11*31107*1
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Valentine’s Day has come and gone. And it made me think of the wise words of five wise men: Jason, Chris, Lance, Joey, JC, and Justin told me.
Don’t really want to make it tough (I don’t wanna make it tough)
I just wanna tell you that I’ve had enough (but I had enough)
It might sound crazy but it ain’t no lie
Bye, bye, bye (bye, bye)
As a grizzled vet in the game of love, I’ve found that the hardest thing to do is know when it’s over and say bye, bye, bye.
There have been so many times that I thought I’d finally found “the one” to bring everything together. I’ve dealt with those who were out of control in the hopes they’d finally figure it out. I was blinded by some, focusing only on the one or two attributes they had going for them while ignoring their faults. I even defended others mercilessly no matter how many strikes they racked up. I hurt when they hurt, even when I didn’t hear from them for months, sometimes years.
Trust me, I questioned my own judgment so many times that I lost count. I spent way too much energy trying to fix what ended up being a total bust, and all I could do was learn from those mistakes. I’ve done the hard work so you don’t have to.
I’m here to give you a different perspective and perhaps help you let go of that someone you’ve held on to for far too long. Don’t ghost ‘em and just let them go. I’ll help you find the exact words to let them down gently so there aren’t any ill feelings. You never know, there are those rare cases where someone actually makes a change for the better.
Again, it won’t be easy. But if you stay strong, keep a level head, and stop managing with your heart and scout the statline. You will see the error of your ways before it’s too late. So now is the time to cut ties with that that player who keeps breaking your heart by trading or drafting that special prospect who can help your fantasy team dominate for years to come.
What?
You thought I was talking about something else?
Like what?
Finding “real” love? That happily-ever-after shtick?
Do you think I’m some kind of matchmaker?
Like I’m Will Smith played in the movie Hitch?
Dude. I just spent Valentine’s Day, alone on my couch, rewatching the first season of Squid Game as I ate an entire salami and jalapeno heart-shaped pizza from Lou Malanati’s.
I don’t know what to tell you? Maybe check out Hitch and take some notes? It was before Jada Pinkett shattered Will Smith’s heart so he was pretty damn funny in it.
Anyway, with all that being said… Let’s break our first heart…
💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔
My Dearest Stunning ‘Stached Stud SPENCER STRIDER,
Wow. I can’t believe it. It was only two years ago that I would have done anything and everything for you and that sweet stache of yours! But, something is “off” and I can’t ignore it. Yes, we can blame the injuries for your lack of stamina that was apparent with your arm angle dropping to 41°-42° when it hovered between 46° to 49° for most of your career (‘21-‘24). You know during those happier times when… we were both happy.
And yes we can assume this is what led to the noticeable loss in your velocity. But I can’t ignore the precipitous 12.5% drop in your K% coupled with the decline in your induced vertical movement that led to you giving up a 42.7% HardHit rate and a Barrel% that was in the 14th percentile. We entered the dead zone.
Don’t get me wrong you were still above-average in IVB but you dropped two whole inches from the 18.4 inches you had in 2023. That kind of “size” does matter.
I mean… What do you expect me to do? With red flags like these, I can no longer chase you just like how opposing hitters stopped chasing your slider last season. You’re sitting there with a 20% drop in Chase Rate and a .280 xwOBA against; it’s clear you’re just not the same pitcher I fell for.
Please, understand that I believe 2025 could have been an aberration but this off-season I had to look elsewhere to fulfill my needs and I’m sorry. I found someone else. Well, several others…
💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔
TRADE FOR (in order):
TIER ONE – I don’t believe you will be able to acquire one of the pitching prospects that are considered to be in the upper echelon such as Nolan McLean, Thomas White, Payton Tolle, and Bubba Chandler for Spencer Strider because of the reasons I gave above. But, if you can then by all means go for it.
I chose these three pitching prospects because you should not only be able to acquire a pitcher that can anchor your rotation in a few years but also acquire other assets to help your team in the future. Also, quick side note when it comes to draft picks: if you want more pitching, ask for draft picks in this FYPD; if you need hitting then ask for picks next year.
Now here are the pitchers that will make you forget all about Quadzilla and your broken heart.
RYAN SLOAN, Mariners and Tier-3 SP and/or mid-round draft pick(s)
Sloan has the three-plus pitches in his arsenal and it starts with a high-rise fastball that can touch 99 mph accompanied with a 2,600 rpm sweeper that resulted in a 46% Whiff rate and a wipeout change with significant late action. The most impressive thing to me about Sloan is that he isn’t afraid to fill up the zone as he demonstrated with a 68% strike rate last season. That is the sure sign that a pitcher is confident in his stuff.
The last few days, Sloan has been all over my social media feeds because of a video clip in which he literally took the bat out of Randy Arozarena’s hands.
Credit to: Ryan Divish on X
So it might not be as easy to pry Sloan from a team in your league as I previously thought two weeks ago when I originally wrote this. But he is the top target and is attainable especially from a team that is in win-now mode. Regardless of his 2025 performance many analysts feel Strider is a prime bounceback candidate. It might be a 1:1 or even swap but you need to always hedge your bets when it comes to a move like this so you need to push for at least a Tier 3 “lottery SP” prospect (below) or a high-round draft pick with Sloan. Stay strong and patient.❤️
JAXON WIGGINS, CUBS – trade for a first round pick this year with a Tier-3 SP or a package with a Tier-2 SP Prospect and mid to upper round draft pick next year.
Wiggins was perhaps the biggest breakout pitching prospect last season and that was all due to the vast improvement in his overall command of three elite-level pitches through two levels (High-A and Double-A). No one has questioned Wiggins’ pure stuff that features a plus-plus triple-digit four-seamer with substantial ride and armside run. But it was the development and consistency he displayed in his secondary pitch which is considered a spike-slider that sat in the upper-80s and had a 44% whiff rate to go with an evolving tertiary pitch in a fade change that has solid tumble. His arsenal is now something that Pitching Ninja and I fantasize about.
He isn’t ranked higher because of two concerns: his durability and health. I realize that it sounds contradictory to use the same metrics to knock Strider and back Wiggins. But for me the difference is the growth Wiggins has shown from 2024 to 2025 while Strider has headed in the opposite direction. Wiggins evolved his arsenal while maintaining his stuff, whereas Strider has relied on his fastball and slider combo more and more. At three years younger, I’d rather bet on the prospect’s ceiling than the veteran’s rebuild.
| Pitch Type | Spencer Strider (MLB 2025) | Jaxon Wiggins (MiLB 2025) |
| Fastball Whiff% | 18.2% 1081 pitches (Whiff% down from 28% in 2023) | 34.5% |
| Slider Whiff% | 36.7% 744 pitches (Whiff% down from 55% in 2023) | 44.0% |
| Changeup Whiff% | 22.4% 108 pitches (only threw 7% of the time) | 38.2% |
| Overall K% | 24.3% (Down from 36.8% in 2023) | 31.0% |
CARLOS LAGRANGE, New York Yankees along with a Tier-2 and Tier-3 SP prospect and draft capital.
Lagrange is another pitching prospect that has received a ton of helium the last few weeks but that could just be because of the only obnoxious Yankees fan, *cough* A-Money *cough* on my social media feeds. Lagrange has surpassed Elmer Rodriguez by many scouts as the top pitching prospect in the Bronx which does say a lot when you consider how good Rodriguez was last year across two-ish levels (I am not including his lone bad start in Triple-A).
Lagrange has had the best pure stuff in the Yankees organization for the last three-ish years but last season he put it all together especially with his time in Double-A where he had 168 strikeouts (3rd highest in Double-A) in 120 innings with a 3.22 ERA. His dual slider combo (a Gyro and Sweeper) are nasty and complement his 70-grade fastball very well.
LaGrange is still at least a year away unless the Yankees implode or he is a late season call-up as a reliever. He does carry a high-risk reliever label because of a lingering back-injury and control issues so you have to ask for at least a Tier-2 SP prospect and a Tier-3 SP along with draft capital to give up Strider.
TIER 2: These are “lesser” known pitching prospects who you can realistically ask for in the Wiggins or Lagrange packages above.
KENDRY CHOURIO, Royals
Chourio was only 17 years old and was in A-Ball last season. Let that sink in. When I was 17 years old my biggest feat was that I drank two Mad Dogs in one night without passing out. Yeah, I took a wrong turn somewhere back then.
Back to Chourio, he has already shown an advanced approach with the way he attacks hitters. Even though his four-seamer can touch 98 mph with some guns registering it in the triple-digits last season. He isn’t just a thrower; he already has an impressive pitch mix at his disposal with a plus curve that has sharp downward action that registered at 2800 RPMs along with an above-average change with nice fade. He already has a veteran-like presence on the mound to go with elite command which is crazy to say about a kid who again did this at the age of 17.
Damn. Where did I go wrong? I need a Mad Dog.
BRODY HOPKINS, Rays
CAM CAMINITI, Braves
BISHOP LETSON, Brewers
Credit to Belgium Brilliance (@LouisAnalysis)
OWEN MURPHY, Braves
ELMER RODRIGUEZ, Yankees
JR RITCHIE, Braves
JACKSON FERRIS, Dodgers
DASAN HILL, Twins
Credit to Thomas Nestico (@TJStats on X)
CADEN SCARBOROUGH, Rangers
ANDREW BRITO, Rays
KENDRY ROJAS, Twins
ALEX CLEMMEY, Nationals
MIGUEL ULLOLA, Astros
TIER 3: Huge upside with limited pro ball experience or injury concerns – Pretty much a lottery ticket.
JOHNNY KING, Blue Jays
Also, a little bonus analysis for Eli Willits from Ross. I still don’t know how Ross is still single with how he rocks that Batman outfit for his X profile pic. Credit to Ross Jensen (@RossJensen on X)
ESTEBAN MEJIA, Orioles
If you can call any one of these pitching prospects a “boom or bust” guy it is Mejia. At the age of 18, the folklore-like clip of him throwing 102 mph last season has made its rounds across those in the industry. But, it wasn’t that eye-popping number that got me. It was the jump that pitch got in on the hitter because of Mejia’s ¾ arm slot that gives him a low-release point that made me scrolling through the OnlyFan models I follow on my X feed.
Credit to Baseball America and Josh Norris (@JNorris427)
The next thing I noticed was how smooth Mejia looked on the bump; he doesn’t have violent mechanics and looked like he was playing catch. That is what sets him apart from other guys with velocity. It is sustainable as he progresses in his career.
He has an advanced array of pitches that is highlighted with a power breaker that has a two-plane tilt that runs in the low 90s. It looked unhittable on video! He has a nice change that has late fade and either a two-seamer (or sinker) with very good arm-side run. Now don’t get me wrong he is far from polished because of his below-average control and he only has thrown 11.2 innings in Single-A but he has Ace-like stuff if he can put it all together.
KEVIN DEFRANK, Marlins
CONNOR PRIELIPP, Twins
HYUN-SEOK JANG, Dodgers
CHARLEE SOTO, Twins
TRAVIS SYKORA, Nationals (out for 2026)
Again, this all depends on the leagues you are in to determine their value. But most of these pitching prospects in Tier Two and Three are outside the Top 100 Prospects on the more well-known publications. (besides Caminiti, Ritchie, Hopkins, and Sykora)
YOUR FYPD DRAFT:
KADE ANDERSON, Mariners
SETH HERNANDEZ, Pirates
When it comes to pure stuff, Hernandez is the best pitcher in this draft. He already has three elite-level pitches in his four-seamer that have registered in the triple digits, a spike 12-6 curve in the 3,000 RPMs range, and a change-up with tumble that I haven’t seen. He has above-average control with all three of those pitches to go along with a cutter-slider that he is developing to keep hitters off kilter. All I can say is that he has the make-up and arsenal of a young Josh Beckett.
JAMIE ARNOLD, Athletics
KYSON WITHERSPOON, Red Sox
GAGE WOOD, Phillies
LIAM DOYLE, Cardinals
I am relying on other analysts, who are much smarter than me with their projections on Doyle developing into a top-of-a-rotation type guy. I personally love his stuff, the deception he creates with a high-release point, and the overall makeup he commands on the mound. But, his arsenal isn’t quite up to par with the guys I mentioned above him. Also, I am a bit apprehensive of any pitching prospects in the Cardinals organization because I’ve had heart broken by Tink Hence and Cooper Hjerpe. Yes, I know it has been due to injuries and that’s exactly what scares me with the extremely unorthodox mechanics and high-octane effort Doyle uses on every pitch.
And I refuse to give up on Hence and Hjerpe just yet… I know I am a hypocrite.
KRUZ SCHOOLCRAFT, Padres
ANTHONY EYANSON, Red Sox
Credit to Nick John (@NickJJ95 on X)
PATRICK FORBES, Diamondbacks
PETER KUSSOW, Mets
KALEB WING, Cubs
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
I wish you only the best in life, Spencer. You deserve it!
In a different world things could be different but it’s best if we go our separate ways.
I will always remember you… At least the 2023 version of you.
💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔
Damn. I wonder if I can get another one of those heart-shaped pizzas when I re-watch Hitch later tonight.
Till your next Valentine and fantasy heartbreak…
27
What does 843*843*843 mean?
Back when beepers were around. These numeric codes would either spell out a code. Sometimes you’d flip it upside down or the numbers would represent a letter like it does on a phone. This one specifically says: Bye, bye, bye
Ryan, this “breakup” with Strider hit harder than a 102mph Mejia fastball, and honestly, your Valentine’s Day setup sounds like a sign I need a total change of scenery too. If I’m going to be scouting statlines and eating pizza alone, I’d rather do it from a villa in Algarve while waiting for Jaxon Wiggins to elite-level command his way into my heart
A wise person once said it best…
You need the yin to your yang.☯️
In relationships & pitchers.
*01134*
Thanks, Trivia! I need all the help when it comes to both of those.
You can reach out to me with more advice at RyanFCantWrite@protonmail.com