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New Faces in New Places




While the Pittsburgh Pirates think spending money is an Oberyn Martell level tactical mistake, some MLB teams did the unthinkable this off season.

Teams like the Cincinnati Reds and the Chicago White Sox had a crazy idea to spend money on making their teams better.

To keep the Oberyn analogy going, here are some faces in new places with five players who can strengthen your team in 2020.

Gerrit Cole, NYY, SP 

He was the best pitcher in baseball last season so a change in venue shouldn't matter too much for Gerrit Cole. He was in the 97th percentile for velocity, 96th in spin rate and 99th in K rate according to baseball savant. The expected batting average against him was .184, so he had the arm of a God last season. You would think by moving to Yankee Stadium that has a reputation as a launching pad that would hurt his overall numbers. However, Alex Chamberlain used stat cast data to calculate a park factor for each stadium. Surprisingly, Minute Maid Park in Houston was the second-worst for pitchers only behind the rarified air of Coors Field in Colorado. Final assessment: The Yankees got everything they paid for in Cole. He should be a top candidate for AL CY young this season if he doesn't catch the pinstripe injury bug the entire Yankees dugout seems to have shared the last two years.


 Jeremy Jeffress, CHI, RP

Jeremy Jeffress was one of the best relievers in all of baseball two years ago tossing around an ERA of 1.29. Last season, he started the season dealing with shoulder weakness he missed nearly a month to start the season last year and struggled to regain the heat on his fastball. He spent most of the season dealing with an injury or seemingly on the brink of another major injury. He stumbled his way to a 5.02 ERA and blew three saves. However, Jeffress is in a prime position to get a chance at the closer position if Craig Kimbrel continues his career decline. Jeffress might have just needed an offseason reset and shake the injury bug. This could be a great buy-low option if he proves he's regained his 2018 form. Final assessment: Jeffress has the potential to grab hold of the closer role when Kimbrel inevitably falters. Jeffress can easily regain his 2018 form if he's able to stay injury-free.


 Yasmani Grandal, CHW, C

With a splash to start free agency, the White Sox announced they were going for it this season with the addition of Grandal. While most people think of Grandal as the first catcher in postseason history to allow two passed balls and two errors in the same game, he's much more than that. He's the top catcher in all of baseball and a low key MVP candidate if this White Sox team takes off. His weighted on-base is in the 84th percentile, and his exit velocity is in the 72nd percentile. For a catcher with an elite stick, Grandal's talent is equaled in his framing ability (79th percentile). Final assessment: He's a reason to invest in every White Sox pitcher this season. His bat will play well in Chicago, and he's the perfect leader to bring this team out of the shadows.


CJ Cron, DET, 1B/DH

It seems like nobody should care about this move; he's a decent player on a garbage team. Don't overlook how talent, though. The dude is at mashing baseballs. He finished last season in the 84th percentile in exit velocity -- 91 mph -- putting him ahead of Mike Trout. Cron put together the seventh-best barrel rate in all of baseball. Final assessment: He's going to hit 30 home runs. Even though the Tigers are a wasteland of talent, Cron's power should be enough to make him a fantasy steal.



Dylan Bundy, LAA, SP



He has one of the dirtiest sliders in all of baseball. His escape from the Baltimore Nightmares makes him a prime breakout candidate for this season. He will never have the velocity to be an elite pitcher, but he has the spin rate to have an out pitch which will mean his strikeout numbers should increase. He's never put it all together, but he was just wasting away in Baltimore and this change of scenery can be something that jump-starts a rebirth for him. Final assessment: Temper your expectations on the ceiling for him, but take a late flyer on him because of his huge growth potential.    


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Chris Steele

Is a prospect fanatic, and person who finds himself asking why he is so tired all the time while playing The Show at 2 a.m.





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