That’s What I Like: Trey Sweeney, Jake Meyers, Huascar Brazoban

Razzinators! We’re heading into the pre-Memorial Day, post-Cinco de Mayo zone of fun avoidance. Unless you have PTO and a Senior corporate position, in which case you just took the whole month of May off and called it “focus time.” Much like I spend my “focus time” watching The Pitt and trying to imagine being as calm as Noah Wylie on literally any minute of any day. What if The Pitt made each episode a “Oner,” like maybe you’ve seen on The Studio? I’m sure by now I’ve lost most the readers to their TVs. Let’s give you a Oner and then call it a Doner. No, not a kebab. Like, Done. On with the text!

That’s What I Like

Trey Sweeney, DET, SS: Hey Siri, what is a Trey Sweeney? I can’t wait to see what it says. “A Trey Sweeney is a prospect for the Dee-Troit Tigers. He is viewed as a deep league option for the most discerning managers. His grandma’s nickname for him was “Triple Sweety.” Would you like to know more?” No, Siri. That’s more than enough about this roster filler. Truth is, since the start of May, Sweeney’s batted .358 with a nearly .550 slugging percent. His Fangraphs prospect blurb says his power won’t play. OK, whatever. Thing is, Sweeney’s swinging the bat like a mofo (which is an acronym for MOre Friends, Obviously). In the same time that he’s been crushing the ball, he’s taken [checks notes] 1 walk. That’s it. I, too, would be swinging at everything if I had a cup of coffee and a chance to make a team under A.J. Hinch. But swinging at everything won’t make for long-term success. Good thing that Sweeney has a minor league rate of 10%+ walk rates — maybe we’re just seeing him try something new? Like, he’s good at walking, so maybe he’s being told to practice his swing now? ENYWHEY. He averaged 15/25 in the minors with good on-base skills and a nose for sniffing out grounders, which will play well in the majors. We can’t expect too much out of his first full season (and pundits who think I’m telling y’all to take a rookie — he had his cup of coffee last year to the tune of 120 ABs). He’s available in just about every league and would be a great addition to deep leagues.

Jake Meyers, HOU, OF: Sometimes a player begins the year in a slump and everybody loses faith. It’s not like Meyers was the next coming of Juan Soto that was a “must hold” through the depths of the slump. But as a guy who was probably your bench OF in 2 UTIL leagues, Meyers found himself on the waiver wire pretty quickly as people pivoted to hotter hands. That’s fine! Good work, waiver wire sleuths. But fast forward a couple weeks, and Meyer has the hot hand — since the start of May, he’s batting .360 with a .560 slugging rate and taking more walks than strikeouts. For you OBP leaguers, he’s got a .440 OBP rate during that time! Sure, that’s not quite sustainable or within his career norms, but as my sous chef says, the hot hand is the hot hand. He’s available in 25% of leagues and would be a great last outfielder or utility pickup to tide you through at least the first half.

Huascar Brazoban, NYM, P: Roleless Rob alert! I keep saying “alert” like y’all aren’t already filled to the gills with backup closers. Brazoban has notched 2 Wins and 5 Holds in his past 17 IP, all while allowing 1 run. That’s it. Imagine you’re choosing a starter and you’re like, “Hmm, I could go with Marcus Stroman again, or…maybe I just let Huascar Brazoban save my team.” Roleless Robs aren’t really supposed to be on your team for the long-run. They’re the kind of players you insert when they’re hot and your other pitchers are not. Remember Hot or Not dot com? Imagine Aaron Nola’s picture popping up them. Ewww, you say, getting ready to click “Not.” And then suddenly, the site pops up Aaron Nola and Huascar Brazoban. And now you’re like, “Oh, I think I can ride this out until Nola’s BABIP isn’t .350 and his ERA regresses towards his 3.59 xFIP and 3.68 SIERA.” OK, maybe I’m not remembering the purpose of that site very well. ENYWHEY. Brazoban is available everywhere and is cranking the innings — could be a nice Win magnet for the second half.

I’m the Problem, It’s Me

Tanner Houck, BOS, SP: Speaking of former Roleless Robs, we have an alumni that…we’re not terribly proud of anymore. Houck was a Roleless Rob favorite a few years ago after breaking into the majors as an 11+ K/9 mid-inning maven. He transitioned to a starter a few years ago and lost a ton of that K prowess and traded it with…medium contact? I dunno. Fantasy analysts love him as a starter because he can crank some innings and they think he’ll return to his high K/9 ways, although each passing year saw his stats decline. Also, he hasn’t had a year above .500 in the Win column since he was a Roleless Rob. The 6.6 K/9 is bleh, and the 2+ HR/9 is terrible. His 8+ ERA isn’t as bad as his FIP, which is…6.00. So, yeah. 84% of fantasy managers are still suckered into the Houck hype, but there’s nothing redeeming about this Rob anymore. Drop and move on.