The Dynasty Digest: Early Rookie Ball Standouts

Chris Clegg discusses some early standouts from rookie ball using data.

It is important to take DSL and Complex samples with a grain of salt. I say this as I am going to write about players performing well at those levels. There is limited access to video, which makes it harder to evaluate players. That said, here is what I am looking for in the early going.

1. Low swinging strike rates and strikeout rates

2. Projectable frames

3. Athleticism

4. High ISO or home runs

5. Big exit velocities(when available)

6. Clock times - much more useful than stolen base totals

Things I don’t think matter as much

1. Walk rates - pitching is not great for the most part

2. Stolen bases - yes, it is fun to see players steal many bases, but those numbers are largely irrelevant and don’t have a strong correlation with stolen bases moving forward.

So basically, when looking at prospects in rookie ball, I am looking for younger players who are already showing signs of developing power with a good feel to hit, and if they have a projectable frame and are showing promising signs of athleticism, even better.

Let’s talk about some of those players excelling that you should add in dynasty.

Welbyn Francisca, SS, CLE, 17, DSL

Francisca has stolen the show among rookie league players. He leads all DSL and Complex level hitters with 13 hits, including two doubles, three triples, and a home run. Francisca has walked three times and struck out just twice.

Francisca has a smooth swing from both sides of the plate but does look more natural from the left side. Francisca is one of the players we do have film on, and he just looks so much more mature than any DSL player.

https://twitter.com/CleGuardPro/status/1668393556082409474?s=20

He is way too advanced for DSL pitching right now, but we probably don’t see him move up until after the DSL season ends. The slash line and the film support how good he has performed. He currently has a .542/.607/1.000 slash.

The switch hitter already looks like a top-100 prospect, and I don’t say that about many DSL players. I would add him everywhere in dynasty due to the hype.

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