Preseason Prep – February twenty fourth, 2025
Sandy Alcantara (SP – MIA) – Alcantara returned to the mound for the primary time since 9/23 on Sunday, touching 99 mph repeatedly throughout his 1 scoreless inning in opposition to the Mets. By all accounts, the Marlins ace appeared like his typical self in the course of the outing, and if that is the case, his present ADP of SP #50 in spherical 14 appears drastically decrease than I’d worth him. I would be proud of Alcantara as my SP3 in 12-team codecs this season, and I feel it is very attainable that he performs even higher than that. He’s properly above common in GB%, BB fee, and swinging strike%, and regardless of sometimes posting decrease than common Ok charges fairly persistently, I nonetheless assume that there is some upside there from what he confirmed us in his subpar 2023. I anticipate him to be considered one of my most highly-owned gamers this season if his present worth holds.
Alex Bregman (3B – BOS) – Bregman went 3-3 with a double and a HR in his first motion with the Pink Sox, showcasing what many hope shall be an affinity with the Inexperienced Monster in left by knocking one ball off of it and one over it throughout his debut. Bregman does have the flyball/pull tendencies to reap the benefits of the house park state of affairs, and regardless of the brief porch of the Crawford packing containers in Houston, Fenway is anticipated so as to add a bit to Bregman’s offensive manufacturing (assume 4-5%, however centered extra on XBH than HR). Bregman has usually been overrated over the previous 5 years because of the power of his 2018-19 seasons, however I feel that the pendulum could have swung again within the different route a bit an excessive amount of by now. He is at present being drafted twelfth amongst 3B across the spherical 11/12 flip, however we really feel that he is a stable selection 2-3 rounds sooner than that as a transparent top-10 possibility on the place.
Jasson Dominguez (OF – NYY) – Dominguez had a few misplays within the “solar discipline” in left on Sunday, and with the Yanks hoping to decide to an on a regular basis OF of Dominguez/Bellinger/Choose, that is a bit worrisome. Aaron Boone, as is his wont, is downplaying any early struggles from the 22 yr previous, and I do consider that he’ll find yourself on the market to being the season. I anticipated Dominguez to be wildly overvalued this spring, however as a Thirteenth-rounder on common to date (and OF36), I feel his worth is fairly near the place I’ve him to this point. The ceiling right here is big: he has excellent energy and pace, and he is not that a lot worse than common when it comes to contact capacity. The stable Yankee lineup offers him good counting stat potential, and the dedication from the crew appears to be there. A 20/20 season could be very attainable, and for a participant being drafted as a low-end OF3/high-end OF4, that looks as if a stable return. I am a bit extra of a purchaser than anticipated at this level.
Jung Hoo Lee (OF – SF) – Lee appeared absolutely recovered from final yr’s torn labrum in his preliminary Cactus league motion on Saturday, lining a single in 3 journeys and making a pleasant defensive play on an identical ball to the one he was injured on final season. With solely 37 MLB video games to go on, the 26 yr previous continues to be a little bit of an unknown commodity, however the contact capacity seems to be glorious, whereas the facility and pace are each a minimum of common. A 12/12 season with an honest AVG would appear to be properly inside his capabilities, and the Giants look like dedicated to having Lee bat someplace close to the highest of the lineup. At present OF58 through ADP, I like him a half-dozen spots increased than that proper now.
Kenta Maeda (SP – DET) – Who is aware of if there’s truly going to be a spot out there for him at this level, however after a dismal 2024, Kenta Maeda confirmed as much as spring coaching this season throwing more durable than he ever has earlier than. He tossed 2 excellent innings with 4 Ok’s in his Grapefruit League debut, averaging 92.4 together with his fastball, increased than any seasonal common in his 8-year profession. Maeda will flip 37 shortly after the season begins and the Tigers have a full steady of arms vying for rotation spots, however Maeda is simply 2 seasons faraway from a 1.17 WHIP and over 10 Ok/9….he seems like an inexpensive deep-league flyer to me regardless of being, at greatest, sixth on the depth chart for the Tiger rotation proper now.
Lars Nootbaar (OF – STL) – I’ve to echo what Jeremy mentioned final week: Lars Nootbaar is considered one of my high targets to fill out my OF this spring. At present the sixty fifth OF drafted through ADP, we have now him forecast as a top-40 participant on the place. With properly above common exit velocity and elite strike zone self-discipline, Nootbaar drastically underperformed his peripherals final season, making it appear like he truly regressed a bit. The pace is merely common, however when it comes to contact and energy I anticipate considerably greater than we have seen thus removed from him. A 20/10 season with a stable AVG appears very doable, and he may be obtained previous spherical 20 a lot of the time to date this spring.
Shane McClanahan (SP – TB) – McClanahan was 97-98 together with his fastball in his first reside BP, and he does certainly look like on monitor to begin on Opening Day for the Rays. Very like fellow TJ survivor Sandy Alcantara, McClanahan seems to be a bit missed this spring. Each pitchers are anticipated to have a full season, and each had been SP1’s earlier than their accidents. For them to be towards the underside of the top-50 SPs in draft place proper now looks as if a drastic overreaction, and I would be comfortable to gamble on each from what I’ve seen to date this spring.
Vinnie Pasquantino (1B – KC) – The Pasquatch is considered one of my favourite early-round gamers that is undervalued this spring. The upper up the board you go, the more durable it’s to search out gamers which are considerably undervalued, however I really feel that Pasquantino (1B11, rd 10) goes a number of rounds too late for a hitter of his caliber. Properly above-average energy potential mixed with contact capacity that’s second most likely to solely Luis Arraez on the place. He was on a 23-24 HR tempo in his first full season with KC earlier than a thumb harm value him the final 25-30 video games of the season, and he’s doing this with a swinging strike% that’s underneath 6. Now getting into his age-27 season, I feel a 25-30 HR season with a stable AVG could be very probably. He would possibly find yourself as my most-owned participant on the place.
Cristopher Sanchez (SP – PHI) – Sanchez appeared undervalued for many of 2024, and that situation has endured into this spring, as a man that for me is a transparent SP3/4 is being drafted fifty fifth amongst SPs to this point in 2025. Sanchez was third in GB% final season, he averaged practically 6 innings per begin, does not stroll folks, and pitches in entrance of a really stable offense. The one two negatives listed here are the Ok fee and the back-to-back sizable innings jumps of the previous two seasons. Sanchez is a mean bat-misser with a beneath common Ok fee, which is a combo that is smart when you think about the massive GB fee. There’s some upside right here, however actually, at his worth, I would be proud of a repeat efficiency of 2024.
Zebby Matthews/David Festa (SP – MIN) – I will be watching the back-end of the Twins rotation with curiosity this spring, because the gamers which are projected to open the season within the rotation behind Lopez/Ryan/Ober (Paddack and Woods Richardson) are, in my thoughts, inferior to the subsequent two guys in line (Matthews and Festa). The latter two have appeared nice of their first spring appearances, every throwing 2 shutout innings with 2 Ok’s. Matthews confirmed a better fastball velocity than he did at any level final yr, touching 97.4, and Festa has added a 2-seamer to his 4-seamer, change, and slider. I probably will not contact Paddack or Woods Richardson with the proverbial 10-foot pole, however I’d have curiosity in both Matthews or Festa in the event that they break camp within the rotation.
Coby Mayo (3B – BAL) – Persevering with with the theme of “if these guys get taking part in time, look out”, Orioles GM Mike Elias has already acknowledged that Mayo will get each likelihood to earn a spot with the O’s this spring. There are plenty of mouths to feed right here, which retains him off the apparent sleeper checklist, however Mayo has glorious energy for a 23 yr previous, and the LF fence coming in a bit once more can solely assist any RH pull hitter like Mayo. With 25 HR in simply 93 minor league video games final season, Mayo clearly has properly above common energy, and it is not simply pushed by a pull/flyball strategy: he hit the toughest ball of spring coaching to date over the weekend. Displaying off big-time pop whereas getting a vote of confidence from the GM is an efficient begin to spring coaching for certain….keep watch over him this spring, and if it seems like he will get a shot on the DH spot he’s a really stable add in nearly all codecs as an inexpensive energy supply.
Logan Gilbert (SP – SEA) – The much less dependent your league’s format is on wins, the extra it’s best to contemplate Logan Gilbert to be your #1 SP. Gilbert has been as sturdy as any pitcher since breaking into the bigs 4 years in the past, and he is continued to enhance his management, his GB%, his capacity to overlook bats, and his exit velocity allowed in every of the previous two seasons. The unhappy state of the Mariner infield caps his ceiling for conventional roto-style worth, however in factors leagues Gilbert is pretty much as good a wager as anybody to be probably the most priceless pitcher. The security that he and Zack Wheeler present on the high of a rotation could be very interesting to me, versus the simple expertise however higher volatility of Skenes, Skubal, and the like.
Trea Turner (SS – PHI) – Turner is the one participant that we really feel individuals are reaching a bit an excessive amount of for thus far this spring. I get it: a transparent 20/20 menace that sometimes hits for a excessive common, and he is in a probable top-5 offense. Add in that he is saying the entire proper issues about needing to be extra affected person on the plate (he had his lowest stroll fee in 8 years final season, and his contact has dropped considerably from his years in WAS and LA), and that it seems that he could transfer again to the leadoff spot this yr (he nonetheless ranked twenty third in MLB in dash pace final yr), and you’ve got the entire components for an enormous bounceback season. There are some main crimson flags right here that ought to give us pause although, beginning with the swinging strike%. It averaged 9% throughout his 6 years in Washington. It is averaged 14% throughout his two years in Philly. Numerous that’s his strike zone self-discipline, which is up about 10% since leaving Washington. His exit velocity is down, not a ton, however again right down to round league common. The leg accidents (and his lineup place) have stopped him from working fairly as a lot. All of those little issues for a participant that turns 32 this season, so we’re leaving the height years any minute now. I do assume that there’s loads of upside with Turner, however I am undecided that taking him on the 2/3 flip, which is the place he’s by ADP, is the most secure technique. It is fairly uncommon that you may win a fantasy league together with your first few picks, however you possibly can completely lose one. I want to be slightly safer early on, and that is one factor Turner is unquestionably not.
Jonathan India (2B – KC) – I feel that India might be a pleasant sleeper this yr. He solely has 2B eligibility for now, however he hit leadoff because the Royals LF of their spring opener, and I would not be shocked to see him play slightly 3B as properly in the event that they want, so he might have fairly a little bit of positional flexibility. His contact abilities and strike-zone judgment are exemplary, and he has common pace and uncooked energy in addition to graded by his dash pace and max EV. The Royal offense is roughly league common, so if India is hitting on the high of the lineup it is vitally attainable that he is a 15/15 participant with a stable common that would rating 80 runs. That is most likely a top-12 participant on the place, and he is being taken outdoors of spherical 20 proper now as 2B23. Plenty of worth there, I consider.
Joey Ortiz (3B/SS – MIL) – Ortiz is a man that I do not thoughts ready on to fill my MI in sure conditions this spring. A 3B final season for Milwaukee, he’ll be sliding over to SS with the departure of Willy Adames, and whereas the 26 yr previous does not possess higher than common energy, he has some pace to associate with excellent plate self-discipline and call abilities. His ADP is in spherical 26 proper now, and if he can hit for the higher AVG that I anticipate in yr 2 given his contact capacity, a 15/15 season with a serving to AVG might definitely be within the playing cards for a participant at present seen as a little bit of an afterthought.
