Fantasy Baseball Dynasty Stock Watch: Aroon Escobar, Sean Linan headline rising prospects
We've reached an exhilarating moment for dynasty managers where a plethora of upper-echelon prospects — Roki Sasaki, Dylan Crews, Kristian Campbell, Jasson Domínguez, Jackson Jobe, Cam Smith and (since-demoted) Matt Shaw — made Opening Day rosters around the league. They've been supplemented by a handful of impactful early-season arrivals — Nick Kurtz, Chandler Simpson, Luke Keaschall and Chase Dollander — and there are still a couple potential superstar-caliber talents — Roman Anthony, Bubba Chandler and Jordan Lawlar — on the doorstep of breaking into the majors in full-time roles.
We took a glimpse into the future a couple weeks ago in this space with an in-depth look at the next wave of elite dynasty prospects headlined by Sebastian Walcott, Leo De Vries — who went 5-for-5 with two homers and hit for the cycle earlier this week at High-A Fort Wayne — Walker Jenkins, Jesús Made, Bryce Eldridge, Max Clark, Konnor Griffin and Chase Burns.
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This week's column take a bit of a deeper dive, especially for fantasy managers that aren't fully immersed in the expansive dynasty space, into a handful of relatively obscure prospects making some serious noise in the lower minors. There are probably 10-plus additional names that could've been featured in this space, but this week's selections include Aroon Escobar, Sean Linan, Bryce Cunningham, Brandon Clarke and Luis Morales. Without further delay, let's dive into the prospects.
Aroon Escobar, INF, Phillies
After being limited to just 24 games last year in the Rookie-level Florida Complex League due to shin splints, Escobar has gotten off to a sizzling-hot start this season at Low-A Clearwater, hitting .386/.500/.684 with four homers through 15 games. What makes the 20-year-old infielder compelling for dynasty purposes is that he's added some additional over-the-fence-pop this season without selling out completely to get to it, striking out just 22.9 percent of the time, after walking more than he struck out the previous two years across 57 games between the Florida Complex League and Dominican Summer League. Simply put, there aren't a ton of glaring weaknesses in his offensive profile, which is spearheaded by an above-average hit tool. He's not going to steal bases, but the emerging combination of offensive tools give him a realistic shot to reach the majors in a couple years as an offensive sparkplug and viable starting-caliber infielder. He's several hyperspace jumps away from the big leagues, which amplifies the risk factor, but his long-term stock is clearly on the rise on the strength of his early-season performance. He's worthy of a speculative roster spot in all dynasty formats and is rapidly emerging as one of the more intriguing hitting prospects in the lower minors.
Sean Linan, SP, Dodgers
There might not be a hotter pitching prospect in the dynasty landscape right now. Linan has exploded out of the gate this season at Low-A Rancho Cucamonga with an absurd 0.87 ERA, 0.58 WHIP and 40/4 K/BB ratio across 20 2/3 innings (four appearances, three starts). The 20-year-old's eye-popping 54.1 percent strikeout rate has been fueled by a potentially elite changeup, which has drawn comparisons to Devin Williams' signature offering, according to a report earlier this week from Baseball America's Josh Norris. I'm not a scout, but you don't really need to be one to see how effective the offering has been so far. There's still plenty of development ahead here, but he's about ready to test waters at High-A Great Lakes, and possibly even make the leap to Double-A Tulsa later this summer. If he continues on his current trajectory, Linan is going to finish the year as one of the most intriguing pitching prospects in the game.
Bryce Cunningham, SP, Yankees
Cunningham hasn't skipped a beat in his highly anticipated professional debut after being selected in the second round of the 2024 MLB Draft, recording a pristine 3.50 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 22/2 K/BB ratio across 18 innings (three starts) for High-A Hudson Valley. It shouldn't shock dynasty managers to see him dominate lower-level competition after a standout collegiate career for perennial powerhouse Vanderbilt. The 6-foot-5 righty boast mid-to-upper 90's fastball velocity, which he pairs with a slider/changeup combination, and has a chance to blossom into one of the better pitching prospects in the fantasy landscape. He needs to continue throwing strikes and improving his command if he's going to reach elite prospect status, but it's challenging to envision a more encouraging start to his pro debut. The 22-year-old righty figures to reach Double-A Somerset in a couple weeks and should be on fantasy managers' radar screens.
Brandon Clarke, SP, Red Sox
The Yankees aren't the only ones with a potential breakout pitching prospect from the early portion of last year's draft. The division-rival Red Sox appear to have unearthed a gem of their own in Clarke, who is off to a spectacular start to his professional debut for Low-A Salem with a microscopic 0.93 ERA, 0.41 WHIP and 17/2 K/BB ratio across 9 2/3 innings (three starts). The 22-year-old southpaw, who was an unheralded fifth-round pick last summer, is reportedly sitting in the upper-90's with his fastball and even peaking in the triple-digit range that he pairs with a deadly sweeper, according to Baseball America's Geoff Pontes. The typical TINSTAAAP caveats apply here, but Clarke is showcasing future frontline starter potential in the early stages of the year and needs to be rostered in all dynasty formats.
Luis Morales, SP, Athletics
We've touched on Marlins southpaw Robby Snelling recently in this space as the Double-A pitcher making the leap, but he's not the only one at the level making serious strides. Morales cracked Rotoworld's season-opening dynasty rankings update on the strength of last year's 24.9 percent strikeout rate at High-A Lansing, and scary-looking arsenal, which is headlined by a near triple-digit fastball that he pairs with an above-average slider. The flamethrowing 22-year-old righty has made the transition to the upper minors appear seamless with a sublime 2.33 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 22/8 K/BB ratio across 19 1/3 innings (four starts) for Double-A Midland. The combination of prodigious raw talent and improving command make it easy to envision him missing bats at the highest level down the road. He's going to dominate in the upper minors if he's consistently throwing strikes based on the quality of his stuff. He's a name dynasty managers need to monitor closely in the coming weeks.
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