Philadelphia Phillies
Players to Watch
Rhys Hoskins — One of the biggest problems with Fantasy Baseball owners is their need to see things happen multiple times before believing something to be true. For instance, I think a lot of Fantasy owners still have doubts about whether Rhys Hoskins can hit major league pitching consistently. I have no doubts that Hoskins is a force in the middle of the Phillies’ lineup. The only problem I have with Hoskins is whether he will be comfortable defensively in LF. A lot of times players take bad defense with them to their next at bat which can often lead to struggles at the plate. So long as Hoskins succeeds in the OF, I think he will follow with success at the plate and hit 30-100 in the middle of the Phillies solid lineup.
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Pittsburgh Pirates
Players to Watch
Starling Marte — I should rightfully never draft Starling Marte again after he killed my chances of winning LABR and Tout Wars with his 80-game suspension. But, the key to winning in Fantasy Sports is to have a short memory, so I am willing to forget the past and pay up for Marte again this season. It’s easy to like Marte’s skill set: he hits for a good average, he scores runs, he steals a ton of bases, and he has decent power. Put all those skills together for 600 at bats and you have the makings of an All-Star OF.
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San Diego Padres
Players to Watch
Eric Hosmer — Hosmer signed a big offseason contract to play 1B for the Padres, so now there are high expectations for him to help revitalize this franchise. Can he deliver? I tend to doubt it. Hosmer is not known for his power and moves to one of the hardest parks in MLB to hit home runs. I can see him going 20-100 in the middle of the Padres lineup which might help the Padres, but I am not sure that it helps Fantasy owners. I think Hosmer would be a better fit in the corner infield spot for Fantasy owners than at first base this season.
Wil Myers — I was originally surprised that the Padres went after Hosmer so aggressively because they already had Wil Myers at first base. Now the plan is to move Myers to the outfield every day which could have some issues. As I have said before, I believe that players take lousy defense with them to their next at-bat. If Myers is not comfortable in the outfield (and makes a bad play), he might not be thinking clearly at the plate. Additionally, there is more chance for an injury in the outfield than there is at first base. All this does not mean that I don’t like Myers — I do — it just means that if he struggles this season, I already have a good idea as to why.
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