10 Burning Questions: Jackson Jobe, Grayson Rodriguez, Ha-Seong Kim (Fantasy Baseball)

Just like that, the baseball season is over. In April, it seems like such a long grind ahead. Then, it’s over in a flash. Even though the 2024 season is over, FantasyPros isn’t taking a break from fantasy baseball coverage. It won’t be long before we’re getting you articles for the 2025 fantasy baseball draft season. Before that happens, read the final ’10 Burning Questions’ of the 2024 season for some early lookaheads to the next season.

Fantasy Baseball 10 Burning Questions

How did Jackson Jobe‘s MLB debut go?

The top pitching prospect in baseball was called up last week to help the Detroit Tigers in their quest to make the playoffs. We only saw four innings from him, but it was enough to get excited for next season.

In those four innings, he didn’t allow an earned run, struck out two and walked one. He displayed a four-pitch mix. Now that he has already debuted, you have to expect he has a better chance of starting the season next year with the Tigers. He’ll be a popular mid-round selection in fantasy drafts next spring.

Should we be worried about Grayson Rodriguez going into next season?

We last saw Grayson Rodriguez pitch at the end of July. Since then, he has been on the injured list (IL) with a lat injury. The team hoped he would be available to help them in the playoffs. Last week, it was announced that won’t be the case.

Rodriguez’s second season ends with six fewer innings than his rookie season. He increased his strikeouts slightly by adding a sweeper to his arsenal. He also threw more first-pitch strikes, which helped him reduce his walk rate. Considering there was a belief he would be back already this season, you have to expect he’ll be ready to go by spring training next season. However, since he’s already dealt with one apparent setback it will be something we need to keep monitoring.

What is Ha-Seong Kim‘s status?

Another player who we haven’t seen in a while is Ha-Seong Kim. He last played on August 18th before going on IL with a shoulder injury. We received an update on his status, which wasn’t encouraging for fantasy managers.

Much like with Rodriguez, there was a belief Kim would be able to help the Padres in the postseason. Unfortunately, his treatment wasn’t going according to plan. He is going to undergo labrum surgery on his shoulder. In most cases, an offseason of recovery should be enough to be ready by spring training, but his recovery will be one to follow throughout the offseason.

What is a realistic expectation for innings pitched for Paul Skenes next season?

If you want Paul Skenes on your fantasy roster next season, it will come at the cost of a top-30 selection. In his rookie season, he has proven to be one of baseball’s best pitchers on a per-inning basis. The question is how many innings will he be able to pitch next season?

Generally, the starting pitchers selected in the first five rounds of fantasy baseball drafts are the most reliable for volume. After his last start on Saturday, Skenes ended up pitching 160 innings this season between the Majors and Minors. Teams typically feel comfortable increasing the innings pitched total by 30 each season. That sets a realistic expectation for Skenes at over 180 innings. That’s plenty to justify his early selection.

Will Christopher Morel be a full-time player next season?

When Tampa Bay trades for someone, fantasy managers take notice due to their track record. It has not gone according to plan in the case of Christopher Morel. Since being acquired by Tampa Bay, he has only three home runs, seven RBI and a .183 batting average. It has cost him playing time.

Tampa Bay played 26 September baseball games. Morel only started 19 games. Since coming to Tampa Bay, he has primarily played second base and left field. The Rays have plenty of middle infield depth — Brandon Lowe, Jose Caballero and Curtis Mead. It’s equally crowded in the outfield — Jonny DeLuca, Jose Siri, Dylan Carlson, Richie Palacios and Josh Lowe. It’s hard to envision Morel being more than a part-time player with all that depth.

Can we expect a bounceback in stolen bases from J.T. Realmuto?

One reason J.T. Realmuto has consistently been selected as a top catcher is he offered out-of-position steals. He led the catcher position in stolen bases every season from 2019-2023. It’s what made the drastic dropoff so unexpected this year.

This season, Realmuto stole only two bases, which tied him for 19th at the position. The positional leader was William Contreras with nine stolen bases. Considering Realmuto is now 33, you could assume he is slowing down. That’s not the case, though, as Realmuto is still tied for the fastest sprint speed among catchers. Don’t be surprised if his stolen bases bounce back to the 5-10 range next season.

Is this a new baseline for Anthony Santander‘s power?

Four hitters finished with over 40 home runs. Three of them, Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto, will be first-round selections next spring. The other is Anthony Santander. He will likely be available in the third round or later.

Santander’s season ends with 91 runs, 44 home runs, 102 RBI and a .235 batting average. He sold out for power as evidenced by a league-leading 54.8% flyball percentage. That helps to explain his new career-low batting average on balls in play (BABIP) of .225. While you shouldn’t expect 44 home runs again, if he matches this profile, he should hit over 30 again. He is a free agent this offseason, so keep track of where he signs.

Can Max Fried build upon his last start?

It was far from a bad season for Max Fried. His season ended with a 3.25 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 166 strikeouts over 174 innings pitched. Yet, those were his worst marks in the ratio statistics since 2019.

When the Atlanta Braves needed him the most last Friday, Fried delivered his best performance of the season. He finished one out shy of a complete game while allowing zero earned runs and striking out nine batters. The biggest difference this season for Fried has been the lowest strand rate of his career. The strand rate statistic is widely luck-based. If that corrects next season, his ERA should drop even further.

Was Carlos Correa‘s average just a fluke?

It’s not that we haven’t seen Carlos Correa bat over .300 before. It’s just that it has been a long time. He batted .315 in 2017 as a 22-year-old. He hit .310 this season.

That average came over only 86 games as Correa battled plantar fasciitis for a substantial amount of the second half. When he was healthy, this was the best version of him we’ve seen in a while. He had a career-low strikeout percentage of 16.6% to go along with a 20.2% line-drive rate. The injury concerns will cause him to fall in fantasy drafts, but when he’s healthy, he’s a safe bet in four of the five rotisserie categories.

Did Blake Snell get injured?

If you started Blake Snell needing strikeouts in your rotisserie league, you came away disappointed. He didn’t make a start last week. It wasn’t because of injury, but rather by choice.

Snell is a free agent again this offseason. He didn’t want to risk an injury on a team that was already eliminated from playoff contention. You may remember that he waited to sign his deal until very late in the process last offseason. He got off to an exceptionally slow start while also dealing with injuries. Since July, he has essentially been the same pitcher who won the Cy Young award in 2023. Since July, he went 5-0 with 114 strikeouts and a 1.23 ERA over 80 innings. Hopefully, he will sign his free agency contract sooner this offseason.

Articles MLB Weekly Advice Jackson Jobe Grayson Rodriguez Ha-Seong Kim Paul Skenes Christopher Morel Brandon Lowe Jose Caballero Curtis Mead Jonny DeLuca Jose Siri Dylan Carlson Richie Palacios Josh Lowe J.T. Realmuto William Contreras Anthony Santander Aaron Judge Shohei Ohtani Juan Soto Max Fried Carlos Correa Blake Snell