Dodgers outfield
At this point, the Dodgers are in flux at every outfield position. We know Joc Peterson will play against RHP and probably several LHP as well, at least initially until he proves definitively that he's a platoon guy. The Dodgers would like Yasiel Puig to have a huge spring and be the everyday right fielder. He's certainly capable of that, but Puig again enters camp as an enigma. Andrew Toles and Andre Ethier will battle to be the primary LF against RHP. Ethier appears 100% this spring, but Toles put up an .870 OPS in 105 at bats last season, though doubts remain on whether he can sustain that sort of production. It seems likely things will work out this spring, but lots of questions here. Trance Thompson could also factor in if healthy.
Dodgers #4 and #5 starters
The top three slots are set with Kershaw, Hill, and Maeda. Julio Urias appears headed for an innings cap in the 160 range and may not see an MLB mound until May. He's a great roster stash if you can afford to wait. That leaves two spots initially for likely three competitors - Scott Kazmir, Brandon McCarthy, and Hyun-Jin Ryu. All three of course have injury and effectiveness issues, but if all three are healthy, I think Ryu is a lock, and McCarthy a slight favorite over Kazmir. This is another battle that will sort itself out, with the winners perhaps winning by default due to injuries.
Giants #5 starter
Given his $20MM+ salary, the Giants would prefer to see Matt Cain win this job, but it's far from a certainty. With ERAs well over 5 the past two years and injuries limiting him to 43 starts over the pas three years, Cain could be about finished at 32 years of age. He simply allows way too many home rings (1.6/9 in 2016) with his 89-91 mph fastball. I'm giving him one more shot before writing him off, but it's tough to be optimistic. Ty Blach is probably next in line after blanking the Dodgers over eight innings last October.
Giants left field
Barring an unexpected trade or signing, this looks to be a platoon situation with Jarrett Parker and Mac Williamson. Parker would of course have more value given he'd have the better end of the platoon. He's intriguing, having batted .267/.371/.494 in 176 at-bats over parts of two seasons. Parker has also struck out in close to 32% of his plate appearances, so the door could open for Williamson to grab significant playing time with a strong spring. Williamson has 25+ homer upside, but that could come with a .220 average given he has fanned in close to 27% of his big league plate appearances.
Rockies closer
Reports have Adam Ottavino atop the depth chart for now, but the Rockies have another four guys with closer experience, so things could change next month. Ottavino returned from Tommy John surgery in July to post strong results - 2.67 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, and a 35:7 K:BB in 27 innings. Ottavino has a career 9.2 K/9 and could approach 75 strikeouts. Greg Holland and Jake McGee are probably next in line, with Holland the biggest threat to Ottavino if his velocity returns.
Rockies rotation
Jon Gray, Chad Bettis, Tyler Anderson, and Tyler Chatwood should occupy slots 1-4, with Jeff Hoffman, German Marquez, Kyle Freeland and perhaps other looking to nab the fifth spot. Gray is obviously the most intriguing with last year's 185 strikeouts and his pedigree as a top-three overall amateur draft pick. He was actually better at home (4.30 ERA) than on the road (4.91) last year and has the ability to take a nice step forward despite the Coors factor. Bettis had mixed results and a 1.41 WHIP. Anderson is an interesting southpaw given his 3.00 home ERA in 78 innings. If he can improve that 4.71 road mark, he could be a sleeper. Chatwood was a solid DFS play on the road (1.69) but was useless at home. Perhaps that changes in 2017. For the final slot, the Rockies would love Hoffman (key piece in the Tulo deal) to step up and claim it, but Hoffman was awful (1.71 WHIP) in 31.1 big league innings last year and the team is reportedly looking at moving him to the bullpen. Marquez offers little upside with a below average strikeout rate, potentially opening up a slot for a sleeper like 22-year-old Antonio Senzatela despite his having just seven starts above A-ball. Freeland is a former high first-round pick, but he's posted mediocre numbers in his minor league career.
Kyle Gibson (SP-MIN) - Gibson had a solid debut Friday, tossing 1.2 scoreless innings while allowing two hits and no walks and striking out two. Gibson reportedly hit 94 in the outing, which is pretty impressive this early in the spring, particularly for a guy who averaged 91 last year. Gibson reportedly changed up his delivery in the offseason, a move designed to protect his shoulder from further injury after he missed seven weeks last year. A former first-round pick, Gibson has been a disappointment in his three-plus big league seasons, posting a 4.59 ERA in 98 starts with mediocre ratios, including a 6.1 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9. Perhaps the rest and new delivery will result in a breakout. There's still some talent here.
Tim Beckham (SS-TB) - It's probably just me, but I can't help but to continue to hope for a career renaissance for this former #1 overall pick. Beckham doubled and tripled in his two at-bats Friday, but he'll need to continue to mash if he wants any sort of regular gig, as he's currently slated for a utility role. Beckham has a career MLB slash line of .238/.288/.431, showing decent power with 14 HR in 408 at-bats. His best path to a regular gig is probably at second base, but it's not like the Rays are loaded with offensive firepower. A huge spring and the Rays would gladly give him a real shot at 500 at-bats. It's not out of the realm of possibility.
Kyle Schwarber (OF-CHC) - Schwarber is reportedly set to be the team's leadoff man this year, followed by Kris Bryant hitting second and Anthony Rizzo in the three-spot, giving opposing pitchers quite the first-inning gauntlet. Schwarber's career high in steals is five, and if you've ever watched him run, you know that's probably his ceiling. Schwarber famously missed most of 2016 before returning to DH in the World Series and exhibiting zero rust in going 7-for-17. Expectations are now sky-high, so he'll probably be overdrafted in many leagues, but keep in mind his 28.4% K% in 278 MLB PA's and his .143 BA versus LHP (56 AB). .250/.350/.480 is a reasonable projection, making him far more valuable in OBP leagues. Clearly the RBI total will be limited by his lineup position, but at some point it's possible a guy like Addision Russell or Ben Zobrist pushes Schwarber down to a run-producing slot in the lineup.
Koda Glover (RP-WAS) - Glover is a name to keep in mind as a (very) darkhorse candidate to close for the Nationals at some point this season. Assuming the oft-rumored David Robertson trade fails to materialize, Shawn Kelley seems likely to be the Opening Day closer over Blake Treinen and Glover, but the latter's top shelf stuff (96.6 mph average fastball in 2016) makes him an intriguing long or maybe short-term option. Glover struggled to a 5.03 ERA in 19.2 big league innings thanks to a 1.4 HR/9, but for a guy to go from High-A to the big leagues in one season, as Glover did, is highly impressive.
George Springer (OF-HOU) - Springer appears poised to be the team's leadoff man in 2017, with fantasy owners salivating at the possibility of his returning to his 2013 ways on the basepaths when he swiped 45 bases in the minors. Springer stole just nine last year while playing all 162 games and he pretty much came out and said Friday to not expect him to go wild on the bases in 2017. Hitting leadoff (at least for now) should allow him to get back to around 15 steals, but a 30/30 season isn't in the cards. It wouldn't be a surprise to see Jose Altuve move to the leadoff spot at some point, but for now they appear to like Springer in that role.
Mitch Haniger (OF-SEA) - Haniger came out and said this week that he is targeting 20 stolen bases, and while that is probably best-case given his eight total steals last year, any time a player says he intends to be more aggressive on the basepaths is a good thing for his fantasy value. Haniger enters spring with apparently little competition for the starting RF job despite his hitting a modest .229/.309/.404 in a 123 PA MLB stint last season. He destroyed Triple-A pitching to the tune of .341/.428/.670, though Reno inflates hitters' numbers to say the least. He still should be good for 20-25 home runs (if not more), though his ability to hit more than .240 is an open question to be sure.
Cody Bellinger (1B-LAD) - The Bellinger hype machine is already in full effect this spring, as the Dodgers will be using him in all three outfield slots in addition to first base. With Adrian Gonzalez under contract through the 2018, outfield may be Bellinger's quickest path to the big leagues barring an unexpected trade. The LA outfield is as crowded as ever, so Bellinger appears ticketed for Triple-A to start the season, but his number could be called sometime this summer if he's needed or if he forces the issue. Bellinger has totaled 56 home runs the past two seasons, batting .263/.359/.484 last year for Double-A Tulsa before going 6-for-11 with three home runs in a late season Triple-A stint. Bellinger could stand to cut down on the strikeouts and make more consistent, hard contact, but he notably cut 2015's K% of 27.6% down to 20.2% last year to go with a 12.7% BB%. He should hit in the .280-.300 range in time as long as he doesn't swing for the fences too often a la Joc Pederson.
Brandon Drury (2B-ARI) - Drury is officially on the "best shape of his life" list this preseason, as the projected starter at second base has both added muscle and lost 10 pounds in an effort to improve his quickness and lateral movement up the middle. Drury batted .282/.329/.458 with 16 homers in 499 PA last year playing the outfield, so he stands to have significant fantasy value given he also qualifies at 3B in all leagues and 2B in most (16 games there last year). 20-25 homers, a handful of steals, and a .280-.290 BA makes him a solid target in all leagues.
Michael Conforto (OF-NYM) - Conforto is the odd man out in a crowded Mets outfield, but he did get his spring off to a nice start Friday, going 2-for-3 with a home run against the Red Sox. With Jay Bruce still on the roster, Conforto may even project as the #5 OF right now behind Curtis Granderson, Yoenis Cespedes, Bruce, and Juan Lagares. Conforto disappointed to the tune of a .220/.310/.414 slash line in 348 PA's last year, including .104 in 48 AB versus southpaws, ultimately seeing action in 33 games at the Triple-A level where he hit a robust .422/.483/.727. I think he can thrive in an every day role and he's already stated that he is working hard against left-handed pitching this spring, but realistically it's going to take a trade to get him on the roster. When he does see regular action, Conforto is a solid sleeper option.
Aaron Judge (OF-NYY) - Judge stayed true to form Friday, in one of the first spring games of the season, hitting a mammoth homerun and striking out in his only two at-bats. Judge of course homered in his first two games with the Yankees last year, evoking Babe Ruth comparisons in the minds of some Yankees fans. It was all downhill from there, as Judge ended up at .179/.263/.345 in 95 PA's, including a whopping 44.2% K%. He won't last as a regular at that sort of rate, and it's worth noting that strikeouts are nothing new for him given his Triple-A K% rates the past two seasons - 23.9% in 2016 and 28.5% the year prior. He did walk at a solid 9.5% clip, and with this sort of power, the "three true outcomes" label and Adam Dunn comparisons have already come his way. Judge is battling Aaron Hicks for the starting RF job this spring, and Friday at least was a good first step. Fantistics is projecting: 24HR/64RBI/55R/.241BA in 434 ABs.
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