Does it make you cry when you make the wrong choice for your fantasy team? Have you considered just being better? That’s the Steven Kwan method and it’s been working out pretty well for him (and his fantasy managers) so far. As Grey and B_Don so astutely brought up on the podcast, Kwan is a Michael Brantley type player. He won’t blow you away with power or speed, but he makes contact at a rate that we really don’t see that often in today’s game. That also makes him a points league hero. I told you to grab him last week and he’s been the real deal. I can’t take all the credit of course, RazzballHQ has had his bronze bust hanging up for months. He finally struck out today, so now is your chance to buy. All kidding aside, there will be a rough patch as pitchers and catchers get more tape on him, but he will be a guy you want on your roster. His performance has been so awesome that his AL Rookie of the Year odds have shifted to +600 (third best) all the way up from +5000. If your league still hasn’t caught on to what he’s doing, scoop him ASAP. If he’s already on a roster, take a peek at the guys below who have gotten off to a strong start.
Owen Miller, who? The guy with 5 doubles on the season, that’s who. We don’t know how the playing time situation will shake out but, he’s free and well worth a shot in deeper leagues. There may be some platoon action, not the good kind, but he’s better than anyone else Cleveland has.
Jose Ramirez leads the way in total points. Not to toot my own horn too much but… I did say that he would be great for points leagues. Not really of much help, you either drafted him or you didn’t but I think he’s cool and wanted to talk about him.
Connor Joe where did he come from (San Diego) and where did he go (Colorado)? He’s still got that Coors voodoo magic working in his favor. Honestly, I like him. If he can secure every day at bats there’s value here. Even without an everyday role, he can still put up points at home.
Jurickson Profar, is he a post hype sleeper? Whatever he is, he seems to have a regular spot locked down in the early going. he won’t hit all season but I am encouraged by the two bombs in only 14 at bats. He’s not known as a guy with huge power but maybe he’s finally getting on board with the launch angle revolution.
Oscar Mercado came out of the gates swinging. The three home runs make up for the .200 batting average. He was a potential breakout pick last season but maybe we were just a year too soon on him. He’s free right now so why not take a shot in case he’s figuring it out. He should be able to get his batting average up into the .250ish range and if he keeps the power that’s a pretty solid player. All it would cost you is the last player on your bench.
Brandon Belt is just doing his thing with a pair of long balls already. He’s got sneaky, streaky power and does most of his damage on the road so it’s great to see him hit some out at home. Plus he’s got a road trip coming up next week. I like him as a corner infielder or even first base if you missed out on the elite options.
Brad Miller is really showing out to start the season. I like him better in daily leagues because he figures to see the field more against right handed pitchers. Ride out the hot streak and drop him for the new flavor of the month when he cools down.
Tylor Megill has put up back to back strong starts, making it five innings at a time when many starters struggle to make it through four. If the Mets are actually as good as they can be… big if, it is the Mets after all, he could rack up some wins. If you’re in a weekly league, he should be in line to make two starts next week and that’s just swell.
Wil Crowe might not end up being a thing, but he’s already thrown seven innings out of the pen with nine Ks. He’s also yet to allow a run. He does have a save but it seems like the Pirates intend to use him in multi inning relief. There’s definitely value in the fireman reliever role (see Josh Hader or Andrew Miller of a couple of years ago). Not saying that’s what he will be this year, he could end up making some starts at some point, but based on his usage so far he’s worth a speculative add in deeper leagues. Unfortunately, he’s only SP eligible but should pick up RP eligibility fairly soon.
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