Rookie Report: Prospect Risers and Fallers for Week 5

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.

It’s early in the season and we’ve already seen 63 rookies make their MLB debut in 2021. This week I will highlight some prospects to know for fantasy baseball and their projections. I will use video looks, scouting reports, analytics, and RotoBaller’s premium projections to predict what each player could do if given a continued opportunity in 2021.

Here are your recently promoted prospects for Week 4 of the fantasy baseball season.

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Zack Short, Detroit Tigers

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Situation: Last week the Tigers unexpectedly DFA'd Renato Nunez and called up Zack Short from the alternate site. Short, a utility infielder, was traded to Detroit in the deal that sent Cameron Maybin to the Cubs. Short played college baseball at Sacred Heart, the only school that offered him a scholarship.

Skill: Short is a glove-first player who can handle any infield position, including shortstop. He actually showed a little bit of pop with the Triple-A Iowa Cubs in 2019, posting an ISO of .203. Unfortunately, his power uptick also came with some increased swing and miss, as he registered a career worst 31.3% strikeout rate. But he's not swinging a wet noodle at the plate, as you can see from this home run he hit in spring training this year:

Projection: Short has already been optioned back down to the alternate site, so his chances at regular playing time are going to be sporadic in 2021. If he comes back up and his glove earns him an everyday gig, he's worth monitoring to see if any of that newfound power makes its way to the Show with him.

DJ Peters, Los Angeles Dodgers

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Situation: The Dodgers briefly called up Peters for extra outfield depth when Zack McKinstry went on the 10-day IL with an oblique injury. Peters has since been optioned back to the alternate site. Still, it is a good sign that he's the next man up for the Dodgers in the event of a prolonged absence in an outfield that's seemingly injury-prone.

Skill: The first thing that leaps off the page is Peters' prodigious home run power. Peters posted HR/FB% rates in excess of 20% in four of his five minor league stops in his career. He also has solid plate discipline, usually running walk rates in the neighborhood of 10%. His swing gets grooved at times, and he's prone to going pull-happy, so look for him to see plenty of shifts at the next level. However, the talent is here for Peters to be a very productive hitter, as evidenced by the California League MVP award that Peters won in 2017.

Projection: Peters is a name to know in the event that the Dodgers undergo some sort of injury crisis. He could be a productive fantasy player if given the opportunity to hit in the bottom half of that potent lineup and his power is unleashed in Dodger Stadium that plays well for his right-handed pull-side power. Be careful in batting average leagues as Peters' will whiff and it could get ugly.

Corey Ray, Milwaukee Brewers

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Situation: Corey Ray also had a brief call-up from the alternate site this week, only to be sent right back down. Ray is a former first-round draft pick by the Brew Crew. He played his college baseball at the University of Louisville, where he was a two-time All-American outfielder. Milwaukee's outfield isn't exactly jammed with talent with Christian Yelich and Lorenzo Cain on the shelf, so Ray might have a shot for more playing time if any of Billy McKinney, Avisail Garcia, or Tyrone Taylor stumble.

Skill: Ray has always stood out as a prospect with big-time power and speed upside. He scuffled in the minors in 2019, but if you go back to 2018 he posted 27 home runs and 37 steals in 135 games with Double-A Biloxi. The speed also plays in the outfield, where Ray is a capable defender in all three spots and definitely has the range for center field.

Projection: He's unlikely to contribute to your fantasy team right now, but there's a chance that Ray gets regular playing time at some point this summer and chips in something like 10 home runs and 10 stolen bases. He needs to be monitored in deep leagues because his power/speed potential is a fantasy game-changer.

Luis Patino, Tampa Bay Rays

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Situation: The Rays called up Patino to get him some MLB reps before the Triple-A season begins. Patino was deployed as an opener against Toronto, and he looked good before he passed the ball off to bulk-inning guy Josh Fleming. Patino was a converted position player in the San Diego Padres system before he was traded to Tampa Bay in the deal that sent Blake Snell to San Diego this offseason.

Skill: Patino boasts an athletic delivery on the bump, giving him around seven feet of extension on his delivery and allowing his fastball to touch up to 97 mph in shorter stints. The fastball is a pitch with good spin that can miss bats in and around the zone. His command of the pitch can be spotty at times. Behind the fastball is his best offering, a slider that Patino locates well and can be a whiff generating pitch, especially against right-handed bats. He flashes a changeup at times, but I wouldn't expect to see it a ton if he keeps getting deployed as an opener or in a middle relief role.

Projection: Our preseason ATC projections had Patino down for a 4.33 ERA and 1.40 WHIP. I think he will outperform both of those numbers quite handily at the MLB level, especially if he keeps being used in shorter stints. I wouldn't be surprised to see him post an ERA south of 3.50 with double-digit K/9 rates.

Zac Lowther, Baltimore Orioles

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Situation: Zac Lowther was called up for some extra help in the Orioles bullpen over the weekend. Lowther was the 74th overall selection by Baltimore in the 2017 draft. He's been one of Baltimore's steadiest minor league arms over the past few seasons.

Skill: Lowther has to rely on lefty funk, weird angles, and some creative pitching to keep hitters off balance. His fastball sits in the low-90s, but comes in at a tough angle and can generate whiffs. His secondary pitches are a curveball and changeup. The changeup is likely the better of the two offerings, but neither of them presents a particularly intriguing movement profile on their own. What works for Lowther is that he commands all of his pitches well, using the secondary pitches in a manner that tunnel off the fastball. This causes his whole package to play up, possibly even enough to be a back-end rotation guy.

Projection: Lowther doesn't need to be monitored at this time as he just popped up for a bullpen spot in a weekend series. However, in the event he's called-up with a chance to make a start or two later in the season, he might be a streamer option as he's going to present MLB hitters with a unique look the first time they see him in action.

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