Daily Dr. Roto — March 14
Fantasy Preview in a Nutshell: New York Mets
Players to Watch
Yoenis Cespedes — Cespedes is one of the best power hitters in baseball when he is locked in, but right now he is experiencing some soreness in his wrist. X-Rays have come back negative, but he took a cortisone shot recently, and he deserves to be watched closely over the coming ten days. Cespedes is expected to bat second in the batting order which should let him feast on fastballs; it could be an exciting year for him if he can stay off the DL.
Michael Conforto — Speaking of the DL, Conforto is going to begin the season on the DL as he recovers from off-season left shoulder surgery. The good news is that he is progressing nicely in rehab and is even expected to play in one or two spring training games. Look for Conforto to miss the first month of the season, but he could make a big impact from May 1st onward.
Jay Bruce — Bruce is expected to hit third for the Mets this season and the team is going to need to him to concentrate on improving his OBP (.324 last season). Bruce is a big power hitter, so I am not sure that third is the right spot for him, but the Mets are desperate for offense and Bruce might provide solid Fantasy numbers this year if he can get off to a hot start.
Amed Rosario — Rosario is a key piece to the Mets future, so the team is going to take its time with him and make sure that he is put in a position to succeed. This means that he will bat in the lower part of the order and might even get a few games off against tough LHP. I love Rosario in dynasty formats, but in redraft leagues, there are plenty of other guys who will help you more.
Travis d’Arnaud — I really think that one-year d’Arnaud will fulfill his vast potential. Normally, catchers take longer to mature as power hitters. At 29, d’Arnaud might be ready to take that leap forward. There is virtually no pressure on d’Arnaud at this point so take a shot on him as your second catcher and hope that he continues to hit well against LHP and gets a few starts against RHP too.
Wilmer Flores — Here is a public service announcement to all MLB DFS players: Flores rakes against LHP and his is almost a must-start against them. He is also sneaky good in season-long leagues as he qualifies for at least two positions (1B and 3B) and maybe even more (2B and SS) over the course of the season.
Jacob deGrom — As good as Noah (Thor) Syndergaard is, I think the key to the Mets pitching staff is deGrom. He has been dealing with some back issues this spring, but when he is healthy, he is a certain 3rd round pick. As of now, deGrom’s back doesn’t seem like it will prevent him from missing any time and I think that cagey Fantasy players can use his injury to their advantage. When deGrom’s name gets called out at your auction, just say “back injury” as loud as possible and see if that drives three or four teams out of the bidding.
Matt Harvey — FullTime Fantasy Sports baseball maven, Shawn Childs, has been talking about a return to prominence for Harvey for the past two seasons. I respect Shawn more than 99% of people in our industry, so if he tells me to take a chance on Harvey figuring it out, I might just do that. Harvey is going to cost $1-2 at auction or a 25-29th round draft pick. The upside is there if he can stay in the Mets’ rotation for the entire season; he just needs his confidence back as well as his strikeout pitch.
