10 Burning Questions: Freddie Freeman, Jackson Holliday, Victor Scott (2024 Fantasy Baseball)

We’ve turned the calendar to August. Many fantasy enthusiasts will begin focusing on their upcoming fantasy football drafts. Some of you may even be doing that, but we’re sticking with fantasy baseball in this article.

We recently saw the return of two rookies who struggled in their first tries at the big leagues. Some pitchers are showing a new production level compared to what we’ve seen from them before. Those topics and more are covered in this week’s edition of the 10 Burning Questions for Fantasy Baseball.

Fantasy Baseball 10 Burning Questions

Can we start Freddie Freeman this week?

This question has to be brought up in a fantasy baseball article but is so much more important than baseball. If you started Freddie Freeman in a weekly league last week, you took a zero, as he never played.

Freeman is currently on the family emergency list caring for his three-year-old son who was in the hospital battling a neurological disorder. The latest report is that his son is home recovering. His son’s health is the most important aspect of this question. Since his son is home, it seems likely that we see Freeman back with the Dodgers this week. However, if you have another option, going with them is certainly the safer play.

Will Jackson Holliday have more success in his second try?

Jackson Holliday’s second stint in the major leagues started better than his first. In his first game back up, he hit his first home run, which happened to be a grand slam. So far, he is showing the prospect pedigree during his second try.

When we saw Holliday in April, he was vastly overmatched. He went 2 for 34 with 18 strikeouts. He appears much more comfortable at the plate this time, having gone 7 for 18 with two home runs. While he has struck out in every game, the strikeouts are a more manageable number of five in 18 at-bats. It is the smallest of sample sizes at only five games played, but so far his production makes me believe that he is up to stay.

What about Victor Scott‘s second try?

The fantasy community was incredibly excited about Victor Scott at the beginning of the season. Blessed with the fastest sprint speed in all of baseball, the stolen-base upside is immense. It didn’t go well during his first try, but he is back again.

Scott’s recall was due to Michael Siani suffering an oblique injury which forced him onto the injured list. Obliques can linger, so we likely see Scott get an extended look in the major leagues.

Just because Scott will be in the major leagues that doesn’t mean he will be in the lineup. The Cardinals outfield still has Brendan Donovan, Lars Nootbaar, and Tommy Pham as options. Alec Burleson is playing designated hitter. That doesn’t leave many opportunities for Scott.

How worried should we be about Tanner Bibee?

Shoulder injuries are always scary when it comes to pitchers. Just ask Brandon Woodruff. The Guardians opted to skip Tanner Bibee’s weekend start due to shoulder pain. Instead, the team started rookie Joey Cantillo for his second start. Cantillo performed admirably. He allowed three earned runs over four innings with four strikeouts.

This question, though, is about Bibee. Typically, when someone is dealing with an injury to his throwing arm, you can tell it with their performance. Other than struggling to strike batters out at his usual levels, there have been no signs of struggle during Bibee’s last few starts. He had a 3.49 ERA in July. Indications are that he will make a start this week. However, he’s another one to consider sitting if you have a comparable option for the week.

Who is the closer for the Arizona Diamondbacks?

Paul Sewald started July with a 0.54 ERA. He began August with an ERA of 4.39. That’s because his ERA in July was over 10 and he blew four saves. His struggles have led to a change in the Diamondbacks’ bullpen.

Manager Torey Lovullo revealed on Friday that Sewald would be temporarily removed from the closer role. Lovullo referenced having Sewald work on his delivery. Fantasy managers want to know who is going to be the replacement as the closer. The news that they probably don’t want to hear is that it’s likely to be a committee of Ryan Thompson, A.J. Puk, and Kevin Ginkel.

Thompson has picked up two saves in the last week and Puk has had one. The best place to speculate is Thompson, but this looks like a mix-and-match situation.

What has changed with Blake Snell?

Snell is the most befuddling pitcher in baseball right now. When he is struggling, he is unusable for fantasy purposes, as evidenced by his 10.42 ERA over his first five starts covering just 19 innings. When he is on, there is no more dominant pitcher. In his last five starts, Snell has a 0.55 ERA over 33 innings highlighted by his 11-strikeout no-hitter on Friday.

Certainly one of the reasons for Snell’s improvement is just being more lucky. In his rough stretch earlier this season, he dealt with a .414 BABIP. In his last five starts, it has corrected down to .115. Of course, the likeliest answer is that it settles somewhere in the middle. A tangible change has been throwing strikes. During his struggles, Snell was only throwing strikes at a 57% rate. In his recent stretch, he is throwing them 66% of the time.

Why is Josh Bell‘s power surging?

Josh Bell’s power surge can’t be due to the environment. He was moved at the trade deadline after being placed on waivers. His power surge started with the Marlins but has continued as a member of the Diamondbacks.

In his last seven games with the Marlins, Bell hit five home runs. In his three games with the Diamondbacks, he has hit two more. Both of those came in his first game with his new team, and he has gone hitless in his other two games.

Suddenly, Bell’s season-long total of 16 home runs is back in line with what we’ve seen from him in the past. What is strange is a lot of his power metrics are the worst we’ve seen from him, including both average and max exit velocity. It will be interesting to see what the plan is with Bell when Christian Walker returns from the injured list.

Is this the long-awaited breakout of Victor Robles?

There was a time when Victor Robles was more highly regarded as a Nationals prospect than Juan Soto. Robles’ career in D.C. didn’t go according to plan. After being released earlier this year, many believed Robles’ career was over. With the Mariners, he has proven that’s not the case.

Robles has only played 36 games with the Mariners, but he has hit three home runs, stolen 10 bases, and sports a .349 AVG. His pace is so much better than anything we’ve seen from him in years that it feels like it has to be fake.

Robles’ incredible batting average is being boosted by some BABIP luck at .391. but he has also improved his quality of contact. He has the best hard-hit rate of his career (37%) since joining the Mariners. That has helped him to nearly double his previous career-best barrel rate at 10.9%. The Mariners have moved him to the leadoff spot, so they’ve noticed his improvements.

How about that start from Spencer Arrighetti?

Spencer Arrighetti’s rookie campaign has had some high peaks and some low valleys. The valleys include three different starts of at least six earned runs. The peaks include a couple of double-digit strikeout performances, including Sunday’s.

Arighetti went up against the Rays. He took a tough-luck loss but delivered 12 strikeouts over six innings with just one earned run allowed. He’s pitched much better recently. His ERA over his last six starts is 3.83 with an even lower 3.44 FIP. One of the reasons for his blowups has been the home-run ball. If he can keep the home runs in check, there are the makings of an intriguing fantasy option here.

Should we be worried about Isaac Paredes?

It’s been a tough start for Isaac Paredes since being moved to the Cubs. He is 3 for 23 without a home run. He was a consistent power source with Tampa Bay, but that may not be the case in Chicago.

Tampa Bay helped Paredes optimize his swing. His spray chart shows it best. Most of his home runs have been pulled right down the line. It worked at Tropicana Field, but Wrigley Field is a different park with different dimensions.

Paredes has hit 16 home runs this season. His expected home runs at Wrigley would only be 11, showing how much more difficult it is going to be for him to consistently deliver the power we’ve come to expect.

MLB Weekly Advice Freddie Freeman Jackson Holliday Victor Scott Michael Siani Brendan Donovan Lars Nootbaar Tommy Pham Alec Burleson Tanner Bibee Brandon Woodruff Joey Cantillo Paul Sewald Ryan Thompson A.J. Puk Kevin Ginkel Blake Snell Josh Bell Christian Walker Victor Robles Juan Soto Isaac Paredes