Fantasy free agents of interest are the topic in this space each Thursday, and earlier this week a real-life free agent returned home, I suppose, agreeing to play with the Milwaukee Brewers. Lefty Gio Gonzalez is not a guaranteed top-40 starting pitcher for fantasy, though we ranked him that way early last season, but he is consistent, reliable and he superficially shined in a brief stint with the eventual NL Central champions last season.
Gonzalez is a walker who rarely aids us in WHIP, and his strikeout rates no longer impress, but the Brewers are good and one could argue, with a rather disappointing rotation -- Brandon Woodruff, Freddy Peralta, Corbin Burnes and Jhoulys Chacin have struggled -- that he is the new "ace," as it were.
Gonzalez is rostered in a low smattering of ESPN standard leagues, and the basis for any original interest was the fact people know his name after a decade of reasonable performance, and the New York Yankees gave him a minor league deal, though they showed little interest in promoting him to the majors.
Gonzalez is ready to pitch right away, and one could argue that pitching for the Brewers is a better situation because it is the NL. Do not look too closely at Gonzalez winning three of five starts with Milwaukee late last season with a 2.13 ERA and 0.947 WHIP. His career ERA is 3.69, his FIP 3.63. He is durable. I could see a top-50 starter the rest of the way and for many fantasy managers that might simply be precisely what they need.
Catcher: Fantasy managers have been quiet on changing their catcher of late now that Seattle Mariners surprise Omar Narvaez topped 60 percent rostered. As always, Tampa Bay Rays starter Mike Zunino boasts power but hurts a batting average. San Diego Padres starter Austin Hedges is similar. Watch Minnesota Twins backup Mitch Garver; he does not play regularly, but when he does, good things happen. Mariners backup Tom Murphy did not play much in Colorado, but he is hitting nicely even as a backup in the AL. Stop adding the Giants' Joey Bart; even if healthy, he is not likely to debut in the majors in 2019 or even in 2020.
Corner infield: The Baltimore Orioles are using Renato Nunez in several roles, but at the plate he keeps hitting. Nunez was on my list of sleeper options to surpass 25 home runs, and so far, so good. We discussed Kansas City Royals third baseman Hunter Dozier last week, and he keeps hitting. Arizona Diamondbacks slugger Christian Walker and Rays third baseman (now eligible) Yandy Diaz remain undervalued. These hitters are legit! The case can be made that the Yankees' Luke Voit and Walker are top-10 first basemen, better than the Brewers' Jesus Aguilar. Finally, I think Boston Red Sox rookie Michael Chavis can hit 20 home runs this season, and 30 in future ones.
Middle infield: Rays infielder Brandon Lowe remains oddly available even in standard leagues. He plays second base and can hit 25 home runs. No, really. Pittsburgh Pirates rookie Cole Tucker got the promotion this week and looks as if he can keep the job the final five months. He is more of a base stealer than power option, and it would be helpful if the Pirates hit him at the top of the lineup where he belongs, not eighth. Los Angeles Angels veteran Tommy La Stella never hit for power before in the NL, but he has six home runs already and twice as many walks versus strikeouts. I suppose he could hit 12 home runs and bat .275 with 400 PA. Bypass Texas Rangers surprise Danny Santana and get Detroit Tigers cleanup hitter Niko Goodrum.
Outfield: As long as the Orioles keep hitting Dwight Smith Jr. third in the lineup then he can knock in runs and score them, so while it seems odd to recommend him, give Smith a look. Stranger things have happened than Smith hitting .260 with 15 home runs and 70 RBI. Pirates veteran Gregory Polanco is a safer bet to produce fantasy numbers, though. Polanco has been a disappointment if the benchmark is a top-20 outfielder; he will be a top-40 option, if healthy. I like him over all the other outfielders still out there in half of ESPN leagues, including Brett Gardner, Shin-Soo Choo, Avisail Garcia and Smith. Garcia seems undervalued, as he has hit for average in the past and shown modest power.
Starting pitcher: Atlanta Braves right-hander Mike Soroka stands out because he is healthy, pitching well and on the schedule for two starts next week. Add him. I do like Oakland Athletics right-hander Frankie Montas, but his first scheduled matchup next week is at Boston. Tough one. Miami's Caleb Smith strikes hitters out, and should be rostered over Pittsburgh's Jordan Lyles and anyone on Baltimore. Why are people adding John Means? This cannot last. I would prefer New York Mets lefty Steven Matz, who has one bad start versus four good ones. Trust the good one. I think it is early to add Arizona's Luke Weaver, but I did like him a year ago.
Relief pitcher: Philadelphia's Hector Neris is closing and entering a four-game series at home with the Marlins. Expect a few saves. Others that are curiously undervalued are Atlanta Braves lefty A.J. Minter, Minnesota Twins right-hander Blake Parker and Chicago Cubs right-hander Pedro Strop. I see each pitcher capable of saving more than 25 wins.
Wednesday recap
Box scores
Highlights:
• Ketel Marte, 2B/SS/OF, Arizona Diamondbacks: 2-for-5, 2 HR, 4 RBI
• Jose Ramirez, 3B, Cleveland Indians: 3-for-4, HR, 4 RBI, SB
• Andrelton Simmons, SS, Los Angeles Angels: 2-for-4, 2 HR, 2 RBI
• Justin Verlander, SP, Houston Astros: 8 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 8 K
• Chris Paddack, SP, San Diego Padres: 7 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 K
Lowlights:
• Gary Sanchez, C, New York Yankees: 0-for-4, 4 K
• Kurt Suzuki, C, Washington Nationals: 0-for-5, 2 K
• Anibal Sanchez, SP, Washington Nationals: 5 IP, 9 H, 6 ER, 5 BB, 3 K
• Jhoulys Chacin, SP, Milwaukee Brewers: 4 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
• Adam Conley, RP. Miami Marlins: 2/3 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
Wednesday takeaways
Who's excited for @vladdyjr27? pic.twitter.com/dGdasWkdQI
- MLB Stats (@MLBStats) April 24, 2019
• Well, me, for one! Better yet, who is not excited that Vladimir Guerrero Jr. will make his big league debut on Friday night against the Oakland Athletics? Forget all the stuff in the past, how Guerrero should have debuted last season or weeks ago, and just enjoy what could be a very special player. We love Guerrero in fantasy; he is rostered in 96.7 percent of ESPN standard leagues, which means there are somehow thousands of leagues in which one can still add him with a mere few clicks. Here are a few takes on the subject, as Tristan H. Cockcroft explores historical context of in-season call-ups like Vlad. Tommy Rancel discusses the scouting side of things. My story is on whom I would trade for the superstar.
• There are, however, other players in baseball with fantasy relevance. Tampa Bay Rays lefty Blake Snell was supposed to miss only one start with a self-inflicted busted toe. Then he was going to miss several starts. On Wednesday morning, sans warning, there was a surprise announcement that Snell was the starting pitcher that afternoon against the Kansas City Royals. It went poorly and fantasy managers that failed to activate Snell breathe sighs of relief. Still, Snell remains a top-10 fantasy pitcher and things should go better next week with road outings in Kansas City (yes, those sluggers again!) and Baltimore.
• New York Yankees backstop Gary Sanchez played Wednesday, after missing time with calf strain, and whiffed in each of his plate appearances. He batted cleanup, but then again, this offense lacks options, especially with outfielder Clint Frazier the latest in a parade of injured list stints, this time for a sprained ankle. I am not a Sanchez fantasy fan; I am concerned not only about injury for all catchers, lessening their value when compared to, say, outfielders -- this is not the Rob Gronkowski tight end argument, gaining a huge advantage over competitors -- but in addition, this particular player hit .186 a season ago. I doubt it happens again, but you know it can.
• Fantasy managers in deeper formats rushed out to add San Diego Padres "phenom" Ty France, a minor league slugger who just needs a big league chance to blossom, many believe. Perhaps it happens. France does rake. He hit .427 with nine home runs in 18 Triple-A games, so he must be good. Look, I added France in a league or two as well. He is not a top prospect and lacks a position, and cannot handle a corner spot in San Diego. Could he rake at second base, much as I expect Michael Chavis will? I suppose he can, because Ian Kinsler has not hit and Luis Urias did not get a reasonable chance to do so. Just do not be disappointed if France is back at El Paso in a week.
Health report
• Tampa Bay Rays infielder Joey Wendle cannot get a break. Well, his wrist got a break Wednesday when a Jake Diekman pitch found it, and it could be a while before Wendle sees another big league pitch. I like him more than I should, since Wendle provides neither power nor speed, but batting average often gets overlooked. Yandy Diaz and Brandon Lowe demand regular playing time anyway.
• Yankees third baseman Miguel Andujar has not undergone any season-ending surgery for the injured shoulder and could start playing in extended spring games this weekend. I am not investing, for weak shoulders sap power -- see Kris Bryant of the Cubs -- and seem to take forever to heal, but could Andujar, hitter of 27 home runs as a rookie, play by the All-Star break? Sure, he could.
Closer report
• Los Angeles Angels manager Brad Ausmus announced right-hander Cody Allen would be held from save chances until he rights himself. Perhaps Ausmus simply ignored Allen's 2018 season in Cleveland, because fantasy managers knew the risk of Allen, with diminished stuff, losing the closer role quickly and voila, it happened! Most of us believed right-hander Ty Buttrey would be next in line but Ausmus utilizes him so early in games, and Wednesday for an extra-long, ultimately doomed stint, that it has to be right-hander Hansel Robles. I am hardly confident Robles shines for saves, but add him in case.
• Baltimore Orioles right-hander Mychal Givens earned his first save of the season with a two-inning stint to close out the White Sox. Givens is not a particularly awesome pitcher, but the Orioles should provide save chances in at least a third of their, what, 60 wins, and Givens could reach 20 saves, though it might be painful waiting six months for them. No Orioles hurler has more than one save so far. Ignore this bullpen in fantasy.
W2W4
• Short schedule on Thursday, with the highlight matchup being Trevor Bauer versus Gerrit Cole, but watch Texas Rangers rookie Taylor Hearn debut at Seattle. No, I think it is dangerous to rely on Hearn in fantasy, and his home ballpark is more dangerous, but he is 24 with strong minor league numbers and this is exciting. He has shown an ability to avoid home runs, and the Mariners hit a ton of them. Fun!
• All eyes on Friday will be in Toronto for the debut of some prospect, and watch how the Blue Jays lineup looks. First baseman Justin Smoak and outfielder Randal Grichuk, in particular, could start providing better stats with the new addition aiding them against pitchers like Mike Fiers, off to a miserable start. Meanwhile, Marcus Stroman is among the leaders in ERA, as he has permitted nary a home run and featuring a crazy, for him, strikeout rate. Logic says to sell because each of those figures should normalize.
• The Phillies should get shortstop Jean Segura back from the injured list during the Miami series, and we will see how much of a factor his absence was for an offense that struggled to compete in road games. Plus, who plays center field with Odubel Herrera, Scott Kingery and -- shocker! -- Roman Quinn out? Aaron Altherr versus lefties could be a daily pick, and perhaps Andrew McCutchen or Bryce Harper move there so Nick Williams can get his first start of the season.
• Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN features the Indians and Astros, and perhaps right-hander Carlos Carrasco, who left his previous outing after four innings with a tweaked knee, really does face Wade Miley. The Indians have Francisco Lindor back and Jose Ramirez appears to be hitting, finally, and I am running out of patience on Jake Bauers, as perhaps the Rays were simply correct about him. On the Astros side, I have given up on Tyler White seeing regular playing time, though I cannot understand it. #freeTylerWhite. Anyway, enjoy your weekend!
Most recent KaraBlogs
Wednesday, April 24: Kris Bryant struggles, Luke Voit does not
Tuesday, April 23: Closer report: Seattle's slew of options
Monday, April 22: Weekend wrap, injured stars edition
Thursday, April 18: Free agents to get, led by several Tampa Bay Rays
Wednesday, April 17: Garrett Hampson, Steven Matz, Blake Snell