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Prospect Buy and Hold
Marlins pitching prospect Andrew Heaney was called up last week, so who will be the next top prospect called up to the big leagues who could impact fantasy rosters this season? Could it be Oscar Taveras or Alex Meyer?
Here is Jason Hunt's list of the players who could be called up in the next few weeks, or later this season. His weekly Buy and Hold series takes a look at players you should look at grabbing off your league waiver wire before they are called up, and before your league mates grab them.
Michael Wacha placed on the disabled list
The Cardinals placed young starter Michael Wacha on the 15 day disabled list with a right shoulder injury. We learned a few days ago that the Cardinals were skipping his spot in the rotation to rest him, but now we learn he is injured. Apparently the injury is not considered serious, but we also do not know how much time Wacha will miss. Shoulder injuries are nothing to mess with, so the Cardinals are smart for placing him on the disabled list. Hopefully, he can return after the 15 days are up. Carlos Martinez will take his spot in the rotation while he is on the DL.
Round'em Up
Coming into the season, the best player in the Indians lineup was second baseman Jason Kipnis, but he has struggled this season. Taking his game up several notches this season is Indians outfielder Michael Brantley. Brantley went 3-5 with 3 RBI in the Indians 10-4 loss to the Tigers. Brantley raised his slash line to .325-.390-.520 with 11 home runs, 49 runs scored 49 RBI and 9 stolen bases in 9 attempts. In addition, he has improved his plate discipline, as his 30-24 strikeout to walk rate indicates. He is on pace to hit 23 home runs, score 100+ runs, drive in 100+ runs and steal 19 bases. If he can keep this pace up all season, he will be a top 15-20 outfielder in 2015.
Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera is probably the best hitter many of us have seen hit the baseball, and even though he has dealt with some nagging injuries this season, he is still hitting for a very high average. Miggy went 2-4 with a home run, 2 runs scored and 3 RBI in the Tigers 10-4 win on Sunday, and is now hitting .322-.376-.558 with 13 home runs, 44 runs scored and 61 RBI, but the 13 home runs are a little disappointing, if you want to get picky. HIs .558 slugging percentage is his lowest since 2009. As time goes on, nagging injuries could start to mount and impact him at the plate, as they have turned Albert Pujols into a little more than half the hitter he was in St. Louis. I don't see his decline starting yet, but it could start within the next year or two.
Blue Jays outfielder Jose Bautista left Sunday's game with tightness in his left leg and will undergo an MRI on Monday. We should learn more about the seriousness of his injury on Monday, assuming the results of the MRI are made available. Bautista is having another solid season for his fantasy owners, hitting .305-.433-.526 with 15 home runs, 54 runs scored, 49 RBI, 3 stolen bases and an elite 48-59 strikeout to walk rate. He ranks in the top 10 in the American League in batting average, home runs, RBI, runs scored, walks, OBP, slugging and OPS.
Rockies catcher Wilin Rosario was the recipient of plenty of offseason love in our consensus catcher rankings back in January, but he has underperformed expectations to date. He still has time to redeem himself this season, and maybe Sunday was the start of a hot streak, as he went 4-5 with a home run, 2 runs scored and 3 RBI in the Rockies loss to the Brewers. After hitting .270 or better in each of the last two seasons, Rosario is now hitting .249-.284-.448 with 8 home runs, 20 runs scored and 29 RBI in 181 at bats thus far. He is on pace for 17 home runs, 43 runs scored and 63 RBI this season, well below expectations and his stats from the last two seasons.
Daniel Kelley wrote about Pirates utility hitter Josh Harrison on Friday, stating that the Pirates will continue to find reasons to keep his hot bat in the lineup, even when second baseman Neil Walker returns from the DL. I happen to agree, and think that third baseman Pedro Alvarez could see more bench time as a result. Alvarez is having a disappointing season at the plate, and over the years, he seems to respond positively to demotions, or talk about demotions, so maybe Harrison playing some third base will get him going at the plate. Alvarez is hitting .231-.316-.392 with 11 home runs, 33 runs scored and 35 RBI in 268 at bats this season. He still strikes out a lot, but you can accept them if he is doing the job in the power department, but that is not the case thus far. Actually, his strikeouts are down this season, from over 30% to 23%, and his walks are up from 7.8% to 10.8%. The improved plate discipline has come at the expense of his power, as he is on pace for just 24 home runs, and his .163 ISO and .392 SLG are the worst of his career.
As a Dodgers fan, I was rooting for the Diamondbacks to have their way with Giants ace Madison Bumgarner on Sunday, but that was not the case. Bumgarner dominated the DBacks, limiting them to one unearned run on 2 hits, 2 walks and 7 strikeouts in 8 innings in the Giants 4-1 win. The win moved his record to 9-4 with a 2.72 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and a 111-25 strikeout to walk rate in 102.2 innings this season. He has given up two runs or less in 10 of his 16 starts this season, including five of his last six. He is probably in the Top 10 starting pitcher conversation right now.
Fantasy Sports Network is Coming Soon!
That's right, there is a new Fantasy Sports Network that is close to going live, and will be available on your cable providers real soon.
FNTSY Sports Network is the first television network to have live studio programming, call-in shows, panels, celebrity and expert drafts, reality programming and on-site commentary from sports venues, all specifically targeted towards the estimated 40 million people who play fantasy sports annually and on a daily basis.
Make sure you check out their site Fantasy Sports Network and check out all they have to offer.
Fantasy Rundown
If you are looking for more fantasy baseball, and football, content, make sure you check out Fantasy Rundown, as they provide links to some of the best fantasy content on the internet on a daily basis.