(*) PT TODAY: Moreno likely to get his shot in ARI
Mar 23 2023
NATIONAL LEAGUE | Jump to AL
NEWS: Arizona catcher Carson Kelly was diagnosed with a fractured right forearm.
IMPACT: High
BHQ SPIN: A pitched baseball was the culprit that fractured Kelly’s arm, an injury that will force him to miss at least a couple of months. The silver lining in this development is that former top prospect Gabriel Moreno is guaranteed an everyday role behind the plate. The right-handed hitter batted .319 with a 113 wRC+ during his 25-game cup of coffee with Toronto last year following a .315 BA and 120 wRC+ performance in 267 plate appearances at Triple-A. He made his way to Arizona this offseason via the trade of Daulton Varsho and will have every opportunity during the season’s first half to establish himself in the bigs. Jose Herrera will be the backup catcher until Kelly is healthy enough to don a mask and shin guards again.
––Crumpler
NEWS: Infielder Taylor Motter is a candidate to make the Cardinals’ opening-day roster.
IMPACT: Low
BHQ SPIN: Motter, claimed by the Cardinals when Atlanta sent him to waivers, could supplant Alec Burleson (OF, STL) when the season begins. Motter’s defensive versatility could give him an edge over Burleson (-20%). With STL’s outfield already quite crowded, Burleson may need some injuries to carve a path to playing time. Despite this playing time bump, Motter (+25%) – a career .191/.262/.309 hitter - projects as a depth player in only the deepest leagues.
—Larson
NEWS: Chad Pinder (INF/OF, CIN) may have an edge on one of the final spots when camp breaks.
IMPACT: Low
BHQ SPIN: Pinder (+15%) seemed like a long shot to make the opening day lineup as a non-roster invite to camp, but now looks to be one of the last men standing as his competition, namely Nick Solak (INF/OF, CIN) and Stuart Fairchild (OF), continues to get optioned to AAA-Louisville. However, there are some considerable playing time risks (due to a combination of health and experience) to enough players in the Reds’ projected lineup that you don’t have to squint too hard to envision Fairchild (-20%) or Solak (-15%) getting an opportunity at some point. Jose Barrero (SS, CIN) is taking centerfield reps to increase his versatility (+10%), and we’ve sprinkled some PT across Will Benson (+5%) and Will Myers (+5%) as well.
—Larson
NEWS: San Francisco outfielders Blake Sabol and Bryce Johnson will have larger roles to start the year.
IMPACT: Low
BHQ SPIN: With offseason acquisition Mitch Haniger set to miss the first couple of weeks of the season with a Grade 1 oblique strain and Austin Slater set to begin the season on the IL with right elbow neuritis, the outfield is in a state of uncertainty. Mike Yastrzemski, Joc Pederson, and Michael Conforto are the top outfield options, but both Pederson and Conforto are likely to see plenty of PT at DH. Sabol, a 2023 Rule 5 Draft pick, seems to be the guy the Giants would prefer to play in the outfield when Pederson or Conforto DH, giving him a shot to play nearly everyday until the roster is back at full strength. He has earned his prospective role as he’s currently leading spring training with a 1.194 OPS (49 PA) and is an enticing pick in two-catcher leagues. Johnson will be the bench outfielder and should be the first demoted upon Haniger’s return.
––Crumpler
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AMERICAN LEAGUE | Jump to NL
NEWS: Kansas City optioned 1B Nick Pratto, SS Maikel Garcia, and C Freddie Fermin to AAA-Omaha.
IMPACT: Low
BHQ SPIN: We’ve given slight playing time reductions to all three of Pratto, Garcia, and Fermin, who were seen as candidates to make Kansas City’s opening day roster, but will instead head to AAA as the team prioritizes giving them full-time at-bats for their development. Pratto (.313/.378/.438 in 37 plate appearances) and Garcia (.355/.375/.516 in 32 plate appearances) both fared well in spring training and are strong candidates for midseason call-ups depending on their performance in AAA. Fermin, meanwhile, was seen as a candidate to make the roster as the back-up catcher if the team wanted to shift some of MJ Melendez’ playing time away from catcher to the outfield. Instead, it appears Melendez will continue serving as the backup catcher in addition to starting in the outfield most nights. Putting aside the players considered locks to make Kansas City’s opening day roster as well as Drew Waters, who is expected to open the year on the IL, there are still four roster spots up for grabs after these demotions. Of the candidates for these spots, Franmil Reyes (.424/.500/.788 in 38 spring plate appearances) and Nate Eaton (.357/.400/.536 in 30 spring plate appearances) are most likely to crack the opening day roster, with Reyes figuring to see significant action at designated hitter and Eaton trending towards opening the year in a super-utility role. Assuming Reyes and Eaton both make the roster, two of Matt Duffy, Matt Beaty, Jackie Bradley Jr., and Johan Camargo, all non-roster invitees, are likely to make the Opening Day roster in roles with limited fantasy upside as the team’s final bench pieces.
–Williams
NEWS: Cleveland optioned IF Tyler Freeman to AAA-Columbus.
IMPACT: Low
BHQ SPIN: With Freeman beginning the year in the minors, it appears that Gabriel Arias will start the year on the active roster as a utility infielder. Depending on whether Cleveland decides to limit Josh Naylor against left-handed starters, Arias could end up seeing starts in a short-side platoon role. In all likelihood, the final spot on Cleveland’s bench will go to either Richie Palacios or Roman Quinn. Neither Palacios nor Quinn is likely to get enough playing time for fantasy relevancy, though Quinn could become a source of stolen bases if given spot starts or ample pinch-running opportunities.
–Williams
NEWS: Oakland starter JP Sears has the inside track to make the Opening Day rotation.
IMPACT: Low
BHQ SPIN: Right-hander Paul Blackburn has been unable to fully recover from a fingernail avulsion and won’t make his 2023 debut until mid-April at the earliest. That leaves a spot open in the rotation and, as of now, Sears, a lefty who made his major league debut in 2023, looks to have a leg up on the competition. Others vying for inclusion in the Opening Day rotation include Kyle Muller and Adam Oller, though the former hasn’t particularly stood out in the spring (5.65 ERA in 14.1 IP) and the latter is primed for a swingman role. Whoever makes the team at the outset of the season will have a short leash and could be optioned when Blackburn’s finger heals.
––Crumpler
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