RHD's Latest Top 150 Roto Prospects ("Pre-MLB Draft" Version)

[rhd]

RHD, I want to pick up Ronaldo Hernandez to my minor league team, but I can't figure out who to drop.

I don't have access to BA's midseason list, but here are some guys I have that were ranked that I suspect have fallen. Mind telling me which have fallen off completely, and which you'd drop for Hernandez? Also, my interest in Hernandez is based on the speculation that he gets moved from catcher. Like you, I don't like catching prospects, but I've read his glove isn't great, but his bat looks legit.

Anthony Alford, Jorge Mateo, Mitchell White are all previously ranked guys who have fallen off this year. Any of them still on BA's top 100? Also, I have Josh Naylor and Franmill Reyes. Either of them make the list? Which, if any, of these 5 would you cut for Ronaldo?

None of the 3 you mentioned made the list. On their last update, White was ranked the lowest, altho they all were close to each other. However, Naylor did make the list (#90). AFAIK, Reyes has not made the top 100 of any list anywhere. He also is not currently in MLB so unless you have a great need for a 4th/5th OFer that might be back up this year he's the one I would drop. BTW, Hernandez did make BA's list (#91). But he is not very high on my list yet.

[Sour Masher]

None of the 3 you mentioned made the list. On their last update, White was ranked the lowest, altho they all were close to each other. However, Naylor did make the list (#90). AFAIK, Reyes has not made the top 100 of any list anywhere. He also is not currently in MLB so unless you have a great need for a 4th/5th OFer that might be back up this year he's the one I would drop. BTW, Hernandez did make BA's list (#91). But he is not very high on my list yet.

Thanks RHD. I don't need Reyes now, but hard to drop his power upside.

Edit: I ended up cutting Mitch White. His latest clunker tonight pushed me into the decision. When in doubt, I figured, pick the bats over the arm.

Edit 2: I also am tempted to pick up Ryan McKenna. Would you drop Reyes, or any of the other names I mentioned, for him?

[heyelander]

Any buzz on phillies 1B Darick Hall? Power seems real, although he seems to be taking a while to acclimate to AA. I don't really know what to think. No pedigree, but numbers have been nice (until recently)

[rhd]

Any buzz on phillies 1B Darick Hall? Power seems real, although he seems to be taking a while to acclimate to AA. I don't really know what to think. No pedigree, but numbers have been nice (until recently)

Thanx for the response, heyelander.

Hall is not really on my radar. Stats are OK but not good enough to make me notice a 1B-only type. Never been on a BA Team Top 30 or League Top 20. No place for him on the Phillies team now. And he's struggling at AA. Doesnt interest me rt now.

[heyelander]

Thanx for the response, heyelander.

Hall is not really on my radar. Stats are OK but not good enough to make me notice a 1B-only type. Never been on a BA Team Top 30 or League Top 20. No place for him on the Phillies team now. And he's struggling at AA. Doesnt interest me rt now.

Thanks... agreed... but people kept talking about him on the Phillies MIL boards, and he somehow got drafted in the PONY minors draft last year, so I was curious if I was missing something and if there was any buzz outside of philly fan boys.

[mjl]

from a Keith Law chat back in February, asked by some guy who was also interested in Fernando Kelli, named Mike, no idea who that is:

Mike: I was looking at various minor league MVPs and curious if you had any opinions about either Darick Hall or Fernando Kelli. There’s almost nothing out there about Kelli.
Keith Law: That’s because Kelli hasn’t played in the US yet. Hall was 21 in low-A, not a prospect, older guy with power and poor plate discipline.

and then again in May:

Scott: Have you seen Darick Hall? 28 HR last year at low A, already 10 at high A this year and walking more. I can only read the stat line, but the numbers remind me of Ryan Howard in that he’s pretty one-dimensional with a lot of power.
Keith Law: Yes. Older kid without any other tools. He’s nearly 23.

so that's one person who isn't interested.

(also, re Kelli, after his opening day HR he has one more extra base hit in 90-something PA. He has stolen home twice though.)

[mjl]

btw, not to steal rhd's thunder because he does a great job, but if you want another expert opinion on a prospect, Keith Law's chats are a great resource. He does them on his personal blog (http://meadowparty.com/blog/tag/klawchat/) on Thursdays and it's way less crowded than a random Fangraphs chat so you have a pretty good chance of getting your question answered if it's something he knows about.

[rhd]

btw, not to steal rhd's thunder because he does a great job, but if you want another expert opinion on a prospect, Keith Law's chats are a great resource. He does them on his personal blog (http://meadowparty.com/blog/tag/klawchat/) on Thursdays and it's way less crowded than a random Fangraphs chat so you have a pretty good chance of getting your question answered if it's something he knows about.

Thanx!

[FBP]

No Drew Waters on the list. He has played enough and has a power/speed profile.

[rhd]

No Drew Waters on the list. He has played enough and has a power/speed profile.

Thanx for the response, FBP.

Waters is on the list now. You'll see him (along w other new names) when I do the next update, probably in late August.

[Teenwolf]

Wander Franco (TB, SS/3B) is breaking out in a huge way. I had heard just enough buzz around him to draft him fairly early in this spring's AL draft (I think he was drafted 22nd, with maybe 70 held).... I've never really dipped into short season teens until recently, so I'm extremely happy to be rewarded for it.

He'll be 17 until March of next year... Here's what he's done so far in rookie ball in the Appalachian league:

97 AB with 8 K, 6 BB... insanely high contact rate... hitting .392/.433/.701 after yesterday's montrous 5-6 with 2 HR, 5 RBI... in 23 games, he's got 6 HR, 23 RBI, 20 R, 3 SB, 3 CS...

It all points to a very high ceiling. For these contact skills to show up in any 17 year old playing associated ball seems rare indeed, let alone with a power/speed profile. I'm not gonna call him Juan Soto 2.0 yet, but it's an exciting development.

EDIT TO ADD: I give a prospect a top-up bonus for being in the TB organization. TB is a perpetual rebuilder with almost zero likelihood to trade off their prospects, and even more likely to hang onto guys into their 2nd or 3rd arb years to extract max value, so it helps in a deep AL league if you're relatively certain he won't be dealt out of the league. I know TB can be slow to promote, but I prefer this to the possibility of Byron Buxton-breaking a stud prospect by graduating too soon. You want your fantasy years to be productive, not watching them struggle to learn at the highest level. IMO

[Hornsby]

Wander Franco (TB, SS/3B) is breaking out in a huge way. I had heard just enough buzz around him to draft him fairly early in this spring's AL draft (I think he was drafted 22nd, with maybe 70 held).... I've never really dipped into short season teens until recently, so I'm extremely happy to be rewarded for it.

He'll be 17 until March of next year... Here's what he's done so far in rookie ball in the Appalachian league:

97 AB with 8 K, 6 BB... insanely high contact rate... hitting .392/.433/.701 after yesterday's montrous 5-6 with 2 HR, 5 RBI... in 23 games, he's got 6 HR, 23 RBI, 20 R, 3 SB, 3 CS...

It all points to a very high ceiling. For these contact skills to show up in any 17 year old playing associated ball seems rare indeed, let alone with a power/speed profile. I'm not gonna call him Juan Soto 2.0 yet, but it's an exciting development.

EDIT TO ADD: I give a prospect a top-up bonus for being in the TB organization. TB is a perpetual rebuilder with almost zero likelihood to trade off their prospects, and even more likely to hang onto guys into their 2nd or 3rd arb years to extract max value, so it helps in a deep AL league if you're relatively certain he won't be dealt out of the league. I know TB can be slow to promote, but I prefer this to the possibility of Byron Buxton-breaking a stud prospect by graduating too soon. You want your fantasy years to be productive, not watching them struggle to learn at the highest level. IMO

I love Franco, and think that he may be the "next big thing"...all the skills are there. My only issue is that TB move players so slowly up the ladder, it seems like they're in the minors forever. So I don't see him making an Acuna like jump, but when he's up, he'll be a damn good one. I'll get him from you when I fall off the table in 2020 in our AL only.

[Gregg]

Wander Franco (TB, SS/3B) is breaking out in a huge way. I had heard just enough buzz around him to draft him fairly early in this spring's AL draft (I think he was drafted 22nd, with maybe 70 held).... I've never really dipped into short season teens until recently, so I'm extremely happy to be rewarded for it.

He'll be 17 until March of next year... Here's what he's done so far in rookie ball in the Appalachian league:

97 AB with 8 K, 6 BB... insanely high contact rate... hitting .392/.433/.701 after yesterday's montrous 5-6 with 2 HR, 5 RBI... in 23 games, he's got 6 HR, 23 RBI, 20 R, 3 SB, 3 CS...

It all points to a very high ceiling. For these contact skills to show up in any 17 year old playing associated ball seems rare indeed, let alone with a power/speed profile. I'm not gonna call him Juan Soto 2.0 yet, but it's an exciting development.

EDIT TO ADD: I give a prospect a top-up bonus for being in the TB organization. TB is a perpetual rebuilder with almost zero likelihood to trade off their prospects, and even more likely to hang onto guys into their 2nd or 3rd arb years to extract max value, so it helps in a deep AL league if you're relatively certain he won't be dealt out of the league. I know TB can be slow to promote, but I prefer this to the possibility of Byron Buxton-breaking a stud prospect by graduating too soon. You want your fantasy years to be productive, not watching them struggle to learn at the highest level. IMO

Not to be confused with 23 yr old Wander Franco of KC.

[rhd]

Franco will be one of the biggest risers when my new list comes out, along w Shane Bieber, Jonathan India, Esteury Ruiz, Myles Straw and Seranthony Dominguez (if still eligible).

[onejayhawk]

Yusniel Diaz now in Baltimore. What is the outlook change?

J