The NFL scouting combine is a great opportunity for coaches and general managers to gauge the talent available to them in the upcoming draft. It’s also a chance for fantasy fans to get a glimpse at who could help their team during the 2018-19 season. Here are some of the players who stood out at the combine.
I like the current trajectory of the Colorado Rockies. They have been slowly amassing talent and all of their call-ups have been effective. They have many young position players in the minors, but they lack arms at that level. Could they flip a few of their blue chip prospects for a true ace?
Jon Gray has improved over the last two seasons, but can he be leaned up in pressure situations? Also, can the end-of-the-rotation starters hang with other team’s pitchers in the same role?
Charlie Blackmon had a career year in 2017. Can he keep up those numbers or is a regression candidate?
Here is the 2018 MLB season preview for the Colorado Rockies.
The Cleveland Indians are on a nice run. They’ve made the postseason a couple seasons in a row and have one of the most dynamic starting rotations in the Majors. They also saw young players like Francisco Lindor turn into MVP candidates.
After making the World Series in 2016, Cleveland didn’t stand pat and hope to make it again. They added power and bullpen arms to finish the job last season. They failed to make another World Series appearance, but their team was as dangerous as any other team in the Majors.
They come into this season with basically the same team. Can the Indians finally end their championship drought and win it all this season?
Here is the 2018 MLB season preview for the Cleveland Indians.
The Cincinnati Reds roughly two seasons into their rebuild and they now have some solid young players at the Major League level. It will be up to their coaches to keep them developing into a contender.
The starting rotation has been filled with rookies or second-year guys the last two seasons. Experience has been the tool the Reds have used to develop their arms. They have used a handful of guys and haven’t decided on a five-man rotation. The back-end is still up for grabs this Spring.
Which position players could the Reds call-up this season?
Here is the 2018 MLB season preview for the Cincinnati Reds.
The Chicago White Sox got off to a huge start to their rebuild when they traded Chris Sale to the Red Sox. They received some stud prospects in return and have been drafting near the top of the draft for a couple seasons.
They weren’t finished with making deals. They got another load of good prospects from the Cubs last season when they sent starter Jose Quintana across town. These trades have sped up the rebuilding process by a lot. Some players from this trade should contribute for the White Sox as early as this season.
Are the White Sox finished dealing? Could first baseman Jose Abreu be the next player to be moved?
Here is the 2018 MLB season preview for the Chicago White Sox.
The Chicago Cubs couldn’t repeat as World Series champions last year, but they still had a very good year. They ran into a better Dodgers team in the NLCS and were eliminated in five games.
This Cubs didn’t stand pat this offseason. They made some moves and cut some of the fat by deciding to not re-sign a few starters and let a few bullpen arms walk. They spent wisely by signing starter Yu Darvish to a pretty team-friendly contract. The Cubs did spend $126 million, but many thought Darvish could command a contract near $200 million at the start of the offseason.
Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant are perennial MVP candidates for the Cubs. Kyle Schwarber could be a guy on their level, but he has a rough year at the plate. He focused on his fitness this offseason and dropped weight. Will his power still be there?
Here is the 2018 MLB season preview for the Chicago Cubs.
The AL East is always a marathon. A team will need to stay healthy and be consistent over the course of the entire season. Also, the division winner will need to be willing to give up prospects at the trade deadline to acquire talent.
The Boston Red Sox definitely ‘went for it’ by giving up a lot of prospects for starter Chris Sale and it paid off last year. He picked up the slack when other former elite starters Rick Porcello and David Price were replacement-level starters for the Red Sox. Can he strikeout 300+ batters again this season?
Boston is once again in an arms race with the New York Yankees. The Sox had to make a big splash and signed slugger J.D. Martinez after the Yankees added Giancarlo Stanton. The AL East looks to be a two-team race again after the Orioles and Blue Jays took a step back last season.
Here is the 2018 MLB season preview for the Boston Red Sox.
Over the last decade, the AL East is one of the most competitive divisions in baseball. The Baltimore Orioles have been right up there with the Yankees and Red Sox in recent memory, but they took a step back last year.
Baltimore didn’t make many moves this offseason. They let some guys walk and didn’t make any big money deals. They could benefit from adding a free agent starter before the season, but they haven’t been tied to any of them.
Baltimore had a disappointing season in 2017 by only winning 75 games. Some young talent made huge strides, but at the same time, some of their high-priced talent didn’t live up to their paychecks. Can they compete for the division with their current roster?
Here is the 2018 MLB season preview for the Baltimore Orioles.
The Atlanta Braves have been marking time until their young talent matures enough to compete in the Majors. They haven’t been competitive for a few seasons, but they should start to see their win total increase over the next few seasons.
Atlanta’s rebuild has been going well, but the wheels nearly came off when their former general manager John Coppolella was caught up in a international signing scandal. MLB made an example of him and banned him for life. Former Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos stepped in this offseason.
Anthopoulos is known to have an itchy trading finger. Will this detail their long-term rebuilding plans?
Here is the 2018 MLB season preview for the Atlanta Braves.
Rookie manager Torey Lovullo oversaw a 29-win improvement over the 2016 season. They made the postseason and won the Wild Card game to advance to the NLDS. They did not fare well there as they were swept by the Dodgers.
The Arizona Diamondbacks had one of the most dynamic starting rotations in the Majors. They had a team ERA of 3.66, which was second in the National League. Robbie Ray and Zack Greinke were one of the best 1-2 combos in baseball.
The Diamondbacks lost power hitter J.D. Martinez this offseason. Did they add enough offense to their starting lineup to make up for such a huge loss?
Here is the 2018 MLB season preview for the Arizona Diamondbacks.
We finish up our fantasy baseball rankings by ranking the 75 best relief pitchers.
The top of the relief pitcher rankings are loaded with closers with secure jobs. There are also some sleepers on the list since a ton of closers start out the season on shaky ground or in a committee role.
The Yankeess demoted Aroldis Chapman late last season. He starts the season as closer, but does Dellin Betances find his way back into the role this season?
My rankings are based on a standard 5×5 league. If you have any specific questions about a different league, email me BobbyMcrib@gmail.com.
I’m a self-confessed vintage toy nerd. I collect vintage wrestling action figures from the 80’s & 90’s. I started purchasing some vintage toys out of nostalgia. Well, WWE and Mattel sucked me into their new stuff. I now buy a few figures a month. You can view photos of my collection on my Instagram account.
The lineup for WWE Elite series 58 has been known for awhile, but they have yet to be released. We’ve already seen up-close pictures as they were on display at a few toy shows this Winter.
The WWE Superstars included in Elite 58 are Matt Hardy, Mickie James, Braun Strowman, Dean Ambrose and The Bar (Sheamus and Cesaro).