Welcome back for another installment in my FAAB guide! Last week was a great success and the article will continue to grow in-season as we have more and more information and decisions to make with lineup trends and different matters of chaos ensuing.
Let’s dive into the content!
But first, I was part of 2 podcasts this weekend covering FAAB, my own LouCas Baseball Podcast as well as On The Wire podcast, a show I shouted out last week as must-listen! Check those out!
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Disclaimer: This article is geared towards 15-team leagues mostly, but we will try to accommodate the 12-team guys as well! For the bid amounts, feel free to lower the recommended amounts in 12-teamers since the player supply is greater than the 15-teamers.
Schedule Notes 🗓️
Best schedules:
ATL, KC, TOR, and WAS all play a 7-game week (Mon-Sun), and the following teams have 4 games (Mon-Th) BAL, BOS, CIN, DET, HOU, MIA, MIN, NYM, NYY, PHI. WAS plays 4 in a row and then a Thurs-Sun trip in Coors which is notable.
Worst schedules:
Surprisingly there are only 10 games next Friday, the 7th, meaning that a third of the league is off. Ensure you have solid coverage so you aren’t bleeding at-bats over the weekend on NFBC.
Hot Commodities 🔥
| Garrett Cooper | MIA | 1B | $25-$30 | Consummate pro hitter, avoided in DCs due to health but worth rostering in 15s. |
| Jeimer Candelario | WAS | 3B | $25-$30 | Could have ROS value with park upgrade and great schedule. |
| Elehuris Montero | COL | 3B | $35-$45 | Big power bat with half his games in Coors, team looks committed to him and AVG is elevated at home. |
| Spencer Steer | CIN | 3B | $20-$30 | Similar to Montero a streamer at home, not a bad stab if available. |
| Jose Siri | TB | OF | $55-$75 | A big potential FAAB add if available, Siri has power/speed juice but AVG liability. |
| Trevor Larnach | MIN | OF | $40-$50 | Love the cleanup lineup spot and big 65 raw power. Growth isn’t always linear and Larnach could have a big campaign. |
| Alek Thomas | ARI | OF | $35-$45 | Great defense assures some PT and Thomas has solid speed. |
| Joey Wiemer | MIL | OF | $20-$30 | High variance shot in the dark, Wiemer hit tool is rough but power/speed, worth a look but don’t go crazy. |
| David Hensley | HOU | UT | $20-$30 | Recommended him last week, Hensley drew starts in the 2022 World Series and has great plate skills + speed. |
| Steven Matz | STL | P | $80-$120 | If available I would be aggressive in any format. |
| Michael Grove | LAD | P | $30-$45 | 2 step against COL/ARI and team context will attract plenty of attention. Could be legit, but don’t overbid. |
| Ryne Nelson | ARI | P | $30-$45 | Big fastball with SL/CU combo, Nelson has huge upside if he clicks, but bench for this 2-step. |
| Scott McGough | ARI | P | $50-$60 | Best potential closer spec in a messy bullpen. |
| Pierce Johnson | COL | P | $40-$60 | Best potential closer spec in a messy bullpen. Leverage ladder to him is sketchy and Coors is tougher than a $2 bill. |
| Yusei Kikuchi | TOR | P | $25-$30 | Following a good ST, Kikuchi gets @ KC which is manageable but his WHIP and track record say be cautious. |
| Kutter Crawford | BOS | P | $20-$25 | Good Stuff+ and beatable matchup vs PIT/DET if he gets that DET start. |
Serviceable Streamers ♻️
| Carlos Santana | PIT | 1B | $7-$12 | Regular in a good lineup spot, RBI producer. Switch hitter. |
| Ramon Urias | BAL | 2B/3B | $12-$16 | CI/MI guy with gold glove and pop in the bat, will sit but young enough to level up, good bloodlines. |
| Jonathan Schoop | DET | 2B | $5-$8 | Sloppy volume at this point but fills MI I suppose. |
| Christian Arroyo | BOS | 2B | $5-$8 | Filler but you can do worse. |
| Jace Peterson | OAK | 3B | $5-$8 | Filler but you can do worse. |
| Kerry Carpenter | DET | OF | $7-$12 | LHB with pop, had a monster 2022 MiLB campaign, worth rostering in all 15s. |
| David Peralta | LAD | OF | $5-$8 | Filler but you can do worse. |
| Corey Dickerson | WAS | OF | $5-$8 | Vanilla but great schedule this week and gets PT. |
| Nate Eaton | KC | OF | $10-$15 | Speed demon could see regular ABs, monitor his usage. Empty player but some speed. |
| Kyle Gibson | PHI | P | $10-$15 | @ TEX is worth a look if you need an arm. BAL pitching is on the rise. |
| Josh Fleming | TB | P | $10-$15 | @ WAS start is interesting, great team context and good stuff. |
| Zach Plesac | CLE | P | $10-$15 | Double start @ OAK, vs. SEA, worth a gamble if you are feeling risky. |
| Matt Brash | SEA | P | $1-$3 | Might be able to vulture occasional saves, exciting skills. |
| Bryan Abreu | HOU | P | $1-$3 | Might be able to vulture occasional saves, exciting skills. |
| Hector Neris | HOU | P | $1-$3 | Might be able to vulture occasional saves, exciting skills. |
| Rafael Montero | HOU | P | $1-$3 | Might be able to vulture occasional saves, exciting skills. |
Spec Plays👓
| Canaan Smith-Njigba | PIT | OF | $1-$3 | Drew some starts for PIT, probably not ready for The Show but he’s a free stash that will cost basically nothing but a roster spot. |
| Josh H. Smith | TEX | 3B/OF | $1-$5 | Swiss army knife type of guy who plays better in AL-Only. Empty player but he is a ballplayer who the manager will like and can trickly in stats slowly. |
| Will Brennan | CLE | OF | $1-$5 | Great stash in my mind as a guy with a big-time hit tool and decent SB upside, needs an injury or Straw to worsen even further. |
| Drey Jameson | ARI | P | $15-$30 | Great pitching stash as a multi-inning RP with talent, D-Bax rotation has openings once they are willing to admit it. |
| Johnny Cueto | MIA | P | $4-$8 | Desperation start only, too early to do this, but Cueto does get length usually going 5-6+ IP. |
| Braxton Garrett | MIA | P | $1-$3 | Solid stash in case someone in Marlin’s rotation hits IL. |
| Daniel Hudson | LAD | P | $1-$3 | Solid stash in case the plan is for him to be the LAD CL. |
| Bryce Elder | ATL | P | $5-$8 | @ STL is a no for me even with pitchers I like let alone Elder. |
| Kyle Muller | OAK | P | $5-$10 | A guy you can add to your bench to see what develops, he’s never had a real shot at an MLB rotation, there is a little upside but don’t spend a lot to stash him and see what occurs. |
Dynasty Darlings 💎
| Lawrence Butler | OAK | OF | $75-$100 | Hot ticket item for power/speed, improves each year. |
| Rayne Doncon | LAD | 3B | $50-$60 | Impressive run in rookie ball last year, growth stock. |
| Keiner Delgado | NYY | INF | $25-$30 | Great DSL campaign in ’22, hype train could build. |
| Luis Guanipa | ATL | OF | $5-$10 | Cheap J2 upside stab in proven good org. |
| Matthew Liberatore | STL | P | $60-$70 | Increased velocity and softspots in STL rotation, elite team context and defense. |
| River Ryan | LAD | P | $30-$45 | The next big LAD arm, if you missed Gavin Stone, don’t miss River Ryan. |
| Miguel Ullola | HOU | P | $5-$10 | 120 Ks in 72 IP last year, could be another HOU pitching win. |
Drop Department ✂️
| Chas McCormick | HOU | OF | Drop | Everyday PT was big selling point and that’s not happening. |
| Christopher Morel | CHC | 2B/OF | Drop | Optioned and can be cut, I am trying to avoid stashing too much. |
| Juan Yepez | STL | OF | Drop | Optioned and can be cut, I am trying to avoid stashing too much. |
| Oswaldo Peraza | NYY | SS | Drop | Optioned and can be cut, I am trying to avoid stashing too much. |
| Grayson Rodriguez | BAL | P | HOLD | Do not drop this guy. |
| Brandon Pfaadt | ARI | P | HOLD | Do not drop this guy. |
If you have any questions about any drops or any questions in general, feel free to reach out to me directly @lucasbiery33