The Dynasty Digest: July 21, 2023

Chris Clegg runs down everything you need to know from Thursday's action for dynasty leagues.

Samuel Zavala, OF, SD, 19, A

Zavala has been heating up at the plate over the last couple of weeks, but Thursday night was his best performance of the year as he mashed two home runs and had three hits while also stealing two bases.

He started the season slowly and showed a ton of swing and miss, but since June 1, Zavala is slashing .281/.424/.484 with five home runs and eleven stolen bases. Through the end of May, Zavala’s contact rate sat at 66 percent; since June 1, that number has jumped to 71 percent and has continually improved to 77 percent since July 1. There are very intriguing power and speed tools here but the question has always been surrounding the hit tool. If the contact continues to trend in the right direction, Zavala could be in for a huge breakout.

Nick Nastrini, RHP, LAD, 23, AA

When Nastrini is on, he is a blast to watch, and Thursday was one of those nights in which he struck out eight batters over 5.1 innings. He did allow eight hits, which turned into two earned runs, but Nastrini limited walks to just two batters. The start lowered Nastrini’s ERA to 3.89 across 69 innings this season.

With a workhorse frame at 6’3”/215 lb, Nastrini pumps a mid-90s fastball that touches 98 with nice ride at the top of the zone. Some have labeled the pitch as a 70 grade. He pairs that pitch with a slider as his best secondary but has recently added a curveball as well. If he can harness his command, Nastrini has a chance to be a very solid starting pitcher.

David Festa, RHP, MIN, 23, AA

We suggested buying David Festa during the All-Star break after he showed off his impressive arsenal in the Futures Game. We discussed how Festa was one of the more unlucky pitchers and has a strong chance to rebound in the second half. So far, so good as Festa has thrown five scoreless innings with nine strikeouts and one walk since the All-Star break.

Festa’s fastball tops out at 98 mph with a ton of ride-up in the zone. His slider sits in the upper 80s with a ton of depth, while the changeup had up to 15 inches of arm-side run. This is an impressive arsenal that you should be in on.

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