Bryce

Ball

It didn’t take long for Ball to find a new opportunity after being released last week by the Cubs. The 25-year-old first baseman was acquired from the Braves for Joc Pederson during the 2021 season and didn’t wind up reaching the majors in Chicago.

Ball was acquired from the Braves in the Joc Pederson trade back in 2021 and has yet to reach the majors. The 25-year-old slugger batted .214/.323/.305 with on homer and one steal across 220 plate appearances this season between High-A South Bend and Double-A Tennessee.

Ball came into the 2021 considered one of the better prospects at the first base position, but he’s been awful in 2021 with a .207 average and just six homers in 169 at-bats. He has drawn 40 walks, however, and a .354 on-base percentage is nothing to sneeze at. Ball just turned 23 on July 8, and the massive first baseman has a chance to be a three true outcome player in a couple years.

A 24th round pick out of Dallas Baptist, Ball really impressed in his first taste of professional action last summer with a .325/.398/.628 line for Low-A Rome and short-season Danville while also hitting 17 homers in just 62 games. He won’t get a chance to to put up similar numbers -- or any numbers at all -- because of the cancelation of the MiLB season, but he’s worth monitoring in deeper dynasty leagues; particularly NL-only formats.