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Welcome to the latest edition of RotoBaller’s Recently Promoted Prospects series for fantasy baseball! Here I discuss some recently promoted 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.
We have seen 108 rookies make their MLB debut in 2021. This week there are a couple prospects to consider for very deep setups. I will use video looks, scouting reports, analytics, and RotoBaller’s premium projections to predict what each recently called-up player could do if given a continued opportunity in 2021.
Here are your recently promoted prospects for Week 10 of the fantasy baseball season.
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Gilberto Celestino, Minnesota Twins
0% Rostered on Yahoo
Situation: After Rob Refsnyder concussed himself running headfirst into the centerfield wall (and got the athletic tape outline from the Orioles grounds crew), the Twins called up highly-rated prospect Gilberto Celestino to cover center field for the time being. It's likely going to be a shorter call up for Celestino, who is likely headed back to the minors once Refsnyder or Byron Buxton recover from their respective injuries.
Skill: It is a bit of a shock to see the 22-year-old Celestino jump from Double-A to the bigs. His primary skills are his ability to make contact, a good plate approach, and the speed and defensive ability to play an average center field at the MLB level. He's yet to flash either the elite power or speed that will be necessary to make him into a big time fantasy asset. However, he's still very young, and the power could mature as he continues to fill out his frame.
Projection: Celestino is unlikely to see enough playing time to be a big fantasy contributor this season. However if you're desperate for OF cover over the next couple weeks, he could swipe a few bags while not killing your batting average or OBP categories.
Tyler Nevin, Baltimore Orioles
0% Rostered on Yahoo
Situation: With Trey Mancini and Ryan Mountcastle getting HBP, the Orioles called up corner infield prospect Tyler Nevin. Nevin, 24, was the Colorado Rockies comp round selection in the 2015 draft. Nevin was traded to the Orioles in the 2020 deal that sent Mychal Givens to the Rockies. He is the son of former big leaguer Phil Nevin.
Skill: Nevin has the plate approach and hit tool to succeed in a role at the MLB level. His career minor league OPS over 1400+ at-bats is .800. On top of his bat-to-ball skills, Nevin also has just enough power and speed to make him an enticing deep-league flier in the event he can get some regular playing time. Unfortunately, the Orioles sent him back down after just two games, so we will have to wait a little longer to see what Nevin can do with an extended run of playing time.
Projection: Don't count on much fantasy production from Nevin unless the Orioles have another injury crisis. In the event he gets full time at-bats, he's the type of player that could pop up and chip in 10-15 HR and 5 SBs over the remainder of the 2021 season.
Vladimir Gutierrez, Cincinnati Reds
9% Rostered on Yahoo
Situation: With the Reds flipping a few pitchers back and forth between the injured list the last week or two, they've called up young right-hander Vladimir Gutierrez to hold down the final rotation spot for the time being. Gutierrez, 25, is a Cuban righty that was signed as an international free agent back in 2015.
Skill: Gutierrez relies more on command, control, and pitchability than big time stuff. His fastball through two Major League starts has averaged 92 mph and isn't generating many whiffs. He backs the fastball up with a changeup, curveball, and slider. None of the secondaries look particularly devastating. However, he does generate some good horizontal break on his breakers, which could make the slider an effective piece for him going forward. Gutierrez has showed the ability to chew up a lot of innings in the minors, pitching 147 innings at Double-A in 2018 and 137 innings at Triple-A in 2019.
Projection: Gutierrez is probably an innings-eating piece for the back-end of Cincinnati's rotation for the duration of his time in the Bigs this year. He's the kind of pitcher that a MLB team needs more than your fantasy team needs. He's maybe a streamer option against very weak competition.
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