Fantasy Baseball Today - Prospect Report: Matt Mervis Promoted! Christopher Morel Next? (Fantasy Baseball Today in 5 Podcast)

Episode Date: May 6, 2023

Download and follow Fantasy Baseball Today in 5! You can find FBT in 5 on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, the Audacy App and wherever else podcasts are found. Matt Mervis was promoted by the Cubs on Friday! Is he a must-add? Mervis or Christian Encarnacion-Strand? Will we see Christopher Morel with the Cubs soon, too? Fantasy Baseball Today in 5 is available for free on the Audacy app as well as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher and wherever else you listen to podcasts.  Get Fantasy Baseball Today merch here: http://bit.ly/3y8dUqi Follow FBT on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fbtpod?_t=8WyMkPdKOJ1&_r=1 Follow our FBT team on Twitter: @FBTPod, @CTowersCBS, @CBSScottWhite, @Roto_Frank Join our Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/fantasybaseballtoday Sign up for the FBT Newsletter at https://www.cbssports.com/newsletters/fantasy-baseball-today/ For more fantasy baseball coverage from CBS Sports, visit https://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/baseball/ To hear more from the CBS Sports Podcast Network, visit https://www.cbssports.com/podcasts/ You can listen to Fantasy Baseball Today in 5 on your smart speakers! Simply say "Alexa, play the latest episode of the Fantasy Baseball Today in 5 podcast" or "Hey Google, play the latest episode of the Fantasy Baseball Today in 5 podcast." To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's Mash Mervis time. Let's discuss on Fantasy Baseball today in five. Welcome into FBT in Five. Today is Saturday, May 6th. I am Frank Sample joined by Scott White, and normally we do Scott's five prospects on the verge. But this week, you wrote your prospect report a little bit earlier, and guess what?

Matt Mervis got the call. So let's just talk about him. Lots of power. Doesn't strike out very much. Great on base skills, Scott. 45% rostered is Matt Mervis. What are you expecting in his debut with the Cubs? Well, I feel like it's hard to expect anything from any prospect call-up the way this year has gone,

really the way the last few years have gone. Not a lot of consistency there. I have more hope for Matt Mervis than most, I will say, just because he seems so polished as a hitter, not the least of which being because he... is 25 years old already. So he's more experienced than most first-time call-ups and having spent some time in college. Also, strikeout rate, he's maintained a low strikeout rate

throughout his minor career below 20% the last couple years, which is very good for a power hitter. Also, he has transitioned so easily from level to level, like no let up in the performance as he's climbed the ladder. And so I'm hoping that continues in the majors as well. Mervis led the miners in extra base hits last year, 36 home runs, 40 doubles. He led the miners also in total bases. He was among the leaders in RBI with 119.

So there's a lot to like here for Matt Mervis, especially in points leagues. I don't think you can just assume he's going to be somebody you can plug at first base and leave him there the rest of the season, but certainly worth picking up as a potential lottery ticket. A question I keep getting, Scott, is, would you rather have Matt Mervis or Christian Encarnacion Strand of the Cincinnati Reds who hit three more home runs in a game on Thursday night? Yeah, I mean, I think it has to be Mervis just because we know he's coming up. And he does seem like a more well-rounded hitter, less opportunity for things to go wrong. But I'm very excited about Christian and Carnacian Strand, too. It's up to seven home runs in 10 minor league games this year

after being a total masher last year too. And this spring he hit over 500 with four very loud home runs. The power seems to be top of the scale here for Christian and Carnaccio and Strand. Of course, he's going to play in the best park for home runs once he does reach the Reds. I don't see why that wouldn't happen in short order here, considering they're playing Spencer Steer at first base right now. We haven't heard any updates on Joey Vado in a couple weeks. It could happen tomorrow in Carnacian Strand.

We hear he's coming up. So if you miss down on Mervis, go ahead and dash in Carnacian Strand, who is eligible at third base, by the way, even though he would play first base once he reached the majors. All right, the five prospects that are on the periphery. These are just prospects doing something as of note as of late. And we'll start with Christopher Morel of the Cubs, Junior Camerero with the Tampa Bay raise,

Jonathan Class A with the Mariners, Ben Brown with the Cubs, and Sterlin Thompson, with the Rockies. Scott, I know the Cubs just called up Matt Mervis, but I looked at the numbers for Christopher Morrell the other day. He is crushing it in the minors.

Yeah, insane. He's batting about 360 as OPS is about 1,300. And of course, he's not really a prospect anymore. He got 379 at Bats in the majors last year, but I went ahead and put him in here because you have numbers like that. I mean, they're worth shining a light on.

And because he was on the 40-man roster already, there was some speculation he would get the call before Mervis. Clearly it didn't happen. And I think it's telling that it didn't happen because Morel fell out of favor with the Cubs last year because the strikeout rate was exorbitant. And for as productive as he is at AAA right now, still a really high strikeout rate, almost 30%. Personal guy has some speed. But there are big flaws here as well. And I don't know that he's somebody you need to be

stashing and redraft, even though there's a good chance he's up soon. that's Christopher Morel. Junior Caminero is one of the biggest prospect risers this year for the raise, a 19-year-old with major league quality of contact, very high-exam velocities, and that power is shining through for him this year. As a 19-year-old, he's taken that big step forward with the power production 8, entered Thursday with eight home runs and less than 80 at bats. So he's rising the rankings very quickly.

Jonathan Class A, who you mentioned for the Mariners and outfielder, he stole 55 bases last year. So he had a lot of speed. We already knew Class A had that going for him. But he's another guy who appears to have added a lot of power this year. Small guy, only 5 foot 9. So how will he sustain that as he moves into the upper levels? that remains to be seen.

Also, the strikeout rate is kind of high for somebody who's still an A ball, but the scope of the skills here for Jonathan Class A makes him a fascinating option in dynasty leagues. Ben Brown, 6-foot-6 pitcher for the Cubs, came over in the David Robertson deal from the Phillies last year, and it was dominating at AA early on, just moved up to AAA and turned in a great start there. So he is a pitching prospect on the rise. Real quickly, Sterlin Thompson of the Rockies was a supplemental first round pick last year, tremendous contact skills, sort of a Jeff McNeil type in that way. But he's 6'4 and has the foundation to add power in a way Jeff McNeil doesn't.

So he's batting nearly 500 so far in the lower minors is Sterlin Thompson, excuse me. set to move up a level, and somebody who needs to be on your radar in Dynasty Leagues. All right. For more extensive fantasy baseball coverage, listen to the Fantasy Baseball Today podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, the Odyssey app, or anywhere else podcasts are found. Thanks for listening to Fantasy Baseball Today and Five, and we'll be back again next week. Bye-bye.