Here is another check-in on PLV and Fan4+ darlings around the minors. Instead of looking at the biggest names, let’s look at some of the best recent performers who may not have the prospect profile to earn dynasty respect, but could make their real-life value known soon.
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Checking in on Big-name Prospects:
Kohl Drake, 25, Arizona Diamondbacks
MiLB Season Stats: 20 G (19 GS)/89.1 IP/4.23 ERA/28.2% K%/9.6% BB%/1.25 WHIP
Weekly Stats: 1 GS/4.0 IP/0.00 ERA/46.7% K%/6.7% BB%/0.50 WHIP
Arizona’s deadline acquisition of left-hander Kohl Drake gave the organization another near-term rotation option with real strikeout bite. The 6-foot-5 southpaw, drafted by Texas in the 11th round in 2022 out of Walters State CC, came over in the Merrill Kelly deal alongside Mitch Bratt and David Hagaman—a prospect-heavy return that showed how highly Drake’s profile is valued. Drake started things off with Triple-A Reno and had a great Aug. 20 outing, tossing four shutout innings with seven strikeouts. But a trip to the developmental list the day after cooled the possibility of a fast-track to the major-league roster, even if Arizona’s farm director Chris Slivka said it was just a move for workload management.
The 2025 campaign has marked a real step forward for Drake. Across Double-A and Triple-A, Drake owns a 4.23 ERA with 106 strikeouts in 89.1 innings (10.7 K/9). He carved through Double-A lineups before the trade, though his first look at the Pacific Coast League brought the expected turbulence (5.19 ERA, 17 strikeouts in 17.1 innings). Even so, the stuff clearly plays: in his Aces debut, Drake had a 35.3% whiff rate and did not allow a barrel or even a hard-hit ball on his slider, sinker, or changeup, his three most-used pitches.
Public evaluations frame him as a likely big-league starter with the requited arsenal to at least be a lower-tier starting pitcher. MLB Pipeline gives him a 55 fastball and 55 curveball, supported by average slider and changeup grades and 55 control—an across-the-board package more “complete” than “flashy.” FanGraphs lists him as a 45 FV starter at Triple-A with a 2026 ETA, fitting Arizona’s patient approach with arms. That sinker is already an MLB-ready pitch, but it is just want secondary can Drake develop to be a consistent breaking offering or a true get-out pitch? The slider should be that, and his Aug. 20 outing was a step in the right direction. He tossed that the most out of any of his pitches, registering a 31.8% CSW% on that day.
Drake’s strikeout rate suggests his bat-missing ability will translate to fantasy value, even if the average-ish command profile points to a WHIP around league norms. The Triple-A noise shouldn’t be overweighed, and Arizona’s home park plays more neutral these days, softening ERA risk. With a likely 2026 debut, opportunity is firmly in sight. Drake is a strong hold in 15-team dynasty leagues and a speculative add in deeper formats (16–20 teams) where back-end starters with strikeout juice have real value. He projects as a steady No. 4 starter with occasional spikes into No. 3 territory when the curve is sharp and the changeup steals strikes—enough ceiling to matter without ace expectations.
Take a look under the PLV hood:
Weekly Four-Seam Standouts
As the season wears on, watching how fastballs improve or change down on the farm has been interesting. As new faces break into rotations or minor tweaks turn from blips to consistent factors, it is important to keep an eye on pitch shapes. Pitcher List’s Fan 4+ is a model based on the “Fan-Tastic 4” stats: velocity, extension, induced vertical break (iVB), and height-adjusted vertical approach angle (HAVAA), compared to the average four-seam fastball. What are some marks from Triple-A and Low-A’s Florida State League that jumped off the page this week?
Roki Sasaki, 23, Los Angeles Dodgers
Weekly Four-Seam Grade: 110 Fan4+ in Aug. 20, 2025, start
MiLB Season Stats: 2 GS/5.1 IP/6.75 ERA/6.9% K%/13.8% BB%/2.44 WHIP
This season hasn’t been what dynasty managers wanted from Japanese phenom Rōki Sasaki. The ceiling was massively high after Sasaki signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers and then made his debut against the Chicago Cubs in Japan in the season’s opening series. From there, it went downhill fast. Managers don’t need a reminder of how bad it got. Though his first salvo of starts showed command issues, the upside remains immense if he recaptures his NPB form and avoids reinjury. The first step to recapturing that following a 60-day IL stint is in Triple-A on a rehab assignment, but the box score has not been pretty. At least Sasaki showcased an above -average fastball once again, thanks to the average 96 MPH velocity and elite extension on the pitch.
Roki Sasaki worked through another rehab start in AAA as his fastball velocity improved to a 96.0 MPH average
He continues to struggle with fastball whiffs, only generating 1 on the day pic.twitter.com/SkGYdIfiV7
— Thomas Nestico (@TJStats) August 21, 2025
Jonah Tong, 22, New York Mets
Weekly Four-Seam Grade: 125 Fan4+ in Aug. 23, 2025, start
MiLB Season Stats: 22 GS/113.2 IP/1.43 ERA/40.5% K%/10.6% BB%/0.92 WHIP
Jonah Tong sees your Triple-A learning curve and laughs. The former seventh-round pick has put together an otherworldly 2025, from his Futures Game nod to shouldering most of a perfect game back in May. MLB Pipeline has even compared the Canadian righty to cult favorite Tim Lincecum for his funky delivery—and so far, the results are lining up just as well. A promotion to Triple-A Syracuse was supposed to be the speed bump, the cooling-off stretch that delayed his MLB push until 2026. Instead, Tong has breezed through his first two starts, allowing no earned runs and holding opponents to a .190 average. His fastball is the driving force—above-average velocity paired with 6.8 feet of extension makes it a polished, workhorse pitch that elevates everything else in his arsenal.
Welcome to the Bigs
Parker Messick, 24, Cleveland Guardians
MiLB Season Stats: 20 GS/98.2 IP/3.47 ERA/29.1% K%/10.3% BB%/1.22 WHIP
Debut: 6.2 IP/1.35 ERA/23.1% K%/3.8% BB%/1.20WHIP
Were you expecting another debut to break down this past week? Pittsburgh Pirates phenom Bubba Chandler has already been picked apart, with his unusual bullpen usage still delaying his first MLB start. And as Nick Pollack noted in the Aug. 22 SP Roundup, even his unorthodox save against the Rockies has already been thoroughly dissected. At this point, there’s only so much more to say—at least until Chandler finally gets the chance to take the ball every five days.
Instead, Cleveland Guardians left-handed pitcher Parker Messick went out against the Diamondbacks and had a stellar MLB debut, overshadowed by the team’s extra-innings loss. Messick, the Guardians’ 2022 second-round pick and No. 12 prospect per MLB Pipeline, was summoned from Triple‑A Columbus to fill a rotation hole and immediately impressed. In his first big-league outing, he tossed 6.2 innings, giving up just one earned run on seven hits, walking only one, while striking out six. Despite a mid-90s fastball, it was his deceptive low‑80s changeup and pitchability that stood out. He efficiently attacked the zone—throwing first‑pitch strikes to 22 of 26 batters—and looked every bit a seasoned veteran rather than a rookie making his debut.
Messick’s four-seamer was the star of the show, earning an eye-popping 5.61 PLV while leading his pitch mix and landing in the zone 62.2% of the time. Arizona couldn’t square it up or get a clean read, allowing him to pile up strikes with ease. That success helped set up his erratic but effective changeup, his second-most used pitch. His slider consistently landed down and away but graded lowest in PLV at 4.68. He also mixed in a curveball and sinker eight times each, and both graded well at 5.37 and 5.70 PLV, respectively, despite the limited usage.
“I felt like I was floating,” Messick said. “I still do. I don’t know when I’ll come down from it. I know it’s my debut, but we’re trying to win. They called me up to try and win, so I tried to just calm myself down and get back into the game and focus on what I need to do to help the team win.”
Whenever a pitcher is featured on Pitching Ninja in their first outing, that is another feather in the proverbial cap.
Parker Messick, Nasty 84mph Changeup. 👌
And K Strut. pic.twitter.com/fX0mFEWqFp
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 20, 2025
Pollack had some good words regarding how Messick is similar to other southpaws in 2025 and how that affects his fantasy value, but we are focused on the debut here. From a game-level too, Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt was happy with Messick’s start against Arizona.
“It was a great debut. Great outing no matter if it’s your first, your last, anywhere in between,” Vogt said. “Attacking the strike zone, making big pitches, getting weak contact, quick outs. Got us deep into the game and gave us a chance to win.”
It was also an historic debut for Cleveland, with Messick landing among names that haven’t been muttered this century.
Parker Messick is the first-ever CLE pitcher with 6.2+ innings, 1-or-0 walks & 6+ strikeouts in their MLB debut.
He is also the third-ever CLE pitcher with 6.2+IP, 1-or-0 R & 6+SO in their debut, joining Luis Tiant (1964) & Fred Blanding (1910).#GuardsBall | @CleGuardians pic.twitter.com/huiNlEuCAv
— Luke Potosky (@LukePotosky) August 20, 2025
Pitchers that made their MLB debuts this past week:
Nolan Hoffman, 28, Philadelphia Phillies
Joel Peguero, 28, San Francisco Giants
Drew Sommers, 25, Detroit Tigers
Bubba Chandler, 22, Pittsburgh Pirates
John Rooney, 28, Houston Astros
Brian Van Belle, 28, Tampa Bay Rays
McCade Brown, 25, Colorado Rockies
