[brid autoplay=”true” video=”902541″ player=”13959″ title=”RZBL%20FB%202021%20BSH%20Week%2011″ duration=”134″ description=”undefined” uploaddate=”2021-11-18″ thumbnailurl=”//cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/9233/thumb/902541_t_1637216963.png” contentUrl=”//cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/9233/sd/902541.mp4″]
Since I’m focused mostly on 2022 fantasy baseball, and how guys can help us next year, whenever next year is, Roansy Contreras moved up on the radar, because the Pirates’ puzzling moves at the end of the year to bring up their guys. It was almost like a showcase for the Rays. “So, do you like Roansy for a middle reliever? Right…Who do you want to send us? Garrett Whitlock for Roansy and Oneil Cruz? Okay, but it says here the Rays don’t have Garrett Whitlock that he’s on the Red Sox. The team media guide is wrong? Okay, that sounds fair then, we’ll send you Roansy and Oneil for a player we’re not sure you have on your team.” Jokes aside, for the life of me, I can’t understand why Roansy Contreras was called up for one day at the end of the year, then sent back down a day later, but maybe someone has a better idea than me. Either way, since the Pirates did that, it means the Pirates are at least considering Roansy Contreras for the 2022 Pirates’ rotation, which puts him on our radar. So, what can we expect from Roansy Contreras for 2022 fantasy baseball?
In Roansy Contreras’s random three MLB innings, I remember watching him and being impressed. He broke off a 97 MPH fastball followed by an 85 MPH slider, and it was like, “Okay, this guy needs to be traded for Chris Archer, pronto.” The speed, first:
Roansy Contreras gets Ian Happ swinging for his first MLB strikeout. pic.twitter.com/w5c5SMUETQ
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) September 29, 2021
Now the slide piece:
Roansy Contreras, Nasty 85mph Slider. ? pic.twitter.com/BVS60rcJTK
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) September 30, 2021
Those are both 60 grade pitches by my eye, others are calling them 55. Tomato-tomato said with a different emphasis.
Roansy Contreras’s stats in the minors this year have been almost as eye-popping: 12.6 K/9, 2 BB/9, 2.65 ERA, 0.90 WHIP in 54 1/3 IP in Double-A. That’s a huge improvement on whatever he was doing in the Yankees’ system (7+ K/9 in Single-A). All the mocking of the Pirates should be couched with true praise at recognizing a pitcher who looked pretty much like a 40-grade arm for the Yanks, and how he’s developed into a 60-grade arm. Who are the real chumps, the Pirates or the Yanks? The Yankees spent $300 million to play one extra game. Of course, what the Pirates do with their payroll is much worse, but is it dumber? Hmm, there’s the question. Here’s another: When do we see Roansy Contreras in the majors?
Bringing up Roansy Contreras at the end of last year was perplexing, but leaving him in the minors now would be even more head-scratchy. Maybe he spends a week or two in the minors until they need a fifth starter, but if they go with some of the guys pencilled into their rotation now, it would just be a rehash of all the problems with the Pirates. He is crazy young — Roansy just turned 22 in November — but he did have a 132 1/3 IP season in 2019, so he’s put innings on his arm. Last year, he only had 61 IP, because of a forearm injury, which sounds scarier than it likely was. It was a muscle strain, and, as far as I can see, no one really was worried about it because it wasn’t a ligament. He missed two months from July to September, but returned in fine form. For 2022, I’ll give Roansy Contreras projections of 7-12/3.83/1.29/131 in 117 IP with lots of room for upside.
