10 Watchlist Guys: Vol. 13

Most platforms have a feature where you can click something by the player’s name to put them on a virtual watchlist. It is smart to use this feature before the season starts because once it starts you be sorting by stats and you could miss out on someone you really want about to get a new role because you sorted by PA and he just didn’t show very high.

• Previous Watchlists

Ross Stripling has played himself into an all formats arm with a 2.29 ERA and 0.85 WHIP in his last 35.3 innings with 36 strikeouts.

SHALLOW LEAGUES (mixed leagues – 10 or fewer teams)

Willy Adames | SS, MIL

By now you have probably heard about Adames’ massive home/road split with Tampa Bay and how badly he needed to get out of that situation. He hit .217/.275/.341 in 622 PA at the Trop while hitting .296/.366/.501 on the road in 694 PA. In his short sample with the Brewers, he has already cut his strikeout rate by 11 points to 25% while pushing his wRC+ from 75 to 119. If he continues to rake, he could move up the lineup as well.

Taylor Ward | OF, LAA

Ward got off to a slow start with just a .194/.261/.371 line in his first 70 PA. He clubbed three homers, but the lack of anything else left him on most waiver wires despite a .205 BABIP really holding him back while a 23% K rate and 9% BB rate gave him a decent foundation to work with as he got more playing time.

He has been pretty solid since then with a .261/.363/.466 line including 4 HR and 1 SB in 102 PA (25 HR/7 SB pace). He is also hitting 3rd or 5th over his last 8 games.

Max Stassi | C, LAA

Stassi was just in Vol. 10 in the 12-team section, but he has been so good that I’m putting him in again and this time as a shallow recommendation to keep an eye on. Since that June 4th edition of the Watchlist, he is hitting .378/.440/711 with 4 HR in 50 PA putting in heavy consideration for 1-catcher leagues of any size. With the emergence of Ward and Stassi, this lineup is starting to get some depth to it. Just wait until Mike Trout returns!

MEDIUM LEAGUES (mixed leagues – 12-14 teams)

Abraham Toro | 3B, HOU

Alex Bregman’s quad strain is going to leave him sidelined for a good while and opening the door for Toro. The 24-year-old switch hitter is off to a fast start, hitting .282/.378/.436 with 2 HR and 10 RBI in 45 PA. He is likely to remain in the bottom third of the lineup, but his strong plate skills (9% K/11% BB in MLB; 12% K/16% BB in AAA) and consistent playing time make him appealing.

Zach Davies | SP, CHC

After a huge 2020, Davies was drafted with some expectation. He wasn’t super expensive, going around pick-250 in 12 teamers and drafted around Framber Valdez (when he was injured), Freddy Peralta, Tony Gonsolin, and Nathan Eovaldi. No one was expecting another 2.73 ERA, but his fantasy managers were eyeing a high-3.00s ERA, good WHIP, and low strikeout rate. So when he opened with a 9.47 ERA in April, he started hitting waiver wires everywhere. However, he has turned it around.

Since then, he has a 2.69 ERA in his last 11 starts and that includes an 8 ER dud against Miami two starts ago. He was a key part of the Cubs combined no-hitter on June 24th, throwing six hit-free innings with four strikeouts and five walks. You should still make sure your strikeouts are in order before rostering Davies with his comically low 14% K rate, but he is a viable streamer.

DEEP LEAGUES (mixed leagues – 15+ teams)

Eli White | OF, TEX

White was recalled earlier this month after posting a meager .364 OPS in 60 PA through May 13th. Since then he has a .991 OPS in 50 PA with 3 HR, putting himself on the fantasy radar. David Dahl is on a rehab assignment which could put White in a platoon situation, but not until Dahl starts hitting as he has just a .582 OPS through 154 PA so far.

White also has some sneaky speed (5 SB this year in 190 PA between MLB/AAA and 15 SB per 500 PA in the minors) so even if he does lose some playing time down the line, his power/speed capabilities could still make him deep league relevant.

Sam Hentges | CLE, SP

Nick and I discussed Hentges a bit on our latest Fireside Chat. Nick highlighted how his slider has a 21% swinging strike rate, well above the 17% average. His curveball also shows some promise, too. He also throws 95 mph, which I know isn’t that special these days, but it’s better than him throwing 90 and having to rely exclusively on the breakers.

Zach Thompson | MIA, SP

Another Miami stud starter?? In 12 innings so far, he has a 1.50 ERA and 1.00 WHIP with 14 strikeouts after putting up 15 innings with a 28% K-BB rate in the minors. The 27-year-old righty has a three-pitch mix with a fastball, cutter, and curveball, but the lack of a changeup stands out when we see his severe platoon split in both the majors (.245 OPS vR/.856 vL) and minors (.532 vR/1.036 vL) this year.

He doesn’t have the upside of the Marlins studs we have seen develop over the last few years by any stretch, but his fast start is enough to put him on the radar.

With the minor leagues having started up, I’m changing the AL & NL-Only watchlisters into a Prospect Watchlist as the waiver wires are usually pretty tapped out in those formats and almost anyone with a pulse is instantly bid up. Plus, I am not playing in an AL- or NL-Only league this year so figuring out who is actually on the wire in those formats is a bit tough. I think listing four prospects each week will be a lot more useful in the long run.

AL PROSPECTS

Cal Raleigh | C, SEA (currently in AAA*)

*the original post said Raleigh was in MLB because I didn’t properly update from last week’s WL (he was put in Rengifo’s who IS in MLB, so my apologies there and thanks to the comment section for catch!

I am not a huge fan of prospect catchers in fantasy because the development path is often much slower than hitting prospects at every other position, but Raleigh is crushing at Triple-A while Luis Torrens and Tom Murphy have struggled this year.

Torrens is in the midst of a hot streak (1.295 OPS, 3 HR in his last 20 PA), but it has only raised his season OPS to .645 while Murphy is toting a .608 OPS (thanks in large part to a .253 OBP!!!). Raleigh has a 152 wRC+ with an excellent 12% K rate in 163 PA and that is just too good to ignore at this point.

NL PROSPECTS

Orlando Arcia | SS, ATL (AAA)

OK, Arcia isn’t a prospect given that he has 1876 MLB PA under his belt, but I thought he still merited a mention given how much he is dominating Triple-A since getting traded to the Braves. He is toting a .303/.371/.554 line with 11 HR, 4 SB, and equal 9% K and BB rates in 197 PA. He isn’t going to unseat Ozzie Albies, Dansby Swanson, or Austin Riley on the infield, but he is definitely up if there is an infield injury and I wonder if there is a point where they would move Riley back to LF on a more permanent basis just to accommodate Arcia. Just make sure you are aware that the one-time top 15 prospect is raking and could still deliver some fantasy upside.