Jennry Mejia (SP - NYM). Mejia was named the Mets fifth starter on Sunday, beating out Daisuke Matsuzaka for the spot. With this news, Mejia becomes a must add in NL-only formats and worthy of consideration for those who need rotation help in deeper mixed leagues. Mejia suffered through an injury-plagued 2013, but he did post an impressive 2.30 ERA and 8.89 K/9 rate in a 27 inning stint in the majors in September. Mejia has posted elite GB rates in his short stints in the majors (61.3% for his career) and if he can maintain the K-rate he showed at the end of last season, he should provide sneaky value at the end of fantasy rotations. One word of caution is warranted, in that Mejia only pitched 52 innings last year between the majors and the minors, so he will likely be looking at an innings limit. Nonetheless, the potential upside cannot be ignored, particularly in NL-only formats.
Taylor Jordan (SP - WAS). With Doug Fister going on the DL with a lat strain, both Jordan and Tanner Roark have made the Nationals' opening-day rotation. Although Roark impressed in a late-season audition for the Nationals in 2013, Jordan is generally considered to have the higher ceiling. Given that Fister is expected to miss at least a month, the opportunity is there for Jordan to seize a permanent spot in the rotation. Although his 5.05 K/9 rate in 2013 is nothing to write home about, his 10.2% swinging strike rate indicates potential for improvement in the K-rate. This, coupled with a fantastic 57.5% GB rate, makes Jordan a pitcher to watch. If he can keep his spot in the rotation, he could return significant value, even in deeper mixed leagues.
Roger Bernardina (OF - CIN). Bernardina made the Reds as a reserve OF. He could be an intriguing option as a reserve option in NL-only leagues. Ryan Ludwick has had a horrible spring, and Chris Heisey's 2013 numbers don't inspire confidence. Factor in the questions about Billy Hamilton's ability to hit major league pitching and Bernardina's ability to play CF, and Bernardina makes a worthwhile stash. If he could find his way into full playing time, he could provide 10 HR (especially in Great American Ballpark) and 20 SB, although that would come with significant BA risk (.239 career BA, including a .181 mark last year).
Chris Owings (SS - ARI). The Diamondbacks optioned Didi Gregorious to the minors on Sunday, which means that Owings has won the SS job. He is likely on the waiver wire in many mixed leagues, because the uncertainty as to whether he would win the starting spot led him to go undrafted in many leagues (he currently has a 1.1% ownership rate in ESPN leagues). His potential to provide contributions in at least 4 categories (his position in the order may make it difficult for him to provide much in the way of R contribution) value at a scarce position means that he should not be unowned in that many leagues. Owings posted a .330/.359/.482 line at AAA Reno (which admittedly inflated his numbers) and added a .291 BA in 61 PAs in the majors. Our software projects Owings to hit .279 with 7 HR and 12 SB in 2014, but I think the counting stats are probably low, given that Owings is now in undisputed possession of the starting SS spot. He is a recommended add for all owners who need help at the MI spot.
Ervin Santana (SP-ATL). The Braves optioned Santana to AAA Gwinnett on Sunday, but don't panic, Santana owners. He is being sent down just so he can get stretched out after he signed midway through spring training. Atlanta was probably one of the best places Santana could have landed (especially given that his other rumored destinations were Toronto and Baltimore) and we like Santana to post numbers not far off from his 2013 numbers, with our software projecting him to post a 3.70 ERA 1.26 WHIP and 162 Ks over 202 innings. Santana makes for a fine mid-rotation starter in a fantasy lineup.
