MLB Dynasty Report: Before They Were Stars

Before They Were Stars

or at the very least, known

Each week I will bring you 3 Players who are having success in the minors and are on the verge of becoming desired Dynasty assets. While some may already be owned in your leagues, I am concentrating on guys who should be available at a low cost – whether as outright Free Agents, or players you can trade for. This is designed for the deeper Dynasty owner (think 200+ minor leaguers rostered), but at the very least can be used to introduce you to guys you should be starting to monitor. Don’t forget to watch The Baseball Show LIVE, every Tuesday night at 9 pm est, with myself and Ralph Lifshitz – on the Fantrax YouTube channel!

Samir Duenez, 1B

• Northwest Arkansas Naturals – Double A
• Affiliation: Kansas City Royals
• Age: 20 (6/11/1996)

[the_ad id=”384″]While the left-handed swinging First Baseman has cooled over his last 10 games, he is still batting .301 on the season and is tied for the Texas League lead with 27 RBI. Duenez rose three levels through the Royals system in 2016 to Double-A, and has started the year back at Northwest Arkansas to expand on the 54 At Bats he finished off last season with. His power is starting to develop, as he is currently on pace to finish the year with 30 Home Runs, which would more than double his previous season high of 13. He has maintained an acceptable K rate that hovers around 20% (14% career) and has shown the willingness at a young age to draw walks, averaging just under 7% in his five years. Duenez does not have any major road blocks at 1B in the Royals system, other than the incumbent Eric Hosmer. He is a player who is starting to scratch the surface of Top 100 lists and is a name you will surely be hearing about in the near future

Ryan Mountcastle, SS

• Frederick Keys – Class A Advanced
• Affiliation: Baltimore Orioles
• Age: 20 (2/18/1997)

[the_ad id=”693″]The 2015 First Round selection of the Orioles has acquitted himself quite well in his brief time as a professional ball player, averaging .291 through 4 levels. Additionally, he has shown good power, with the ability for more, and has chiseled away at his already manageable K rate. He does not offer much in steals, but the all around game is a solid one. The O’s have him pegged as their future Shortstop, and he is living up to that billing out of the gate. The fact he is flying under the radar speaks to the volume of depth currently at the position throughout the majors. Yet, you can never have enough arrows in your quiver as a Dynasty owner, and Shortstop is a position to load up on. It is not anticipated he sticks at the position, but he has remained there to this point, and his bat has played at every level. It is conceivable he will receive a promotion to Double-A in the second half of this season, at which point he will certainly start to be added everywhere. You can get him before that happens.

Zac Gallen, RHP

• Palm Beach Cardinals – Class A Advanced
• Affiliation: St. Louis Cardinals
• Age: 21 (8/3/1995)

Gallen is perhaps my favorite under the radar young arm, and quite honestly, there is nothing overly flashy about him. He is just a good pitcher. He went the college route, pitching for the University of North Carolina for three years, and just continues to improve the more he takes the mound. The scouting report will tell you he has a four pitch offering, sits low 90’s, and maxes out around 94 mph, which again doesn’t sound like anything flashy. However, the report will also tell you he is an incredibly athletic pitcher, with excellent control, who uses the whole plate, and mixes his arsenal well. It is the second part of that breakdown that has me so giddy about the results to date. Going back to college, he has never had a BB rate above 2%, and despite the pedestrian radar readings, he strikes out batters at an astounding 11+ K/9 rate (to date). Is the sample size limited? Yes. He has now thrown a total of 38.2 innings in his brief career. But the fact the Cardinals promoted him from Rookie-level to full season A+ is a sign they believe he is the real deal. And because he was a three-year college guy with 260 IP under his belt, he could and should move quickly through the system. The Cardinals have a great track record of developing their pitchers, and Gallen is on the way to becoming a part of their future rotation. His next start is scheduled for Wednesday, May 10^th (11:05 am) against the Fort Myers Miracle (Twins), where he will look to add to his impressive start to 2017.