Prospect All-Buy Team: Pitchers

Chris Clegg looks at pitching prospects to buy in dynasty leagues.

If you missed it, yesterday we looked at the all-prospect buy team heading into the second half. The focus of yesterday’s article were hitters. Today, we focus on the pitcher side of things with in-depth looks at both starters and relievers that you should look to buy in dynasty leagues.

Pitching Prospects to Buy

SP: Austin Peterson, RHP, CLE, 24, A+

There are always pitchers that for some reason don’t get love. Whether it be name or age, pitching prospects slip through the cracks all the time, but we should have learned at this point, development is not linear for prospects, especially arms. One tweak can put a player over the top.

I feel as if we have discussed Austin Peterson as much as any pitcher here at the Dynasty Dugout this year. Hopefully, you have gotten in on him, but he still remains just two percent rostered on Fantrax.

After a stellar 85 innings in High-A in which Peterson posted a 2.44 ERA, a 0.84 WHIP, a 27 percent strikeout rate, and a microscopic 1.9 percent walk rate, he made the jump to Double-A and has continued to perform. In two Double-A starts, Peterson has pitched 13 innings, allowing just two earned runs, with 15 strikeouts and two walks.

One of the most important things I want to note is that he is averaging over 6 innings per start. He also has thrown strikes at an impressive 70 percent clip this year. Peterson’s fastball sits 92 mph which is up from last year and he has a true four-pitch mix. The changeup checks in at 88 mph with a slider in the low-80s. Peterson will mix in a curve in the upper-70s.

Sure, its not the flashiest profile. But Peterson can pitch and is a high-probability Major League starter.

SP: Andrew Morris, RHP, MIN, 22, AA

Morris is an arm we have constantly featured this year due to his stellar performance and the fact that he has pitched deep into games. Name value might be an issue here because there are no reasons that Morris should not be more respected in pitching prospect circles. With even time split between High-A and Double-A, Morris has a 1.66 ERA in 76 innings.

In Double-A, an impressive 1.17 ERA backed by a 2.55 FIP. His strikeout rate was at 28 percent and is down to 26 percent in Double-A, but the walk rate has stayed consistent at around five percentage points. At both stops, he has a strikeout minus walk rate of 20 percent.

In 2023, Morris pitched between Single-A and High-A, posting a 2.88 ERA across 84.1 innings of work, and never got much love. The former fourth-rounder pitched three seasons in college at Mesa State before transferring to Texas Tech for his final season.

The fastball sits 92-95, touching 97 mph with good life on it. Having a deceptive delivery, Morris’ fastball plays up a bit. His slider is his best offering, sitting in the upper 80s with depth and sweep, and the changeup shows nice fading action. The curveball has some potential in the upper 70s as well.

SP: Ian Seymour, LHP, TB, 25, AA

Unfortunately, injuries have eaten up most of Seymour’s career to this point, but the former 2020 second-rounder looks healthy and is off to a great start in 2024. Through 88.2 innings, Seymour has a 2.13 ERA and a 0.80 WHIP, one of the lowest in the minors. His 28.8 percent strikeout rate and 5.3 walk rate are both among the best in Double-A right now, and his 16.5 percent swinging strike rate ranks very well.

The changeup is the bread and butter here, as Seymour misses plenty of bats with its separation from the fastball and arm speed. It gets a nice fade and depth, which is a large reason why he can miss bats. The fastball does not overpower hitters but features a slider and an occasional cutter.

Seymour has a violent delivery, which leads to some concerns about whether he will be a reliever in the long term. The interesting thing is, his fastball sits at 90 mph. His changeup is by far the best bat missing pitch, sitting in the mid-80s.

He is throwing strikes at a solid rate of 66 percent this year. Don’t be shocked when we see Seymour in Triple-A soon and potentially pitching in Tampa at some point in 2024, even if it is out of the bullpen. I am actually surprised that Seymour is still in Double-A.

SP: Mason Adams, RHP, CHW, 24, AA

Adams fits the mold of an Austin Peterson type who is a bit older, but has been rather dominant. A 2022 13th-round out of Jacksonville, Adams spent 2023 between Single-A, High-A, and Double-A. Over 109 IP in 2023, Adams ran a 3.14 ERA, 3.39 xFIP, 27.2 percent strikeout rate, while walking just 6.3 percent of hitters. When he is not missing bats, Adams also does a good job keeping the ball on the ground.

This year, even more dominance as Adams has a 2.19 ERA across 86.1 innings this year with 88 strikeouts and 15 walks. He throws strikes at a 68 percent mark and while it is not a dominant arsenal, Adams misses enough bats to be successful.

It is a low-90s fastball, but the sinker works while he pairs it with a strong slider. He is a candidate to skip Triple-A and get starts in Chicago at some point this year.

SP: Jean Cabrera, RHP, PHI, 22, A+

Jumping on my radar in early June, Cabrera has shoved all year. On June 28, he posted his worst mark of the year, allowing five earned runs over four innings. On July 4, a ten-strikeout performance across six scoreless while walking just one batter and no hits. He generated 19 whiffs and landed 53 of his 88 pitches for strikes. It shows the kind of pitcher he can be.

On the year, Cabrera has a 3.39 ERA across 77 innings with 91 strikeouts and 25 walks. His strike rate sits around league average and has an impressive 17 percent swinging strike rate.

The 6’4” righty has a fastball that sits in the mid-90s and reaches 98. His changeup sits in the upper-80s with a ton of arm-side run. Cabrera also mixes a sweeper and a two-plane curveball.

SP: Jarlin Susana, RHP, WSH, 20, A+

Susana is a ton of fun to watch on the mound. Being inconsistent at times, he always brings the heat with a fastball that routinely sits around triple-digits that he can blow by hitters. The changeup is in the 90-93 mph range and his sldier gets into the 90s often.

The overall line this year is not great as Susana has a 4.47 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP, but the bat missing has been there as he has a 34 percent strikeout rate. The walks are a little concerning as he has a 12.3 percent walk rate. This may create an awesome buying opportunity if someone is just looking at the surface numbers.

Things have looked better as of late, as Susana’s last five starts have been 30 innings with a 0.60 ERA with 49 strikeouts and 11 walks. In that stretch, Susana reached five innings without allowing a walk for the first time in his career. He also has a stellar 19 percent swinging strike rate and a 34 percent CSW in the 30-inning stretch. The strike rate, an above-average 64 percent.

He may be a high-end reliever long-term, but if you take the chance, he can be a very solid starter due to the mobility on the mound and big stuff.

SP: Jacob Bresnahan, LHP, CLE, 19, ACL

Bresnahan has been one of the more impressive arms at the complex this year. Even though there have been some starts where he does not walk batters, he also has shown the ability to throw strikes and is coming off a recent start in which he walked just one batter in five scoreless innings.

Across 42 innings, Bresnahan has just a 2.14 ERA with 59 strikeouts and 13 walks. Over his last six starts, an impressive 0.67 ERA with 36 strikeouts to ten walks. Over the last four starts, he has not allowed a run to score.

Bresnahan pounds the zone with a high strike rate and has a low-90s fastball. He just turned 19 and has room to fill out his 6’4” frame, so I would not be shocked to see him add velocity. He pairs the fastball with a mid-80s changeup and slider. It is not the flashiest of profiles right now, but this feels like the perfect arm for Cleveland to develop. I am in.

RP: Kyle Amendt, RHP, ARI, 24, AA

Amendt has been one of the best relievers in the minors, splitting time between High-A and Double-A. Having a 1.75 ERA in 25.2 innings, Amendt has struck out 49 of the 99 batters he has faced and walked just seven.

Amendt has a unique arm slot from a high release point, allowing his fastball to play well at the bottom and top of the zone in the mid-90s. He mixes an upper-80s slider and a 12-6 curveball with nice depth. The stuff is real, and he might be a high-leverage reliever sooner rather than later.

RP: Craig Yoho, RHP, MIL, 24, AA

Best reliever in the minors might be a good way to describe Yoho. Between High-A and Double-A, Yoho has a 1.04 ERA in 34.2 innings with 65 strikeouts and 10 walks. In his last 18 games, there has been just one game in which he has allowed a run and it was a three run spot which certainly left a little blemish on the ERA, but it just goes to show you how good he has been all year.

The fastball ranges from 91-95 mph with absurd horizontal movement. We are looking at 20 inches of run consistently. The changeup plays extremely well off it with a similar movement profile, sitting in the mid-to-upper 80s. Yoho also mixes a mid-70s curve with.. you guessed it: wicked east-to-west movement and nice depth.

Yoho pounds the strike zone, misses a ton of bats, and has one of the highest CSW rates in baseball. If you want a big-time reliever that could be in the majors this year, add Yoho.