X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Recent MLB Prospect Call-Ups From Week 5

Welcome to the first edition of a new series. This article will discuss recently promoted prospects and the fantasy impact that owners can expect to receive from them.

On weeks where there are no prospects promoted, I will discuss some sleeper prospects who have been in the majors for a bit who may be expected to have a bigger impact moving forward.

Editors Note: Check out all of RotoBaller's MLB prospects analysis here. You can also head over to the prospect rankings dashboard. Our Rankings Assistant is a handy free tool where you can find team-specific prospect breakdowns, tiered positional rankings, 500+ player outlooks, dynasty ranks and more - all in one easy place.

 

Week Five Fantasy Baseball Rookie Call-Ups

Michael Fulmer (SP, DET)

Own In: 10+ Team Leagues

The Detroit Tigers’ top prospect according to MLB.com, Michael Fulmer recently made his debut for the Tigers against Minnesota. The Twins did manage seven hits and a walk, but Fulmer limited their scoring to only two runs (both earned) and struck out four over five innings of work. Though his debut was far from perfect, Fulmer is a very intriguing prospect for most fantasy leagues.

The 23-year-old right-hander has shown throughout his Minor League career a propensity to strike out batters, having struck out 8.0 batters per nine innings at every level that he accumulated at least 50 IP. He has also demonstrated a respectable ability to throw strikes and prevent free passes (2.17 BB/9 in 2015, 3.10 BB/9 in 2014). As if things couldn’t get any better, Fulmer has also been very reliable at keeping the ball in the park (0.58 HR/9 in 2015, 0.73 HR/9 in 2014).

There is no question that Fulmer has the stuff to be a solid starting pitcher for the Tigers, but fantasy owners also need to understand that he is no future ace. At his ceiling, Fulmer is a fringe number two starter and likely profiles as a third starter. Since his ceiling is a bit limited, he serves as a desperation play for owners in 8 team leagues, but for leagues with 10 or more teams, he could be a real solid sleeper and provide some serious fantasy value.

 

Sean Manaea (SP, OAK)

Own In: All Leagues

Sean Manaea did not find nearly as much luck in his MLB debut as did the Tigers’ right-hander. He faced off against the Houston Astros and while he did last five innings and only surrendered four hits, he was touched up for four runs, mainly based on the strength of the four walks he provided the Astros, and only managed to strike out three. This should be viewed as an outlier, however, as Manaea is too talented to have too many bad outings.

Throughout his professional career, Manaea has displayed nothing but success and insane strikeout upside. He has a K/9 above 10.0 at every level and has kept his ERA below 3.70 at every level. The 24-year-old southpaw has been the furthest thing from an innings eater as he has only threw 100.0 IP last year and 121.2 the year before last, but that was largely the result of a minor injury and him shifting from several different levels. Many would believe that someone with as many strikeouts as Manaea, there would be concerns about command, especially after a rough 2014 saw him deliver a 3.99 BB/9. But Manaea made great strides in that area last season as he walked only 2.88 batters per nine.

Sure, his first outing was a bit rough, but Sean Manaea is still a must-own prospect by all regards. Generally regarded as one of the better left-handed pitchers in baseball (the number seven lefty according to MLB.com), Manaea has immense strikeout potential that many other pitching prospects (like Fulmer) cannot provide. Though he will occasionally have a clunker, the A’s’ lefty is worth owning in all leagues.

 

Jose Berrios (SP, MIN)

Own In: All Leagues

The first real true ace on this list, Jose Berrios is as talented as they come. It was widely speculated that Berrios might not see much time in the bigs until later with the Twins showing some reluctance to promote their young righty, but after placing both Kyle Gibson and Ervin Santana on the 15-day DL, it was Berrios’ name called to take a spot in the rotation. And though he was really kicked around in his first start against Cleveland (4.0 IP, 5 R (5 ER), 6 H, 2 BB, 5 K), he looked much sharper his second time out against Houston, delivering 5.1 innings of three-hit, two run baseball with eight strikeouts (the five walks should absolutely be considered an anomaly).

Jose Berrios is everything that fantasy owners would want in a starting pitcher. He has near elite command (2.05 BB/9 in 2015, 2.44 BB/9 in 2014), strikeout stuff (9.47 K/9 in 2015, 9.00 K/9), and has never allowed an opponent’s batting average over .260 in his MiLB career. Scouts praise his stuff, clamoring about his three above average pitches (his fastball and curveball are considered well above-average).

The soon-to-be 22-year-old has a very bright future and it starts this year. Berrios may have been promoted as an injury replacement, but the underlying assumption has always been that once promoted he will not return to the minors. He is in a good position to be the Twins’ first real ace since Johan Santana and should absolutely be owned in all leagues.

 

Aaron Blair (SP, ATL)

Own In: 12+ Team Leagues

Acquired from the Diamondbacks in the blockbuster Shelby Miller deal, Aaron Blair had turned in a sterling Braves AAA debut as he posted a 1.42 ERA and 2.34 FIP (largely the result of a 10.42 K/9). Many believed that he could be a guy with high strikeout upside in the majors, but so far has struggled to rack up gaudy strikeout totals for fantasy owners as he only owns a 3.18 K/9 in two starts already.

There is no denying that Blair is a talented prospect, but he is not as good as he has been hyped up to be. Fantasy owners expecting Blair to improve exponentially in the strikeout category will be largely disappointed as he has a track record of being more of a groundball pitcher than a high-caliber strikeout artist. Blair will not kill himself with walks (as evidence by a walk rate that has gone over 3.50 only once in his MiLB career), but last season he only mustered a 6.17 K/9 in Double-A and Triple-A. Blair is expected to remain in the Braves’ rotation and is nothing if not an innings-eater, but fantasy owners should not put expectations too high.

The 24-year-old right-hander looks very likely to reach his ceiling as a Mike Leake-type number three starter, but he is no elite fantasy baseball asset. He will have some value for owners in 12+ team leagues. Fantasy owners should not expect anything in the way of punchouts, but 150 IP of 3.40 ERA baseball with a 6.50 K/9 seems likely for him to be able to reach.

 

Tim Adleman (SP, CIN)

Own In: Deep/NL-only Leagues

Tim who?! Tim Adleman, a lesser known pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds who recently made his debut against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Adleman delivered 6.0 innings of two run, three hit baseball while walking only two and striking out six. With Raisel Iglesias out on the 15-day DL and delays in the rehabbing of both Anthony DeSclafani and Homer Bailey, owners can expect Adleman to be in the Reds’ rotation at least for a few more games.

Adleman has been nothing if not consistent throughout his professional career. Though he struggled in the early going with Baltimore and in High-A with Cincinnati, Adleman has since delivered back-to-back Double-A stints of sub-3.00 ERA seasons (2.64 in 2015 and 2.85 in 2014). His FIP has indicated that while he likely will regress, he can still be counted on for decent production. Much like Aaron Blair, Adleman should not be counted on for any strikeout production as his highest MiLB strikeout rate has been 7.86 in 79.0 innings in 2014 Double-A. What the 28-year-old righty will do is keep the ball in the yard (0.55 HR/9 in Double-A) and limit free baserunners (2.71 BB/9 in Double-A).

With little upside and an atrocious Reds bullpen that costs every starting pitcher a win, Adleman should not be considered owning in any fantasy league with fewer than 14 owners. He is best suited for deeper leagues and for NL-only leagues and only as a temporary fix since he will more than likely return to the minors or the bullpen upon the returns of DeSclafani, Iglesias, Bailey, and Lamb.

 

Live Expert Q&A Chats - Every Weekday @ 1 PM and 6 PM EST (DFS)

Fantasy Baseball Chat Room

[iflychat_embed id="c-55" hide_user_list="yes" hide_popup_chat="no" height="400px"]


Check out RotoBaller's entire fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups and sleepers list, updated daily!




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Jake Cronenworth3 hours ago

Targeting Earlier Return
Liam Hendriks3 hours ago

Set To Return On Saturday
Jackson Merrill3 hours ago

Not Expected To Return Next Week
Martín Pérez3 hours ago

Martin Perez Will Undergo MRI On Saturday
Casey Schmitt4 hours ago

Expected To Hit Injured List
Brock Stewart4 hours ago

Expected To Return On Sunday
Luke Keaschall4 hours ago

Busy In MLB Debut
Jose Fleury4 hours ago

Continues Strong Start On Friday
AJ Smith-Shawver5 hours ago

Strikes Out Eight In Defeat
Marcelo Mayer5 hours ago

Tallies Seven RBI On Friday
Zyhir Hope5 hours ago

Hits Two Home Runs On Friday
Andrew Painter5 hours ago

Sharp In Second Rehab Outing
Tyler Anderson10 hours ago

Keeps Hot Streak Rolling Friday
Logan Webb10 hours ago

Fans 12 In Tough-Luck Loss
Carlos Rodón10 hours ago

Carlos Rodon Goes Six Scoreless To Snap Personal Losing Streak
Andrew Abbott10 hours ago

Dominates Orioles On Friday
Yoshinobu Yamamoto11 hours ago

Tosses Another Gem
Cam Smith11 hours ago

Hits Two Taters On Friday
Trevor Story11 hours ago

Mashes Pair Of Three-Run Homers
Zack Wheeler14 hours ago

Records 13 Strikeouts
LaMonte Wade Jr.14 hours ago

Out On Friday
Ja Morant14 hours ago

Cleared To Play Friday
Brandon Williams15 hours ago

Available Against Grizzlies
Anthony Davis15 hours ago

Will Play Friday Night
Gary Trent Jr.15 hours ago

Available For Game 1 Against Pacers
Taurean Prince15 hours ago

Returns To Bucks Lineup Saturday
NFL15 hours ago

Justin Hardee Sr. Waived With Non-Football Injury
Isaiah Stewart15 hours ago

To Return For Game 1
Ausar Thompson15 hours ago

Available For Game 1
Rui Hachimura15 hours ago

On Track To Play Saturday
Austin Reaves16 hours ago

Ready To Go For Game 1
NFL16 hours ago

Bills Release Armani Rogers, Branson Deen
Luka Dončić16 hours ago

Luka Doncic Removed From Injury Report
LeBron James16 hours ago

Listed As Probable For Game 1
Ben Sheppard16 hours ago

Probable For Saturday's Game 1
NFL16 hours ago

Kolton Miller Absent From Raiders' Voluntary Offseason Program
Kevin Durant16 hours ago

To Houston Already Losing Steam
Lauri Markkanen16 hours ago

Wants To Stay With The Jazz
NFL16 hours ago

Ross Blacklock Let Go By New York
Bennedict Mathurin16 hours ago

Expected To Play In Game 1 Saturday
Pascal Siakam17 hours ago

Available For Playoff Opener
Tyrese Haliburton17 hours ago

Returning From Two-Game Absence Saturday
Cade Cunningham17 hours ago

Available For Game 1 Against Knicks
Josh Hart17 hours ago

Back In Knicks Lineup Saturday
OG Anunoby17 hours ago

Good To Go For Game 1
Jalen Brunson17 hours ago

Available For Saturday's Game 1
NFL18 hours ago

Raiders Considering Drafting A Quarterback
Irv Smith18 hours ago

Sticking With Texans
Ryan Lindgren18 hours ago

Set To Return Saturday
NFL18 hours ago

Texans Expected To Draft Wide Receivers
Greg Dortch18 hours ago

Returning To Cardinals
Josh Manson18 hours ago

Available For Game 1
Mark Andrews18 hours ago

Could Be Traded Soon
Ondrej Palat18 hours ago

To Return For Start Of Playoffs
David Savard19 hours ago

Will Retire After Playoffs
NFL19 hours ago

Raiders, Falcons Could Have Interest In Jalen Ramsey
Robert Thomas19 hours ago

Good To Go Saturday
Matthew Tkachuk19 hours ago

Expected To Return For Game 1
19 hours ago

Raiders Are High On Ashton Jeanty
Jason Robertson19 hours ago

Considered Week-To-Week
Rome Odunze19 hours ago

To Hopefully Get More Involved
NFL19 hours ago

Dolphins Could Draft A Quarterback
James Cook19 hours ago

Could Stay Away From Voluntary Workouts
Leon Draisaitl1 day ago

Wins First Rocket Richard Trophy
Nikita Kucherov1 day ago

Bags Third Art Ross Trophy
Bryan Rust1 day ago

Scores Twice In Season-Ending Win
Igor Shesterkin1 day ago

Shuts Out Lightning With 27 Saves
Dylan Cozens1 day ago

Picks Up Three Points In Regular-Season Finale
Matvei Michkov1 day ago

Caps Off Rookie Campaign With Three-Point Effort
Brady Tkachuk1 day ago

Makes Early Exit For Precautionary Reasons
Jake Tonges1 day ago

Signs Exclusive-Rights Tender
Denver Broncos1 day ago

Broncos To Focus On RB Position In Next Week's Draft
Drew Lock1 day ago

Sam Howell, Drew Lock Expected To Compete For Backup Job
New York Giants2 days ago

Giants Leaning Toward Taking Best Player Available At No. 3
New Orleans Saints2 days ago

Ryan Ramczyk Announces His Retirement
Buffalo Bills2 days ago

Tre'Davious White Reunites With Buffalo
Aaron Rodgers2 days ago

Willing To Play For $10 Million A Year
Jakob Chychrun2 days ago

Returns Against Penguins
Rasmus Andersson2 days ago

Out Against Kings
Jonathan Huberdeau2 days ago

Sits Out Regular-Season Finale
Ryan Pulock2 days ago

Out On Thursday
Jake Sanderson2 days ago

Back In Action Thursday
Thomas Chabot2 days ago

To Be Rested Against Hurricanes
Claude Giroux2 days ago

Active On Thursday
Lucas Glover3 days ago

Looks To Rebound After Poor Performance
Daniel Berger3 days ago

Looking To Continue Solid Play At RBC
Sepp Straka3 days ago

Looking To Bounce Back At RBC
Justin Thomas3 days ago

Looking To Shake Off Poor Masters At RBC Heritage
Xander Schauffele3 days ago

Still Looking For Year's First Win At RBC Heritage
Maverick McNealy3 days ago

Is An Intriguing Play At RBC Heritage
Shane Lowry3 days ago

Looks To Shake Off Poor Masters Sunday At RBC Heritage
Will Zalatoris3 days ago

Eyes A Bounce-Back At RBC Heritage
Gary Woodland3 days ago

Could Add Some Surprise At Hilton Head
Sam Burns3 days ago

Hoping For Better Times At RBC Heritage
Sahith Theegala3 days ago

Still Trying To Put It All Together
Aaron Rai3 days ago

Might Be That Guy For Hilton Head
Robert MacIntyre3 days ago

All Or Nothing At RBC Heritage
Tom Hoge3 days ago

Still Playing Solid Heading To Hilton Head
Nick Dunlap3 days ago

Continues To Have Rough Stretch
Keegan Bradley3 days ago

Looks To Move On From Masters Performance
Matt Fitzpatrick3 days ago

A Boom-Or-Bust Option At RBC Heritage
Patrick Cantlay3 days ago

A Strong Play At RBC Heritage
Jordan Spieth3 days ago

Targets Another Strong RBC Heritage Showing
Collin Morikawa3 days ago

Eyeing Victory At RBC Heritage
Max Homa3 days ago

Breaks Through At The Masters
Alexander Volkanovski4 days ago

Reclaims Featherweight Title
Diego Lopes4 days ago

Drops Decision At UFC 314
Paddy Pimblett4 days ago

Remains Undefeated In The UFC
Michael Chandler4 days ago

Suffers TKO Loss
MMA4 days ago

Patricio Freire Gets Dominated In His UFC Debut
Yair Rodriguez4 days ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Bryce Mitchell4 days ago

Gets Submitted At UFC 314
Jean Silva4 days ago

Gets Submission Win At UFC 314
Dominick Reyes4 days ago

Wins Third Fight In A Row
5 days ago

Austin Dillon Nabs His First Top-10 Finish Of The 2025 Season At Bristol
5 days ago

Ryan Blaney's Bold Strategies Fall Flat, Still Musters A Top-Five Finish At Bristol
5 days ago

Christopher Bell Finishes In The Top 10 After Falling Back Midway At Bristol
5 days ago

Ty Gibbs Earns His First Top-Five Finish Of The 2025 Season At Bristol
5 days ago

Chase Briscoe Quietly Scores First Career Top-Five Finish At Bristol
5 days ago

Denny Hamlin Cuts Into William Byron's Points Lead
5 days ago

William Byron Makes Best Of His Mediocre Qualifying Run With Sixth-Place Finish
5 days ago

Despite Engine Failure, Alex Bowman's Improved Speed Looks Promising
NASCAR5 days ago

A.J. Allmendinger Enters Playoff Picture With Surprise Bristol Top-10 Finish
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF