Jarred Cosart is being held out of today’s Grapefruit League start
We’re approaching the end of March, and teams are more focused on getting their 25 man rosters ready for Opening Day than developing talent for the future. At this point, Opening Day pitchers will be named, injury reports will be more in-depth, and, starting next week, every month will have games that count until November. The FantasyPros MLB News Desk has you covered on all of the major MLB moves for the end of Spring Training. These are the top 10 stories from the News Desk from March 21st-March 26th.
Jarred Cosart scratched from spring start by David A. Marcillo, Marlins Correspondent (Thursday, Mar 26)
Miami Marlins pitcher Jarred Cosart has been scratched from Friday’s Grapefruit League start against the Houston Astros due to a blister. Lefty Brad Hand will start in his place. (Joe Frisaro on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: Cosart’s “blister” timed itself perfectly, as the righty is going through Major League Baseball’s investigation on allegations of sports betting. The entire investigation will likely turn up nothing major, but in the meantime we can assume the Marlins and Cosart are treading carefully.
Wil Myers continues to hit leadoff by Matthew Davis, Padres Correspondent (Thursday, Mar 26th)
Myers went 2-4 yesterday in the leadoff spot and will get the nod from Bud Black again today.
Fantasy Impact: So far so good for Bud Black’s experiment with Myers leading things off for the Padres. Myers has a .340 OBP in 44 ABs this spring. He isn’t your prototypical leadoff hitter but if he can continue to get on base ahead of Kemp and Upton he should remain in that spot. I have seen him slip in drafts and je is undervalued in auctions. Even if you’re not high on him you should appreciate the value along with the upside he can provide.
Jacoby Ellsbury scheduled to workout Thursday by Chris Zolli, Yankees Correspondent (Thursday, Mar 26th)
Ellsbury has been out since March 15th with an oblique strain. He will hit off of a tee and do some soft toss today. Initial thoughts were that Ellsbury would only miss five to seven days with this injury, but he is now questionable for Opening Day on April 6th against the Blue Jays. (NJ.com)
Fantasy Impact: Ellsbury’s skill set is well known, but so too is his injury history. He missed the end of Spring Training last season and was not able to make the impact with his bat that the Yankees would have liked, as he only posted a .747 OPS in his first season with them. Although he did not get on base as much as the Yankees would have hoped, he did have 16 home runs and 39 steals in 44 attempts. In fact, Ellsbury’s truest strength is not that he is a fast base runner but rather a good base runner; he has converted 89.7% of his stolen bases since 2012, stealing 105 bases in the past three seasons. It is safe to expect 55 home runs+ steals for a healthy Ellsbury, making him worthy of a top-30 pick. However, his health is a question mark, and it is critical to see how he rebounds from this injury.
Anthony Rendon unlikely for Opening Day by Rose Ingberman, Nationals Correspondent (Wednesday, Mar 25th)
A second MRI on Rendon’s knee showed no structural damage but only minor improvement on his Grade 1 MCL sprain. (Nats Insider)
Fantasy Impact: Even if Rendon starts the season on the DL, the Nationals don’t expect him to miss much time; perhaps only a week or two. Kevin Frandsen, Danny Espinosa or (long-shot) Ian Stewart will sub in at third base.
Kris Bryant blasts Major League leading 9th home run of the Spring by Alex Brodsky, Cubs Correspondent (Wednesday, Mar 25th)
Bryant hit his ninth home run of the Cactus League season in Tuesday’s game against the Athletics.
Fantasy Impact: It was his only hit of the game, which lowered his spring average to .464 (13-for-28). Bryant isn’t hitting these home runs off of Minor Leaguers either, he’s been hitting them early in the game against teams’ top starters. Expect Bryant to have his rookie slumps this season, but 30+ home runs and a .280 batting average are not out of the question at all. Bryant can easily be targeted as a top 5 3B in fantasy leagues as a rookie this year.
Sean Doolittle begins throwing program by Matthew Terrelle, Athletics Correspondent (Tuesday, Mar 24)
Oakland closer Sean Doolittle has begun a throwing program as he works his way back from a shoulder injury. (Source: athletics.com)
Fantasy Impact: Doolittle is not expected to be ready for major league action until May, but he should slide back into the closer’s role when he’s ready. Doolittle had 22 saves last season and would be a solid source of saves again this year at a discount due to the injury. Tyler Clippard is expected to handle save situations until Doolittle is ready.
Garrett Richards pitches four no-hit innings in a minor league game by Dylan Brunnenkant (Tuesday, Mar 23)
Richards took a big step forward in his recovery today. He threw four no-hit innings in a minor league game, while striking out three.
Fantasy Impact: Richards is still recovering from last season’s knee injury, but could be back sooner then expected. He is expected to pitch again Saturday, but it may still be in a minor league game so the Angels can control the innings. Richards may only need one or two more starts after that, and could only miss one or two starts in the regular season. Richards is coming off of a great season where he was considered a Cy Young candidate. His injury is not expect to affect his pitching and Richards should compete for the Cy Young again this year.
Freddie Freeman appears ready for Opening Day by Steve Painter, Braves Correspondent (Tuesday, Mar 23)
It’s just spring, but hope springs eternal in Braves camp with Freeman leading the way. In 34 at bats this spring, he has an OBP of .500 and an OPS of 1.176. He also has six SOs along with eight walks. In addition, he has four doubles and two home runs, sporting a batting average of .382.
Fantasy Impact: Everybody expects this from Freeman, and he will have a good year. But how good of a year he has depends greatly on those around him in the lineup. The Braves are going small ball on us because they have no other choice. Freddie will hit home runs, but it’s the doubles that intrigue me. New hitting coach Kevin Seitzer is doing a great job and will emphasize hitting liners, but if Freddie doesn’t have adequate protection around him, it’s unlikely he’ll see many good pitches this year.
Christian Yelich signs seven year deal with the Marlins by Jonathan Ebanks, Marlins Correspondent (Tuesday, Mar 23)
The Miami Marlins have signed outfielder Christian Yelich to a seven-year, $49.5 million deal. The deal includes an eighth year team option. (Source: ESPN)
Fantasy Impact: This is another move by the team to retain their young talent. The 23-year-old 2010 first round pick batted .284 last season to go along with nine home runs and 54 RBI. He figures to be one of the better outfielders in fantasy this season, and the Gold Glove he won last year adds to his real world value. Perhaps the Marlins are finally serious about winning. Marcell Ozuna may be the next talented youth the team tries to lock up for the long haul.
Brett Cecil named Blue Jays closer by Marc Walton, Blue Jays Correspondent (Monday, Mar 22)
Manager John Gibbons confirmed Sunday that Cecil will open the 2015 season as the Jays’ closer. (Source: Gregor Chisholm on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: With the move of Aaron Sanchez to the rotation, Cecil became the clear favorite to win the closer role. Since his full-tie move to the bullpen, he has become a dominant relief pitcher in the American League. The 28-year-old lefty posted a 2.70 ERA last year, along with a 12.8 K/9 ratio and 1.369 WHIP over 53.1 innings. The save opportunities, combined with his ratios, make Cecil an intriguing fantasy closer for 2015.
Chris Zolli is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Chris, check out his archive and follow him @thezman2010.
