Fantasy Baseball Today - Top Prospect Report! Updates on Joey Loperfido & James Wood (Fantasy Baseball Today in 5 Podcast)

Episode Date: April 20, 2024

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. When might the Astros promote Joey Loperfido? Who is Jordan Beck? James Wood is off to an incredible start at Triple-A. Cade Povich has looked like one of the best pitching prospects in baseball. Fantasy Baseball Today in 5 is available for free on the Audacy app as well as Apple Podcasts, Spotify 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

Who are the top prospects to Stash? Find out next on Fantasy Baseball today in five. Welcome into FBT&Five on Saturday, April 20th. I am Frank Sanfield, joined by Scott White, the top five prospects on the verge of being called up right now. Junior Camerero of the Rays, Paul Skeens of the Pirates, Max Meyer of the Marlins,

Joey Loperfeito of the Astros, and Christian Scott of the Mets. Reno Skeens and Christian Scott, they continue to dominate. Max Meyer, unfortunately got sent down earlier in the week. In addition to this list, Scott, Joey Loperfito of the Astros. Talk to me about him. I mean, this has been a surprising development for sure.

I was aware of Loprfito last year. He had around 25 homers, 25 steals. A lot of strikeouts and some questionable exit velocity reading. Seemed like a pretty borderline prospect to me. But he has looked completely transatlantic. foreign tier had 10 home runs through his first 13 games. I don't know what that number's up to now, but obviously that's some big power production.

And it's not just that he's hit home runs. It's, you watch the video for these home runs and consistently they are absolute missiles. Like the way they fly off the bat is what you only see from elite power hitters. And, you know, the exit velocity readings back it up. He, his hardest hit ball again at the time of recording here. 113.9 miles per hour, which equals Jordan Alvarez's hardest hit ball this year and is a six mile per hour improvement,

six mile per hour improvement over Lopifido's max exit velocity from last year. So he has improved, like on a pure ability level. And that has some, you know, a lot of chatter in Astro circles about is he going to replace Jose Abraeu at first base. They owe Jose Abraeu a lot. He obviously bounced back from a slow start last year.

I understand them wanting to give him more time. But Loparfito isn't limited to first base. He can play outfield, center field, left field, where Chas McCormick and Jake Myers are. So they have a few places they could play him. And if he got called up, they could find a bat's for him. I think they are going to call Joey Lopeperfito up soon. and I think he could be impactful right away in fantasy.

The question is the strikeout rate because he's striking out a third at the time. But if he continues to impact the ball like this, it may not matter. Five prospects on the periphery. These are just prospects doing something of note recently. James Wood of the Nationals, who we saw had a great spring training.

Jordan Beck of the Rockies, Cade Povich of the Orioles, Augustine Ramirez of the Yankees, Jonah Tong of the New York Mets. Scott, Jordan Beck is a name that I've heard in other prospect circles right now. What do we need to know about him? Yeah, he's just a good all-around hitting prospect.

25 homers, 20 steals in the minors last year, so he brings that speed element as well. But it's the power that earns the highest marks in the scouting reports for Jordan Beck. And off to a good start of AAA. Walks a lot has always walked a lot. The Rockies could use a player like him. And I think we're going to see him called up soon.

Obviously, that environment, of course, field is going to help his skills to play up. I think Jordan Beck, if he's available in your dynasty league, I drafted him or picked him up, I should say, and one of mine, a 24-teamer. Surprised he was available and won that deep. But if you play in one shallower than that, there is a good chance Jordan Beck is available,

and he's worth picking up. I want to talk about James Wood here as well, obviously a well-known prospect, consensus top-10, if not top-five guy overall. and he was one of the biggest prospect standouts this spring. What I want to point out most of all is just how the approach, how much better it's been this year, because we all knew supremely athletic,

hits the ball very hard. Upside wasn't in question for James Wood, but he struck out 31.5% of the time between high A and AA last year. That was the biggest knock on him. 31.5%. Well, between spring training and now his time of training, AAA this year, 21.7%. Big improvement there with the strikeout rate. And it would suggest, obviously the exit velocities are late, it would suggest James Wood is

pretty close to a finished product here at age 21. But because he plays for the nationals who, of course, aren't contending for anything, I just, I don't know how this is going to play out. I'm uncomfortable leaving him out of the five to stash because if there was a report tomorrow, the nationals are calling up James Wood. It wouldn't be the most surprising thing. I'm betting against it, obviously, by leaving him out of my five on the verge. But I want to be opposed to anyone stashing him because the impact for James Wood if and when he gets the call

could be considerable. And finally, one I want to mention here, do we talk about Kate Povich last week? I can't remember. I can't remember either. Kate Povich is maybe the biggest riser among pitching prospects so far if not Jack Leiter

Cate Povich is only he's allowed in his 16 and a third innings at AAA a grand total of four hits while striking out 24 5 pitch arsenal the fastball doesn't earn high marks and he's had some trouble

throwing strikes but he's he's been attacking more with this deep secondary arsenal and obviously the stuff is playing up I could see the Orioles calling him up finally this is the guy actually wanted to mention. Augustin Ramirez, a catcher in the Yankees organization at AA. Through his first 10 games, he had already homered seven times, great opposite field power. I don't know if he's going to stick a catcher, but I think the bat might

play elsewhere if he doesn't. Augustin Ramirez, that's another name to know. 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 ball today in five and we will be back again next week. Bye-bye.