Dynasty Prospects with Big Power
Fantasy managers tend to envision only the most positive outcomes from their players, often expecting results from skills that a player doesn’t possess. This is especially true for dynasty managers. Dynasty managers would much rather dream about what a prospect could become than accept the risk in their profile. We will examine distinct hitter archetypes over the next few articles to avoid this issue. This will help dynasty managers come to terms with what their prospects are likely to become rather than the unrealistic dream many managers possess. Today, we begin with the power dogs.
For millennium-era rap music, there wasn’t a bigger dog than DMX, who swung for the fences on every bar adding his trademark growl between testosterone-laced lines. Grrr! His lyrical muscle erupted most magnificently on his 2002 jam “X Gon’ Give It to Ya”.
“First, we gonna rock, then we gonna roll
Then we let it pop, go, let it go! (Come on)
X gon’ give it to ya, he gon’ give it to ya”
Dynasty managers can substitute the “X” with any of the names below to form a pack of ferocious big power dogs with at least .550 SLG, less than or equal to a 30% strikeout rate, and greater than a 40% pull rate in 2024. Let’s see how the following players rate on the DMX Power Meter.
The Standard
Deyvison De Los Santos – MIA, 1B/3B
B/T: R/R 6’1” 185 lbs. Age: 21
AA/AAA 137 G | 583 PA | .294 AVG | .343 OBP | .571 SLG | 40 HR | 1 SB | 5.8 K% | 24.7 BB% | 43 PULL%
DMX Power Meter:
Deyvison De Los Santos is the most prodigious power hitter in the Minor Leagues. Yet, he whiffs too much chasing pitches out of the zone, and when he does make contact, he puts most of those balls on the ground. However, these ratios disguise the awesomeness of his raw power, which is not found in every lineup or organization. He finished with the most home runs in the minor leagues last year across two levels and three teams. For his 26 Triple-A home runs tracked by Statcast, he hit them an average distance of 420 feet at an average exit velocity of 106 MPH. Check out this 476-foot bomb as it almost pops the Jumbo Shrimp bouncy house in center field.
Part of his early season success was being rewarded much more frequently on fly balls, with almost half going out for a home run. Over the season, his plate discipline began to unravel. His rolling 15-game strikeout rate peaked in early August at 40% as a recently acquired member of Jacksonville. To his credit, De Los Santos tightened his approach to drop the rolling strikeout rate to under 26% by the end of the year. Although DDLS doesn’t draw many walks, there is a method to his aggressive swing approach.
Earlier in his career, DDLS appeared to set the bat on his shoulder while waiting for the pitch. De Los Santos has since upgraded to an upright stance with minimal bat waggle and a small leg kick. His hands are quieter, which appears well-suited to keep the bat head through more of the zone at an upward angle.
DDLS has a clear pathway to playing time at DH or 1B in Miami with Kyle Stowers offering a natural platoon partner. Jonah Bride or fellow MiLBer Agustin Ramirez offer minimal positional competition. DDLS is going to “give it to ya” dynasty teams in 2025.
Complex Dogs
Today’s examination will look for replicates of DDLS who may achieve better results with their power profile. Here are two big power hitters from the Dominican Summer League to track once they get stateside.
Emil Morales – LAD, SS / maybe 3B
B/T: R/R 6’3” 191 lbs. Age: 18
DSL 46 G | 201 PA | .342 AVG | .478 OBP | .691 SLG | 14 HR | 12 SB | 22.4 K% | 19.9 BB% | 50.9 PULL%
DMX Power Meter:
If you like your power hitters to stand at the plate while admiring their home runs, then Emil Morales will become your cult hero. Morales earned the title of top prospect and MVP in the 2024 DSL after absolutely scorching the ball with a .536 wOBA and 28 % HR/FB%. He has a pronounced leg kick and upper-cut swing determined to pulverize every ball into left field.
Morales may start in Arizona Rookie Ball if he doesn’t crack a packed roster at Rancho Cucamonga. He will likely fill out his tall frame which could move him off of SS over to 3B. Morales will “let it pop” with a dynasty ETA in LA by 2030.
Eduardo Beltre – MIN, OF / maybe 3B
B/T: R/R 5’11” 175 lbs. Age: 18
DSL 43 G | 181 PA | .326 AVG | .415 OBP | .618 SLG | 11 HR | 10 SB | 23.8 K% | 15.5 BB% | 53 PULL%
DMX Power Meter:
Eduardo Beltre possesses a beautiful swing that travels quickly through the zone leading him to pull even more balls than Morales. Beltre had the highest HR/FB% in the 2024 DSL while only hitting 36.5% of pitches for fly balls. Beltre and Morales will be served well to reduce their swinging strike rates. On the flip side, their aggression is exactly why we pay attention to their performances. Beltre has an athletic profile with the potential for 20+ SB.
Beltre has an above-average arm which some scouts forecasting a move over to 3B in the year…wait for it…2030! It will take a true practice of patience, but Beltre is poised to reward dynasty managers who are ready to roll with his profile.
Prospect Dogs
Here are four big power hitters to keep note of in Triple-A.
Bob Seymour – TBR, 1B
B/T: L/R 6’3” 250 lbs. Age: 26
AA/AAA 123 G | 510 PA | .281 AVG | .351 OBP | .523 SLG | 28 HR | 5 SB | 30.6 K% | 9.0 BB% | 44.4 PULL%
DMX Power Meter:
The visual presentation of Bob Seymour conjures up a beer league softball player, but he absolutely smashes with his two-handed follow-through. He holds his hands out over the plate, akin to Matt Olson while showing an ability to drive the ball far to all fields. With the mid-year park change to Durham, Seymour turned on the home run juice even more, producing a 35.8 HR/FB% on 45 FB%. He hit his 19 HR in Triple-A an average distance of 406 feet with an average exit velocity of 106 MPH.
His pathway to big league time is blocked from the front and the back. Although Yandy Diaz has been considered trade bait since entering the last year of his contract, he is the primary starter. Jonathan Aranda is coming into the year healthy enough to split time at 1B and DH with Yandy. On Seymour’s heels in Double-A are highly regarded prospects, Tré Morgan and Xavier Isaac. Seymour will join the big league club as a non-roster invitee for spring training, where we will get a clearer indication of his potential playing time and future for your dynasty team.
Ryan Ward – LAD, 1B/OF
B/T: L/R 5’10” 200 lbs. Age: 26
AAA 122 G | 529 PA | .265 AVG | .325 OBP | .558 SLG | 34 HR | 11 SB | 26.8 K% | 8.1 BB% | 47.1 PULL%
DMX Power Meter:
As a 2025 non-roster invitee to spring training, this is the last chance for Ryan Ward to impress the Dodgers. In November, he put on an all-or-nothing show at the Premier 12 tournament with 5 HR and .885 SLG against a 46% strikeout rate. In Triple-A, he had a ton of barrels (42) with an 8.1 barrel/PA%, and a 44% hard-hit rate. With more than 2,000 MiLB PA and 110 HR over the last four seasons, the lack of attention given to this prospect highlights that either his profile is extremely suspect or dynasty scouts are dramatically overlooking his potential. Ward hit his 33 Statcast home runs an average of 388 feet at an average exit velocity of 102.1 mph.
Ward’s performance against lefties leaves much to be desired, but a pathway to first base is clear with virtually no other major prospects ahead of him. If Freddie Freeman or Max Muncy experience a longer layoff, fellow lefty Ward would be a natural replacement.
Tim Tawa – ARI, 2B/3B
B/T: R/R 6’0” 196 lbs. Age: 25
AA/AAA 142 G | 613 PA | .279 AVG | .349 OBP | .519 SLG | 31 HR | 14 SB | 20.9 K% | 8.6 BB% | 53.7 PULL%
DMX Power Meter:
Tim Tawa has translated a successful high school football career into positional versatility around the diamond. His athletic profile has allowed him to clock at least 50 innings at 1B, 2B, 3B LF, CF, and RF in 2024. Out of this fun power group, he demonstrates the most hit skills with a solid contact rate and a low chase rate. His bat is quick through the zone and aimed at striking the ball out front. He is often seen sprinting out of the box as his follow-through naturally leads him to “chase” the ball off the bat. He also adopts an uppercut swing to counter breaking pitches. On the other hand, the highlight reel includes a few wall scrapers making it more likely that his home run totals won’t sustain. On his 10 home runs captured by Stacast, he averaged 401 feet at an average exit velocity of 100.5 MPH.
Although he is on the 40-man roster and was always a long shot for the Opening Day roster, Tawa is further blocked by Garrett Hampson, who signed a minor league deal with Arizona. His versatile approach and ability to play many positions may give him an edge, but it’s unrealistic for Tawa to carry over the big home run totals to the next level.
Matthew Lugo – LAA, SS/OF
B/T: R/R 6’0” 185 lbs. Age:23
AA/AAA 79 G | 317 PA | .287 AVG | .376 OBP | .578 SLG | 17 HR | 16 SB | 23.3 K% | 10.1 BB% | 46.3 PULL%
DMX Power Meter:
Matthew Lugo is the least expected name in this group, but he met all of the constraints with K%, pull rate, and SLG in a smaller sample. His wingspan must be a few inches longer than the 6-foot frame because the swing appears looonnnggg. And that isn’t meant in a bad way. The balanced stance with his hands held high is aimed at getting a line drive every at-bat as seen by an evenly distributed batted ball data of 30/30/40 (GB%, LD%, FB%). The high contact rate is also rare for this group and he had a swinging strike of only 11.3%. A thumb injury in August ended Lugo’s 2024 season reducing his Triple-A sample size. For his 6 home runs captured by Statcast, he hit them an average of 401.5 feet at an average exit velocity of 103.9 MPH.
Lugo does not project to harness more power output. Nevertheless, the pathway is wide open for Lugo to grab a spot on this Angels team as well as your dynasty team by the end of 2025.
Big League Dogs
Although this article focuses on dynasty prospects, there are young Major League hitters who fit the power mold. The trajectory of their careers is still up in the air. Consider giving these guys a shot if you are chasing power upside in your dynasty leagues.
Luken Baker – STL, 1B/3B
B/T: R/R 6’1” 185 lbs. Age: 27
AAA/MLB 129 G | 501 PA | .226 AVG | .342 OBP | .522 SLG | 34 HR | 1 SB | 24.2 K% | 15.2 BB% | 45 PULL%
DMX Power Meter:
Although slightly older than level, Luken Baker has demonstrated the plate discipline we want to see from power hitters. Unfortunately, his MiLB success has yet to transfer to the big league team. Baker has tremendous power that is greatly suppressed by lower body movement in his follow-through which puts more weight on the front foot. There is no issue when his upper body connects well, but this 2-step foot movement could be the source of his hitting woes. For his 32 home runs captured by Statcast, he hit them an average of 395 feet at an average exit velocity of 102.5 MPH.
In 2024, he received only 8 starts at DH to the tune of .175/.286/.400 with 2 home runs. He figures to have a part-time role with Willson Contreras at 1B or as a counterpart to Alec Burleson at DH. Yet, none of that will come to fruition if he cannot fix his swing.
Jerar Encarnación – SFG, OF
B/T: R/R 6’4” 250 Age: 27
AAA/MLB 68 G | 265 PA | .303 AVG | .366 OBP | .472 SLG | 15 HR | 2 SB | 26 K% | 8.7 BB% | 33.3 PULL%
DMX Power Meter:
Truth be told, Jerar Encarnación didn’t meet two of the three constraints for this article, but he qualified in another way. In 2024, his bat speed was ninth in the MLB when the threshold was lowered to 100 PA. He doesn’t pull the ball at the same rate as the other players in this group, but he does demonstrate all-field power with a 115 mph max exit velocity and nearly 60% hard-hit rate. He has an upright stance, stays back on the pitch, and launches at the ball like driving it off the tee. His 10 Triple-A home runs flew out at an average distance of 406 feet with an average exit velocity of 106 mph.
Encarnación is a solid right-handed platoon partner to Lamonte Wade Jr. and Mike Yastremski. It is not unimaginable that he will outpace his 2025 OOPSY projection, which takes bat speed into account, of 10 HR and .435 SLG over 231 PA.
Johnathan Rodríguez – CLE, OF
B/T: R/R 6’2” 224 lbs. Age: 25
AAA/MLB 131 G | 548 PA | .309 AVG | .387 OBP | .617 SLG | 29 HR | 8 SB | 25.9 K% | 13.5 BB% | 43 PULL%
DMX Power Meter:
Dynasty managers are clamoring to see Chase DeLauter, but it’s more plausible that Johnathan Rodríguez will get the first call for any outfield help in Cleveland this upcoming season. Despite the high whiff and strikeout rates, Rodriguez can take more walks. He hit his 29 Triple-A home runs an average of 389 feet with an average exit velocity of 104.5 mph.
Jhonkensy Noel supplants any immediate role Rodríguez would fill with their similar power pedigree and fielding positions. Cleveland would do well to get Rodríguez more opportunities, but switch hitter Angel Martinez may have surpassed him on the 40-man hierarchy.
Honorable Dogs
Here are a few other players to consider for your dynasty team who were left out since they are more well-known and have been covered numerous times.
MLB: Zach Dezenzo, Joey Loperfido, Jhonkensy Noel, James Wood.
MiLB: Robert Calaz, Kristian Campbell, Adrian Del Castillo, Agustin Ramirez, Colby Thomas.
Photo courtesy of MiLB | Adapted by Aaron Polcare (@abeardoesart on X & @abeardoesart on Bluesky)