Day 1,292 of Quarantine and I’ve started sliding my feet everywhere I go in my house while swinging my arms and screaming to Cougs, “Guess who I am?!” Then she has to try to guess which Olympic skater I am based on my routine. Me, stopping suddenly, glitter top chafing my nipples, making me especially irritated, “Dorothy Hamill?! Are you drunk woman? I’m Maxim Kovtun, you absolute loon!” Honestly, from my selection of Genesis’s I Can’t Dance for my routine, I thought it was obvious. So, the top 80 starters for 2020 fantasy baseball were updated with new projections for a 100-game season. With this series, I will take a look around the 2020 fantasy baseball rankings to see if there’s any differences now that we might only play a 100-game season. Projections have been updated on all my positional rankings. Anyway, here’s thoughts on the top 80 starters for 2020 fantasy baseball with the new Corona timeline:
61. Caleb Smith – Still struggling to see appeal of Caleb Smith, but, and this goes for every pitcher, whether I like them or not, in a shortened season, there’s gonna be some weird shizz. I mean, weird *weird* weird <emphasis>weird</emphasis> WEIRD weird shizz. If you jumped out of a DeLorean right now and told me Mike Leake won the Cy Young with an 8-1 record and a 0.75 ERA, I wouldn’t be shocked. I would be pissed you didn’t bring me some toilet paper from the future. I guess what I’m saying is who knows with Caleb Smith. I don’t like him in 175+ IP, and I’m not alone. Steamer had him for a 4.58 ERA. His previous year was a 4.52 ERA. I know, ERA is dumb, but what leagues are you in where it’s not a stat that’s counted? My biggest problem with Smith is his HR/9 and extreme fly ball tendencies. In a shortened season that could be more pronounced, or, honestly, it might not matter. But if he’s not great for the 1st month of the season in July, he’s gonna be dropped in all leagues.
62. Brendan McKay – Pretty much same as what I said for Smith, except worse, which is to say I don’t know a gee-dee thing to think about starters with a shortened season, but I don’t like McKay, like not at all. Look at it this way, in a full season of 200 IP in 162 games, pitchers are totally unpredictable. In a 100-game, 75-120 IP season for starters, it’s gonna be all up in the air. But McKay? Blech. I wouldn’t be surprised if Cash starts him for less than 10 starts (a full-time starter will see around 17-19 starts). I have him projected for 5-6/3.87/1.18/81 in 69 IP. Sexy on the 69, but not for projections. Our Steamer pitcher projections have him down for 42 1/3 IP. Lowercase yay.
65. Ryan Yarbrough – I still like Yarbrough, but, if I’m being honest, if I knew the season would be 100 games long, I wouldn’t have wrote the Ryan Yarbrough sleeper. Though, to counterpoint myself, because I am a Master ‘bater with myself! Hmm, I shouldn’t have shortened debater there. Any hoo! Yarbrough was a sleeper for me because of what he did in the 2nd half of last year, and that’s all we’re getting this year, so maybe he won’t be so bad. The thought of a short season with guys who aren’t pitching full starts is slightly less interesting though.
66. Yonny Chirinos – See what I said about one inch above, or four inches if a girl is reading.
73. Kevin Gausman – That end of drafts sneaky pick of mine where I was grabbing Gausman late because of his home starts in San Fran? If the Giants aren’t playing in San Fran, those picks might not seem quite as smart. We shall see on that.
76. Dustin May – I’m waiting too long to move Dustin May all the way down in my rankings. He’s going to be so good! Dot dot dot. But highly unlikely this year. The addition of David Price, Alex Wood, Jimmy Nelson, Urias…I mean, c’mon, Dodgers! Enough already! I’m keeping May where he is with some 5% chance he is in the rotation. Here’s what will likely happen: We’ll get to June, Spring Training, Part 2: The Return of the Best Shape of His Life will begin and May will be out of the rotation, so I will move him down in my rankings with little fanfare while everyone is talking about how Miguel Sano is in the worst Best Shape of his Life, while saying he can get back into the best Best Shape of his Life, or at least better Best Shape of his Life.
80. Chris Bassitt – At some point in the last six weeks while we all began to debate which tiger’s breath smelled of Carole Baskin’s husband, Bassitt was moved out of the A’s projected rotation. Not sure when or why that happened, but I don’t fully buy into the 5th starter being Puk. Not pronounced like puke, which is also what happened to Baskin’s tiger after the husband gave it indigestion. For now, still drafting Bassitt extremely late, but if The Second Spring Training returns with Bassitt out of the rotation, he will be moved down.
