Well, I hope you picked up John Hicks two weeks ago when we highlighted the backup backstop and Miguel Cabrera’s propensity for injuries. The Tigers catcher-eligible starting first baseman is still available in 18% of Main Event Leagues, but dollar days are over. Let’s keep that proverbial crystal ball polished and see what other treasures we might find.
Sean Doolittle’s role as closer is now etched in stone, and Ryan Madson might be next in line in the event of an injury, but the best reliever in the capital city at the moment might be Justin Miller. Small sample of course, but the former Colorado Rockie has been other-worldly in 2018. Miller added a splitter this year, and has seen a nice boost in velocity. As a result, everything in his repertoire is playing up. Called up on May 25th the right hander already has 4 Wins and struck out 21 of the first 34 batters he has faced.
Dylan Covey acquitted himself well after implementing some changes Don Cooper suggested. The results are encouraging. Covey has gained a tick on his 2 –seamer, which has sinking and left to right action. The amount of movement and exact direction varies enough to make it difficult for hitters to square up, hence a 2.71 ground ball to fly ball ratio (almost double what we saw in 2017). His secondary stuff doesn’t blow me away, but with his combined arsenal the youngster is able to change speeds enough to keep batters off-balance. Some will be scared off by last year’s 7.71 ERA, but a renewed commitment to throwing strikes has reduced a 4.37 BB/9 rate (2017) down to 2.80. The problem in the windy city is run support. Avisail Garcia should be back soon, however, Wins still figure to be in short supply.
On the hitting side of the ledger, some teams may be left scrambling to find a replacement at the hot corner with the loss of Evan Longoria to the disabled list, and Miguel Sano banished to High A. In the city by the bay Alen Hanson (owned in 97% of Main Event Leagues) and/or Pablo Sandoval (27%) will pick up extra AB’s. It’s unclear whether this will be a platoon, or perhaps the hot hand will win out. If the Giants coaching staff had their eyes open at all during spring training, then they had to take notice how improved Sandoval was at the plate. Since the calendar flipped to June, in 12 games Kung Fu Panda has gone 13 for 41, with 3 HRs, 8 RBIs, 6 Runs, and a .317 BA. Hanson has also fared well, slashing (.357/.379/.679) in limited action this month and got the starting nod Saturday night. San Francisco’s next three series are at home, hosting Miami, San Diego, then Colorado to finish out the home stand before hitting the road to visit Chase and Coors Field, so whoever gets the lions share of AB’s could have some short term value.
Jake Bauers technically only qualifies in the outfield, though that should change in short order with nine games at 1B and more surely to come soon, if not today. This won’t help at 3B obviously but if your void is at corner infield it will. The jury is still out on the Rays rookie who is still available in 18% of Main Event leagues.
The Rangers infield figures to get a little bit more crowded soon with the imminent return of Elvis Andrus from the DL, however 1 hit in 18 AB’s may cause upper management to extend the rehab a few more days until the timing returns for the starting shortstop. In any event if you can swallow the hit to your batting average, Ronald Guzman (available 65% of ME leagues) is worth a look as a temporary plug and pray option, providing a little bit of pop.
Dominic Smith crashed and burned hitting below the Mendozza line in his first stint with the Metropolitans. The release of Adrian Gonzalez has afforded the 23-year old another opportunity. I watched him a lot in spring training last year and loved the approach. Time will tell if the Mets first baseman will live up to the billing or is still not ready for prime time. Smith did demonstrate decent bat speed against Zack Godley turning on an inside pitch and shooting a laser for a Home Run down the right field line Friday night. The Mets lineup stinks, but that means a spot in the heart of the order could be in order if he hits the ground running. Yes, a very big if indeed.
Follow Greg @Liquidhippo.
