A Giants fan living in San Diego, been playing fantasy baseball since 2005 and dynasty since 2021. Started the Dynasty Baseball Pickups podcast in June 2023 and joined Prospects Live in March of 2024.
Baseball has returned, and so has this article series! Based on some offseason feedback (thank you to everyone who took the Prospects Live survey), Kyle and I have made a few changes to the format this year. Don’t worry; we will still be providing pickup recommendations for all league sizes, but this time, we will be mixing in major league players and potential drops. We will also modify our in-season podcast episodes, including covering more dynasty-relevant news and callups. All these changes are intended to provide a better product to our readers and listeners, but please feel free to provide feedback in the comments (or via email to dynastybaseballpickups@gmail.com) on what you think of the changes and whether you like them. But without further ado…let's get into some recommendations!
I’m in 13 dynasty leagues of all different sizes and formats and make many weekly transactions. Due to this, I will include my pickups and drops from the last week below to give you an idea of who I’m targeting and moving on from. Players are in the order I currently value them. An “*” indicates that the player is highlighted in the article below.
MLB Pickups
Kameron Misner (x8)*, Graham Pauley (x6), Jake Mangum (x4)*, Wilmer Flores (x4), Alek Thomas (x3), Jack Suwinski (x3), Vinny Capra (x3), Chris Martin (x2)
Aroldis Chapman, Ben Casparius, Brandon Marsh, Carmen Mlodzinski, Dane Myers, Eric Miller, Hogan Harris, JJ Bleday, Joc Pederson, Jorge Lopez, Lamonte Wade Jr., Otto Lopez,
MiLB Pickups
Blade Tidwell, Dakota Jordan, Jimmy Crooks, Heriberto Hernandez
Adrian Houser, Alek Thomas, Andrew McCutchen, Brant Hurter, Drew Thorpe, Ernie Clement, Grant McCray, Jesus Tinoco, Joey Cantillo, Joey Wiemer, Jose Miranda, Jose Tena, Jack Suwinski, Lamonte Wade Jr., Osvaldo Bido, Oswald Peraza, Paul Blackburn, Robert Gasser, Ryne Nelson, Triston McKenzie
Whisenhunt dominated on Sunday, striking out 9 (inducing 14 whiffs) in 4.2 innings in a pitcher's duel with Chase Dollander. Most importantly, he didn’t give up a single walk. Combined with spring training, that makes 7.2 innings across three outings without a walk. That may not seem significant until you realize that last season, he gave up zero walks exactly once (a three-inning outing). On the day, he threw 75% of his pitches for strikes after averaging just 63.7% last season. Throwing strikes must be a primary focus for the Giants pitching staff, as we have also seen a significant improvement in this regard from Robby Ray, Landen Roupp, Kyle Harrison, and Hayden Birdsong this spring. Whether these changes stick or not remains to be seen, but Whisenhunt has the stuff to succeed if it does. It is a changeup first profile, but it’s ridiculously good and routinely gets 70-80 grades. The fastball has averaged mid-90s in the past but averaged just 93 last season, and this was disappointingly the case in his most recent start. On the plus side, Whisenhunt flashed an improved slider in this start that matched his changeup with a 103 tjStuff+.
Final Thoughts
Things are looking up for Whisenhunt after a rough 2024. If he can maintain his control and further develop his slider, he could become a solid high strikeout number back-to-mid rotation starter. If he can’t, he could have a future as a high-leverage bullpen arm. I wish his velocity had ticked up, and changeup first profiles aren’t the most effective in the bigs, so there are some reasons to pump the brakes. Regardless, he’s worth a flier in shallower leagues as an intriguing arm looking poised for a bounce-back year and a big league debut later this season.
Where to pick up: Leagues with 100+ prospects FAAB bid: Minimal (0-5%)
Kameron Misner - 27/OF/TBR/MLB
Height/Weight: 6’4”/218 lbs Bats: L Fantrax Rostership: 12%
PLIVE+ (2024): 102
2024 stats (AAA): 519 PA .248/.360/.442, 17 HR, 30 SB, 14.1% BB, 29.3% K 2024 stats (MLB): 15 PA .067/.067/.067, 0 HR, 0 SB, 0% BB, 66.7% K 2025 stats (MLB): 15 PA .357/.333/.643, 1 HR, 0 SB, 0% BB, 26.7% K
Why To Pick Up
Misner was the 35th overall pick in the 2019 draft and has shown an intriguing blend of power and speed in the high minors but has failed to make enough contact to land him on rankings lists. However, an early season injury to Josh Lowe appears to have paved the way for a big-league opportunity, and Misner is making the most of it so far. He’s been locked into the 6th spot of the lineup against right-handed pitching while playing all three outfield positions. While he’s yet to steal a base or draw a walk, Misner has already knocked a double and a home run in his four games while posing impressive exit velocities and bat speed.
Final Thoughts
Contact continues to be an issue, so it's anyone’s guess how long Misner will remain fantasy relevant, but the combination of power, speed, and opportunity makes him worth an addition in deeper leagues. The Rays have only faced righties since he joined the lineup, but Misner performed solidly against lefties last season, so there is the possibility he will get everyday opportunities if he can make enough contact.
Where to pick up: Leagues with 350+ players rostered
A Giants fan living in San Diego, been playing fantasy baseball since 2005 and dynasty since 2021. Started the Dynasty Baseball Pickups podcast in June 2023 and joined Prospects Live in March of 2024.
Director of Dynasty Content - Canadian born and raised, moved to Arkansas with my wife and two sons Ezra and Ari. Followed and played baseball my whole life; played dynasty for 25+ years.
