The Dynasty Digest: 4/13

Chris Clegg runs down all of Wednesday Major and Minor league action to know for dynasty leagues.

It has been a couple of days and I missed writing the Dynasty Digest! Life and my day job have gotten busy, plus I was working hard on the Dynasty $ Values for trades. Check that out here:

Dynasty Baseball $ Values for Trades

Let’s get to the names to know from Wednesday for dynasty leagues!

Taj Bradley, RHP, TB

Taj Bradley made his much anticipated MLB debut on Wednesday against the Red Sox. It was not an easy matchup, but he handled it well. Bradley pitched five innings, allowing three earned runs, striking out eight, and walking one.

Despite the eight strikeouts, Bradley only had nine swings and misses. That concerns me a bit. His pitch location wasn’t great either. Bradley missed way up with his four-seam often and left some meatballs over the heart of the zone.

I’m not overly worried about Bradley, as making your MLB debut is never easy, but just know there could be some growing pains along the way for the young pitching prospect. Long term, he should be a solid arm with SP2 upside.

Kyle Manzardo, 1B, TB

Kyle Manzardo has broke his max exit velocity on back-to-back nights. On Tuesday, he hit a home run that left the bat at 108.9 mph. On Wednesday, Manzardo shattered it by posting a 111.9 mph exit velocity for a big time home run.

Manzardo has elite contact rates and is a true 70 grade hitter. Some people were concerned by his power numbers despite hitting 22 home runs last year in less than 400 plate appearances.

Manzardo is hitting the ball harder than ever without sacrificing contact skills. This is an elite hitting first baseman who should be a high-end fantasy profile.

Forrest Whitley, RHP, HOU

Is it Forrest Whitley's rebound season? If you haven’t followed prospects long, you may not know that Forrest Whitley was once the top pitching prospect in the game and a can’t miss player. Much like other top pitching prospects over the years, Whitley fell off hard. He has not pitched well since 2018, which seems like a decade ago.

But Whitley has been sharp in eight innings this year and was dominant in his start on Wednesday. He fired four scoreless innings only giving up one hit and two walks while striking out seven.

Whitley mixed his pitches well, throwing five different pitches at least 16 percent of the time. His fastball averaged over 95 mph which is encouraging and his slider was up near 90. Whitley generated a 31 percent whiff rate for the start.

I am buying back in as the talent is there, even though it has been five years since we have seen Whitley be elite.

Evan Carter, OF, TEX

Evan Carter was the best player I saw in High-A live in 2022 and one of the best prospects I saw overall outside of Jordan Walker. His plate discipline is one of the best in the Minors. Carter has a plus feel for contact and plus speed. The power has always been the question. Carter hit just 12 home runs last year in 475 plate appearances.

Carter posted a strong 90th percent exit velocity last year that was well above average for Minor Leaguers, much less for a 19-year-old. Carter smacked two home runs on Wednesday night.

Owen Caissie, OF, CHC

Owen Caissie was one of my favorite prospect buys this offseason. He did not post great numbers last season, but the underlying metrics were very good. Caissie posted excellent power numbers for a 19 year old and when I saw him in the Arizona Fall League, he just looked the part.

Caissie still needs to clean up his strikeout issues, and if he does, there is a lot to like in Caissie’s profile.

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