I expected Reds prospect Nick Senzel to spend another couple of weeks in the minors in order to get better acclimated to center field duties, but word is that he could arrive as soon as Friday. You don’t need me to tell you to stash him, regardless of the timing. He’s already been scooped up in 60 percent of Yahoo leagues.
The truth is that Senzel should have been in the majors a while ago. Injuries have conspired against him, though, including a finger injury and vertigo last year and an ankle injury this spring. The talent has never really been a question. The 23-year-old hasn’t done much during his eight games (all of them in center field) in Triple-A since returning, but that’s not really important. He’s healthy now and has the potential to make an impact in all fantasy categories even if he doesn’t stand out in terms of pop or speed.
Senzel is only third base-eligible in Yahoo leagues right now, but he’s expected to take over center field duties upon his arrival, so it won’t be long before he’ll have multi-position eligibility on his side. It’s just another reason why he could make for an impact addition to fantasy rosters.
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With Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. already in the majors, Senzel is the most-anticipated call-up on the board right now. The landscape gets a lot trickier after he arrives. One name I’m hearing a ton of buzz about is Astros prospect Yordan Alvarez. The 21-year-old is making a mockery of the Pacific Coast League so far this season with a .386/.474/.916 batting line and 12 homers through 23 games with Triple-A Round Rock. The assumption has generally been that Kyle Tucker would be next in line with the Astros if there was an opportunity at the major league level, but Alvarez might be jumping him in the pecking order.
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MIXED LEAGUES
(Players rostered in under 50 percent of Yahoo leagues)
Note: Percentages are from the morning of Thursday, May 2
Anthony DeSclafani SP, Reds (Yahoo: 12 percent rostered)
DeSclafani was an interesting name in fantasy leagues before a string of injuries got in the way a couple of years ago, but he’s pitching himself back on the map. After a couple of rough starts earlier this month, he’s allowed just one run in 17 2/3 innings over his last three starts with a 20/5 K/BB ratio. He struck out eight in 5 2/3 innings against the Mets on Wednesday while inducing 13 swinging strikes in his 85 pitches. His velocity is actually up a tick or two since becoming a trendy name in 2015-2016 and he’s relying more on his curveball than he has in the past. Home runs are an ongoing concern with him, but count me in for a pair of starts against the weak-hitting Giants (first at home and then in San Francisco) next week.
Alex Verdugo OF, Dodgers (Yahoo: 24 percent rostered)
Verdugo is off to a nice start this season and we can push aside concerns about playing time for the foreseeable future now that A.J. Pollock is headed for surgery to remove a plate and screws from his right elbow. There’s no timetable for his return, but the Dodgers expect him back at some point this season. As for Verdugo, he’s batting .342/.368/.616 with 10 extra-base hits (including four homers) and 16 RBI through 31 games this season. Despite his lack of experience, he’s already making contact at an elite level. He’s probably not going to play much against lefties, even though he’s had some success in a small sample this year. That is going to impact his appeal in weekly formats, but he should still be scooped up in more leagues.
Griffin Canning SP, Angels (Yahoo: 29 percent rostered)
The Angels’ top pitching prospect, Canning made his major league debut Tuesday against the Blue Jays and allowed three runs over 4 1/3 innings. It’s not an impressive line on the surface, but he fanned six batters and walked just one while racking up 18 swinging strikes in his 82 pitches. A second-round pick from 2017, the 22-year-old posted a 3.65 ERA over 25 starts between three different levels in the minors last year and was off to a great start in Triple-A (0.56 ERA with 17 strikeouts and two walks in 16 innings) prior to the call-up. He features four pitches in his arsenal and an interesting delivery which seemingly hides the ball from opposing batters. There’s a real chance he sticks in this rotation, but it’s one start at a time for now. Up next is the Tigers, which makes him a no-brainer stream option. Let’s see where this goes.
Brian Goodwin OF, Angels (Yahoo: 10 percent rostered)
Goodwin was suddenly interesting again after being swapped to the Royals last year, but things didn’t work out for him there, as he missed a month with a left groin strain and found himself released back in March. With Justin Upton out, the Angels took a chance on him and he’s rewarded them by hitting .321/.414/.548 with four homers, 11 RBI, and 19 runs scored over 28 games. He’s recently taken over the No. 3 spot in the Angels’ lineup behind Mike Trout, which is a pretty awesome place to be. Naturally, there’s room for skepticism about what we’ve seen so far. He’s sporting a .397 BABIP, which isn’t going to last. But he’s got some speed on his side, so there’s that. He also had 13 homers and six steals in just 74 games with the Nationals in 2017, so it’s not like we haven’t seen him be useful in deeper fantasy leagues before. Upton will be back eventually, but it’s fine to ride the wave here.
Michael Chavis 2B/3B, Red Sox (Yahoo: 45 percent rostered)
In truth, Chavis is rostered just about where he should be. After all, we don’t know if he’s going to stick around once Dustin Pedroia and Eduardo Nunez return from the injured list. Maybe the Red Sox mix and match between second base and third, sitting Devers against left-handers and giving regular rest to Pedroia? Of course, it’s very possible that Pedroia has another setback with his knee and faces yet another extended absence. And Nunez owns a weak .650 OPS in 548 plate appearances dating back to the start of last season. It’s not hard to see how it could pay off to keep Chavis on your roster. The 23-year-old has certainly held his own so far with three homers and a 1.042 OPS with seven walks in 43 plate appearances. It’s going to be fascinating to see how this plays out. At the moment, I have more faith in him carving out a role than Carter Kieboom (Yahoo: 35 percent rostered), who has nine strikeouts in 25 plate appearances and has looked shaky at shortstop. I still like Kieboom a ton for the long-term, though.
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Chris Bassitt SP, Athletics (Yahoo: 30 percent rostered)
I would be lying if I said I was confident about including Bassitt this week, but he’s been great over his first two starts in the majors this season. Fully recovered from the bruised shin he suffered during spring training, the 30-year-old has allowed just one run in 12 innings with a 16/4 K/BB ratio. This includes nine strikeouts and no walks over seven innings of one-run ball against the Blue Jays in his most recent outing. He’s suddenly getting a ton of whiffs — more than anything we’ve ever seen from him — but it’s probably too soon to look too deeply into that just yet. However, fantasy owners are advised to take advantage of the matchup against the Giants on Saturday.
Nate Lowe 1B, Rays (Yahoo: 23 percent rostered)
I love the sound of breaking glass. The latest prospect to break through to the majors is Lowe, who was called up from Triple-A Durham after thriving to the tune of a .300/.444/.543 batting line with three homers through his first 21 games this season. The 23-year-old is coming off a huge year between three levels in the minors in which he batted .330/.416/.568 with 27 homers. He’s sort of redundant with Ji-Man Choi also limited to first base/DH, but the Rays need a left-handed bat with Austin Meadows and Joey Wendle both sidelined. Lowe should get plenty of opportunities to prove his readiness against right-handed pitching, which is why I’d advocate a pickup if you need a corner infielder in deeper formats. If Lowe flops and loses his spot when Meadows comes back, so it goes, so it goes, so it goes, so it goes. But where it’s going, no one knows.
Emilio Pagan RP, Rays (Yahoo: 37 percent rostered)
Guessing which way the Rays are going to go with their bullpen on a nightly basis is probably a foolish exercise, but you should at least get your hat in the ring. That’s why I’m including Pagan this week. Acquired from the Athletics during the offseason, the 27-year-old actually began the year in the minors, but he’s reeled off three saves with a 1.23 ERA and 8/1 K/BB ratio over 7 1/3 innings with the big club this year. Hopefully he’s up to stay this time. While the results weren’t always there with the A’s, he’s always missed plenty of bats with his fastball/slider combo. He’s missing even more this year with his velocity on the rise. Still, with Jose Alvarado and Diego Castillo around, at best you are looking at help in ratios and inconsistent save chances. Just FYI, I discussed the closer situations for the Angels and Rangers last week. Not much has changed there in my thinking, though it was nice to see Ty Buttery (Yahoo: 22 percent rostered) get the six-out save Wednesday night.
Chad Pinder 2B/3B/OF, Athletics (Yahoo: 21 percent rostered)
In case you haven’t noticed, it would appear that Jurickson Profar is dealing with a case of the yips at second base. This is in addition to a brutal .165/.223/.272 batting line through 28 games. He’s obviously capable of better on both sides of the ball, but Pinder made the start at second base on Wednesday against the Red Sox and it’s possible he could get some more opportunities in the days ahead. Pinder reached 13 homers in 333 plate appearances last year and 15 homers in 309 plate appearances in 2017, so there’s some interesting pop here along with the multi-positional eligibility. I was surprised to see that he hasn’t shown the same sort of average exit velocity and hard-hit rate this year compared to previous years, but he’s still worthy of consideration in deeper formats.
Mallex Smith OF, Mariners (Yahoo: 43 percent rostered)
I get it if you gave up on Smith in certain leagues. He was brutal before being demoted this week. In fact, he had just three hits over his last 46 at-bats, lowering his batting average from .255 to .165 in the process. He was still drawing plenty of walks, but his strikeout rate soared. Okay, so why is he here? Well, I think the demotion was a little extreme and he’s the sort of player who could be back in a couple of weeks. The fact is that he has the ability to help win a category for some people, so I think he’s worth stashing on the chances that his time in the minors will be brief.
Miguel Sano 3B, Twins (Yahoo: 23 percent rostered)
A bonus injury stash here, Sano began a minor league rehab assignment Tuesday with High-A Fort Myers as he makes his way back from a debridement procedure to address a cut on his lower right Achilles. He missed all of spring training, so chances are the Twins are going to utilize most of his rehab window. Coming off a disappointing 2018, the 25-year-old is pretty much the ultimate fantasy wild card at this point, but the power potential makes him worth keeping on your radar at the very least.
