I’m glad to see Giants 1B BY Victor Bericoto (24) has made the most of his limited opportunities while Harrison Bader rests a sore heel, especially over the last week or so as Bericoto has three runs in his last seven games playing as a regular starter for the first time. San Francisco should look to trade at the deadline, leaving Victor’s playing field open for the foreseeable future. Granted, they will shuffle the deck this offseason, but he has a powerful enough bat to secure a long-term roster spot at the very least.
Yankees RHP Brendan Beck (27, AAA) enjoyed something of a breakout season in Triple-A—not that he hasn’t been successful before—and should get a chance to join the jam at the big league level now that Carlos Rodon is back on the injured list with an elbow injury. I wrote that sentence on Friday night. It’s Saturday now. Beck gets that chance in the first game against the Twins. It’s not going well. He allowed three home runs in two innings. Hopefully he will start again and give him a better chance to prepare and be successful.
After a few months of opening the season, Cardinals LHP Quinn Mathews (25, AAA) has been around for a while in Triple-A and looks like an interesting option in almost any size league. In his last seven starts, he has pitched a healthy 36.1 innings and recorded 46 strikeouts against 16 walks and a 0.91 WHIP and 2.23 ERA. Options are limited in the fantasy game right now, and Mathews has some off-speed stuff to improve on when hitting his spots from a 6”5” frame with a deceptively low release point.
Another tall person who finds the bleeding edge between balance and illusion, Rays RHP Ty Johnson (24, AAA) uses his 6’6″ 205 pound frame to hide the baseball until he swings it behind his head and back to the plate. It works. In 44.1 innings, he has recorded 56 strikeouts with a 2.64 ERA and 0.95 WHIP. One of his nine slow starts in Tampa has been a slow start. pitchers, so maybe they’ll just let him dominate for most of the season, but he could be a shallow draft pick if he gets the chance.
Cardinals LHP Mason Molina (22) caught the monorail to Memphis thanks to an extended season-opening success at Double-A Springfield (2.87 ERA and 82 Ks in 69 IP). Molina is no stranger to long-distance moves, as he was signed by Milwaukee in 2024 and dealt that season in Texas. He would be able to stay in that organization until the trade deadline that summer of 2025, when the Rangers sent him to St. Louis as part of the Merrill Kelly business. The Cardinals are a contender and have little wiggle room in the rotation. Maybe he will go again this summer. If not, he’s likely second on the minor league organization’s chart behind Quinn Mathews for all-time major league rotation appearances. By the way, I think the baby looks great. He has a balance on the delivery that maintains an indescribable velocity on the fastball, a smooth 95 mph that he sees up the pitch with ease. Batsmen seem reluctant to face him.
I think it’s a pitcher’s day here because the next guy I have to highlight Yankees LHP Henry Lalane (22, A), who has been a big hitter for the last few years but hasn’t been able to stay healthy–typical when a 6’7″ 211 pound lefty grows into his frame. As you can imagine, when things go well for Lalane, it goes badly for the hitters. In 62.1 innings, he’s pitched well allowing 4 hits while striking out just 81. 2.74 ERA and 0.99 WHIP In his last two outings, he’s pitched 11 and 12 shutout innings respectively, I’m surprised he’s still in Low-A if he’s healthy for the rest of the season, he’ll open next year on many top 100 lists.
Thanks for reading!
