In a Rays system with talented young pitchers like Brent Honeywell and Blake Snell, it's been easy for Jacob Faria to get lost in the shuffle a bit. He doesn't have plus velocity or a big, wipeout breaking pitch, and righties with that kind of profile need really impressive numbers to stand out.
So far in the majors, Faria is definitely impressing. He struck out five batters in 6 1/3 one-run innings in his MLB debut last week, and then added eight more in another one-run, 6 1/3-inning performance Tuesday against the Blue Jays. He picked up nine swinging strikes Tuesday, giving him 25 in his first two outings, a solid 12.6 percent rate.
So far, so good. And, though he never quite profiled as a top-of-the-rotation arm in the minors, his numbers were impressive enough, with a 3.13 overall ERA in 599 innings of work. That ERA rose to 3.41 between Double-A and Triple-A over the past few years, thanks to some struggles keeping the ball in the yard, however he also upped his strikeout rate to 28.9 percent in the upper minors. He might not be an elite strikeout pitcher in the majors, but it wouldn't be much of a surprise if we saw Faria fan a batter every inning or so moving forward.
Faria probably isn't a star, but we've seen more than enough from his first two starts to make him worth adding. I would still prioritize Sean Newcomb over him among recently recalled prospect pitchers, but I had no problem dropping the mercurial Joe Ross to make room for Faria in one league. Ross is a good example of how fleeting success can be for young pitchers, but I like what we've seen from Faria enough to make the leap.
| 39% | 
Tom Murphy
Colorado C
|
| If Tom Murphy is struggling to get back to full strength following the fractured wrist that cost him the first two months of the season, there's certainly no sign of it during his Triple-A rehab assignment. He went hitless in his first two games, but has been red hot in five since, going 12 for 23 with six extra-base hits. Tony Wolters has given the Rockies solid production out of the catcher position, with a .769 OPS, and they love his defense, but he isn't the kind of difference-making talent Murphy can be. In two cups of coffee in the majors, Murphy has eight homers in 32 games, and is a career .317/.348/.620 hitter in 120 career Triple-A games. There are some questions about his ultimate role whenever he returns from the injury, but if you can afford it, stashing Murphy on the verge of his return is a great idea. He has the upside to break into the top-five at the position. | |
| 16% | 
Luis Perdomo
San Diego SP
|
| With a 5.16 ERA for the Padres this season, the top line numbers for Luis Perdomo are awfully hard to get excited about. However, he has actually put together a pretty decent season, with just three poor outings in his first 11 starts. Perdomo pitched 6 2/3 innings Tuesday in a win over the Reds, giving up three runs on seven hits, giving him seven quality starts in his last nine trips to the mound. Perdomo will never be a star, but his average strikeout and walk numbers combine with elite groundball tendencies to make for what could be an above-average pitcher who routinely pitches deep into games. That deserves to be owned in more than 16 percent of leagues. | |
| 8% | 
Matt Davidson
Chi. White Sox DH
|
| If it weren't for how depleted the White Sox are these days, Matt Davidson probably wouldn't even be getting a chance. Players who strike out as often as he does typically don't get any kind of extended look, however Davidson has already racked up 175 plate appearances despite a 38.3 percent strikeout rate. That long leash has allowed him to club 12 homers, and a 36.6 percent hard-hit rate and huge fly-ball numbers suggest he may be capable of continuing to be a solid source of power. He might hit .230 the rest of the way, but Davidson is worth a look in deeper leagues as a corner infield option with some pop. | |
| 2% | 
Franchy Cordero
San Diego CF
|
| Franchy Cordero is the kind of prospect scouts love. He's an impressive athlete who is easy to dream on, even when he has more rough edges than a polished product in the minors. He started to sand down some of those rough edges over the past couple seasons, hitting .290/.344/.450 in 2016, and kept it up in Triple-A, hitting .289 with seven homers and eight steals in 42 games before getting called up. Cordero's tools have played in the majors so far, with three homers in his first 16 games for the Padres, and though he still strikes out too much, this is an interesting prospect who deserves more than just a look in NL-only leagues; he needs to be owned in all of them. And, another good week or two is going to start putting him on mixed-league radars too. | |
