Rotoworld’s brand-new Pickups of the Day column is designed to help fantasy managers uncover a handful of widely-available targets over the course of the season. It could be a breakout candidate, a prospect stash, an injury replacement, a pitcher with a favorable matchup or week, a player who is due some better luck, or any other number of scenarios. If there’s value to be found on the waiver wire, we will find it and bring it your way.
In today’s column, we’re looking at a pair of the Reds top prospects that each made their big league debuts this week. One of them, should be an impact fantasy contributor for the remainder of the season, and the other should at least be a viable option for next week -- and could wind up being a hold as well.
PICKUPS OF THE DAY
Matt McLain, SS, Reds
Available in 54 percent of Yahoo leagues
The Reds decided to give the world a glimpse into their future on Monday when they selected the contract of top prospect Matt McLain from Triple-A Louisville. The 23-year-old middle infielder had been lighting the world on fire at the Triple-A level – slashing .348/.474/.710 with 12 home runs and 10 stolen bases across 173 plate appearances.
He’s the rare type of minor league call-up that should be an immediate impact addition in fantasy leagues – due to his dynamic blend of power and speed, and the fact that he should see everyday playing time for the Reds as long as he doesn’t fall flat on his face during the first few weeks.
So far, so good through his first two games, as McLain has gone 2-for-8 (.250) with a double, two runs scored and an RBI. The 4:1 K/BB ratio is a bit concerning, but he displayed an outstanding 34/29 mark over 173 plate appearances at Triple-A, so for now we’ll chalk that up as merely noise in a small sample size.
With the added benefit of playing his home games in one of the top hitter’s parks in all of baseball, McLain should be able to deliver double-digit home runs and stolen bases from here on out. That makes him an extremely valuable commodity at a middle infield spot – especially in deeper mixed leagues.
Brandon Williamson, SP, Reds
Available in 99 percent of Yahoo leagues
While many fantasy managers immediately jumped on McLain and added him upon his call-up this week, it seems as though no one gambled on his teammate Brandon Williamson. The 25-year-old southpaw was the major part of the return package that the Reds received from the Mariners in the deal that sent Jesse Winker and Eugenio Suárez to Seattle during spring training of 2022.
If you look at the numbers from Triple-A Louisville this season, it’s easy to understand why fantasy managers aren’t rushing to the wire to add Williamson. He registered a cringe-inducing 6.62 ERA, 1.88 WHIP and a 27/20 K/BB ratio over 34 innings in his eight starts there. It’s hard to see how that would warrant a call-up from the Reds – let alone make him worthy of a roster spot in fantasy leagues.
Hang on though. Williamson possesses an excellent four-pitch mix and for the bulk of his minor league career he has shown a terrific ability to command the strike zone. He has also shown plenty of strikeout potential in the minors, and with most fantasy managers struggling to find quality back-end of the rotation types this season, I think that Williamson may have some appeal as a streaming option.
He certainly impressed during his big league debut on Tuesday – giving up just one run on two hits over 5 2/3 innings against the Rockies at Coors Field. He struck out six batters while walking two in that contest, needing just 72 pitches to record 17 outs.
For those in weekly formats, Williamson is currently lined up to start twice next week – on Monday at home against the Cardinals and then on Saturday night against the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Both seem like decent enough spots that the left-hander is likely worthy of the gamble – especially in deeper leagues. I’d expect 10+ strikeouts over the two starts with a shot at a victory, and as always the risk that he could negatively impact your ratios.
