Justin Mason | Mon, Aug 26th 2024, 7:03am EDT

20 Things to Watch: Dylan Crews, Bobby Miller, Osvaldo Bido (Fantasy Baseball)

It is important to look at some important storylines and aspects this week to be ahead of the curve and gain an edge on your league mates.

Fantasy Baseball 20 Things to Watch: Week 23

Fantasy Baseball Week 23 Schedule Notes

No teams have just five games this week.
The following teams have seven games this week:
- Tampa Bay at OAK, at LAD
- Toronto Blue Jays vs. CIN, vs LAA
- Houston Astros vs. BOS, at BAL
- Los Angeles Angels at KC, at TOR
- Oakland Athletics vs. TB, vs. MIL
- New York Mets vs. BAL, at SD
- Cincinnati Reds at TOR, at PIT
- Pittsburgh Pirates at TEX, vs. CIN
- San Diego Padres vs. MIN, vs. NYM

Dylan Crews (OF – WAS)

Dylan Crews is expected to make his Major League debut on Monday versus the Yankees. Crews is a top-tier prospect who has hit .270 with 13 home runs and stolen 25 bases in 397 plate appearances between AA and AAA this season. Crews has a ton of raw power but he hasn’t quite tapped into it yet, but he should play every day and there is a lot of upside.

The Orioles’ Rotation

Kyle Bradish, Zach Eflin, John Means, Grayson Rodriguez and Tyler Wells would be a better rotation than many teams currently have, but those are Orioles starters on the injured list (IL). Adding to the troubles is the recently sent down Trevor Rogers, who was part of their trade deadline deals. Currently, the Orioles have Cade Povich and Cole Irvin to fill in the cracks, but we need to see if either can keep the Orioles in the playoff race.

Bobby Miller (SP – LAD)

Bobby Miller has struggled mightily this season, posting a 7.49 ERA in 39.2 innings this season. He had one of his better starts in his last start, but he still allowed two home runs. The Dodgers need him to return to form because they are shallow in the rotation right now, but he needs to continue to improve to keep his rotation spot.

Osvaldo Bido (SP, RP – OAK)

Osvaldo Bido has been great, throwing 50 innings with a 3.24 ERA and 51 strikeouts. The underlying numbers are all over the place with a 2.81 xERA and a 4.78 xFIP. He pitches in the comfy confines of Oakland but this week he is heading to Cincy, which is a homer-friendly ballpark. We need to see if he can keep the hot streak going.

Connor Norby (2B, 3B, OF – MIA)

Connor Norby has been called up by the Marlins and has been on fire ever since, hitting over .300 with two home runs and a stolen base. He is moving up the lineup. If he can continue to hit up top, there is a lot of value despite the terrible lineup around him.

Mason McCoy (SS – SD)

Mason McCoy is a former prospect of note who has never been highly rated, but who put up some really good minor league seasons. He is up with the Padres due to the injury to Ha-Seong Kim. If McCoy plays every day, he has some interesting value in deeper leagues as a guy who has some pop and a fair amount of speed.

September Call-Ups

At the beginning of September, MLB rosters expand to 28 players, which means some prospects who are not in the Majors will be called up. Jasson Dominguez of the Yankees is likely one of these players. On more competitive teams like the Yankees, players will have to earn time, but on teams not competing for a playoff spot, these prospects could find a lot more playing time. Keep track of the players that come up later this week.

Cubs’ Closer Chaos

The Cubs decided to waive Hector Neris last week as he approached a benchmark that would have triggered an option for next season. As a result, they need a new closer. Porter Hodge got the first save opportunity with Jorge Lopez getting the second. Hodge seems like the first choice, but we need to see if this is a committee or if one of these guys wins the job.

Jared Jones (SP – PIT) Returns

Jared Jones has been fantastic in his minor league rehab assignment and is expected to be recalled to face the Cubs this week. While I am not a huge fan of starting guys fresh off the IL, Jones has a ton of upside and has gone deep enough into games in the minors to do that at the Major League level.

Paul Sewald (RP – ARI)

Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo stated over the weekend he would like Paul Sewald to be the team’s closer. Sewald has been up and down this season and lost the closing job, but this is a vote of confidence we should keep an eye on. Justin Martinez has been doing the job, but if the manager has stated his preference, they will give it back to Sewald at some point.

Streaming Options

Jack Leiter (SP – TEX) at CWS

Jack Leiter is expected to be called up on Wednesday and would have a fantastic matchup versus the worst team in baseball.

David Peterson (SP, RP – NYM) at CWS

David Peterson has been great and is facing the worst offense in baseball versus left-handed pitching.

Keider Montero (SP – DET) vs. LAA

Keider Montero has pitched well as of late and is facing a bad Angels offense that struggles against right-handed pitching.

Two-Start Options

Michael Lorenzen (OF, SP – KC) at CLE, at HOU

Michael Lorenzen has been fantastic since being traded to the Royals and while the underlying numbers aren’t as great, he has been very effective. The Astros matchup isn’t great, but Cleveland has been struggling offensively and I don’t know how you sit him when the results have been this good in Kansas City.

Tobias Myers (SP – MIL) vs. SF, at CIN

Tobias Myers has been fantastic but there is regression coming. He does mix pitches and sequences well, so the regression could be put off until next season or it may not be as massive as the underlying numbers say. However, until the regression hits, you should keep using him, especially against a bad San Francisco offense.

Brant Hurter (SP – DET) at CWS, vs. BOS

If it wasn’t for the fact Boston has a top-five offense, this would be a pretty easy play considering Brant Hurter has been good since coming up. He does get an opener, so this makes getting in line for a win easier. I think I would risk it, especially in daily lineup leagues where you can decide on the Boston start later in the week.

Mitchell Parker (SP – WAS) vs. NYY, vs CHC

Mitchell Parker has been up and down of late and there is quite a bit of risk to the Yankees’ start. However, the Yankees do struggle more with lefties and the Cubs aren’t very good offensively, so this may be a sneak play.

Andrew Heaney (SP, RP – TEX) at CWS, vs. OAK

I think a lot of people would start Andrew Heaney here just because of the matchups, but there is some risk. The A’s have been pretty good against lefties this season and Heaney is the kind of pitcher that can shut down tough lineups but get killed by bad ones.

Kyle Harrison (SP – SF) at MIL, vs. MIA

Kyle Harrison has quietly been really good in the second half, especially if you benched him for the terrible start in Cincinnati. The Milwaukee start is a bit scary, but the Miami one at home is so juicy. You are playing him in most formats.

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