Athletics SS Jacob Wilson’s major league debut ended after just one at bat thanks to a hamstring injury that sent him to the injured list for about two months. He’s back up with Oakland now, singling and scoring a run in his return. He’s a curious piece for our game: a plus hitter without the extreme speed or power we love to see in a prospect. One huge plus: his glove at shortstop buys him lineup real estate even if he’s not hitting, and so far he’s been hitting everywhere he’s been as a professional. When Oakland plays in a kinder run-scoring environment over the next few years, Wilson will be their shortstop and potentially their leadoff hitter. In case it’s not clear at this point, I find him difficult to evaluate for dynasty purposes, but I’m more optimistic than pessimistic.
Brewers RHP Jacob Misiorowski (AAA) has battled command issues throughout his young career and might face that battle for years given the difficulty in repeating his gangly 6’7” delivery. Rather than wait around and see if Misiorowski can figure that out enough to start, the Brewers are moving him to the bullpen in hopes he might be able to help them out in the postseason. Could be they’ll just move him back to starting over the off-season, but if he’s dominant enough in relief, he might just be left in the pen for the foreseeable future. Closer Devin Williams is a free agent after next season. Setup man Trevor Megill is eligible for arbitration next season but remains under team control through 2027.
One nice thing about being a White Sox prospect right now is that you’ll probably get a chance to prove yourself in the majors at some point. Typically a free swinger with power throughout his minor league career, OF Wilfred Veras (21, AA) has taken a more patient approach at the plate of late, and the results have been encouraging. In his last 18 games, his walk rate is 12.3 percent, his strikeout rate is 17.3 percent and his slash line is .329/.420/.500 with three home runs and four stolen bases. His season-long walk rate is 5.9, which is in line with his approach throughout his career (4.9, 5.0, 6.3, 6.2 dating back to 2022), so it’s anybody’s guess whether he can sustain this newfound patience. If it does, his power (14 HR this year in 111 games) and speed (22 SB) should make him an intriguing fantasy option, especially considering he’ll be pretty much free in every league.
Giants 1B Bryce Eldridge (19, A+) is making a push for consensus Top 25 prospect status heading into the off-season. In 42 High-A games, he’s slashing .307/.421/.503 with seven home runs and three steals. His 16.3 percent walk rate and 24.7 percent strikeout rate are incredibly exciting numbers for a 6’7” high-school draftee with 80-grade power.
Development is not linear. Nor is it uniform across types. Since signing a big contract ($3 million was the bonus) as a 17-year-old, Cubs SS Cristian Hernandez (20, A+) hasn’t always looked great as a minor leaguer, but here he is posting a .442 OBP in a league where he’s 2.2 years younger than the average player. It’s only been 12 games, but Hernandez had a .380 OBP through 94 Low-A games before his promotion, so it’s starting to look like a trademark skill in his profile. He also has 41 steals in those 106 games across two levels. He’s been caught just six times. I missed the pick-up window in a couple leagues where he’d been dropped. Here’s hoping this missive reaches you in time to avoid the same fate.
Phillies 1B Keaton Anthony (23, A+) probably isn’t someone you have to rush out and get in most leagues because he’s a medium power right-right corner bat, but the longer he posts plus outcomes, the more likely he is to get a chance to keep hitting in the city of brotherly love. In 103 pro games across three levels in two years, Anthony’s slashing .327/.426/.464 with just 66 strikeouts and 52 walks. He’s not geared for power and has just nine professional home runs so far, but it wouldn’t take much improvement in that area to make him a dude. It would take some serious reworking from the ground up because he doesn’t incorporate his base to generate power, but we’ve seen players make this trade off before.
Sorry if I’m slow in the comments or hard to read in the sentences today. I’m getting crushed by a nasty case of Covid. My wife had it this weekend, and my daughter’s home from school with it today. Keep your head on a swivel, dear reader. The Vid is bringing some Eldritch vengeance of its own.
Thanks for reading!
