Luis Urias used to be one of the top prospects not only in the San Diego Padres system, but also in all of baseball. He's a contact-oriented middle infielder likely to hit better than .300 even at the highest level, albeit with modest power and speed. Then, Urias debuted in the majors and did not hit as expected and the Padres, like a jilted fantasy manager relying on a small sample to guide them, sent him to the Milwaukee Brewers in the Trent Grisham trade this past winter. It does not take much for fantasy baseball managers to forget about top prospects. Nothing against Grisham, but that could be a mistake in this case.
Urias made his 2020 season and Brewers debut on Monday with a single in four plate appearances, doing so as the second baseman out of the No. 7 lineup slot. It was a rather innocuous performance, really. This fellow was supposed to be a star -- a line-drive hitting machine with plate discipline and perhaps relevant power. Yet, when his .998 OPS at Triple-A El Paso last season (19 home runs in 73 games) did not translate to the majors, the Padres gave up. Fantasy managers are hardly thinking about Urias, but we should be interested in what happens here.
Some of you might wonder why I like Urias when my recommendation of White Sox second baseman Nick Madrigal was rather tepid, and that is fair. Urias profiles similarly as a .300 hitter but, unlike Madrigal, he has little base-stealing speed. I do not think we should overlook hitters of this ilk, especially when there could be power. We just need to value them properly. Urias hit for power last season. Madrigal probably will not. Anyway, Urias is available in 95% of ESPN standard leagues and he is only 23. He looks physically bigger than he did when he first debuted in the majors, and he hit precisely .300 for San Diego last September in his 89 PA.
Keston Hiura handled DH duties on Monday and swatted his fourth home run. There is no danger of him losing playing time but let us be honest. He is not much of a second baseman. He is a hitter first and perhaps the Vladimir Guerrero Jr. of the NL. Ryan Braun is also, at this point, only a hitter. However, he's an injured one and no longer a regular. Worry about what happens with the DH spot if and when Braun gets healthy. For now, Urias handles second base and perhaps when Orlando Arcia and his elevated BABIP tumble, he'll move to shortstop. Just keep an eye out for an emerging hitter who was foolishly forgotten because the public's first look at him was less than special.
Other random thoughts
Hiura and his pals were stymied by Twins right-hander Randy Dobnak, a former Independent league player with an average fastball and little upside, but one with a 1.30 ERA over 48 1/3 career big league innings. No, Dobnak is not missing myriad bats, and that is a worry just as it is for Seattle left-hander Marco Gonzales. Still, Gonzales won 16 games last season and continues to overcome seemingly average stuff. Dobnak has permitted just two runs overall in four starts this season, and in 13 career games has yet to allow more than two runs in any game. Yes, eventually hitters will start to make hard contact and things could fall apart, but perhaps not in his next two starts, each likely to be versus the Royals. Then again, Tyler Chatwood was awesome and then the Royals furiously destroyed that narrative, so who knows.
It's no surprise that Rays right-hander Charlie Morton (shoulder) and Diamondbacks lefty Madison Bumgarner (back) each hit the injured list. In both cases the absences figure to be rather short. You should obviously wait for Morton. Bumgarner is a different case, given his far reduced velocity, but such a history of success. Could I really drop Bumgarner for someone like Dobnak? I might not do that, honestly. Project ahead statistically, not behind.
Arizona LHP Robbie Ray took a Coors Field pounding on Monday and now has allowed 20 earned runs over 17 innings. He is missing bats, as always, but also missing the strike zone, as his 14 walks are a problem. It is a short, irregular season, and while I groaned at cutting Detroit left-hander Matthew Boyd last week (because he strikes so many hitters out), if you want to move on from struggling pitchers, then go for it. Perhaps only I find this stat interesting, but only eight hurlers have allowed 15-plus earned runs and seven of them are left-handed. In addition to Ray, Bumgarner and Boyd, there's Steven Matz, Sean Newcomb, Sean Manaea, Derek Holland. The only right-hander on the list is the injured Jeff Samardzija. Is this a coincidence or a factor of platoon lineups in a truncated season?
Red Sox slugger J.D. Martinez finally slugged, launching his first home run after 14 annoyingly quiet games. Martinez blames the lack of in-game video work for his struggles, which might be legit, but he has to get used to it. Just like in life, when some act poorly, it affects all. Martinez might not hit .300 with 15 home runs, but I would not worry too much here. It's the same with Nationals shortstop Trea Turner, who homered on Monday. Those stolen bases are pending.
Speaking of acting poorly, the Cleveland rotation now lacks Mike Clevinger and his partner-in-crime Zach Plesac until nobody really knows when, all so the duo could ignore simple rules and gallivant on Saturday night. Perhaps they fail to realize what teammate Carlos Carrasco went through last year. Some wonder if the Indians are next in line for a virus outbreak, following the Marlins and Cardinals, but I think that is a stretch. Keep Clevinger, a preseason top-10 starting pitcher in our rankings, rostered because his skills (we invest in those) demand it. He might miss only this week's start.
Mets right-hander Marcus Stroman remains rostered in a heavy 41% of ESPN standard leagues, but he has now opted out for the season. Move on. Frankly, even if he had not moved on, you probably should have weeks ago. I am not quite sure how the Mets and the Braves, for starters, are going to get through another six weeks without reasonable starting pitching, but then again, the Phillies have no bullpen. Did you see how awful Newcomb was on Monday after the Phillies had barely scored all weekend? He was off the roster before the game ended. The NL East is compacted, and the Nationals have their issues as well, but these clubs are so flawed. And no, the Marlins are not a good team. Watch what happens over the next fortnight when they do not play the Orioles. Jonathan Villar remains the lone Marlin who must be universally rostered.
In the world of closers (and what a world it is!), I think we can start to worry a tad about Padres right-hander Kirby Yates and the general body soreness that led to left-hander Drew Pomeranz saving Monday's win. Pomeranz dominated as a reliever last season, and it would be no surprise if an injured Yates allows Pomeranz to become a top-10 fantasy closer. Get him now. ... Rays right-hander Andrew Kittredge saved Monday's win, not Nick Anderson. Anderson still has yet to allow much of anything but in order for us to roster him (and assuming he accrues roughly half the team's saves), he simply needs to pitch more. Five strikeouts in 17 team games is not enough. ... Ty Buttrey earned another Angels save on Monday but Hansel Robles could be back on track with increased velocity over the past week. Robles or Edwin Diaz of the Mets: Who gets another save chance first? I bet both will get one in the next week.
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