Many fantasy baseball managers want to invest solely in the best prospects, big-name fellows everyone knows about and covets, the ones with the low numbers in the highly influential prospect rankings. There is no shortage of high-end prospects for fantasy managers to dream about. Everyone wants potential superstars on their fantasy rosters.
Chicago Cubs 1B Matt Mervis is certainly not one of baseball's top prospects. He's 24, undrafted and confined to first base, but here's where prospect analysts and fantasy managers often deviate, or at least they should: it's about production and opportunity for immediate stats. Mervis was a run producer this past season and the MVP of last weekend's Future Stars game may see significant opportunity in 2023.
Mervis sure seems to be enjoying himself in the Arizona Fall League. He was leading the league in home runs when we saw him rip his sixth blast in a game Friday afternoon, and then he elicited oohs and aahs in the league's first Home Run Derby on Saturday night. Mervis didn't win the derby, but his power was evident. Then the lefty hitter slugged a two-run homer to left center field on Sunday off Tampa Bay Rays submarining RHP Antonio Menendez in a six-run fifth inning to help lead the National League team to a 9-3 win.