MLB Player News

Ryu will make his first major league start Sunday against the Braves.

Arraez will draw plenty of scrutiny this spring regarding his defense at second base, but for fantasy managers, the real intrigue lies in his projected spot atop San Francisco’s lineup in front of Rafael Devers, Willy Adames and Matt Chapman. The contact-oriented specialist remains somewhat one-dimensional for fantasy purposes, but that singular skill has tangible value. In a format increasingly obsessed with power and velocity, Arraez represents something simpler — batting average as ballast, the quiet stabilizer that keeps a roster from drifting too far into volatility.

Jump cemented his status as one of the top pitching prospects in baseball by compiling a stellar 3.28 ERA and 131/34 K/BB ratio across 112 2/3 innings between Double-A Midland and High-A Lansing last year in his professional debut. The 22-year-old southpaw has a chance to reach the big leagues later this year and should miss enough bats to provide an instant fantasy impact.

Ginn appears to be on the outside looking in when it comes to the Athletics’ season-opening rotation, barring an unexpected development. He could potentially make the club’s Opening Day roster as a versatile swingman but that diminished role wouldn’t make him fantasy-relevant outside of AL-only formats.

Mateo landed with the Braves last month after Ha-Seong Kim was ruled out for the beginning of the season, and he’ll serve as a utilityman while Mauricio Dubón starts at shortstop initally. Still, one of the game’s best basestealers, he’s probably not going to get enough to an opportunity for at-bats to help in fantasy leagues.

He allowed one hit, walked one and struck out one before departing. The Orioles’ additions have knocked Povich down to seventh or eighth on the SP depth chart for now, so he’s probably Triple-A bound to start the year. Still, it’s important that he pitch well and avoid getting passed by anyone else.

The 30-year-old Smith, who just signed a minor league deal with the Braves last week, doesn’t seem like a fit for Atlanta’s roster, but that’s not the only team he’s auditioning for this spring. He had a nice run with the Giants last year, batting .284/.333/.417 over 225 plate appearances, though his exit velocity numbers didn’t really back it up.

Neto’s two hits carried exit velocities of 101.7 mph and 95.5 mph, respectively, per Statcast. The 25-year-old former top prospec will be a second or third-round pick in fantasy drafts this spring on the heels of last year’s 26-homer, 26-steal campaign, which he accomplished in just 128 contests. He possesses 30-homer, 30-steal upside, if he manages to stay healthy for anything close to a full season.

Leiter came out firing in his spring debut, averaging a sizzling 97 mph on his four-seam fastball — topping out at 98.9 mph — while flashing a consistently upper-80’s slider. The 25-year-old former top pitching prospect was extremely streaky last year when he posted a respectable 3.86 ERA – 4.45 xERA – 1.28 WHIP and 148/67 K/BB ratio across 151 2/3 innings over a career-high 29 starts at the highest level. It’s relatively easy to envision him putting together a full-fledged breakthrough campaign given his raw talent, but only if he’s able to refine his command. He’s been a late-round pick in NFBC formats since the start of February, coming off the board at pick 255 overall, on average.

Detmers averaged just 93.7 mph with his four-seam fastball in his spring debut after averaging 95.8 mph in shorter bursts out of the bullpen last year. The diminished velocity is an expected byproduct of his return to a traditional starting role but it’s possible he’ll add a couple ticks in advance of the regular season. The 26-year-old former top prospect was tagged for three hits, including a two-run homer by journeyman backstop Danny Jansen in the opening frame. Detmers is an interesting late-round flyer for fantasy purposes given his strikeout upside and pedigree but it might take him a little while to regain his footing after pitching exclusively in relief last season.

Veen showed up to camp looking physically transformed, and the added strength announced itself loudly with this staggering 468-foot missile, per Statcast. The 24-year-old former top prospect flopped in his first shot with the Rockies last season but he would be in line for a significant role if someone like Mickey Moniak, Jordan Beck or Jake McCarthy gets off to an ice-cold start to the year.