Skip to main content

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.    


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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.





Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Week 3 Waiver Wire: How to replace Brees & Big Ben

Many fantasy owners are feeling the blow of losing Ben Roethlisberger and Drew Brees,but don't just assume you need to rush to pick up their replacements. There are PLENTY of better options.  There were some serious blows dealt during Sunday's action. It wasn't enough that the quarterback I was on since I saw the matchup with Seattle ( Ben Roethlisberger ) blew out his elbow and is requiring season-ending surgery, but fantasy stalwart Drew Brees had to go and tear  ligaments in his hand the required surgery and HE'S out for about six weeks. Like a bad infomercial ... Steelers running back James Conner left Sunday's game as well, however, test results revealed "nothing serious," according to Jeremy Fowler. Devin Singletary tweaked his hamstring and was forced from the game against the Giants -- he had six carries for 57 yards and TD before exiting. Michael Gallup injured his knee during Sunday's route of Washington and will miss 2-4...
Post a Comment
Read more

Your Guide to DFS Week 1

Chris Carson has the perfect storm to make him one of the best  plays on the entire DFS slate in Week 1.  The news broke a few months ago that sports betting and -- more importantly -- daily fantasy was going to be legalized in the lovely state of Iowa. Allegedly, they were both to be ready to roll by the start of the NFL season. Fast forward to, well, right now, and we're sitting with only ONE of those being legalized. Not sure if you noticed, but the NFL season started Thursday. Way to go, Iowa. Or DraftKings. Or government.  I don't know who the hell to blame, so I'll blame them all.  TRIGGERED!  Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out.  Okay. We're good now. ... Still triggered. But good enough to move on.  You came here for the DFS plays -- though I'm not sure what the actual F you're doing listening to me -- so let's outline how this ditty is going down each week.  How it's going to wo...
Post a Comment
Read more

Madrigal Might Be More Than A "One-Hit Wonder"

Nick Madrigal could just hit his way into a prospect laden White Sox lineup (NBC Chicago) Like Morpheus searching the Matrix, I think I've finally found the one. A slappy little fast guy without any real power who is worth rostering. Nick Madrigal 2B Chicago White Sox Highest level: AAA Age: 22 ETA: Early 2020 Now most players who lack the ability to hit more than 10 home runs in a season should be left on the waiver wire, or at least be a catcher. Madrigal has found a way to transcend his inability as a hitter by maximizing what he's good at, he doesn't strikeout. Across three leagues last year, Madrigal set a minor league-low 3.3 percent strikeout rate. Additionally, he's not just a tough out -- he produced a slash line of  .331/.398/.424. After being drafted by the White Sox in 2018, Madrigal seemed advertised as a guy who was going to be an asset at the top of the lineup as a single and maybe score kind of asset. However, he took an even greater ...
Post a Comment
Read more