Fantasy Baseball – Potential 2017 Prospect Risers
By Craig Bozic
Who Are The Prospects That Will Make An Impact In 2017?
The major league fantasy baseball season may be drawing to a close, but the off-season is often a pivotal time for many minor league fantasy baseball players aiming to be potential . With yet another season nearly wrapped up and many of last years upper level prospects graduating to the big leagues I will be looking at 3 minor league prospects whose continued development in 2016 leads them trending in the right direction, and on the fantasy baseball prospect radar for 2017.
With the Arizona Fall League just around the corner, there is still plenty of time for talented prospects to showcase their talents and prove their future worth their big league organizations.
In this article I will be looking at 3 players who have not only improved their stock during the 2016 season, but also make for intriguing add/watch candidates for those of you who play in deep dynasty leagues, or leagues which afford you to farm future talent.
Next: Phil Bickford
Phil Bickford, Starting Pitcher, Parent Club – Milwaukee Brewers:
It has been a memorable 14 months for the 6’4 right-handed starter. After being selected in the first round by the San Francisco Giants in 2015 the Californian native has not only dazzled in the lower levels of the minor leagues, but also saw a choice for the 2016 Futures game as well as seeing his talents traded to the Milwaukee Brewers for relief pitcher Will Smith.
Bickford possesses a smooth repeatable delivery and an arsenal that primarily focuses on a fastball, slider and change-up. Bickford’s go to pitch is his fastball but as the season has progressed has found more comfort in using his breaking balls, which have continued to develop ahead of time. The former Southern Nevada college star has a fastball which generally sits between 90-94 mph but is sequenced well with his other offerings reducing predictability.
In his first full season of professional baseball, the 21-year-old has not disappointed posting a cool 2.90 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and an impressive 127:36 K:BB ratio through 111.2 innings, impressive given his limited experience in pro-ball. A lot of this success is through reducing hitters to a .218 average and only giving up 5 home runs throughout the entirety of 2016.
Bickford has joined an exciting crop of minor league talent at the Milwaukee Brewers, and possesses all the tools to potentially rise to the upper tier of prospect rankings n 2017
Next: David Paulino
David Paulino, Starting Pitcher, Parent Club – Houston Astros:
David Paulino is a classic example of the Jeff Luhnow ‘build from the bottom philosophy’. Acquired through trade as the player to be named later as a 19-year-old from the Tigers in 2013 in the Jose Veras trade, the 22-year-old right-handed starter has done nothing but continually increase his stock over the past few season.
Entering the season as a top 100 prospect, the 6’7 Dominican has continued to go from strength to strength and is fast making a name for himself as one of the better pitchers in the minor leagues.
After a successful season in 2015, a season in which he posted a 2.81 ERA, 1.01 WHIP while striking out over a batter an inning, Paulino has further improved on those numbers in AA and AAA. In 2016 the 22-year-old has recently seen a promotion to AAA on the back of posting a 1.83 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and a mightily impressive 72:11 K:BB ratio for AA outfit Corpus Christi Hooks. When you also cause in that he has struck out 93 batters over 80 innings of work you have all the makings for a player who has every chance to be considered a top 25 prospect in next seasons mid-season prospect rankings.
Next: Mauricio Dubon
Mauricio Dubon, Shortstop, Parent Club – Boston Red Sox
A personal favorite of mine for quite some time, Maurcio Dubon’s notoriety has largely been overshadowed in 2016 by a loaded farm system which includes some of the best prospects in fantasy baseball. This however sometimes works to a fantasy baseball owners benefit, identifying under the radar potential breakout candidates before they become a household name.
The 22-year-old Honduran native was drafted in the 26th round back in 2013, and has since become one of the best value picks of the draft. The speedy outfielder has enjoyed progressing through the Red Sox system with the organization’s top prospect, Yoan Moncada, and has formed not only a formidable middle infield partnership with the phenom, but also a highly successful 1-2 punch at the top of the lineup for both Salem Red Sox and now Portland Seadogs in 2016.
The 22-year-old is primarily a contact/speed player at the plate, and so far in 2016 has stolen 29 bases with a batting average of .321, very encouraging when you consider that he not only hit over .300 in high A, but has continued that trend since promotion to AA
Dubon might not quite have the level of speed that elite prospect Moncada does, but Dubon is a smart base runner who should see continued success in the higher levels on the base paths. The biggest stumbling block down the line will be if there is a place within the big league club for Dubon, but this is a player who could present himself as interesting trade bait for the Red Sox if his success continues.