[h=1]Salvador Perez injury cuts into already shallow depth at catcher[/h]
ESPN PLUS ($ MATERIA:L)
The state of catching in fantasy baseball was already quite brutal before the weekend news that Kansas City Royals starter Salvador Perez, hitter of 27 home runs in each of the past two seasons and boasting four consecutive campaigns of 20 or more, hurt his throwing elbow. Fantasy managers generally think the worst whenever an elbow is involved and in this case, there was ample reason for pessimism: Perez will likely miss the entire 2019 season as he recovers from Tommy John surgery.
A top-5 catcher in ADP by any measure, Perez was more of a mid-round pick overall, as fantasy managers in ESPN standard leagues, in which only one backstop is needed and few are difference-makers, do tend to wait longer to fill the position; until the final rounds in many cases. In multi-catcher formats, the strategy is clearly different, but it is not as if a new catcher suddenly became relevant thanks to the Perez injury, as is normally the case if a closer misses time, for example. The Royals have to go with Cameron Gallagher. Perhaps the non-contending Royals sign a catcher, but fantasy managers should not clamor for the likes of free agent Martin Maldonado, either.
Philadelphia Phillies starter J.T. Realmuto is outstanding and a potential top-50 pick in ADP as fantasy managers will panic and reach a bit, as they so often do in football with New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski. Whatever. Realmuto is good. New York Yankees enigma Gary Sanchezcould bounce back. San Francisco Giants hero Buster Posey could return to health. Chicago Cubs youngster Willson Contreras could find his absent power. There are many "coulds" and few certainties, and one of the best in the business is lost. Perez, 28, should recover ably and perhaps return to top-5 status in 2020, but waiting around in a dynasty format seems a waste of roster space, too.
Ultimately, this is bad news all around, but I would not alter my strategy in ESPN standard leagues and reach for the likes of the aforementioned catchers earlier than normal, or presume new Miami Marlins option Jorge Alfaro is all of a sudden truly worthy of top-10 status at the position. Yes, Alfaro is currently going No. 9 in ESPN ADP, but that seems more reflective of the desperation at catcher and the fact he has a starting role with playing time volume. It is tough to find 10 legitimate fantasy catchers, so streaming the position most often makes the most sense.
[h=3]Weekend notes[/h]
Detroit Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera homered Saturday and witnesses claim he looks terrific at the plate. Perhaps it is so. Cabrera failed to hit for power in his abbreviated 2018 campaign, but his contact rate, plate discipline and hard-hit percentage remained excellent. Hey, this does seem like a decent late-round selection.
Speaking of bouncing back, Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Aaron Sanchez tossed a pair of scoreless frames on Friday. Sanchez went 15-2 with a 3.00 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and reasonable K rate in his breakout 2016, but blisters and walks have dogged him since. A good spring puts him back on the fantasy map as a draft-worthy asset.
Michael Pineda struck out 207 hitters in 2016. You might have forgotten since he won only six games that year for the New York Yankees, but it happened. His 2018 was faring similarly and then his throwing elbow -- as so many do -- blew up. Pineda is back now as a Minnesota Twins hopeful and he threw a pair of scoreless frames against the Red Sox Saturday. Keep an eye on his progress. We all like strikeouts.
Cincinnati Reds outfielder Jesse Winker, long a favorite of several ESPN fantasy analysts due to his impressive plate discipline -- and his love for fantasy football! -- homered to lead off Friday's game. Winker failed to show power in the minor leagues and this will get him ignored by many, but I think he can hit at least 20 home runs with regular playing time. As of now, Winker is the team's leadoff hitter. He should hit for average and score runs, too. We mock spring training stats as mostly meaningless, but if Winker keeps driving baseballs over fences, it matters.
Several members of the Atlanta Braves starting rotation are nursing arm woes, so pay attention to updates over the next few weeks on Mike Foltynewicz(elbow), Kevin Gausman (shoulder) and Mike Soroka (shoulder). For now, there is no need to drop these talented right-handers in the rankings.
The Milwaukee Brewers boasts a trio of potential top-10 relief pitchers in electrifying lefty Josh Hader and right-handers Corey Knebel and Jeremy Jeffress. Knebel was outstanding in 2017, with 126 Ks in 76 innings on his way to 39 saves, and seems to be in the lead to close with Jeffress nursing a sore shoulder and Hader likely to resume his role as a setup option.
As for Atlanta's bullpen situation, lefty A.J. Minter left Friday's outing with a barking shoulder, likely sending potential Arodys Vizcaino investors into a tizzy. Let us say that neither Minter nor Vizcaino, at this time, are locks for big seasons, especially with free agent and former Brave Craig Kimbrel still lurking as a free agent.
Chicago Cubs right-hander Yu Darvish tossed a pair of scoreless innings Sunday and boasts intriguing upside if healthy. Sure, everyone does, in theory, but Darvish struck out 209 hitters in 2017. We know how he is capable of performing.
Outfielder Zack Granite, a Minnesota Twins roster casualty of the Marwin Gonzalez signing, is now a member of the Texas Rangers organization after a minor weekend trade. The Rangers boast myriad outfield options and Granite, despite strong plate discipline and modest speed, figures to be a reserve behind Joey Gallo, Delino DeShields Jr. and Nomar Mazara, with Willie Calhoun and Shin-Soo Choo needing at-bats as well. Hunter Pence led off in Sunday's game but this is a crowded situation.
ESPN PLUS ($ MATERIA:L)
The state of catching in fantasy baseball was already quite brutal before the weekend news that Kansas City Royals starter Salvador Perez, hitter of 27 home runs in each of the past two seasons and boasting four consecutive campaigns of 20 or more, hurt his throwing elbow. Fantasy managers generally think the worst whenever an elbow is involved and in this case, there was ample reason for pessimism: Perez will likely miss the entire 2019 season as he recovers from Tommy John surgery.
A top-5 catcher in ADP by any measure, Perez was more of a mid-round pick overall, as fantasy managers in ESPN standard leagues, in which only one backstop is needed and few are difference-makers, do tend to wait longer to fill the position; until the final rounds in many cases. In multi-catcher formats, the strategy is clearly different, but it is not as if a new catcher suddenly became relevant thanks to the Perez injury, as is normally the case if a closer misses time, for example. The Royals have to go with Cameron Gallagher. Perhaps the non-contending Royals sign a catcher, but fantasy managers should not clamor for the likes of free agent Martin Maldonado, either.
Philadelphia Phillies starter J.T. Realmuto is outstanding and a potential top-50 pick in ADP as fantasy managers will panic and reach a bit, as they so often do in football with New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski. Whatever. Realmuto is good. New York Yankees enigma Gary Sanchezcould bounce back. San Francisco Giants hero Buster Posey could return to health. Chicago Cubs youngster Willson Contreras could find his absent power. There are many "coulds" and few certainties, and one of the best in the business is lost. Perez, 28, should recover ably and perhaps return to top-5 status in 2020, but waiting around in a dynasty format seems a waste of roster space, too.
Ultimately, this is bad news all around, but I would not alter my strategy in ESPN standard leagues and reach for the likes of the aforementioned catchers earlier than normal, or presume new Miami Marlins option Jorge Alfaro is all of a sudden truly worthy of top-10 status at the position. Yes, Alfaro is currently going No. 9 in ESPN ADP, but that seems more reflective of the desperation at catcher and the fact he has a starting role with playing time volume. It is tough to find 10 legitimate fantasy catchers, so streaming the position most often makes the most sense.
[h=3]Weekend notes[/h]
Detroit Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera homered Saturday and witnesses claim he looks terrific at the plate. Perhaps it is so. Cabrera failed to hit for power in his abbreviated 2018 campaign, but his contact rate, plate discipline and hard-hit percentage remained excellent. Hey, this does seem like a decent late-round selection.
Speaking of bouncing back, Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Aaron Sanchez tossed a pair of scoreless frames on Friday. Sanchez went 15-2 with a 3.00 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and reasonable K rate in his breakout 2016, but blisters and walks have dogged him since. A good spring puts him back on the fantasy map as a draft-worthy asset.
Michael Pineda struck out 207 hitters in 2016. You might have forgotten since he won only six games that year for the New York Yankees, but it happened. His 2018 was faring similarly and then his throwing elbow -- as so many do -- blew up. Pineda is back now as a Minnesota Twins hopeful and he threw a pair of scoreless frames against the Red Sox Saturday. Keep an eye on his progress. We all like strikeouts.
Cincinnati Reds outfielder Jesse Winker, long a favorite of several ESPN fantasy analysts due to his impressive plate discipline -- and his love for fantasy football! -- homered to lead off Friday's game. Winker failed to show power in the minor leagues and this will get him ignored by many, but I think he can hit at least 20 home runs with regular playing time. As of now, Winker is the team's leadoff hitter. He should hit for average and score runs, too. We mock spring training stats as mostly meaningless, but if Winker keeps driving baseballs over fences, it matters.
Several members of the Atlanta Braves starting rotation are nursing arm woes, so pay attention to updates over the next few weeks on Mike Foltynewicz(elbow), Kevin Gausman (shoulder) and Mike Soroka (shoulder). For now, there is no need to drop these talented right-handers in the rankings.
The Milwaukee Brewers boasts a trio of potential top-10 relief pitchers in electrifying lefty Josh Hader and right-handers Corey Knebel and Jeremy Jeffress. Knebel was outstanding in 2017, with 126 Ks in 76 innings on his way to 39 saves, and seems to be in the lead to close with Jeffress nursing a sore shoulder and Hader likely to resume his role as a setup option.
As for Atlanta's bullpen situation, lefty A.J. Minter left Friday's outing with a barking shoulder, likely sending potential Arodys Vizcaino investors into a tizzy. Let us say that neither Minter nor Vizcaino, at this time, are locks for big seasons, especially with free agent and former Brave Craig Kimbrel still lurking as a free agent.
Chicago Cubs right-hander Yu Darvish tossed a pair of scoreless innings Sunday and boasts intriguing upside if healthy. Sure, everyone does, in theory, but Darvish struck out 209 hitters in 2017. We know how he is capable of performing.
Outfielder Zack Granite, a Minnesota Twins roster casualty of the Marwin Gonzalez signing, is now a member of the Texas Rangers organization after a minor weekend trade. The Rangers boast myriad outfield options and Granite, despite strong plate discipline and modest speed, figures to be a reserve behind Joey Gallo, Delino DeShields Jr. and Nomar Mazara, with Willie Calhoun and Shin-Soo Choo needing at-bats as well. Hunter Pence led off in Sunday's game but this is a crowded situation.
