BB%). He has a 1.59 ERA with a 39.3/12.6 K%/BB% in 45.1 IP at Double-A. He has 3 plus to double plus pitches. Ace

15) (86) (113) (133) (153) Sal Stewart – CIN, 2B/3B, 21.8 – I feel like I’ve always liked Stewart, always gave him a respectable ranking, and even named him a target at least once, but I was slow to go all in on his monster 2025, and it’s time to correct that. He’s going straight bonkos at Triple-A with a 163 wRC+, 10 homers, 4 steals, and a 15.8/11.5 K%/BB% in 38 games. The 93.1 MPH EV, 51.3% Hard Hit% and 14 degree launch backs that up. He’s going to hit in Cincinnati, and he did just that in his debut, going 1 for 3. This kid is a stud

16) (13) (22) (50) (71) Josue Briceno – DET, C/1B, 20.11 – Double-A slowed him down a tad with a 105 wRC+ and 26.2% K% in 34 games, but I’m not too worried about it. He’s the upper middle class man’s Samuel Basallo

17) (11) (7) (3) (8) Leodalis De Vries – OAK, SS, 18.10 – Traded to Oakland/Sacramento/Las Vegas and apparently the rules of owning De Vries is that you must insanely promote him way too fast for his own good, as he got sent to Double-A. As expected, he’s struggling with a 56 wRC+ in 11 games

18) (23) (162) (UR) (UR) Joshua Baez – STL, OF, 22.2 – He’s hitting .293 with a 13.0/12.0 K%/BB% in 22 games at Double-A in August. To say he’s locking in the hit tool gains is an understatement. He’s turned into the 6’3”, 220 pound version of McGonigle 😉 … not quite, but damn is the continued improvement of his hit tool awesome to see. I already rose him up majorly last month, and he’s cementing that status

19) (25) (28) (34) (29) Justin Crawford – PHI, OF, 21.7 – His profile couldn’t be closer to his dad’s, Carl Crawford, than if he tried. Actually, I’m sure he did try. He’s a straight clone. Like his dad, the big homer totals might never come, but if you remember, his dad was a fantasy beast, and I’m betting on Justin becoming one too, high groundball rates and all

20) (37) (18) (49) (31) Aidan Miller – PHI, SS, 21.2 – I feel like I’ve been mostly holding strong on Miller all season, preaching patience, and that patience is paying off with him putting up a 1.083 OPS in August. He’s been 20/21 at Double-A all year with a 127 wRC+ and 50 steals in 102 games. The righty swing is vicious. This dude is a beast, and probably a tad underrated right now

21) (12) (13) (16) (16) Travis Bazzana – CLE, 2B, 23.0 – Bazzana’s first full year of pro ball didn’t blow the doors off, but I’m still buying, and the fantasy friendly skillset is still there. He recently got the call to Triple-A and has a 89.1 MPH EV, 44.1% Hard Hit%, 12% Chase% and 25.8% Whiff% in 16 games. Not bad. He runs and he can lift and pull. I still see an impact fantasy player

22) (64) (51) (64) (143) Ryan Waldschmidt – ARI, OF, 22.10 – The explosion at Double-A came with 6 homers in his last 16 games. He’s Luke Keaschall 2.0. Simple as that. He should probably rank over Bazzana honestly, but If I took Bazzana #1 overall in FYPD’s last year, do I really have the guts to swap him with Waldschmidt? I don’t know if I could do it

23) (39) (20) (66) (181) Caleb Bonemer – CHW, SS, 19.10 – Called up to High-A and has 2 homers with a 4/4 K/BB in 5 games. That is the final cherry on top of his explosive season. He ripped up Single-A all year in similar fashion. The plate skills are strong, he hits it hard, he lifts and pulls, and he runs. This is an explosive fantasy prospect who deservers near elite prospect love

24) (41) (FYPD-1) (NA) (NA) Eli Willits – WSH, SS, 17.8 – With Holliday out as my #1 player in First Year Player Drafts, that leaves an opening at the top, and I just don’t think I can place a pitcher there. Remember when Roki was the unanimous #1 last year? How did that work out? I just can’t do it. And Willit’s debut has been impressive enough to land him in my top spot. He’s slashing .371/.450/.400 with 0 homers, 2 steals, and a 17.5/10.0 K%/BB% in 10 games. And a big reason I have him ranked here is the 37% GB% and 50% Pull%. Once that power comes naturally, we could be looking at a true beast here with hit, plate skills, speed, and defense already there. He’s still just 17 years old. Washington picked him first for a reason, and he’s showing off that reason. He’s my new top dog.

25) (52) (63) (52) (72) Jarlin Susana – WASH, RHP, 21.5 – The Hunter Greene starter pack has officially been fully put together since returning from a UCL sprain with a 2.95 ERA and 47.7/14.0 K%/BB% in 21.1 IP at Double-A in August. The fastball sits 100 MPH. The slider is double plus. And the lesser used changeup flashes nasty. If you wanted to put him as the top dog, I wouldn’t argue with you for a second. Will his UCL explode in a blaze of fireworks soon? Probably … and then after writing this blurb I saw he left his last start with triceps soreness. This guy feels like a ticking time bomb, but the upside is so insane I can’t just write him off. If he didn’t get hurt, he would have been 15th overall. Ranking injured pitchers is the toughest demographic of player to rank

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

Posted on December 19, 2022December 27, 2022 by Michael Halpern

St. Louis Cardinals 2023 Dynasty Baseball Team Report (Top 10 Prospects/Interesting MLB guys/Strategy Talk)

Along with a Top 10 Dynasty Baseball Prospects Ranking, I wanted to highlight some interesting MLB guys for every team and talk some strategy to give a more complete Dynasty Team Report. Like during the regular season, I’m still going to be posting a few articles a month for free on my website. This is one of those articles. Here is the St. Louis Cardinals 2023 Dynasty Baseball Report (Top 10 Prospects/Interesting MLB guys/Strategy Talk):

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-2023 DEEP POSITIONAL DYNASTY RANKS: TOP 68 C//TOP 95 1B//Top 105 2B//Top 115 3B
-TOP 13 EARLY OFF-SEASON DYNASTY TARGETS
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-TOP 360 END OF SEASON 2022 DYNASTY PROSPECTS RANKINGS
-TOP 456 END OF SEASON 2022 DYNASTY BASEBALL RANKINGS

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Arizona Diamondbacks—Baltimore Orioles (free)—Boston Red Sox (free)—Chicago Cubs (free)—Chicago White Sox—Cleveland Guardians—Colorado Rockies—Detroit Tigers—Houston Astros—Kansas City Royals—Los Angeles Angels—Los Angeles Dodgers (free)—Miami Marlins—Milwaukee Brewers—Minnesota Twins—New York Mets (free)—New York Yankees (free)—Oakland Athletics—San Diego Padres—San Francisco Giants—Seattle Mariners (free)—Texas Rangers—Toronto Blue Jays—Washington Nationals

Hitters

Lars Nootbaar STL, OF, 25.7 – A Nootbaar is like one of the those healthy, organic, 90% cocoa dark chocolate bars. It’s an adult snack that is heart healthy. It has an excellent plate approach (20.5%/14.7% K%/BB%), hits the ball hard (91.7 MPH EV), and is fast (28.2 ft/sec sprint). It’s a sensible snack that fits into a healthy diet. But it lacks that flair factor. It’s got no caramel, no peanut butter, no nuts, no nougat. It has a line drive approach (10.7 degree launch) and it’s never been a big base stealer, so you can’t expect big homer and steal totals. You’re not getting that flavor explosion. “Everything in moderation, even moderation,” is possibly the most important words to live by, and it applies here. A team full of Nootbaar’s will be boring, but he can be the perfect piece to fit into a more high risk, high reward lineup. 2023 Projection: 79/20/74/.258/.351/.454/8

Tyler O’Neill STL, OF, 27.10 – O’Neill wasn’t able to back up his 2021 breakout with a .700 OPS in 96 games battling a variety of injuries throughout the year, but I only look at it as a buying opportunity. He matured at the plate with a career best 26.9% K% and career best 9.9% BB%. His .331 xwOBA was much better than his .307 wOBA. The power/speed combo was still beastly with a 96.1 MPH FB/LD EV and 29.8 ft/sec sprint. He’s setting up for a monster 2023 and there is now a buying opportunity you should jump all over. 2023 Projection: 81/29/89/.254/.326/.492/18

Juan Yepez STL, 1B/OF, 25.1 – Yepez has a defense problem, which might not be as big of a deal on another team, but with Goldy locked in at 1B and St. Louis’ prowess in developing underrated hitters (and property rated hitters too), it’s a big deal. He put up a 109 wRC+ on the back of his contact/power profile, but his negative 9.8 defensive value made him a 0.1 WAR player in 76 games. His contact/power combo also isn’t quite huge enough to really force St. Louis’ hand with an average 22.3% K% and below average 86.5 MPH EV (the 93.6 MPH FB/LD EV is above average). His 5.8% BB% led to a .296 OBP, which is really unacceptable for a bat only player. Yepez has Gorman, Jordan Walker, and Alec Burleson all nipping on his heels for at bats. You simply can’t trust he has a full time job, and it seems very likely that he doesn’t. 2023 Projection: 51/19/57/.248/.309/.460/0

Starting Pitchers

Jack Flaherty STL, RHP, 27.6 – Don’t get pulled in on the name value. A shoulder injury completely wrecked Flaherty’s season, limiting him to 36 IP, and nothing looked resolved when he returned in September. His control was completely gone with a 13.2% BB% and his whiff% hit a career low 25.5%. You can say you are buying the track record and giving him a pass, but he’s been bad for years now with a 5.03 xERA in 2020, 4.89 xERA in 2021, and 4.94 xERA in 2022. His stuff was mostly back and he still induced weak contact, so I don’t think he he is a complete lost cause, but his injury and performance risk would prevent me from acquiring him at anything other than a sweet heart price. 2023 Projection: 8/3.98/1.28/140 in 140 IP

Jordan Montgomery STL, LHP, 29.9 – Montgomery credited his extra success with St. Louis (3.11 ERA vs. 3.69 ERA in NY) on their trust in letting him throw his 4-seamer more, but considering he was starting to fall apart a bit at the end of the season (4.97 ERA in final 38 IP), I’m leaning towards it just being small sample variation. He’s a damn good pitcher no matter how you slice it with 2 bat missing secondaries in his curveball (41.4% whiff%) and changeup (41% whiff%), to go along with plus control of the entire 5 pitch arsenal (5% BB%). If he feels more comfortable going to the 4-seamer more, it didn’t seem to hurt him at the very least. 2023 Projection: 11/3.56/1.18/160 in 170 IP

Bullpen

Ryan Helsley STL, Closer, 28.9 – Helsley doesn’t have the name value or the track record, but that is all that is holding him back from being a legitimate option for first closer off the board. He put up a 1.25 ERA with a 39.3%/8.4% K%/BB% in 64.2 IP. He throws a 99.6 MPH fastball with a slider that put up a 53.5% whiff% and a curve that had a .071 xwOBA. Losing his control is the only thing that could stop him. 2023 Projection: 4/2.67/1.02/90/30 saves in 62 IP

Top 10 St. Louis Cardinals Fantasy Baseball Prospects

1) Jordan Walker STL, 3B/OF, 20.11 – Nobody smashes the ball as hard as the 6’5”, 220 pound Walker. One thing we don’t have to worry about is him getting to the majors and putting up like an 84 MPH EV. He’s gonna hit it hard. He was a 20 year old at Double-A and ripped 19 homers with 31 doubles in 119 games, good for a 128 wRC+. He then wrecked the AFL with 5 homers, 6 doubles, and a .925 OPS in 21 games. He has some swing and miss in his game, but it’s far from the danger zone with a 21.6%/10.8% K%/BB%, and he has plus speed with 22 steals, although considering his size, you might not want to count on him majorly in that category. He started to transition to the OF, which gives him a path to playing time with Arenado locked in at 3B. 2023 Projection: 42/12/47/.251/.326/.461/7 Prime Projection: 92/33/105/.267/.346/.513/12

2) Tink Hence STL, RHP, 20.8 – Say hello to the 2024 top pitching prospect in baseball. Hence was treated with kid gloves in 2022, never going over 4 IP, but he checked literally every other box. His stuff is straight filthy with 4 potentially plus pitches (mid 90’s fastball, curve, slider, change), he has an extremely athletic delivery with insane arm speed that reminds me a bit of Pedro Martinez, and his numbers were lights out with a pitching line of 2.16/0.96/81/15 in 52.1 IP at Single-A. He’s certainly getting plenty of hype right now, but it’s going to look like nothing compared to the hype explosion that’s coming in 2023. I was just able to nab him at 44th overall in the Toolshed Prospect Mock with other prospect writers/podcasters, so I think his price could still be relatively reasonable this off-season. He’s a buy high. ETA: 2024 Prime Projection: 14/3.29/1.09/205 in 180 IP

3) Masyn Winn STL, SS, 21.0 – The risk with Winn is that he just doesn’t hit the ball hard enough, and while he has a good hit tool, a 20.1% K% isn’t close to elite. If he puts up an 86 MPH EV with a 25% K% in his MLB debut it wouldn’t be all that surprising. A CJ Abrams situation could be on the horizon where his price takes a drop after his debut. Power is often the last tool to come with prospects though, so you don’t want to dismiss plus hit/speed combos who don’t have big power at 20 years old. This could be a mid 20’s breakout scenario rather than a guy who steps into the bigs and immediately sets the world on fire. An Andres Gimenez type come up would be the optimal path. ETA: 2024 Prime Projection: 81/15/63/.270/.333/.421/24

4) Alec Burleson STL, OF, 24.4 – Burleson is a St. Louis special. An underrated hitter who has quietly been raking forever. St. Louis’ ability to produce these types of prospects is likely a combo of superior scouting and superior development. He put up a 137 wRC+ with 20 homers and a 14.3% K% in 109 games at Triple-A. He made his MLB debut and while the surface stats didn’t look good with a .535 OPS in 53 PA, the underlying numbers looked good with a 91.7 MPH EV, 17.9%/9.4% K%/BB%, and .322 xwOBA. The upside might not be huge with a line drive approach, and he’ll have to scratch and claw for playing time, but I’m pretty confident in saying this guy is going to be a legit MLB hitter. 2023 Projection: 29/9/33/.262/.311/.430/1 Prime Projection: 76/23/81/.277/.330/.451/2

5) Cooper Hjerpe STL, LHP, 21.7 – Selected 22nd overall in the 2022 MLB Draft, Hjerpe is a classic Cardinals pick of a rock solid, safe starter who might be better in real life than fantasy. I say “might be,” because he has that funky lefty delivery that I am an absolute sucker for, but I’m also staying conservative on his ranking because the stuff says more 3/4 type starter with a low 90’s fastball, and I’m concerned more advanced hitters won’t be quite as thrown off by the delivery. Regardless, he dominated the Pac12 with a 2.53 ERA and 161/23 K/BB in 103.1 IP, and he’s in a great developmental organization. If you play in a deep league or league where good real life pitchers get bumps, I can definitely see targeting Hjerpe. ETA: 2024 Prime Projection: 12/3.87/1.24/ 172 in 172 IP

6) Gordon Graceffo STL, RHP, 23.0 – Graceffo has big stuff with a fastball he can get into the upper 90’s, and he has plus control with a 6.3% BB% at Double-A, but the strikeout numbers leave something to be desired. He put up a pitching line of 3.94/1.07/83/24 in 93.2 IP at Double-A. It was good for a 4.63 xFIP. He didn’t put up big K numbers in college either, although he was able to destroy High-A with a 33.9% K% in 45.2 IP, so there could be more in the tank. He’s a big dude at 6’4”, 210 pounds with a herky jerky righty delivery that doesn’t exactly scream upside. He strikes me as a #4 type starter who could play up with St. Louis’ excellent defense behind him. 2023 Projection: 1/4.38/1.31/12 in 15 IP Prime Projection: 11/3.94/1.24/161 in 175 IP

7) Joshua Baez STL, OF, 19.9 – The 6’4”, 220 pound Baez has big time power with big time strikeout issues. He hit 3 homers with a 170 wRC+ in 20 games at Single-A, but it came with a 38% K%. He had a 32.6% in 12 games at rookie ball too. He’s not just a hulking slugger, he’s a good athlete with some speed, stealing 10 bags in 32 games. He’ll still be firmly 19 years old when the 2023 starts, which is a similar age to the incoming rookie class, so he’s ahead of the game. ETA: 2026 Prime Projection: 76/25/82/.242/.324/.472/8

8) Matthew Liberatore STL, LHP, 23.5 – Liberatore managed to get worse his 2nd run through Triple-A. He put up a 4.04 ERA in 124.2 IP in 2021, and then a 5.17 ERA in 115 IP in 2022. His MLB debut didn’t go much better with a 5.97 ERA and 17.4%/11.2% K%/BB% in 34.2 IP. The numbers don’t look great, but he has the stuff and repertoire to be a mid to back end starter. He throws a 5 pitch mix led by a beautiful plus curveball that is a plus pitch, putting up a .259 xwOBA and 35.2% whiff%. He combines that with a 93.7 MPH fastball that is his most used pitch, a 92.8 MPH sinker that was not effective at inducing grounders (14 degree launch), a 85.9 MPH changeup that got destroyed, and a 86 MPH slider that is his least used pitch but was excellent when he went to it (.176 xwOBA). Even watching him in the minors I thought it was clear he has to go to his curve more (and slider more too). He’s not a finished product, but the ingredients are there for him to turn into a solid MLB starter if he can find the right pitch mix. 2023 Projection: 3/4.41/1.36/71 in 80 IP Prime Projection: 10/4.12/1.29/158 in 170 IP

9) Jonathan Mejia STL, SS, 18.0 – The switch hitting Mejia cracked my 2022 Top 1,000 Dynasty Rankings at #999, and he proved he deserved to be on the list with a strong pro debut in the DSL, slashing .267/.418/.479 with 5 homers, 3 steals, and a 23.1%/15.9% K%/BB% in 45 games. It was good for a 145 wRC+. He’s not the type who is likely to explode to elite prospect status, but there is potential for an above average hit/power combo at peak. ETA: 2027 Prime Projection: 75/21/78/.268/.331/.444/6

10) Ivan Herrera STL, C, 22.10 – Contreras’ signing with St. Louis makes Herrera a back up for the foreseeable future. He hit 6 homers with a 50.8% GB% in 65 games at Triple-A and then put up a 85.2 MPH EV with 0 barrels in 22 PA in his MLB debut. He has a strong plate approach with above average contact rates and plus walk rates throughout his minor league career, so while he could be a solid real life hitter, he’s not a fantasy target. 2023 Projection: 6/1/8/.242/.308/.388/0 Prime Projection: 61/16/65/.265/.337/.421/2

11) Moises Gomez STL, OF, 24.7 – It’s hard to ignore a guy who cranked 39 homers in the upper minors and was more or less age appropriate for the levels, but a 34.7% K% is equally hard to ignore. Gomez is a corner OF bat without a clear path to playing time and major hit tool risk. The huge power season puts him back on the map, but he’s trending towards a bench power bat. 2023 Projection: 9/3/11/.211/.290/.417/1 Prime Projection: 42/15/47/.226/.305/.437/3

12) Michael McGreevy STL, RHP, 22.9 – McGreevy is the classic arm who holds more value in very deep leagues. He doesn’t have big stuff with a low 90’s fastball, and he isn’t a strikeout pitcher with a measly 18.4% K% in 99 IP at Double-A. It led to a 4.64 ERA. He’s a back end starter. ETA: 2024 Prime Projection: 9/4.21/1.32/140 in 165 IP

Dynasty Baseball Thought/Strategy of the Day (which may or may not be related to the team I’m covering that day)

I have some thoughts on a few recent signings:

Noah Syndergaard signs with the Dodgers for 1 year, $13 million – This one almost feels too easy. Like we’re falling into a trap. Thor is a shell of his former self, but he accepted that reality and was barely throwing his 4-seamer by the end of the season. He has the skills to transition into more of a finesse pitcher with plus control over a 5 pitch mix, and he still throws respectably hard with a 93.6 MPH sinker and 94.1 MPH 4-seamer. If anybody can unlock every drop of upside left in this tank, it’s the Dodgers. I don’t think he’s all of a sudden going to turn into a strikeout machine with them, but I’m expecting strong ratios and wins. I’m buying back in as a Top 200 ish dynasty asset.

Carlos Correa signs with SF for 13 years, $350 million – I was already fading Correa’s boring fantasy profile, and with his move to San Francisco, I’m even further off him. SF has the 2nd worst park in the league for righty homers, and while it plays around neutral in general, homers are king for fantasy. I’m not seeing a path to fantasy upside. He ranked 120th on my Top 150 Sneak Peek of the Top 1,000 2023 Dynasty Baseball Rankings.

Carlos Rodon signs with the Yanks for 6 years, $162 million – Rodon is the type of elite starter where you don’t sweat the small stuff. He gets a ballpark and stress downgrade signing with the Yanks, but elite stuff conquers all. There is still injury risk, but obviously the Yanks felt comfortable enough with him to give him a 6 year deal. The move to NY doesn’t change his value for me in either direction.

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