Fantasy Baseball Player Notes
2022 Fantasy Baseball Draft Notes
|
62.
Chris Sale
SP
Sale returned from Tommy John surgery last year and mostly looked like his old self. His velocity was close to pre-surgery levels, and though his strikeout rate dropped a smidge, he was basically the same ace he's always been. A .358 BABIP against Sale last year suggests he got unlucky, yet he still posted a 3.16 ERA. Health is really the only concern for Sale, who was an All-Star for seven straight seasons from 2012 to 2018. Unfortunately, he's already hurt. A stress fracture in his rib cage will cause him to miss the start of the regular season.
|
|
78.
Matt Barnes
RP
Barnes was one of the best pitchers in baseball over the first half of the season, harnessing his control and dominating with his fastball/cuveball combination. But he fell apart in the second half, seeing his ERA rise by almost four points. There's speculation that his decline was related to MLB cracking down on foreign substances but, either way, the first half version of Barnes disappeared. His job security was in doubt heading into the year, but the Red Sox didn't bring anyone into challenge him and the biggest internal competitior for the job, Garrett Whitlock, has been stretched out for a starter or long-relief role. Expect Barnes to begin the year as the closer but whether he remains all year is anyone's guess. Draft him as a low-end second reliever and hope we say the first-half 2021 version of him.
|
|
91.
Tanner Houck
SP,RP
Houck will begin the year in the rotation despite an uneven spring, and he showed a lot of upside last year. His strikeout rate sat at 30.5% while his walk rate was just 7.4%, and his 3.52 ERA was inflated according to all metrics. He's got an outstanding slider, which is what really propels his success, but his lack of other pitches in his arsenal often forces him to go deep into counts and shortens his outings. He should be on your sleeper list because he has huge potential, but understand that if he struggles, he could be moved to the bullpen, even with Chris Sale currently on the shelf.
|
|
104.
Garrett Whitlock
SP,RP
Whitlock pitched out of the bullpen last year and many speculated that he might be a candidate to close this season after Matt Barnes struggled down the stretch. But instead he's being stretched out and is battling it out for a rotation spot. If he fails, he'll likely be a long-reliever and have little fantasy value. But, if he does lock down a starting spot, he has a great deal of upside. His fastball sits at 95 miles per hour and both his changeup and slider are above average. Monitor the reports as we head into the season but keep him on your radar in case he does land in the rotation.
|
|
155.
Nick Pivetta
SP
|
|
253.
Joely Rodriguez
RP
|
|
273.
Chris Martin
RP
|
|
297.
Josh Taylor
RP
|
|
325.
Darwinzon Hernandez
RP
|
|
327.
James Paxton
SP
|
|
343.
Ryan Brasier
RP
|
|
461.
Kutter Crawford
SP,RP
|
|
636.
Connor Seabold
SP
|
|
706.
James Norwood
RP
|
|
755.
John Schreiber
RP
|
|
785.
Kaleb Ort
RP
|
|
922.
Dan Altavilla
RP
|
|
946.
Durbin Feltman
RP
|
