The MLB season continues to roll on at a steady pace, and, believe it or not, more than a fifth of the campaign has already passed. MLB fantasy leagues are well underway, and standings are surely beginning to pan out across the board.
If you followed numerous articles this offseason, I made it a point to push outfield depth toward the top of draft boards based on the premise of both positional scarcity and available talent. Currently, three of the top four fantasy scorers are listed as outfielders (Shohei Ohtani, Ronald Acuna Jr., Randy Arozarena), but they are joined by top infielders below them a la Matt Olson, Marcus Semien, and Paul Goldschmidt.
I do still believe that in the long run those managers that have the top outfield guys should thrive, as injuries pile up and teams’ depth charts continue to rotate around. It is also still early enough that players who are off to slow starts will be able to turn their seasons around. I’m personally excited to see how the next month and a half shakes out!
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Morel is another guy I touted this offseason, particularly when Chicago made the decision to option him to Triple-A Iowa just prior to Opening Day. The 23-year-old sophomore clearly took the transaction personally, as he has done nothing but absolutely rake since the demotion. In 134 minor league at-bats, Morel has produced a .330/.425/.730 line with 11 homers and four stolen bases.
Patrick Wisdom has kicked off 2023 as the Cubs’ everyday third baseman. He was solid through the first month of the season but has really fallen off of late, batting just .167 so far in the month of May. He has also dropped from the middle of the Cubs’ order down to the bottom in recent games.
Wisdom’s struggles could and should be Morel’s opportunity to hop into the lineup and stick there with solid production. He needs to be plucked off waivers in 12-team mixed fantasy leagues everywhere if still available.
Young third base prospects seem to be this week’s theme, as another 24-year-old rookie in San Francisco is headed to the bigs. Casey Schmitt was drafted by the Giants in the second round of the 2020 Amateur June Draft and currently ranked as the No. 4 overall prospect for San Francisco. Schmitt’s contract was officially selected by the big-league club on May 9. The rookie is set to make his debut in short order.
Schmitt’s production in the minors certainly led to this early season callup, as he has batted .313/.352/.410 with 10 doubles and one home run across 134 at-bats for Triple-A Sacramento. The Giants have an immediate need in the infield with incumbent SS Brandon Crawford currently on the injured list. Schmitt could be an answer.
Schmitt has the ability to play both third base and shortstop. His availability as a utilityman should help him secure additional playing time. It’s an exciting time in the MLB for new up-and-coming talent across the landscape of farm systems.
The newest shiny toy for Seattle, Miller looks like he could be an absolutely dominant force in the MLB for years to come. He rose through the minors pretty quickly this season, but expectations were not staggeringly high. Now, the Seattle brass looks genius for the recent callup.
Miller debuted against the A’s on May 2, allowing just one run on two hits across six innings while striking out 10. He followed that up with a dazzling performance against the Astros, shutting out the defending champs over six innings.
Two outings into his MLB career, Miller is 1-0 with a 0.75 ERA and 15:1 K:BB ratio. His upcoming matchups are looking juicy, as the 24 year old looks scheduled to face the Tigers and the Athletics again in two of his next three outings. The kid is legit.
Quick Hitters:
- Jose Altuve took live batting practice for the first time since surgery for a fractured thumb back in March. He looks on track to return to the majors at some point in May.
- Corey Seager is set to begin a minor league rehab assignment on May 11. He should also be set to return to the big leagues in mid-to-late May.
- Masataka Yoshida is officially the consensus odds-on favorite for AL Roy (jumped to +125 overall). The rookie is currently riding an MLB-best 16-game hitting streak.
- Mitch Keller is looking like a true ace for the surprise first-place Pirates. Following a complete game shutout against the Rockies on May 8, he is now 4-1 with a 2.72 ERA and 56:14 K:BB ratio across eight starts.
- The Pirates have called up OF prospect Josh Palacios ahead of their May 9 matchup with Colorado. Palacios was dominating Triple-A Indianapolis with a .434/.500/.774 line with four homers across 13 minor league games.
- Brandon Pfaadt struggled in his MLB debut against Texas, allowing seven runs on nine hits across 4 2/3 innings. He should have a great chance to bounce back against the Marlins and Giants in his next two scheduled outings.
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