We are just a few days into the 2018 baseball season. If you’re playing fantasy baseball, you’re still trying to figure out your roster. Should I cut bait with injured guys? Should I pick up someone who started out red hot?
We look at some players who started out hot, some who are struggling and maybe some guys who should be targeted in your free agent pool on April 1st, 2018.
I’ll be posting a weekly fantasy baseball F/M/K every Sunday this baseball season…so keep coming back!
Before I begin, let’s go over the F/M/K terminology. The guys that I list under “F*ck” are guys that are currently hot and you need to pick them up. “Marry”, are guys that you need to stick with the whole season, even if they are struggling a bit. “Kill”, are guys that need to be dropped for better players in the free agent pool.
2B Scott Kingery – Philadelphia Phillies – 58.5% owned – Kingery is the best middle infield prospects in their farm system. His bat & glove were ready for the big leagues, but many weren’t sure if they were going to send him to the minor to avoid Super Two status and keep him under team control for an extra year. He made the club and is becoming a super utility player. He was on fire this Spring and he is 4 for 9 so far this year. He has a lot of pop and could hit for a nice average as well. Also, he could eventually get 3B-eligibility if he plays eight or nine more games there.
3B/DH Matt Davidson – Chicago White Sox – 62.3% owned – Davidson has been a quadruple-A player since they acquired him back in 2013 from the Diamondbacks in the Addison Reed trade. He finally latched on as an everyday player last season, but still only hit .220 and hit 26 homers. Also, his .OBP was only .260 and struck out 165 times in only 414 at-bats. Davidson hit three homers on Opening Day and he’s worth a short-term pick-up. I doubt you’ll want him for a long stretch, but if he stays hot for a week or so, maybe you can sell-high in a trade.
RP Brad Boxberger – Arizona Diamondbacks – 46.6% owned – Boxberger had success closing out games for the Tampa Bay Rays and was a dark horse to get the closer job on Opening Day. Arizona has a few guys with closing experience like Yoshihisa Hirano (in Japan) and Archie Bradley. DBacks manager Torey Lovullo decided to keep Bradley as his setup man and gave the closer job to Boxberger. I think he will run away with the job and not look back.
RP Hunter Strickland – San Francisco Giants – 34.2% owned – Due to Mark Melancon’s elbow injury, Strickland was named the interim closer. He hasn’t been in this role since 2014, but he has already closed two games for the Giants without any issues. The Giants also have Tony Watson in the wings if Strickland struggles. There is no timetable for Melancon to return, so Strickland is worth a short-term pick-up…but could turn into a long-term closer if he dominates.
SP Jake Odorizzi – Minnesota Twins – 39.7% owned – Odorizzi started out the year with six scoreless innings against Baltimore, but he picked up the no-decision. He was one of the guys I focused on late in fantasy drafts. The AL Central is weaker than the AL East talent he faced most games as a member of the Tampa Bay Rays. I think he will be a very solid fantasy pitcher this season.
1B Jose Martinez – St. Louis Cardinals – 64.6% owned – He is the everyday first baseman for the Cardinals. There was thought that he would be in a time-share platoon with Matt Carpenter, but Martinez is the man there. Martinez should hit for a good average as he was a .300+ hitter in the high-minor leagues. He also has some pop and should eclipse the 20+ homer total this season. He’s worth a pick-up in your league.
OF Mitch Haniger – Seattle Mariners – 45.2% owned – I featured Haniger in my F/M/K articles plenty of times last season. He would have been a top-30 outfielder last season if he could have stayed healthy. He has started out this season 4 for 6 with a solo home run. He’s a guy you should pick-up now and could supplant and outfielder in your lineup everyday.
2B Tim Beckham – Baltimore Orioles – 22.2% owned – I’m not sure why Beckham’s ownership percentage is so low. It might be ‘prospect fatigue’ as fantasy owners tend to add a top prospect to their teams early and just lose patience with him. Beckham was added and cut many times over the last three seasons. He finally had a breakout season in 2017. After a midseason trade to the Orioles, he hit .306 with 12 homers in just 230 at-bats. Strikeouts will always be an issue with him, but he should be a very good fantasy middle infielder.
SP Lucas Giolito – Chicago White Sox – 65.0% owned – Giolito was once one of the best pitching prospects in baseball. He was acquired in a marquee trade from the Nationals, but hasn’t been able to put it all together in the Majors. He finished with a 2.04 ERA this Spring and was their best starter. I think he’s worth a spot on your team as he has a very high upside. The only downside is that he may not be able to tally too many wins on a bad White Sox team.
SP Drew Pomeranz – Boston Red Sox – 49.6 % owned – Pomeranz is dealing with a forearm flexor strain, which isn’t something that should affect his performance long-term. It isn’t an injury that precedes something more serious like a UCL tear. Pomeranz won 17 games for the Red Sox last season and will be one of their best starters this season right behind Chris Sale. Stick him in a DL spot and he should be back in mid-April.
C J.T. Realmuto – Miami Marlins – 90.0% owned – I understand that a team needs a catcher, but I’m not sure why people are dumping him right now. He will be back in a week or two and it’s not worth missing out on his production for the remaining 93% of the season. Don’t drop him for guys likes Yasmani Grandal or Chris Iannetta. Realmuto should be a 100% owned catcher.
1B/DH Logan Morrison – Minnesota Twins – 66.6% owned – Morrison has went 0 for 6 to start the season, but there shouldn’t be a panic to drop him. He had a breakout 2017 season after focusing on launch angles. As I said earlier, the AL Central is pretty bad and he will be facing a lot of bad pitchers this season. Keep him on your team.
2B Paul DeJong – St. Louis Cardinals – 81.3% owned – DeJong was a guy I circled as a target in fantasy drafts this season. I didn’t manage to get him in any leagues, but it was mostly because I was able to get other second baseman earlier in the draft that fell to me. DeJong will be a very good middle infielder this season. His drop in ownership could be from people dropping him to pick up Scott Kingery, or hot starters Joe Panik and Scooter Gennett. DeJong should have better numbers this season than both Panik and Gennett.
3B Evan Longoria – San Francisco Giants – 86.1 % owned – Longoria has started out the season 0 for 11 against a very good Dodgers pitching staff. He should be just fine and shouldn’t be dropped for Matt Davidson or Josh Harrison. Longoria still has plenty in the tank and it just started off the year against a very good pitching staff.
OF Max Kepler – Minnesota Twins – 55.2% owned – Kepler started out the year 3 for 7 with a solo home run. He’s a very streaky player, but he should become more stable as he gains experience. I’m guessing his drop in ownership is due to owners picking up guys like Kole Calhoun and Mitch Haniger. I think he’s a better fantasy player than Calhoun and slightly better long-term than Haniger.
RP Hector Neris – Philadelphia Phillies – 78.6% owned – It has been at least four or five seasons since a Phillies closer has been a consistent source of saves in fantasy. The Phillies are a better overall team and should have plenty of saving opportunities. Neris hasn’t had a save opportunity this season, but gave up a three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth in a tie game. Neris should keep his job as closer and be just fine. Closers are a rare breed as they struggle when they pitch in non-save situations. I wouldn’t drop Neris as he came into a game the next day, in a non-save situation ,and pitched a 1-2-3 inning.
OF David Dahl – Colorado Rockies – 6.9% owned – *DEEP LEAGUE ALERT* – Once Dahl gets healthy, he could be another Nolan Arenado/Corey Dickerson-type of fantasy player. I’m not saying he will be right on their level, but right below for sure. He missed nearly the entire year last year with a stress fracture in his rib. He’s starting the year in Triple-A, but if he destroys pitching down there, they will need to figure out what to do with him. It’s a shame they decided to re-sign Carlos Gonzalez, as Dahl will face a logjam in the outfield.
1B Greg Bird – New York Yankees – 61.9% owned – Bird is one of the unluckiest players in all of baseball. Things just haven’t went the right way for him, and injuries get in the way when he’s on a roll. Bird will miss the first two month of the season after removing a bone spur in his ankle. Tyler Austin is taking over a first base and has already hit two (game-tying and game-winning) homers in his first six at-bats. Austin could have the job permanently if he keeps his power stroke. Bird isn’t worth your previous DL-spot…it’s time to dump him.
SP Alex Cobb – Baltimore Orioles – 41.4% owned – I wasn’t high on Cobb going into the offseason. He landed in the AL East, where he has experience with the Rays. I just didn’t think he was a good fit. His first start isn’t until April 14th and it’s against the Red Sox. I think he should be dropped in standard leagues and stream pitchers with your open roster spot. I don’t have high hopes for Cobb this year.
OF Willie Calhoun – Texas Rangers – 8.0% owned – Texas sent Calhoun down to the minors and he will be there until after the Super Two deadline. It will be early-May until he is called up. He should be a solid fantasy outfielder, but I just hate having guys who won’t be ‘special’ taking up a precious bench spot in standard leagues.
1B Eric Thames – Milwaukee Brewers – 74.4% owned – Thames started out on fire last season, but fell off a cliff after the second month of the season. He found himself in a platoon and that’s where he is at the moment. Ryan Braun has moved to first base to help the logjam in the outfield. Thames is on the wrong side of the platoon/time-share and should be dropped. You should go pick-up NYY’s Tyler Austin or even Kansas City’s Lucas Duda.
C Yasmani Grandal – Los Angeles Dodgers – 61.6% owned – Unless you’re using Grandal while Salvador Perez or J.T. Realmuto occupies your DL-spot, there are better catchers out there than Grandal. He’s in a time-share with Austin Barnes and could eventually end up on the wrong side of it. Also, Grandal doesn’t have a second position to play as first base is taken by Cody Bellinger. I’d rather have Brian McCann, Jonathan Lucroy or Welington Castillo over Grandal.
SP Danny Duffy – Kansas City Royals – 86.9% owned – Duffy has been dealing with a shoulder injury since March 24th. I knew the Royals were pushing the timetable a bit too hard as he gave up five earned runs in four innings. I have always thought of Duffy as a borderline streaming pitcher in standard leagues. There are guys out there that are more consistent and will be in a better position to get wins.
RP Fernando Rodney – Minnesota Twins – 45.4% owned – I’m just not sold on Rodney as a closer on a potential playoff team. He is streaky and things can go bad in a hurry. I think the Twins will wake up and put Addison Reed in the closer job if Rodney struggles like he did in his first appearance. If you’re looking for a current closer on your waiver wire that I like more than Rodney, I’d pick-up Arizona’s Brad Boxberger or LAA’s Blake Parker.
OF Kevin Kiermaier – Tampa Bay Rays – 75.5% owned – He started out the year 1 for 11 and the Rays don’t have any help around him in the lineup. The other two outfielders Carlos Gomez and Denard Span are 2/11 and 2/7 respectively. He made it clear this offseason he was unhappy as the Rays unloaded nearly everyone worth a damn. I look at Kiermaier as a good streaming bench guy and that’s about it right now. I’d rather have waiver wire outfielders Arizona’s David Peralta, LAA’s Kole Calhoun or Miami’s Lewis Brinson.
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About the Author…
Bobby Roberts (otherwise known as Sweetbob) is the creator of ‘America’s White Boy’ and contributor at Project Shanks. His writing has been featured on ESPN’s ‘SportsNation’, Sports Illustrated’s Hot Clicks, Guyspeed, and various other sites. You can follow him on Twitter at @Sweetbob.