Well, this is my final article of the season. I hope you all enjoyed the ride, and I hope you all stocked up your farms by listening to me and Kyle. Last week, I wrote about the strong first half Kyle had, and somehow, he managed to improve upon that in the second half. I hope I did half as well. Kyle is having a phenomenal season, having already won multiple championships. I managed to win one of my own last week, in addition to a couple of third-place finishes. I still have the PLive championship with Kyle going (although he is currently in the lead), and I have one last third-place matchup. Hope you were able to grab some titles of your own!
Thanks, as always, for taking the time to read, listen, and support the work of Kyle and me, and all the amazing creators at PLive. We strive to deliver a diverse range of high-quality content and continually enhance our offerings. Keep an eye out for a ton of offseason content as well.
Note: all stats current through Tuesday 9/23/25 and all minor league Statcast figures are sourced from TJ Stats.
Taylor Corso
Recommendation Grades
Jhonny Level - 18/SS/SF/A
Date recommended: 7/6/25
League size recommendation: 200+ prospects rostered
Prospects Live rank: 251 -> 113
Fantrax roster rate: 10% -> 15%
Stats since writeup (CPX/A): 214 PA, .234/.327/.353, 5 HR/8 SB, 19.2% K%/11.7% BB%
Recommendation grade: B+
Justification: Anyone who listened to the podcast last year knows how big a Johnny Level fan I am. I really want to give the Level pick an A+, but the fact of the matter is that Single-A has not been kind to him. He was promoted to the level at the end of July, and since then, he has amassed just a 91 wRC+. The contact has continued to look good, but the ground ball rate has skyrocketed, leading to a lack of power. Fortunately, Level finished the year strong with three straight multi-hit games to close out the season. He's seen his stock rise and is now a borderline top 100 prospect, but it's not quite a good enough performance to give him an A grade.
Tanner McDougal - 22/P/CHW/AA
Date recommended: 7/6/25
League size recommendation: 350+ prospects rostered
Prospects Live rank: Unranked -> 144
Fantrax roster rate: 2% -> 15%
Stats since writeup (AA): 40.1 IP, 3.79 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 24.1% K%/6.6% BB%
Recommendation grade: A+
Justification: Kyle really beat the hype on Tanner McDougal, recommending him when he was still just 2% rostered and unranked. Since then, he has skyrocketed in both roster shares and ranking. The performance has been better than the numbers indicate, as he has a 2.89 FIP since the write-up, and seven of his 12 outings have been scoreless during that stretch. He's struggled badly in his two September starts (likely due to fatigue), but through August, he had a 2.29 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, and 21.9% K-BB since his writeup.
Coleman Crow - 24/P/MIL/AAA
Date recommended: 7/6/25
League size recommendation: 300+ prospects rostered
Prospects Live rank: 447 -> 298
Fantrax roster rate: 4% -> 6%
Stats since writeup (MLB): 3.0 IP, 18.00 ERA, 2.67 WHIP, 29.4% K%/11.8% BB%
Recommendation grade: D-
Justification: Crow got shelled in one game and has spent the rest of his season on the IL with a flexor strain. It was his 2nd start back from his previous IL stint this year for a hip injury. His value still increased, so that prevents this from being an F, but just barely.
Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz - 21/P/NYY/AA
Date recommended: 7/6/25
League size recommendation: 350+ prospects rostered
Prospects Live rank: 291 -> 130
Fantrax roster rate: 5% -> 16%
Stats since writeup (MLB): 68.1 IP, 2.37 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 30.4% K%/8.9% BB%
Recommendation grade: A+
Justification: Stop me if you've heard this before: "pitcher Kyle recommends takes off". Well, here is just one more example. 2.33 FIP shows the ERA is justified since the recommendation. Rodriguez-Cruz finished the year strong with a 1.13 ERA and 39.0% strikeout rate in his three September starts, too. He doesn't get enough buzz.
Luis Arana - 17/3B,SS/MIA/DSL
Date recommended: 7/6/25
League size recommendation: 500+ prospects rostered
Prospects Live rank: Unranked -> 400
Fantrax roster rate: 2% -> 3%
Stats since writeup (DSL): 126 PA, .262/.365/.411, 2 HR/7 SB, 10.3% K%/9.5% BB%
Recommendation grade: C-
Justification: Post recommendation, Arana was a slightly below-average hitter with a 97 wRC+. He was also caught stealing (6) nearly as many times as he was successful (7). Overall, it was a successful season for Arana, but even with the increased ranking and slight roster bump, it's hard to give this one a higher grade.
Ryan Johnson - 22/P/LAA/A+
Date recommended: 7/13/25
League size recommendation: 300+ prospects rostered
Prospects Live rank: 541 -> 340
Fantrax roster rate: 12% -> 14%
Stats since writeup (A+): 3.0 IP, 0.00 ERA, 0.33 WHIP, 40.0% K%/0.0% BB%
Recommendation grade: C
Justification: After Kyle wrote him up, Johnson would not make another start until August 23rd. No injury was reported, and no IL stint occurred, but Johnson would throw just three innings over 2 outings before his season ended. For what it's worth, he did pitch well in those outings, but the strange circumstances keep this from being a higher grade.
Yandel Ricardo - 18/SS/KC/A
Date recommended: 7/13/25
League size recommendation: 400+ prospects rostered
Prospects Live rank: Unranked -> Unranked
Fantrax roster rate: 3% -> 3%
Stats since writeup (A): 138 PA, .198/.274/.256, 0 HR/8 SB, 19.6% K%/8.7% BB%
Recommendation grade: F
Justification: Ricardo struggled badly since Kyle wrote him up. He was hot for a month at the Complex but has failed to put it together since being promoted to Single-A, with just a 60 wRC+ and a .056 ISO in 50 games. He was young for the level, so there is that, but overall, not much to be excited about here.
Kendry Chourio - 17/P/KC/CPX
Date recommended: 7/13/25
League size recommendation: 450+ prospects rostered
Prospects Live rank: Unranked -> 117
Fantrax roster rate: 2% -> 17%
Stats since writeup (CPX/A): 29.2 IP, 4.55 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 26.2% K%/3.2% BB%
Recommendation grade: A+
Justification: Chourio took off like a rocket after Kyle wrote him up and looks to be one of his best calls of the 2nd half. The 4.55 ERA since the write-up doesn't look pretty, but that comes with just a 3.25 FIP. Much of that has come since a promotion to Single-A, where Chourio holds a 5.16 ERA, but with a 3.66 FIP and a 20.8% K-BB rate. The combination of stuff and command is tremendous, and he looks like a future stud if he can avoid injury.
Kyle Nevin - 24/1B,3B/LAD/AA
Date recommended: 7/13/25
League size recommendation: 600+ prospects rostered
Prospects Live rank: Unranked -> Unranked
Fantrax roster rate: 0% -> 0%
Stats since writeup (AA): 179 PA, .259/.324/.383, 4 HR/9 SB, 25.7% K%/8.9% BB%
Recommendation grade: C
Justification: Nevin has been a pretty much league-average bat at Double-A with a 102 wRC+ since his write-up. He's now 24 years old at Double-A, so it's not like he's young for the level, and he hasn't shown a lot of power. He did, however, steal 9 of his 10 bases without being caught over his 41 games since the write-up, and he finished strong with a 130 wRC+ in 28 games from August 1st on. The very deep league size recommendation remains in effect.
James Triantos (DROP) - 22/2B,3B/CHC/AAA
Date recommended: 7/13/25
League size recommendation: Fewer than 300 prospects rostered
Prospects Live rank: 146 -> 293
Fantrax roster rate: 27% -> 27%
Stats since writeup (AAA): 245 PA, .262/.327/.389, 5 HR/12 SB, 14.7% K%/7.8% BB%
Recommendation grade: A
Justification: Since Kyle wrote up Triantos, he's posted just an 84 wRC+, which is only slightly better than his season-long 76 wRC+. This makes 127 games of below-average performance at Triple-A across the last two seasons. Triantos hasn't seen his roster rate fall, but he has seen his ranking drop to around Kyle's suggested drop limit. At this point, it's really hard to see Triantos breaking his way onto the Cubs roster as anything other than a bench bat.
Gabriel Gonzalez - 21/OF/MIN/AAA
Date recommended: 7/27/25
League size recommendation: 200 prospects rostered
Prospects Live rank: 310 -> 186
Fantrax roster rate: 15% -> 18%
Stats since writeup (AA/AAA): 164 PA, .299/.348/.490, 7 HR/2 SB, 20.1% K%/6.7% BB%
Recommendation grade: A
Justification: Since Kyle wrote him up, Gonzalez has gotten the promotion to Triple-A and continued to rake. He has seen his ranking and roster rate increase as a result. If you want to nitpick, the overall approach is very aggressive, and there is a lot of chase here. His Statcast metrics are mostly below average as well. Those factors knock this down to just an A.
Wuilfredo Antunez - 23/OF/CLE/AA
Date recommended: 7/27/25
League size recommendation: 300 prospects rostered
Prospects Live rank: Unranked -> 370
Fantrax roster rate: 1% -> 1%
Stats since writeup (AA): 108 PA, .323/.355/.545, 3 HR/5 SB, 19.4% K%/5.6% BB%
Recommendation grade: B+
Justification: Antunez finished the season strong with a 157 wRC+ in his final 25 games despite missing some time to injury in early August. He finished with an 18 HR/16 SB season and solid contact across 101 games. He didn't see his stock improve much in roster rate or ranking, but that could change with a strong showing in this year's Arizona Fall League.
Cristian Arguelles - 18/OF/COL/DSL
Date recommended: 7/27/25
League size recommendation: 400 prospects rostered
Prospects Live rank: Unranked -> 357
Fantrax roster rate: 2% -> 3%
Stats since writeup (DSL): 57 PA, .370/.474/.478, 0 HR/4 SB, 14.0% K%/12.3% BB%
Recommendation grade: A-
Justification: Arguelles continued pummeling the DSL to the very end with a 152 wRC+ through his last 14 games after the write-up. The power did fall off, with just a .109 ISO through that stretch (.230 on the season), but it's hard to read too much into that in such a small sample. He's clearly a name on the rise, but as a DSL repeater, he'll need a strong stateside debut to silence the doubters (like me).
Grant Shepardson - 19/SP/MIA/A
Date recommended: 7/27/25
League size recommendation: 500 prospects rostered
Prospects Live rank: Unranked -> Unranked
Fantrax roster rate: 1% -> 1%
Stats since writeup (A): 13.2 IP, 5.93 ERA, 1.83 WHIP, 17.4% K%/21.7% BB%
Recommendation grade: F
Justification: Shepardson didn't really take off after Kyle recommended him. Based on the extremely poor performance, it's understandable why. A negative K-BB% is never a good thing.
Nate Payne - 20/SP/MIA/A
Date recommended: 7/27/25
League size recommendation: 550 prospects rostered
Prospects Live rank: Unranked -> 547
Fantrax roster rate: 1% -> 1%
Stats since writeup (A): 16.2 IP, 3.24 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 27.7% K%/21.5% BB%
Recommendation grade: B-
Justification: Payne struggled with walks in the six games after Kyle wrote him up, but it was really just his last three starts. In his first three outings after the write-up, he posted an incredible 1.00 ERA and 0.22 WHIP with a 42.9% strikeout rate and zero walks across 9 innings. While it could be fatigue, Payne also struggled with walks for much of the year (16.2% walk rate). Overall, more good than bad here.
Dante Nori - 20/OF/PHI/AA
Date recommended: 8/3/25
League size recommendation: 300 prospects rostered
Prospects Live rank: 475 -> 391
Fantrax roster rate: 7% -> 8%
Stats since writeup (A+/AA): 160 PA, .239/.356/.336, 0 HR/24 SB, 13.1% K%/14.4% BB%
Recommendation grade: B+
Justification: Nori got a five-game cup of coffee to end the season in Double-A. He struggled a bit in the small sample, but a .211 BABIP likely contributed, as he still posted a 9.1% strikeout rate and a 91.2% contact rate as a 20-year-old playing at his third level of the season. Overall, he cooled off a bit after Kyle recommended him, but was still an absolute menace on the basepaths with 24 steals in 33 games and walked more than he struck out. He also saw his roster rate and ranking increase slightly (if not to the level of Kyle's 300 recommendation).
Antwone Kelly - 22/SP/PIT/AA
Date recommended: 8/3/25
League size recommendation: 350 prospects rostered
Prospects Live rank: 449 -> 366
Fantrax roster rate: 5% -> 6%
Stats since writeup (AA): 17.2 IP, 3.57 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 19.7% K%/9.2% BB%
Recommendation grade: B+
Justification: Kelly saw his strikeout rate tank in his final five starts after his write-up. While he didn't walk a ton, he was extremely hittable, giving up a .265 opposing batting average and a 1.42 WHIP. There's still some work to do here, but he posted ERAs right around three at both High-A and Double-A this season with the FIPs to back them up.
Bryce Mayer - 23/SP/HOU/AA
Date recommended: 8/3/25
League size recommendation: 350 prospects rostered
Prospects Live rank: 598 -> 575
Fantrax roster rate: 2% -> 2%
Stats since writeup (AA): 7.0 IP, 7.71 ERA, 2.00 WHIP, 29.7% K%/8.1% BB%
Recommendation grade: C-
Justification: Bryce Mayer made just two starts after his write-up before landing on the Development List on August 16th. His 2.02 FIP during this stretch shows that some bad luck was involved, and it was really one great outing and one blowup. Mayer did see his ranking increase a bit, but it was still well short of Kyle's 350 recommendation. Mayer also won Astros Minor League Pitcher of the Year, so maybe he'll get some additional buzz from that.
Edward Lantigua - 18/OF/NYM/CPX
Date recommended: 8/3/25
League size recommendation: 400 prospects rostered
Prospects Live rank: Unranked -> 652
Fantrax roster rate: 1% -> 1%
Stats since writeup (DNP): DNP
Recommendation grade: C
Justification: Lantigua hasn't played since Kyle wrote him up. He did find his way onto our rankings thanks to a 409 ranking by Tom, which aligns with Kyle's recommendation. Overall, not much to react to here.
Deniel Ortiz - 21/1B,3B/STL/A+
Date recommended: 8/3/25
League size recommendation: 400 prospects rostered
Prospects Live rank: 438 -> 334
Fantrax roster rate: 2% -> 3%
Stats since writeup (A+): 120 PA, .337/.442/.505, 3 HR/8 SB, 22.5% K%/14.2% BB%
Recommendation grade: A
Justification: Ortiz posted a fantastic 172 wRC+ after Kyle's recommendation and saw both this ranking and roster rate rise. Ortiz improved slightly from Single-A to High-A but found a lot less success on the basepaths, being thrown out six times in 14 attempts. He still finished the year with 39 steals, but something to monitor as he climbs the ladder.
Brendan Jones - 23/OF/NYY/AA
Date recommended: 8/10/25
League size recommendation: 300 prospects rostered
Prospects Live rank: 488 -> 273
Fantrax roster rate: 1% -> 2%
Stats since writeup (AA): 139 PA, .261/.388/.374, 0 HR/18 SB, 23.7% K%/17.3% BB%
Recommendation grade: A
Justification: In his final 31 games post-recommendation, Jones didn't hit for much power (.113 ISO), but he was a menace on the basepaths and posted a 130 wRC+. He finished the year with 11 HR and 51 steals across two levels. He's still widely available, but he's becoming a popular prospect at PLive, where all seven of us ranked him within our top 450 (four within the top 300).
Jorge Quintana - 18/SS/SDP/A
Date recommended: 8/10/25
League size recommendation: 400 prospects rostered
Prospects Live rank: Unranked -> 541
Fantrax roster rate: 2% -> 4%
Stats since writeup (A): 88 PA, .192/.307/.260, 1 HR/6 SB, 33.0% K%/14.8% BB%
Recommendation grade: C-
Justification: Quintana struggled badly after a mid-season trade to the Padres, hitting under the Mendoza line in 25 games with his new club. 22 of those games came after Kyle's write-up. It's his first look at the level after, and he's just 18, so I'm willing to cut him some slack. He also saw his roster rate and ranking increase despite the struggles, and was ranked by both Kyle and Greg around 440. He needs to get out to a hot start in 2026, though, to be worth continuing to rank/roster, particularly with the downgrade in development organization.
Yhoiker Fajardo - 18/SP/BOS/A
Date recommended: 8/10/25
League size recommendation: 400 prospects rostered
Prospects Live rank: Unranked -> 446
Fantrax roster rate: 1% -> 3%
Stats since writeup (A): 18.0 IP, 1.50 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 40.0% K%/12.0% BB%
Recommendation grade: A
Justification: Yhoiker Fajardo isn't getting enough love. He was intriguing before Kyle wrote him up, but he's been dominant since, and his 1.74 FIP in those five starts just underscores that dominance. The walk rate was a little elevated, but nearly half of those walks came in his final start. He finished the year with a 2.25 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and 19.4% K-BB% across complex and Single-A.
Trey Gregory-Alford - 19/SP/LAA/A
Date recommended: 8/10/25
League size recommendation: 450 prospects rostered
Prospects Live rank: 694 -> 417
Fantrax roster rate: 2% -> 3%
Stats since writeup (A): 22.1 IP, 1.61 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 16.0% K%/12.8% BB%
Recommendation grade: B
Justification: Gregory-Alford has big-time stuff but doesn't get many strikeouts. He finished the year with just a 10.6% K-BB rate and just a 6.7% rate at Single-A. The combination of low strikeouts and high walks probably contributes to the difference between his low ERA after Kyle wrote him up (1.61) and his high FIP (4.54) across his last five starts, which continued a season-long trend. Add in one of the worst pitching development organizations, and it's a tough profile to rank (and grade), but one on the rise.
Wellington Aracena - 20/SP/BAL/A+
Date recommended: 8/10/25
League size recommendation: 400 prospects rostered
Prospects Live rank: Unranked -> 418
Fantrax roster rate: 2% -> 3%
Stats since writeup (A+): 19.0 IP, 2.37 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 22.8% K%/15.2% BB%
Recommendation grade: B+
Justification: Aracena struggled with walks in his final four starts after his write-up, but still managed to pitch well (although the 3.55 FIP shows he was a bit lucky). The walks ding his grade as they've been a problem throughout his career (12.6% or higher in every professional season). For the season, Aracena finishes with a fantastic 2.25 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and 30.3% strikeout rate to go with a pesky 13.6% walk rate.
Caden Scarborough - 20/SP/TEX/A+
Date recommended: 8/17/25
League size recommendation: 200 prospects rostered
Prospects Live rank: 516 -> 167
Fantrax roster rate: 5% -> 12%
Stats since writeup (A+): 13.0 IP, 0.00 ERA, 0.62 WHIP, 38.8% K%/4.1% BB%
Recommendation grade: A+
Justification: There was only time to get three more starts in for Scarborough before the end of the season. They were about as good as you could possibly get. Scarborough went from barely ranked to borderline top 150, and his rostership nearly doubled since his write-up. Kyle was especially excited about Scarborough after writing him up, and it's really easy to see why.
Dillon Lewis - 22/OF/NYY/A+
Date recommended: 8/17/25
League size recommendation: 350 prospects rostered
Prospects Live rank: Unranked -> 472
Fantrax roster rate: 1% -> 2%
Stats since writeup (A+): 87 PA, .169/.322/.282, 2 HR/4 SB, 24.1% K%/16.1% BB%
Recommendation grade: C
Justification: It was a rough last 20 games for Lewis, but a .208 BABIP likely played a part. Even with the slow finish, Lewis finished his first full professional season with 120 wRC+ across two levels to go with 22 home runs and 26 steals. He did see his stock pick up a bit in roster rate and percentage, but not to the level Kyle recommended, so he ends up with a "C" grade. He's one I'll be watching closely to start next year, as there is significant upside here.
Angel De Los Santos - 17/SS/DET/DSL
Date recommended: 8/17/25
League size recommendation: 400 prospects rostered
Prospects Live rank: Unranked -> 534
Fantrax roster rate: 3% -> 3%
Stats since writeup (DSL): 8 PA, .125/.125/.125, 0 HR/0 SB, 25.0% K%/0.0% BB%
Recommendation grade: C
Justification: De Los Santos played just three games after his write-up and experienced a moderate increase in ranking and no change in roster rate. Overall, it's too early to make any major judgments, and De Los Santos continues to be an intriguing name heading into next season.
Angel Salio - 17/3B/CIN/DSL
Date recommended: 8/17/25
League size recommendation: 450 prospects rostered
Prospects Live rank: Unranked -> 698
Fantrax roster rate: 1% -> 1%
Stats since writeup (DSL): 8 PA, .250/.250/.250, 0 HR/0 SB, 0.0% K%/0.0% BB%
Recommendation grade: C
Justification: Salio is another late DSL write-up that hasn't had enough run to change his value. Not much to say here.
Khristian Curtis - 23/SP/PIT/AA
Date recommended: 8/17/25
League size recommendation: 500 prospects rostered
Prospects Live rank: Unranked -> Unranked
Fantrax roster rate: 1% -> 1%
Stats since writeup (A+/AA): 24.0 IP, 3.00 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, 30.4% K%/9.8% BB%
Recommendation grade: B+
Justification: Curtis finished the year very strongly and earned a brief promotion to Double-A to end the year. He only got into one game as a reliever, but threw two perfect innings with three strikeouts. His lack of roster or ranking movement is the only thing keeping this from being an "A" grade.
David McCabe - 25/3B/ATL/AAA
Date recommended: 8/24/25
League size recommendation: 500 prospects rostered
Prospects Live rank: Unranked -> Unranked
Fantrax roster rate: 1% -> 1%
Stats since writeup (AAA): 96 PA, .220/.323/.366, 3 HR/1 SB, 29.2% K%/13.5% BB%
Recommendation grade: D
Justification: It wasn't a particularly strong finish for McCabe, and along with his lack of roster or ranking movement, it's hard to give him even a "C" grade here. He finishes with a strong 132 wRC+ on the season but only a 94 wRC+ mark in 28 Triple-A games at age 25.
Brycen Mautz - 24/SP/STL/AA
Date recommended: 8/24/25
League size recommendation: 400 prospects rostered
Prospects Live rank: Unranked -> 542
Fantrax roster rate: 2% -> 2%
Stats since writeup (AA): 21.2 IP, 1.66 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 30.6% K%/3.5% BB%
Recommendation grade: A-
Justification: Oh look, yet another stellar pitcher recommendation by Kyle. All joking aside, Mautz dominated to finish out the year with stellar surface stats backed up by a 1.61 FIP in four starts. The roster rate didn't move, and he still needs some rankings love, but you can't ask for better performance-wise.
John Gil - 19/SS/ATL/AA
Date recommended: 8/24/25
League size recommendation: 400 prospects rostered
Prospects Live rank: Unranked -> 442
Fantrax roster rate: 2% -> 4%
Stats since writeup (A/AA): 87 PA, .284/.391/.419, 2 HR/8 SB, 16.1% K%/14.9% BB%
Recommendation grade: A
Justification: Gil finished the season with a 141 wRC+ after Kyle wrote him up. That includes a six-game sample where he was immediately promoted to Double-A after the end of the Single-A season. It understandably wasn't the best showing for the teenager, but he still managed to steal four bases and get hits in four of those games. He also saw his roster rate double and his ranking align with Kyle's recommendation.
Randy Guzman - 20/1B,OF/NYM/A
Date recommended: 8/24/25
League size recommendation: 400 prospects rostered
Prospects Live rank: Unranked -> 537
Fantrax roster rate: 1% -> 1%
Stats since writeup (A): 49 PA, .333/.367/.600, 1 HR/0 SB, 26.5% K%/6.1% BB%
Recommendation grade: B+
Justification: Guzman only played 14 games after his write-up, but he mashed during that stretch. He finished with a stellar 163 wRC+ at Single-A and a 147 wRC+ on the season. He landed on our latest rankings for the first time, but his roster rank failed to rise.
Yorman Gomez - 22/SP/CLE/AA
Date recommended: 8/24/25
League size recommendation: 350 prospects rostered
Prospects Live rank: Unranked -> 505
Fantrax roster rate: 0% -> 1%
Stats since writeup (level): 17.0 IP, 5.29 ERA, 1.59 WHIP, 24.7% K%/9.9% BB%
Recommendation grade: C+
Justification: The end-of-season stats are ugly, but the 2.70 FIP and .373 BABIP show that Gomez was mostly just unlucky. He still saw his roster rate rise slightly and found himself landing on some rankings, just not as aggressively as Kyle had called for.
Matt Svanson - 26/RP/STL/MLB
Date recommended: 8/28/25
League size recommendation: Saves + holds leagues with 12+ teams
Prospects Live rank: Unranked -> Unranked
Fantrax roster rate: 6% -> 14%
Stats since writeup (MLB): 14.2 IP, 1.23 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 33.9% K%/10.2% BB%
Recommendation grade: B+
Justification: Svanson has pitched very well since his write-up, backed up by his 1.85 FIP. He's still more of a middle reliever, having just five holds on the season. Three of those holds have come in his last seven games, however. His usage will be interesting to monitor as we head into next season.
Esmil Valencia - 19/OF/MIA/A
Date recommended: 8/28/25
League size recommendation: 350+ prospects rostered
Prospects Live rank: Unranked -> 510
Fantrax roster rate: 1% -> 1%
Stats since writeup (A): 37 PA, .257/.297/.314, 1 HR/4 SB, 24.3% K%/5.4% BB%
Recommendation grade: C-
Justification: Valencia has struggled a bit since his write-up, but it was only eight games. In that short stretch, he still managed to steal four bases (albeit in six attempts). Kyle's recommendation of 350+ prospects may have been a bit too aggressive.
Dalton Pence - 24/SP/TEX/A+
Date recommended: 8/28/25
League size recommendation: 400+ prospects rostered
Prospects Live rank: Unranked -> 533
Fantrax roster rate: 0% -> 0%
Stats since writeup (A+): 8.0 IP, 2.25 ERA, 1.88 WHIP, 23.1% K%/15.4% BB%
Recommendation grade: C
Justification: Just two starts since Pence's write-up, but they were a mixed bag. The walks were a problem in both, but hadn't been before this. Likely some fatigue at play here as Pence finished off his first professional season.
Hendry Mendez - 21/OF/MIN/AA
Date recommended: 8/28/25
League size recommendation: 400+ prospects rostered
Prospects Live rank: 450 -> 376
Fantrax roster rate: 3% -> 3%
Stats since writeup (AA): 72 PA, .346/.521/.481, 1 HR/3 SB, 9.7% K%/25.0% BB%
Recommendation grade: B+
Justification: A stellar finish to the season and a decent rankings bump push Mendez's grade to a B+. A lack of rostership movement prevents it from being an A.
Anthony Stephan - 22/OF/CIN/A+
Date recommended: 8/28/25
League size recommendation: 500+ prospects rostered
Prospects Live rank: Unranked -> Unranked
Fantrax roster rate: 0% -> 0%
Stats since writeup (A+): 39 PA, .207/.395/.310, 0 HR/2 SB, 20.5% K%/15.4% BB%
Recommendation grade: C
Justification: Just 9 games to finish off the season with a weak-looking slashline but a 116 wRC+. It's too early to make any judgments about Stephan.
Ixan Henderson - 23/SP/STL/AA
Date recommended: 9/7/25
League size recommendation: 300+ prospects rostered
Prospects Live rank: 302 -> 305
Fantrax roster rate: 3% -> 4%
Stats since writeup (AA): 4.1 IP, 4.15 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 15.8% K%/10.5% BB%
Recommendation grade: C
Justification: Just one start here that was fine. The roster rate increased, but the ranking decreased. A🤷♂️ and a C grade for Ixan Henderson.
Ramon Marquez - 20/SP/PHI/A
Date recommended: 9/7/25
League size recommendation: 350+ prospects rostered
Prospects Live rank: Unranked -> 525
Fantrax roster rate: 1% -> 1%
Stats since writeup (DNP): DNP
Recommendation grade: C
Justification: Maybe an "I" for "Incomplete" would be a better grade for Marquez, whose season ended before Kyle wrote him up.
Raudi Rodriguez - 22/OF/LAA/A
Date recommended: 9/7/25
League size recommendation: 400+ prospects rostered
Prospects Live rank: 490 -> 412
Fantrax roster rate: 0% -> 1%
Stats since writeup (A): 9 PA, .125/.222/.125, 0 HR/2 SB, 11.1% K%/44.4% BB%
Recommendation grade: C+
Justification: Rodriguez is another one where we'll have to wait until next year to see how this recommendation holds up. A modest bump to roster rate and ranking earns him the "+".
Parks Harber - 24/1B,3B/SFG/A+
Date recommended: 9/7/25
League size recommendation: 450+ prospects rostered
Prospects Live rank: 549 -> 411
Fantrax roster rate: 1% -> 1%
Stats since writeup (A+): 5 PA, .500/.800/.500, 0 HR/0 SB, 20.0% K%/0.0% BB%
Recommendation grade: C+
Justification: Modest rankings bump earns Harber a C+ grade. It will be very interesting to see what he does next year at a more age-appropriate Double-A. The Camilo Doval trade (which I was very much not a fan of) looks better now than it did a couple of months ago.
Carson Roccaforte - 23/OF/KCR/AA
Date recommended: 9/7/25
League size recommendation: 450+ prospects rostered
Prospects Live rank: Unranked -> 528
Fantrax roster rate: 1% -> 2%
Stats since writeup (AA): 31 PA, .148/.258/.333, 0 HR/2 SB, 6.5% K%/45.2% BB%
Recommendation grade: C
Justification: Roccaforte started catching a little bit of buzz before the season ended, but didn't go out on a particularly high note. He finishes the year with 18 HR and 43 SB.
Zach Cole - 25/OF/HOU/MLB
Date recommended: 9/14/25
League size recommendation: 200+ prospects rostered
Prospects Live rank: 571 -> 382
Fantrax roster rate: 6% -> 20%
Stats since writeup (MLB): 29 PA, .192/.276/.423, 2 HR/0 SB, 37.9% K%/10.3% BB%
Recommendation grade: B-
Justification: Cole got off to a hot start with two homers and six hits in his first four games. Since then, he's had just two hits in the last six games (albeit one was another home run). He has elite quality of contact metrics, bat speed, and sprint speed, but the hit tool is a major concern. The fantasy skills are intriguing here, and he makes for a great end-of-season add as he could boost his stock with a nice postseason.
Raylin Heredia - 21/OF/PHI/A+
Date recommended: 9/14/25
League size recommendation: 450+ prospects rostered
Prospects Live rank: Unranked -> Unranked
Fantrax roster rate: 0% -> 0%
Stats since writeup (DNP): DNP
Recommendation grade: C
Justification: Raylin Heredia's season had already ended when Kyle wrote him up. Not much to discuss here.
Enrique Jimenez - 19/C,1B/MIN/A
Date recommended: 9/14/25
League size recommendation: 400+ prospects rostered
Prospects Live rank: Unranked -> 650
Fantrax roster rate: 1% -> 1%
Stats since writeup (DNP): DNP
Recommendation grade: C
Justification: Enrique Jimenez is another one whose season ended before Kyle wrote him up.
Miguel Mendez - 23/SP/SDP/AA
Date recommended: 9/14/25
League size recommendation: 400+ prospects rostered
Prospects Live rank: 577 -> 365
Fantrax roster rate: 7% -> 7%
Stats since writeup (DNP): DNP
Recommendation grade: C
Justification: Mendez, like many names from this article, did not play after his write-up. He did see a nice boost in ranking, though.
Brady Tygart - 22/SP/BOS/A+
Date recommended: 9/14/25
League size recommendation: 600+ prospects rostered
Prospects Live rank: Unranked -> Unranked
Fantrax roster rate: 0% -> 0%
Stats since writeup (DNP): DNP
Recommendation grade: C
Justification: Brady Tygart is yet another one whose season ended before the write-up.
Final Grade
Examining the overall second-half grades, we observe a different split than we did last week. A significant part of this is that the last two weeks' worth of recommendations have been nearly all C grades, based on limited information.
However, even if we exclude the September recommendations, we still see a significant lean towards A and B grades, with very few Ds and Fs.
While this shortchanges Kyle one B grade for Zach Cole, I do feel like it's a better representation of the strength of his second-half grades. And man, were they good! Overall, 58% of his second-half recommendations were As and Bs, and only 4 of his 50 second-half picks (40 if you take out the last two weeks) were misses. It's very impressive, no matter how you slice it!
It's been awesome to see Kyle improve and become increasingly skilled at selecting players over the last two years, and this improvement is reflected in the strength of his fantasy rosters, as he has brought home multiple championships this season. Hopefully, he won't be adding the PLive Dynasty League to his trophy case!
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