This is the “obvs!” edition of minor accomplishments. Most of this news shouldn’t be news to you, but several prospects saw their redraft stock fluctuate in the past seven days. Nick Senzel got the double whammy. First, he gets sent down to the minors. Then the Reds host an ill-timed ‘Bring Your Banana Peels To The Park Day’ and he rolls his ankle. That’s no way to run an organization if you ask me. Senzel was almost a sure bet when the Reds announced he’d be in the running for the center field gig. Then Scooter got injured, so certainly he’d at least make the roster. Nope! The Reds said, “Louisville is nice this time of year and we’re going to manipulate your service time like a homeless guy trying to fish a quarter out of a pay phone change return.” The good news is Senzel (if healthy) should be up as soon as late April. Here are a few other prospect-eligible players who have gained or lost this week.
Fernando Tatis Jr. – In a stunning turn of events, a Major League Baseball organization actually decided that making their team better was more important than service time manipulation. If he wasn’t already drafted in your league, Tatis is a no-brainer pickup as one of the best prospects in the game. Exhibit A that pinpointing ETAs is like herding cats. On the other side is Luis Urias, whose stock takes a massive hit with this news and the Triple-A assignment.
Eloy Jimenez – Signed a six-year contract with the White Sox, which puts him in the Opening Day lineup. He’s currently projected to hit sixth, and if you haven’t heard me say it before, I’ll say it again – I like the White Sox in that AL Central division. Having a full season of Eloy only makes me feel that feel more feelingly. *dodges Chief Wahoo bobblehead* Steamer is projecting 560 plate appearances, hitting .291 with 25 homers. Yes please and thank you.
Garrett Hampson – Likely “lost” the starting second base gig to Ryan McMahon. If the Rockies use Hampson in a super utility role (he can pretty much play anywhere) this won’t hurt. After all, we only concern ourselves with the plate appearances. If not, it looks like he’s going to be stuck on the wrong side of a platoon with the left-handed hitting McMahon. I think the former is more likely. The Rockies would be pretty dumb to bring Hampson along just to let him rot on the bench. Then again it’s the Rockies so…
Jesus Luzardo – Folks who drafted Luzardo thinking he’d crack the Oakland rotation were hit with some bad luck when the top pitching prospect went down with a shoulder injury late last week. I forget the source, but I remember reading something about pitchers with shoulder injuries along the lines of “if they were horses, we’d shoot them.” I’m not saying Luzardo has no chance of contributing in 2019, but it could be a while. I don’t see any reason why the A’s would potentially push their prized pitching prospect. Alliteration points!
Chris Paddack – Paddack is set to start the year in the Padres rotation with his first start coming this Sunday against the Giants. Paddack could be this year’s rookie pitching darling in redraft leagues. He dominated in the minors in 2018, and continued to shine this spring. The Fathers could decide to manage his innings carefully so he doesn’t make too big of a jump from the 90 he hurled last year, but that doesn’t mean he shouldn’t be on your team to begin the season.
Alex Reyes – I’m sure there were plenty of drafters – especially earlier this month- that took a flyer on Reyes expecting him to get a chance to start. He may still get that chance, but for now he’ll be pitching in relief for the Cardinals. This hurts his current fantasy value. Moving forward, you’d like to seem him either move into a high-leverage inning situation in that bullpen with a chance for some holds or saves, or get an opportunity to start some games. My guess is that the Cards made this decision to manage his innings workload and he’ll be starting at some point this summer. Your league’s depth and settings will help you decide whether to hold or cut bait. Or just ask Grey in the comments…every day…in perpetuity.
