Tuesday February 28 Dynasty Spring Training Notes
Chris Clegg breaks down all you need to know for dynasty leagues from Tuesday's aciton.
If you missed yesterday’s post, you can check it to here if you want to know more about Caleb Kilian’s increased velo, Brendan Donovan’s new bat and approach, Ke’Bryan Hayes hardest hit home run of his career.
Ricky Tiedemann, LHP, TOR
It would not be a dynasty write-up if we did not mention the performance of one of the top pitching prospects in the game. Ricky Tiedemann hovered just about 90 mph with his velocity coming into his draft year. That increased a bit during his 2021 college season, and then he took a big step forward in the offseason last year. Still, Tiedemann did not show anywhere near the velocity he did on Tuesday.
Was it a small sample? Maybe considering Tiedemann threw 12 pitches. But, it is notable that Tiedemann topped out at 99.4 and averaged 98.3 mph on eight four-seam fastballs. According to Codify, just 25 total pitches were thrown by left-handed starters last season that were 99.4 mph or harder. Julian Merryweather led the Jays last year with an average fastball velocity of 97.3 mph.
Even better, Tiedemann’s changeup flashed being an elite pitch. It produced 35 inches of vertical break and 17 inches of horizontal. Those are characteristics of some of the best changeups in the Majors. Tiedemann’s fastball had 16 inches of run. His slider is also a plus pitch.
Yes, I can ramble all day about Ricky Tiedemann. I have said all offseason I did not think he would make much of a fantasy impact for 2023, but I could be wrong. A contending team like the Jays can’t afford to trot out Yusei Kikuchi every fifth day. Another one of their starters struggled yesterday, and velo was WAY down. We will talk more about that later. Buy Ricky Tiedemann before it is too late.
Corbin Carroll, OF, ARI
Corbin Carroll mashed a double that came off the bat at 109.1 mph. It was the hardest hit ball of his MLB career, but not the hardest hit ball of his professional career. Carroll topped out at 111 mph in the minors and had a 106.2 mph 90th percentile exit velocity last year in the minors.
Don’t doubt the power. Draft Carroll, trade for him, whatever you must do to get him on your teams this offseason. Carroll has legit 20-25 home run pop and is the fastest player in baseball. Oh, I forgot to mention he has elite contact skills and plate discipline. Carroll is a fantasy stud.
Eloy Jimenez, OF, CHW
Eloy feels primed for a massive breakout in 2023. He will be the team’s designated hitter which only helps his health. Outside of a down 2021 season where he was hurt, Eloy hit .295 in 2020 and .295 in 2022. We know he has plenty of power and a 35-home run season with a .300 outcome is a realistic outcome in 2023.
Eloy mashed two baseballs on Tuesday. Both singles, but coming in at 107.1 mph and 109.6 mph. We know Eloy can hit. I’m getting Eloy everywhere I can in both dynasty and redraft, as his value is a bit depressed this offseason.
Kyle Bradish, RHP, BAL
I was already buying Kyle Bradish this offseason after he posted a strong 3.28 ERA in the second half of 2022. Bradish increased his strikeout rate as well. He changed his pitch mix in the second half, which led to the strong performance, and similar pitchers by velocity and movement, according to Baseball Savant, were Corbin Burnes and Zac Gallen.
Bradish came out firing in his first spring start and mixed his four pitches(four-seam, sinker, slider, and curve) equally. Bradish’s four-seam was up 1.2 mph. His slider averaged 88.6 mph, up 1.7 mph from last year, and averaged 129 more rpm of spin. Color me very intrigued. If you want a cheap dynasty pitching target, go get Kyle Bradish.
Edouard Julien, 2B, MIN
Edouard Julien enjoyed a massive breakout in 2022, posting a .300/.441/.490 slash line with 17 home runs and 19 stolen bases. Julien brings a combo of what you wanna see out of a hitting prospect. He has a good feel for the strike zone and makes good zone contact. He had one of the most impressive chase rates I have ever seen, 13 percent. I almost think Julien is too passive. We saw him post good exit velocities last year with a 104.5 mph 90th percentile exit velocity.
Julien blasted two bombs both coming in over 106 mph. I believe in what Edouard Julien brings to the table and think he could earn playing time with the Twins sooner than later.
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