Over the last couple of weeks I have been hit up on Twitter (@theselzman) and in the Fantasy Alarm Forums about different prospects owners are looking to pick up in dynasty and keeper leagues. I thought I would take an opportunity and tell you what I like about these different young, talented, players.

The guy I have gotten asked most about recently is Jake Junis (RHP KC MLB), especially since his great eight-inning start his last time out. The 24-year-old righty was a 29th round pick of the Royals back in 2011 after being a multi-sport athlete in high school, but signing late that year kept him in rookie ball until 2014. Since then however, he has progressed well but never in a dominating fashion. His ERA has been in the 3.20-3.60 range most years with a K/9 rate hovering in the mid-sevens, save for this season at Triple-A where it is 10.9. Junis has a three-pitch mix with a low- to mid-90s sinker, a curveball, and a still being worked on changeup. Despite a very good outing against Seattle, that won’t be the norm of his MLB starts, he profiles more as a number-4 starter in the bigs which isn’t anything to get hyped about.

I have talked about Kyle Lewis (OF SEA A+) before in my reports, but he is worth bringing up again since I was asked to compare him to Lewis Brinson of the Brewers. Lewis, after returning this June from a torn ACL suffered in July 2016, has played a total of 26 games to this point in 2017 along with 30 prior to the injury. His combined stat line for all 56 games (roughly a third of an MLB season) across three different levels grades out at a .296/.376/.531 slash line with nine homers, 46 runs, 46 RBI, and six steals. Lewis also boasts an 18% K-rate, though it’s 12.7% in 15 games at High-A this season, a 10.67% B-rate and a combined .235 ISO. The talent level with the former 11th overall pick is high, though likely still two years away, but stashing him now gives you a 25-20-100-100 guy in the making.

Anthony Banda (LHP ARI MLB) will make his next start on his 24th birthday and will try and build on the success he had last time out. The young southpaw has been the best pitching prospect for Arizona the last couple of seasons and while his numbers have gone up in 2017 at Triple-A, Reno is one of the worst pitcher’s parks in the PCL. Durability is not an issue with him so far as he is well on his way to his third straight 150+-inning season. Banda’s fastball sits in the 90-95 range with a plus curveball and an improving changeup is his main arsenal. He does command them well but his control needs work as he has sat in the 3.5 BB/9 range much of his pro career. Overall he should be considered an innings eating number-3 starter who can provide solid strikeout numbers from the first base side of the rubber.

This past Saturday Atlanta made a surprise call-up when they added Max Fried (LHP ATL MLB) to the 25-man roster in the bullpen. Fried was a highly-talked about prospect in the Padres system after they took him seventh overall in the 2012 draft. Since then, he has missed nearly two years with Tommy John surgery and recently came back to pitch at Class-A Rome in 2016. His three-pitch mix of a 93-94 fastball with break, a potential plus-plus curveball, and a potential above-average changeup dominated at Class-A but hasn’t worked well at Double-A much of 2017. In 86 2/3 innings (19 starts) at Double-A Mississippi he pitched to a 5.92 ERA (after not allowing a run in his last 10 innings) and a 1.51 WHIP with 85 Ks. Fried’s 4.09 FIP and 3.77 xFIP suggest he was a bit unlucky though his 13.5% and 10.1% HR/FB ratios the last two seasons in the minors certainly aren’t helping his ERA totals. A lot of the sheen has been knocked off his prospect standing and I think he tops out as a back-of-the-rotation starter.

Tyler Beede (RHP SF AAA) is a name that has been in the minds of prospective owners for a few years now, since he was a first round pick out of powerhouse Vanderbilt in 2014.  For the most part he has been pitching to his pedigree in his pro career save for a couple of hiccups in the second half of 2015 and this season at Triple-A. In his only season near 150 innings, 147.1 in 2016, he posted a 2.81 ERA. 3.48 FIP, and 3.58 xFIP and 8.25 K/9 at Double-A Richmond. His repertoire is made up of both a two-seam and four-seam fastball that sits in the mid-90s and can touch 96, along with a biting curve, a changeup, and a slider/cutter that plays well when used in off-count situations. Beede is currently out for the rest of the 2017 season with a groin injury. He will need some additional seasoning in Triple-A in 2018 before cracking the Giants rotation near the backend.

Along with Clint Frazier the Yankees also received Justus Sheffield (LHP NYY AA) in the deal for Andrew Miller at the Trade Deadline a year ago. The young southpaw has been moving through the system well since the trade and finds himself at a full season of Double-A in 2017. In 16 starts over 90 1/3 innings, he has a 3.09 ERA, 4.59 FIP, 4.01 xFIP, with a 79:33 K:BB ratio. He works with a mid-90s fastball that has arm-side run and some sink, a power slider that sits in the mid-80s, a slightly slower 2-8 curve that works in the low-80s, and an improving changeup that should be an average offering. The downside with Sheffield is his size. At just 5’10” he likely won’t be considered an ace and will likely top out as a durable number-3 starter with the stuff of a number-2 pitcher. He is still just 21 so him coming up sometime in 2019 is the proper ETA for the Yankees fifth-ranked prospect.