WELCOME TO THE WEEKEND
Friday is racing by and we’re headed into the weekend. I hope you have fun plans. We may go hiking if the weather holds, but I’m also churning through my first round of projections for the coming season. I hope to have a good enough set of hitter projections posted by Tuesday. Monthly and Annual subscribers will get the links.
If you’d like more information about subscribing…
Many are signing up for the Annual package, which get bonus Membership status at Pattonandco.com. If you’re already a Pattonandco.com member and you want to receive the free subscription over here, a new Renew Membership option should be showing up at Pattonandco.com any minute.
If you signed up for an Annual Subscription here and would like Membership at Pattonandco.com, signup for a free account at Pattonandco.com that you used to sign up here. Once that’s in place we can get you set up.
THE WORST HITTERS IN THE MAJOR LEAGUES
That isn’t the case with some of these prospects, but the veterans were so lightly regarded they cost less than $5 in auctions last winter. Only they also went on to earn more than $14 profit last year.
Here’s the list. Some of these guys we profiled earlier this week:
The first five were big earners and big bargains and you can read about them here.
The interesting thing about this group is that they generally don’t hit the ball hard, which you’ll see I say over and over in the profiles. Some of them run, but
Oh, and that last guy in the list, who I couldn’t fit on the screen for the capture, is Harold Castro.
Elvis Andrus, Free Agent, SS: After a particularly weak season with the bat in 2021, he worked on lifting the ball a little more. He didn't hit the ball harder but by going higher he smacked enough balls out of the park to have some offensive value. Adding homers to steals bumped his roto value, too. He's still a defensive plus so if he lands in a place where he gets regular playing time he could match last year's production. He's also of an age when minor ailments can become more irksome, putting those steals at risk. If he's cheap enough he's a PICK.
Jake McCarthy, Diamondbacks, OF: He outplayed expectations last year and warrants some interest in fantasy because of his excellent speed and base-stealing skills, but his baseline is that of a weak-hitting ground baller. That doesn't mean he won't adjust, but the fact that he probably has to if he's going to play regularly increases the risk that he'll bust. It's always nice to have steals, but sometimes they cost more than just auction dollars. PAN
Luis Rengifo, Angels, 2B/3B: Physically solid, he doesn't hit the ball particularly hard but he slugged enough barrels last year to show a surprising burst of power. Well, burst may be too strong, but more power than was expected of him. Defensively versatile more than adept, he provides fantasy flexibility even though a full repeat is unlikely. A PICK if his price is in single digits.
Jorge Mateo, Orioles, SS: A top defender with a ton of speed, the rest of Mateo's game is pretty weak. He did manage to jack half a bunch of dingers, which made that sorry batting average a bit more appealing. There will be battles for his feet this spring and fantasy hopes that he'll occasionally pound mistakes over the fence again, but you would think he'd be more offensively helpful to the Orioles if he made better contact than occasionally jacking one with a hard swing. PAN
Harold Ramirez, Rays, 1B/OF: This is the type of guy to avoid. Not much power, and not much speed, but he makes enough contact to put up a decent batting average in the up years. But without defensive value that's a hollow contribution that can vanish in the wink of an eye, especially since last year was helped by some BABIP luck. PAN
Jon Berti, Marlins, 3B/2B: He walks enough that his lack of contact skills isn't as big a problem as it could be, and his elite speed has yet to flag. This makes him a fantasy value if he gets at-bats and you don't pay as much as you'll probably have to because, you know, steals. PAN
Jurickson Profar, Free Agent, OF: Was finally healthy enough to play full-time for the first time since 2018 (not counting the short 2020 season, during which he played most days) and he showed what he can do. He mixes modest power and speed with a fair number of walks, which when hitting in front of a potent lineup makes for some 5x5 fantasy value. Whether he ends up leading off this year and if so just how good the lineup behind him is will make the difference between whether he is a pick or a PAN.
Jose Iglesias, Free Agent, SS: The Cost/Earnings scan for the last five years for Iglesias is telling: $4/$14, $2/$18, $4/$12, $6/$16, $4/$16. He always earns a profit and his price does not go up. That's because apart from a decent batting average and decent defense he doesn't do much at all. PICK
Photo: Thomson200
William Contreras, Brewers, C: Now in Milwaukee, as a prospect he was known for his incipient power and lack of defensive polish but he showed last year continued strike zone discipline and some contact improvement. Moving to a ballpark with better home run rates, another little breakthrough isn't out of the realm. Plus, you have to have a catcher. PICK
Oscar Gonzalez, Guardians, OF: As a prospect, he was known for power and free-swinging ways that too often had him walking back to the bench empty-handed. Promoted last May, and after an intercostal strain landed him on the IL, he hit and he also hit for power. What more could the Guardians want? He's not a .300 hitter at this point, that number is likely to land closer to .265 over time, and he hits too many ground balls to be a big homer threat, but will everyone get the memo? Lay off him if he's bid up like he's going to double his numbers this year playing every day. PAN
Yonathan Daza, Rockies, OF: He feels like he should be a youngster still, but he'll turn 29 this year. Let's be brief: He has a sweet swing, but no real power and hasn't stolen bases. He's productive against lefties (that swing) but struggles with contact against righties. He won't get more at-bats, he may well get fewer. PAN
These guys got me thinking about how 2021’s worst hitters fared last year:
Interesting that the older guys were the ones who did best.
SOME LINKS
For Pattonandco.com, click here.
For last year’s quarterly earnings and pre-season 2022 prices, click here.
TIL NEXT TIME
Thanks for all the new free and paid signups. Please let me know what you’re looking for in terms of profiles, and ask any questions about anything. I mean, Ask Rotoman!
Feel free to pass this along to friends and family.
And have a great weekend!
Ps. For paid subcribers only, the link to the player prices Google sheet (player’s team names will be added soon):
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Rotoman's Guide to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.