For most of the season, my look into Up-and-Coming Dynasty Players has obviously tended to feature young players who have upside. That said, I have mostly shied away from Top 100 prospects who are now in the majors.
Why? Well, if you are a veteran dynasty player or even new to this level of fantasy baseball, you should know about those players. There is a reason why they are listed as Top 100 prospects – they are expected to be very good.
This week I continue to avoid a top prospect who is now in the majors. But I am taking a left turn when it comes to highlighting a young player. That is because Tyler Fitzgerald is not a young player. Fitzgerald is 26 years old and turns 27 in September.
Tyler Fitzgerald has also never been a Top 100 prospect nor a Top 10 prospect in the San Francisco organization.
So why do I think Fitzgerald is an Up-and-Coming Dynasty Player? Because sometimes players are late bloomers. And sometimes it is imperative to have depth on your team. Fitzgerald fits both of those categories.
The Stats
| SPLIT | G | R | HR | RBI | SB | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| 2023 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 2 | .219 | .265 | .469 |
| 2024 | 54 | 33 | 12 | 24 | 10 | .314 | .375 | .634 |
| April | 15 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 4 | .313 | .353 | .563 |
| May | 9 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .167 | .231 | .208 |
| June | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .429 | .500 | .429 |
| July | 16 | 13 | 8 | 15 | 1 | .321 | .390 | .849 |
| August | 7 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 3 | .367 | .424 | .767 |
Road to the Show
First Stop – Louisville
Tyler Fitzgerald was originally drafted by the Red Sox in the 30th round of the 2016 draft. Wisely, he decided to head to Louisville to improve his skills. In three seasons he helped lead the team to two College World Series appearances.
For his career, he slashed .274/.56/.401 with 11 homers and 100 RBI in 178 games while also showing he could make consistent contact by having only a 18.2% strikeout rate to go with a solid 8.8% walk rate. He also displayed his ability on the basepaths by stealing 45 bases in 53 attempts.
Climbing Through the Minors
The Giants liked what they saw in Tyler Fitzgerald and selected him in the fourth round of the 2019 draft. After signing with the club, he appeared in three different levels in the minors as he started in Rookie ball and finished at Class A. Combined, he pretty much was the same player he was at Louisville.
In 48 games he slashed .276/.359/.395 with one home run, 30 RBI, and six steals with a 19% strikeout rate and 11% walk rate.
With Covid wiping out the 2020 season, Fitzgerald came back in 2021 and was a different hitter at the plate. Looking to hit line drives more than driving the ball out of the park throughout his career, Fitzgerald filled out his 6-foot-3 frame with added muscle and was able to tap into his raw power.
He spent the 2021 season at High-A Eugene and hit 19 homers in 103 games to go with a .262/.342/.495 slash line with 12 stolen bases in 16 attempts. The power increase was nice to see, to say the least. However, with that came a huge increase in strikeouts as he had a 32% strikeout rate.
The 2022 season was spent at Double A Richmond and the season was a mixed bag for Fitzgerald. The power was still there as he hit 21 homers in 125 games, drove in 58 runs, and stole 20 bases in 21 attempts. But his batting average fell to .229 and his strikeout rate jumped to 33%.
Turning Things Around
Last season was the start of Tyler Fitzgerald’s ascent to the majors. After a brief 19 game stretch at Richmond where he slashed .324/.410/.588, he was promoted to Triple-A Sacramento. In 102 games he slashed .287/.358/.499 with 20 homers, 69 RBI and 29 steals. But even better was the fact he reduced his strikeout rate to 24% while maintaining a 9.6% walk rate.
The Giants promoted him to the majors in September and he got to appear in 10 games but did not make a significant impact at the plate.
He started this season with the Giants and had a strong April in the slash line department, but he did have a 35% strikeout rate. In May, his strikeout rate was at 38% with a horrid slash line, leading to a demotion to Triple-A. Fitzgerald didn’t stay at Sacramento for long. In 17 games he slashed .310/.402/.718 with 17 runs scored, eight home runs, 21 RBI, and a stolen base.
The Giants recalled Fitzgerald and he has been hitting ever since, as you can see in the table above. But the better news may be the fact the strikeouts are decreasing, if ever so slightly. In a limited sample size in June it was 13%, followed by 29% in July. It’s currently at 24% this month entering Friday night. Those aren’t great strikeout rates, but they are better than what they were in April and May.
While the strikeout rate is decreasing, the home run rate has not. After hitting eight in July, he has added three more in his first seven games this month. I think we will all take the strikeouts if it comes with the home run and RBI production Fitzgerald is producing. Add in the fact that he has 10 steals this year and that is an added bonus.
The VersatilityTyler Fitzgerald
What makes Tyler Fitzgerald so intriguing as a dynasty player is the fact that he can play multiple positions. He has primarily played shortstop this year, appearing in 30 games and making 26 starts there. But he has also appeared in eight games in center field, six at second base, three in left field, and two at first base. He has even made three appearances as a pitcher, allowing three runs on six hits in three innings of work.
No, he is not the next Shohei Ohtani, but it shows the athleticism Fitzgerald has.
When looking for depth for my dynasty teams, I want players who can play multiple positions as finding players off the waiver wire to fill in for an injured player in deep leagues can be a waste of time. In Yahoo and ESPN leagues, Fitzgerald can already slot in at shortstop and center field. A few more appearances or starts at second and in left will lead to eligibility there. Assuming he gets those appearances/starts, that gives you a player who can fill in at four different positions.
The Future
Looking ahead, I don’t see Tyler Fitzgerald remaining as red-hot at the plate as he is now. His career batting average in college was .274 and in the minors it is .265. With the Giants, including his cup of coffee last year, it is .297. He is not a bad hitter, but he has never been a .300 hitter. I see him settling in somewhere in the .270 range.
But there are two areas where I continue to see him have success – home runs and stolen bases.
Fitzgerald has been increasing his home run rate since 2021 and has carried that over into the majors. His Barrel% of 12.5% is way above the MLB average of 7%, making up for the fact that his average EV is basically the MLB average and his Hard Hit% is below average. That leads me to believe he will level off when it comes to this power surge, but he is certainly good enough for 20 to 25 homers per season if he continues to get regular playing time.
Then there is his speed. His sprint speed of 30.1 ft/sec ranks in the 99th percentile. He is 10-for-12 in stolen base attempts this season and in the minors he had an 86.5% success rate.
A player with power and speed is always a player I want on my team and is a player you should want on your team.
