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.
Been a baseball fan and player my whole life, played dynasty for 10 years. Co-host on the Dynasty Baseball Pickups podcast since mid-season 2023 and joined Prospects Live at the start of 2024.
Seeing my earlier recommendations like Jake Mangum, Kameron Misner, and now Tim Tawa perform in the bigs after being unheralded prospects in the minors is a worthwhile reminder that baseball is full of surprises and pedigree, while important, is not the end-all-be-all of player success. It's still unlikely that any of those names I just mentioned will become stalwarts on your dynasty team for years to come, but they are undoubtedly useful now and potentially cost you nothing. The key here is opportunity. In deeper leagues especially, you need not just be chasing the trendy name with the flashy tools but also the high minors breakout who could be getting that opportunity. I'm going to talk about another one this week in Will Wilson. He's another one who could be ready to make a name for himself if he gets the opportunity. Act accordingly.
Note: all stats current through Tuesday 4/22/25 and all minor league statcast figures are sourced from TJ Stats.
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. Bold names with an “*” indicate that the player is highlighted in the article below.
MLB Pickups
Pavin Smith, Austin Hays, Justin Verlander, Chad Patrick, Tim Tawa (x4), Mickey Moniak, Carson Kelly, Shelby Miller (x2), Jesus Tinoco (x3), Edwin Uceta, Bryan King, Brandon Young (x3), Ryan Gusto, Will Wilson (x5)*, Ronny Simon (x3), Easton Lucas, Jakob Junis, Carlos Vargas, Brent Suter
MiLB Pickups
Luis Pena, Aroon Escobar (x4)*, A.J. Ewing (x4), Brandon Clarke, Otto Kemp, Khal Stephen (x2), Victor Bericoto (x4)*, Cole Mathis (x3), Ramon Ramirez, , Josh Adamczewski, Mike Sirota, Carlos Lagrange (x2), A.J. Blubaugh, Daniel Eagen (x4)*, Griff O'Ferrall *, Nate Dohm, Wei-En Lin
MLB Drops
JJ Bleday, Trevor Larnach (x5), Christopher Morel, Alek Thomas, Wilmer Flores (x5), Michael Massey, Henry Davis (x2), Otto Lopez, Sean Burke, DJ Herz, Alejandro Kirk, Jesus Tinoco, Alexis Diaz, Brandon Young (x3), Tirso Ornelas, Keider Montero (x4), Oswald Peraza (x2), Ronny Simon, Graham Pauley, Easton Lucas (x2), Blake Treinan (x2), Jose Iglesias, Erik Miller, Ryan Brasier, Carson Spiers
MiLB Drops
Abimelec Ortiz, Jackson Baumeister (x3), Josh Adamczewski, Dakota Jordan, Austin Overn (x2), Adam Serwinowski, Drue Hackenberg, Miguel Bleis, Matthew Lugo (x2), Janson Junk, Carlos Lagrange, Daniel Eagen (x2), Griff O'Ferrall, Chase Hampton, Esteury Ruiz, Eguy Rosario, Wei-En Lin, Valente Bellozo
Mid-Week Pickups
Aroon Escobar - 20/2B/PHI/A
Height/Weight: 5’10”/180 lbs Bats: R Fantrax Rostership: 9%
2024 stats (CPX): 104 PA .338/.495/.481, 3 HR, 9 SB, 20.2% BB, 9.6% K 2025 stats (A): 61 PA .396/.475/.660, 3 HR, 0 SB, 11.5% BB, 23.0% K
Why To Pick Up
I'm currently working on my rankings, and Escobar will be debuting highly. Shoutout to Greg for being the only one to rank him in our February update, as Escobar looks to be undergoing a full breakout. An international signee in 2022, Escobar repeated the DSL in 2023 and then came stateside for Complex ball last year. While he performed well in his stateside debut, it was a hit tool first approach with minimal power. However, the offseason buzz was that the underlying data indicated more power there. That was proven true early on when Escobar hit a ball 110.5 in the spring breakout game. He didn't slow down when the season started, quickly matching his home run total from the Complex, hitting twice as many doubles in just about half the plate appearances, and raising his ISO by over 100 points. The Statcast data is outstanding; as Escobar entered Tuesday, Escobar is currently in the 88th percentile at Single-A in both the 90th percentile EV and zone contact rate. He's also 77th percentile or higher in wOBA, xwOBA, average EV, max EV, whiff rate, hard hit rate, and pulled fly ball rate. That last metric is a key one, as Rhys mentioned he could get into more power by lifting and pulling in his offseason report on Escobar.
Final Thoughts
While he does a good job of pulling his fly balls, Escobar will have to hit more of them to get the most out of his power, as he is currently grounding out at a 50% rate. He's also adopted a far more aggressive approach this season, significantly lowering his walk rate and chasing too many pitches out of the zone. However, Escobar should be a priority pickup in medium-sized leagues where he remains on the wire. If he keeps this up, it would not be surprising to see him get a mid-season bump to High-A. And as I prepare to submit this article here on Wednesday, he just hit another HR today.
Where to pick up: Leagues with 200+ prospects rostered
FAAB bid: Minimal (0-5%)
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Will Wilson - 26/2B,3B/CLE/MLB
Height/weight: 5’10”/184 lbs Bats: R Fantrax Rostership: 2%
PLIVE+ (Career): 103 PLIVE+ (2025): 155
2024 stats (AA/AAA): 460PA .216/.299/.296, 5 HR, 6 SB, 9.6% BB, 20.9% K 2025 stats (AAA): 79 PA .324/.418/.647, 6 HR, 1 SB, 12.7% BB, 19.0% K
Why to pick up: Wilson was on my short list of players to write up this week, but then he went and got himself called up to the bigs, so I have to now. It's an interesting backstory for Wilson, who was the 15th overall pick in the 2019 draft before getting traded to the Giants in the Zack Cozart salary dump that same offseason. The Giants thought enough of their new acquisition to assign him to their alternate site during the lost 2020 season, and once he returned, he performed decently at High-A in 2021 and Double-A in an injury-plagued 2022. Those injuries might have had a long-term impact on him, as Wilson struggled offensively in both 2023 and 2024. The Guardians must have identified the solution to his struggles, though, as they selected Wilson this offseason in the Triple-A phase of the Rule 5 draft.
Since joining his new organization, Wilson has looked like a completely different player. This is especially true in the power department, where Wilson has already exceeded his HR total from last season (110 games), raised his ISO over .240 points, and nearly doubled his OPS. The Statcast metrics back up the performance; Wilson currently leads Triple-A in hard hit rate (minimum 50 PA) with 67.3%, 1.3% higher than second place Roman Anthony. His wOBA, xwOBA, average EV, and barrel rate are all in the 94th percentile or higher, and his 90th EV of 107.2 is in the 85th percentile at that level. While his 109.0 max EV isn't that impressive, it is nearly a mph higher than his previous max in Triple-A and is two mph over his hardest-hit ball last season. That's not the only improvement year over year, as his average EV is up nearly seven mph, and his 90th percentile is up over four mph from last season. His chase rate has dropped 10% and gone from a liability to a strength, as has his walk and strikeout rates.
Final Thoughts: It's not all rosy, as his zone contact rate and whiff rates have worsened since last season. It's also possible Wilson struggles to get much run in a crowded Guardians infield situation. Despite these challenges, Wilson appears to be a zombie prospect back from the dead and ready to contribute in the bigs. Pick him up in deeper leagues before he does.
Where to pick up: Leagues with 400+ MLB 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.
As Director of Pro Scouting, I lead a talented group of evaluators as we break down future stars. You can find me at random California League games throughout the season!
As Director of Pro Scouting, I lead a talented group of evaluators as we break down future stars. You can find me at random California League games throughout the season!
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.
