Baseball America Prospect Report: Sleeper Pitchers To Watch (3/6/2020)

Each Friday, we'll take a fantasy-oriented approach to the BA Prospect Report. Our first installment focuses on three sleepers to target in your dynasty leagues.

Just as major league teams can never have too many pitchers, neither should you skimp on live arms for your fantasy pitching staff. Pitchers get hurt. They lose effectiveness. They lose fantasy-relevant roles. That's why if you play in a dynasty league that allows you to stash pitchers on your minor league roster, you should zero in on a few who have growth potential and opportunity.

Everybody in your league knows about the first-tier pitching sleepers, including Dodgers LHP Julio Urias, Padres RHP Dinelson Lamet, Marlins RHP Sandy Alcantara, Astros RHP Jose Urquidy, Angels RHP Griffin Canning and now Yankees LHP Jordan Montgomery. So you need to dig deeper. Here are three recommended targets.

Austin Voth, RHP, Nationals
Drafted in 2013, Voth made progress toward the majors before backsliding in 2017. He recovered to make an unremarkable big league debut in 2018 before making an eye-opening 43-inning run in 2019. The caveat: Voth spent time on the injured list last summer with a shoulder injury, though he returned in September to record a 2.35 ERA with a strong 15 percent swinging-strike rate. He enters 2020 out of minor league options, but if he’s healthy, Voth’s 93 mph fastball and high-spin curveball headline a sneaky four-pitch mix.

Patrick Sandoval, LHP, Angels
Sandoval’s outstanding changeup and high-spin curveball helped him strike out 11 batters per nine innings at Double-A and Triple-A last season. His strikeout rate held up in the majors (nearly 10 per nine) following his August callup. The issue for Sandoval, who grew up in Orange County, is that batters tend to see his 93 mph fastball well, which resulted in a .286 opponent average and .932 OPS in his big league debut. The problem was compounded by a poor first-pitch strike rate. If he can minimize his fastball and emphasize his strengths, Sandoval has attributes worth speculating on.

Randy Dobnak, RHP, Twins
Undrafted out of Division II Alderson Broaddus (W.Va.) in 2017, Dobnak not only reached the majors in 2019 but started a Division Series game. The Twins signed him out of the United Shore League after just six starts, and he became the first player from that small independent league to reach the majors. Dobnak’s mid-80s slider played effectively as a chase pitch in his major league debut, generating a .222 average and 26 percent whiff rate, and he sets up the pitch well with his sinker and four-seam fastball. While his ceiling is modest, his floor is high.

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Baseball America Prospect Report — Sept. 24, 2020

Sam Huff crushes two doubles, Randy Arozarena hits two homers, Patrick Sandoval earns his first big league win and more.