| | | | Wednesday, August 16, 2023 | | If you were inclined to buy back into Jack Flaherty with his move to the Orioles, he made you a sucker Tuesday, allowing seven earned runs while walking four over three innings at the Padres. His first couple of starts with his new club were OK, but there's little indication that anything else has changed for him. As when he was with the Cardinals, the highs aren't high enough to justify the lows, and we should probably just move on now. | | I'm more inclined to wait out Cristian Javier, whose successes are in the less-distant past. Just this year, he had a 3.07 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 9.8 K/9 after 10 starts, with a 14 percent swinging-strike rate that compared favorably to last year, but then it's like he forgot how to miss bats. There had been signs of him coming around lately, with the whiffs returning but the walks remaining too high. Tuesday's effort at the Marlins was a misstep in every way, but it's still reasonable to think everything could click back into place suddenly. | | | | If Marcell Ozuna is still available in your league, as is true in roughly one-third of CBS Sports leagues, you have to wonder what's going on there. With another home run Tuesday, he's batting .275 (86 for 313) with 22 homers, 58 RBI, 50 runs and an .874 OPS since the start of May. That's over 85 games, so you can basically double it to get his 162-game pace. And what a pace it is. | | Tuesday brought the news of Shane McClanahan indeed needing Tommy John surgery, which was pretty easy to read between the lines but now has a certain finality to it. The Rays had already ruled him out for the rest of 2023, but now it's unlikely we'll see him until 2025. | | In unrelated Rays news, Jonathan Aranda is back in the majors, and I've come to believe the sky's the limit for him, judging by his minor-league numbers. | | Let's talk more about Aranda and some of the other prospects you need to get on your radar: | | And the surface-level stats, for the incredible story they tell, don't tell the whole story. He just wrapped up a four-game stretch in which he hit .529 (9 for 17) with five home runs. It continued a 53-game stretch in which he hit .391 (81 for 207) with 18 home runs. "Ah, you say, but isn't that in the minor leagues, with their Chuck E. Cheese ballparks and whack-a-mole pitchers?" Well, to those with a more sophisticated palate, allow me to point out his 92.3 mph average exit velocity, which is comparable to Austin Riley . Allow me to point out his 113 mph max exit velocity, which is comparable to Corey Seager. Allow me to point out his 14.7 percent walk rate and 20.0 percent strikeout rate, which are comparable to Lars Nootbaar. (Wait, Nootbaar? Is that so impressive? For a player with Riley's and Seager's exit velocities, it is!) | | | | And that, as in all of that, is why I struggle to put limitations on Aranda as a hitter. He won't steal bases, I guess, but nobody will care if he does all that other stuff. | | Here, though, is why we're not turning cartwheels, sliding down banisters and swinging from chandeliers: he was already up this year. He was up last year, even. And you know what? It didn't amount to much. | | The Rays, man ... they hate us. Amid their myriad lineup changes, their excessive platoons and their steadfast refusal to adhere to any of the pitching conventions around which our game is designed, there's no clearer evidence of their disdain for Fantasy Baseballers than the fact they've left Aranda to stew in the minors at age 25, never giving him honest chance until ... what, now? | | Well, he wasn't in the lineup Tuesday -- against a right-hander, I might add. The Rays don't really need him at first or second base, and those are the only positions he plays. His defensive limitations are part of the reason he's been passed over for so long, but where there's a DH spot, there's hope. I don't trust this organization to have his or our best interests in mind, but I do want to grab Aranda anywhere I can just in case. | | Because the sky, I repeat, is the limit. | | Five on the verge | | (These are the prospects most worth stashing in redraft leagues.) | Michael Busch, 2B, Dodgers
| 2022 minors: .274 BA (552 AB), 32 HR, .881 OPS, 74 BB, 167 K
2023 minors: .321 BA (336 AB), 23 HR, 1.042 OPS, 59 BB, 78 K | | Perhaps Busch can follow Aranda back to the majors. They've been joined at the hip as 25-year-olds who've gotten only cursory glances in the majors despite straight-up murdering minor-league pitching. As with Aranda, defensive limitations likely have something to do with it -- Busch isn't a great fit at either second or third base -- and perhaps it says something that the Dodgers have started giving him looks in left field. But in the end, hitters are there to hit, and he's done that better than ever since his last stint with the big club, batting .331 (53 for 160) with 16 homers and a 1.124 OPS in just 38 games. His exit velocity readings are exceptional, his on-base skills inimitable. Whenever his chance does come, good things are likely to result from it. | | Edward Cabrera, SP, Marlins | 2023 majors: 5-6, 4.79 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, 77 IP, 52 BB, 93 K
2023 minors: 2-0, 1.50 ERA, 0.67 WHIP, 12 IP, 3 BB, 13 K
| | One of the rules of my Prospects Report is that I'm happy to discard the rules whenever it suits my purpose. The spirit of my Five on the Verge is to highlight players who may be worth stashing even while they're out of sight and out of mind, which sometimes means a minor-leaguer who hasn't technically been a prospect in a couple years. That's the case for Cabrera, who struck out 10 over six one-hit innings in his latest start for Triple-A Jacksonville. We already know what he's capable of doing for Fantasy. He had a 12-strikeout effort in the majors this year. He had a 10-strikeout effort in the majors this year. He had way too many walks in between. So far, he's walked just three in 12 innings for Jacksonville, throwing 66 percent of his pitches for strikes, which could get him back to the majors in short order. | | "When you're watching him, he's commanding all of his pitches again, which is what we're looking for," manager Skip Schumaker said. "Hopefully he continues to do that. If he continues to do that and knock the door down, he'll come back up." | | There isn't a single pitching prospect right now who's prepared to make the sort of impact Cabrera could, nor is there one who has as easy of a path to the majors. So if you're going to stash any minor-league pitcher right now, he's the one. | Masyn Winn, SS, Cardinals
| 2022 minors: .283 BA (474 AB), 12 HR, 43 SB, .832 OPS, 63 BB, 115 K
2023 minors: .284 BA (437 AB), 17 HR, 17 SB, .823 OPS, 43 BB, 81 K | | Winn is back from the mild glute strain that cost him just a handful of games, as expected, and back on the path to getting a September call-up as the Cardinals evaluate their personnel for 2024. Why wait until then? They want to keep his rookie status intact for next year. If he's on the roster from start to finish and places high enough in Rookie of the Year voting, it could score the team an extra draft pick. Them's the rules as of the latest CBA. | | Power has always been the most questionable part of Winn's skill set, but nine of his home runs have come in his past 26 games, during which he's batted .352 (37 for 105). I said last week that I thought he could bring Randy Arozarena-like production to the shortstop position, and I'm sticking with that assessment. | Ceddanne Rafaela, OF, Red Sox
| 2022 minors: .299 BA (481 AB), 21 HR, 28 SB, .880 OPS, 26 BB, 113 K
2023 minors: .304 BA (398 AB), 18 HR, 34 SB, .871 OPS, 22 BB, 91 K | | As the Red Sox have fought to remain in the AL wild card race, one area where they've come up a little bit short is center field defense, having to make do with Jarren Duran and Adam Duvall out there. No doubt, they value them as hitters, but they would be better served shifting them to left and having Masataka Yoshida play DH. And then they could bring up a true center field standout in Rafaela, who, by the way, is no slouch offensively. He has only seen his numbers improve, in fact, since moving up to Triple-A in late June, and over his past 29 games, he's batting .358 (43 for 120) with 10 homers and a 1.146 OPS. | | Whether or not he gets the call depends on a couple factors, one being how the Red Sox think he's progressing with his swing decisions. He's always been an aggressive hitter. The other is what happens with Justin Turner, who's currently playing with a bone bruise in his heel. If it confines him to DH rather than letting him man second base, then maybe the Red Sox won't be able to reshuffle their outfield as needed. | Brett Baty, 3B, Mets
| 2023 majors: .216 BA (278 AB), 7 HR, .620 OPS, 27 BB, 86 K
2023 minors: .364 BA (55 AB), 8 HR, 1.317 OPS, 10 BB, 15 K | | Like Cabrera, Baty technically isn't a prospect anymore, but like Cabrera, I can't come up with five actual prospects who are more stashable. Sure, his first shot at holding down the third base job didn't go well, which is why he wound up back in the minors, but Mark Vientos isn't making anyone forget about him. Meanwhile, Baty has gone down and hit .300 (6 for 20) with three homers and a double in five games. A little boost in confidence might help him to find his footing when he inevitably returns. If nothing else, you have to expect the Mets will go back to Baty before they try out Ronny Mauricio, who's batting .237 (53 for 224) since the start of June. | | | | News and Notes | | Shane McClanahan will undergo Tommy John surgery that is expected to keep him out for the 2024 season as welll.Mike Trout still has some pain in his left wrist and remains without a timetable for a return. He said "I'm getting more confident with my swing. Once it gets to a point where the pain is bearable, I'll be out there."Yankees manager Aaron Boone said that Aaron Judge won't require offseason surgery on his right big toe, which is good news for his 2024 outlook. Jose Altuve left Tuesday's game after fouling a pitch off his left leg. X-rays came back negative.Bo Bichette started a rehab assignment at Triple-A Tuesday. He was in the lineup as the DH but plans to play shortstop on either Wednesday or Thursday.Jordan Romano was activated off the IL. Joe Ryan threw a bullpen session Tuesday and is expected to embark on a rehab assignment within the next few days. He's been out since early August with a left groin strain. Nathan Eovaldi threw another bullpen session Tuesday. He's been out since late July with a right forearm strain.Marcus Stroman is dealing with right rib discomfort and will not be activated Wednesday as the Cubs previously hoped.JD Martinez was back in the Dodgers lineup for the first time since August 6. He's been dealing with lingering left hamstring/groin discomfort.Byron Buxton is getting better but will need to go on a rehab assignment before returning. He's been out since August 4 with right hamstring tightness. Royce Lewis was activated and batting third in the Twins lineup Tuesday.Manuel Margot was placed on the IL with loose bodies in his right elbow. Jonathan Aranda was recalled but not in the lineup Tuesday.With Ozzie Albies on the IL, Vaughn Grissom was recalled from Triple-A. Nicky Lopez still started at second base Tuesday.Nick Lodolo shifted his rehab assignment from the Arizona Complex League to Double-A. He's trending toward a late-August return and is 64% rostered. Hunter Harvey was activated by the Nationals. Tim Anderson was scratched due to neck stiffnessEdouard Julien was out of the lineup due to a hamstring issue.Ryan Helsley's rehab appearance was paused due to soreness. He's been out since June with a right forearm strain.Tanner Houck is set to return Monday to start against the Astros.Quinn Priester was optioned back to Triple-A after posting a 9.10 ERA with a 1.92 WHIP across six starts. | | | | | | | | CBS Sports Golazo Network | | The First Cut | CBS Sports Golazo Network, the first-of-its-kind, free, 24/7 channel dedicated exclusively to global soccer coverage is NOW STREAMING on the CBS Sports App, Pluto TV and Paramount+!
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