Daily Dr. Roto—March 28(a)
Fantasy Preview in a Nutshell: Texas Rangers
Players to Watch
Joey Gallo — Is that Jerry Callo? No, it’s Joey Gallo with a “G.” You might not remember that My Cousin Vinny reference, but you certainly will remember how much power Gallo has in his bat. He is a sure bet to hit 30+ HR in the middle of the Rangers lineup, and he also qualifies at two different positions. I do worry about Gallo’s batting average as he could flirt with an Adam Dunn-like .220 if he’s not careful, but I would hope for the best when selecting him as if he hits .250 or higher he could be a huge weapon in any Fantasy lineup.
Rougned Odor — Odor smelled putrid last year for his Fantasy owners. While his power and speed numbers were solid, his batting average was so low that he decimated teams in that category. Overall, I think Odor is more like a .260 hitter than a .217 hitter so I am willing to give him another chance. His skills set is huge, and he is still only 24 years old, even though it seems like he’s been around for about 10 seasons.
Elvis Andrus — Andrus had a sensational 2017 showing his Fantasy owners the pop and speed they had been anticipating from him for years. I am not one to usually tout regression, but I could see a 15% regression from him this year. What this means is that he is still a pretty solid Fantasy selection, but he is going higher in drafts than I think he is worth. I will take Andrus as a 7th Round pick, but if someone wants to jump up before that and get him, I am okay with that.
Adrian Beltre — Beltre is supposedly 38 years old, although it wouldn’t shock me if he really was over 40. What I know to be true though is that he is a surefire Hall of Famer who provides consistent numbers every year for his Fantasy owners. I think you can pencil a .290 batting average to go along with 20-85 for Beltre. In a time where numbers seem to fluctuate all the time, it is never a bad thing to have a reliable consistent star on a Fantasy team.
Delino DeShields — High stakes players always seem to have a “guy” that they like who rockets up drafts in Las Vegas out of nowhere. This year’s guy is Deshields—and it makes a lot of sense. DeShields will hit leadoff for the Rangers and could easily hit .265 or so with 8-10 HR. Moreover, if he bats leadoff there’s a good chance he scores 90 runs and steals 30-35 bases. Those in the know will take DeShields before Round 10. I would encourage you to do the same. If a high stakes player is willing to pay $1750 for a team, they usually have a few sneaky plays up their sleeve.
Willie Calhoun — Calhoun has already been sent down to Triple A to work on his awful defense. However, what is not awful is his bat. Calhoun is lethal and will be another masher in the middle of the Rangers lineup when he is called up in May. I would certainly draft him and be patient and wait for him to come up and dominate.
Keone Kela — The word out of Texas is that Kela is expected to be the team’s closer. I think this is more because Alex Claudio can work in high pressure situations and the team wants to use him as their ‘Effector.” If this is true, then Kela will be the beneficiary of the save opportunities that the Rangers have. He is a hard throwing RHP who can get the big K when he needs it. I have no problem taking a shot with him as my second closer late in drafts.
