Daily Dr. Roto—March 28, 2019
Reliever Stock Watch
Catcher | First Base | Second Base| Short Stop | Third Base | Starting Pitcher | Relief Pitcher
Three Up, Three Down
As Fantasy Baseball Drafts are fast approaching, I will give you three guys that I am keying on (and avoiding) at my upcoming drafts:
Three Up Relievers:
Jose Alvarado — If Kevin Cash is willing to give him the reigns, I know he has the arm to be dominant. There could be 40+ save upside here if you are willing to take the risk.
Alex Colome — I always thought that he was going to beat Herrera out for the job based on his skill set. The White Sox are not the greatest team, but even teams who win 75 games will often get 35-40 save chances for their closer. Colome is going in the 20th round of most drafts and I love him as a late round flyer.
Jose Leclerc — if you can’t draft Osuna, Hand, Treinen, or Diaz then take a shot on Leclerc in Round 9. He was dominant last season and the Rangers seem committed to giving him the ball in the late innings this season. While I do worry about his lack of chances on a bad ballclub, I believe in his skills.
Three Down Relievers:
Hunter Strickland — I know Strickland got two saves last week in Japan, but I think he is anything but a sure thing. The Mariners are a rebuilding team and they signed Strickland to a one-year deal in the off-season which most likely means that he will be traded to a contender come the All-Star break. He could have 20 saves by June and zero after that.
Sean Doolittle — Doolittle has a terrific arm, but he never can seem to stay healthy. I don’t mind drafting him, but be careful to overpay for a closer with a history of arm trouble which can resurface at any time. In fact, the best advice I can give in general is to bid on one closer and then take some shot on setup men just in case.
Sergio Romo — Much like Strickland, the Marlins paid Romo peanuts to come to the NL to be their part-time closer until either Drew Stenckenrider or Adam Conley is ready to assume the full-time job. I can easily see Romo being traded to a contender (Boston?) by the All-Star Break. Prior to that happening I would expect good numbers, but I am not sure he will reach double-digit saves in Miami.