The Dynasty Digest: April 11, 2024
Chris Clegg breaks down everything you need to know from the previous days' games on the MiLB side.
This is our first full week of Minor League action at all levels. Breathe it in; it is go time. Jackson Holliday got the call to the Majors and made his MLB debut last night. It also means that many top prospects will be graduating soon, so we could have a new top prospect in the next several months.
I will now be at Minor League games more nights than not, getting live looks at players to help give you an edge in dynasty. Last night was Bowling Green(TB) and Greenville(BOS). I will have a live report on what I saw last night after the Digest is posted.
Let’s discuss the top prospect performances around the league.
MiLB and MLB Standouts
Jefferson Rojas, SS, CHC, 18, A+
Rojas rakes, or at least that is what I am going to start saying because it seems to me like he is on his way to being a high-end fantasy asset. Collecting four hits on Wednesday, Rojas drove in three runs and even added two stolen bases. He is quite the impressive hitter and has continued to grow and add to his frame.
Rojas signed for $1 million in January 2022 and immediately hit the ground running as a 17-year-old in the Dominican Summer League, hitting .303/.391/.407 with one home run and 15 stolen bases in 45 games.
Considering Rojas skipped the complex level almost entirely in 2023, he still posted the fourth-highest OPS(.790) and wRC+(126) among 18-year-olds in full-season ball. Maybe the seven home runs and .268/.345/.404 slash doesn’t jump off the page, but it is essential to remember that Myrtle Beach, Chicago’s Single-A park, is one of the worst parks for hitters in the minors.
The numbers so far this year are fine, but Rojas showed the kind of upside he has on Wednesday night, and he already has a home run and two stolen bases in just 22 at-bats so far in 2024.
Ralphy Velazquez, 1B, CLE, 18, A
Velazquez was the only prospect on Wednesday to hit two home runs as he continued his torrid start to the season. He was also on base two more times via walk, while driving in four runs. When I watch him play, Velazquez falls into the “this is what they look like” bucket.
Velazquez has a smooth, compact swing from the left side but has a ton of power in his 6’3”/215 lb frame. Selected in the first round of the 2023 draft out of California, he looks poised to take a big step forward this year.
While he was selected as a catcher, Velazquez has only played first base this year, which seems like his long-term home. Regardless, the bat will play.
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