Hey y’all! With the trade deadline in the major leagues and minor league season ending soon, this is a great time to look at some interesting prospects to take a flyer on. This week, I’m bringing you an outfielder that should be manning the outfield for St. Louis this September, another Royal outfield who is stealing bases like crazy and two pitchers in organizations that know how to develop pitchers.

Randy Arozarena – OF (STL AAA) Age: 24 ETA: 2019

The Cardinals signed Randy Arozarena in 2016 after he defected from Cuba in 2014. He was assigned to High A and hit 0.275 with a 0.333 OBP and eight home runs. After 70 games, the Cardinals moved him up to AA, where he struggled a bit with the more difficult competition. He repeated the level in 2018 and after hitting 0.396 in 24 games, he made his way to AAA, where again, he struggled. In a surprising move, the Cardinals again assigned him to AA to start the season but promoted him to AAA at the beginning of June.

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Hey y’all! Today’s trade deadline was very exciting with a bunch of prospects changing teams. In today’s list, I’m bringing you four interesting prospects who you should look into picking up in your dynasty leagues.

There is one outfielder who is an OBP machine, another outfielder with all the power, another super speedy outfielder that might be an interesting speed option, and an infielder who should be in the big leagues next year.

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Hey y’all! Another week of baseball in the books. With July coming to a close, this week’s Stash List is filled with guys most likely on your waiver wire. It includes an outfielder in the Braves system that is not getting much love, a defensive minded catcher that has found his hitting stroke, and two pitchers that are performing well to little to no attention.

Trey Harris (ATL AA) OF Age: 23 ETA 2021

While Cristian Pache and Drew Waters are killing it in AA this year, there is another outfielder having a breakout season. Trey Harris put together an excellent college career at Missouri before the Braves selected him in the 32nd round of last years draft. The 5’10” outfielder is a great athlete and has a projectable body. After being drafted, the Braves assigned him to rookie ball. In 31 games, he struck out less than he walked, 9.8 K% to a 15.9 BB%. The Braves promoted him to A ball to finish out the season, where he had a 0.286 AVG. To start out this year, the Braves assigned him to A ball.

In his first 56 games, Harris hit 0.366 with a 0.437 OBP and smacked eight ball out of the park to go with his fourteen doubles. A+ ball was no match for Harris. He had a 0.303 AVG with 0.388 OBP and picked up another four home runs. He swiped three bags to call along with four in A ball. Going forward, I would not expect many steals from Harris. In Rookie ball, he was four for seven and then in A ball this year he was four for eight. It is great to see an advanced college bat like Harris killing the lower minors. He was recently promoted to AA and this will be a big test for Harris. In deeper leagues, I would keep him on my watch list.

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Hey y’all!  This week’s stash list should be a good one for all of you deep fantasy league players. I’ll be reviewing two pitchers with excellent K-BB percentages, that could help your ratios in a few years. I also bring to you a Houston hitter, that is not Kyle Tucker, unable to crack the Houston lineup. I also profile a very young San Francisco Giant killing low A and begging for a call-up.

I hope you got a chance to read my Top 100 prospects list. If you hadn’t, what are you waiting for?

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Hey y’all!  All of the full-season leagues have had All-Star games and are into the second half of their seasons.  I thought it would be a fun exercise to put together my top 100 prospects.  This list is mostly a fantasy list but also has a real-life winkle in it.  In fantasy, I value batters over pitchers.  I do factor defense but has more of a tie-breaker between players.  I have also removed prospects eligible players currently in the majors and who should remain on the big league club, like Yordan Alvarez and Keston Hiura.  Enjoy!  I’ll see you in the comments and on Twitter.

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Hey y’all!  This week’s Stash List should be a pretty good one.  I dug deep to find guys having great seasons that should be available on most waiver wires.  One guy is a forgotten guy in a recent trade with some power and speed.  One guy is destroying baseballs in A ball and then we have two southpaws putting up some crazy strikeout percentages.

Mason Martin (PIT A) 1B Age 20 ETA 2022

The Pirates picked up Mason Martin in the 17th round of the 2017 draft.  Martin has massive power. After being drafted, he was assigned to the Appy League.  In 127 at-bats, Martin swatted eleven dingers to go along with eight doubles. He picked up ten more in 2018 before being promoted to A ball.  So far this season, in 301 at-bats, he has 23 home runs to go along with 19 doubles. As with most power prospects, Martin has strikeout issues.  The lowest strikeout rate in his professional career was 24.7% and that was in his first taste of professional ball. Martin is a pretty patient hitter, and some might say passive, with double-digit walk rates.  Being a right-handed first baseman, Martin will need to continue to hit to make it to the majors. If you are willing to take the risk, Martin is a power guy to stash in your minor leagues.

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Dictionary.com defines the word commission as “the act of committing or entrusting a person, group, etc. with supervisory power or authority.” I’ve been playing and commissioning fantasy baseball for almost 25 years now and have on occasion abused that authority to influence change within my leagues.  Always with the long-term good of the league in mind, I have encouraged owners to adopt a wide variety of incentive structures that have included elaborate prize payouts, keeper contract systems, supplemental minor league drafts, arbitration and inflation offsets, and a few other random gimmicks.  Furthermore, as a regular member of an active, daily fantasy baseball community, I’ve seen countless other versions of these ideas and have had all the common debates about incentives vs. penalties, owner competitiveness vs. engagement, and all the nuances that make for good, healthy ownership and game play.  In short, I’ve kind of seen it all.

I’m now ready to admit defeat.  Despite my best efforts, there are no universals when it comes to motivating every type of owner to engage fully over the course of a long 162 game baseball schedule.  This revelation should be obvious, and perhaps only fellow commissioners will sympathize with this drive to create the perfect league, but it has taken me some time to finally come to grips with this truth.  To be clear, it’s not that some of these ideas haven’t worked (I have years of anecdotal evidence that they can and do), it’s just that they are usually designed to address the symptoms that plague poor leagues rather than the core issue.

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Hey y’all!  This week’s Stash List should be pretty interesting.  Two of the guys I had previously written off, either due to injury or underperformance.  One of the hitters is a utility type player that may be hitting his way into an everyday role.  Lastly, one of the pitchers was properly chosen by his team and is really turning heads in the lower levels of the minors.

Travis Blankenhorn (MIN AA) 3B Age 22 ETA 2020

Travis Blankenhorn was picked by the Twins in the third round of the 2015 draft.  The Twins have been playing him at third and second base, as well as left field. Blankenhorn has above-average power with an average to slightly below average hit tool.  Due to his size, I doubt he is able to stick in left field, but he will be able to stick at DH. He started the season at A+, as he missed some time last year due to a lower back strain.  After 15 games and hitting .269/.377/.404 with a 14.8 BB% and 19.7%, the Twins decided he was ready to move up to AA.

With the promotion, the walks and strikeout regressed back to his career average, he is actually hitting for more power.  He ISO has increased from .135 to .224. Not only has he hit 13 home runs but also has 11 doubles and is hitting balls to all fields. For all of you deep leaguers out there, take a flyer on Blankenhorn. I could see him being a utility type for the Twins that can contribute in the power department.

Trent Grisham (MIL AAA) OF Age 22 ETA 2020

The Brewers used their first-round pick of the 2015 draft on Trent Grisham, one of the best prep players in the draft class.  He was assigned to the AZL right after being drafted and quickly moved to Low A. He has never been known for his batting average, his highest average is .233 last year, so to see Grisham hitting .254 in AA is very encouraging.  His walk percentage has always been double digits but he has decreased his strikeout rate to 17%. Grisham has, it seems, been selling out for a bit more power.

He used to have an all fields approach but his pull percentage has increased from around 30% to almost 50%.  With all the gains Grisham has made, the Brewers decided to promote him to AAA this past week. Prior to this season, I had written Grisham off but I back in. If you play in an OBP, Grisham is a must pick up prospect, if he is available on the waiver wire.

Braxton Garrett (MIA A+) Age 21 ETA 2021

In an interesting move during the 2016 draft, the Marlins used their first-round pick on Braxton Garrett.  He had a well developed three-pitch mix and it was thought he could move quickly through the Marlins system.  Unfortunately, he fell victim to injury had not pitched professionally since 2017. The Marlins started Garrett this season A+ and he has really been impressive.  In 63.1 innings, he has an ERA of 2.86, a WHIP of 1.14, and 82 strikeouts. Garrett projects to be a mid-three starter type with strikeout upside.

With the advanced nature of his pitch mix, he should continue to dominate the lower levels.  I will be interested to see how he does in AA and feel we should see that soon. In dynasty, I would take a flyer on Garrett. I checked in my leagues and he was still available in most of them. Also, with the pitching, Miami has developed recently (Gallen, Lopez, Smith, and Richards) I trust their development staff more than other teams.

Sean Hjelle (SFG A+) Age 22 ETA 2021

Sean Hjelle was selected in the second round of last years draft by the Giants.  It seemed fitting Hjelle would be drafted by the Giants, seeing that he is a 6’11’’ 215 giant righty.  After being drafted, the Giants assigned him to low A and his 21 innings he was hit around a bit. He had a 5.06 ERA and 1.31 WHIP.  Even with his struggles late last year, the Giants assigned him to A ball to begin this year. Hjelle excelled in his 40.2 innings, with a 2.66 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, and 14.1 SwStk%. 

He was promoted to A+ a few weeks ago and the promotion has not slowed him down. What is very intriguing to me is Hjelle command for being such a tall pitcher. His highest walk rate is 5.5%, which is pretty low, even for a regular sized pitcher.  If Hjelle is able to maintain his control while being this tall, he should be a strikeout machine in the majors. If I was in a deep league, I would take a chance on Hjelle. In a more shallower league, I would wait to see what he does in AA before I invest.

Hey y’all.  Since the draft was last week, I thought it would be interesting to shine some light on some players who were drafted last year and are performing quite well.  I’m bringing you two hitters drafted in the second round with some power and speed upside.  Also making their debut are two pitchers drafted in the fifth and seventh round performing well in the lower levels.  Let’s go!

Alek Thomas – (ARI A) OF – ETA 2022

Alek Thomas was drafted by the Diamondbacks in the second round of last years draft.  After being drafted the Diamondbacks sent Thomas to the Arizona League. Thomas showed a bit of power, with 2 home runs but he also hit eleven doubles.  The above average hit tool has shown, as he had a .341 AVG. His average eye also showed with a 0.396 OBP during that time and flashed his 60-grade speed with 4 stolen bases.  He finished his season in rookie ball with a 0.325 AVG and 0.394 OBP with another 8 swiped bags.

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Hey y’all!  This week we had a couple of prospects send back down. Goodbye Keston Hiura and Nate Lowe (again).  I am pretty sure we will see both to return to the majors very soon. We also had Peter Lambert make his major league debut today against the Cubs.  I was able to catch a couple of innings and he looked pretty good. If he sticks around, he’ll get the Cubs again next week. However, this time it will be in Colorado.  The next edition of the Stash List is going really deep. Two of the pitchers were drafted out of high school but have some fantasy upside. The two hitters this week have fought off some injury concerns and are having great seasons so far.

Lewin Diaz (MIN A) 1B ETA 2021

Lewin Diaz signed with the Minnesota Twins in the July 2 period of 2013.  At the time, Diaz was rated as the tenth overall international prospect according to Baseball America.  He played in the Dominican Summer league in 2014 and then moved stateside and played in the Gulf Coast league in 2015.  During those two years, he posted double-digit walk rates, 14.9 BB, and 11 BB% respectively, and decent strikeout rates of 13.8 K% and 18.9 K%.  After 33 games in the Gulf Coast League, the Twins promoted him to the Appalachian league to finish off the 2015 season.

He must have taken the struggle bus to Elizabethton, TN because in 14 games, he had a strikeout rate of 32 K%, walked 5.7% of the time and hit .167/.245/.375. Not impressive at all.  The Twins assigned him again to the Appy league to begin the 2016 and he fared much better. In 46 games, he got his strikeout rate to 18 K% but also his power began to show. He smacked 15 doubles and nine home runs, which brought his ISO to a career-high .264.

Fast track to this year, Diaz is having a breakout year.  Last year, Diaz really struggled and his poor year ended early due to a broken thumb that required surgery to repair. The thumb injury has not sapped his power. He has smoked ten balls over the fence and also hit ten doubles as well. Scouts are a bit concerned about how his body will develop. He is a 6’4, 220 lb lefty who smashes the ball.  If Diaz is able to continue to hit, he might make it to the Twin Cities as a strong side platoon player.

Jake Fraley (SEA AA) OF ETA 2020

In one of the many trades between the Rays and Mariners, Fraley moved west in the offseason along with Mallex Smith for Mike Zunino.  Ever since being drafted in the second round of the 2016 draft, Fraley has struggled to stay healthy. He played in a career-high 66 games last year.  When on the field, Fraley has shown an above average hit tool. Fraley hit .337 with four home runs. That might not sound impressive but keep in mind he also hit 19 doubles, which might turn into home runs when he gets his hands on those major league baseballs in AAA.  

So far this year, Fraley has been able to stay on the field. Those doubles also seem to be flying a bit further as well. As of this post, Fraley has nine home runs and 14 doubles. He is also still hitting above the league average with a .337 AVG in the 51 games played in AA.  He does not just have a power upside but he also knows how to steal a base. He has 14 steals to go along with the increase in power. With all the moves Tradin’ Jerry plans to make, we should see Fraley patrolling the OF in Seattle sometime next year.

Simeon Woods Richardson (NYM A) RHP ETA 2022

The Mets took a chance on one of the youngest players that was draft eligible last year in the second round in the righty Simeon Woods Richardson.  In 11 electrifying innings after being drafted, Woods Richardson picked up 15 strikeouts with a 33.7 SwStk%. Scouts loved his 60-grade fastball and curveball with an above average changeup.  He’s very athletic and actually was a pretty good third baseman in high school as well. His delivery is very over the top which some scouts have disliked.

However, the scouts that are pretty high on Woods Richardson think the north to south movement changes the batter’s eye level.  Fastballs up and curveballs and breaking balls down aka the Blake Snell blueprint. The Mets assigned Woods Richardson to A ball to being the 2019 season. Even though his ERA is pretty high, 6.02 ERA in 40 innings, his K% is just under 30% while his BB% is only 4.6%. In deeper dynasty leagues, I would definitely give Woods Richardson a chance.  There is a lot of room for growth for the young righty.

Matt Tabor (ARI A) RHP ETA 2022

In the third round of the 2017 draft, the Diamondbacks decided to take a chance on the prep righty from Massachusetts.  After the draft, Tabor threw a couple of innings in rookie ball. He was assigned to low A ball to begin the 2018 season and performed well.  Scouts were impressed with the uptick in velocity from his high school day. Keep in mind this uptick only got Tabor up to the low to mid-nineties. He does have two plus other offerings with the changeup and curveball.  

Tabor is pretty athletic and seems to be able to hide the ball well to fool batters. In 60 innings in 2018, he had a 3.26 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, and a 13.2 SwStk%, albeit with only 46 strikeouts. However, this year has been more encouraging on the strikeout side.  In 24 innings in A ball, Tabor has 29 strikeouts and 15.3% SwStk%. The ERA and WHIP as also dropped to 2.63 ERA and 0.88 WHIP. Tabor will never be a lights out starter but should be a guy that will eat innings and compile the strikeouts. Keep an eye on Tabor to see if the increase in swinging strikes and limiting the hits continue.