Daily Dr. Roto—April 6, 2018
Early FAAB Thoughts
Hitters
Max Stassi — If you are in desperate need of a second catcher, you could do a lot worse than Stassi. He hits in a great lineup and the Astros seem to want to give Brian McCann more rest than ever before. There is upside here for about 10-15 HRs if Stassi gets 300 at bats.
Chris Iannetta — He’s probably taken in your league, but in case he’s not, go put a bid in on Iannetta. He plays half his games in Coors Field and I think 15-50 is possible for him this season.
Jose Martinez — Martinez might be one of my favorite hitters in FAAB this week. Don’t worry about his slow start—he’s a professional hitter who should hit over .300 for the season with 20-80 potential.
Paul DeJong — I know I told you multiple times about this guy in pre-season!!! Now you are going to have to pay up for him if you want him in FAAB. He’s going to hit 30 HR, so don’t be afraid to be aggressive in your bidding.
Yolmer Sanchez — Getting lost with how good Matt Davidson has been thus far is Sanchez who is hitting .400 to start the season. He’s not a big power source (think 12-15 HR) but he is a solid player who is improving at the plate.
Dansby Swanson — I’ve mentioned him as a post-hype sleeper a few times now and I think this might be the last week you will be able to add him on the cheap. I love the 15-15 upside here.
Nick Ahmed — Don’t overbid for a light hitting SS who has gotten off to a hot start. I fully expect his batting average to come down significantly in the coming weeks.
Christina Villanueva — You just know that someone in your league is going to overbid on this guy—don’t let it be you! While he might end up being a 20-80 player (at best) I am just not sure that his limited potential is worth 20% of your FAAB budget. If you want to bid $100 out of your $1000 I am okay with that amount, but more than that I think you might regret it come September.
Brian Anderson — Anderson has been the Marlins best hitter and someone who needs to be picked up in FAAB, but I am a little worried about what will happen with his playing time when Martin Prado returns from the DL. The Marlins desperately want to move Prado (and his salary) in a trade, but they are going to need to showcase him first. Hopefully, this does not come at the expense of Anderson’s playing time.
Derek Dietrich — Dietrich is not that great a player, but I do like his potential positional flexibility moving forward. He is a “plug and play” type who can help in case of injuries. I wouldn’t spend more than a buck or two on him in FAAB, but he might end up being more useful than you expect.
Preston Tucker — Tucker has been on fire thus far in the season but be very careful bidding on him this week. Tucker is the placeholder for Ronald Acuna who is expected to be up within a month. Once Acuna is up, Tucker will be nothing more than a 4th OF who needs an injury to see significant playing time.
Pitchers
Eduardo Rodriguez — He’s expected to come off the DL this weekend and should be picked up ASAP if he is available in your league.
Alex Cobb — Cobb is expected to start for the Orioles next week after missing all of spring training. I have mixed feeling about Cobb. On the one hand I think he is a decent pitcher who could provide some stability to the Orioles rotation. On the other hand, I worry that he is going to get lit up in Camden Yards and have an ERA closer to 5.00 than to 4.00. Tread carefully here.
Jake Junis — Junis looked great in his first start and should be a solid pickup in FAAB. Be careful, though, as the Royals stink and Junis might struggle to win 10 games this season.
Tyler Skaggs — Skaggs has always had the potential to be a top starter; he just hasn’t been able to stay healthy. He’s on the top of my pickup list this week.
Marco Gonzales — Gonzales doesn’t get many strikeouts (which can hurt you in a K/9 IP league), but his ERA and WHIP will be decent, and he is well worth a few bucks.
Tyler Mahle — Credit to Shawn Childs who loved Mahle this off-season. Mahle’s first start was a gem and while I doubt he replicates that anytime soon, he still should have a spot nailed down in the Reds’ horrific rotation.
Trevor Williams — Williams pitched pretty well in the second half of last season and he followed that up with an outstanding first start for the Pirates. My problem with Williams is that he does not throw hard and needs excellent location to succeed. This could mean that he has some games where he lets up six runs in two innings. So, while I am intrigued but his ability, I cannot pay full price for him.
Reynaldo Lopez — Lopez looked phenomenal in his first start for the White Sox. So long as he can curtail the walks, he could be special. Be careful though, as he is wildly inconsistent, and I think it might be foolish to count on him as a rotation savior.
Kyle Gibson — I do not trust Gibson, but he did look great in the spring and has had two decent starts thus far. Worth a buy and hold to see if he has turned the corner.
Joe Jimenez — It’s only a matter of time before Shane Greene implodes and loses his job.
Kenyan Middleton — Blake Parker stinks and the team seems to like Cam Bedrosian in the Andrew Miller-type role. If Parker continues to struggle, Middleton might be the next man up as closer.
Jacob Barnes — In case Knebel is out for a while, it might be that Barnes becomes the closer instead of Hader. Regardless, Barnes is worth $2-3 as a top setup man.
Jack Flaherty — He was sent down when Adam Wainwright was activated from the DL, but it’s only a matter of time until he is pitching every 5th day in St. Louis. If your league allows minor league pickups, go stash Flaherty now.
German Marquez — Marquez is still very raw, but he has the second-best arm on the Rockies staff. Keep an eye on him moving forward if he can figure out a way to harness his stuff.
