You are viewing the chat in desktop mode. Click here to switch to mobile view.
X
July20 2020 Chat
powered byJotCast
Brent Hershey
12:04
We've just about made it, folks! Opening day is only a couple of sleeps away, and I'm here to answer your fantasy questions. I'm fresh off a few initial FAAB runs last night as I'm sure many of you are as well, so the blood is flowin'! Should be a fun hour or so ... let's get to the questions of any stripe -- COVID considerations, FAAB, keeper strategy, job battles, prospects. etc. Bring em on!
Rich
12:08
Hi Brent. It looks like Isiah Kiner-Falefa will be the opening day 3B for Texas. He’s apparently bulked up and retooled his swing to incorporate his lower body, and he’s hitting for a lot more power this spring. Do you think the power gains are real? If so, his 200 or so catcher-eligible at-bats could be pretty valuable.
Brent Hershey
12:08
Thanks Rich. Yes, I've become a big Kiner-Falefa believer; in fact spent way too much to acquire him (given the other bids) in one of my FAAB leagues last night. (My FAAB bids are a story unto itself, though, unfortunately.) But yes, news of the physique/ swing change is interesting, but what has me most intrigued are his results and reports, both pre-COVID and here in Summer Camp. At the very least as you say, I think he's worth a flyer at the CA position for the start of this season, and if it goes nowhere early on, find someone else. But these are the kind of shots I'm hoping to take here in the sprint season.
Guest
12:14
Who are your top 2 choices for saves who are not appointed closers as of today?
Brent Hershey
12:14
Saves going to be such a tricky dance. At this point, I'll lean into  the 'unsettled' jobs and pick two faves there. Hunter Harvey in BAL is one; don't think there's any loyalty to Givens, and when I saw HH in his last game in March before the shutdown, he looked great. Has FB and monster CB duo needed to close. Second one is Austin Adams from SEA. Magill could also be a consideration there, but Adams seems to have a bit more stuff.
ANTHONY
12:18
Need to pick my last keeper. In a vacuum, who do you prefer in a 5x5 AL only roto league that uses OBP instead of AVG, Yandy Diaz or Brett Gardner?
Brent Hershey
12:18
Yeah, tough choice, though I think I'd lean Yandy due to the keeper aspect of the league. His exit velos and being with TAM gives me some hope that they'll be able to unlock that potential at some point. Gardner is not a bad play, especially if you feel like you're in a good position to win this year and need more of a sure thing, but obviously his long-term utility is less given his age. Keep in mind that as your last keeper, you don't need to over-obsess here. Good luck!
Doctor Horrible
12:24
In a 5x5 $260 mixed keeper league - how much would you be willing to bid for the players who have opted out due to Covid?
Brent Hershey
12:24
I would tend to think of these players on somewhat the same baseline as you would a guy you know is out for the current season with TJS -- albeit with less risk, as most of those opting out due to COVID are not b/c THEY have contracted the virus. For the most part, I'd still view these guys as end-gamers, but for whom you feel like the $1-4 (?) bids will make them bargains next spring. Kopech certainly would lead this group I would think; not sure how much value you're going to stash in Collin McHugh or even Ian Desmond, for instance.
Guest
12:28
Hi, this is dodgeric.  And my one bday question, is , Olivares (Pitts)a future gem.? He seems to come out of  nowhere.
Brent Hershey
12:28
I'm assuming you're asking about Jared Oliva, the outfielder? Had a great AFL season, stole a bunch of bases and raised his profile, but is not really considered a top prospect. Controls the plate OK, but hit tool to get on base is a bit suspect currently. Not sure he sees the majors in 2020; could be a low-end stash for fantasy b/c of the speed but is a couple years away,
Kris Olson
12:33
Which job battle (or battles) are you watching most closely because of their potential impact, and how do you think they'll shake out?
Brent Hershey
12:33
I'm interested to see how things in Colorado shake out in terms of all of their young players, mainly at 1B, 2B and OF. The group of McMahon, Hampson, Rodgers, Hilliard, maybe even Tapia is interesting to watch b/c each has skills that could translate into fantasy relevance, each are young and still developing, but the org has been notoriously slow in incorporating young players into the lineup consistently. And I'm not sure how it will shake out, though I'd like to see Rodgers full time at 2B; Hilliard FT in OF, and Hampson filling in both spots. But not a lot of confidence that there will be a settled rotation here.
Guest
12:37
Following upon my closer question earlier, any thoughts in the NL?
Brent Hershey
12:37
Fair question; didn't think about my answer being AL specific  -- intrigued with Burdi in PIT and Helsely in STL. Also could see throwing a dart at Will Smith in ATL, or Hudson/Harris in WAS, though those will both require 'overtaking' an incumbent -- even if the incumbents are a bit shaky
Guest
12:43
will spencer howard pitch...and how much talent does he have
Brent Hershey
12:43
Yes, and a lot. Would not be surprised in the least if Howard is up after the first week (service time manipulations); he clearly has shown in spring and summer camp that his stuff is better and more consistent than the Velasquez/Pivetta/Eflin trio in PHI (and perhaps better than Arrieta right now, too). Howard was going to be a mid- or late-season callup anyway, there's some injury-created innings issues there that obv now have gone away. Big, riding swing-miss mid-90s FB, and three solid secondaries (change is best, but also SL and CB) is the package that's exciting. Can still hone command some, but the type of player who could def benefit from a veteran catcher (Realmuto) to learn at the MLB level. It's possibly #2 starter stuff with an outside chance of a #1 several years down the road, with likely very good K numbers and lots of innings. Big fan here in case you couldn't tell.
WayOffBase
12:48
Which rookies are going to be called up within the next couple weeks because teams wanted to delay their arbitration another season?
Brent Hershey
12:48
Howard, for one. Similar story for Nate Pearson (TOR) in the AL. Other rookie pitchers that could be called up later (prob not right away, but who knows?) are Gore (SD), Whitley (HOU), Sixto Sanchez (MIA). Hitters that would fit here could be  Alec Bohm (PHI), Ryan Mountcastle (BAL) and Jo Adell (LAA). And to be precise, this is about delaying their free agency date another year, not arbitration. But ... all of that could be renegotiated in the new CBA after the 2021 season, so all this finagling could be for nothing. But that's another thread ...
Guest
12:53
I believe the earlier outfield question had the right name but wrong team. What ae your thoughts on Edward Olivares SD (not Pittsburg) ?
Brent Hershey
12:53
Yeah, considered that and should have included that in my answer. Oliveras (SD) is one to track—I still can't get a handle on if he makes the squad and/or how much he plays. The SD org has a ton of these guys in their prospect ranks and some of them will step forward and claim jobs over the next couple of seasons. Oliveras specifically is a power/speed guy with a wiry but powerful frame who can play any OF spot (big plus). I'm definitely interested, as he's made some noise in summer camp. Good stash at this point if you have the room, though likely more of a long-term than 2020 only play.
Kris Olson
12:59
Right answer on Austin Adams, whom I just FAAB'd in HQ's WONK League last night. I also thought our own Doug Dennis' thoughts on Trevor Rosenthal vs. Ian Kennedy were interesting. And as far as the NL goes, isn't Wade Davis the perennial "just a matter of time" guy who is even barely worth mentioning (which may be why you didn't mention him)?
Brent Hershey
12:59
Yes, Rosenthal is another one ... personally, I just can't get a disastrous Rosenthal outing out of my head that I witnessed in person about one year ago in a non-descript double-A game. Off the top of my head, his velocity was down, walked three or four guys in a row, was fighting his mechanics the whole way and was visibly frustrated. Small sample or no, it was the kind of outing that stuck in my head and won't let go. I mean I guess maybe late-late, take a flyer? I'm not optimistic. And yes on Wade Davis; but I prefer to stay away from COL in general when at all possible. But sure, throw a buck at Scott Oberg, esp if you can replace him easily.
Brent Hershey
1:01
That'll wrap it! Thanks all for the questions and back and forth ... I'll be back next Monday when we'll have some results to talk about and obsess over! Until then, best wishes to those still drafting this week, enjoy Thur/Fri for sure, and give me a follow and/or ask any other Qs in the Twitter machine @BrentHQ. Also a great time to check out our offerings at BaseballHQ.com. Baseball is back!
Connecting…