Nearly a month into the season, it's time to look at our dynasty baseball under the radar prospects 4-27-23.
If you're keeping tabs on this series, hopefully you've added some of the players highlighted so far. Last week I talked about Andrew Abbott and Jonatan Clase, two prospects that are likely getting picked up in more leagues as you read this. Earlier this month I looked at Matt McLain, the Reds shortstop who's slugging .634 with six homers in 21 games at Triple-A.
And if you added any players who are underperforming now, well, I'm not linking to those articles.
Below is a rundown of five dynasty baseball prospects who are rostered in fewer than 20 percent of Fantrax leagues. All of them should be on your radar going forward in 2023.
Dynasty Baseball Under the Radar Prospects 4-27-23
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AJ Smith-Shawver, SP, Atlanta Braves
Smith-Shawver hasn't allowed a run through two starts at High-A. Along with 17 strikeouts and three walks, he's off to a great start.
AJ Smith-Shawver, the Braves 7th round draft pick in 2021 out of high school has struck out 48.6% of batters in two starts at High A. Smith-Shawver is 20.
— Michael Schneider (@mikecschneider) April 23, 2023
Baseball America gives him a 70-grade fastball and slider. Does that sound like any other Braves pitcher we know?
He generated 20 whiffs in his last start against the Hudson Valley Renegades. If he keeps this up, we could see Atlanta fast-track as they've done with other pitching prospects. I could see a case for him to be added in most leagues.
Jonny DeLuca, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers
He hit 25 homers and stole 17 bases across two levels last season. Now he's up to five homers and four steals through 15 games to start the year at Double-A.
A switch-hitter in college, Los Angeles decided to make him bat righty. Dodgers farm director Will Rhymes said, “He killed lefties. We think there’s a really well-balanced hitter in there if he smooths some things out against right-handed pitching.”
The Dodgers added DeLuca to their 40-man roster in the offseason. While he comes with platoon risk, this is an organization to bet on for fixing that (see: James Outman).
Justyn-Henry Malloy, 3B, Detroit Tigers
Malloy is one of the most added minor league players in dynasty leagues at the moment. It's not hard to see why.
He's batting .391/.538/.580 with 3 HRs, 14 RBIs and 197 wRC+. He's also walking more than he's striking out (22% BB to 18.7%K).
We need to see more power - he's sporting a .188 ISO - and his defense is the weakest part of his game, but Malloy's hitting ability is worth a speculative add in deeper dynasties. The Tigers don't have much standing in his way of at least hitting at DH this season.
Frank Mozzicato, SP, Kansas City Royals
He's only allowed one run through 15 IP while racking up 26 strikeouts. He also set the single-game strikeout record for the Fireflies last week.
With 13 K's in six scoreless frames, @Royals No. 7 prospect Frank Mozzicato sets a @ColaFireflies record! pic.twitter.com/y4dGxn3BrG
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) April 19, 2023
Mozzicato has three solid pitches, but his curveball is his calling card. He still has a lot of work to do with his command, and scouts hope to see him mature a bit physically as he's just 19 years old.
But the upside could be high with this former first-round pick. Since he still has a long way to go, he might be worth adding in the hopes of trading or simply monitoring for now.
Nick Frasso, SP, Los Angeles Dodgers
Another Dodgers pitching prospect? Real original. This feels like a weekly installment at this point.
Frasso appears to be settling in at Double-A
- Four starts to end 2022: 11.2 IP, 4.96 xFIP, 5.6% K-BB.
- Four starts to begin 2023: 18 IP, 1.75 xFIP, 31.9% K-BB.
Nick Frasso was great today.
5.0 IP
3 H
1 ER
0 BB
8 K
70 P / 52 SPer usual, Frasso forced uncomfortable swings like this one throughout the start. His ERA this season sits at 1.50 #Dodgers pic.twitter.com/6WYPAZNFfk
— Bruce Kuntz (@Bnicklaus7) April 25, 2023
Frasso has a "unicorn fastball" that hits upper 90s with excellent movement. Check out the angle on his release, too.
Yes, he's 24, but he underwent Tommy John surgery after college and didn't see extended minor league work until 2022. If you're already investing in Dodgers stock, you might as well add Frasso to the mix.
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