There’s a lot going on right now. With the trade deadline on the horizon, it’s the perfect time for dynasty baseball managers to take a closer look at several hitters and pitchers who closed the first half on a high note and could see their long-term stock continue to skyrocket in the second half.
Midseason X-Factors in Dynasty Leagues
Lawrence Butler, OF, Athletics
There’s never been much debate from dynasty managers regarding Butler’s natural athleticism and power/speed combination during his ascent to the big leagues. However, omnipresent contact issues at the highest level have limited his ability to make a significant impact as he’s struck out nearly 30 percent of the time in 106 games in the big leagues since arriving in the majors last August. The 24-year-old outfielder compiled a calamitous .179/.281/.274 triple-slash line with two homers and three steals in 121 plate appearances to open the year, which earned him a mid-May demotion to Triple-A Las Vegas. However, he showed enough in a few weeks in the minors to earn another shot in Oakland a couple of weeks ago.
He’s put himself back on mixed-league radar screens with a sizzling-hot stretch over the last few weeks, batting .317 (13-for-41) with seven homers and two steals in 12 games dating back to the start of July. He put together the best performance of his career during Oakland’s first-half finale, launching three homers in a blowout victory over the Phillies. Given his contact issues, which don’t appear to be going anywhere, he projects as the type of polarizing power/speed combo outfielder prone to white-hot stretches and ice-cold spells over the course of his career. There’s such a wide range of outcomes here, but his raw talent and recent hot streak is enough to put him into the top-75 range among dynasty outfielders coming out of the All-Star break. There’s a decent shot he finished as a borderline top-50 dynasty outfielder if he’s able to sustain his recent hot streak.
Rece Hinds, OF, Reds
Hinds’ long-term dynasty stock has skyrocketed during the closing moments of the first half as he’s batted an astronomical .423 (11-for-26) with five homers, 11 RBI, and two stolen bases in seven games since arriving last week in Cincinnati. The lackluster pitching staffs he’s faced so far in the Rockies and Marlins, respectively, are probably the biggest contributing factor to his surreal hot streak. However, the 23-year-old’s stratospheric over-the-fence pop has never been in doubt, but he’s struck out nearly 40 percent of the time in the upper minors over the last two years, which calls into question whether he’ll make enough contact to survive long-term at the highest level.
The minor league numbers earlier this season at Triple-A Louisville, which weren’t pretty, portend some looming regression, Yet, there’s enough thunder in his powerful bat to think he can make an impact for fantasy baseball managers, especially in dynasty leagues. The contact issues amplify the long-term risk, but Hinds is at least worthy of a speculative gamble given what we’ve seen so far. He’s a borderline too-75 dynasty outfielder coming out of the Midsummer Classic.
River Ryan, P, Dodgers
The Dodgers have been extremely cautious in ramping up Ryan’s workload this season in the upper minors after the top pitching prospect missed two months to open the year due to a shoulder injury. The 25-year-old righty showed some promise last year with a strong 3.80 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, and 110/46 K/BB ratio across 104 1/3 innings (26 appearances, 24 starts) between Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A Oklahoma City.
Los Angeles’ starting rotation depth has been decimated by injuries and ineffectiveness over the last few months, which has led to Ryan getting a shot in the majors following the Midsummer Classic. He’s a massive wild card for fantasy managers in the second half, but he’s shown an ability to consistently miss bats in the upper minors, which gives him a shot at immediate relevance. He’s a worthwhile trade target for dynasty managers in the event that he excels immediately upon arrival for the Dodgers and his long-term stock skyrockets in the coming weeks.
Yilber Diaz, P, Diamondbacks
Diaz made the leap to the majors earlier this month for Arizona, following just 15 career starts in the upper minors, and has proceeded to allow only two runs on eight hits with a 7/3 K/BB ratio across 12 innings in a pair of starts. The unheralded 23-year-old right-hander’s fastball/slider combination has been really impressive so far, which inspires some confidence that he’ll experience an uptick in strikeouts moving forward, especially since he posted a 30 percent strikeout rate in the upper minors.
There’s going to be a roster crunch at some point with veterans Jordan Montgomery (knee), Merrill Kelly (shoulder), and Eduardo Rodriguez (lat) set to return in the coming weeks. However, there’s a strong possibility the Diamondbacks will give him an extended opportunity over back-end rotation options like Slade Cecconi and Ryne Nelson. He doesn’t project as a future fantasy ace, but he has a shot to emerge as a quality back-end fantasy rotation stabilizer
Brandon Sproat, P, Mets
We could spend an eternity documenting the fascinating fantasy storylines from last weekend’s All-Star Futures Game at Globe Life Field, but Sproat was probably the biggest standout from a dynasty perspective as he showed exactly why he’s compiled a dominant 1.71 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, and 85/28 K/BB ratio across 73 2/3 innings (14 appearances, 13 starts) this season between High-A Brooklyn and Double-A Binghamton. The 23-year-old right-hander, who was a second-round selection in the 2023 MLB Draft, threw the two hardest pitches of the entire prospect showcase, touching 99.2 mph with a pair of heaters in a scoreless third inning. He’s still a hyperspace jump away from arriving in the big leagues, but he could potentially finish the year as a top-10 overall pitching prospect.