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Welcome to RotoBaller’s Recently Promoted Prospects series for fantasy baseball! Here I discuss some recently-promoted top MLB prospects and rookies, making note of what I think their upside could be for fantasy baseball managers, and whether they are potential risers or fallers.
In the past two weeks, we have seen a few more high-impact rookies make their MLB debut. Below I discuss three rookies that might work their way into fantasy relevance. I will use industry scouting reports, analytics, and RotoBaller’s premium projections to predict what each recently called-up player could do if given a continued opportunity in 2022.
Here are your recently promoted prospects, all within the N.L. Central, for Week 7 of the fantasy baseball season.
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Brandon Hughes, Chicago Cubs
0% Rostered on Yahoo
Situation: 26-year-old Chicago Cubs rookie reliever Brandon Hughes made his major league debut on Tuesday, May 17, against the Pittsburgh Pirates. In 1 2/3 innings pitched, he allowed only one walk and struck out five batters. In doing so, Hughes became the first pitcher in MLB history to record at least five outs and have them all come by way of strikeouts in a debut. Despite it coming against the Pirates, it was still an incredibly impressive feat for the former outfielder who was converted to a full-time pitcher in 2019. The left-handed reliever will likely serve as a middle reliever for the Cubs and remain with the club for the foreseeable future.
Skill: Hughes is a 6’2” tall lefty drafted in the sixteenth round of the MLB Draft back in 2017 as the 495th overall pick. He is an unranked prospect on most dynasty fantasy lists and is not ranked in the Cubs’ Top-30 by MLB Pipeline. Hughes has a three-pitch mix, including a fastball, an impressive slider, and a changeup. As mentioned, he is a former outfielder who began pitching full-time for the Chicago organization in 2019. Over 58 games in his minor league career, all relief appearances, he boasts a very solid 1.96 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, and 124 strikeouts in 91 2/3 IP.
Projection: Hughes will likely serve as a middle reliever for the Cubs in the immediate term. Should he continue to impress, Hughes could be in line for higher leverage work as the season continues. That said, he is very far removed from any chance at saves ahead of David Robertson, Rowan Wick, or Mychal Givens. His minor league performance certainly suggests that Hughes could help managers with ratios and strikeouts. He may potentially have value in leagues that reward holds down the road. For right now, though, Hughes likely has little value outside the deepest of N.L.-Only formats, despite the great story and historic debut. Revisit in a month or two if the back end of the Cubs’ bullpen begins to falter.
Nolan Gorman, St. Louis Cardinals
32% Rostered on Yahoo
Situation: With outfielder Tyler O’Neill (shoulder) being placed on the injured list, the St. Louis Cardinals have opted to call up top-prospect, second baseman Nolan Gorman. Gorman is due to make his MLB debut on May 20. He has been absolutely on fire at Triple-A Memphis this season slashing .308/.367/.677 with 15 home runs, and 23 RBI over 34 games (133 at-bats). Gorman will now join other young talents recently promoted to St. Louis, including outfielder Juan Yepez and infielder Brendan Donovan. In his minor league career, Gorman has slashed .273/.343/.502 with 72 HR in over 1300 AB.
Skill: Gorman is 6’1” tall and 22-years old. He was drafted 19th overall by the Cardinals in the first round of the 2018 MLB Draft. He bats lefty, possesses elite power, hits to all fields, and has above-average speed. He was initially drafted as a third baseman and played third in 2018 and 2019. He eventually made the transition to second base before the 2021 season, thanks in part to the Cardinals signing Nolan Arenado. He is the 29th-ranked prospect in all of baseball, and the second-ranked Cardinals prospect, per MLB Pipeline.
Projection: Gorman forced the Cardinals' hand with his impressive performance in Memphis this season. He was obviously not called up to sit. While he is up in the majors, he will play. If Gorman can produce, it is assured he won’t return to Memphis and will instead remain a fixture in the Cardinals’ lineup. If Gorman can accumulate around 350 AB, he should be able to put up 15 or more homers.
While his impressive Triple-A ratios this season aren’t likely to be replicated against MLB pitching, he should still put up decent ratios, though Steamer projects an underwhelming .250/.293/.430 slash line. Given his upside, pedigree, recent performance in the minors, and likelihood for regular playing time, he is a priority add in all fantasy formats.
Matthew Liberatore, St. Louis Cardinals
21% Rostered on Yahoo
Situation: Much like Nolan Gorman, the St. Louis Cardinals promoted left-handed starting pitcher Matthew Liberatore on May 18. He is expected to make his major league debut on Saturday, May 21 against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Also like Gorman, the Cardinals did not promote Liberatore to have him sit. While he is in the majors, Liberatore will be a part of the Cardinals’ rotation. In seven starts at Triple-A Memphis so far this season, Liberatore has posted a 3.83 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, and a 46:12 K:BB ratio in 40 innings pitched. Since the start of the 2021 season, Liberatore has amassed 169 strikeouts in 164 2/3 IP with Memphis.
Skill: Liberatore was drafted in the first round of the MLB Draft (16th overall, just three picks before childhood friend Nolan Gorman) by the Tampa Bay Rays. He came to the Cardinals in 2020 in the trade that sent Randy Arozarena to the Rays. He stands at a very tall 6’4” and has four pitches which include an above-average fastball, changeup, and curveball.
He has both good control, evidenced by only 89 walks over 275 2/3 IP, and even numbers in his lefty-righty splits over the course of his MiLB career. Liberatore is the third-ranked prospect in the Cardinals’ organization and the 39th-ranked prospect in all of MLB, as per MLB Pipeline.
Projection: Liberatore could very well remain a fixture in the Cardinals’ rotation if he does well in his first taste of the majors, making him immediately fantasy relevant in all formats. While he lacks the upside of a Grayson Rodriguez, Liberatore certainly can help any fantasy roster in need of starting pitching help. He projects as an SP2/3 who should put up decent strikeout totals with above-average ratios through the remainder of the season.
Steamer projects Liberatore to post a K/9 of 7.07 with an ERA of 4.37. However, this ERA projection may be a little harsh given his career minor league ERA of 3.43 (even though MiLB ratios don’t translate evenly to MLB competition). Fantasy managers in redraft formats in need of pitching should target Liberatore on the next FAAB run if he remains available. That said, don’t break the FAAB bank like managers did with George Kirby or will do with Grayson Rodriguez.
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