Just on our third FAAB of the year, it feels like we are in full swing for fantasy baseball! We have another week to continue to compile the PAs and quality IP, while trying to gain an edge on our league mates. Let’s dive into the schedule first!
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Schedule Notes 🗓️
Thankfully all teams play Fri-Sun over the weekend, so we won’t need to pick anyone up for more coverage over the weekend to pad our PA totals.
Best schedules:
BAL, BOS, CIN, MIL, MIN, NYY, OAK, PHI, PIT SD, STL, TB all play a 7-game week (Mon-Sun). STL heads to Coors, and while it hasn’t warmed up there, the bats should see a BABIP boost in Coors.
Worst schedules:
The rest of the teams in the MLB play a 6-game schedule, so we avoid any of the dreaded 5 game weeks. The following teams have very tricky pitching matchups, so you may want to consider benching their fringey options: PIT (2 series against @ STL/HOU), CHC (facing SEA/LAD) and ARI (MIL and @ MIA).
Hot Commodities 🔥
| Francisco Alvarez | NYM | UT/C | $40-$80 | I am tempering my bids because he isn’t available to be used at catcher immediately and he isn’t playing everyday. As premium as the talent is, the Mets may be slow to throw him directly in the fire when Nido is more experienced in terms of managing the pitching staff. |
| Mitch Garver | TEX | UT/C | $20-$35 | Still a few weeks away from gaining the C eligibility, but The Bat projects him for a 127 wRC+, strong C2 potential if you have the flexibility to hold a bench stash with injury risk. |
| Brice Turang | MIL | 2B | $25-$40 | Slick fielding MI with speed and solid hit tool, light power projections concern me but he is worth a look for now. |
| Ji Hwan Bae | PIT | 2B/OF | $30-$50 | Picked up many places last week and he has a credibly good hit tool with speed, PIT getting him into the lineup in a multitude of ways. |
| Orlando Arcia | ATL | 2B | $25-$40 | Part of a premium lineup, looks like he will stick, is not a standout anywhere but could contribute a little bit everywhere. |
| Jake Burger | CWS | 3B | $25-$40 | Power potential with 3B eligibility. Career 15.5% barrel rate would have gotten him a FT job on a 2nd division club by now, but CWS has Moncada/Vaughn on the corners. |
| Brian Anderson | MIL | 3B/OF | $25-$40 | Even worth a look in 12ers due to the flexibility of use and is a 110 wRC+ guy (almost all in Miami) and he is getting a big park upgrade in MIL. |
| Joey Gallo | MIN | OF | $25-$40 | Better contact so far this year, full reset in MIN after the pressure of NY caused him to become a 4th OF with egregious contact woes. |
| Josh Lowe | TB | OF | $20-$25 | Power/speed option with CF glove, his AVG will be low despite good patience, I would be looking at him even in 12ers with Siri injured. |
| Joey Wiemer | MIL | OF | $40-$50 | MIL committed to giving him a good look and his hit tool looks better than I anticipated, but lots of guys have had a good start and gotten adjusted to, then sent back down… Be a little cautious despite the 20/20 potential. |
| Kyle Gibson | BAL | P | $35-$50 | Pure streamer but plus park and plus org. Usable 2-step vs OAK/CWS. |
| Seth Lugo | SD | P | $20-$30 | RP turned SP with a good outing, takes the ball on Sunday Night baseball, this start will oddly enough drastically change his FAAB value, I still don’t know if he’s a legit MLB SP. |
| Anthony DeSclafani | SF | P | $40-$55 | @ DET is worth it in 12ers and could be a ROS guy in both 12s/15s |
| Jhony Brito | NYY | P | $20-$30 | Kitchen sink guy with a good changeup and good command, worth a look in 15s to see what occurs. |
| Braxton Garrett | MIA | P | $15-$20 | @ Arizona is a managable start, has plenty of arm talent and could be a ROS guy if he performs and keeps spot. |
| Dylan Dodd | ATL | P | $15-$20 | @ KC will draw bids in all formats, ATL team context will increase those bids. Was a little hittable in AA last year but has roto upside. |
| Aroldis Chapman | KC | P | $25-$40 | Looks good again since he is pounding the zone and got a save chance, could be a half-closer. |
| Will Smith | TEX | P | $15-$20 | Could occasionally sneak in the save chances, especially if LeClerc falters. |
| Matt Brash | SEA | P | $25-$40 | Premium RH arm with a monster slider, must-add in all 15 teamers as a potential 9th P ROS, stock up with Munoz out. |
Serviceable Streamers ♻️
| Connor Wong | BOS | C | $5-$7 | BOS gets a ton of LHP and Wong has enough roto juice to be streamed as a C2 over blah options. |
| Ryan Noda | OAK | 1B | $5-$10 | Low AVG, high OBP guy with some power/speed, he’s interesting but don’t go crazy. |
| Christian Arroyo | BOS | 2B | $10-$20 | Faces flurry of LHP and Arroyo feasts on opposite handed pitching. |
| David Villar | SFG | 3B | $15-$20 | Receiving a lot of burn for SFG, was a blah prospect but did well in Minors in ’22, has power upside. |
| Gio Urshela | LAA | 3B/SS | $15-$20 | Multiple eligible high AVG guy who stole a bag, worth a shot as a bench floater type. |
| Myles Straw | CLE | OF | $15-$20 | I am not a fan of Straw but if you need SBs I understand the gamble, just be very cautious of your power if you start him. |
| Alec Burleson | STL | OF | $15-$20 | 3 in Coors and 4 vs PIT, Burleson has fascinating skills and could be a .260 AVG, 22 HR bat with ROS juice. Has hit in the 2 spot this year. |
Spec Plays👓
| Yainer Diaz | HOU | UT/C | $3-$6 | Taking a long time to get C appearances, and can only be stashed in leagues with no stashes since the Astros love Maldy defense, but he has nice upside in the bat. |
| Gabriel Arias | CLE | 3B | $1 | CLE is finding places for him to play, but very speculative, former solid prospect. |
| Michael A. Taylor | MIN | OF | $1 | Pure desperation OF option, he is playing a lot. Aim higher but he’s there if beyond desperate. |
| Alek Thomas | ARI | OF | $15-$25 | Former top 30 prospect that was discarded by many but has solid contact, good wheels and premium CF D to secure PT. |
| Alex Call | WAS | OF | $1 | Speculative OF play getting PT. |
| Luke Raley | TB | OF | $3-$5 | Speculative OF play getting PT. Good 58.3% HHR. |
| Tyler Wells | BAL | P | $15-$18 | Worth your attention, Wells has upside to grow into a sometimes start SP which is huge for 15 teamers. Rotation spot could be lost when Bradish returns. |
| Chris Flexen | SEA | P | $3-$5 | SEA SP draws the Cubs but skills are light. I am not this desperate yet. Might only go 4 IP with limited K stuff. |
| Dylan Floro | MIA | P | $12-$15 | Could nibble away at AJ Puk’s save opps, I think he should be rostered in all 15s. Puk gets hurt a lot too. |
Dynasty Darlings 💎
| Marco Raya | MIN | P | $20-$30 | Prep arm with a solid looking FB and some good secondaries, growth stock to invest in via FAAB. |
| Ben Brown | CHC | P | $20-$30 | Big Cubs arm, even if he doesn’t make it as a starter, his stuff could lead him to roto gold as an elite closer. |
| Jordan Diaz | OAK | INF | $20-$30 | MLB ready bat who has endless opportunity ahead of him in OAK, shouldn’t be available in any dynasty league where 200 prospects are rostered. |
| Otto Lopez | TOR | INF | $10-$15 | Likely Big Leaguer who could draw some occasional starts since his glove plays up the middle and he has speed, better in extremely deep formats where PT is king. |
| Camilo Diaz | HOU | INF | $1-$3 | High money J2 prize for the Astros, premium power/speed tools with an unproven hit tool but he’s a lottery ticket I have tucked away in spots. |
Drop Department ✂️
| Austin Meadows | DET | OF | Drop | Truly hope Meadows can get his mind right and I’m happy he is prioritizing his healthy, but a big selling point for him is volume and he won’t be getting that being away. |
| Jared Schuster | ATL | P | Drop | Flat out drop. |
| Spencer Turnbull | DET | P | Drop | Start is poor enough to pull the plug. |
| Ken Waldichuk | OAK | P | Drop | Start is poor enough to pull the plug. |
If you have any questions about any drops or any questions in general, feel free to reach out to me directly @lucasbiery33