Fantasy Baseball Player Notes
2022 Fantasy Baseball Draft Notes
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63.
Javier Baez
2B,SS,DH
The free-swinging middle infielder signed a six-year, $140 million contract with the Tigers. Baez led the NL with 184 strikeouts last year but also belted 31 homers, had 87 RBI and 80 runs, and batted a respectable .265. This is a strange, volatile skill set, but Baez can usually be counted on to provide help with the counting stats. He won't hurt you in leagues that use batting average, but his unwillingness to take a walk becomes a liability in OBP leagues.
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121.
Eduardo Rodriguez
SP
Rodriguez had an awful 2021 season, but his 4.74 ERA was backed up by a 3.32 FIP and 3.50 xERA. His walk percentage and strikeout rate were actually career bests, and he made at least 31 starts for the second consecutive season. Really, it was just a lot of bad luck for Rodriguez, as his .363 BABIP against and 68.9% LOB %, both career-worsts, showed. He'll face an easier slate of lineups now that he's with Detroit, but his ceiling is fairly low given that he's really got just one truly reliable pitch in his fastball. He could theoretically finally beat his career best 3.81 ERA and 1.26 WHIP, but there's just not enough upside for him to be anything but a back-end-of-the-rotation type of arm.
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124.
Austin Meadows
LF,DH,RF
On the one hand, Meadows largely bounced back from the horror story that was the abbreviated 2020 season. His strikeout rate normalized, his power returned, and his playing time stabilized. The glaring exception was that he could not correct his sudden struggles against lefties. In 2019, Meadows slashed .275/.316/.521 against southpaws. Last year, he slashed just .198/.270/.293 against them. Even if Meadows's overall numbers are passable, it seems unlikely that a team like the Rays are going to let a player who is merely an average defender continue to keep an everyday job when he's virtually useless against left-handed throwers. That would still leave Meadows on the strong side of a platoon, but if he does begin to sit more regularly, his counting stats will take a hit, and fantasy managers should be aware of that before they select him in their drafts.
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170.
Akil Baddoo
LF,CF
Baddoo wasn't expected to contribute much in the majors last year, but he came on strong and ultimately played in 124 games, hitting 13 home runs and stealing 18 bases while batting .259. The speed is legtimate, as he ranked in the 91st percentile in sprint speed last season, but he's going to significantly improve on his .523 OPS against lefties if he's going to find success this year. Baddoo should begin the year batting leadoff in front of an improved Tigers lineup, so if he can just maintain his performance against righties and improve against lefties somewhat, a 20-20 season coul be in the cards. If not, then he'll likely bat in the lower third of the order and lose much of his value.
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193.
Tarik Skubal
SP
Skubal had some growing pains last year, and he really needs to improve his four-seam fastball (.611 SLG, .413 wOBA). But he approached his season the right way, and used it to develop his secondary pitches, and both his slider and changeup came a long way. Drafting Skubal to be a starter for your team means you believe that he's going to continue his upward trend, and considering that both his strikeout and walk rates were extremely solid last year, there's reason for optimism. Just be ready for an uneven ride along the way, as is typical with young pitchers.
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211.
Spencer Torkelson
1B
Torkelson looks poised to start the year in the majors with the Tigers at first base, and there is a lot of reason to be excited after he blazed through three levels of the minors last year. He likely won't hit for much average, but he's got an exceptional eye at the plate (his lowest walk rate at any level last was 13%) and he hit 30 home runs in 121 games total in 2021. He's just 22 years old so don't be surprised if he struggles at first. But particularly in keeper formats, and even in redraft leagues, the upside is so strong that he should be a late-round target everywhere.
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216.
Jonathan Schoop
1B,2B,DH
Schoop is rarely talked about during prep season, but he has hit at least 21 home runs in each of his last five full seasons. That doesn't sound overly impressive, but that level of consistency in power from a second baseman is unusual and impressive. As usual, Schop was again among the league leaders in maximum exit velocity (117.1 MPH, a career high), and his hard hit rate was nearly five percentage points higher than his career average. The Tigers' lineup should be stronger this year with the addition of Javier Baez, and considering that Schoop is just 30 years old and has shown no signs of decline, there's every reason to expect his boring but stealthily productive numbers once again.
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225.
Gregory Soto
RP
Soto was decent last year once he took over as the closer, posting 18 saves on the season with a 3.39 ERA. But his walk rate was an abysmal 14.5%, leading to a 1.35 WHIP, which just isn't sustainable. The Tigers don't have an elite bullpen but Michael Fulmer and Jose Cisnero can close in a pinch. With the uncertainty and Soto's control issues, don't bank on more than 20 saves.
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256.
Casey Mize
SP
Mize's overall numbers were impressive in 2021, with a 3.71 ERA and 1.14 WHIP. But his expected stats suggested he was incredibly lucky, and his 19.3% strikeout rate wasn't helping fantasy managers. Mize is young and both his fastball and slider, which are already league average or better, can continue to improve as he grows as a pitcher, and the Tigers are likely to loosen the reins a bit with his innings. He's an ideal late-round pick for your bench given his upside, but don't get into the season relying on him as anything more than your last starter.
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397.
Eric Haase
C,LF,DH
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411.
Riley Greene
CF
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462.
Miguel Cabrera
1B,DH
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513.
Matthew Boyd
SP,RP
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555.
Luis Castillo
RP
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559.
Andy Ibanez
2B,1B,3B,DH
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657.
Joe Jimenez
RP
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723.
Matt Manning
SP
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725.
Sam Howard
RP
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746.
Alex Lange
RP
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800.
Jose Cisnero
RP
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854.
Alex Faedo
SP
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916.
Tyler Alexander
SP,RP
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918.
Elvin Rodriguez
SP
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1021.
Joey Wentz
SP
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1042.
Sean Guenther
RP
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1069.
Bryan Garcia
RP,SP
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1086.
Jake Rogers
C
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1226.
Shea Spitzbarth
RP
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1269.
Daniel Ponce de Leon
RP
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1293.
Nick Vincent
RP
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1341.
Ricardo Pinto
SP
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1366.
Miguel Diaz
RP
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1496.
Zack Short
SS
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1539.
Brendon Davis
3B
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1574.
Jack Lopez
2B
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1582.
Ryan Kreidler
SS,3B
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1592.
Rony Garcia
RP,SP
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1597.
Kody Clemens
2B,1B,3B,RP
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1601.
Jason Foley
RP
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1603.
Will Vest
RP
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