I come to you this week with a heavy heart. Part of my childhood has died. For years, I would buy in March some sort of baseball preview. Five bucks, and it would fit ever so snugly in the bathroom drawer.
This weekend, on a lark, I saw the previews pop up on the magazine rack, and instantly felt that old tug. Until I saw the price.
Fifteen bucks! Nobody’s paying for that when you already get that info on your phone!
Sorry for the digression.
Instead, I went to the Razzball Player Rater, which I pay for in the form of monthly internet bills, checked the top ten and the surprises on it, specifically guys I didn’t rank earlier. Then we shall play a rousing game of Real or Not Real
I didn’t put Walker in my top 20, figuring that at age 35, he was just cooked. Well, all the red on the StatCast is cooking in a good way. Hitting .333 with a .404 OBP and two home runs has got him second ranked of full time 1B. Unfortunately, 12 of his 30 value comes from the ever fickle RBI category. He’s also crushing off-speed pitches and overwhelmed by fastballs (.154 Avg). This points to me as a guess hitter on a hot streak, not a sustainable asset.
Verdict: Not Real
The Lefty is hitting .364 with three home runs, earning the capital L in that lefty I wrote. Starting full-time in Pittsburgh, this is a case of talent finally getting opportunity. Love the walk rate and .454 OBP, and in this era, sign me up for a guy who has more walks than strikeouts. O’Hearn is a viable starter in any league.
Verdict: Real
Vientos has made the most of his time on the field, coming in as the ninth ranked third baseman. A .476 BA will do that for ya, as that’s 11 points of his 13 Razzball value. So, color me skeptical. Unless he gets more playing time or can find that power again, I’m out.
Verdict: Not Real
Vargas has morphed into a light-hitting guy, with his exit velocities in the bottom tenth percentile in baseball. Not great, but what is great is that he never chases. Like, he’s the best in baseball at that skill. The batting average should rise as pitchers realize they need to attack the zone or keep walking him (.375 OBP). This is the Yandy Diaz profile here. I’ll buy in once again,
Verdict: Real
Hopefully not real: Top guys struggle at third base.
Junior Caminero, Manny Machado, and Jose Ramirez, well, none in the top 18 of this weak position? I’ll keep an eye on that trend. To this point, there’s no major breakout, but I think one’s coming.
Swing speed is down and getting destroyed by velocity (.167 BA on fastballs). Needs to pick that up, and why on earth is that guy hitting leadoff? He needs to really crush righties now that he’s a full-time player, and that hasn’t happened yet. But he is a streak hitter, and will get a week with six dingers sometime.
Verdict: Not Real
Well, I’m off to the beach for a while. I’m keeping an eye on trends on Twitter @theeducator23, if you don’t mind a follow? I’ve cleaned up my account, this one’s all fantasy now.
Hope your week is off to a better start than Josh Naylor!
