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Six days until Opening Day …
It’s almost here. Draft Day. Opening Day. All of it.
This is the biggest draft weekend of the year, and you need to be ready for whatever comes your way. That’s what today’s newsletter is all about, as we’ve got links to absolutely everything you need to get ready for your draft from the Fantasy Baseball Today team, from rankings and Salary Cap Draft values to the latest spring storylines and how they’ll affect your draft.
Before we get to all of that, though, let’s very quickly run through some of the biggest news from the past few days, plus the biggest questions we’re still waiting to get answered as Spring Training winds down:
Max Scherzer may not be ready – Scherzer opened eyes with some strong showings early in spring, but a thumb injury he has had to battle for years cropped back up recently. He’s going to try to pitch in a game Saturday, and if all goes well, he’s a decent late-round flier as he tries to prove he still has something left in the tank.
Clarke Schmidt may not be ready – Schmidt has been battling shoulder soreness, but he did throw a 30-pitch bullpen session Thursday without apparent issue. He won’t be ready for a full workload by Opening Day, but he might only need a turn or two through the rotation to be ready. Carlos Carrasco looks likely to open the season in the Yankees rotation and I couldn’t be less interested outside of AL-only leagues.
Shane Smith made the White Sox roster – Now it’s a question of whether the Rule 5 pick will make the rotation. He had a 3.05 ERA and 10.8 K/9 in 94.1 innings between Double-A and Triple-A last season and has been pretty impressive this spring with a bit of extra velocity. I’m interested in any AL-only league, and potentially H2H leagues if he’s in the rotation as a SPaRP.
Victor Scott is trying to force the Cardinals’ hand – Scott is known more for his defense and speed, but he’s hitting .349/.457/.692 with three homers and five steals this spring and could be the Cardinals Opening Day center fielder. He belongs on your late-round sleepers list in any category-based league.
Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker could still be in the Rangers rotation – The signing of Patrick Corbin may complicate things as he builds up to full strength, but injuries to Cody Bradford and Jon Gray have both in line for a chance to start the season in the rotation. Both have plenty of talent, along with both command and arsenal questions, but if they got off to a hot start, they could force their way into a season-long role. The upside for both is worth chasing.
The Diamondbacks aren’t going to name a closer – They’re going to play matchups, with Justin Martinez, A.J. Puk, and Kevin Ginkel all named as potential options by manager Torey Lovullo this spring. Puk and Martinez are worthwhile late-round fliers but don’t panic early on if they don’t immediately start racking up saves. I would guess they’ll settle on one before long – my bet would be on Martinez, the righty – but if not, both should still be useful.
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