Mariners RHP Bryan Woo made his debut Saturday in Texas against one of baseball’s best teams, and it did not go well. A lot of rookie pitchers struggle in their first start, so we should avoid Tom Smykowski’s Jump to Conclusions Mat here, especially on the road against a good offense.
SS Royce Lewis looks like a mid-lineup mainstay in Minnesota. Don’t say that five times fast. 2B Edouard Julien is the odd man out for now but appears to be settling into his skill set at the highest level, even if he’ll spend the foreseeable future a level below that.
Rockies 3B Elehuris Montero tripled on Saturday. Worth a pickup in any league where corner help would be welcome. The Rockies don’t have great reasons to bench him, he said, again, knowing how ridiculous he sounded.
If the Rays bring up RHP Evan McKendry, he’ll be an immediate pickup in a lot of formats given the pitching environment we’re living in this season. In his last five games at Triple-A, the 6’3” 200 lb McKendry has a 0.75 WHIP and 0.31 ERA across 29.1 innings. That includes a five-walk outing on May 25. The ultimate topside probably lands somewhere on the Chirinos spectrum, but hey, if Chirinos had a rotation spot, we’d want him in our leagues, too.
Dodgers RHP Kyle Hurt got hit around in his last start, which matters only insofar as it temporarily clarifies a crowded situation. One dud start won’t get him kicked off the team by any means, but it points another arrow in the general direction of Emmet Sheehan getting the next opportunity in Los Angeles.
Astros 3B Zach Dezenzo cannot be stopped this season. He’s stolen five bases in six Double-A games, slashing .394/.469/.613 with five home runs in 38 games across two levels. The team has displayed aptitude for finding and developing large humans with solid plate skills, and Dezenzo fits the bill at 6’4” 220 lbs. While it’s a little surprising to see a 12th round pick cut such a quick path through the minors, Dezenzo’s success is just a continuation of his last two seasons playing in the Big Ten and in two wooden bat leagues. Pretty clear he should’ve gotten drafted earlier.
Speaking of large people with plate skills and power, Rays 1B Xavier Issac homered on Friday night. The season-long numbers aren’t particularly inspiring, but over the last month, Isaac is slashing .289/.439/.622 with a 1.22 BB/K rate and a 195 wRC+. I’m not sure what kind of Buy window exists here because A) he’s a long way away, and B) he’s not so valuable right now that you should trade a ton for him, but I still think it’s worth checking. I feel confident he’ll be worth more this time next year than he is right now.
Another player to buy now for later, Brewers RHP Jacob Misiorowski is trending like a number one pitching prospect. Like Isaac, he’s in Low-A, but unlike Isaac, Misiorowski feels like a guy who could be rushed up the system. Also feels like a guy I could add a syllable or two to his name and nobody would notice, especially me. His stuff will turn big league heads if he’s invited to spring training next year.
Short-season leagues are opening up in the coming days, so take a look around your deepish leagues for guys like Rangers SS Sebastian Walcott and Mariners OF Lazaro Montes. Be ready to react if kids like Twins SS Bryan Acuña or Yankees OF Brandon Mayea come out of the gate screaming.
Dodgers OF Josue De Paula jumped right over those leagues this week and landed in Low-A. He’s got a .385 OBP in three games despite hitting .111.
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