Fantasy folx! As we come upon the fifth month of the fourth year of this our third millennium of the Common Era within the second baker’s dozen of years, I have but one request of you: Don’t Panic. I mean, a Catcher is in the Top 10 on the Player Rater, Alec Bohm is out-hitting Kyle Tucker. and Taylor Ward outranks Trea Turner. These things happen. Stats are just turning the corner on being “meaningful,” which of course means things like our redactions of “Fantasy Schmohawk” articles are nigh. I kid! We remember fondly our worst calls. Like, Jordan Walker. Sigh. Let’s see if we can recover from our Jordan Walker hopeium.
What I Like
Joey Meneses (WAS, 1B/UTIL, 7% Rostered): Y’all probably know by now that I talk a fair amount of baseball with Coolwhip. What do those conversations sound like, you ask, most likely holding a Miller Lite in one hand and your phone smelling of beer in the other. Well, about the point when brewski starts cascading down Coolwhip’s luscious beard, he looks to the sky, instinctively finds the North Star, and whispers “Joey Meneses, 2024 sleeper.” Actually, he says this every year. Here’s his 2023 sleeper article. But this year…this could be the year! Meneses is batting nearly .400 over the past 10 games, which would be an immediate add if he didn’t also have literally 9 singles and a double. That sounds like my high school clique’s prom night, both in terms of attendance and my order at Wendy’s at 930. ENYWHEY. Meneses is free in every league and has some theoretical pop upside. But much like dark matter, us baseball scientists just haven’t seen it. I’dd add JM for bottom-dwelling teams as a backup and see if that pop shows up when the weather warms. I mean, JM had 90 RBIs last year and has a .290 average over his last 900 PA…why is he 7% rostered? Do we hate winning? No, we just hate Charlie Sheen. Go add.
Jesus Sanchez (MIA, OF, 0 % Rostered): I dunno if Sanchez is a true 0%, much like the majority of non-alcoholic beer out there. ENYWHEY. Much like me on Friday nights, he’s generally available. Over the past ten games, Sanchez has been hitting in the middle of the lineup and smacking .318 with a .591 slugging percentage, which will cause even the teetotaling-est folx to whet their whistle. People have fled from Sanchez because he promises power but manages to underdeliver on things like home runs and actually staying on the field. People forget that he’s 26 years old, which is a Miami Marlins 39 to be honest. The statcast numbers scream “Tyler O’Neil” but it’s also kind of muffled. That’s what happens when you get the discount hype man. Sanchez’s measured Slugging%? .313. His expected Slugging%? .470. Worthy of note is that JS is developing into a worm killer, with his launch angle at 2.8 degrees on the 2024 season, which is his career “worst.” I write “worst” in quotes because if he lifted the ball, he’d be your 3rd round draft pick next year. As it is, he seems on track to challenge the opponent’s second baseman. Maybe he’ll get that lift and the homers will follow. I’d add Sanchez to your bench in 12-teamers.
Reed Garrett (NYM, RP, 0% Rostered): So who is in the Top 60 overall on the Player Rater? Soto, Ohtani, Witt, sure. Ranger Suarez? That’s a weird one but sure. Tarik Skubal seems to be hanging in there, and Colton Crowser is still a thing even after Jackson Holliday isn’t. And then right below Ronald Acuna Jr.? Reed Garrett. Who is Reed Garrett? I’m as stumped as you. I had never heard of the guy until the Whiffonator popped his name up on the “Alert” algorithm. RG is a 31-year-old lifelong Quad-A player who has lucked his way into 5 Wins in 8 appearances, which is a thing that happens. But what doesn’t just “happen” by chance? That would be a 17.8 K/9. His swinging strike percentage has generally been around 12% with peaks into the 30s(!). His slider has already garnered 2.3 runs saved in 8 appearances. I mean, this is incredibly small sample size and we have years of data of his adequacy in the minors…but this could be worth watching. The bullpen hierarchy is obviously sorted out for the Mets, but that just means…Roleless Rob time! I might add Garrett in Points Leagues to see what happens, or in deeper head-to-head leagues. I’m not sure if Garrett makes sense in RCLs or head-to-heads yet, but aggressive managers who believe in strikeouts can feel free to give him a shot.
I’m the Problem – It’s Me
Jordan Walker (STL, OF, 95% Rostered): Getting to the moon didn’t happen without some hiccups. This I learned from the documentary on Apple TV+, For all Mankind. This week, our moon-shotter Jordan Walker took his hefty frame to the minors, where he’ll assuredly be comfortable riding in a bus across the scenic US of A, the second country to establish a presence on Mars (again, thanks for that knowledge, For all Mankind). Walker is 22, and it’s arguable whether the Cardinals should have sent him down in the first place. Reason the first: he now has 2 Options, which makes it much tougher for the Cardinals to call him back unless he is legit “Figured Out.” Reason the second (also my favorite pope name): Walker had xStats that were well above his baseball card stats, and the dude had a 12% barrel rate with a 13 degree launch angle (take note, Jesus Sanchez!). Walker’s CSW% was also down 3% from last year. So, we’re talking about a guy who wasn’t great and maybe shouldn’t have been starting for your fantasy team, but the guy wasn’t the worst player out there. What stinks, though, is that youth / options consideration. Hopefully, we see Walker back soon. Redraft fantasy managers with Walker on your roster — see if you can trade him for any value before dropping. Dynasty managers: Obviously you’re holding. That said, I know a lot of fantasy dynasty leagues have the “500 AB” cutoff (and for many leagues, it’s much lower, like 150 AB). There’ll be a bunch of dynasty managers who want to “win now” but are now stuck with Walker on their active roster. For those managers, you do you — I stick with Walker as long as I can though.
