The No. 20 hitter on the full-season Player Rater hit the injured list Tuesday, and it makes me sad, not only because I missed the weekly deadline in several leagues to sit him, but because Oakland Athletics outfielder Ramon Laureano is such a fun player to watch. Not only does he dominate in center field, with efficient routes to help him make spectacular catches and a strong arm to boot, but he also provides power and speed on offense. Ronald Acuna Jr., Christian Yelich, Trevor Story and Yasiel Puig are the lone hitters with more home runs and stolen bases this season.
The Athletics acknowledge that the stress reaction in Laureano's right shin is not a minor injury, and this absence could last at least a month. Fantasy managers might not
Even though Laureano looked more likely to reach 30 stolen bases than home runs during his minor league run, that equation switched with Oakland. Perhaps this is not surprising, as power is way up with the new happy fun baseballs, and speedsters are far more likely to pad the stolen base numbers in the minor leagues and then see how much this practice gets devalued in the majors.
Credit to Acuna and Yelich for their efforts on the bases. Yelich leads the majors with 36 home runs, and has 23 steals; the eight other players with 28 or more home runs have combined for 25 steals. Each figures to reach 30/30 fame. Cleveland's Jose Ramirez and Boston's Mookie Betts got there in 2018, the first players to do so since 2012.
Laureano will not get there in 2019 and would not have even had he remained healthy, but he remains a potential addition to the exclusive club in the future. Here are other players off the proverbial radar to watch for the distinction.
Fernando Tatis Jr., SS, San Diego Padres: Yeah, I do think he steals the NL Rookie of the Year award away from New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso. Tatis is a five-category player, flirting with a batting title, if he had enough plate appearances, and doing awesome things on the bases. Few players are more exciting. He might make my first round in 2020.
Shohei Ohtani, DH, Los Angeles Angels: Why not? Well, that pitching thing could get in the way, but let us assume for a moment that Ohtani gets 500 plate appearances next season. Through 656 plate appearances in the major leagues, he has hit .288 with 37 home runs and 19 stolen bases. That is roughly a full season. Ohtani has stolen five bases this month! We knew he could throw and hit for power but this is a base-stealer as well.
Adalberto Mondesi, SS, Kansas City Royals: No, the power he showed as a rookie has not been duplicated in Year 2, but again, with a few adjustments that can change. Having the stolen base ability is rarer. Mondesi is simply too easy to pitch to, but his ceiling feels like at least 25 home runs and at least double the steals.
Victor Robles, OF, Washington Nationals: He reminds me a bit of former All-Star Mike Cameron for the strikeouts and middling batting average, but there is little question about the power/speed combination. Robles is not drawing many walks, but his strikeout rate, at age 22, is hardly outrageous. Invest strong in dynasty formats. He should make my top 100 in 2020.
Oscar Mercado, OF, Cleveland Indians: I simply will not assume that someone with modest power cannot develop into an actual power hitter anymore. Mercado averaged 40 stolen bases over his final four minor league seasons. That skill is clear. He has eight home runs and nine steals in his first 61 big league games. I do not think it is a stretch to compare him to Robles but with a better batting average.
Byron Buxton, OF, Minnesota Twins: One of these years he will play in 150 games and offer so much fantasy goodness his daily at-bats will be must-see TV. I do not know when that will be, but he is only 25.
Nick Senzel, 2B/OF, Cincinnati Reds: This is a five-category option with great potential and should be a top-100 pick next season, even as he loses the infield eligibility.
Others: Philadelphia Phillies leadoff man Scott Kingery can steal the bases if the team allows it. I still worry about the batting average. ... Milwaukee Brewers rookie Keston Hiura is running more than expected. Perhaps we underrated his speed. ... Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Tommy Pham flirted with a 30/30 campaign in 2017 for St. Louis. His pal Austin Meadows stole 17 bases between the majors and minors last season. Neither is known for durability, but each has the potential to run quite a bit if they so desire. ... Texas Rangers surprise Danny Santana is not slowing down. He suddenly has power -- everyone does -- and he could always run. Do not overlook if he has a regular job in Texas next year.
Tuesday takeaways
• On-field brawls sure seem like lots of fun until someone gets hurt or suspended, and while we have not heard of the former from the Pittsburgh Pirates-Cincinnati Reds mess, keep an eye on the latter. Not that Reds reliever Amir Garrett is a critical fantasy option, but we might not see him for a while. We do not want any stars plunked on the head or hand, so perhaps cooler heads prevail as the series continues.
• It is but a few games, but it sure looks like Atlanta Braves outfielder Adam Duvall deserves attention for power-starved fantasy managers. This is not a rookie, folks. He showed big power in the past with the Reds, and unlike rookie Austin Riley, not an automatic out these days.
• Love to see Oakland DH Khris Davis get a few hits, one of them clearing a fence. I have shares of him in myriad places. All I expected was a .247 batting average and 40 blasts. Is that too much to ask again? (Well, probably.) If you have him in a dynasty format, think about moving on before things get worse.
• I want to believe in rejuvenated Phillies lefty Drew Smyly, and perhaps you do as well, but solid outings against the Pirates and Giants is not enough. Add him in the deeper leagues but be wary.
• Joey Votto made it to 10 home runs. Woo-hoo! He remains six behind Tommy La Stella, who hit his 16 in 119 fewer PA. This makes me sad.
• One of the 15 qualified batters hitting .300 or better has failed to reach double-digit home runs. It is Baltimore Orioles infielder Hanser Alberto, batting .311 with a 2.3 percent walk rate, no power and no speed. He is not David Fletcher.
• Yeah, yeah, I know that Chicago Cubs right-hander Yu Darvish has now gone six innings in five consecutive starts, and walked two hitters in that span against 36 strikeouts. I am surprised and ready to admit ignoring him was not wise, except I must also point out the three wins in 22 starts. Three! OK, so he could have won like five more, but it is not happening. Wins still count for us too!
Health report
• Not only do AL-only fantasy managers lose Laureano, but New York Yankees first baseman Luke Voit -- not a fluke -- has a sports hernia, and he simply might not play the rest of the regular season. In other words, move on. Keep Laureano first. The Yankees have ample depth. Do you?
W2W4
• Wednesday afternoon marks the trade deadline. Follow all the thoughts of Tristan H. Cockcroft and me in this file here. The key will be closers moving on. Trevor Bauer and Puig, for example, were already rostered everywhere, and their stats should not alter much in new places. However, if Shane Greene gets traded, it likely ruins his fantasy value and offers some other Tiger save chances.
• ESPN+ features Houston Astros rookie Jose Urquidy against Cleveland Indians rookie Zach Plesac. I am intrigued. Urquidy is the most-added player in ESPN standard leagues because of two recent outings with strikeouts, and the Astros are good. Plesac is not a big K option, but he has pitched well so far. Neither of these right-handers is guaranteed a rotation spot in the future, but each offers promise. Perhaps the new Indians outfielders will be in the lineup, so where they slot in will be interesting.
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