Speaker 1We have the latest prospect report up next on Fantasy Baseball Today Express. Welcome to FBT Express on Thursday, August 27th. I am Frank Stample, joined by Scott White and the five prospects on the periphery. We have Bo Davidson of the Giants, Jesus Baez of the Cardinals, Brian Rincon of the Phillies, Bryce Meyer of the Astros, and Yostin Pena of the Yankees. Scott, what do you have on these five?
Speaker 2Bo Davidson could have been on five on the verge. That's how good he's been at AAA lately. We talked about him in this section. I think it was early July, I think, and he was killing it at AA. He got moved up to AAA soon after that, struggled for a few weeks, and now he's killing it at AAA. Last 13 games, Bo Davidson's batting 463, six home runs at OPS round five, around 1,500. He had a 451-foot home run the other day. Everything in the profile looks great in terms of quality of contact, plate discipline. It's really just the pull air rate that could stand to be better. But he's obviously producing with what he has, and the Giants don't have much in their lineup right now. He's already 24. I could see him getting the call. It would just be kind of a rush job, given that he hasn't even played 40 games at AAA. But they might decide to do it. It's not outside their own possibility, and I think Bo Davidson's underrated right now. Jesus Baez, not to be confused with Joshua Baez. This Baez is also in the Cardinals organization, and he now has hit more minor league home runs this year than Joshua Baez did. He hit his 35th here on Wednesday. And he's only at AA, Jesus Baez. He's short. He's a shortstop, but not really a shortstop. You know, he's not good enough to stay there defensively. Probably going to wind up at third base. He has the arm for it. So that has suppressed his prospect stock. Also, doesn't have much on-base ability to speak of. But man, he makes loud contact. And if you watch, if you find video online of what some of these home runs for Jesus Baez look like, they are absolute screamers to his pull side. Pull rate is very high. And they get out of the park so fast. I think the power is legitimate for Jesus Baez. Obviously, some flaws in the profile here, but he deserves to be mentioned among the top prospects now that he's introduced himself as a slugger. Brian Ream Cohn, another shortstop prospect for the Phillies. He entered this year almost 800 minor league at-bats. Entered a career 206 hitter. Really just stood out for his defense. That was it. But he has blown up this year. The play discipline has been the most impressive part of Brian Ream Cohn's profile. It was reached at a 405 clip. But he's also a 2020 man now. There's been power, there's been speed, and he still has that terrific defense. So I think he might be the most underappreciated prospect in the game right now. People who know a lot about minor league baseball might see that, okay, he's playing at AA, Redding, which is a very hitter-friendly affiliate. But you look at his home away splits, they're about dead even. So I don't think that's responsible for Ream Cohn's breakout. I think he's just had a breakout. And shortstops who get on pace a lot and play good defense, they're going to go places. I think Brian Ream Cohn's going places. Bryce Meyer, whose name makes me think of the old Crossfire board game and the very elaborate commercial that went along with that. For any child of the 90s, I'm sure remembers it. Bryce Meyer for the Astros has just reached AAA. He's been really impressive over his last eight starts. A 183 ERA, .86 whip, 11.4K per nine, got a 16% swing strike rate, 178 batting average against during that eight-start stretch. And what the key here for Bryce Meyer is the sweeper has a ton of sweep to it. It's like a plus-plus offering. And he also throws, he's got like a low release point that seems to go well with the sweeper and helps to make his fastball better. Bryce Meyer doesn't have like the big velocity we expect from top pitching prospects these days. He gets 93, 94, that kind of range. But with that low release point and great extension combined with his awesome sweeper, Bryce Meyer looks like he could be really effective. One of those Astros prospects who seems to pop up out of nowhere. 24 years old now, he's at AAA. So we can expect to see Bryce Meyer, I think, probably early next year. And then finally, Yostein Pena of the Yankees. 18 years old, spent most of the year in the Dominican Summer League. And I try not to invest too much time in prospects at that level just because they're so far away. Week competition, it's just hard to draw any reliable conclusions. But Yostein Pena's recently moved up to full-season ball, low A Tampa, already has four home runs and 16 games there. His exit velocities are earning him 70 power grades as an 18-year-old. If he makes quick work of A ball, again at low A now, if he advances to high A quickly, ends up reaching AA before his 19th birthday, which seems possible, he's going to soar a prospect rank list. Like, obviously, that's asking a lot to go right, but the tools are in place here for Yostein Pena to make that kind of surge.
Speaker 1All right, let's take a quick break, and we'll be back right after this. Welcome back, FBT Express. And we move on to the five prospects on the verge of getting called up. And number five on this list is Lazaro Montes of the Mariners. Scott, what is the latest on Montes?
Speaker 2The latest is he has really taken to AAA. Adjusted quickly there, having a huge August, 289. The slash line is 289, 379, 663, nine home runs. The strikeout rate's still north of 30%, but I don't think that's ever going to change for Montes. That's just who he is. The average exit velocity, meanwhile, 94.3. The max is 165. 16.3, those are numbers very similar to what Munataka Murakami has done in the majors this year. And Murakami's made it work with an even worse strikeout rate than what Montes is running up there. The Mariners sink him further back in the AL West standings. You know, it's kind of aggressive to promote 21-year-old Montes, who, you know, maybe they'd like to see the strikeout rate improve, but they're in a desperate enough spot that I think they could do it, and they'd have to make room for him. But I don't know that platooning Taylor Ward and Dominic Canzone is the worst idea to get another big bat in the lineup.
Speaker 1Number four on this list is James Tibbs of the Dodgers. Scott, is there any way to get him in the lineup?
Speaker 2I think so. Obviously, the injury to Andy Paz wasn't it, because Tibbs can't play center field, so they had to go with Alec Thomas instead. But now they're starting Alec Thomas in center field, who doesn't bring much with them. He's going to bat. Meanwhile, Mookie Betts has been underwhelming. Kyle Tucker has been underwhelming. Teoscar Hernandez has been underwhelming. The Dodgers lineup is not looking quite so strong heading into the stretch run here. And that may cause them to explore the possibility. I think what would make the most sense is bringing Tibbs up to spell Teoscar Hernandez. Maybe make it a lefty-righty platoon even. Tibbs has been great all year. He got first mentioned in the Five on the Verge way back on April 8th. But he's continued to perform well since then. Last 20 games at AAA, 347 batting average and six home runs. He's definitely ready for an opportunity. It's just finding that opportunity. And the current state of the Dodgers lineup, they may make a way for him.
Speaker 1Number three on this list is Seaver King of the Nationals, who I believe has been getting some revenue. Reps at third base. So that does give him some optionality of where he can play.
Speaker 2Yeah, I don't even think it needs to be third base, though. Obviously, they still haven't done it yet, but C.J. Abrams coming back from an ankle issue, I believe it is. I think the expectation is once he's ready to play the field again, it'll be at second base. And theoretically, that's to give Nassim Nunez a look at shortstop. But Nassim Nunez is a sub-600 OPS. And they have to know he's not the answer there long-term, especially with his middle infield prospects they have coming up. I think Seaver King is going to force the issue here. There was that report a couple weeks ago that it's unlikely to be called up, but within that report, it was unless he forces the issue. And last 15 games for Seaver King at AAA, 431 batting average, eight home runs, five stolen bases. If that's not forcing the issue, I don't know what is. Plate discipline is... suspect but exit velocities expected stats they're in the 80th to 90th percentile so king might just be doing it
Speaker 1number two on this list is ralphie velasquez of the guardians i know he's been blasting a ton of home runs and the guardians could always use more power 14 home runs in august 16 in his past
Speaker 223 games he has the exit velocities to back it up he has a very good pull air rate he is a power hitter ralphie velasquez through and through only 21 hasn't spent long at triple a the chase rate is a little unappealing but yeah the guardians could definitely use some offense they don't have a dedicated dh they just did just acquire nathaniel low at the trade deadline and presumably want to keep giving him at bats it's gone okay so far i guess but they don't have a dedicated dh they've mostly been using that as a way for on hell now to get at bats by spelling different players and shifting the motion over to dh but i don't know that all three of hanal travis bizana and brian rocchio need to be starting every day i think that would be a good way to get velasquez's bat in the lineup and they might consider it as they try to hold on to that third wild card spot and chase down the white socks
Speaker 1and the number one prospect on the verge right now is walker jenkins from the twins who is on fire at triple a and byron buxton is dealing with an injury so yeah
Speaker 2yeah this is the one of the five on the verge walker jenkins that i think is a near certainty because it is the perfect combination of them having a need in the standings trying to stay in the playoff race after there were buyers at the deadline having a need in the lineup with byron buxton dealing with that hip issue and jenkins himself just peaking at the right time as a prospect he's always had good hitter instincts and and plate discipline and good exit velocities but it hadn't translated to big power numbers it has here in august for the month walker jenkins batting 411 with with uh eight home runs in august also seven steals and getting on base a ton he's ready and the twins could use them all right for more extensive fantasy baseball coverage listen
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