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

Image credit: Austin Voth (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

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.

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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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HITTERS

TEAM	CLASS	PLAYER, POS	AB	R	H	BI	AVG	NOTES
ARI	MAJ	Smith, Pavin PH-LF	1	0	1	1	.308
BAL	MAJ	Bannon, Rylan 3B	0	1	0	0	.375	BB (2)
BAL	MAJ	Diaz, Yusniel RF	3	0	1	0	.200
BAL	MAJ	McKenna, Ryan LF-CF	1	0	0	0	.000
BAL	MAJ	Mountcastle, Ryan LF	3	0	0	0	.296
BAL	MAJ	Rutschman, Adley PH-DH	1	0	1	0	.143
BOS	MAJ	Chatham, C.J. SS	2	0	1	0	.143
BOS	MAJ	Dalbec, Bobby 1B	1	0	0	0	.235
BOS	MAJ	Duran, Jarren PR-LF-CF	1	0	0	0	.111	BB (3)
CHC	MAJ	Amaya, Miguel C	2	0	1	0	.211
CHC	MAJ	Hoerner, Nico 2B	2	0	0	0	.313
CHC	MAJ	Short, Zack SS	0	0	0	0	.250	BB (5)
CIN	MAJ	Fairchild, Stuart RF	3	0	0	0	.083
CIN	MAJ	India, Jonathan 3B	1	0	1	0	.100
CIN	MAJ	Stephenson, Tyler C	1	0	0	0	.300
CLE	MAJ	Bradley, Bobby 1B	2	2	2	1	.400	2B (1)
CLE	MAJ	Chang, Yu SS	3	0	0	0	.111
CLE	MAJ	Clement, Ernie SS	1	0	1	1	.333
CLE	MAJ	Johnson, Daniel RF	2	0	1	1	.125	3B (1)
CLE	MAJ	Jones, Nolan 3B	1	1	0	0	.111	BB (4)
CLE	MAJ	Tena, Jose 2B	2	0	1	0	.500
COL	MAJ	Daza, Yonathan CF	2	1	1	1	.450	BB (2)
COL	MAJ	Fuentes, Josh 3B	3	0	1	0	.444
COL	MAJ	Hilliard, Sam RF	3	1	1	2	.227	HR (2)
COL	MAJ	Rodgers, Brendan DH	3	0	2	0	.667
COL	MAJ	Vilade, Ryan 3B	1	0	0	0	.200
COL	MAJ	Welker, Colton 3B	1	0	0	0	.385
CWS	MAJ	Basabe, Luis Alexander PR-CF	1	1	1	0	.222
CWS	MAJ	Collins, Zack C	3	1	1	0	.300
CWS	MAJ	Madrigal, Nick 2B	2	1	0	0	.125
CWS	MAJ	Mendick, Danny SS	3	1	3	1	.286
CWS	MAJ	Rutherford, Blake RF	1	0	0	0	.125
CWS	MAJ	Sanchez, Yolbert PR-SS	1	1	0	0	.000
CWS	MAJ	Sheets, Gavin 1B	1	0	0	0	.182
CWS	MAJ	Vaughn, Andrew 1B	2	1	0	0	.400	BB (2)
DET	MAJ	Alcantara, Sergio SS	1	1	1	2	.500	3B (1)
DET	MAJ	Azocar, Jose CF	2	1	1	1	.333	HR (1)
DET	MAJ	Castro, Willi SS	3	0	0	0	.267
DET	MAJ	Rogers, Jake C	3	2	2	1	.600	HR (2)
HOU	MAJ	Kessinger, Grae 3B	1	0	0	0	.000
HOU	MAJ	Pena, Jeremy SS	2	0	0	0	.111
HOU	MAJ	Stubbs, Garrett C	2	0	1	0	.714
HOU	MAJ	Toro, Abraham 3B	3	0	0	0	.077
KC	MAJ	Gutierrez, Kelvin 1B	0	0	0	0	.143
KC	MAJ	Guzman, Jeison SS	2	0	0	0	.333
KC	MAJ	Heath, Nick CF	1	0	0	0	.200
KC	MAJ	Lee, Khalil RF	2	0	0	0	.294
LAD	MAJ	Amaya, Jacob SS	1	0	0	0	.091
LAD	MAJ	Estevez, Omar 2B	1	0	0	0	.286
LAD	MAJ	Lux, Gavin SS	3	0	0	0	.214
LAD	MAJ	Mann, Devin 3B	2	0	0	0	.000
LAD	MAJ	McKinstry, Zach 2B	2	0	0	0	.333
LAD	MAJ	Peters, DJ RF	0	0	0	0	.083
LAD	MAJ	Raley, Luke DH	3	0	0	0	.211
LAD	MAJ	Rios, Edwin 1B	3	0	1	0	.235
LAD	MAJ	Ruiz, Keibert C	2	0	0	0	.000
LAD	MAJ	Santana, Cristian 3B	1	0	1	0	.462
MIL	MAJ	Feliciano, Mario PH-DH	2	1	1	0	.250
MIL	MAJ	Ray, Corey LF	3	0	0	0	.083
MIL	MAJ	Turang, Brice SS	1	0	0	0	.111
MIN	MAJ	Blankenhorn, Travis 2B	2	0	0	0	.000
MIN	MAJ	Celestino, Gilberto CF	2	0	1	1	.214
MIN	MAJ	Gordon, Nick 2B	2	0	0	0	.000
MIN	MAJ	Kirilloff, Alex RF	2	1	2	1	.625	HR (2)
MIN	MAJ	Larnach, Trevor PR-DH	1	0	0	0	.267
MIN	MAJ	Lewis, Royce SS	3	0	1	0	.176
MIN	MAJ	Rooker, Brent LF	1	0	1	0	.250
MIN	MAJ	Wade, LaMonte RF	2	0	1	0	.400	BB (4)
NYM	MAJ	Sanchez, Ali PH-DH	2	0	0	0	.143
NYY	MAJ	Duran, Ezequiel 2B	1	0	1	2	.667	3B (1)
NYY	MAJ	Stowers, Josh RF	2	0	1	1	.667
OAK	MAJ	Barrera, Luis LF	1	0	0	0	.200
OAK	MAJ	Bolt, Skye PR-CF	1	1	0	0	.200
OAK	MAJ	Brown, Seth 1B	1	0	1	0	.350	2B (4)
OAK	MAJ	Murphy, Sean C	2	0	0	0	.000
OAK	MAJ	Neuse, Sheldon 3B	1	0	0	0	.278
OAK	MAJ	Reed, Buddy PR-RF	1	1	0	0	.000	SB (3)
PHI	MAJ	Bohm, Alec 3B	3	0	1	0	.533
PHI	MAJ	Grullon, Deivy PH-DH	1	0	0	0	.214
PHI	MAJ	Maton, Nick 2B	1	0	0	0	.214
PHI	MAJ	Moniak, Mickey CF	1	0	0	0	.375
PIT	MAJ	Craig, Will 1B	2	0	0	0	.077
PIT	MAJ	Cruz, Oneil SS	1	0	0	0	.200
PIT	MAJ	Kramer, Kevin 3B	1	0	0	0	.176
PIT	MAJ	Martin, Mason 1B	0	0	0	0	.000
PIT	MAJ	Oliva, Jared CF	3	0	0	0	.105
SD	MAJ	Trammell, Taylor RF	1	0	0	0	.353
SEA	MAJ	Haggerty, Sam LF	2	0	1	0	.333	2B (2)
SEA	MAJ	Kelenic, Jarred PH-DH	1	0	0	0	.286
SEA	MAJ	Siri, Jose CF	1	0	0	0	.125
SEA	MAJ	Walton, Donnie SS	1	0	1	0	.250
SF	MAJ	Bart, Joey PH-DH	0	0	0	0	.556	BB (3)
STL	MAJ	Baker, Luken 1B	1	0	0	0	.000
STL	MAJ	Carlson, Dylan CF	4	1	2	0	.400	BB (6)
STL	MAJ	Gorman, Nolan PH-3B	1	0	0	0	.211	BB (2)
STL	MAJ	Herrera, Ivan C	2	0	0	0	.167
STL	MAJ	Knizner, Andrew DH	3	1	1	2	.188	HR (1)
STL	MAJ	Sosa, Edmundo 3B-SS	4	1	1	0	.105
STL	MAJ	Thomas, Lane LF-RF	3	1	2	3	.278	2B (1), HR (1), 2 BB (4)
STL	MAJ	Williams, Justin PH-DH	2	1	1	2	.063	HR (1)
TB	MAJ	Brujan, Vidal 2B	1	0	0	0	.133
TB	MAJ	Tsutsugo, Yoshitomo DH	3	0	0	0	.286
TB	MAJ	Walls, Taylor SS	1	0	0	0	.167
TEX	MAJ	Apostel, Sherten 3B	1	1	0	0	.167	2 BB (5)
TEX	MAJ	Basabe, Osleivis SS	2	0	0	0	.000
TEX	MAJ	Huff, Sam C	3	0	0	0	.111
TEX	MAJ	Jung, Josh 3B	2	1	1	1	.333
TEX	MAJ	Martinez, Julio Pablo CF	1	0	0	0	.000
TEX	MAJ	Solak, Nick CF	4	0	2	2	.263
TEX	MAJ	Taveras, Leody RF	4	0	0	0	.333
TEX	MAJ	Tejeda, Anderson 2B	1	2	1	2	.600	BB (3)
TEX	MAJ	Wendzel, Davis 3B	1	0	0	0	.000
TOR	MAJ	Alford, Anthony LF	2	0	0	0	.200
TOR	MAJ	Espinal, Santiago SS	1	0	0	0	.333
TOR	MAJ	Kirk, Alejandro PH-DH	0	0	0	0	.667	BB (2)
TOR	MAJ	McGuire, Reese C	2	0	0	0	.111
TOR	MAJ	Smith, Kevin 3B	1	0	0	0	.231
WAS	MAJ	Garcia, Luis SS	2	0	1	0	.500
WAS	MAJ	Kieboom, Carter 3B	2	0	0	0	.231

PITCHERS

TEAM	CLASS	PLAYER	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	ERA	NOTES
ARI	MAJ	Bukauskas, J.B.	1	1	0	0	0	0	0.00
BAL	MAJ	Akin, Keegan	2.2	3	1	1	1	2	6.75
BAL	MAJ	Harvey, Hunter	1	1	0	0	0	1	0.00
BAL	MAJ	Kremer, Dean	2	3	0	0	0	1	0.00
BOS	MAJ	Hart, Kyle	3	3	2	2	2	3	7.50	L (0-2)
CIN	MAJ	Hendrix, Ryan	1	2	2	0	0	2	0.00
CIN	MAJ	Santillan, Tony	1	2	1	1	0	2	4.50
CLE	MAJ	Karinchak, James	1	0	0	0	1	3	6.75
CLE	MAJ	Moss, Scott	2	0	0	0	2	3	3.18
COL	MAJ	Doyle, Tommy	1	0	0	0	0	0	2.25
DET	MAJ	Faedo, Alex	0.2	2	2	2	2	2	10.8
DET	MAJ	Manning, Matt	2	4	4	4	1	2	12.00
DET	MAJ	Mize, Casey	2	0	0	0	1	2	0.00
DET	MAJ	Pinto, Wladimir	1	2	1	1	0	0	5.40
HOU	MAJ	Abreu, Bryan	2	2	0	0	0	4	0.00
KC	MAJ	Griffin, Foster	1	0	0	0	0	1	0.00
MIL	MAJ	Andrews, Clayton	0.1	2	1	1	0	0	6.75
MIN	MAJ	Stashak, Cody	2	1	0	0	0	3	0.00
NYM	MAJ	Peterson, David	2	1	0	0	3	1	1.50
OAK	MAJ	Holmes, Grant	1	2	0	0	0	3	0.00
OAK	MAJ	Kaprielian, James	1	0	0	0	0	2	9.00
PHI	MAJ	Irvin, Cole	2	0	0	0	0	1	5.14	W (1-0)
PIT	MAJ	Burdi, Nick	1	0	0	0	0	2	4.50
SD	MAJ	Gore, MacKenzie	1	0	0	0	0	0	0.00
SD	MAJ	Lawson, Reggie	1	1	0	0	0	2	0.00
SD	MAJ	Munoz, Andres	1	1	0	0	0	2	0.00	Sv (1)
SEA	MAJ	Delaplane, Sam	1	0	0	0	0	1	0.00
STL	MAJ	Helsley, Ryan	2	2	0	0	1	1	0.00
STL	MAJ	Kim, Kwang-Hyun	2	3	0	0	0	2	0.00
STL	MAJ	Oviedo, Johan	1	0	0	0	0	2	1.93
STL	MAJ	Thompson, Zack	1	0	0	0	0	1	0.00
STL	MAJ	Whitley, Kodi	1	0	0	0	0	2	0.00
STL	MAJ	Woodford, Jake	1	1	0	0	0	0	9.00
TEX	MAJ	Hernandez, Jonathan	3	2	0	0	1	4	3.60	W (1-0)
TOR	MAJ	Yamaguchi, Shun	2.1	5	4	4	2	1	12.00
WAS	MAJ	German, Jhonatan	1	0	0	0	0	1	9.00