Fantasy Baseball Today - Prospect Report: Stash Jo Adell & Scout J.J. Bleday (5/14 Fantasy Baseball Podcast)

Episode Date: May 16, 2022

Download and follow Fantasy Baseball Today in 5! You can find FBT in 5 on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever else podcasts are found. Jo Adell is crushing home runs since being sent back to Triple-A. When might we see Adley Rutschman? What's the latest on Marlins prospect J.J. Bleday? Who is Gordon Graceffo? 'Fantasy Baseball Today in 5' is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Castbox and wherever else you listen to podcasts.  Get 20% off Fantasy Baseball Today merch: https://store.cbssports.com/collections/fantasy-baseball-today?utm_source=podcast-apple-com&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=buy-our-merch&utm_content=fantasy-baseball-collection 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

What's going on with the latest top prospects in the miners? We'll break it all down next on Fantasy Baseball to date in five. Welcome into FBT and 5. As always, make sure to follow and stream us on Spotify. Today is Saturday, May 14th. I am Frank Stamphill, joined by Scott White, the five prospects on the verge. Adley Ruchman, Nolan, Gorman, Max Meyer, Joe Adele, O'Neill Cruz. Scott, I saw that Joe Adele was in the news recently, got sent down, started hitting a bunch of home runs again.

Yeah, well, right away in his first four games after being sit down, he hit three home runs, including on Tuesday he hit a 460-foot blast to center field. So, like, he's quickly, he's trying to prove as quickly as possible that he belongs in the majors. Do the angels have a spot for? I mean, that was really the problem. Why, you got sent down, they just couldn't find enough at bats for him with Taylor Ward breaking through and everything else. So I don't know

I do have him as the fourth best minor league or to stash He technically doesn't qualify as a prospect anymore But you know Only on a technicality there with the at-bats and the majors I have him as the fourth best to stash still even Which kind of helps you to gauge how stashable any of these are Like you don't feel like Joe Adele's worth stashing in your league That probably says something about how applicable any of this is for you

The other big news here was that Nolan Gorman, the Cardinals option shortstop, Paul DeYoung to the minors, and it seemed like an obvious ticket to the majors for Nolan Gorman, and yet they decided not to go that route. Maybe just they wanted Tommy Edmund,

their second baseman, to take more reps at shortstop before sliding over to replace Gorman. Maybe they just want Gorman's strikeout rate to go down as many home runs as he's been hitting a AAA. Strikeout rate is close to twice as high as it was there in the 76 games. He played a triple A.

A last year. So he's capable of better, and maybe the Cardinals want to see that from Gorman. Still think he's the second best prospect to stash. Adley Rushman, I'm going to guess this is the last time we talk about him here. I'm going to guess, and this seems to be the way the entire Orioles beat is leaning.

Hard to tell how much of this is true information and how much is just the beat writer's perceptions of things. But they all seem to think Rushman is going to be active. for the start of the next homestand Monday. He's already 80% rostered in CBS sports leagues. I mean, people have been anticipating this all along after the triceps injury in spring training that it would just be a short ramp up in the minors

once he got healthy. And his upside at a position as weak as catcher makes him worth stashing. So not surprising, he's so widely stashed. But if he happens to not be in yours, Rushman could immediately emerge as a, top five catcher or at least a top 10 catcher in fantasy, having been the top overall pick in the 2019 draft. All right, let's make that happen. Adley Ruchman on Monday, that would be

awesome going up against the Yankees, division rival, Kyle Bradish is on the mound, another fellow prospect. Let's make it happen. Five prospects that are on the periphery right now. These are prospects that have been doing something of note recently. J.J. Bleday with the Miami Marlins, Gunner Henderson with the Baltimore Orioles, Brian Bello with the Baltimore Orioles, Ken Waldachuk with the Yankees, and Gordon Grecefo with the St. Louis Cardinals. Scott, what's going on with J.J. Bladay? I know he's a former first round pick. Obviously, the Marlins could use some offense. What's happening there? Yeah, so he was not just a first round pick. He was the fourth overall pick in 2019, the same draft where

Rushman went number one overall. So, of course, in Dynasty leagues, he was a popular picking rookie drafts that year. There's a good chance he's been dropped since then because he was so bad after getting drafted, including last year. But JJ Bladay

made a change in his stance, lowered his hands, seemed to get better back control with that. And in the Arizona Fall League last year, hit 316 with five home runs and a 1035 OPS in 2020. 24 games and got off to a slow start of AAA this year, but it's been picking it up recently. The walk rate has always been high for him.

It remains high. And I think there's a good chance Bladay still turns himself into something. He's already 24, so it's going to have to happen sooner than later. But, you know, you might want to check to see if he's available in your Dynasty League. Gunner Henderson of the Orioles, also want to highlight him here. He got promoted. He got moved up really quickly last year to high A and struggled. to make consistent contacts struck out at more than a 30% rate.

He's cut that about in half. This year actually has more walks than strikeouts with his move up to AA. That's kind of the hardest climb to make, short of going from AAA to the majors. And, you know, running a lot, hitting for power. It looks like a legit high-end shortstop prospect. That's Gunner Henderson. And I'll also mention Gordon Gricefo here.

He's the newcomer, the one you, probably haven't heard of. At high Class A, he's incredible control pitcher throwing 70% of his pitches for strikes. And he's seen a big velocity jump this year. Last year, he was like high 80s, low 90s. This year he's peaking at 98. And his walk-to-strikeout ratio high has just been incredible. So Gordon Groscefo, a riser, somebody to know in Dynasty Leaks.

All right. For more extensive fantasy baseball coverage, listen to the Fantasy Baseball Today podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcast, Stitcher, your smart speakers, or anywhere else podcasts are found. And thanks for listening to Fantasy Baseball today in five. We'll be back again on Monday morning. Bye-bye.