What’s up FANation?! I am so pumped to have baseball back and I’m sure you feel the same! With the return of baseball, we also have the return of fantasy baseball and that means the return of the stock watch. The stock watch is a weekly piece by yours truly in which I will breakdown whose fantasy stock is up, down, or worth watching. Included in their breakdown will be in-depth analysis on what is causing their value to change and if I think they are someone worth buying or selling. In this intro piece, I will provide a few examples, though the breakdowns will be simple and brief, since we do not have action/stats to include. Without further adieu, let’s dive in!
Stock up
Yoenis Céspedes , NYM OF – He’s back… finally! In a perfect storm of events for Cespedes, the National League will utilize a DH this season and that is a role that you will see Cespedes occupy on a regular basis for the Mets. Playing the field doesn’t matter in fantasy, and Cespedes is worth a gamble at his current price. He is expected to hit cleanup in what should be a pretty potent New York lineup.
Kyle Tucker , HOU OF – It appears that it’s finally Tucker’s time to shine in the big leagues. With Yordan Alvarez starting the season on IL, Tucker is expected to be an everyday starter. He is expected to hit near the bottom of the order, but his power/speed combo should make him a fantasy asset despite his lineup slot. It also doesn’t hurt that the Astros lineup is very deep.
Jordan Montgomery , NYY SP – Montgomery is fully back from Tommy John surgery and he has looked really good in camp, throwing five shutout innings against the Mets on Sunday while racking up six strikeouts. He is locked into the Yankees rotation and should be able to grab some wins. He would have likely been on an innings limit, but the shortened season should allow him to pitch the entire year without an issue.
Stock down
Oscar Mercado , CLE OF – Many were high on Mercado going into this season and expected him to bat first or second in the Indians lineup, but that will not be the case as he is expected to hit eighth. That puts a damper on his upside, and he will see far less run scoring opportunities.
Jesús Luzardo , OAK SP – Luzardo came down with COVID-19 in early July and it set him back. He has rejoined the A’s camp, but his arm isn’t built up or ready for the season to start and he will now start the season in the bullpen instead of the rotation. This probably wouldn’t be a big deal in a full season, but in a season that’s only nine weeks long, it’s a big deal as he will likely not crack the rotation for a few weeks.
Jordan Yamamoto , MIA SP – Yamamoto was expected to be in the Marlins rotation, but he was a surprise option to alternate camp and will not be a member of the rotation. I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up in the rotation at some point, but he can be dropped right now.
Stocks to Watch
Carter Kieboom , WAS 3B – Kieboom is expected to be the Nationals everyday third baseman. The fantasy industry has a mixed opinion on what we can expect from Kieboom this season. I am not expecting a whole lot personally, but he’s worth keeping an eye on.
Taijuan Walker , SEA SP – It’s been a while since we have really seen Walker, as he pitched just one inning in 2019 and 13 innings in 2018. Walker was once a high-ranking prospect and he had a strong 2017 season in which he posted a 3.49 ERA across 157.1 innings pitched. He is slated to pitch the second game for the Mariners, and he is someone worth watching.