NEWS OF THE DAYS
We’re up to 12 hitters tied for the Spring Training home run lead with three. Kyle Stowers (BAL), Wes Clarke (MIL), Henry Davis (PIT), and Luis Matos (SF) are among the leaders.
Spring Training stats don’t really mean anything, yet it seems the leader often presages a breakout season. For instance, last year Matt Olson was the ST home run leader. Of course, Mike Brosseau and Ronny Gonzalez tied for second.
In 2022, Bryce Harper led the pack, with Kyle Higashioka second.
I have no special info about the Ronald Acuña Jr. knee injury, but obviously, fantasy baseball’s most expensive hitter has become riskier. In LABR NL over the weekend Acuña went for a discounted $40 to the team of Glenn Colton and Rick Wolf, who must have been exhilarated afterward when the surgeon who fixed the knee two years ago said, after an exam, that Acuña could slowly resume baseball activities. As far as I’m concerned, he’s still in the woods, especially given his history, but things look better this week than last.
Does Lucas Giolito’s elbow strain, which may scuttle his season, make the Red Sox look unlucky instead of dumb?
The Cardinals were saying Tommy Edman would be ready for Spring Training, but now they’re saying he might make his first appearance in extended ST around April 1. This could give Dylan Carlson a chance to assert himself in April and change his career trajectory.
My optimistic projection for Cedric Mullins was based on the idea that he was just fine, totally himself, last year when he was healthy. His decline was due to injury. Alas, now he’s got hamstring discomfort, which may or may not be a problem going forward, but is always bad news for an aging speedster.
Some room was cleared in the Rays crowded infield when Yu Chang strained an oblique while swinging last week. He’s expected to be ready to play in late April or early May, but will there be room for him then?
IT’S A SMALL WORLD
Today’s theme music:
International players are eligible for the Rookie of the Year award, yet in most cases they don’t compare to young prospects because they’re not in the same place on the developmental curve. Scouts rely on projection to imagine how young players will grow physically and mature mentally into better players. For international signees, the process is more akin to translation. How will skills demonstrated in other leagues play in the MLB hothouse?
The top international debut this year is Yoshinobu Yamamoto of the Dodgers. He is a coming star whose stuff and control are top-notch, as measured by the Statcast machines during last year’s World Baseball Classic. I have him down for a $27 bid in NL-only 5x5. In LABR he went for $26. He may or may not prove to be an ace, there were questions about whether he was tipping his pitches in a recent outing, but based on what we know right now he should be treated as one.
Shoto Imanaga Photo: ぽこ太郎
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