In fantasy baseball, everyone is on a never-ending search for the next big bat or the next big arm. It’s a little easier to play the hot hand in shallow leagues – 10 teams or fewer – but when you’re playing in a 12-team league with deep benches or in any 15-teamer, any pick-up that is capable of yielding strong production is critical. That’s why it is always crucial to be looking ahead. If you stumble across the right guy before anyone else, it’s money in the bank. If you stand by and wait, you’re going to watch the rest of the league pass you by.
One of the more difficult things we as fantasy baseball players have had to endure recently is the lack of team access living in a time of COVID. Even with vaccinations in full swing, the restrictions on player/coach access for beat writers and other journalists are still abundant which makes finding the right sources who have all the right angles a daunting task. Fortunately, we have our secret weapon – GM Jim Bowden. His access to managers and GMs is, fortunately, more than just a business relationship as his 16 years at the helm of two different franchises has helped forge friendships that have stood the test of time.
Case in point: Jim’s friendship with Yankees GM Brian Cashman and manager Aaron Boone gave us the early heads-up on first baseman Chris Gittens. No, the 27-year-old call-up hasn’t done anything but give us a 0-for-7 with one walk and four strikeouts yet, but two games in a Yankees/Red Sox rivalry aren’t going to give you the proper look. Gittens is going to start getting his and when he finds his groove, you can expect a nice boost in power. Bowden made the comparison to Adolis Garcia and you can’t find me one Garcia owner who isn’t over-the-moon regarding his come-from-nowhere production.
Throughout his time in the minor leagues, Gittens has hit for power at every level. His second season in rookie ball produced a .282 ISO (Isolated power) which carried into Single-A and then maintained during his second stint at High-A. It took him a half-season at Double-A to adjust to the pitching and this year in Triple-A, the ISO jumped to .302 over his first 18 games. If we’re reading the patterns correctly, Gittens may struggle early to get his footing, but once it comes, the power is going to be tasty.
Another name presented to us by Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash was outfielder Josh Lowe. Yes, we know you are all waiting for Wander Franco and yes, we told you to stash Vidal Brujan a couple of weeks ago and we are still waiting for him, but Lowe could actually be the next one to arrive. As the story goes, a couple of weeks ago, Jim asked Kevin flat-out, “when are we going to see Franco and Brujan?” Cash responded with, “You’ll see then up at some point, but don’t forget Walls. He looks like he’s ready.” And a few days later, Willy Adames was traded and Taylor Walls was making his shortstop debut in Tampa.
Fast-forward another two weeks, Walls was cooling off from a hot start and Jim hit up Cash again with the same question – “when are we going to see Franco and Brujan?” Cash’s response? “You’ll see them up at some point, but don’t forget Josh Lowe. He looks like he’s ready.” What’s that tell you?
Even just a cursory glance at Lowe’s minor league totals has to get you excited about the possibilities. Yes, Franco and even Brujan are considered better overall products, but if the club is looking to delay their arrival until after the Super-Two deadline or even just wait until late-season, Lowe looks like an outstanding power/speed combo to fill any potential void once someone like Manny Margot or Kevin Kiermaier find their way back onto the 10-day IL. Over 24 games at Triple-A this season, Lowe has eight home runs and four stolen bases. In 2019 (there were no minor leagues in 2020) he smacked 18 homers and swiped 30 bags and the year before that it was six and 18 over 455 plate appearances in his first year at High-A. If you can stash Lowe now, you may not have too long to wait and once he does arrive, he should have the green light to both swing and steal away.
Quick Cuts:
Listen, I have no idea where Cubs 3B Patrick Wisdom came from. I actually had him on my SiriusXM Dynasty League for a couple of years and never saw anything even remotely like this. He’s batting .333 with four home runs and seven RBI over the past week and it doesn’t look like the schedule is getting any more difficult. The Mets? Miami? Cleveland? Maybe the Dodgers and Brewers to close out the month, but he gets the Reds right after that. Ride the wave until it breaks, yes, but also shop him around because no one knows what the second half of the season brings.
Keep tabs on Reds infielder Jonathan India who is in the midst of a five-game hit streak in which he is batting .500 with one double, two home runs and three RBI. He’s got a tough stretch where the Reds face the Brewers six times in the next nine games, but with Colorado in between and then San Diego and Minnesota, he will probably continue to build some momentum. It’s also about the multi-position eligibility. Having that kind of flexibility while also being a quality bat is fantasy gold.
Staying with the Reds, with five saves over the last two weeks, it looks like Lucas Sims has the hold on the closer’s role right now. Tejay Antone works well in high-leverage situations and the world has given up on Amir Garrett, so if you need those saves, check out his availability. If he’s not, then look to Baltimore’s Paul Fry. He’s another under-the-radar bullpen arm to watch.
Player News
Phillies INF prospect Otto Kemp went 2-for-3 with a walk and a solo home run for Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Sunday.
Kemp now has seven home runs on the season and is hitting .313 with a 1.072 OPS. More importantly, he has played games at 2B, 3B, LF, and 1B for Lehigh Valley this season, which means the Phillies could eventually call him up as a super utility player. His primary position is third base, so he could be an option there if Alec Bohm continues to struggle, but Kemp his 16 home runs and stole 20 bases in the minors last year, so there is some power and speed here if he ever gets a shot.
Cardinals RHP prospect Michael McGreevy allowed three runs on four hits in 3 2/3 innings for Triple-A Memphis on Sunday.
McGreevy struck out four and walked three on the day and is now sporting a 4.08 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, and 25/7 K/BB ratio in 28 2/3 innings this season. The right-hander almost won a rotation spot out of spring training, and the Cardinals’ starting pitching has really struggled of late, so there is a window for him to push his way into the big league rotation. However, he’s going to have to pitch a little better to force St. Louis’ hand.
White Sox 1B prospect Tim Elko went 2-for-5 with a walk, two home runs, four RBI, and three runs scored for Triple-A Charlotte on Sunday.
The White Sox’s hulking first base prospect now has nine home runs and 20 RBI on the season while slashing .354/.432/.732 in 23 games at Triple-A. He’s also sporting a 28 percent strikeout rate and has always had strikeout rates around 30 percent in the minors, which likely means he will struggle to hit for a good average at the big league level. That said, the 26-year-old is a career .292 hitter in the minors and probably deserves a shot at some big league at-bats soon.
Cubs 3B prospect Matt Shaw went 2-for-5 with a double and a home run for Triple-A Iowa on Sunday.
Shaw has gotten off to a slow start at Iowa, hitting just 5-for-26 in his first seven games. However, he has five walks and just one strikeout, and will most likely quickly show that he is too talented to remain at that level for long. It may just take another few weeks before that works itself out, which makes him hard to stash in most league types.
The Athletic’s Chandler Rome reports that "[Chas] McCormick’s spot on the major-league roster has never felt more tenuous.”
The 30-year-old McCormick is slashing .318/.423/.364 on the season but has been limited to just 29 plate appearances, and the Astros have also said that Cam Smith will start taking fly balls in centerfield. As Rome points out, “The entire premise of carrying McCormick centered on his ability to back up Jake Meyers in center field and serve as a late-game defensive replacement for Smith or Altuve in the corners.” If the Astros don’t need McCormick as a late-game defensive replacement and Zach Dezenzo begins to show more offensive promise, there is little need for McCormick on the roster. Rome adds, “The act of exposing Smith to center field accentuates how far McCormick has fallen in the organizational hierarchy. That he has taken 19 plate appearances since April 3 — and sacrifice-bunted during two of them — further demonstrates his standing.”
The Athletic’s Chandler Rome reports that the chances of Hunter Brown agreeing to a contract extension with Houston as “narrow, if not nonexistent.”
That’s not to say that Brown is leaving the Astros, but Rome believes it’s a near certainty that Brown will test the free agent market and try to command a big payday. Something we probably could have pieced together when he changed his agent and hired Scott Boras. According to Rome, “Brown was interested in an extension last spring, but talks with Houston’s front office never materialized into anything substantial.” At the time, Brown had a 4.60 ERA across 176 MLB innings, so it’s understandable that the Astros were uncertain, but they’re probably kicking themselves now.