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Fantasy Baseball: Prospect Watch

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Last week was waiver wire madness as numerous prospects got the call including Austin Riley, Brendan Rodgers, Keston Hiura and Nicky Lopez. Many, if not all of these guys are probably gone in your league but it is worth checking to see if any of them are still floating around your league’s waiver wire. With these players now called up you might be wondering who is worth a stash. If you’re in a dynasty league the clear frontrunners are Wander Franco, Casey Mize, Luis Robert, Bo Bichette and Jo Addell, but many of them likely won’t join their respective teams until 2020. Below are the prospects most likely to be called up in 2019 and have the most redraft value.

Yordan Alvarez

Yordan Alvarez has been crushing the ball this year batting .400 with 18 HR and 55 RBI and is leading the AAA Pacific Coast League in almost every offensive metric. Meanwhile, Tyler White has been a severe detriment to his team batting .233 on the year and .176 with runners in scoring position. Things looked to get better for White on Monday, hitting his first HR of the year (after switching to an axe handle bat) but was then benched on Tuesday. Coincidentally, so was Alvarez. It could be nothing, it could be the beginning of a call-up. Regardless, Alvarez’s time in the Majors is nearing ever closer.

Kyle Tucker

Another Astros prospect who is forcing their hand, Kyle Tucker is batting .346 with 10 HR the last month after a rough start to the season. George Springer has missed the last two games with lower back stiffness but is expected to avoid an IL trip after the MRI came back negative, but should anything change between now and then, Tucker will immediately be added to the shortlist of waiver wire adds.

Jesus Luzardo

After being on the shelf for the last two months with a left shoulder strain, Luzardo began throwing bullpen sessions last Tuesday and is expected to face live hitters on Saturday. All signs point to the left-hander beginning his rehab at Triple-A Las Vegas by the end of the month and should be added to the Athletics rotation by the All-Star Break. Luzardo, who is the Athletics #1 prospect, was expected to make the Opening Day roster before the injury and has a ton of upside when healthy.

Cavan Biggio

Vlad Jr. isn’t the only prospect in the Blue Jays organization who is the son of a Hall-of-Famer. Cavan Biggio, son of Craig Biggio, has been making his presence felt for the Buffalo Bisons. He is currently slashing .315/.438/.523 and leads the team in batting average, runs, HR and RBI. What may be even more impressive though is his 28 BB/24 K ratio. Biggio, who predominantly plays second base, has also been taking reps in the outfield and has played five different positions now this season. With the Blue Jays being in full rebuild mode its only a matter of time before he gets the big league call.

Zac Gallen

Zac Gallen finally had his first poor start of the year on Sunday, but still sports a 1.79 ERA with 74 strikeouts in 60.1 innings. It was only his second start of the year where he’s allowed more than two hits in a game. Gallen doesn’t have an eye-popping fastball, reaching in the low 90’s, but he pairs it well with a deceptive cutter and effective curveball. There isn’t a current path to the Marlins rotation as of now, with Miami running out the same staff since Opening Day, but it is very likely that we see the Marlins make a move before the deadline that opens a spot for Gallen in the rotation. Another Miami prospect to keep an eye on is Monte Harrison, who could be called up as early as August.

 

Photo Credit: Rich Guill/Quad Cities River Bandits

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