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  "description": "Raj Mehta (@rajmehta.ca on BSky) highlights MLB and MiLB players you should add and drop each week",
  "path": "/mid-week-dynasty-baseball-pickups-4-16-26/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-04-16T10:00:19.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.prospectslive.com",
  "tags": [
    "Justin Campbell",
    "Kade Snell",
    "Bryan Rincon",
    "Dynasty Baseball Pickups - Prospects LiveRaj Mehta and Kyle SonntagProspects LiveKyle Sonntag",
    "Tony Blanco Jr.",
    "Oneil Cruz",
    "Vladimir Guerrero Jr.",
    "Shohei Ohtani",
    "Giancarlo Stanton",
    "Aaron Judge",
    "Ronald Acuna Jr.",
    "Gary Sanchez",
    "Esteban Mejia",
    "Yorger Bautista",
    "Justin Gonzales",
    "Subscribe now"
  ],
  "textContent": "Welcome back to another week of Dynasty Baseball Pickups! Last week's recommendations didn't perform as well as Week 1, but there's still promise in the names, as the peripheral stats remain strong. Justin Campbell was the highlight, throwing three shutout innings with three Ks a couple of days ago as he's still building back up from the slew of injuries that kept him out since 2022. Kade Snell and Bryan Rincon haven't been great this past week, but they're still making a good amount of contact and are swinging the bat a good amount without being aggressive by chasing a ton. I still believe in both of them, and I foresee positive regression from both in the future. Speaking of the future, let's stop dwelling on last week's recommendations and get into this week's!\n\nDynasty Baseball Pickups - Prospects LiveRaj Mehta and Kyle SonntagProspects LiveKyle Sonntag\n\n**_Note: all stats current through Tuesday April 14th, 2026._**\n\n## Mid-Week Pickups\n\n### Tony Blanco Jr. - 21/1B/PIT/A+\n\nPhoto Credit: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette\n\n**Height/Weight:** 6’7”/243 lbs\n**Bats/Throws:** R/R\n**Fantrax Roster%:** 9%\n**PLive+:** 129\n**PLive Prospect Ranking (Feb. 2026):** 207th\n**2025 stats (CPX/A):** 30 G, 131 PA, .259/.359/.500, 8 HR/0 SB, 35.1% K%/13.7% BB%, 134 wRC+\n**2026 stats (A+):** 7 G, 32 PA, .241/.313/.414, 1 HR/0 SB, 34.4% K%/9.4% BB%, 104 wRC+\n\n**Why to pick up:** Blanco is one of the few prospects in minor league baseball with true 80-grade raw power. Last year, he played 28 games at Single-A and recorded just 65 batted balls, but 35 of them were hard-hit. Of those 35, 30 were at least 100 mph,, and 14 were at least 110 mph, with the highest at 119.8 mph. Only three hitters in MLB beat that mark last year (Oneil Cruz, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Shohei Ohtani), but it didn't end there for Blanco. He also played in the AFL, where he slashed .250/.377/.432 in 13 games, and, more importantly, he passed the 120 mph threshold with a home run that left the bat at 120.4 mph and went 464 feet. In the Statcast era (since 2015), only seven players have hit a ball over 120 mph: the aforementioned three names, along with Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge, Ronald Acuna Jr., and Gary Sanchez. Blanco’s average bat speed at the AFL was 76.6 mph, and his fast-swing rate (percentage of swings over 75 mph) was 69.7%, both of which would be top 10 marks in baseball this year. That level of effortless power, along with his ability to pull the ball in the air at an above-average rate, resulted in him hitting eight homers in just 30 games; a pace of over 40 HR in a full 162.\n\n**Why to think twice:** Of course, that level of power doesn’t come without extreme downsides. Blanco posted an abysmal 43.1% whiff rate at Single-A last year, and despite strong walk rates, posted a poor 33.0% chase rate as well. The contact has been better so far this year, and while a 67.2% contact rate is still below average, given his level of power, it’s enough to thrive. The chase rate is likely still an issue, though, and the fact that his walk rate has declined to 9.4% in the early goings isn’t a good sign.In addition, despite being listed at 1B, Blanco has played more games at DH than 1B every year of his professional career, which may be an indictment of how poor he is defensively at one of, if not the easiest, defensive positions. While I do think this profile can work at DH, it just puts that much more pressure on his bat to pan out. Gary Sanchez (a potential outcome for Blanco given his raw power and discipline) has been a decent hitter throughout his career, but part of his value is that he can serve as a backup behind the dish. If we removed that from his game, how much runway would he have gotten? Would he even still be in MLB?\n\n**Final thoughts:** Admittedly, I’m not fully confident in Blanco panning out as a hitter on the same tier as Judge and Ohtani, but he has that level of upside with his power. Though he’s already rostered in 9% of leagues, it feels too low given his upside; similar high-upside prospects like Esteban Mejia and Yorger Bautista are near 20% in rostership, and Justin Gonzales (who I view in a similar light to Blanco given his recent muscle gains) is currently 27% rostered in part due to the buzz he received in Spring Training. Blanco’s potential upside means he should be rostered in even the shallowest of leagues, where upside is what you’re looking for. As a result, I’m recommending him in leagues of just 100+ prospects rostered, even though I don’t think he’s a top 100 prospect right now.\n\n**Where to pick up:** Leagues with 100+ prospects rostered\n**FAAB Bid:** Moderate (5-10%)\n\n## Sign up for Prospects Live\n\nYour one stop shop for Dynasty Fantasy Baseball, MLB Draft, Baseball Card & MiLB Baseball content. Blending Data & Scouting into our Player Evaluation\n\nSubscribe\n\nEmail sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup.\n\nNo spam. Unsubscribe anytime.\n\n### This post is for subscribers only\n\nBecome a member to get access to all content\n\nSubscribe now",
  "title": "Mid-Week Dynasty Baseball Pickups - 4/16/26",
  "updatedAt": "2026-04-16T10:00:19.657Z"
}