The Dynasty Digest: March 5, 2024

Grab a cup of coffee and read Chris Clegg runs down everything you need to know for dynasty leagues from the previous days action.

Cover photo with image Rick Osentoski

After spending the weekend in Florida, I got a full dose of live Spring Training action and have a lot to discuss.

Welcome to the Dynasty Digest! Baseball is back, and so are we, with our daily reports of everything you need to know from the previous days’ action for you to win your dynasty leagues.

Spring Training is always an interesting time, as box score stats don’t necessarily matter, but I am looking for other things of note. Has a pitcher seen an increase in velo or do they have a new pitch that compliments the arsenal well? Has a hitter simplified their approach, or did they post a new max exit velocity? The little things are much more important than box score stats for Spring Training, and we are going to talk about them. Let’s break down Monday’s action.

Spring Training Standouts From March 4

Tarik Skubal, LHP, DET

Another Skubal start, another time featuring him in the digest. Skubal pitched three innings, striking out six batters and not allowing a walk. He did allow one hit, but that base runner did not advance.

Skubal has lived up to all the offseason hype in his spring starts to this point. In 80 innings in 2023, Skubal posted a 2.80 ERA with 102 strikeouts, leaving many ranking Skubal as a top 10 arm for 2024. So far, that rank looks justified.

While we don’t want to look too much into velocity this early, it was the second straight start in which Skubal sat 97.5 and touched 99 mph. This is a good sign that the velocity gains we saw in 2023 stick moving forward, especially considering that velocity is up two ticks from 2023. The fastball also had a major increase in IVB and more horizontal movement.

The changeup showed a strong movement profile, and his slider and curve both looked good, helping him finish the day with 14 whiffs, good for a 64 percent rate.

AJ Smith-Shawver, RHP, ATL

The fastball velocity was up in Smith-Shawver’s first start, but it did not lead to good results as the Phillies hit a couple of home runs. Fast forward to Monday and the results were much better and the velocity gains stuck. Smith-Shawver tossed 2.2 scoreless innings with five strikeouts, one walk, and just one hit allowed.

He led with the fastball, which was sitting at 96.5 mph, up two ticks from last year and also had more ride. The changeup and its usage stuck out to me, as he generated four whiffs on nine swings. It showed four more inches of fade than it did in 2023.

The slider sitting at 88 mph rather than 85 is notable, and he dropped several upper 70s curveballs. The arsenal here is really good, and considering he just turned 21 and did not start pitching until later in his high school career, he is someone who still has all the upside in the world.

Ty Madden, RHP, DET

Madden looked good in his two innings of work, and I think he is one of the more underrated pitching prospects in baseball. Getting the sixth and seventh innings, Madden pitched two scoreless innings with three strikeouts and just one walk.

The fastball sat 96 mph with good life up in the zone, generating four whiffs on nine swings. Madden used the slider 30 percent of the time, also missing bats at a high clip, sitting in the mid-80s with nice depth. The cutter bridged the gap between the slider and fastball well.

In 2023, Madden spent the year in Double-A, where he pitched 118 innings with a 3.43 ERA and 146 strikeouts to 50 walks. He is ready to pitch in the Tigers rotation at some point this year.

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