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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Heliot Ramos SFG, OF, 22.6 – Ramos made his MLB debut and immediately put up some grown man exit velocities on a 2 for 3 day. He ripped 2 singles at 107.4 MPH and 100.1 MPH. I don’t know if he can carve out a full time role or stick in the majors long term, but if he keeps hitting he’ll give them no choice but to play him.

Francisco Lindor NYM, SS, 28.4 – The Francisco Lindor comeback tour is coming to a town near you as Lindor stole a bag and homered for his first of the year. He now has a 1.054 OPS in his first 4 games. I was about to crack a joke about the homer being against Erick Fedde, but Fedde actually pitched pretty well otherwise (5 IP, 5 hits, 2 ER, 5/2 K/BB).

Hunter Greene CIN, RHP, 22.8 – Greene made his MLB debut and went 5 IP with 4 hits, 3 ER, and a 7/2 K/BB vs a very tough Atlanta lineup. His fastball averaged 99.7 MPH with a 32% whiff%, his slider put up a 45% whiff%, and he used his changeup as a legitimate third pitch with a 14% usage rate. This start only gets me more excited.

Wander Franco TBR, SS, 21.1 – Franco collected 3 more hits in 4 AB and is now 6 for 11 on the season, but more importantly, he snagged his first bag. He was already elite without projecting a ton of steals, so if he starts really running, hang on to your hats.

Andrew Vaughn CHW, 1B, 24.0 – Vaughn is cooking with his 2nd dinger of the year and he tacked on a 98.6 MPH single. I think some people were forgetting about how good this guy is.

Maddux Bruns LAD, LHP, 19.10 – 2 IP, 1 hit, 0 ER, 4/0 K/BB at Single-A. LA took the high risk, high reward Bruns in the late 1st round with the thought they could fix his control problems, and while it’s only 2 innings, looking good so far. He has a mid 90’s fastball and looked like he was throwing both a big loopy curve and a harder slider. Everything was working. If you are in a league where you have to jump on guys really fast, this is a high upside prospect who could fly up lists if the control gains hold.

Bryan Ramos CHW, 3B/2B, 20.1 – Well lookie lookie here, Ramos did it again, this time with an absolute tank out to left center for his 2nd of the year at High-A. He was one of my players to target in my Hitter Targets Part 1 article in February on Patreon. Get in now if you still can.

Seiya Suzuki CHC, OF, 27.7 – I’ve done more than my fair share of patting myself on the back during week 1, but this is one I wish I could have back. I wasn’t low on Suzuki, but I wasn’t high either, and that is looking like a mistake in the early going. He got ahold of his first dinger, and it was no cheapie either, decimating it at 110.9 MPH. He has a 1.288 OPS on the year.

Rowdy Tellez MIL, 1B, 27.0 – Rowdy Rowdy Tellez is starting to bud that breakout that the underlying numbers easily predicted would happen. He drilled a 107.7 MPH, 424 foot homer for his first of the year. He has a 1.357 OPS in the early going.

Michael Kopech CHW, RHP, 25.11 – 4 IP, 2 hits, 1 ER, 3/2 K/BB. His fastball sat 95.3 MPH, and while this would be a fine place to sit as a starter, there could be more in the tank as he rounds into mid season form. His secondaries lost some spin and MPH too, but they were relatively effective. Kopech didn’t wow, but considering his delayed start to spring and quick ramp up, this wasn’t too bad.

Julio Urias LAD, LHP, 25.8 – 2 IP, 6 hits, 6 ER, 0/2 K/BB. It was a total disaster for Urias with his velocity down 2.7 MPH to 91.4 MPH. All of his pitches got hit up, resulting in a 95.6 MPH EV against. Let’s hope his stuff comes back with time, but there is no getting around it, this was bad.

Art Warren CIN, Closer (for now), 29.1 – Warren nailed down his first save of the year with his 97.6 MPH fastball and plus slider. Lucas Sims should be back soon, and while I was targeting Sims all off-season, it could get hairy if Warren keeps pitching well. They very well might continue to ride the hot hand here.

Jeremy Pena HOU, SS, 24.5 – Pena keeps rolling with a 3 for 5 day, highlighted by a 98.9 MPH double. He’s struck out a bit with 5 K’s in 16 AB, but seeing him hit the ball this hard is more encouraging.

Joshua Mears SDP, OF, 21.1 – Mears went 4 for 8 with 2 homers and 4 K’s in a doubleheader. Homers and strikeouts are Mears’ bread and butter. My bread and butter …  are bread and butter.

Aeverson Arteaga SFG, SS, 19.1 – Arteaga has struggled in his full season debut with 8 K’s in 11 AB, but he got off the schneid yesterday with his first homer of the year. Considering the high strikeout rate from last year, all the K’s aren’t great.

Kahlil Watson MIA, SS, 18.11 – Make it two straight for Watson, and he completely obliterated this one for his 2nd of the year. He was then pulled from the game after 2 AB for slamming his bat on the ground after grounding out. How dare you show any emotion. If you don’t play the game like an emotionless robot, you sit. It’s 1950’s rules in baseball.

Ryne Nelson ARI, RHP, 24.2 – 5 IP, 4 hits, 1 ER, 7/0 K/BB. The velocity is still way down at 91.9 MPH, but he continues to be effective in spite of that. Even with the great results, I’m not sure I can just ignore the stuff being down. I’m definitely getting a bit concerned.

Steven Kwan CLE, OF, 24.7 – 5 for 5 and is now 8 for 10 on the year with a 0/3 K/BB in the majors. He doesn’t have big power, and he’s not super fast either with a 27.4 ft/sec sprint speed, so while I don’t think he is going to be a fantasy monster, the contact skills are most certainly translating to the majors.

Hudson Haskin BAL, OF, 23.3 – Once, twice, three times a dinger as Haskin pulled the hat trick and went deep 3 times at Double-A. He’s now 7 for 12 on the year. After hitting only 5 homers in 83 games last year, the power surge is great to see.

Nolan Gorman STL, 3B/2B, 21.11 – Gorman came up one short of the hat trick at Triple-A, knocking two homers out, one vs. a lefty and one vs. a righty. He’s struck out 8 times in 17 AB, which has been a problem for him in the past, so hopefully that number comes down.

Jordan Walker STL, 3B, 19.10 – St. Louis pushed Walker to Double-A, and he’s responded by drilling his first homer of the year on a 109 MPH bullet. Almost more importantly, he has a 1/3 K/BB in 11 AB. Arrow continues to point way up.

Elehuris Montero COL, 1B/OF, 23.7 – Montero tore up Triple-A last year, and he’s back at it this year, crushing his 2nd homer in 22 AB. Can’t wait for Colorado to give him full time at bats when he’s 29 years old.

Robert Hassell SDP, OF, 20.7 – Hassell went the opposite way for his first homer of the year at High-A. He’s now 5 for 11 with 2 steals and a 2/2 K/BB. He can be a top 5 prospect by this time next year.

MJ Melendez KCR, C, 23.4/Shea Langeliers ATL, C, 24.5 – Both of these blocked power hitting catchers hit bombs. It was Langeliers’ 3rd and Melendez’ 1st. They’ll crack the majors at some point, but it might not be in a full time role.

Cole Henry WASH, RHP, 22.9 – 3 IP, 2 hits, 0 ER, 5/1 K/BB at Double-A. The fastball sat in the mid 90’s, his control was strong, and the secondaries were getting whiffs. He’s an exciting pitching prospect who doesn’t get the hype he deserves.

Ty Madden DET, RHP, 22.1 – Madden didn’t want to be outdone by his fellow 2021 1st round pitchers who had strong starts on Saturday, so he went out on Sunday and went 4 IP with 1 hit, 1 ER, and a 6/1 K/BB at High-A. His fastball reached 99 MPH. This year’s entire rookie class has been dominating on every level.

Alex Binelas BOS, 3B, 21.10 – Speaking of the 2021 rookie class, Binelas cracked a monster opposite field homer as he continued his assault on High-A pitching. He’s 5 for 11 with 2 steals and a 3/2 K/BB in 3 games. The power isn’t in question, so the plate approach is what to watch.

Jhailyn Ortiz PHI, OF, 23.5/Rece Hinds CIN, 3B, 21.7 – Two large humans did what large humans tend to do on a baseball field, and that is hit for power as both Ortiz and Hinds hit their first homer of the year. Ortiz’ homer came at Double-A, and Hinds’ came at High-A.

Cody Bellinger LAD, OF/1B, 26.9 – 2 for 3 with a 1/1 K/BB. We have a pulse.

Jo Adell LAA, OF, 23.0 – 0 for 9 with 7/0 K/BB on the season. No pulse.

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