Mid-Week Dynasty Baseball Pickups - 4/2/26

This year, there's been a plethora of strong debuts: Chase DeLauter hit 4 homers in his first 3 big league games, Justin Crawford and JJ Wetherholt have already hit walk-offs for their respective teams, and on the mound, Andrew Painter finally made his first big league start and got the win. I'm making my debut as well in the Dynasty Baseball Pickups series to replace Taylor Corso, who used to write the mid-week installment of these articles. I hope I can get off to a start as hot as Munetaka Murakami or Kazuma Okamoto, but, given the nature of the business, I won't know how I did until a few months in, or perhaps even later. I'm sure all of my picks will hit, though, as we all know, it's very easy to bat 1.000.

Note: all stats current through Tuesday March 31st, 2026.

Dynasty Baseball Pickups - Prospects LiveTaylor Corso and Kyle SonntagProspects LiveKyle Sonntag

Mid-Week Pickups

Joseph Dzierwa**- 22/SP/BAL/A+**

Height/Weight: 6’8”/200 lbs Throws: Left Fantrax Roster%: 9% PLive-: None PLive Prospect Ranking (Feb. 2026): 388th 2025 Stats (NCAA): 15 G, 91.2 IP, 2.36 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 2.38 FIP, 28.0% K%/5.9% BB%

Why to pick up: Joseph Dzierwa was the fifth name taken by the Orioles in the 2025 draft, selected in the second round with the 58th overall pick out of Michigan State. It narrowly set a record for the highest a pitcher has ever been taken by the O’s in the MLB draft in the Mike Elias era, previously held by Jackson Baumeister (63rd overall in the 2023 draft). Despite the impressive results in college, scouts were understandably low on him due to his stuff: even though his changeup was plus per our scouts at PLive, his fastball only sat in the 90-92 range (topping out at 95), which plays down due to a dead zone movement profile (15” iVB, 16” HB) along with below average extension.

Danny Barrand, the PLive scout who wrote the report on Dzierwa, noted that the lack of strength and mobility in his lower body severely limited him, and it seems as though pro instruction from the Orioles has fixed those issues, unlocking more of him. In his Spring Breakout outing, Dzierwa threw three innings, with his fastball averaging 94.5 mph and topping out at 96.2 mph. It gained more movement as well, averaging 16” iVB and 17” HB, which would be an outlier shape if he could sustain it in MLB; the closest pitch I could find was Cole Ragans’ fastball, which averages 95 mph with 17” iVB and 14” HB. His changeup ticked up as well, from 80 to 84, and still maintained its elite separation from his heater as it averaged just 2” iVB. His results in the outing were excellent: he struck out eight of the ten batters he faced, with the lone baserunner reaching on a bloop single that left the bat at 69.3 mph. The most notable improvement in my opinion, which signals that the Orioles have fixed things with his lower half, is that his extension is now up to 6.5 feet.

Why to think twice: Dzierwa leaned heavily on the fastball and changeup in his Spring Breakout outing, throwing them for a combined 42 of his 46 pitches. The remaining four were sliders, which averaged 84.5 mph with unremarkable movement. He flashed a curveball in college, but that pitch wasn’t all that great either, sitting in the mid-70s, and had poor results. He’s essentially a two-pitch pitcher right now, so he’ll need to add more pitches to pan out in the big leagues. The fastball/changeup combo is good to have for a lefty, and he does have a high floor with his above-average command, but if he’s unable to introduce one or two more solid secondaries, his ceiling will be limited, as it’s much tougher to get guys out in the second and third time through the order with the same two pitches. Admittedly, adding pitches is one of the easier things a pitcher can do these days, but that doesn’t mean it’s a guarantee that Dzierwa will be able to add effective breakers immediately.

Final thoughts: Dzierwa is reportedly starting the year at High-A, and I believe he should make quick work of the level. Double-A will be the real test, and I think he should at least be solid there with his level of stuff and pitchability. If you don’t believe in his ability to flesh out his arsenal, I’d still consider adding him, but then trade him once he’s on more people’s radars (likely once he reaches Double-A) for a big league piece. Otherwise, I see him as a “budget” version of guys like Anthony Eyanson and Zach Root: arms taken in last year’s MLB draft who had more command of their stuff but added velocity in the offseason, which boosted their stock. As of right now, Eyanson and Root are rostered in 17% and 15% of Fantrax leagues, respectively, while Dzierwa is currently at 9%; I don’t see Dzierwa in the same tier as them. He’s a good consolation prize if you missed out on the other two, and he’s still available.

Where to pick up: Leagues with 250+ prospects rostered. FAAB Bid: Moderate (5-10%)

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