Fantasy Sports

There are enough glaring concerns with Waldrep’s command that he may ultimately wind up as a reliever, but he possesses a deadly double-plus splitter, which has a chance to carry him to the big leagues. It’s not hyperbolic to suggest it might be the most potent pitch in the entire draft class. There’s enough upside here for the 21-year-old right-hander to be worth the risk for the Braves, who have shown a propensity to push young pitchers quickly to the big leagues. He’s the type of pitching prospect that is really intriguing for fantasy managers since he could take a massive leap forward, if he’s somehow able to tame his omnipresent command issues and stick as a starting pitcher. The stuff is there, but Waldrep is one of the riskiest collegiate pitchers in this year’s draft. There’s a decent shot he’s pitching in relief for Atlanta very soon.

Nimmala is aiming to become the first player of Indian descent to reach the majors and represents a fascinating lottery ticket for Toronto. The 17-year-old shortstop is one of the youngest players in the entire draft and should grow into some big-time over-the-fence power down the road. He possesses lightning-quick bat speed, which gives him a chance to make an impact for fantasy managers down the road, if he can overcome some of the swing-and-miss issues in his profile. He’s a few hyperspace jumps away from the majors, but he’s one of the most intriguing prospects in this class, and has a chance to blossom into the Blue Jays’ shortstop of the future.

Bradfield Jr. is widely-considered the best defensive prospect, regardless of position, in this year’s draft. The 21-year-old covers a ton of ground in center field, thanks to excellent instincts and elite speed. His defensive abilities ensure that he’ll make it to the majors someday, and his blazing speed virtually guarantees that he’ll make a fantasy impact in the stolen base department. He piled up an absurd 130 stolen bases, and was only caught 13 times, over 191 games for Vanderbilt over the last three seasons. There isn’t a ton of over-the-fence pop or batting average upside, but he has enough raw talent to make it as a potential everyday center fielder in the future. If everything else fails, he could carve out a bench role as an elite defender and pinch-running specialist. Given how aggressive the O’s have been recently with their top prospects, there’s a chance that Bradfield could crack the big league roster at some point during the 2024 campaign.

Already dubbed as the potential “American Ohtani,” the 6-foot-7 Eldridge slings a mid-90s fastball and also brings some serious thunder at the plate. He’s the latest two-way project for San Francisco, joining last year’s first-round selection Reggie Crawford. While the 18-year-old pitches from the right side, he bats left-handed and has reportedly maxed out at 110 mph in exit velocity. In his senior year at Madison High School, he put up an ungodly 1.706 OPS as a hitter in addition to a 1.06 ERA as a pitcher. It’s unfair to compare any player to Ohtani, but odds are he’ll get a shot to prove himself as one of the most intriguing talents in this year’s class.

Dollander was universally-regarded as a potential top-five pick heading into the spring, but inconsistent performance in his final collegiate season pushed him further back into the middle of the first round. The 21-year-old right-hander’s arsenal consists of a mid-90’s fastball, which he pairs nicely with a mid-80’s sweeper, which has become all the rage this season in the big leagues. There’s almost zero concern that he won’t pan out as a mid-rotation starter, but his stuff took a bit of a step back this spring, which caused his draft stock to slip quite a bit. There’s a chance the Rockies believe they can unlock something with his fastball, which would make him an elite pitching prospect again. He’s the classic high-floor, low-risk collegiate pitching prospect, and could be making an impact for fantasy managers as early as the 2024 campaign — though his landing spot at Coors Field obviously isn’t ideal for fantasy purposes.

Although most talent evaluators consider Louisiana State’s Dylan Crews – who went second overall to the Nationals – this year’s top collegiate bat, Langford matched him production-wise while playing left field for the University of Florida the last two years. He batted a sublime .364 with 47 homers in 492 at-bats between 2022 and ’23, finishing with a silly 1.282 OPS this season. The 21-year-old outfielder also offers excellent speed, though he’s erratic defensively in left field, and he probably won’t ever be an option in center field. If he becomes more of a base-stealer as a pro, he could turn into a five-category fantasy monster down the line, and it’s not hard to imagine him reaching the majors at some point during the 2024 campaign. He possesses legitimate 30-homer, 30-steal potential, which would make him an elite fantasy contributor someday.

Crews and Paul Skenes become the first set of teammates ever to be selected with the top overall picks in MLB Draft history. The 21-year-old slugger broke LSU’s program record for homers in his freshman year, and went on to break his own record in his sophomore campaign when he smashed 22 big flies and was a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes award. He’s easily the most advanced and polished hitter in the entire draft class. Not only does he possess elite raw power, but he gets to it consistently in games as well. His quick wrists translate into above-average bat speed, and his wheels are fast enough for him to reach double-digit stolen bases. However, he profiles as a player that will lose speed as he gets stronger and older. There are not many players who enter and finish as the consensus top player in their draft class, but he’s defied the odds. Crews has stratospheric fantasy potential as a four-category contributor, and should be one of the first players selected in first-year player drafts this offseason.

Skenes projects as a future top-of-the-rotation anchor, and central component of the Pirates’ rebuilding effort, after putting the finishing touches on one of the most incredible collegiate seasons ever. Universally-regarded as the top pitching prospect in this year’s draft, Skenes ostensibly re-wrote the SEC’s record books, while also leading LSU to a national championship, in his first season after transferring from Air Force. The 21-year-old right-hander possesses an almost unexplainable magnetism, and also boasts the most potent fastball/slider combination of any pitching prospect in recent memory. He led the nation in strikeouts per-nine this year, thanks to a triple-digit fastball, and a ridiculous double-plus upper-80’s slider, both of which he also commands at an elite level. He also mixes in the occasional 90-mph changeup, just for good measure. There’s a realistic possibility he’s pitching in the majors at some point during the 2024 campaign. He possesses the immense talent and moxie to back up the stratospheric hype.

Machado opened the scoring in the ballgame in the home half of the first with a 385-foot (105.9 mph EV) three-run blast off of Mets’ right-hander Max Scherzer. Machado victimized Scherzer again in the fifth inning — that time a 337-foot (100.5 mph EV) two-run shot that increased the Padres’ lead to 5-0. He finished the day 2-for-4 and heads into the All-Star break hitting .261/.307/.458 with 15 homers and 49 RBI.

Webb delivered a masterful performance on Sunday afternoon at Oracle Park in his first-half finale, requiring just 103 pitches (75 strikes) to go the distance against the division-rival Rockies for his first career complete game. He finished with 10 strikeouts, didn’t hand out a free pass, and scattered seven hits in this one. He’ll carry a sparkling 3.14 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 127/23 K/BB ratio across 126 innings (19 starts) into the All-Star break.