him back in your lineup and leave him there for the duration. I stand by my advice to bench him for Weeks 4 and 5 and not to sell low, either. He was always going to revert back to doing this eventually. Enjoy Mr. Votto for the remainder of 2018.
Edwin Encarnacion, 1B Cleveland Indians
7-Day Snapshot:
6-26 – Two home runs – Two walks
Two home runs is a taste of something possible good coming, but it still places Encarnacion squarely outside the Top 15 at a deep first base position. I am teetering on this one. I see why he is a must-start even though the evidence is tepid at best. I also struggle to be enamored by the relatively minor positive signs of this past week. If you have a viable alternative that has been hot for two or three weeks, I would stick with the trending hot bat and bench Encarnacion. If you have a relatively pedestrian option that doesn’t have EE’s track record, then you should jump on the improvement train and put him back in. It’s all about your alternative. He isn’t a must-start or must-sit the way he is currently playing.
A Rookie Lookie
Jeimer Candelario, 3B Detroit Tigers
14 Day Snapshot:
19-51 (.372) – Three home runs – Nine RBI – 14 Runs Scored
35 percent owned in Yahoo leagues
Candelario has been a Top 10 overall player the last two weeks on a Tigers team that has plenty of incentive to provide all the at-bats they can find for the up-and-coming rookie. Most of his production has been over the last two weeks rather than the opening two, making this more of a trend.
He hit 18 home runs in 110 games played between Triple-A and Detroit in 2017, so 20-25 home runs isn’t outside the realm of possibility in 2018. He only had eight career minor league stolen bases while being caught 12 times, so owners shouldn’t expect much in steals. He has a career batting average of .275 and an On-Base percentage of .350. He walked 349 times in 768 games.
Candelario makes consistent contact with average to slightly above-average power with a sound, disciplined approach, and 560 strikeouts in 768 games played is extremely low by today’s standards. He has the all-around profile to justify full time starts for Fantasy teams while he is holding his own. Rookies struggle, so monitor him for slumps, but you can feel comfortable going to battle with him in all leagues for the foreseeable future.
Franchy Cordero, OF San Diego Padres
Season Stats:
17- 67 (.254) – Six home runs – Three steals – 11 Runs – 13 RBI
15% Ownership in Yahoo leagues
The excitement surrounding Mr. Cordero is palpable, and I am not exactly sure why. He wasn’t ranked in MLBPipeline’s Top 100 or their San Diego Padres Top 30 list. BaseballAmerica.com ranked him as the Padres 13th best prospect after a year in which he hit 20 home runs, stole 16 bases and batted .326 at Triple-A. That’s a strong season, and yet not a very impressive ranking by either respected outlet.
The lack of a robust ranking for Cordero might be that he is already 23 years old or that he struck out 613 times in 539 games played and 2,139 at-bats. The fact that he has only walked 159 times is a red flag as well. Cordero is a gifted athlete with the above-average Fantasy tools (speed and power) that go along with that kind of profile, but I have heard him described as a “toolshed.” That’s a designation that does apply to his overall skill set, but I am not ready to put him in the same class as some of the true “toolsheds” out there.
One of the reasons I didn’t rank him as a top rookie or even put serious consideration into his 2018 prospects is because Manuel Margot is the Padres best all-around outfielder, Hunter Renfroe has more power than Cordero, Jose Pirela will receive full-time at-bats until he proves he doesn’t deserve them and the free agent signing of Eric Hosmer meant that Wil Myers was going to lock down an outfield position on a nightly basis.
Reports also rate Cordero as a fourth outfielder with a chance for slightly more. The sizzle and bluster I am hearing on social media and from other analysts suggests he is a lot more than that. This feels like a “Don’t Be Fantasy Fooled” to me. It’s easy to get enamored with raw tools and look past the reality that we have a player with meaningful flaws in his offensive profile.
Cordero is the plus-defender that Renfroe isn’t, and reports suggest that the Padres intend to try and find more at-bats in the infield for Pirela because of Cordero. Second baseman Carlos Asuaje is hitting .198, so there are at-bats available for the taking there, as well. With Myers back on the disabled list, there are at-bats to be found, but Cordero is going to have to earn them weekly and the excessive swing-and-miss in his game makes it difficult to see him succeeding at it. His talent justifies ownership, but he’s flawed enough with the roadblocks in place to minimize his value. Don’t drop a reliable contributor to take on the risk, but if you have the space, the talent warrants the spot. A wishy-washy outlook, yes, but this isn’t a black-and-white circumstance.
Scott Kingery, 2B/3B/SS/OF Philadelphia Phillies
Season Stats:
89 ABs – Two home runs – Three steals – 28 strikeouts – Six walks – .225 batting average
50% Ownership in Yahoo leagues
Kingery’s power production came out of nowhere in 2017, and his brand new Major League contract came out of nowhere just prior to the start of 2018. The contract is here to stay while the offensive production has been somewhat schizophrenic.Ten of his 20 base hits have been for extra bases, but only two are home runs. He has struck out 28 times with only six walks resulting in an OBP of .278. His performance demands that Fantasy owners bench him, while the Phillies intentions and the recent J.P. Crawford trip to the disabled list provide him with an unimpeded opportunity to produce while he qualifies at as many as four positions.
Kingery is in a perfect position to be a valuable rookie if he can just put things together and produce. He is owned in half of all Yahoo leagues, and I think it should be higher. It’s too early to cut bait and run from a player with so many factors in his favor.
Daily Fantasy Splits and Splendors
Nifty vs. The Lefty
Carlos Villanueva leads all of baseball with seven home runs against left-handed pitching. Ozzie Albies is second with four. Yes, more than Mike Trout, Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton.
That’s Nothing But Right
Didi Gregorius and Mitch Haniger lead baseball in home runs against right-handed pitching with eight.
Brandon Belt has six home runs, 10 RBI and a 1.205 OPS against right-handed pitching. He doesn’t wow Fantasy owners, but DFS players should take notice. He is a value play on the right night.
Pedro Alvarez has five home runs, 11 RBI and a .899 OPS against right-handed throwers. When Masahiro Tanaka comes to Baltimore, you are going to want to remember Alvarez if you’re a DFS guy.
It’s Nice To Be Home
Gregorius is killing it in the Bronx with a league-leading nine home runs and 25 RBI. Judge and J.D. Martinez are a distant second with 15 RBI each at their respective home fields. I believe the juiced ball is going to help Didi become an extremely rich middle infielder. The more accurate analysis, based on 2018, is that he is more reliant on the Yankees lineup and their home field than Charlie Blackmon ever was.
Including today Didi Gregorius has 73 career home runs… All pulled to right field. pic.twitter.com/y6mNsv5j5g
— Daren Willman (@darenw) April 22, 2018
Road Food is Good Food
Blackmon and Matt Davidson lead baseball in road home runs with eight each. There were concerns that Blackmon’s Fantasy value could plummet if he departed Coors field for less lofty environments. It seems instead, that it may have actually hurt him if this trend continues.
Prospect Promotions
Mike Soroka, SP Atlanta Braves
2018 Minor League Stats;
22.2 Innings Pitched – 24 Strikeouts – Five BBs – Zero HRs allowed – 1.99 ERA
15% Ownership in Yahoo!
Soroka’s slightly above-average stuff, pitching savvy and acumen combined with plus-command should allow him to survive at the Major League level and for Fantasy owners. His K/9 is on the low side for a Fantasy starter, and that’s why he is viable in the right matchup and double-start weeks, but he isn’t going to dominate lineups or be a must-start Fantasy contributor. There are also questions about whether the Braves plan to make his Tuesday night start a one-and-done, or if they intend to keep him on the Major League roster.
Soroka will be a stable Fantasy contributor for years to come in dynasty leagues while being more of a solid, mid-rotation one in yearly leagues. He should be the perfect streaming pitcher going forward. Behave accordingly.
Fernando Romero, SP Minnesota Twins
2018 Minor League Stats:
21 IP – 20 SOs – 10 BBs – One HR allowed – 2.57 ERA
24% ownership in Yahoo!
Romero has less of a certain future for dynasty owners, while he has a much more intriguing yearly outlook than Soroka this season. Romero has consistency problems, durability issues and command concerns to go along with a plus-fastball and at times, a plus-breaking ball. He profiles as a starter that can provide a strikeout per inning and a WHIP that could sink you on those days that he just can’t find the zone.
Romero’s raw stuff profiles as a must-start dominator, while the command issues make it unlikely that owners can confidently throw him out there like a must-start staple. He needs to be owned because of the ceiling, but monitor him to make sure he doesn’t kill you. He is owned more in Yahoo leagues than Soroka, and I agree with the crowd here. The upside makes him a better option of these two recent prospect promotions.
Jeimer Candelario Featured Image: (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)