Fantasy Baseball Today: Where to rank Wander Franco, most added/dropped players, Kyle Schwarber power surger

On Fantasy Baseball Today, we recap everything you need to know from the weekend's action

By Frank Stampfl

Jun 21, 2021 at 11:55 am ET • 5 min read

With the Tampa Bay Rays losing six straight, they finally decided it was time to promote arguably the game's top prospect in Wander Franco. He's the latest in a long line of super prospects in the mold of a Juan Soto. Of course, it's never fair to compare a player who's never taken a Major League at-bat to a superstar, but I'll do it anyway. Why? Because it's fun! You can read more about Franco below.

In the meantime, I'd like to focus on a different Rays player: Shane McClanahan. The 24-year old southpaw turned in his best start of the season Sunday, limiting the Mariners to just one run over six innings while striking out eight. McClanahan finished with 17 swinging strikes on 86 pitches. What's even more exciting is that he's being stretched out further. He's now thrown over 80 pitches in back-to-back starts. With Tyler Glasnow going down, the Rays need each of their starting pitchers to step up. Based on his stuff and new usage, he needs to be rostered in more leagues.

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Franco set to finally arrive

It feels like we've been talking up Rays SS prospect Wander Franco for months now as he continued to tear up the ball off anyone who pitched it to him. After moving up to Triple-A, Franco continued to look like the best prospect in baseball -- some have even called him the best prospect since Vlad Guerrero Jr. And on Tuesday, he will arrive in the MLB and in the Rays lineup.

On Sunday, Chris Towers delivered an in-depth breakdown about what Franco's arrival means in Fantasy and what to expect. I also wanted to pick Scott's brain on what his arrival could mean in a year where top prospect call-ups have mostly gone a lot worse than expected, so I tasked Chris with finding out.

Scott: "SS15 or SS16 sounds about right for me in my rankings right now. I would have him over Dansby Swanson, Jorge Polanco and Gio Urshela. The upside is an impact bat right away. If somehow Franco is not already rostered, go as high as 50% of your FAB.

Chris also dove into the prospect of looking to deal Franco if a manager is buying in on the hype. If you're going to trade Franco, you want to deal him at his best-case scenario. One player to look to target is Corey Seager.

What to make of Schwarber's power surge

Nationals OF Kyle Schwarber is on a wild power surge at the moment. He now has three multi-HR games in his past eight played. He is batting .400 in that span with eight total home runs. There is also potentially room to grow according to the advanced stats. He is underperforming his xwOBA by 20 points. His OPS is now up to about .850.

Schwarber has been really good since April, and if you view that month as an anomaly, he's been the best version of himself in a long time.

More news and notes

After playing catch Sunday, SP Jacob deGrom confirmed he will start Monday for the Mets, which sets him up for a two-start week (assuming health).
Rays Manager Kevin Cash said Friday that SP Tyler Glasnow will be shut down four weeks while he receives treatment. They seemed encouraged by the latest update.
Twins news! OF Byron Buxton returned Saturday. OF Max Kepler returned Friday. Willians Astudillo was optioned to Triple-A.
Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo said that upon returning OF George Springer will bat fifth or sixth in their lineup. He doesn't want to mess with the top of the order the way they're playing.
Red Sox SP Chris Sale is scheduled to throw bullpen sessions Tuesday and Friday. He's 76% rostered.
Cubs SP Adbert Alzolay will return from the IL Monday. He has a 4.06 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP and is 71% rostered.
Diamondbacks C Carson Kelly was placed on the IL with a fractured right wrist. Kelly will most likely be sidelined through the All-Star break, if not longer.
Reds 2B Mike Moustakas was moved to the 60-day IL because of his heel injury. The earliest he can return is mid-July. Can we drop him if our IL spots are already filled?
Rockies SP Austin Gomber was placed on the IL with left forearm tightness. He was pitching so well.
Orioles SP John Means has yet to resume mound work. He's on the IL with a left shoulder strain.
Dodgers SS Corey Seager could begin a rehab assignment Friday or Saturday (fractured hand).
More Mets updates: OF Jeff McNeil is expected to return Monday. OF Brandon Nimmo started his rehab assignment Sunday.
Despite being limited with a shoulder injury, Royals SP Brady Singer will start Tuesday against the Yankees.
C Wilson Ramos was released by the Tigers.
Giants SP Aaron Sanchez was moved to the 60-day IL, which means he can't return until early July.