Fantasy Baseball Weekly Wrap Up
As Major League Baseball has been hit by the coronavirus pandemic in a big way, there is a lot of uncertainty of what lies ahead for baseball. Three teams -- Miami, Philadelphia, and St. Louis -- have had to have games canceled in turn affecting other clubs scheduled to play them like the New York Yankees, Toronto, Milwaukee, and Washington.
As MLB experiments with new extra-inning rules, expanded playoffs, universal DH, etc. fantasy baseball is one thing that remains unchanged. While it can be a headache trying to keep up with the latest cancellations and seven-inning double-headers, at least baseball is back.
This will be a weekly snapshot of the fantasy baseball landscape team by team.
AL East
New York Yankees
The Yankees had two games against the Phillies canceled this week and Aaron Judge returned from the mini-break with four straight games with a home run. The slugger drove in eight runs during that stretch...DJ LeMahieu is back to his old ways early this season. In six games, LeMahieu is batting .385...Jordan Montgomery has made his way back from Tommy John surgery and in his lone start this season, was very effective giving up one run in 5 2/3 innings. He could be a sneaky fantasy option this season and is worth keeping an eye on.
Boston Red Sox
Catcher Christian Vazquez has shown some power this season with four early home runs. In seven games, he is hitting .333. Vazquez is the top-ranked fantasy catcher by far. At a thin position, he could be a valuable asset. He is now owned in 84% of Yahoo leagues...After a disappointing year last year, Andrew Benintendi is off to a slow start this season going 2-for-24 with a .125 slugging percentage. As a Benintendi owner you probably need to hold him and hope he gets hot soon.
Tampa Bay Rays
Nick Anderson was a fairly high-priced closer this draft season and rightfully so, because he had excellent numbers last season and was seemingly locked into the Rays' closer role. Oliver Drake, however, has both Tampa Bay saves this season. Drake is owned in 28% of Yahoo leagues but Kevin Cash may mix and match at closer with some good bullpen options...No Rays regular position player is hitting .300 on the season. Shortstop Willy Adames leads the team with a .292 average...Hunter Renfroe leads the Rays with two home runs, but is hitting just .172.
Toronto Blue Jays
Teoscar Hernandez is a name of note for fantasy players. The outfielder has flashed a nice power-speed combination with four homers and two steals in just seven games. He is currently owned in 46% of Yahoo leagues. He doesn't profile as a high average hitter, but is currently hitting .321. He should have a nice role with the Blue Jays and the power and speed could be legit..With Ken Giles going on the injured list, Anthony Bass has made the most of his opportunity in the closer role picking up a save in his first chance. He has yet to give up a run this season in 4 1/3 innings of relief.
Baltimore Orioles
Third baseman Rio Ruiz has had a nice start to the season with three homers, seven RBIs, and a stolen base while hitting .318. He could be a deep league option as he is owned in just 3% of Yahoo leagues...Alex Cobb has been solid in two starts for the Orioles. He is 1-0 with a 2.89 ERA and eight strikeouts in 9 1/3 innings. It's hard to trust a Baltimore starting pitcher, but Cobb does have a track record of success even if it is not very recent.
AL CENTRAL
Cleveland Indians
Shane Bieber has been historically good in his first two starts of the season, allowing seven hits and no runs in his 14 innings. His 27 strikeouts lead the league and he looks like a dominant pitcher for years to come...Savvy fantasy owners have caught on to reliever James Karinchak. The young right-hander has shown dominant stuff so far and has even picked up a save. He is owned in 27% of Yahoo leagues. While he may not overtake Brad Hand, he could still provide excellent innings for your roto league with high strikeout numbers. He is worth adding now in case he does ascend to the closer role,
Chicago White Sox
Off-season addition Dallas Keuchel has pitched well in his two starts giving up four earned runs in 10 2/3 innings. His strikeout numbers are not impressive but he has value as a solid pitcher on a potentially good team...Second baseman Nick Madrigal got the call to the big leagues recently and recorded his first four hits on Sunday against the Royals. He's not a huge power hitter, but should be a big help in average and potentially steals.
Detroit Tigers
JaCoby Jones has been on a tear to start the season. Jones is currently the 18th ranked player in Yahoo leagues after hitting a whopping .423 with three homers and seven RBIs. Jones is part of a Tigers lineup that is improved with guys like C.J. Cron and Jonathan Schoop. Jones can be a streaky hitter, but might be worth taking a flier on...Matthew Boyd is 0-2 to start the season after giving up eight earned runs in two starts. He does have eight strikeouts with two walks and can be a good source of strikeouts if nothing else.
Kansas City Royals
Second baseman Whit Merrifield is on fire to start the season. He already has two 3-hit games and has three homers and nine RBIs with one stolen base as well. He is a great source of batting average and steals and if the power is legit then watch out...Rookie pitcher Brady Singer looked good in his first two starts, striking out 10 batters in 10 innings pitched. He is a highly regarded prospect and should stick in the Royals rotation. He could be a valuable add as he is owned in 30% of Yahoo leagues.
Minnesota Twins
The Twins are mashing again and it all starts with Nelson Cruz. He has been a beast at the plate with three homers and 11 RBIs to go with his .333 batting average. He is one of the top hitters in the league and has a long track record of producing...Kenta Maeda has looked good in his first two games with his new team, winning both outings with a six-inning shutout of the Indians on Saturday.
AL West
Oakland A's
DH Kris Davis is off to a woeful start to the season with just one hit in his first 19 at-bats. His power should turn around as he has a good track record as a power hitter...Jesus Luzardo has pitched twice in relief and has looked very good. He is scheduled to make his first career start on Tuesday for the A's and could be very valuable if he sticks as a starter.
Texas Rangers
Willie Calhoun is ice cold to start the season with one hit in his first 15 at-bats. He suffered a severe injury to his jaw in the offseason so he could be still feeling the effects of that. Hopefully, for his owners he gets going soon...With Jose Leclerc on the injured list, Nick Goody picked up the first save in his absence. He could be worth an add but it might be closer by committee.
Seattle Mariners
Outfielder Kyle Lewis has been excellent to start the season, hitting .444 with two homers and eight RBIs. He is owned in 69 percent of Yahoo leagues, so owners have taken notice. He is consistently hitting in the middle of the Mariners offense and looks like he could be a very good option moving forward...Taylor Williams has two saves for Seattle and is owned in 11% of Yahoo leagues. Saves are hard to come by so he is worth a look.
Houston Astros
Most of the Astros are known commodities for fantasy owners. One name to watch is Christian Javier. The electric right-hander struck out eight L.A. Dodgers hitters in his starting pitching debut. He looks the part and has the pedigree. Owned in 27% of Yahoo leagues he is worth a speculative add while Justin Verlander is injured.
Los Angeles Angels
Shohei Otani has struggled in his first two starts of the season, which is somewhat unsurprising with him coming off an elbow surgery...He failed to record an out in his first start and lasted just 1 2/3 in his second outing. He is struggling to regain control of his arsenal and it could take some time...David Fletcher is eligible at four different positions for fantasy and is a good enough hitter to be a quality bench piece for your team.
NL East
Atlanta Braves
Shortstop Dansby Swanson is off to a red hot start. He has two homers, 11 RBIs, and three stolen bases while hitting .382. He is in a good offense with the Braves. Shortstop is a deep position as it seems every team has a star at the position. But Swanson is a former top overall pick and could be in line for a big season. He is owned in 76% of Yahoo leagues even though he is currently the top-ranked player in fantasy baseball.
New York Mets
A rough start to the season has closer Edwin Diaz on thin ice. Seth Lugo has already picked up a save for the Mets. Despite Diaz's struggles, he is still worth holding onto in hopes he regains form and turns into the dominant option he was in Seattle...The Mets have four regulars -- Michael Conforto, J.D. Davis, Jeff McNeil, and Robinson Cano -- hitting .300 or better. Each is a solid option with Cano on the fringe as he enters the latter part of his career.
Washington Nationals
New addition Starlin Castro has been good so far with his new club as he leads the team with nine hits. While he is hitting .360, he has yet to record a home run, RBI, or stolen base. With no power or speed, Castro's overall value is severely hampered and he may be a better real-life player than fantasy option...Daniel Hudson has the only save of the year for the Nationals and is a very good reliever to own if he continues to see ninth inning work.
Philadelphia Phillies
Because of coronavirus concerns, the Phillies have only played three games...Shortstop Didi Gregorius has two home runs in those three games and is another great option at shortstop...Zack Wheeler was very good in his lone start picking up the win. After a change of scenery from the Mets, Wheeler should have a nice year with the Phillies.
Miami Marlins
The Marlins have also played just three games so far...Shortstop Miguel Rojas has a whopping seven hits in those three games leading the way for Miami. He also has an early stolen base...Jesus Aguilar has two homers in the team's first three games...Starting pitcher Sandy Alcantara had a good outing of one-run ball in a win and could be a sneaky good fantasy option.
NL Central
Cincinnati Reds
Nicholas Castellanos is off to a good start with his new team with two homers and eight RBIs. He looks to be a top-tier outfield option...Sonny Gray is 2-0 with one earned run in his first two starts of the season. He has 20 strikeouts and just three walks. He looks to be locked and loaded as a fantasy ace.
Chicago Cubs
Kyle Schwarber is showing off his power again with two early home runs and five RBIs...Ian Happ has been a good option with a .296 average and three homers. He is a versatile piece for fantasy owners with his multi-position eligibility...Rowan Wick and Jeremy Jeffress have saves for the Cubs while Craig Kimbrel has struggled in his two relief outings. It looks like this could be a closer by committee with Kimbrel potentially losing save opportunities.
Milwaukee Brewers
Lorenzo Cain just broke fantasy owners' hearts by opting out of the rest of the MLB season...Brandon Woodruff looks the part of a fantasy ace. He is 1-1 with a hard-luck loss in the opener, but still sports a 1.59 ERA with 15 strikeouts.
Pittsburgh Pirates
Josh Bell, Kevin Newman, and Bryan Reynolds are the Pirates best hitting options for fantasy owners and they are hitting .161, .125, and .148 respectively. Each showed promise last season but it could be a struggle in this Pirates lineup. Bell has the most upside of the three...Mitch Keller has been fairly effective in his first two starts with a 1-1 record. He has prospect pedigree and is worth monitoring this season.
St. Louis Cardinals
The Cardinals could be on the verge of missing more games as they reportedly have a big swoon of positive coronavirus cases...Carlos Martinez struggled in his first start, giving up six earned runs in a loss. Martinez is still worth owning as he looks to turn things around...First baseman Paul Goldschmidt leads the Cardinals with six hits in the team's first five games. He is looking for a better year in his second season with St. Louis.
NL West
L.A. Dodgers
Corey Seager is in good form after an injury-plagued season last year. He is hitting .361 with three homers and six RBIs and looks like he is ready to provide great value for those who targeted him for a bounce-back season...Julio Urias has looked promising in his two starts with a 1-0 record and just three earned runs.
Colorado Rockies
Trevor Story has picked up right where he left off last season and is off to a scorching start with four homers and two stolen bases. He is an elite option moving forward...Jairo Diaz picked up a save on Sunday and has excellent numbers so far this season. He could take over for the struggling Wade Davis in the ninth-inning role.
Arizona Diamondbacks
First baseman Christian Walker leads the Diamondbacks with six RBIs on the season and is hitting .323. He has yet to hit a home run yet this season. He could be a good depth piece this season...Robby Ray and Luke Weaver have struggled in their two starts each. Ray has eight earned runs and Weaver has given up a whopping 12 earned runs. Both have the potential to turn things around but it's been tough sledding so far.
San Diego Padres
Outfielder Trent Grisham is streaking to begin the season 10 runs scored, three homers, six RBIs, and two stolen bases. Grisham looks to be a potential five-category difference maker. He is owned in 45% of Yahoo leagues and is worth scooping up if somehow he's available.
San Francisco Giants
Mike Yastrzemski has been excellent for the Giants with 10 runs scored and two homers with a .400 batting average. He is owned in 64% of Yahoo leagues and is definitely worth a pickup if available in your league...Trevor Gott has two saves and looks to be the reliever to own in San Francisco at the moment.
Brian Buckey
Brian Buckey is an avid fantasy sports player dating back to his first fantasy baseball league in junior high school, with fantasy experience in all four of the major sports. Brian currently is a sports writer for The Toledo Blade newspaper in Toledo, Ohio where he grew up. Brian is a proud Indiana University graduate, with a degree in journalism and is excited to provide fantasy analysis for FantasyData.