A Giants fan living in San Diego, been playing fantasy baseball since 2005 and dynasty since 2021. Started the Dynasty Baseball Pickups podcast in June 2023 and joined Prospects Live in March of 2024.
Hi all, good to be back on my regular schedule. A fun week this week with some early Complex standouts, a familiar name, and a true deep league flier. However, I also wanted to mention a couple of players who didn't get written up but deserve your attention. Matthew Lugo of the Angels and Shay Whitcomb of the Astros are two players I have talked about quite a bit on the podcast, and both are performing well right now. Lugo has 10 big league PA to his name, but already has two home runs and a triple. It wasn't a great Triple-A season for him, but he performed well last season, and there is an intriguing set of skills there if he can snag more playing time. Shay Whitcomb struggled in his debut last year, but is currently dismantling Triple-A pitching with five home runs in his previous three games and currently leads the minors in home runs. He vastly underperformed his expected stats last year, and there is tons of power/speed upside here if he can snag a big league job, which could happen sooner rather than later. Both should be rostered in medium-sized or deeper leagues.
Note: all stats current through Tuesday 5/13/25 and all minor league statcast figures are sourced from TJ Stats.
I’m in 13 dynasty leagues of all different sizes and formats and make many weekly transactions. Due to this, I will include my pickups and drops from the last week below to give you an idea of who I’m targeting and moving on from. Players are in the order I currently value them. Bold names with an “*” indicate that the player is highlighted in the article below.
MLB Pickups
Brett Baty, Trevor Larnach, Tim Elko, Michael Lorenzen, Chad Patrick (x2), J.T. Ginn (x3), Stephen Kolek, Matthew Lugo (x3), Luis Mey, Reed Garrett
MiLB Pickups
Shay Whitcomb (x2), Gage Jump, Mick Abel *, Alejandro Osuna, Jhonny Level, Parker Messick, Jose Anderson *, Eli Serrano, Joswa Lugo (x4) *, Nate George, Justin Gonzales (x2), Jacob Reimer, Ethan Workinger *,
MLB Drops
Joey Bart, Wilmer Flores, Kameron Misner (x4), Brandon Marsh, Porter Hodge, Jesus Tinoco, Jorbit Vivas, Richard Fitts (x2), Justin Slaten, Edwin Uceta (x5), David Hamilton, Ronny Simon, Will Wilson, Blaine Crimm (x5),
MiLB Drops
Joey Loperfido, Cole Mathis (x4), Christain Oppor, Jonathan Santucci, Doug Nikhazy, AJ Blubaugh (x3),
Mid-Week Pickups
Jose Anderson - 18/OF/MIL/CPX
Height/Weight: 6’0”/183 lbs Bats: R Fantrax Rostership: 5%
Top 600+ Prospect Ranking (May 25): 391 My 400+ Prospect Ranking (May 25): 283
2025 stats (DSL): 201 PA .283/.403/.512, 8 HR, 15 SB, 14.4% BB, 18.9% K 2025 stats (CPX): 36 PA .370/.528/.852, 3 HR, 3 SB, 22.2% BB, 22.2% K
Why To Pick Up
Shoutout to my friend, commissioner, and former co-host Enrico of the Fantasy Baseball Discord, who was the first one I know to get hyped on Jose Anderson. Enrico was the one who requested Anderson to be added to the Fantrax player pool last season after a handful of games, and then grabbed Anderson in several leagues as soon as he was added. Fast forward to this offseason, and I selected Anderson as my Brewers prospect buy, loving the mix of immense power and decent speed. At the time, I speculated that Anderson got lost in a DSL class headlined by his two org mates, Jesus Made and Luis Pena, and was highly underrated due to it. So far, Anderson is proving me right as he is mashing in the early going. Power is the name of the game for Anderson, who is already well on his way to exceeding his impressive DSL homerun total with three in seven games to go with an otherworldly .481 ISO. Anderson also shows an extremely patient approach, walking 22.2% of the time. The contact is decent, and there is some speed, too, as Anderson stole 15 bases last season and already has three this year.
Final Thoughts
It's early going, but Anderson is putting the ball on the ground too much and not pulling enough. Those issues weren't present last year, though, so I'm not too worried. What does give me pause is that Anderson is one of the few Brewers DSL prospects who was sent to Complex instead of skipping to Single-A. Regardless, if he keeps up this pace, he will be joining that stacked team sooner than later. It's best to pick him up now before he does.
Where to pick up: Leagues with 250+ prospects
FAAB bid: Minimal (0-5%)
Ethan Workinger - 23/OF/ATL/AA
Height/weight: 6’0”/185 lbs Bats: R Fantrax Rostership: 0%
Top 600 Prospect Ranking (Feb 25): 654
PLIVE+ (Career): 117 PLIVE+ (2025): 148
2024 stats (A+/AA): 545 PA .254/.337/.386, 12 HR, 9 SB, 10.8% BB, 18.9% K 2025 stats (AA): 109 PA .276/.349/.622, 9 HR, 1 SB, 9.2% BB, 23.9% K
Why To Pick Up
I believe this is my first official 0% rostered recommendation this season. I have a pretty good track record with these, as I had two last season: Jhostynxon Garcia (now 14%) and Anderson Brito (7%). Hopefully, Workinger can continue the streak despite the long odds. Signed as an undrafted free agent in 2020, Workinger has methodically worked his way from Complex to Double-A, where he finished last season with a lowly 78 wRC+ in 30 games at the level. This year, however, Workinger looks like a completely different player with a 177 wRC+ through 26 games. To understand how dominant he's been, compare his slashline to another Double-A player who has been featured nightly on X highlights and is 61% more rostered on Fantrax:
Now, obviously comparing two players' minor league stats is largely meaningless, but it does show just how great Workinger has been this year. He's been on absolute fire over his last ten games, hitting seven home runs and slashing .350/.422/.950 with an 11% walk rate and 13% strikeout rate. He also has extra-base hits in five straight games. Workinger has struggled to get into game power in the past, maxing out at 12 home runs in 2023 and 2024. This year however he appears to have massively changed his approach, puling the ball at a ridiculous 65.7% rate, which would be nearly 15-20% over his typical mark from the last few seasons. While we shouldn't anticipate this mark to continue, it's clear that Workinger has made a conscious effort to pull the ball more to get to more power.
Final Thoughts
Workinger has zero pedigree and a lengthy track record of mediocrity. Beyond that, being a defensively limited righty bat might limit his long-term opportunities. Even so, the Braves have a history of pop-up prospects, and Workinger could be the next in that line. Shoutout to Matt Thompson, who was the only one of us to rank Workinger (#436). I only ranked to 400, but Workinger is showing he deserves the love and will be debuting on my next list if he keeps this up. Right now, he's available everywhere, but with how hot he's been, that might not last long. Grab him while you can in sicko-mode leagues and watchlist elsewhere.
Where to pick up: Leagues with 400+ prospects
FAAB bid: Minimal (0-5%)
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A Giants fan living in San Diego, been playing fantasy baseball since 2005 and dynasty since 2021. Started the Dynasty Baseball Pickups podcast in June 2023 and joined Prospects Live in March of 2024.
As Director of Pro Scouting, I lead a talented group of evaluators as we break down future stars. You can find me at random California League games throughout the season!
As Director of Pro Scouting, I lead a talented group of evaluators as we break down future stars. You can find me at random California League games throughout the season!
As Director of Pro Scouting, I lead a talented group of evaluators as we break down future stars. You can find me at random California League games throughout the season!
Watch Path to the Show on Bally Sports Live & Stadium! | Check out the On Deck Podcast! | Dynasty Team Writer/Podcaster | I love the Tennessee Volunteers, milk, pitchers, catchers, & you <3 P4:13
Director of Dynasty Content - Canadian born and raised, moved to Arkansas with my wife and two sons Ezra and Ari. Followed and played baseball my whole life; played dynasty for 25+ years.
A Giants fan living in San Diego, been playing fantasy baseball since 2005 and dynasty since 2021. Started the Dynasty Baseball Pickups podcast in June 2023 and joined Prospects Live in March of 2024.
As Director of Pro Scouting, I lead a talented group of evaluators as we break down future stars. You can find me at random California League games throughout the season!
