- Greg Shelley
- Nov 6, 2023
- 5 min read
Going through the exercise of landing on a 2024 Projection for all 189 Projected Keepers in the Roger Dorn Baseball League, certain players made you stop and think about just how high their potential could be for next season. With young players taking the leap from prospect to star earlier and earlier in their career, we wanted to take a look at each club's 2024 Powder Keg player -- an asset that could explode from a solid contributor into a foundational piece for the Franchise.
Alamo Short Stacks: OF Evan Carter (Minors)
Carter's late season promotion and dominant Playoff run convinced the Stacks that he will be a lock for the 2024 Opening Day roster. Carter set a MLB single-postseason record with nine doubles and reached base in all 17 Postseason games. He'll join a talented outfield with Corbin Carroll, James Outman and Josh Lowe all under contract for $14 combined.
Asti Grape Stompers: Jordan Walker (Minors)
Overall, Jordan hit a respectable .287/.342/.787 slash line for the season with 16 home runs and 51 RBIs. However, as any RDBL club would hope with a 21-year-old big leaguer, Walker showed his promise after his second call-up to the team in June, where he hit a .277/.346/.455 slash line with 14 home runs and 40 RBIs. With strong on-base skills and emerging in-game power, Walker should push for 400+ point seasons for each of the next three seasons making him a pillar for the Grapes and GM Terry Shelley.
Burlingame Blue Ducks: RHP Paul Skenes (Minors)
With Skenes' track record, additional time in the Minor Leagues is hardly needed for 2023's top overall MLB Draft pick. The right-hander reached Double-A with several short stint starts that allowed him to get his feet wet. A big league Spring Training invite is highly likely, giving Skenes the opportunity to make a big splash and earn an Opening Day role that could make GM Ryan Walsh jump at an activation.
Cloverdale Clovers: RHP Edward Cabrera (Minors)
The Clovers are filled with potential powderkeg options including Elly De La Cruz, Anthony Volpe and Oneil Cruz, but we'll go with the lesser known Edward Cabrera. It's clear his stuff plays at the big league level as he has punched out 221 in 197 1/3 career innings. Command was more than just a minor issue in 2023 as the right-hander surrendered 67 free passes in 101 1/3 innings, a startling number compared to his 79 hits allowed. Despite a 1.44 WHIP, Cabrera was able to keep his ERA in check at 4.14. If he can see a leap in command, Cabrera maintains the upside of an elite starter in the RDBL.
Honolulu Hammerheads: OF Jarren Duran (2R/$3)
Duran started the 2023 season with Triple-A Worcester but was called up to Boston when fellow outfielder Adam Duvall went down with an injury in mid-April. He took full advantage of a second opportunity, collecting career highs across the board, hitting .295/.346/.482 while earning an in-season promotion. He blasted eight home runs and knocked in 40 RBI while collecting a team-leading 24 stolen bases and 34 doubles in 102 games. If he can stay healthy in 2024, Duran is strong bet for a 400+ point season.
Lake Merced Goutfish: RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Minors)
Yamamoto finished up a dazzling final season in Japan, dominating a complete game effort in Game 6 of their league's Championships Series. It's been confirmed that he will be posted this off-season where he stands as one of the best Free Agents of the off-season, standing to make 150M+. He was 16-6 this season with a 1.21 ERA, striking out 169 in 164 innings.
Las Vegas Aristocrats: 1B Spencer Torkelson (3R/$5)
A former top overall pick that was rushed to the big leagues by the Tigers, Torkelson has slowly turned a corner and turned into a major threat at the plate. The Arizona State product hit 19 home runs in the 2nd Half, posting a .498 slugging percentage while seeing a jump in average and on base percentage. If Torkelson can carry over that production in 2024, he could have a big year ahead for the 'Crats who acquired him from the Idaho Taters last season.
Lunatic Fringe: RHP Grayson Rodriguez (1R/$1)
Rodriguez, entering the year as baseball’s highest-ranked pitching prospect, pitched like it in the second half. In his last 12 regular-season starts from July 22 on, he went 5-2 with a 2.26 ERA. He was even better late in the year, posting a 1.80 ERA over his last six starts while earning a post-season start. Rodriguez should have the handcuffs off on 2024 as he’s already set as an Opening Day activation after being added to the Active Roster for the 2023 RDBL Playoffs by GM Tony Guglielmi.
Maltese Falcons: OF Riley Greene (2R/$3)
Much like the Clovers, the Falcons are loaded with potentially explosive assets including Royce Lewis, Vinnie Pasquantino, Edouard Julien and Triston Casas. While each of those assets could explode in 2024, we'll focus our attention on outfield Riley Greene who started to come into his own last season. The young outfielder batted .288/.349/.447 with 11 homers across 416 plate appearances in 2023 and is expected to be ready for Opening Day after Tommy John Surgery on his non-throwing arm in September.
Meinert Hops: OF Michael Harris (2R/$3)
The 2022 Hitting Prospect of the Year got off to a horrific start in 2023, working around an injury while hitting just .163/.234/.244 on May 22nd. He completed the season on a tear, finishing with 349.0 points and a .293/.326/.477 line. Just an average start with some health sprinkled in should easily push Harris beyond 400 points with even more in the tank for 2024.
Mission Viejo Maulers: LHP Tarik Skubal (2/$1)
The hype is already building for left-hander Tarik Skubal who finished 2023 on a tear following his return from an arm injury. Over his last 10 outings, Skubal went 6-2 with a 2.15 ERA, 0.87 WHIP and 75:11 K:BB across 58.2 innings. He'll slot behind Gerrit Cole, Luis Castillo and Zach Eflin in a dominant Maulers rotation for 2024.
Mt. Diablo Devils: C Yainer Diaz (2FA/$5)
We'll go outside of the 400+ qualifier given his position, but the Devils' deadline acquisition of Yainer Diaz looks better and better as time goes on. He launched 23 home runs and produced a line of .282/.308/.538 for a wRC+ of 127. Among catchers with at least 350 plate appearances for the year, only Sean Murphy had a higher wRC+ mark, with his 129 just two points ahead. He could skyrocket into a Top-5 producer at the position in 2024.
San Mateo Oppo Tacos: 3B Josh Jung (2R/$3)
While Corbin Carroll and Evan Carter got most of the publicity as standout Rookies, Josh Jung deserved to be at the front of the conversation following a breakout 2023. Honored as an American League All-Star, Jung posted a .867 OPS in the Playoffs after a strong 23 home run Regular Season. Forced to miss time due to a broken finger mid-season, Jung looks poised for a major leap in 2024 as a foundational piece of the Tacos.
Spokane Fightin' Fish: LHP Braxton Garrett (2FA/$5)
The Fightin' Fish are losing a great deal of depth in their pitching staff to Free Agency, potentially giving left-hander Braxton Garrett a spotlight to shine. Garrett quietly had a strong 2023 campaign, posting a 3.66 ERA and 1.15 WHIP, finishing the year on a tear with a 2.10 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 21 strikeouts in 25.2 innings over his final five starts.
St. Joseph Jokers: IF Gunnar Henderson (2R/$3)
Henderson took his lumps in April and May before turning things on with 23 home runs over the final four months of the Regular Season while slugging .521 in the second half. A 378.5 point season was within the range of expectations for the 22-year-old, but there's plenty of upside heading in 2024 with 450+ points not out of realm of possibility.
