Dynasty Fantasy Baseball 700 Stock Watch – Volume One
Image credit: Nick Frasso (John Williamson/Four Seam Images)
Welcome to the first dynasty stock watch of 2024. With the release of the Top 700 players For Dynasty Fantasy Baseball last week, it would be easy to pack it in until spring training and say, “these are our rankings.” But in the world of forecasting, more refinement is always necessary, particularly when the market dictates a higher price on a player as it reacts to news. It’s only Feb. 8, which in this current offseason environment means there’s plenty of talented players left to sign and several trades likely to come.
Almost two days after the release of the Dynasty 700, one of the biggest trades of the offseason went down, as the Orioles acquired their long-awaited ace in Corbin Burnes for a pair of Top 100–level talents. While this move doesn’t impact Burnes’ value much, it does impact Hall and Ortiz.
From week to week in the stock watch, we will discuss which players are moving up or down in potential value based on recent news. The ultimate goal of the stock watch is to communicate the updates we’re making to our Dynasty 700. You’ll notice all of the positional rankings on the site have been updated as we’ve seen value moves for a large group of players since we began releasing our positional rankings in early December.
Our Dynasty 700 will be continuously updated throughout the offseason and that will continue in-season as well. We will track changes and explain list movement when appropriate.
Corbin Burnes Trade Fallout
Overall, this was a great move for the value of all players involved in this swap. Burnes finds himself getting a potential bump in wins with the move to the competing Orioles, and was already a strong bounceback candidate after an uneven 2023 season with the Brewers. Burnes is ranked No. 5 among pitchers on our Dynasty 700. While he’s even more secure in that spot after the move to Baltimore, it’s not enough to overcome the top four in the rankings.
On the other side, DL Hall and Joey Ortiz see themselves in situations more ripe with opportunity to return value for their managers in 2024.
Hall finds himself in arguably the best possible situation for his archetype. Long billed for his all-world stuff, Hall has toed the line of starting pitching prospect and future reliever for a few years now, and heading into 2024 he looked once again set for the shuttle between Norfolk and Baltimore as he was more on the periphery of the Orioles rotation and bullpen depth. Hall now moves to a program that has seen consistent success in developing pitching prospects with relief risk into starters. Hall will compete for a rotation spot with the Brewers this spring.
Ortiz was also on the periphery of the Orioles major league positional depth and likely finds an easier path to playing time with the Brewers. Ortiz is a standout defender in the infield capable of filling any position on the dirt. The lingering question is how much Ortiz will hit against major league pitching. Over the last few years Ortiz has developed into a productive hitter in the minors and has added significant power to his profile. Will the impact show in the major leagues? That’s the question that will determine whether Ortiz is a viable option for fantasy managers in 2024 and beyond.
The Nick Frasso Injury
Just when it looked like Nick Frasso could potentially contribute for the Dodgers in some way, shape or form in 2024, the news broke that Frasso underwent labrum surgery and will likely miss all of 2024. This throws Frasso’s future value into a blender, shoulder injuries are among the most scary for pitchers and Frasso hasn’t exactly been the picture of health since entering pro ball. Frasso has the ability to sit in the mid-to-high-90s, but his fastball velocity waned last year. He has a changeup with screwball shape similar to Devin Williams, and likely projects best as a reliever moving forward. We pushed Frasso down the list to reflect our concerns.
Outfield Prospects Moving Up
As we dug into the Top 100 Prospects For Fantasy list released earlier this week, we identified some underrated prospects with big dynasty upside. That group of Lazaro Montes, Kevin Alcantara and Josue De Paula were all under-ranked in our initial release and were moved up accordingly. All three possess star upside with Montes representing a raw power hitter with middle-of-the-order upside, while De Paula is a highly-skilled young player with advanced feel for the zone and power projection. Alcantara represents perhaps the highest upside of the trio with a strong power and speed combination, improving plate skills and potential for plus defense in center field. This group could continue to climb with good showings in the early part of the season.
Move-On Candidates
As our fantasy team members navigate their offseason drafts, we’re paying close attention to which players are surging in startup dynasty drafts and FYPDs. With this in mind, we keep track of potential move-on candidates. Below, we have a grouping of players not presently on the 700 but moving toward inclusion.
Justin Crawford, OF, Phillies
Luis Lara, OF, Brewers
Jeter Martinez, RHP, Mariners
Troy Melton, RHP, Tigers
Denzel Clarke, OF, Athletics
