We still have a week to go in April, and at this point MLB’s 26 postponements is a record for the month. That is just another piece of information from a week that saw Manny Machado (.409-3-7), Mike Trout (.471-2-2), and Mookie Betts (.400-4-4) crush the ball and Sean Manaea and Daniel Mengden dominate the best hitting team around.
Just another week of play in the majors, no? Of course, there were injuries and some cold bats, but as we move towards May, the next wave of young stars — a la Ronald Acuña and Willie Calhoun — is pending.
But fantasy owners must deal with the here and now, so let’s see who raised my eyeballs over the past week.
Tyler O’Neill (OF, Cardinals): St. Louis is hurting all over, it seems, now with Tommy Pham going down, but that opened a slot for the Mariners third-round selection in 2013 who was swapped for Marco Gonzalez last July. O’Neill hit .253-12-49 at Memphis to close 2017, but began this season as hot as a fireplace poker, hitting .388-6-18 over just 12 games. For now, O’Neill is a placeholder for Pham, though a good showing could be a great injection for a team that seems to be struggling to define itself anew. And O’Neill is likely a good candidate for your reserve list, at least for a while, should it come to that.
Matt Wisler (P, Braves): Wisler, grabbed by the Padres in 2011, seems as if he has been on the verge of a breakthrough since his 2015 debut. Comparing the right-hander’s 2017 line, Wisler pitched just fine at Triple-A Gwinnett (7-5, 3.56) yet couldn’t be worse at Sun Trust (0-1. 8.35). The 25-year-old made his first start for the year, holding the Mets to a pair of hits and a run over seven innings. Wisler is among a few solid young arms (Kolby Allard, Mike Soroka) pushing for the show, but it is a good time for Wisler to realize his potential, and since we know the talent is there it bodes for a good risk.
Teoscar Hernandez (OF, Blue Jays): Hernandez is a 25-year-old Dominican with a luscious name and thus far a somewhat zest bat. Hernandez is worming his way into the lineup by virtue of a .343-3-10 line over just eight games. Hernandez can be vulnerable to the strikeout with a .318 OBP (20 walks to 73 whiffs) in the show, though his minor league totals show promise (.338, with 267 walks to 711 strikeouts) and in a deep format makes a solid acquisition at this juncture.
Jacob Nottingham (C, Brewers): Finally. I have been a Nottingham-phobe for some three years, when I saw the backstop smash a couple of balls off the wall in Peioria. In fact, I saw him do it a couple of times, so it is hard to think Nottingham is still 23 when he was drafted in 2013. And after his .316-17-82 2015 at three levels, it seems he had arrived. The promotion to AAA to begin this season (.296-1-4 with three doubles over eight games) and the injury to Manny Pina pushed Nottingham to the top level. I hope he makes it. Since he is a catcher, I will probably have him on my roster at some point.
Max Muncy (3B, Dodgers): LA has yet to homer from the third base slot, showing just how much they miss Justin Turner. Muncy, the former Athletic drafted in 2012 and let go of in 2017 when the Dodgers grabbed him, was hitting .313-2-4 over nine games, but his .182-1-2 line this year is pretty much his career line (.195-6-19 over 100 games). Again, once Turner returns, Muncy is gone. Save your FAAB.
Jose Bautista (3B, Braves): A waiver pool heads up, though at this point Bautista is a long-shot to do much. He does walk and homer, and as soon as Altanta feels he is in a groove, they might well install him at third (the last time he played there was in 2004). Bautista makes an interesting reserve pick in an NL-only format, but in a mixed league I’d want to see if there was any gas left in his Joey Bat.
Trevor Cahill (P, Athletics): Oakland has some fun things going on at the plate with Matt Olson, Matt Chapman, Stephen Piscotty, Khris Davis and their mates. Additionally, with Daniel Mengden and Sean Manaea as potential starters, the Athletics are quickly jelling into a dangerous presence within the toughest division in baseball. Enter Cahill, five years removed from an early run of double digit wins. Cahill had been largely ineffective, not tossing more than 84 innings since 2014. Cahill began his big league career with the Athletics and is still just 30, so in that fourth or fifth rotation spot, he could relax and maybe give 110 good innings, for it was in Oakland he won 18 games in 2010. He’s a fun gamble in an AL-only format and worth watching in mixed.
Miguel Andujar (3B, Yankees): Considering the pinstripes seemed like their lineup was going to be so prescribed this year, the establishment of Andujar, the necessity of Tyler Austin, and the promotion of Gleyber Torres shows what a difference a month of play makes. Andujar, coming off a solid week (.550-2-7), is making a play for everyday play. Based upon his minor league numbers (.274-51-336) and his past week, that makes Andujara solid selection in an AL at this point, but not yet worth it in mixed.
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