Merrill, Pablo, Jarren, Nacho, Zebby and Roster Moves
Merrill, Pablo, Jarren, Nacho, Zebby and Roster Moves
Jun 24, 2024
Author: 3-1Count.com
Another MLB weekend is in the books. The Braves took 2 of 3 from the Yankees, who have now lost 7 of their last 10. The Orioles lost 3 in a row to the Astros who have now won 5 in a row and have crept into 2nd place in the AL West. The Guardians have won 5 straight and the Blue Jays look primed to sell coming off 6 losses in a row. The Cardinals swept the Giants and now find themselves 2 games over .500 and in 2nd place in the NL Central.
So, what series should we keep an eye on in the early part of this week? At or near the top of the list is the Guardians rolling into Baltimore. Very similar records, both strong teams, and they kick it off today with Bibee v Povich. Another is Braves v Cardinals. Both teams come in playing well. I also like the Rangers v Brewers series. You know I really like this Brewers team and I believe we are just starting to see the Rangers warm up. This is a better team than they have played and Max Scherzer SP returning might help Texas get on a roll.
Several other recent MLB roster moves to mention include:
Jesus Luzardo SP MIA: back issue, hits the 60 day IL. The Marlins mishandling of Luzardo’s trade value last year and then again this year just showcases the poor decision making in Miami.
Braxton Garrett SP MIA: Likely another lost trade opportunity for Miami. Garrett also went down, with a forearm issue. Good grief this year has been awful for UCL injuries.
Patrick Sandoval SP LAA: I’m not going to pretend Sandoval has been good but he should be much better than he has been. Like Reid Detmers he has not blossomed under the Angels pitching development. And now he left his last outing with a forearm issue. It was an immediate reaction, where he called the trainer out. Which suggests this is likely a long term injury.
Josh Jung 3B TEX: He’s due back this week from the wrist injury he suffered at the beginning of the year. The Rangers lineup just performs better with Jung in it. If healthy, this is a big boost.
Willson Contreras C STL: Expected to rejoin the lineup today - coming off a broken arm. Contreras makes the Cardinals a better team. And even though I was ready to write the Cards off early in the season there’s no denying they are playing better and are back in the wildcard hunt at least.
Heston Kjerstad OF BAL: recalled again by Baltimore. Just don’t get too excited, he’s likely to play sporadically like he has previously.
Orelvis Martinez 3B TOR: Well, a couple of days ago I was excited as Orelvis was finally called up and he is a guy I have stashed on quite a few draft and holds. So what happens, he’s hit with an 80 game suspension for PEDs. That is one crazy way to start a big league career. A sub plot, these tests are usually from earlier in the year and it’s likely both Martinez and the Blue Jays already knew he had an issue.
Player Spotlights:
If you have Pablo Lopez SP MIN on your fantasy team you can thank me for his great outing against Oakland yesterday. I have 1 share of Lopez out of my 20 teams. And I finally just benched him because I was tired of taking the beatings. I’m happy for those of you who stuck with him. Ugggh.
I think we are past the point of anyone not realizing Jackson Merrill OF SD is really good. Merrill is clearly outperforming the other Jackson mega prospects (Chourio and Holliday). Since Jun 8 Merrill is hitting .370 with 7 home runs, 4 doubles, 10 runs scored, 13 RBI and an .833 SLG. This equates to a 250 wRC+! Merrill is a young 21 and is likely on his way to the NL ROY award. I love the approach and swing. Hope you have him on your fantasy teams - particularly in dynasty formats. Huge asset!
While not at Merrill’s level Josh Lowe OF TAM has started to warm up. He has 9 hits in his last 23 PA’s, with 3 home runs, 5 runs and 7 RBI. Lowe is going to produce and I keep hoping the Rays will ease off the heavy platooning but it’s just unlikely they do. At least Lowe is strong side, getting the majority of at bats. You can easily work with this in daily lineups but weekly formats the platoon can cost you precious at bats. A reality we have to consider when rostering.
I have a confession to make. I had a long look at Jarren Duran OF BOS during the 2019 Arizona Fall League. There was a decent amount of helium on Duran at the time and he put up solid numbers in the AFL. Still, I walked away underwhelmed. The speed was obvious but the rest didn’t stand out to me and I couldn’t see where the power would come from. I mean any power, he just wasn’t impacting the ball at that point.
Here we are 5 years later and he’s going to be an All-Star and is the most important player on the Red Sox not named Rafael Devers. I have one share of Duran across 20 teams - and the only reason I have that one is he just fell to me late in an auction draft. I’ll take the loss on this one. It’s another reminder that player development isn’t linear.
Prospect Spotlight:
Nacho Alvarez Jr. already has an All-Star name and recently was bumped up to AAA Gwinnett for the Atlanta Braves. He turned 21 in April and was a 5th rd pick in 2022. Nacho is listed at 5’11 and is a stocky 190lbs +. Currently at SS he moves better than you would think and sports a good approach at the plate. There have been questions as to whether the power would develop and 202 at bats in AA this year without hitting a homer didn’t help. So what happens when he’s promoted to AAA - he quickly smacks 3 home runs in his first 6 games, of course.
I’m curious what type of defensive flexibility Nacho has. The Braves have so many positions locked up long term that barring injury it limits what role he can play in Atlanta. Still, I think there is a pretty good chance we see Nacho with the Braves this year. It might be to spell the struggling Orlando Arcia, or maybe in a utility type role. If not, then he will definitely be up first half of 2025. And whenever Nacho arrives he is going to quickly become a fan favorite.
With the Wichita Storm Surge in Arkansas for a series against the Travelers I had two Twins pitchers I wanted to see. Andrew Morris is one, and I’ve written about his performance already. The other was Zebby Mathews, who is rightfully ahead of Morris on prospect rankers. The Storm Surge did not have Zebby lined up to start during the series so I went ahead and took a game off on Fri night. Wouldn’t you know, they threw a curveball and brought Zebby into that game - in relief. He threw 5 excellent innings and I missed it. So I still have not had an in-person look. The move to work him in relief makes me wonder if the Twins are looking to have Zebby join the big league club in a bulk inning role later this year.
Staying on the Wichita Storm Surge for a minute. Saturday nights game was the first time my wife joined me at Dickey-Stephens Ballpark. So, of course, a foul ball literally bounces into her lap. And off the bat of Luke Keaschall, an outstanding prospect that she was probably already tired of hearing me talk about. To top it off she asked Keaschall to autograph the ball after the game. She said he couldn’t have been nicer, gladly autographed it, and now he has a new super fan.
I talk baseball on X (Twitter) with a lot of people and generally really enjoy it. Some follows are better than others and I thought I should occasionally share a great baseball follow with you. So today I’m sharing @notgaetti, an account with over 12k followers. Not Gaetti keeps it positive, engages with followers, and regularly highlights under-appreciated MLB players from days gone by. For those of us that have been watching baseball for a long time it makes for great flashbacks and for younger fans it’s a chance to get to know about players that they may not have been able to see play. Anyway, if you’re on X give @notgaetti a follow - I think you will enjoy it.
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