The first major injury of the 2016 MLB season occurred last Friday as spring training was drawing to a close, when Diamondbacks outfielder A.J. Pollock fractured his right elbow sliding into home plate. Why did he decide to slide head first in a meaningless game with a previously sore elbow that kept him out of preseason action for several weeks? Does GM Dave Stewart finally wish that he could rescind his ill-conceived Shelby Miller trade and bring Ender Inciarte back into the fold? Why does it seem like I’m peeing more frequently as I get older? So many questions! However, the most relevant question in this particular situation is: who is the next man up? The most interesting in-house candidate to replace Pollock appears to be 23-year-old prospect Socrates Brito (11.3% owned; +6.1% in the past week). Brito was a candidate to steal some playing time away from Yasmany Tomas in left field, so Pollock’s injury opens up yet another potential path to playing time for the youngster. In a brief stint in MLB last season (34 PA), he managed a .303/.324/.455 triple slash and graded out well defensively, which helps his case to see some at-bats in the near future. In fantasy terms, a decent comp might be Austin Jackson. With regular playing time, a .260/10/20 type of line looks to be in his wheelhouse. There is some upside here, so he’s worth a gamble to grab and stash to see how this situation plays out.
Here are a couple of other interesting adds/drops in fantasy baseball over the past week:
Fernando Rodney – 23.8% owned, +7.5%
Ah, the save chasing game continues. If you’re hurting for closing options, chances are that you’ve considered the 39-year-old Rodney as an option at some point over the past few weeks. After all, this is a player who had the 2nd most saves (133) and the 8th lowest ERA (2.21) in MLB among qualified relievers from 2012-14. Rodney isn’t without his issues though. His lack of control (4.28 BB/9 over the last three years) tends to lead to poor ratios (4.74 ERA, 1.40 WHIP in 2015; 3.63/1.36 over the last three). His SwStr% has fallen for three straight seasons. His velocity has dropped in two straight. His HR/9 more than tripled to 1.29 last season. Poor control, declining stuff, increasingly hittable. He’s reaching back to grab another arrow, but the quiver might be empty at this point. Save your ratios and look elsewhere. TRASH.
Jorge Soler – 47.6% owned, -2.5%
What a difference a year makes. At this time last year, Soler was one of the hottest prospects in baseball. He dominated the competition at just about each stop on his way up the minor league ladder and had an impressive 24 game stint with the Cubs in 2014 (.292/.330/.573). I know that I was firmly on the bandwagon. And then 2015 happened. Soler’s aggressive approach got exposed by big league pitchers (30% K%), and he struggled to produce the power numbers that were expected from him (10 HR and a .137 ISO in 404 PA). The offseason addition of Jason Heyward as well as the surprise re-signing of Dexter Fowler complicates his potential playing time this season as well. With Kyle Schwarber also in the outfield mix, Soler seems to be limited to DH duties in AL parks and LF duties when a southpaw is on the mound for the opposing team. In other words, weak-side platoon hell. However, he just recently turned 24 years old, and he still hasn’t reached his power peak. His postseason performance last October (3 homers and a 1.705 OPS) provided a glimpse of his immense potential, and while his playing time is currently limited, an injury or trade might be all that’s needed for him to get another shot and make good on it this time around. If you have an available bench slot, Soler is an advisable stash play for power upside. TREASURE.
