The Dynasty Digest: September 11, 2024

Chris breaks down the top performers from Tuesdays action.

It is Single-A playoff time, and Double-A ball has just a week left! While many are checking out, being in tune with the top performers and getting them on your roster before the offseason is huge. Today’s digest features some top prospects but also some afterthoughts that may be popping off.

MiLB Pitchers

Bubba Chandler, RHP, PIT, 21, AAA

Chandler took a perfect game deep into the sixth inning when he allowed a single to Stone Garrett before walking two batter. He ended the day with ten strikeouts across six scoreless innings with one hit and two walks. Chandler generated 18 whiffs on 44 swings and added 11 called strikes for a 33 percent CSW. In addition, he landed 63 percent of pitches for strikes. The performance shows the elite upside that Chandler brings to the table.

From an arsenal standpoint, Chandler is highly impressive, featuring a fastball that routinely sits 97-98 mph with 18 inches of IVB and ten or more inches of run. He pairs it with a changeup that tunnels well off the fastball and has nice fading action, sitting in the upper 80s. In this start the changeup registered up to 19 inches of fade.

The slider could end up being a 70-grade pitch if he harnesses the command of it some, as it sits anywhere from 87-90 with nice sweeping action. The stuff is undeniable here.

Chandler looks like one of the best pitching prospects in baseball. Since the start of June, Chandler has a 2.21 ERA across 85.2 innings with 107 strikeouts and just 19 walks. He has thrown strikes at a 66 percent clip, which is easily the best mark of his career.

Does Chandler make a start with the Pirates this year? I would not rule it out.

Mason Barnett, RHP, OAK, 23, AA

I liked Barnett a lot entering the 2023 season. The 2022 third-rounder had a solid season in 2023 between High-A and Double-A. Barnett tossed 114.2 innings pitched with a 3.30 ERA and 137 strikeouts to 50 walks. After heading back to Double-A, Barnett really struggled, posting a 4.91 ERA in 91.2 innings with Kansas City. He was then shipped to Oakland in the Lucas Erceg deal and has looked great since.

Another strong start on Tuesday saw Barnett tossed seven scoreless innings with nine strikeouts. Barnett did issue three walks but landed 61 of his 100 pitches for strikes. He generated an impressive 19 whiffs which helped lead to the nine strikeouts.

After the start, Barnett now has a 2.62 ERA with Oakland in 41.1 innings, which includes a six-earned run blowup. He has struck out nine batters or more in four of his last five starts.

Barnett leads the way with his mid-90s fastball that nearly reaches triple-digits when at its best. When he locates it up, he misses bats, but the command could be more consistent with it.

The slider sits 85-87 mph, which is sometimes inconsistent with shape, but when he snaps it off well, he gets a ton of swing and miss and chase out of the zone. The pitch needs to find more consistent command and shape, but if he can, the pitch has plus potential.

The slider can sometimes blend into his curve in shape, which sits in the low-80s, touching 83 mph. When it’s at its best, Barnett generates a strong 12-6 shape with a ton of downward action. He rounds out his arsenal with an 86-87 mph changeup that is thrown mostly to left-handed batters, fading it away from them. 

Quinn Priester, RHP, BOS, 23, AAA

After tossing six scoreless innings with eight strikeouts in his last outing, Priester turned in four strong innings with seven strikeouts and just one walk. The Red Sox have changed Priester’s pitch mix ever so slightly, which is probably for the best, having him throw his changeup more and his four-seam fastball less. In the start on Tuesday, Priester led with his slider and threw just ten four-seam fastballs.

The slider has shown flashes of being a really strong offering. Last night it generated seven of Priester’s 14 whiffs. Six more came on the changeup.

Adding a strong curveball, it looks like Priester has a strong five pitches in three secondaries and two fastballs.

Priester seems like a good buy in deeper dynasty leagues. While he may not blossom into a high-end arm, he could be a solid backend starting pitcher as early as next year.

Spencer Giesting, LHP, ARI, 23, AA

After starting out the year very strong and looking like a potential breakout, Giesting faltered a bit in July. But as of recently, he has really picked things up. After seven innings of one-run ball with seven strikeouts on Tuesday, Giesting has now turned in four straight starts with seven strikeouts or more. The start lowered his season-long ERA to 3.41 across an impressive 137.1 innings.

Giesting generated just an impressive 20 whiffs to pair with 12 more called strikes, good for a 33 percent CSW. He landed 64 of his 96 pitches for strikes and has shown he can continually pitch deep into games.

The 11th-rounder out of UNC Charlotte has a fastball that sits in the low 90s, which is consistently higher than it was last season. The cutter has been a huge addition to his arsenal, especially the lower velocity sinker and four-seam mix.

The curveball shows ridiculous spin, consistently north of 2700 rpm with up to -18 inches of IVB and nice horizontal movement, sitting 77 to 80 mph. The slider sits just higher in velo in the 80-82 mph range with less depth in the -1 to -4 IVB range and lots of sweep.

While it is not a flashy profile, Giesting has a durable starter frame and has thrown strikes at a 64 percent rate this year while having an above-average swinging strike rate and CSW at 14 percent and 30.5 percent, respectively.

Yoniel Curet, RHP, TB, 21, AA

After coming off starts of six and seven earned runs in late May/early June, Curet has looked dominant. In fact, since June 11, Curet has allowed a total of nine earned runs in 73.2 innings, good for a 1.10 ERA with 106 strikeouts to 29 walks. The promotion to Double-A does not seem to have phased him either as he has a 1.75 ERA with 37 strikeouts in 25.2 innings.

Sure, there are starts where the walks get out of hand. After walking 17 percent of batters faced last year, that number has come down below 12 percent. While not great, his strike rate is actually close to average so it is something to watch. Since the June 11 mark, the walk rate is under ten percentage points.

His fastball sits 95-98 mph with 17 inches of IVB on average and 12 inches of run. His slider sits 85-88 mph with a late break, up to 9 inches of the sweep. The changeup is a pitch he has really developed this year, sitting 86-89 mph with 18-21 inches of fade.

MiLB Hitters

Cole Young, SS, SEA, 21, AA

I dropped Cole Young pretty significantly in my rankings in the last update given the lack of power and poor quality of contact we had seen. Earlier in the season, we saw Young pop a 110 EV which stood out in a big way as the power potential that he might get to given he was 20 years old at the time.

Young has long been a contact-oriented hitter who has posted strong marks all year. Considering he has been 20/21 years old in Double-A, the 83 percent contact rate with an extremely low chase rate, Young profiles as a plus hit and plus plate discipline profile. He has struck out in just 16 percent of plate appearances, leading to a .272/.367/.393 slash.

Young collected four hits on Tuesday and drove in three runs, checking in as one of the top performers of the day. I have said a lot of good things about Young so why did I drop him in my rankings?

I worry about Young’s ability to lift the ball in the air. It is a lower pull percentage and it is not great when you look at just balls in the air. The bat speed is not quite there and the exit velocities in general have not been great. Could he grow into more power? Sure. But right now I think Young projects as a 7-10 home runs bat.

Enrique Bradfield Jr., OF, BAL, 22, AA

Bradfield had a combo meal on Tuesday, hitting his first Double-A home run and swiping his 71st stolen base of the year. Having one of the stronger contact profiles in the minors, Bradfield has posted an 86 percent overall mark that has led to a 15 percent strikeout rate. He has been even better in 100 plate appearances in Double-A Bowie, and between two levels this year, Bradfield has a .271/.354/.374 slash.

The power is going to be a major question mark, and I would not expect more than a five-home-run type hitter long-term. The good news is Bradfield plays an elite centerfield defense and has true 80 grade speed. He has the type of floor that could allow him to move quickly and be in Baltimore by mid-season 2025.

While the fantasy profile is not super attractive given the lack of power, Bradfield will play well in a points league given the low chase/high OBP profile, and even in a roto league, the stolen base alone should be very attractive.

Gino Groover, 3B, ARI, 22, AA

After missing over three months with a wrist injury, the Diamondbacks 2023 second-round pick has been quite good since returning, and the promotion to Double-A has not caused him to miss a beat. Groover mashed his sixth home run in his last 12 games, to bring his total to nine on the year in 56 games. On the year he has 21 extra-base hits while slashing .278/.369/.469 and has nearly as many walks as strikeouts.

Groover had a highly impressive college career at NC State where he posted a slash of .349/.435/.555 with 24 home runs in 114 games. From an analytics standpoint, Groover posted a 92 mph average exit velocity and a 108 mph 90th percentile, both of which are high-end for college standards. While the numbers fell off hard in pro ball initially, you have to wonder if he was dealing with that wrist injury for longer than we know.

Since returning from injury post All-Star break, Groover has a highly impressive 84 percent contact. He puts a ton of balls in plays and puts them on ideal angles. The problem is the exit velocity data has not been great this year, with his 90th percentile being below average.

The stock has fallen, and I am guilty of dropping him pretty hard in my rankings, so the cost of acquisition is low. It may be time to take a shot on him.

Kyle Teel, C, BOS, 22, AAA

Teel has quietly put together a very strong season in Double-A and Triple-A, slashing .283/.378/.434 with 13 home runs, 22 doubles, and 11 stolen bases. Being a strong athlete behind the plate, Teel has quick pop times and has thrown runners out at a 21 percent clip this year.

While it is not a super sexy batted-ball profile, Teel does exhibit skills that should make him a solid fantasy asset for a long time. He has run a contact rate near 75 percent this year and rarely chases out of the zone.

Teel collected three hits as part of a doubleheader on Tuesday, two singles, and a home run that left the bat at 105 mph and traveled 410 feet. He could break camp in 2025 with the team, but a May debut feels more likely.