Fantasy: FAAB Waiver Targets For Week 2 And Beyond

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Nolan Gorman, 2B Cardinals (Triple-A) 

League Type: Redraft Stash

At the moment few hitters are hotter than Nolan Gorman. He has home runs in four consecutive games and is building upon his approach and bat-to-ball improvements from 2021. Gorman has taken a few years to fully gel, but he’s beginning to take the form of a dangerous hitter with the trio of contact, power, and approach. At the moment there’s not really a fit for Gorman in the Cardinals lineup, but an injury to an everyday player may push Gorman to the majors immediately (and he can play second or third). If you have bench space to stash in your redraft league and Gorman is available he’s a worthy flier. 

Grayson Rodriguez, RHP Orioles (Triple-A) 

League Type: Redraft Stash

I understand that the Orioles have no real reason to push Rodriguez. I also understand that Rodriguez and Adley will likely be promoted during a similar window. Despite these very real factors I’d add Grayson now in a redraft league. It could be three weeks until he’s promoted, and if you’re in a daily league with unlimited moves, he’s probably not a fit. However, if you have the ability to stash one arm, Rodriguez should probably be your pick. It’s reasonable that he could be a Top 30 starter from day one. The only thing that could limit him from producing at that value is the Orioles conservative pitch counts. Skill-wise Grayson is easily a Top 30 pitcher in the world right now. He throws five pitches, a few of which grade out at 60 or higher, and he knows how to attack hitters with his movement profiles. 

George Kirby, RHP Mariners (Double-A)

League Type: Redraft Stash

A lot of people were disappointed in Kirby’s assignment to Double-A. While I understand the concern that Kirby didn’t start at Triple-A, there are a few factors to consider. Double-A Arkansas pitching coach Sean McGrath is Kirby’s former pitching coach at Elon, and has been described by those that were around Elon during Kirby and McGrath’s time on campus as a “Kirby whisperer”. The other factor is the Pacific Coast League is a bad environment for a pitcher working on improving the sharpness and command of his secondaries. That’s exactly why Kirby is listed here, while he may be six weeks or more away from a promotion, Kirby showed a significant jump forward with his ability to command his changeup in this week’s start. He threw 13 changeups, 10 were for strikes and he lived around the zone with it. 

Bobby Miller, RHP Dodgers (Double-A) 

League Type: Redraft Stash

Miller looked tremendous last week, sitting 99-100 mph on his fastball and mixing in his changeup, slider and curveball. Miller looked like he was taking his final step toward transforming into a front-of-the-rotation-type arm. His fastball often varied between two-seam and four-seam shape last year and, despite the velocity, it led to mixed results. The Miller we saw on Tuesday night was a different pitcher. His fastball was getting ride with a flat vertical approach angle and he commanded it with plus-plus velocity. All of his secondaries played better off of the pitch as well. There was some scuttlebutt toward the end of camp that Miller could debut with the Dodgers at some point this summer. In the event that does occur, in the first half of the season I’d be adding Miller as a stash or at the very least watch listing him in deeper redraft leagues. 

Ryan Fitzgerald, UTIL Red Sox (Triple-A)

League Type: Deeper redraft stash—20 teams 

Fitzgerald is an unusual profile as this is his age-28 season, and he was considered organizational depth coming into the season. Fitzgerald is a former undrafted player who spent time paying his dues in independent ball. He’s remade his swing and added strength in recent years and the reports this spring from evaluators that saw him were strong. He’s also played five different positions already in 2022 and has time at every position but catcher during his professional career. Fitzgerald’s power surged in the spring and it’s showed up early in the regular season. There’s a good chance Fitzgerald gets a big league promotion within weeks.

Emmanuel Rodriguez, OF Twins (Low-A)

League Type: Dynasty League with 150-plus prospects rostered 

There are few players making as much noise as Rodriguez early in the season, as the 19-year-old outfielder has four home runs in just eight games and has substantially cut down on his swing and miss. He has easy plus power and is surging as much as any hitter in the minors. If the changes to his approach hold up, he could become a Top 100 fantasy prospect by midseason. 

Ty Madden, RHP Tigers (High-A)

League Type: Dynasty League with 150-plus prospects rostered 

Earlier this week we wrote about the substantial changes to Madden’s arm slot and fastball movement, and it’s an exciting development. The power was always there in Madden’s right arm but the questions persisted around his higher arm slot and inability to miss bats with his upper-90s heater. That looks to all be in the past, as Madden debuted a new-look operation and his fastball metrics jumped substantially. 

Alex Ramirez, OF Mets (Low-A) 

League Type: Dynasty League with 150-plus prospects rostered. 

Slashing .517/.563/.759 over the first week of Florida State League play, Ramirez is a player to acquire now. He was a standout during minor league spring training and opposing scouts were complementary of the young outfielder. There’s still a lot of physical projection and some questions around his long-term power projection, but the feel to hit is unquestionable. It’s a line drive-focused swing at present, but Ramirez should continue to grow as an athlete.

Masyn Winn, SS Cardinals (High-A)

League Type: Dynasty League with 150-plus prospects rostered

The 20-year-old former two-way talent was moved to the infield full-time before the season and the added focus seems to be paying dividends early. His swing looked far more synced up in spring training and he’s continued to swing a hot bat early this season. While he’s yet to homer this season, he has just two strikeouts compared to five walks and is slashing .478/.533/.695 while showing improved discipline and contact skills. Already blessed with the best infield arm in baseball, if Winn can maintain his current improvement at the plate he has a chance to explode this summer. 

Ceddanne Rafaela, 3B/OF Red Sox (High-A)

League Type: Dynasty League with 250-plus prospects rostered

A classic utility type of player, Rafaela has always hit but the questions around his future impact persist. Early in 2022 he seems to be answering those questions, with five home runs in nine games. While he’s certainly not going to keep up this home run pace, it’s proved to be an added element to his game and has placed him on my dynasty league radar.