Fantasy Baseball Player Notes
2022 Fantasy Baseball Draft Notes
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17.
Matt Barnes
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.
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29.
Garrett Whitlock
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.
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32.
Tanner Houck
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.
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78.
Jake Diekman
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140.
Michael Wacha
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163.
Darwinzon Hernandez
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186.
Hansel Robles
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188.
Josh Taylor
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233.
Ryan Brasier
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251.
Hirokazu Sawamura
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284.
Matt Strahm
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366.
Austin Davis
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456.
Eduard Bazardo
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477.
John Schreiber
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507.
Kaleb Ort
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550.
Taylor Cole
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555.
Tyler Danish
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566.
Geoff Hartlieb
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611.
Michael Feliz
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629.
Phillips Valdez
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640.
Dan Altavilla
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661.
Durbin Feltman
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