I want to use this section to highlight the wonderful people who participated in the 100th episode of the Dynasty Baseball Pickups podcast, which was released on Sunday. Between player recommendations from the Dynasty Baseball Discord community where we got our start (Enrico, CheesecakePower, KingRaj, and Teleport), the amazing staff at Prospects Live (Smada, Greg, Tom, Lucas, Drew, Nate, Trevor, Adam, Doc, and Jordan), and those I met in the industry through last year's First Pitch Arizona (Mitch, Jeremy Brewer, Mike Couillard, Chris Clegg, and James Anderson), there were a ton of great prospect recommendations. If you haven't listened already, I highly suggest you do! Speaking of First Pitch, tickets have gone on sale for this year's event. I will most likely be there, and I highly recommend it. Hopefully I'll see some of you there!

Note: all stats current through Tuesday 7/1/25 and all minor league Statcast figures are sourced from TJ Stats.

Dynasty Baseball Pickups - Prospects Live
Prospects LiveTaylor Corso

Mid-Week Pickups

Chase Harlan - 18/3B/LAD/CPX

Height/Weight: 6’3”/205 lbs
Bats: R
Fantrax Rostership: 5%

Top 600 Rankings (June 25): 430

PLIVE+ (Career): 127
PLIVE+ (2025): 116

2025 stats (CPX): 131 PA .299/.351/.547, 6 HR, 0 SB, 8.4% BB, 18.3% K

Why To Pick Up

Chase Harlan was a player I didn't have much interest in this FYPD cycle. Although he was a third-round pick in last year's draft who signed for an overslot deal of around $1.7 million, I wasn't a big fan of his profile. He landed at just 62 in my November FYPD rankings. Everyone else seemed to value him similarly, as he was drafted just twice in my compiled FYPD ADP (made up of 15 real drafts): at 60 and 62. One thing holding me back in my evaluation of Harlan was his poor hit tool. He didn't even crack our Dodgers top 20, and other outlets gave him hit tool grades ranging from 30 (Fangraphs) to 45 (MLB Pipeline). However, at least one PLive analyst was confident that the Dodgers could make improvements. In our FYPD Rankings, Greg had this to say:

Harlan is a bat who could rise up prospect lists once he makes his pro debut. He’s a cold-weather high school player who could still be growing, which means there could be (a lot) more projection and skill growth to come. He is power over hit, but many scouts believe his hit tool could make serious gains with professional instruction. Harlan is in good hands in the Dodgers system; he’s one to watch and draft in the middle rounds of your FYPD.

Just one more example of Greg knowing his stuff, as the hit tool has been much better than advertised this year, with a 74.3% contact rate and just an 18.3% strikeout rate this season, all while making his professional debut at 18 years old. The fielding has also been much better than advertised, giving Harlan a chance to stick at 3B.
Oddly, the power, which was supposed to be the carrying tool for Harlan, has been conspicuously absent for most of the season. Through June 9th, Harlan had yet to hit a home run and was posting a feeble .078 ISO in his first 19 games of the season. His entire slash line was underwhelming at .234/.311/.313 through that stretch, causing Harlan to drop about 50 spots in our rankings since May, and fall out of my top 450 altogether. However, Harlan has done everything since to prove me wrong, as he has found a way to unlock his power stroke. Since June 12th, Harlan is slashing .377/.404/.830 with six home runs and six doubles in just 12 games. That's good for a ridiculous .453 ISO. He's also continued to post great contact during that stretch with just a 12.3% strikeout rate, and his .341 BABIP is reasonable for the .377 average he's put u

Why To Think Twice

Despite the improved contact, it may only be a 40-grade hit tool, as Alex Jensen has speculated on the Daily Sheet, stating that Harlan's feel for the zone could get exposed at the higher levels. It's a fairly aggressive approach, with just an 8.4% walk rate at the lowest stateside level. Additionally, Harlan will need to stay at 3B to maximize his opportunities, as the Dodgers remain a challenging organization to break into, and their highly competitive farm system won't make that any easier in the future. Harlan also won't provide much speed, as he's yet to steal a base this season.

Final Thoughts

Chase Harlan went undrafted in many FYPDs and may have even been dropped earlier this year, even in the ones where he was picked. The combination of immense power, a better-than-expected hit, the organizational track record, and the recent scorching hot stretch has me checking my wires to see where I can add him. I suggest you do the same.

Where to pick up: Leagues with 300+ prospects rostered.

FAAB bid: Minimal (0-5%)