Around the League
Sean Murphy-Braves-C
Sean Murphy is coming off arguably his worst season in the majors. He played in only 72 games due to injury and when he was on the field it was a struggle. Murphy hit .193 with 10 HR, 19 R, 25 RBI, and 0 SB. This was coming off the best season of his career in 2023 (.251 AVG, 21 HR, 65 R, 68 RBI, and 0 SB in 108 GP). He played the first game of the season and then hit the IL with an oblique injury. He did not return until the end of May and never seemed to recover. This was a trend for the whole Braves offense that was hampered by injury and down years offensively. Murphy is a great buy-low candidate because he has good plate skills (25% K and 10% BB) and hits the ball hard (10% Barrels). Murphy is being drafted outside of the top ten catchers and offers that type of upside especially since the Braves lineup should return to form with everyone healthy.
Jared Jones-Pirates-SP
Jared Jones is reportedly throwing a new pitch this spring (two-seamer/sinker). This is good news for the young right-hander as he was primarily a two-pitch pitcher with his fastball and slider. This is a pitch designed to help combat right-handed batters. Jones has nothing on the inside of the plate which allows hitters to focus middle out. He also only throws his slider down so it can be easy to lay off at times. Adding a pitch that he can use on the inside corner and down will keep hitters from guessing. It is no guarantee that he throws it in season and it is effective but it is very encouraging to see him acknowledge and address an issue he had last year. Jones still has some of the best stuff in the game and excelled in his first major league season (4.14 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 19% K:BB, and a 3.72 SIERA).
George Kirby-Mariners-SP
George Kirby had a strong 2024 season (3.53 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, and 20% K:BB). His overall numbers are excellent, especially given his workhorse status (191 IP). However, the community opinion has somewhat soured given his struggles in the second half (3.93 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, and 17% K:BB) compared to his first half (3.29 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, and 25% K:BB). Kirby has elite command but does struggle with strikeouts at times because of his approach. His primary pitch with two strikes is a fastball at the top of the zone. He does a good job of burying the slider down and away to righties so increasing that percentage is something that he has available to him. This spring he is working on a cutter to throw to left-handed batters. They performed better against him (.311 wOBA) than righties (.267 wOBA). He doesn't have a pitch to get in one lefties. He misses down and middle with his slider which results in an easier pitch to hit for lefties. Kirby also throws his fastball up and in the middle so a pitch to change eye levels and keep hitters from leaning over the plate could do wonders to help erase the struggles in the second half.
Jasson Dominguez-Yankees-OF
Jasson Dominguez has every opportunity to be the Yankees regular left fielder. Dominguez at this point is close to being a post-hype type of player considering the amount of hype he got as a 16-year-old. He has played 26 games at the major league level and is hitting .207 with 6 HR, 14 R, 11 RBI, and 6 SB. He isn't going to hit for a high average because of his strikeout rate (27% K) and approach at the plate (11% BB). He does hit the ball hard (11% Barrels and 46% hard) and is going to play half his games in a very friendly park, especially for hitters. The Yankees lineup is also going to be good despite losing Juan Soto. Dominguez has 20 HR/20 SB upside with a .240-.250 AVG which makes him worth taking a shot on in the middle rounds of drafts.
Cedric Mullins-Orioles-OF
Cedric Mullins had an interesting 2024 season in which there were reports of him being platooned and he ended up playing 147 games. He hit .234 with 18 HR, 69 R, 54 RBI, and 32 SB. It was nice to the speed return but he failed to hit for average for the second year in a row and he hasn't come close to repeating his breakout 2021 season (.291 AVG with 30 HR/30 SB). Mullins has struggled to hit the ball hard (5% Barrels and 33% Hardhit). He also struggled against left-handed pitchers (.196 AVG with 1 HR/2 SB and 43 wRC+). This did not limit his at-bats last year but with the Orioles' moves this offseason it is likely that he will platoon against RHP. He will likely get somewhere near the 499 PA he had last year so a 15 HR/25 SB season is still attainable but hoping for more is no longer realistic.
Jesus Sanchez-Marlins-OF
Jesus Sanchez hit .252 with 18 HR, 60 R, 64 RBI, and 16 SB in 149 GP last year. He has solid plate skills (26% K and 8% BB) and hits the ball hard (12% Barrels and 51% Hardhit). The 16 SB was the biggest surprise considering he had 4 SB in the past four seasons. He chases too much (39% O-swing) and has a higher-than-average swinging strike rate (15% SwStr). Sanchez doesn't have room for a higher batting average which caps his ceiling. The fact that he plays half his games in a very pitcher-friendly park hurts his value. He is a 20 HR/10 SB bat with a .240-.250 AVG with lower counting stats because of the lack of offensive talent on the Marlins roster.
Andrew Benintendi-White Sox-OF
Andrew Benintendi suffered a broken hand on Thursday on a hit by pitch. He is expected to miss 4-6 weeks which is going to mean that he starts the year on the IL. Benintendi is coming off the 2024 season in which he hit .229 with 20 HR, 50 R, 64 RBI, and 3 SB. He made an effort to hit for more power but it came at the expense of this batting average. There was some optimism that he could mesh the best of both worlds, a career-high FB% (42%) with an above-average contact rate (18% K). The reason why his average was so low in 2024 was due to a .245 BABIP which is well below his career .311 BABIP. Unfortunately, he needs to get healthy first and bounce back this year which is a lot to count on for a player already going late in drafts. The good news is that he should see everyday at-bats when he returns due to the lack of talent on the White Sox roster.
Bubba Chandler-Pirates-SP
Bubba Chandler went 1 IP (0 ER, 0 H, 1 BB, and 1 K) in his latest spring appearance. Chandler is showing elite stuff which was to be expected after his dominant 2024 season in the minors (3.08 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 31% K, and 9% BB). He averaged 97.2 mph on his fastball in this outing. He has above-average velocity and shape which will allow it to play immediately at the major league level. Chandler also has an above-average changeup that is going to help against left-handed hitters. He also throws a slider/cutter that is a work in progress. The development of this pitch is going to take him from above-average to elite if it can become a swing-and-miss pitch at the major league level. Chandler is likely on the same path as Paul Skenes for a call-up which is going to be in the middle of May. This will give Chandler roughly 20 starts at the major league level which makes him worth rostering in redraft leagues given his strikeout upside.
Clay Holmes-Mets-SP
Clay Holmes went 3 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 1 BB, and 2 K in his most recent outing. He was sitting 94 mph on his fastball. He also showed a five-pitch mix which is going to be key moving from relieving to starting. Holmes is going to feature a sinker, slider, 4-seam, sweeper, and changeup. Last year, he was primarily sinker/slider out of the pen. The addition of the sweeper and changeup are going to help keep hitters off balance. The changeup specifically is going to help Holmes against left-handed hitters. For his career, left-handers have hit .250 with a .314 wOBA against him. The sweeper/slider are going to be his calling card and should help with a positive transition from the bullpen to the starting rotation. The Mets rotation has been hurt by injuries so they are betting big on Holmes being their #2 starter behind Kodai Senga.
Alejandro Kirk-Blue Jays-C
Alejandro Kirk's value went up when the Blue Jays traded away Danny Jansen. They were splitting time so Kirk should see the majority of the starts behind the plate. He is a good defensive catcher who brings a different skill set to the position. He is a career .264 hitter with a miniscule strike-out rate (12% K). His power has gone down each of the past three seasons (14, 8, 5 HR's) but he set a career-high in maxEV (112.9 mph) last year with a solid barrel rate (7%). The opportunity is there for him to get a lot of at-bats and he is going late in drafts making him a nice value pick.
Danny Jansen-Rays-C
Danny Jansen was traded to the Rays from the Blue Jays. Jansen is a good defensive catcher so he is expected to be the primary catcher for the Rays. Jansen has only played more than 100 games once in his career (2019). He has struggled with injuries throughout his career. From a fantasy perspective, Jansen has plus plate skills (20% K and 10% BB) and hits the ball hard (9% Barrels and 111.4 mph maxEV). He is a true talent 15 HR bat with regular at-bats which makes him a nice value late in drafts especially two-catcher leagues.
Tigers Outfield Hampered by Injury
Matt Vierling has a strained rotator cuff in his right shoulder which is going to shut him down and his manager A.J. Hinch stated that he would not be ready for the regular season. Vierling was likely going to be their starter in rightfield with Parker Meadows in center and Riley Greene in left. DH Kerry Carpenter could see some outfield playing time but the Tigers are likely to go with a combination of OF Wenceel Perez and OF Justyn-Henry Malloy. Perez hit .242 with 9 HR, 51 R, 37 RBI, and 9 SB in 425 PA. He has good plate skills (8% BB and 22% K) but his power played up last year because he doesn't hit the ball hard (4% Barrels and 30% Hardhit). Once Vierling returns there will be a lot of mixing and matching in the Tigers outfield and lineup which is going to make it hard to roster Perez. Justyn-Henry Malloy hit for power (8 HR and .366 SLUG) but struggled with making contact (37% K). He is likely going to be on the short side of a platoon facing only left-handed pitchers. Vierling is the most interesting from a fantasy perspective because he does a little bit of everything. He hit .257 with 16 HR, 80 R, 57 RBI, and 6 SB in 144 GP. The deeper the league the more valuable he is. Vierling has good plate skills (21% K and 7% BB), hits the ball hard (8% Barrels), and plays multiple positions which is going to help keep him in the lineup.
Reds 1B/DH Situation
The Reds have a roster crunch in the outfield, first base, and designated hitter. Right now, they have TJ Friedl, Jake Fraley, and Austin Hays penciled in as starters in the outfield. 1B/DH Spencer Steer is likely going to bounce between 1B, OF, and DH. They also have 1B/3B Jeimer Candelario playing first. He hit .225 with 20 HR, 47 R, 56 RBI, and 4 SB in 112 GP before getting hurt. He was hurt by a .257 BABIP despite showing good skills (25% K and 8% Barrels). Great American Ballpark is also a good park for hitters especially in the power department so Candelario should perform there. Spencer Steer is coming off another productive season (.225 AVG with 20 HR/25 SB). The average was low but his core skills remained the same (11% BB, 21% K, 6% Barrels, and 40% Hardhit). Steer is more of a .250 true talent hitter which means he needs to be in the lineup on a nightly basis. This is going to leave limited at-bats for 1B Christian Encarnacion-Strand who is coming back from injury. He hit .190 with 2 HR, 13 R, 16 RBI, and 0 SB in 29 GP. He struggles with strikeouts (28% K) but has legit power (10% Barrels, 45% Hardhit, and 113.3 mph maxEV). CES is likely going to need consistent playing time to work through this issue but as of right now, that is unlikely. The same is true for 3B Noelvi Marte. He struggled after coming back from suspension (.210 AVG with 4 HR, 24 R, 18 RBI, 9 SB, 3% BB, and 31% K). He is going to need to prove himself in Triple-A before getting another chance at the major league level.
