Welcome back to the Weekly Mailbag! This is an opportunity to ask a FantasyPros analyst anything about the ongoing season so managers can make the best and most informed decisions possible. Readers will find previous questions from fantasy managers below.
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Fantasy Baseball Mailbag
Thoughts on Colton Cowser?
If Colton Cowser is available, grab him. He is a former top prospect who is finally playing like it. The outfielder is slashing .395/.429/.868 in a small sample size of 38 at-bats. Ride the Rookie of the Year candidate’s hot streak.
However, managers must beware that when Cowser slows down from this impossible pace he may find himself in a platoon on the bench against lefties.
How long do I stick with Josh Hader? He has scored a net total of -2 for my team so far this season.
Keep Josh Hader for five more appearances. That probably equates to a little over two weeks. He is the type of player that takes a while to settle in.
After being traded to the Padres in 2022, Hader had a 7.31 ERA in 16.0 innings. After adjusting to his new environment he posted a 1.28 ERA and was a 2023 All-Star. He has excellent security as a closer for one of the best teams in baseball. Hader should return to form.
Gabriel Moreno or Elias Diaz?
Gabriel Diaz has outperformed Elias Moreno in more or less every category/ratio so far in 2024. Diaz had worse overall ratios than Moreno last year (.268/.316/.410 vs. .285/.340/.408), yet he gained far more counting stats. Diaz played in 141 games in 2023 compared to Moreno’s 111.
Diaz is a better overall catcher with more consistent playing time.
Should I trade Zac Gallen for Dylan Cease and Andres Gimenez in a points league?
Zac Gallen is too good to give up.
I am concerned Gallen is getting a lot of mileage after pitching 243.2 innings last season and postseason, but Cease has somewhat similar concerns after throwing 177.0 innings last year. Although, it seems like injury can strike at any moment for pitchers these days.
Gallen is much better than Dylan Cease. As someone who believes Cease’s Cy Young runner-up in 2022 was an outlier, I don’t think the two are all that close. I trust Cease more on the Padres than the White Sox, but not enough to make the trade.
Andres Gimenez is a decent bat who gets steals but doesn’t fill that gap.
Thoughts on Jordan Walker and Thairo Estrada? Is Walker droppable in a 10-team league?
I don’t see either Jordan Walker or Thairo Estrada being league winners. Managers should try to make an upgrade if a better player is available on waivers. It isn’t the apocalypse to drop one or both in shallower leagues.
If it came down to dropping only one, go with Walker. Hold Estrada in deeper leagues.
Walker has been underperforming but his ceiling is not something managers would regret missing out on.
Monitor the waivers and snatch either one if they heat up.
Pick up Kerry Carpenter or Jarred Kelenic?
Kerry Carpenter. He gets much more playing time than Jarred Kelenic. Kelenic is in a very strict platoon and doesn’t face lefties.
Both outfielders have similar ratios so far this year. I prefer Carpenter in both the immediate and long-term future. He pieced together a nice 2023 season and had better contact and power than Kelenic.
Both players are relatively fresh into their careers, so a breakout is possible.
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