Daily Dr. Roto — May 21, 2018
Fantasy Baseball News and Notes
— The Nationals called up 19-year old phenom Juan Soto to the majors this weekend to play in left field. Soto has been crushing the ball all year in the minors, and with Howie Kendrick out for the season, the Nationals took a chance and brought Soto up to see if he can provide a spark for their offense. Is he worth the high amount of FAAB that it will probably cost to get him? No, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t a good pickup. More often than not, young players tend not to break out under the age of 20. Soto is going to be a star in this league, perhaps even a superstar, but it just might take him until he is 21 years old to do it.
— I am not exactly sure where Tigers C/1B John Hicks is going to play when Miguel Cabrera is healthy, but I do know that Hicks is deserving of regular playing time. If Hicks is catcher eligible in your league, I would contact his owner to see if he might be willing to move him. He’s underrated and could be valuable on a bad Tigers offense.
— I am not sure if he’s ever going to get enough playing time, but Brewers 1B Jesus Aguilar more than deserves a chance to play every day. Aguilar mashes LHP and has six HRs in 89 at-bats this season. I think if he got a chance to play regularly he could hit 30 HR.
— I knew Braves 2B Ozzie Albies was going to be good, but I never thought that he would have 13 HRs at this point of the season. In fact, I saw him more as doubles, gap hitter type who could steal 20+ bases. I think the world of Albies as a prospect, but don’t go trading for him thinking he’s a power source. If I had to wager, I think he ends the season with fewer than 25 HRs.
— Minnesota Twins SS/3B Eduardo Escobar might be my favorite under the radar player right now in the American League. With Jorge Polanco suspended and Miguel Sano injured, Escobar has shown that he is deserving of playing regularly. Not only does he qualify at two positions, but he’s also shown surprising power in the middle of the Twins lineup. I also love to use him in DFS as a cheaper alternative to Machado, Story, etc.
— For all those owners who thought that Cardinals OF Tommy Pham was a one-year wonder, think again. Pham has been killing the ball this season (he’s hitting .344 over the last month) and has shown that his combination of power and speed is dynamic at the top of the Cardinals lineup. My only hesitation with Pham might (and I stress might) be in dynasty leagues. He’s 30 years old now which means he will only have 3-5 years left at his peak level. Regardless, I still love his skill set and think that he is one of the more underrated players in all of baseball.
