Press Your Luck was a game show in the mid-80’s. Contestants collected spins by answering trivia questions correctly. Then, the magic happened. I’m sure those were some of the reactions to acquiring Carlos Correa off the waiver wire last year. Think of the fantasy baseball player pool as the Press Your Luck game board. Choose wisely or… this. In this weekly series, I will pick one player from each position and try to help you dodge the whammies and win big money. I’m no Michael Larson, the man who cracked the code for Press Your Luck, but that’s like saying I’m no Grey Albright. Duh. Think of me as Tom Vu. Come to my seminar and you too will have beautiful women in your arms from all your winnings.
Press Your Luck
Austin Barnes – J-FOH told me to write about Austin Barnes or he’d go all Sons of Anarchy on my a**. Being the new kid on the Razzblock, I said. Plus, I didn’t want to find out what kind of critters would appear from his beard and attack me. Back to Barnes. The 26-year-old catcher sports a .300/.390/.439 slash line in 1,865 minor league at-bats. He hit 40 home runs with 43 steals, but the most impressive stat is the 252 walks-to-249 strikeouts. Yasmani Grandal, the starting catcher for the Dodgers, is starting the season on the DL. Manager Dave Roberts said that A.J. Ellis would catch four games with Barnes catching the other three through the first road trip of the season. For an added bonus, Barnes can also play second and third base. That could be extremely valuable considering the Dodgers open the season with 10 players on the DL.
Tyler White – The Tyler White express train keeps chugging along. After slashing .348/.446/.543 with two home runs and 10 RBI in 46 Spring Training at-bats, the Astros officially named him to the Opening Day roster. White is a 25-year-old right-handed batter who will likely play first base and DH. In 1,249 minor league at-bats, he slashed .311/.422/.489. Like Barnes, he walked more than he struck out. That’s the good. Unfortunately, he offers no speed and has limited power, clubbing 35 total home runs. Will he see consistent at-bats in the majors? Marwin Gonzalez will probably play some first base against right-handed pitching and prospect A.J. Reed is waiting in the minors to make an impact. I think White is a good player and will be serviceable early on, but the hype has gotten out of control and I think Reed takes over at first base.
Jean Segura – So, the Arizona Diamondbacks went out and traded for Jean Segura in the offseason. I guess getting rid of Aaron Hill makes it worth it. Segura was brought in to inject some offense at the top of the lineup. In Spring Training, Segura stole five bases and hit three home runs with a .469/.493/.703 slash line. Oh, the beauty of facing Spring Training pitching. Let’s not fall for the banana in the tailpipe again. We know who Segura is: .260 average, 5-7 home runs, 20 stolen bases and a terrible OBP. Curious that Segura will be leading off for the Diamondbacks. You would think that you would want a high-OBP player in front of Goldschmidt. What do I know though?
Adonis Garcia – And starting at third base for the Atlanta Braves… crickets. Adonis Garcia is his name. Swatting homers is his game. The 30-year-old Cuban slugged 10 home runs in 191 at-bats last season. While his OPS was substantially higher against lefties (.982 vs .706), he did hit five homers off right-handed pitching. He’s not going to walk, but he’s not getting paid to walk. He is the Braves clean-up hitter. Granted, there may not be much to clean up, but Ender Inciarte has a career .329 OBP and Freddie Freeman has a .366 career OBP. I’m thinking opposing managers will not challenge Freeman until Adonis can prove to be a Greek (in this case Cuban) God of Swat.
Trevor Story – So, I was pretty much on the Trevor Story bandwagon. My only concern was his high strikeout rate. Then, Grey mentioned something in a podcast that got me thinking. What are the Rockies going to do when Jose Reyes comes back? This was before Reyes’ wife decided to become an “uncooperative witness.” If you’ve read anything of mine, then you know C.R.E.A.M. Reyes ain’t getting cut or traded. There are $22,000,000 reasons this year and $22,000,000 reasons next year. Trevor Story…
Dexter Fowler – The Cubs were crowned champions by the only entity that matters in our society-Las Vegas. Oh, they still have to play the games? The offense is a juggernaut on paper. So why isn’t the lead-off hitter getting more respect? Dexter Fowler clubbed 17 home runs and stole 20 bases last season. He had a career 596 at-bats and, if the offense is as potent as expected, that number could be higher if he stays healthy. He’s a career .363 OBP player. Fowler was being drafted as the 43rd outfielder in NFBC.
Kenta Maeda – Kenta Maeda. Many are scared of the unknown. I get it, but fortune favors the bold. Remember that first time you went to first base, second base, third base and home? I ain’t talking bout baseball. Or am I? Works either way I suppose. The only difference with Maeda is that you are not going in completely blind. While the Japanese league is not on the same level as MLB, it’s still a solid league and home to many good players. Maeda dominated the Japanese league and major league hitters when he played in the World Baseball Classic. His “stuff” is not explosive, but he has a diverse arsenal that he controls with precision. He is going to be great this year, at least early on. The batters will be unfamiliar with him and his delivery has a slight pause at the top of the windup. It’s going to be interesting what happens when the league gets a book on him. For dynasty owners, I’d probably look to sell after a few months. Maeda is only 6’0″ 160 pounds and has logged 1,509 innings over in Japan. Hyun Jin-Ryu, the injured Dodgers pitcher, pitched 1,269 innings before coming over. In addition, the contract he signed was an incentive-laden one due to injury concerns. In unprecedented fashion, Maeda makes “No Whammies!” history by becoming the first player to earn both a whammy and cash money.
You can reach Son on the Twitter @Stan_Son.
