Archive for Prospects

Welcome to the annual series: ‘A Minor (League) Review of 2015.” This series is a great way to receive a quick recap of the ’15 minor league season for your favorite club(s), while also receiving a brief look toward the 2016 season and beyond. It can also be a handy feature for fantasy baseball players in keeper and Dynasty leagues.

The Graduate: Jung-ho Kang, 3B/SS: Kang’s freshman season came to an unceremonious end with a knee injury suffered in a nasty collision in the infield. The infielder preformed much better than expected after coming over from the pro leagues in South Korea. A big power hitter in his home country, he showed solid pop in the Majors with 15 homers in 126 games. He’s not a flash fielder but he’s steady and has added fantasy value because he qualifies in most (of not all leagues) at both shortstop and third base. Kang is expected to be ready for the start of 2016 but it remains to be seen if the injury will be a long-term concern.

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Welcome to the annual series: ‘A Minor (League) Review of 2015.” This series is a great way to receive a quick recap of the ’15 minor league season for your favorite club(s), while also receiving a brief look toward the 2016 season and beyond. It can also be a handy feature for fantasy baseball players in keeper and Dynasty leagues.

The Graduate: Miguel Sano, 3B/DH: Everyone knew Sano had power but the young slugger took the Majors by storm in 2015 and had teams pitching around him by the end of the year (He had 53 walks in 80 games). Just 22, he slugged 18 home runs in 279 at-bats, and is already a middle-of-the-order threat. The two biggest strikes against Sano are his lack of foot speed and his inability to competently play a defensive position (something that is more or less irrelevant in fantasy, although his dabbling at third base and the outfield helps his value). With Joe Mauer at first base and newly-acquired Byung-Ho Park earmarked for designated hitter, Sano should see time in left field.

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Welcome to the annual series: ‘A Minor (League) Review of 2015.” This series is a great way to receive a quick recap of the ’15 minor league season for your favorite club(s), while also receiving a brief look toward the 2016 season and beyond. It can also be a handy feature for fantasy baseball players in keeper and Dynasty leagues.

The Graduate: James McCann, C: McCann shouldered a lot of pressure as a young catcher on a veteran team with fans that repeatedly expect to see the club in the playoffs. This young player did not look overwhelmed and he showed excellent leadership with the pitchers and on the field. The 25-year-old’s offensive contributions are nothing special, mainly because he’s too aggressive at the plate (16-90 BB-K in 114 games).

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So, what is Ottoneu?

Ottoneu is a smarter, better brand of fantasy baseball.  By design, it’s a fantasy platform engineered for the hardcore baseball fan that doesn’t enjoy the term “off season”.  Ottoneu is the perfect fit for FanGraphs readers looking to join a competitive fantasy baseball league with a lot of cool features, a sabermetric-economy, and a massive community of raving fans.

You can read first-year feedback from Ottoneu players here.  You can also learn a lot more about the game from the FAQ, but here are the top 10 reasons you should consider joining or moving your fantasy baseball league to Ottoneu this year:

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Welcome to the annual series: ‘A Minor (League) Review of 2015.” This series is a great way to receive a quick recap of the ’15 minor league season for your favorite club(s), while also receiving a brief look toward the 2016 season and beyond. It can also be a handy feature for fantasy baseball players in keeper and Dynasty leagues.

The Graduate: Taylor Jungmann, RHP: Jungmann was someone that I liked coming out of college but his three-plus year minor league career was underwhelming based on the expectations placed on a first-round pick. Despite the early struggles, the right-hander had an excellent freshman season for the Brewers and quickly solidified himself as a key cog in the starting rotation for this rebuilding club. Look for him to be a solid, middle-of-the-rotation innings-eater going forward.

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Welcome to the annual series: ‘A Minor (League) Review of 2015.” This series is a great way to receive a quick recap of the ’15 minor league season for your favorite club(s), while also receiving a brief look toward the 2016 season and beyond. It can also be a handy feature for fantasy baseball players in keeper and Dynasty leagues.

The Graduate: Carlos Rodon, LHP: The third overall selection in the 2014 amateur draft, Rodon needed just 34.2 minor league innings of polish before reaching the Majors. He then threw the fifth most innings among any starter in 2015 at 139.1. The young lefty struck out one batter per inning in his freshman season while flashing enough “stuff” to suggest that he could eventually sit atop the Sox starting rotation — should Chris Sale ever relinquish his ace title. Rodon, 23, may continue to have some sophomore hiccups in 2016 as he works his way through command/control issues — which combined to see him walk 71 batters last year.

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Welcome to the annual series: ‘A Minor (League) Review of 2015.” This series is a great way to receive a quick recap of the ’15 minor league season for your favorite club(s), while also receiving a brief look toward the 2016 season and beyond. It can also be a handy feature for fantasy baseball players in keeper and Dynasty leagues.

The Graduate: Kris Bryant, 3B: When you look at Bryant’s rookie season and see 199 strikeouts in 151 games, you might think it was a disaster. Nothing could be further from the truth, though. The rookie third baseman finished 10th in WAR in all of baseball. Looking at just his offensive contributions, he was in a three-way tie with Arizona’s A.J. Pollock and Colorado’s Nolan Arenado for the 17th-best wOBA. Bryant has some work to do making more consistent contact but he also didn’t tap into his full power potential (A scary thought!). And if the young, promising Cubs hitters around Bryant continue to develop, he’ll be even more valuable to fantasy managers in the years to come.

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Welcome to the annual series: ‘A Minor (League) Review of 2015.” This series is a great way to receive a quick recap of the ’15 minor league season for your favorite club(s), while also receiving a brief look toward the 2016 season and beyond. It can also be a handy feature for fantasy baseball players in keeper and Dynasty leagues.

The Graduate: Billy Burns, OF: The Nationals scored big in the 32nd round of the 2011 draft with Burns. He understands what he needs to do to be successful: get on base and run. His approach at the plate collapsed a bit in the majors (26-81 BB-K rate) compared to his time in the minors (211-245 BB-K) but he was still successful thanks to his ability to hit for average. He stole 26 bases (in 34 tries) at the big league level but has topped 50 bases twice in his career so there is more value there if Oakland gives him the green light.

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Welcome to the annual series: ‘A Minor (League) Review of 2015.” This series is a great way to receive a quick recap of the ’15 minor league season for your favorite club(s), while also receiving a brief look toward the 2016 season and beyond. It can also be a handy feature for fantasy baseball players in keeper and Dynasty leagues.

The Graduate: Jake Lamb, 3B: Taken in the sixth round of the 2012 draft, I spoke to a front office member of the Diamondbacks that winter and he identified Lamb as someone they thought would turn into a steal. Fast forward a few years and that prediction was right on the money. Injuries have held back Lamb a bit but he’ll likely open 2016 as the club’s starting third baseman. He has some home run pop but isn’t a prototypical slugger. Still, he has an excellent all-around game and should hit for a solid average.

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Welcome to the annual series: ‘A Minor (League) Review of 2015.” This series is a great way to receive a quick recap of the ’15 minor league season for your favorite club(s), while also receiving a brief look toward the 2016 season and beyond. It can also be a handy feature for fantasy baseball players in keeper and Dynasty leagues.

The Graduate: Ben Paulsen, 1B: An overaged rookie, Paulsen appeared in 91 games for the Rockies and added another 20 games in the outfield. He took advantage of the friendly confines of his home park, which helped him overcome an ugly BB-K rate of 23-92 in 116 games. Paulsen was almost hopeless against left-handed pitching so you can forget about him playing everyday — he had a 35 wRC+ against them. Newly-signed Mark Reynolds should help ensure the soon-to-be-sophomore first baseman avoids southpaws almost entirely in 2016 — assuming Paulsen makes the roster.

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