Fantasy Baseball Today - Prospect Report: Christian Encarnacion-Strand Obstacles & Baby Orioles (6/10 Fantasy Baseball Podcast)

Starting point is 00:00:02 Which prospects do we talk about now that L.A. Dela Cruz got promoted? Find out next on Fantasy Baseball today in five. Welcome into FBT and 5 on Saturday, June 10th. I am Frank Sanfield, joined by Scott White, the five prospects on the verge of getting the call. Christian Encarnacion Strand with the Reds. Colton Couser and Jordan Westberg with the Orioles, Gavin Williams with the Guardians and Edouard Julian with the twins.

Starting point is 00:00:30 Scott, what are your latest thoughts on? Encarnacion Strand. I know Joey Votto's rehabbing as well, so that kind of throws a bit of an obstacle in it. And when might we see these Orioles? It feels like it's time. It's time. Yeah, so within Carnacian strands,

Starting point is 00:00:46 you know, the Reds have been really aggressive with their prospect call-ups of late. Just in the last three weeks, we've seen Matt McLean, we've seen Andrew Abbott, and most recently we've seen the Crown Jewel, Ellie de la Cruz. What we haven't seen is the one we expected to come up first,

Starting point is 00:01:00 which is in Carnaccio and Strand who very nearly well at least very much seemed to be in the mix for a job this spring. He was killing it. He was the headline player for like the first half of spring training a home run every time he played, it seemed like.

Starting point is 00:01:17 And he's continued to mash at AAA putting up numbers frankly even better than what Elie de la Cruz was doing there. So why isn't he up yet? Well, I don't really know. I do think the the thing to be encouraged about is he's improved in the same way

Starting point is 00:01:35 L.E. D.A.C. La Cruz has just prior to his promotion, specifically with the plate discipline. Incarnazian Strand walked just three times in his first 28 games, and then his next 12 games he walked 11 times. So we saw a very similar thing happened with L.A. La Cruz. It seems to be something they're emphasizing with their young hitters. And so maybe that's exactly what they wanted to see from Incarna. Or In Carnacian Strand, maybe he'll be up soon.

Starting point is 00:02:02 Then again, they've added so many players, as I've mentioned, who need at bats, that is there still room for Incarnautian Strand in the lineup? To get him at first base, that pretty much requires them to bump Spencer Stier, who, of course, has earned a bats to the outfield. They did start him in left field to Elie De Lae La Cruz's first game, but there's no telling that that's something they view as a long-term solution. There's, of course, the DH spot as well, but you mentioned Joey Vos. Rhabting. If they're really committed to calling up in Carnacian Strand, they could make it work. But it's not like the lineups wide open for him now.

Starting point is 00:02:40 So I obviously still lean on it being sooner than later, but maybe they'll continue to frustrate us. As for the Orioles duo, Colton Kouser, Jordan Westberg, in a way this is even more frustrating because the Orioles are one of the best teams in the AL, and yet they have a lot of holes in their lineup, the Kouser one's pretty easy to see because their best outfielder,

Starting point is 00:03:04 Cedric Mullins, is on the I.O. with a groin strain. No timetable, really, for his return. Kouser just got back from the I.L. himself. He was dealing with a quadriceps injury, but he picked up right where he left off at the plate. He does look great. It contributes really in all facets of the game. And I imagine he's going to be up soon.

Starting point is 00:03:27 The path appears a little bit clearer for him, and for Jordan Westberg, and I like the upside for Colton Couser Moore. Westberg's had been hitting for a lot of power each of the last two years. Naturally, a shortstop has played some second and third. The Orioles have a lot of versatile infielder just like him who haven't hit at all this year, whether you're talking about Ramona Reyes or, I mean, even really Gunner-Henderson hasn't been that productive at the plate.

Starting point is 00:03:57 So you'd think they'd want them up soon. given that they're actually playing for something for the first time in a long time. I'm surprised they're not up already. I'm guessing it'll happen this month for both, but remains to be seen. The five prospects that are on the periphery, these are players doing something of note recently.

Starting point is 00:04:19 And let's start with Kate Horton, a starting pitcher with the Cubs. Carson Wisenhunt, a starting pitcher with the Giants. Spencer Arrogetti, a starting pitcher with the Astros, Moises Gomez and outfielder with the Cardinals and Jonathan Peralaza in outfielder with the Cubs. Scott, any quick notes on this group? Yeah.

Starting point is 00:04:39 So, Kate Horton was the seventh overall pick in the draft this past year and has pretty much dominated every stop right now. First, mostly with a fastball slider combination. He's somebody who got recruited to play college quarterback in college for the University of Oklahoma. So he has a lot of athleticism that helps to raise his profile.

Starting point is 00:05:07 But his fastball and slider are getting a lot of strikeouts. He's basically living up to the hype as the seventh overall pick. Carson Wiz and Hunt doesn't have nearly as much hype in the Giants organization, but he has dominated, like he's cruising through the entire system right now. Began the year, low A, then went to high A for basically the entire month of May, put up a 142 ERA there with a 0.67 whip 12.8K. Now he just made his first start at double A and it was just as good there. So left-handed pitcher doesn't throw especially hard, but he has a good rising action on the fastball and a terrific changeup has put together a 20% swinging strike rate this year in the miners.

Starting point is 00:05:50 That's Carson, Winston Hunt, clearly a prospect on the rise. Also real quick, I'll highlight Spencer Arrogetti for the Astros, an organization that doesn't have a lot of pitching depth in the upper miners. he's at AA. The overall numbers are, you know, not, they don't look that great because he got off to a rough start, but his last six starts, he has a .560RA, 0.75, with 12.4K per 9, has a fastball that, you know, this seems to be like the key characteristics for prospects right now, a fastball that itself can generate swings and misses, particularly with the optimum vertical approach angle so that it creates that rising effect.

Starting point is 00:06:29 he has that going for him in addition to just kind of a funky delivery in general. And as I said, he's been pitching well of late. So he may be moving up the pecking order for the Astros at double A. All right. For more extensive fantasy baseball coverage, listen to the Fantasy Baseball Today podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcast, the Odyssey app, or anywhere else podcasts are found. Thanks for listening to Fantasy Baseball today in five. And we'll be back again next week. Bye-bye.

Fantasy Baseball Today - Prospect Report: Christian Encarnacion-Strand Obstacles & Baby Orioles (6/10 Fantasy Baseball Podcast)

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