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
Player Comparisons
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Week 19 Rookie Roundup: Recently Promoted Prospects

Welcome back RotoBaller, to another edition of our rookie roundup. After an awe-inspiring week of offensive prospect call-ups, this week has seen three consensus top pitching prospects promoted.

Though some of the bats are a bit lacking, these are some arms who could play a big impact on fantasy teams looking to help themselves out for the rest of the season.

Editor's Note: Purchase a full season NFL Premium Pass (including Draft Kit + DFS Premium), and also get MLB Premium + DFS for free through October. Premium DFS lineup picks, expert lineups, tools and more - seven days a week. You can see screenshots of our NFL Premium and MLB Premium and DFS tools. What are you waiting for?

 

Hitters

Pedro Severino (C, WAS) - 0% owned
It is always exciting when a catching prospect is promoted to the big leagues, especially in a season in which there are few promising bats from that position. But fantasy owners should not be jumping out of their chairs to scramble and stash Severino.

Prior to his promotion, he slashed .259/.307/.324 with two homers, three steals, a 14.2% strikeout rate and 6.0% walk rate. Now sure, some hitters struggle at Triple-A but maintain their hype based on how that .259 average would look like. But I will save fantasy owners the trouble of looking up the tapes and just say that his bat is nothing to write home about. Evaluators believe that defensively, he is great, but offensively he is very much lacking and probably will not have much of a future as a starter. It probably does not help that the Nats’ starting catcher, Wilson Ramos, is an All-Star and having a career year. There is nothing to see here for fantasy owners.

T.J. Rivera (3B, NYM) - 0% owned
Now here is a guy fantasy owners should at least warrant a look in some deeper leagues. Third baseman T.J. Rivera was promoted by the Mets with the intention of using him at third base after absolutely crushing Triple-A this season. He slashed .349/.391/.513 with 11 dingers and three steals. He also on struck out 12.3% of the time and walked 5.4% of the time.

Now Rivera is not a top prospect, but he has the greatest gift of all: playing time. The Mets have been looking for consistent production from third base and appear to be giving Rivera a shot to do just that. He does not possess much power or speed, but the 27-year-old has a solid bat capable of hitting for a very solid average. 12 team league owners will have no need for the third baseman unless he flashes power, but owners in very deep leagues or NL-only leagues could benefit from a guy who gets consistent playing time.

Darrell Ceciliani (OF, TOR) - 0% owned
Ceciliani was recently promoted amid the news that Jose Bautista would be hitting the 15-day DL. Like Rivera, Ceciliani is not considered to be a top prospect, but he has put together a nice season at Triple-A. Along with a slash line of .268/.331/.444, the 26-year-old also bashed nine homers and swiped 10 bags.

The outfielder will have to fight a lot for playing time and odds are he will lose most of those battles. Ceciliani does have a little bit of a power/speed combination to offer owners in deep leagues, but with Melvin Upton, Kevin Pillar and Michael Saunders manning the outfield for now, it will be unlikely he snags any playing time. He can be passed up in all leagues.

Rob Segedin (3B/OF, LAD) - 0% owned
The fourth batter called up with the intention of being used as a backup, Segedin was recently promoted to joining the Dodgers backing up at third base and in the outfield. He had been coming off a stellar Triple-A campaign in which he slashed .319/.392/.598 with 21 home runs, three steals, a 19.1% strikeout rate and 9.4% walk rate. Promising for fantasy owners is that in the four days he has been up in the big leagues, Segedin has started in three games.

Segedin was promoted to be a bench player, but he has provided solid production and could be making his way towards more consistent playing time. With promising power and plate discipline, he could be worth owning in some very deep leagues if he continues to receive starts at the hot corner and in the outfield.

Nick Noonan (2B, SD) - 0% owned
Now we have a guy who has a good chance of receiving oodles of playing time and of course he does not have too much to offer. Recently, Noonan was promoted with Jose Rondon being demoted to Triple-A and MLB.com reports that Noonan will receive the majority of starts at shortstop for the Padres. Though he slashed .321/.353/.445, the 27-year-old only has four home runs and no stolen bases and has not come close to double-digits in either category since 2012 when he had nine homers and seven steals.

There are some deeper leagues who might find value for a guy who receives consistent starting playing time, but I still think Noonan is probably best worth avoiding. He has reached the big leagues before and has always struggled to hit, due in large part to his poor plate discipline. And without a cushion of any power/speed counting stats, he has very little to reward owners. He is best worth avoiding in all leagues.

 

Pitchers

Alex Reyes (SP/RP, STL) - 8% owned
If you want a pitcher with extremely high upside, look no further than Alexander Reyes. The 21-year-old right hander has been ranked highly by most evaluators, with Baseball America considering him the second best prospect in baseball and MLB.com ranking him at number nine.

Unfortunately, you can’t ride upside forever and there are warning signs with Reyes. Though evaluators are high on him, there is no denying that he did nothing this season to warrant a promotion. His strikeout rate was extremely high at 12.81 K/9, but as usual command issues plagued him as he walked an average of 4.41 batters per nine innings. Plus that 4.96 ERA, though not entirely indicative of his performance, is not altogether promising. Now Michael Wacha was placed on the 15-day DL recently, but the next guy on the list will be the one to take over his spot in the rotation. For now, Reyes is nothing but a high strikeout guy pitching out of the bullpen for St. Louis. Until he is given a spot in the rotation, he can probably be avoided by fantasy owners.

Luke Weaver (SP, STL) - 3% owned
Weaver may not be the most highly anticipated promotion to come from the Cardinals, but he may be the most worthy of owning in fantasy leagues. Ranked 75th by Baseball America and 93rd by MLB.com, Weaver has received quite a lot of praise from scouts and has done everything in his power to warrant the high praise. Before making a lone start at Triple-A this season, he had accumulated 77.0 innings at Double-A in which he flashed dominance. There he owned a 1.40 ERA, 2.01 FIP, 10.29 K/9, 1.17 BB/9 and 0.47 HR/9. Based on the numbers alone, you would probably think Weaver was a much better prospect than Reyes.

And for fantasy purposes in 2016, you would be right. Weaver will start against the Cubs on Saturday and should be expected to take over Michael Wacha’s spot in the rotation. And based on several rumors, there is a chance Weaver stays in the rotation and Wacha moves to the bullpen upon his return from the 15-day DL in an effort to help reduce the number of injuries. Weaver does not possess the upper-90s fastball and he only has one above-average pitch (a changeup), but he possesses outstanding command and appears to be a relatively low risk pitching prospect (which is more than can be said for the aforementioned prospect). He is certainly worth owning in 12+ team leagues and could be worth owning in shallower leagues if he can prove that his strikeout numbers are for real.

Jake Thompson (SP, PHI) - 2% owned
Philadelphia Phillies’ fans and fantasy owners alike have to be excited to see Thompson finally promoted. The top pitching prospect in the Phillies’ system has dominated Triple-A this season in 129.2 innings of work, owning a 2.50 ERA and 3.77 FIP. Though the strikeout numbers weren’t really there for him (only a 6.04 K/9), he has done an excellent job limiting the walks as he only averages 2.57 walks per nine innings.

Fantasy owners looking to add Thompson need only one thing: quality innings. If you are looking for a guy with 10 K/9 upside, maybe the previous two guys on this list are the ones for you. But with Thompson you are buying a starter as reliable as they come who should give six to eight innings seemingly every time out. Don’t buy in too much to his debut as most young pitchers have a rougher first outing before really getting their feet under them. He should be just fine moving forward and owners should expect to see him produce a solid mid-3.00 ERA moving forward. He is worth owning in all 12+ team leagues.

Rob Whalen (SP, ATL) - 2% owned
The other three pitching prospects on this list garner much more hype and attention, but owners in deeper leagues should not sleep on Rob Whalen. Whalen was outstanding in the minors prior to his promotion, throwing 120.0 innings between Double-A and Triple-A. Over the course of his 21 starts, he owned a 2.40 ERA and 3.06 FIP with a promising 8.40 K/9 and decent 3.30 BB/9. Now granted, his numbers don’t entirely tell the story as most evaluators believe that his upside is limited due to his underwhelming stuff, but the numbers are worth taking note of.

He has already made two starts this season, once against Pittsburgh in his big league debut where he lasted only five and walked four while giving up four hits and four runs and another outing in which he lasted six innings against Milwaukee where he walked only one, gave up five hits and struck out seven. Owners should expect somewhere in the middle between those two outings. He will last five to six innings, strikeout four to six batters, and post a quality start against lackluster offenses. Thankfully in the NL East, there’s a lot of those. Owners should not be overly excited, but if you are in a 14+ team leagues, Whalen could be a solid option for you to own if you are desperate for pitching help.

Josh Ravin (RP, LAD) - 0% owned
A true journeyman reliever, Ravin has been pitching in the minors since 2006 when he was drafted as a starter in the fifth round by the Cincinnati Reds. Now with the Dodgers, Ravin is a relief pitcher who has shown himself to be very capable of racking up solid strikeout numbers after posting a 12.21 K/9 in his last full taste of Triple-A action. But as usual for fantasy owners, a relief pitcher with little hope for save chances is rarely worth owning and the 28-year-old is no exception. He has poor command so it is possible even keeping a low ERA could be a struggle for him. At this point, he is not worth owning in any formats.

 

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"]




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

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

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Keyonte George1 hour ago

To Miss A Third Consecutive Game
John Collins1 hour ago

Out On Thursday
Onyeka Okongwu1 hour ago

Questionable For Meeting With Suns
Trae Young2 hours ago

Probable Thursday
Jaren Jackson Jr.2 hours ago

May Sit On Thursday Due To Thigh Soreness
Desmond Bane2 hours ago

Might Miss Another Game With An Ankle Issue
Ja Morant2 hours ago

Questionable For Thursday
Draymond Green2 hours ago

Iffy For Thursday's Action
Stephen Curry2 hours ago

Questionable Thursday
Garrett Crochet3 hours ago

Boston Discussing Long-Term Deal
Matthew Tkachuk3 hours ago

Tallies Two Helpers In Victory
Petr Mrazek3 hours ago

Stands Tall Against Colorado
Connor Bedard3 hours ago

Tallies Goal, Assist On Wednesday
Logan Thompson3 hours ago

Leads The Way In Overtime Victory
Pierre-Luc Dubois3 hours ago

Scores Twice On Wednesday
Jeff Petry4 hours ago

Placed On Injured Reserve
Khris Middleton14 hours ago

Available For Wednesday's Game
Giannis Antetokounmpo14 hours ago

Cleared For Wednesday
Damian Lillard14 hours ago

Upgraded To Available On Wednesday
Nikola Jokic16 hours ago

Unavailable On Wednesday
Miles McBride16 hours ago

Ruled Out For Wednesday
Karl-Anthony Towns16 hours ago

To Play On Wednesday
Andre Drummond16 hours ago

Sidelined On Wednesday
Alexandre Sarr16 hours ago

Ruled Out On Wednesday
Bub Carrington16 hours ago

Available On Wednesday
Kyle Kuzma16 hours ago

Will Play On Wednesday
Jalen Suggs17 hours ago

Out For Thursday Versus Minnesota
Zion Williamson17 hours ago

Sitting Out Versus Portland
Trent Miner17 hours ago

Set For First Career Start On Wednesday
Beck Malenstyn17 hours ago

To Remain Out On Thursday
Jiri Kulich18 hours ago

Out Week-To-Week
Thatcher Demko18 hours ago

Unavailable Wednesday
Elias Pettersson18 hours ago

A Game-Time Call Against Capitals
Jonathan Drouin18 hours ago

Out Wednesday
Aaron Ekblad18 hours ago

A Game-Time Decision Wednesday
Davis Thompson19 hours ago

Starts 2025 Season Well
PGA19 hours ago

J.T. Poston Disappoints At The Sentry
Chris Kirk19 hours ago

Sputters At The Sentry
Billy Horschel19 hours ago

Looks Forward To Sony Open
Brian Harman19 hours ago

Gets 2025 Started With A Rough Start
PGA19 hours ago

Cameron Davis Finishes Strong At The Sentry
Keegan Bradley19 hours ago

Starts 2025 Season Well
NFL19 hours ago

Bill Belichick Has No Plans To Return To The NFL
Deebo Samuel Sr.20 hours ago

49ers Plan To Bring Deebo Samuel Sr. Back Next Year
Zay Flowers21 hours ago

Absent From Wednesday's Practice
Braxton Garrett21 hours ago

To Miss 2025 Season Following Elbow Surgery
Taylor Pendrith23 hours ago

Is A Dark-Horse Pick For Sony Open
Jalen Hurts23 hours ago

Expected To Practice On Wednesday
Eric Cole23 hours ago

Looking For Bounce-Back Performance At Sony Open
Zay Flowers23 hours ago

A Long Shot To Play On Wild-Card Weekend
Sahith Theegala24 hours ago

A Big Name To Stay Away From At Sony Open
Nick Dunlap1 day ago

Looks To Bounce Back At Sony Open
Tom Kim1 day ago

Making Season Debut At Sony Open
Hideki Matsuyama1 day ago

Looks To Make History At Waialae
Sean Monahan1 day ago

Exits Tuesday's Game Early
Filip Chytil1 day ago

Exits On Tuesday With Upper-Body Injury
Brock Faber1 day ago

Sustains Injury On Tuesday
Steven Stamkos1 day ago

Exits Early On Tuesday
Evgeni Malkin1 day ago

Sidelined With Upper-Body Injury
Josh Morrissey1 day ago

Day-To-Day With Lower Body Injury
Tanner Scott2 days ago

Mets Meet With Tanner Scott
Justin Verlander2 days ago

Signs One-Year Contract With San Francisco
NFL2 days ago

Ashton Jeanty Declares For 2025 NFL Draft
Joey Daccord2 days ago

Activated From Injured Reserve
Colin Miller2 days ago

To Miss At Least Two Weeks
Tua Tagovailoa2 days ago

Dolphins Have "No Concern At All" About Tua Tagovailoa's Long-Term Health
Las Vegas Raiders2 days ago

Raiders Fire Head Coach Antonio Pierce
David Montgomery2 days ago

Expected To Return For Divisional Round
Tyreek Hill2 days ago

Dolphins Say Tyreek Hill Did Not Request A Trade
Brandon Woodruff2 days ago

Hopes To Be Ready By Opening Day
Zay Flowers2 days ago

Not At Tuesday's Practice
Luke Clanton2 days ago

A Player To Watch At Sony Open
Thomas Detry2 days ago

In Solid Form Ahead Of Sony Open
Russell Henley2 days ago

A Course Horse At Sony Open
Stephan Jaeger2 days ago

A Risky Option At Sony Open
Kurt Kitayama2 days ago

Makes 2025 Debut At Sony Open
Maverick McNealy2 days ago

Looks To Stay Hot In Hawaii
Sepp Straka2 days ago

A Safe Option At Sony Open
Michael Thorbjornsen2 days ago

A Dark Horse At Sony Open
Tennessee Titans2 days ago

Titans Retaining Brian Callahan As Head Coach
Tennessee Titans2 days ago

Titans Fire GM Ran Carthon
Brent Rooker2 days ago

Signs Five-Year Extension
Nolan Arenado3 days ago

Red Sox Emerge As Strong Candidate To Land Nolan Arenado
Christian Watson3 days ago

Packers Confirm Torn ACL For Christian Watson
Ezekiel Elliott3 days ago

Signing With Chargers
Michael Lorenzen3 days ago

Signs One-Year Deal With Kansas City
Gavin Lux3 days ago

Traded To Cincinnati
Kyler Murray3 days ago

"100 Percent" Chance That Kyler Murray Will Start For Cardinals In 2025
Brock Purdy3 days ago

Wants Contract Done Sooner Than Later
Christian McCaffrey3 days ago

"Definitely Close" To Being Fully Recovered
Jayden Daniels3 days ago

Commanders "Not Concerned" With Jayden Daniels' Leg Soreness
Amari Cooper3 days ago

Bills Hopeful Amari Cooper Will Be Available In Wild-Card Round
Chicago Bears3 days ago

Bears Seek Permission To Interview Mike McCarthy For Head-Coaching Job
Luis Arraez3 days ago

Yankees Talking With Padres About Luis Arraez
Clayton Kershaw5 days ago

Intends To Pitch In 2025, Expected To Return To Los Angeles
Charlie Morton6 days ago

Signs One-Year Deal With Baltimore

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 
Deion Sanders - NCAAF Head Coach Colorado Buffaloes CFB

Top Eight Candidates To Be The Las Vegas Raiders Head Coach in 2025

The Las Vegas Raiders fired head coach Antonio Pierce on Tuesday after a disappointing 4-13 season. Pierce was the head coach for just one season after taking over as the interim coach in 2023 after Josh McDaniels was let go.  General manager Tom Telesco, who was hired just this season, was retained and will help […]


Travis Kelce - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Time To Hang It Up: Five NFL Tight Ends That Should Retire After The Season

The tight end position typically has players that can play later into their careers than other positions. You don't usually see many running backs, wide receivers, or defensive and offensive linemen over 31 years old have much success or even play at all in the NFL. There are some outliers of course. But even for […]


Patrick Mahomes - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

Best Potential Matchups For Super Bowl LIX

The NFL playoffs have arrived, which means we're just a month away from Super Bowl LIX, which will be played at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. There are 14 teams that could play in the Super Bowl, with 49 potential combinations of teams that could play in the Super Bowl. While every potential matchup […]


Justin Herbert

PrizePicks NFL DFS Prop Picks - Over/Under Props for Super Wild Card Weekend (Saturday Slate)

Hello everybody, and welcome to our PrizePicks NFL DFS prop picks for Super Wild Card Weekend - Saturday Main Slate! The 2024 NFL season is now through the holiday season and gearing up for the playoffs, and our friends over at PrizePicks have a TON of great DFS plays we can look to take advantage […]


Marvin Mims Jr. - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL DFS Picks

WR/CB Matchups to Upgrade and Downgrade - Fantasy Football Wild Card Round (2025)

Welcome back to our WR/CB Matchups for the Wild Card Round of the 2024 fantasy football season. Congrats to all of you who won a championship or reached the title game! For those unfamiliar, this weekly series looks at fantasy football matchups for wide receivers versus the cornerbacks who are projected to cover them. The […]


Zay Flowers - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Fantasy Football WR Injury Reports: Wild Card Weekend Updates For Zay Flowers, Christian Watson, John Metchie III, Joshua Palmer

The (regular) fantasy football season is over but the DFS season rolls along. A few high-profile receivers may not make your lineups due to injury. To keep close tabs on all of the news across the NFL, make sure to favorite or bookmark the fantasy football player news page. Also, download the free RotoBaller fantasy […]


Lamar Jackson - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

NFL Playoffs Rankings: Fantasy Football Draft Rankings and FFPC Playoff Challenge (2025)

Welcome, RotoBallers, to the 2025 NFL Playoffs and our continuing coverage of fantasy football playoff leagues. Fantasy football is still going strong during the NFL playoffs – including new drafts and contests forming before the Wild Card Weekend games. The NFL postseason starts with one of the most challenging and unique fantasy football playoff leagues […]


David Montgomery - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Will David Montgomery Play In The Postseason? Injury Update For Lions RB

Detroit Lions running back David Montgomery (knee) suffered an MCL injury in Week 15 against the Buffalo Bills. While it was initially reported that he would be placed on injured reserve and his season would be over, we haven't seen that yet. "Monty" has now played in 14 games this season, rushing 185 times for […]


Travis Kelce - Fantasy Football Tight Ends You Must Have in 2024

12 Biggest Fantasy Football Busts Of 2024

Unfortunately, the 2024 fantasy football season is over. Hopefully, fantasy players came away with the championship trophy. While the fantasy season just wrapped up, it’s never too early to prepare for next year. The first thing fantasy players should do is look back at the 2024 season and see where they went wrong. Therefore, let’s […]


Mike Evans - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

NFL Playoff League Rankings for Fantasy Football: Saquon Barkley, Jahmyr Gibbs, Mike Evans, Kyren Williams, Joe Mixon, Puka Nacua, Terry McLaurin

While the traditional fantasy football season is over, the start of the NFL playoffs brings various types of fantasy football contests geared toward the playoffs. Fantasy football is not over yet, so let's get to the action! Below are our 2025 fantasy football playoff league rankings to help you make the best decisions for your playoff […]


Nico Collins - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Fantasy Football Start 'Em, Sit 'Em - Wild Card Weekend Matchups Analysis

Welcome back, RotoBallers, to another start'em and sit'em piece as we look ahead to Wild Card Weekend! If you are new here, this matchups analysis and Start 'Em, Sit 'Em article will look at the best and worst matchups of the week.  Whether you are looking for some DFS plays this weekend or are playing in a fantasy […]


Bucky Irving - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

All-Waiver Wire Fantasy Football Team - 2024 Undrafted Players Who Exceeded Expectations

The casual fantasy football managers draft a team and ride it out, hoping their selections push them into the playoffs. The savvy fantasy managers utilized the waiver wire to make a good team great. Every year, undrafted players go on to be fantasy football darlings. This season was no exception. Below is the All-Waiver Wire […]


Jayden Daniels - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

2024 Fantasy Football Awards - RotoBaller Writers Picks

Greetings and welcome to the official 2024 Fantasy Football Awards Show, presented by RotoBaller. These awards are voted on by RotoBaller's NFL writers, with some goofy ones thrown in alongside the expected. We are here to celebrate the good, the bad, and the downright frustrating. Once again, I'm your host, Nick Mariano. We won't have […]