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August17 2020 Chat
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Brent Hershey
12:05
Hey all ... back at it! Amazingly, we're at/near the one-third of the season mark, so it's probably time to *consider* moving on from slow starters. Plus tons more injuries/callups, etc ... let's chat about it. Reminder that it's always helpful to have your simple lg configurations (12-tm, 15-tm, 12-t NL, etc) AND if you're considering dropping a player, listing who the options are that you're considering. (Open ended replacement questions are really tough to answer).
That said, let's roll ...
jazzraheem
12:06
12-team Roto.  Drafted Josh Bell as 1B.  Time to drop? Joc Peterson/Howie Kendricks would currently replace. Who on waiver wire worth picking up - Dominic Smith not available.
Brent Hershey
12:06
Speaking of ... lol ... getting close to time in a 12-teamer, but I'd give him a bit more rope. Plate discipline (walks/Ks) off by a bunch from his history, but exit velo and some other Statcast metrics not horrible. I'm holding him over Peterson/Kendrick at his point, though admittedly, I was very high on him in the offseason and that could be clouding things a bit...
Rich K
12:07
Hi Brent.  What do you think of Zach Eflin this year?  Has anything changed that would account for his much-improved skills in his first two starts, other than small sample size? Is he a better bet ROS than Turnbull, Chitwood, or Touissant?
Brent Hershey
12:07
Really curious about Eflin so far -- and like you said, only been 2 starts. But late last year he went back to using sinker more, looking for GBs, as opposed to the Kapler/Young (pitching coach) mantra of looking for Ks with upper-zone FBs. Had some success with that last September. In the 2 GS in 2020, got more Ks, but overall control better also. I'm a bit Touki fan, so would prefer him over Eflin for sure, but the others are a tougher call. I'd probably go Turnbull > Eflin > Chatwood at this moment.
The Koz
12:14
Miguel Sano...massively struggling would be an understatement.  What is going on with him, and, what can we expect in the future..for this season and the next couple of years?
Brent Hershey
12:14
Wow, I obviously don't have Sano on any teams, as I was surprised to see just how bad it is. I think we kinda know what Sano is at this point: a big HR source when he makes contact, but someone who has very much struggled to make said contact. So 4 HR in 57 AB is very good ... but with that level of Ks (whiffing in 54% of his AB so far), there's going to be questions about playing time. So this is the worst-possible scenario, a sub-mendoza line BA, but within the rang of possible outcomes. You'll also get a chance at 50 HR if he ever gets a 500-AB season and can get his contact rate back to just around 60%. But it's a risky fantasy profile right now
Doctor Horrible
12:17
Hi! Thanks for doing this!  2 questions, mixed league 5x5, weekly league: play Acuna this week
Brent Hershey
12:17
I'm sitting him in my weekly lineups league. Don't like how the injury 'lingered' a bit before they put him on the DL. And a wrist; feel like he could have a slower recovery. Also, with the uncertainty of COVID at-bats, I'm trying to remember to get in as many known full-timers as possible in these weekly lineup leagues. COVID concession, I guess.
Doctor Horrible
12:21
Sorry, lemme try again, mixed league 5x5, which struggling 1B, Edwin or Carlos Santana? also play Acuna (maybe only 3 games) or Braun? Thanks.
Brent Hershey
12:21
Santana for this week. One more game, facing more favorable pitching/opponents, more promising plate metrics so far than EE.
Jeff
12:29
BBHQ subscriber, love what you do. I'm in AL-only league and have 2 questions: 1) Looks like Casey Mize may be called up, and HQ has him with a 4.00+ ERA this year. He supposedly looked great in spring/summer training, so thoughts on his below-average 2020 outlook? 2) Will Willi Castro be a full-time player, and if so, what's his outlook?
Brent Hershey
12:29
Thanks, Jeff, for your support of BHQ. On Mize, I'm interested despite our ERA projection. Rookie pitcher projections are so tough; I'm at times more inclined to give weight to what I've seen on the field in the minors (if I've been able to see a guy live). And I did see Mize twice last year, and am convinced he'll do just fine. Of course that's not to say he won't encounter rookie struggles—and I do have some concerns about his injury history—but his ability to mix/use an array of pitches and command them is something that stands out. In an AL-only, he should be considered for sure.
Jury still out on Castro for me, but has shown some power/speed blend is his youth is on his side. I view him right now as a second-division starter in the infield—with opportunity in DET, obv—but could grow into something more if continues to improve in teh majors. Def feels like he's a bit under the radar at the moment.
WayOffBase
12:34
I have three players who could play my 2B/MI positions on my 5x5 team this week. All are got injured and are currently listed day-to-day and probable to play today. Who do I sit for the week:  Goodman, Kendrick or McNeil?
Brent Hershey
12:34
I'd pass on Goodrum (who I THINK is who you meant) for this week. With those choices, need to take a shot on McNeil, who's obv the most accomplished of that group. And our Week Ahead hitter column yesterday indicates that WAS has a better matchups than DET for this round. Kendrick a better hitter overall, too ... so that checks out. Good luck; many of us are making these same types of choices today, it seems.
Pick Your Poison
12:41
Rank these in order of preference for ROS - Pablo Lopez, Javier Christian & Lance McCuellers.
Brent Hershey
12:41
For rest of season, I definitely lean towards proven veterans in this case, even though we've seen some nice things from Javier so far. McCullers has pitched better than his ERA/WHIP to this point, but the injury risk scares me away a bit. Tough to parse out whether the shortened season HELPS guys like this (less games to make through) or not (IE, they'll get injured just as easily in 60 games as they would in 162). But in this case, also coming off TJS makes me bit wary.
And in this case, Lopez has looked very good so far and the metrics (BB/K, xERA, etc) back up his success. There's injury history here, too, but not as severe. Give m Pablo.
WayOffBase
12:42
Yes, Goodrum. Probably shouldn't have had some John Prine playing in the background. Thanks!
Brent Hershey
12:42
Ha ... no worries. Play on!
Beano
12:47
Hi Brent! with the loss of Pham, how much PT does Mateo get on SD?
And would you rather have Mateo, Brison or Monte Harrison?
Brent Hershey
12:47
Ugh, just saw the Pham news now; though I feared it upon the reports from yesterday. The thing about Mateo is the Pads have so many other OF options, it seems. Oliveras, Naylor, etc I would think get more of a shot than Mateo for now. That said, he made some hitting gains last year and obv still has the wheels. As for the second part of the question, I'd probably go Harrison. There's some risk for me that Harrison eventually turns into the player Brinson is now ... but Monte currently is the devil we DON'T know, if ya catch my drift. Maybe Brinson takes a step forward; but seems like Harrison is more entrenched in the MIA OF rotation right now; so I'd roster the AB.
BEF
12:58
What is HQ's experience so far on the composition of a successful 2020 fantasy pitching staff? Heavy on SP? Just 'stud' SPs? Or more LIMA with closers-by-committee and punt W/Ks? With all of the IL designations and suspended games I'm finding it absolutely impossible to plan a weekly lineup, especially for arms.
Brent Hershey
12:58
Welp, not sure we quantify "successful" at this point in the season. Get back to us in six weeks. :-)
These questions/ideas are great, but I think 2020 'success' is shaping up more and more to be tied to sidestepping all these IL stints/MLB COVID outbreaks, etc. Which of course is not necessarily a skill at all. Just another reminder that, while have fun here in 2020, don't put too much stock in the results. Like most every other thing in life right now, this is just a weird time. So take advantage.... you wanna try starting Ryan Castellini in Coors this week? Go for it, and someone else just might be doing that, too. :-)
paul
1:02
  1. colorado pen- anyone you like? Is Daniel Bard for real?
  2. any thoughts on dietrick or l garcia (wash) as replacement players?
Brent Hershey
1:02
  1. Bard would be my preference there, though not a strong one. Amazing story back; peripherals solid so far.
  2. I picked up Dietrich in a couple places last night -- to me, he's just the type of player who could be a huge help in a short-season. He gets hot for a few weeks, and is on a team now with some openings and can play multiple positions, he could contribute for sure. I'll have a short leash, as he's a streak-a-holic, but darn right I'm going to try and capitalize now. Garcia is worth looking at; gotta feel like with the other veteran options there in WAS that they are committing to him at least for a time. Has been crazy young for his level, but has some pop to stick. But ... rookie. Good luck!
Dischord
1:04
Eugenio Suarez has started slow.  Is there any indication that he may be still feeling effects from the shoulder injury or is this just a small sample size?  How patient would you be in a 12 team mixed?  Thank You
Brent Hershey
1:04
Think this is a viable explanation. In a 12-teamer -- like Bell in the first question -- I don't blame you for looking around for replacements. I'm not jumping to cut him for just anyone, but would keep an open mind if other options arise.
Brent Hershey
1:05
Thanks, all, great questions/discussion. We'll do this again next week. Follow/ask additional questions of me on Twitter @BrentHQ, and check out our offerings over at BaseballHQ.com. Here's to healthy rosters!
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