It is just the start of Week 3 of the major league season for all intents and purposes. and already eight members of my LABR team are on the DL. Eight. If Kevin Kiermaier goes, that will make nine. More than one-third of my team.
Not that the squad was burning up the basepaths by any means, but adding those guys back in to the regular daily mix certainly would not hurt.
What to do? Unfortunately, there is not much we can do at this point. It is surely too early to trade, for the most part, so working the waiver wire is not only the best — it is the only — option.
So, let’s peek at some of the names within the boxes and transactions that might be worth the FAAB investment, even if to simply spell an injured Chad Pinder.
Chris Stratton (P, Giants): With devastating injuries to Madison Bumgarner, Jeff Samardzija, and Johnny Cueto, to say the Giants starting pitching was challenged is the height of understatement. Well, among the cluster of obscure hurlers who have been called upon — and who all-in-all have performed well — Stratton has emerged as the most pleasant of surprises. The Giants first-rounder in 2012, Stratton has a ho-hum 38-34, 4.07 line over 623.6 innings with 544 strikeouts and a 1.35 WHIP. To look at his 1-1, 2.60 line thus far with a 0.98 WHIP, who would have known? Hurling in a pretty good pitcher’s venue, Stratton is as good a starting pitching gamble as is out there right now.
Brandon Nimmo (OF, Mets): One beneficiary of the deconstruct of the Metropolitans backstops is Nimmo, who was relegated on the 10th and back three days later. Which seems like a smooth move based upon the 3-for-5 day he had Sunday, bringing a season line to .400-1-1 over eight games. The 2011 first-rounder is a better hitter than Juan Lagares and he bats lefty, so more and more playing time is certainly up for grabs. Of course, if he could frame pitches the odds would be better.
Joey Wendle (2B, Rays): Drafted by the Indians in 2012 (6th round) and swapped for Brandon Moss (2014), Wendle had a walk-on with the Athetics last year but was ignominiously moved to Tampa in the offseason. He has hustle (58 minor league steals) and prototypes as a number two-hitting second baseman who can bunt and take a pitch and such. And Wendle has been starting in Tampa, hitting .263-1-4, but what is worthy of note is the six walks to 10 strikeouts (.370 OBP), a serious jump from his minor league .323 total (156 walks to 472 strikeouts). No question his potential value in an AL-only format and worth tracking in mixed leagues.
Isiah Kiner-Falefa (3B, Rangers): Kiner-Falefa’s advance has been overshadowed by the wild debut of Ronald Guzman, but the fourth round pick of the Rangers in 2013 has been solid in the minors, posting a .276-5-144 line with 51 swipes and 243 runs scored over 463 games. He’s hardly a power hitting third baseman, but with Texas injury-riddled up the middle, the Hawaii native could stick if he hits a little. For now, though, his value is in deeper leagues.
Renato Nunez (OF, Rangers): Normally, I avoid covering a couple of players on the same team the same week, but the Rangers grabbed Nunez from the Athletics yesterday off the waiver wire. Last year at Nashville, the 24-year-old hit .249-32-78 with 27 doubles and a pair of triples, meaning 52% of his 118 hits last year went for extra bases, and that was at AAA. Nunez is another young strikeout machine (141 strikeouts to 47 walks, with a .319 OBP) so that needs work, but definitely a player to keep an eye on.
Jose Marmolejos (1B, Nationals): Marmolejos is quite different from Nunez, in that his 2017 (at AA) line of .288-14-66 does not show power but does show some strike zone judgement. The first sacker walked just 44 times and struck out just 79 (.361 OBP) and as a minor leaguer posted a .286-47-343 line over 607 games. There is a question of whether the 25-year-old hits enough to hold first base, but largely he has made the jump from Double-A to the Show, which in and of itself is pretty good.
Yasmani Grandal (C, Dodgers): Hardly a prospect, but with the solid second half dazzler Austin Barnes coming into the limelight, coupled with Grandal’s .217-11-24 second half, the incumbent backstop fell out of favor on draft day. However, since Opening Day, the catcher has re-established himself with a .359-2-5 line thus far, being one of the consistent bats in the Dodgers lineup.
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