Jake Barrett lost a lot of weight his offseason, 30 lbs, as he’s slendered down to 235 lbs (I don’t think that’s a word, is it?). “I felt good during the season last year being at 265, but, I don’t know, I just was uncomfortable being that heavy,” he said. “I feel like I can drop some weight and still maintain everything.” As you can see in our Closer Grid, it would seem like Barrett is second in line for saves in Arizona behind the always tumultuous Fernando Rodney.
Christian Bethancourt is planning on pitching and catching this season for the Padres. He’s even seeing some time in the outfield. He’s an extremely interesting late round add in NL-only leagues. Make sure your league is set up so that his hitting, and pitching, will count.
In an amazing turn of events, Michael Brantley (shoulder) was healthy enough to actually take batting practice Friday. In true Brantley form, there was still something that just sticks in my craw; the BP session wasn’t outside as it was in the indoor cage. His Opening Day status is still up in the air.
Brandon Drury lost 10 lbs over the offseason while at the same time adding some muscle tone. That sounds like a win-win. "I'm lighter and looser in my hips, and my feet are working a lot freer than they used to," Drury said. "So I feel good, I feel loose, I'm ready to go." The reason for the change is that he’s apparently locked into full-time work at second base after he bounced around the field last season and we wants to be nimble. Drury quietly went .282-16-53-59 last season. Logan Forsythe, for a comparison, was a similar performer last season (.264-20-52-76).
Koda Glover isn’t likely to open the year as the Nationals closer, a fact I touched on in Finally He Signs. Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post posited that Glover will take over closing at some point around midseason. I’m laying odds that Kelley will be the guy this season, but the continued whispers of others handling the role are concerning.
Mitch Haniger appears likely to begin the season as the Mariners starter in right field. For his part, Haniger believe he’s not only ready for the challenge but that he’s capable of stealing 20 bases right out of the gate. A quick look at his player card though reveals that this is likely a pipe dream as he’s stolen a total of just 24 bases his last two seasons.
Tim Lincecum still wants to pitch, and it sounds like several teams are interested. In nine starts last year the former superstar hurler went 2-6 with a 9.16 ERA and 2.37 WHIP. He looks finished, sorry Timmy, and his only chance to grab a spot in the bigs would seem to be if he accepts a spot in someone’s bullpen.
Lance McCullers has a great arm, but there are numerous concerns that are discussed in his Player Profile.
If you haven’t gotten a copy yet of our Alarm Draft Guide, what’s wrong with you?! If you don’t have an interest in hundreds upon hundreds of pages that will blow your mind, you just don’t have the time cause your significant other already thinks you’re spending too much time on fantasy, we’ve got a solution for you. The Fantasy Alarm Draft Book is the quick-hitting, down and dirty Guide many seem to want. No frills, just rankings and dollar figures. It’s your one stop shop to drafting. Plus, the article I linked to above has one of the dopest pictures you will ever see in it. Seriously. Check it out.
Kendrys Morales has some pluses, but I really see a few more minuses. Check out his Player Profile.
Jake Peavy is still a free agent, and it sounds like the reason has to do with a divorce he’s going through. Peavy has deemed it more important to be there for his four kids than to throw a baseball. I respect that. One would have to think that he will be an inseason signing by someone, so those of you doing league specific drafts should give serious consideration to throwing out his name at the end of drafts.
Jose Ramirez is a guy that folks love an awful lot. Might be a mistake for a couple of reasons. Check out his Player Profile for the explanation.
Max Scherzer will throw a bullpen session Saturday. He’s still not going to throw his fastball though as he will only be chucking his secondary stuff. I’m getting close to starting to worry a bit about Scherzer.
George Springer is a top-10 outfield play this season. I recently posted a video Player Profile giving my thoughts. One of the issues I pointed out was my concern with Springer’s ineffectiveness on the base paths. Seems like Springer understands that (A) he was a 40-steal guy in the minors, (B) he stunk on the bases last year and (C) folks are wondering what is going on? During an interview on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio, Springer said he’s only going to try and steal bases when the situation calls for it. So much for the hope of a significant improvement in his steals total this season.
Ray Flowers can be heard Monday/Tuesday and Thursday/Friday, 7 PM EDT, Wednesday 8 PM EDT on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio (Sirius 210, XM 87). You can also hear Ray Sunday nights at 9 PM EDT PM on the channel talking fantasy sports. Follow Ray’s work at Fantasy Alarm and on Twitter (@baseballguys).
Player News
Orioles manager Brandon Hyde told reporters that Zach Eflin (lat) is likely to return and start Sunday against the Angels
It was assumed that Eflin would be back this weekend, but now we have a concrete date. The 31-year-old may not be at full strength after throwing fewer than 60 pitches in his rehab start, but the Orioles feel confident enough to have the right-hander back on the bump for the series finale against the Angels.
Riley Greene is not in the lineup for the first game of a doubleheader against the Rockies on Thursday.
Greene will get a break and likely return to the lineup for the second game of the twin-billing. Zach McKinstry will get the start in left field while Greene rests.
Yu Darvish (elbow) is facing live hitters on Thursday.
Darvish has been throwing bullpen sessions and traveled to the team’s complex in Arizona to face live hitters on Thursday. It will be his first time facing live batters since a spring training appearance on March 13th. He will likely need a few sessions like this before the Padres can map out a rehab appearance timeline for him.
Adael Amador is starting at second base and batting ninth for the Rockies on Thursday.
Amador has now started three of the last four games at second base for the Rockies. He’s gone just 7-for-43 this season with 15 strikeouts in 16 games. He’s just 22 years old, so there is plenty of time for him to adjust to the MLB level, but he doesn’t need to be on redraft radars right now.
Jackson Holliday is playing second base and batting second for the Orioles on Thursday against the Twins.
With Cedric Mullins sitting out on Thursday, Gunnar Henderson will bat lead off, and Holliday will jump up from sixth in the order to second. Holliday is riding a hot streak right now, and the Orioles are taking advantage. This is likely just a one-game sample with no Mullins or Adley Rutschman in the lineup, but Rutschman has been struggling, so perhaps it could become a more permanent spot in the lineup for Holliday moving forward.
Endy Rodriguez (finger) had his splint removed this week.
Rodriguez suffered a lacerated right index finger on April 14th. Now that he is out of his splint, he “is playing catch and doing a slightly modified swing.” Once he can progress to taking full swings, we’ll have a better sense of the timeline for his return.