Said this about Chase DeLauter in Spring Training, “Saw his ESPN rank of 233rd overall and figured I needed to look at DeLauter. I don’t know what ESPN knows, but no one else I’ve talked to thinks he’s breaking camp. Earliest ETA is June, and a lot can happen between now and June. With that said, I don’t mind a flyer in your last round if you want to stash, but you’re going to get hit by injuries, and need to drop him by April 7th.” And that’s me quoting me! Dude, 233rd overall? What? Ha, okay, moving on. Wait, one more thing, I didn’t rank him in my top 500. Correctly! All right, now moving on! DeLauter appeared in the Itch’s way too early top 10 prospects for 2025 back in April. (Though, just out of the top 10.) Then going back, and Itch said this previously, “Had sort of an Daniel Espino feel on draft night when DeLauter fell to Cleveland. Wasn’t as crazy as the Espino thing to me because DeLauter was a college bat, and unlike the Espino draft, where pretty much the whole league had a crack at him and passed to let the draft’s most talented arm go to the team most ready to weaponize that talent, DeLauter went 16th overall. He offers a quick look at the downsides of separating studs from duds too young, as he wound up playing at James Madison University after going undrafted out of high school. Along the way, he grew into a 6’4” 235 lb center fielder with double-plus speed and power. For what it’s Wuertz, DeLauter has played 100 total games since 2020: three short seasons with JMU and one in the Cape Cod League, where he was good with the wooden bat: .298/.397/.589 with 21 walks and 18 strikeouts across 34 games (146 plate appearances). That small sample with the ash and maple is where I’m hanging this hat. Cleveland has made a concerted effort to minimize strikeouts. If they think DeLauter can keep doing it, I’m here to find out. And I want to beat up Grey so bad.” Not cool, let’s move on! So, what can we expect from Chase DeLauter for 2025 fantasy baseball?
Psyche! I’m gonna start sleepers next Monday and my rankings on Patreon. More like I’m psyched! I’m back from my vacation and ready to get baseball going again. Speaking of which, I’m wondering if we have interest in starting up a 2025 fantasy draft. If we do, I’m down like a clown. Let me know in the comments if you have interest. Anyway II, Chase DeLauter for 2025 fantasy baseball:
Chase DeLauter has a funny swing, let’s watch. Hey, a recent clip, woohoo:
Picking up where he left off.
The @Guardians‘ Chase DeLauter tallies his first RBI in the @MLBazFallLeague this year.
MLB’s No. 41 prospect drove in 27 runs in 23 AFL games in 2023. pic.twitter.com/uGg7EUYFaw
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) October 9, 2024
Not that long ago:
CHASE DELAUTER MOONSHOT!!! pic.twitter.com/aqcNeglEcp
— Zach (@PhenoMVP) August 16, 2024
Bit longer ago, but who cares about dates why am I focusing on that?
Chase DeLauter – Cleveland Guardians (1)* pic.twitter.com/DurhtZjoc9
— MLB HR Videos (@MLBHRVideos) February 27, 2024
So, he’s old. Not like dinosaur old, but Chase DeLauter is 23 and played less than 40 games last year in the minors. Double and Triple-A numbers are 7/1 and he hit .252 in Double-A with a 14.8 K% and 11 BB%. Clearly that’s with a low BABIP, because he’s either the worst Hard Contact Guy of All-Time or he makes terrible contact. Like a teamster, gonna lean on the latter. He’s also had terrible injury luck. Is it luck or does he have proclivity for injuries? By the way, you can’t say proclivity aloud without sounding like Dr. Evil. He battled hamstring and a fractured foot this year. Basically, a lost year. Oh, and the fractured foot was a foot he had surgery on twice before. I don’t know what’s up with his tootsies, but if they ever stage an adaption of My Left Foot, I have suggestion for the Daniel Day Lewis part.
So, what do we have left (foot? No, remaining, you dolt!) to discuss here? He has no speed, big power and could hit .300 and the Guards have a spot for him. He also hit the crap out of the ball in the AFL this year (108.1 MPH exit velocity). He just needs to stay on the field in Spring Training and not completely poop the duvet. My guess is he will continue to battle foot injuries his whole career (sadly). You don’t have two surgeries on the same foot, then just happen to fracture it again. Someone might need to go in and look at that thing. Preferably a doctor. And not a doctor from a Caribbean university like Steve Guttenberg in Bad Medicine. He kinda reminds me of what I thought Josh Naylor would be aside from the injuries (middle-of-order power bat). DeLauter needs to stay on the field and he will take off. For 2025 fantasy baseball, I’ll give Chase DeLauter projections of 47/14/53/.266 in 312 ABs with a chance for more (and much less since he’s never stayed on the field for longer than 60 games).
Alright, how about something a little bigger than before in my dynasty — Wacha ($4) + Matt Olson ($37) for Parker Meadows ($4) + Civale ($7)?
I need to crunch the numbers a bit to see if I can afford Olson, but I generally have a pretty low-budget team as I finished near the bottom of the league last year and sold off anyone with a big contract. (Our max contracts are $45 so Olson is getting up there.)
I don’t have any legit power bats on my team so Olson’s appealing, and I need SP so Wacha would help. OF is the one place I have some depth.
Do you prefer what I outlined above, or something smaller like Wilyer Abreu ($4) for Wacha?
Thanks, and Happy Thanksgiving!
Olson side
Happy Turkey Day! I just finished another Gladiator (BTW, pretty happy with my latest). Are you planning on joining a two hour Gladiator on Monday or Tuesday? That works for me.
Happy Thanksgiving! You wanna do a DC?
I’m sticking with only Gladiator for now since they only go until early January. More bang for the buck too. Only $50 each. Since there’s no in season management it’s hard to do too many. I have done 4 already. I want to do one slow at a time until they end it in about 5 weeks. That probably means about 9 for me. Ill probably do a DC closer to spring.
Okay, maybe we all do a Gladiator then…it’s cheaper so should be easier to fill
Would you deal Parker Meadows for Michael Wacha in a dynasty? I have extra OF and need SP.
I sent an offer of Jake McCarthy for Wacha and he countered with Parker.
I would not
Wilyer abreu, Evan Carter, or sel frelick better?
Abreu
Found something interesting that will help out your projections quite a bit. Jake Burger has hit exactly .250 for the last 3 years. Free stat projection and the biggest anomaly since Khris Davis hit .247 for 4 years straight.
HA, I saw, this is good info!
Snell to Dodgers. Not a fan of this creative deferred money thing. Feels like popular teams will always sell merch so infinitely deferring money forever, does it keep them under the luxury tax? Could you have Soto make $100 million one year, minimum next, while Ohtani makes minimum then paid $100 million? I am for being creative accounting, but this seems to be headed down a road I dont like (*IF I understand it, and not sure I do).
Yeah yeah, I know Bonilla, but this seems different the way it is being used. IIRC that was a buyout and he deferred?
Smart people help me out.
It’s the new MLB annuity plan. Only open in select areas.
If they’re not paying the money this year, it’s not on their current tax…it’s sneaky, but the thing is every team can do it, if they want
While I understand that part, I think I do at least. Doesnt this basically kick can down road assuming profits? Like, sign Ohtani, they make a boat load of money off merch, and in the black.
If Ohtani got hit by a car, oh wait, better, how about went to prison for sports betting, wouldnt they be in the hole for money?
I get every team can per se, but dont a lot of teams have decent but not obscene profits? Cant a couple bad contracts still sink a team, but now if you deferred it you could do 7-8 bad contracts instead?
All this money stuff is above my head but also crazy to me. NFL was talking about private equity…..the most profitable sport wants that.
College football is pretty much ruined.
Just kind of weary of this stuff because I also dont understand most of it.
I’m not 100% clear, but as I understand it — Ohtani’s 10-year, $700 million deal with the Dodgers includes $680 million that will be deferred. The remaining money will be paid without interest from 2034 to 2043. Ohtani’s deal is expected to have an average annual luxury tax hit of about $46 million. So it’s a tax hit, but it’s lessened (I believe)
BTW, MLB is the most confusing salary system, it’s not just you
Haha yeah and I feel more and more confusing each day.
I guess the most simple version of the question is a team like Tampa. Not a lot of crowds. Dont spend. My understanding of the Franco deal is that it was straight forward standard x $ for y years. It seems tailor made for small market teams.
Why wouldnt a team defer some of that (insentivize it with a few more million or whatever) to free up more money to be competitive now? I guess that is part I dont get because a $ is worth more now than in future.
I think it’s more if a player will sign with a team like the Rays and defer, it’s the players decision at end of day
Thanks for the info. It helps. Why no interest?
Yeah MLB feels like shenangians at a car dealership. “We can get you in this Maserati!”. “I cant afford that!” “Sure you can. Have a seat…”
Haha, yeah, I don’t know
5 years for Snell (who will be 32 on Wednesday) is bonk-bonk to me. But I guess he wasn’t going to sign a shorter deal, and they wanted him the most out of all the free agent pitchers. And with all that deferred Ohtani money, I guess they can afford to pay for 5 years and get 2 good ones.
Yeah, wouldn’t be me making that deal, but it’s not my money either
Hi Grey…Senga or Pepiot for next year? Senga health still an issue?
Do you think Kopech gets the closer job next year?
Thanks as always.
I don’t know where Senga’s health is so I guess Pepiot
Kopech would be the fave rn
Do we even know what Senga even had for injury? (well other than calf)
nerve inflammation in his right elbow
Didnt he have a shoulder injection in spring? Or did he have multiple arm issues? Non owner so casually watched him.
Multiple things…shoulder, nerve, calf, lost season…But who knows how he’ll be now
I’m looking at trading an OF for a SP in a dynasty and can definitely take on some salary. My team is really cheap. Owner asked me about Parker Meadows ($4), Wilyer Abreu ($4), or Evan Carter ($4). Here are some of his pitchers:
Burnes $27
Berrios $21
Grayson Rodriguez $17
Kirby $15
Baz $15
Bradish $7
Detmers $7
Nelson $7
Schmidt $7
Wacha $7
Hunter Harvey $7
See a match?
Hard to know how much he wants your guys…did you ask him? I’d do like Carter or one of your OF, or even two for, say, Kirby
What do u think of Luken (I’m your Father’n) Baker? Any chance at an impact in 2025 or is he just Quad-A?
Feels super Quad A
Hi Grey…how do you confirm if still signed up for PATREON?
Josh Jung or Maikel Garcia?
Thanks!
Not sure, click on it and see if you can see content behind paywall?
Maikel
Just like holey britches, The Squat Cobblers are feelin’ a (slow) draft!! Let’s effin go! (and get me projections done Master Lothario Please n Thank you!)
Yeah, let’s do it!
Let’s fire up a draft!
Sweet, aiming for Monday to gather people
Kikuchi to Angels on a three-year deal worth $63MM, per a report from Jon Heyman of the New York Post.
I mean an overpay, but not really a bad deal.
How much does he owe the Astros? 10%?
Pretty insane what they did, I wish I could find article. This might not be accurate, but basically “this pitch sucks, stop. Throw slider more. Target the area here.”. Boom. Success.
He owes the Astros at least 40%….The sad thing is there’s no way he’s going to be successful with the Angels
*checks bank account*
Successful? ;p
Haha
Nicely done : )
Solid LH bat that could break into the Guardians lineup by July? My guess is when he gets the call he’ll primarily play vs RHP. Shows 60 grade pop when he gets extended and has a bit of speed, but early injuries have slowed him. Like him but don’t love him.
Count me in for a 50 round DC, let’s go!!!
Yeah, absolutely, you’re in…Kinda like DeLauter over Brennan if he performs in spring
Agree on Brennan a placeholder
Hopefully!
….233rd prospect is low. Oh, what? 233 player?! Um….too high.
Plus all the injuries.
That is just a bizarre ranking.
They ranked Chase 233rd overall out of all players…Like in front of Marcell Ozuna
That was last year
I missed the last year part….which still makes it just as weird if not more. You covered it, but wasnt it all Langford, Skenes, Holliday, Carter, Chourio?
Was there even a clamouring or roster spot for him?
Just…odd. Well that is what ESPN gets for cutting people.
No, it was super odd, why I went on about it to quote it now…It was like, “why are you ranking a guy that high who is undraftable?”
Did they rank any other top guys that high? Maybe it is AI writing it haha
Ha, I don’t know it stood out last year though which why I made note of it
Thats insane. Im not sure how the #8 bat on the Player Rater could be so low. I understand some people don’t like drafting a DH in the first few rounds. That being said, getting a top ten bat from the previous year in round 5 at an ADP of around 65 seems pretty attractive to me. Everyone else can have Adley Ruschman there or Michael Harris two rounds earlier. I dont get it.
Yeah, agreed
Ozuna, Rooker, Doyle were just given 0 respect. Meanwhile a guy like Bichette could “only” bounce back not get worse. Ha!
Please rank these three. Willy. Manny and Rooker thanks.
That’s Adames Machado and Rooker. Sorry
Gotcha
Manny, Willy
So I guess its Chase Delottery
Haha, I like it