Daily Dr. Roto — March 22
Fantasy Preview in a Nutshell: 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.
Manuel Margot — Here is a visionary move: I often look for players who have similar stats as other players with higher ADPs to see if I can save value and get them much later at drafts. Here’s an example: Player 1–.275 20/75/90/30; Player 2–.275/18/65/80/30 Player 1 is Byron Buxton the Twins OF who most people are taking in the 3rd or 4th round of most drafts. Player 2 is Manuel Margot who you can get in like round 8-9. Margot is a Rip Van Winkle Special this season.
Dinelson Lamet — I really like Lamet to have a big year. He is young, has an elite slider, and struck out tons of batters last season. Now is probably your last chance to get him since other Fantasy owners might be scared off by his walk rate. I think he figures it all out and becomes an ace.
Brad Hand — Hand really stepped up and became the stopper that the Padres had lacked for years. He had a 5:1 K to walk rate and at times looked so dominant that no one could hit him (he let up only 54 hits in 79 IP). Can he do it again this season? I think the answer is yes and the good thing is that he might be slightly devalued at drafts because many Fantasy owners believe that last year was a mirage.
Fernando Tatis Jr. — This kid is going to FLAT OUT RAKE. It’s just not going to happen until 2019 at the earliest. However, if you are in a dynasty league, feel free to draft him early as he could be one of the top hitters in baseball as soon as he is called up.
