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Welcome to the latest edition of RotoBaller’s Recently Promoted Prospects series for fantasy baseball! Here I discuss some recently promoted MLB prospects and rookies , making note of what I think their upside could be for fantasy baseball managers, and whether they are potential risers or fallers.
We have seen 120 rookies make their MLB debut in 2021. This week there are a couple prospects to consider for very deep setups. I will use video looks, scouting reports, analytics, and RotoBaller’s premium projections to predict what each recently called-up player could do if given a continued opportunity in 2021.
Here are your recently promoted prospects for Week 11 of the fantasy baseball season.
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Chris Gittens, New York Yankees
1% Rostered on Yahoo
Situation: With Luke Voit still on the IL and Mike Ford sent back down to Triple-A, the Yankees called-up power-hitting right-hander Chris Gittens to bridge the gap until Voit comes back.
Skill: Gittens was lighting up the Statcast boards during spring training with big time raw pop, posting exit velos in the Stanton/Judge vortex. He's been hitting very well at Triple-A this year, posting a .283/.486/.585 triple slash line and an estimated barrel rate of 15.9%. Gittens has the type of power and patience profile that can lead to a late career prospect breakout.
Projection: Gittens is likely just a bench option for the Yankees at the moment with Luke Voit returning from the IL. However, in the event that Gittens can get some regular PAs, he can be a power contributor to your fantasy squad. He's probably not worth anything but a low speculative FAAB add in deep leagues until that happens though.
Jackson Kowar, Kansas City Royals
18% Rostered on Yahoo
Situation: Jackson Kowar was part of the Royals 2018 draft class that has already seen pitchers Brady Singer, Daniel Lynch, and Kris Bubic called-up to the big club. Now it's Kowar's turn to see if he can turn into a reliable rotation piece for the Royals in the future. He was lit up in his first start where he suffered from some major jitters, but he gets the ball again today for Kansas City against Oakland.
Skill: Kowar's primary weapon is a changeup that is a potential double-plus offering at the highest level. The pitch has great depth and armside fade, and Kowar has good feel for the offering. His fastball sits in the mid-90s and should work at the MLB level, but he lacks command of the pitch at times and it's prone to getting barreled up. He also mixes in a 12-to-6 curveball which he's shown an improved feel for as he's moved up the minor league ladder. It's a pitch mix that should be resistant to trouble with left-handed hitters.
Projection: I've had Kowar just behind former Florida teammate Brady Singer coming out of the 2018 draft and I don't think my opinion has changed much since then. Most projections have Kowar with an ERA in the high 4s, but I think he can post an ERA in the low 4s for the remainder of the year if he can harness his fastball command.
Luke Williams, Philadelphia Phillies
2% Rostered on Yahoo
Situation: After jettisoning Scott Kingery to the minors, the Phillies called-up 24-year-old prospect Luke Williams to fill the team's utility-man/bench-bat role. He responded by walking off the Braves in his first MLB start:
Skill: Williams never posted stellar offensive numbers in the minor leagues until his time in Triple-A this year. However, he was performing extremely well at Triple-A prior to his call-up according to both my estimated barrel rate (17.4%) and xwOBA (.421) metrics. He also offers great positional versatility, appearing at 2B, 3B, SS, LF, CF, and RF during his time in the minors.
Projection: Williams can probably hold down the utility/bench-bat role with the Phillies, but it will take an injury in the regular starting lineup to vault him to fantasy relevance. If he can get regular playing time, he's a versatile bench option for fantasy that can chip in between 5-10 home runs and 5-10 stolen bases this season.
Dillon Thomas, Seattle Mariners
0% Rostered on Yahoo
Situation: With Jarred Kelenic getting sent back to Triple-A and Kyle Lewis injuring his knee, there was a hole in the Mariners' outfield this week. The team responded by calling up 28-year-old journeyman outfielder Dillon Thomas, who spent time in Indy ball prior to getting another shot with the Mariners.
Skill: Thomas was pummeling the ball at Triple-A prior to his promotion. He posted a 16.9% estimated barrel rate and a .405 estiamted xwOBA over 98 plate appearances. His improved slugging has seemed to come out of nowhere, as his previous high slugging average was .437 back in 2014 when he was still a member of the Colorado Rockies organization.
Projection: The Mariners have a use case for giving Thomas regular at-bats at the moment, so if he can carry over some of that Triple-A performance to the big club he could be worthy of a cheap waiver claim in deep leagues.
Sammy Long, San Francisco Giants
1% Rostered on Yahoo
Situation: After a couple of quick tests at Double-A and Triple-A this year, the Giants promptly promoted Sammy Long to make his MLB debut. He sparkled in a bulk reliever role, punching out seven batters during four innings of work.
Skill: The fastball touches 98 mph, the curveball is a legit swing-and-miss offering, and, oh yeah, he's left-handed. And while Long worked in a bulk relief role behind an opener in his first appearance, he really has a starting pitcher's repertoire with a changeup, sinker, and slider rounding out his offerings. The team is planning on extending Long's innings as he settles in, probably using him in a mix of opener, bulk reliever, and starting pitcher roles depending on his performance.
Projection: Long is a potential ERA, WHIP, and strikeout buffer for your fantasy squad in 15-team and mono leagues right now. In the event that he works his way into a regular starting pitcher role, he's going to be a must-add in even 12-team mixed leagues. He is a watchlist guy in those leagues right now.
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