Who I'm Buying - (Dynasty) 6/14/2021
Yasmani Grandal
I'm not going to pretend the surface stats are all that encouraging unless you're in a points league. That being said, his statcast is looking fairly red, and there's a lot pointing to a turnaround. Great plate discipline coupled with hitting the ball hard is generally a good recipe for success. He may not end with his normal slash line, but better days are certainly ahead. If someone is panicking based on the slash line, I'd be buying.
Luis Campusano
This one is probably going to be less popular, but I'm still in on Campusano. The average is creeping up, and need to see more power, but going from high A to MLB is a big deal. Even at AAA, he's well below the average age and should warm up to the level as time goes on. Rewind to 2019, this is a player who walked nearly as much as SO's with a .900+ OPS. I like the underlying tools and you can likely get him for dirt cheap right now.
Freddie Freeman
The changing of the guard may be happening at 1B with Vlad Jr. going absolutely crazy, but Freeman is still an elite talent. The low BA is not going to stick, and the underlying stats are extremely encouraging. The easiest callout is the low BABIP, which is very likely to turn around based on hard-hit rate and barrels. The X stats all point to a major bounce back, and while I'm not buying Freeman at the full market, If he's even attainable at this point, I'm in on working something.
Nick Pratto
.306/.450/.667 ... Monster slash line coupled with an increased walk rate and K rate coming back into a manager range? I'm all in on this. Pratto has so much upside if he continues to improve, and the increase in walk rate is very encouraging. The .361 ISO won't stick, but I'm loving the improvements he's made in the shortened season. Buy before others get on the train.
Jarred Kelenic
Yes, yes the most obvious "buy low" in fantasy baseball... I think what people aren't realizing here is that most Kelenic owners have at least 1% doubt which opens the door to deals. I'm not paying a top 20 overall price, but if you can move some higher-end prospects with a win-now piece or 2, it could really be worth it. This year might be a little soon, but there's a very real chance he could come back up in the second half and produce.
Alex Verdugo
For a player who produces as much as he has, it's really odd that he's low. Maybe it's the bad taste people have in their mouth from the Mookie trade, but Verdugo has been nothing short of excellent. Outside of a low barrel rate, he has all the makings of a very solid OF. A solid approach to all fields makes him fairly shift-proof, and you can likely buy for 90% of the current actual value. He should be able to stick in Boston's OF for a long time to come, surrounding by a potent offense.
Nick Castellanos
If I told you Castellanos is under 30, I think that would surprise quite a few people. Not sure why it feels like he's been around forever, but I'm buying Castellanos and what he's doing in CIN. With a solid plate approach, I think he can continue to extend his prime years and be a big producer for some time. His average is undoubtedly going to regress when his BABIP normalizes, but Castellanos most likely can be pried away from teams who aren't at the top of the standings or are looking for a young "sexy" name.
Gunnar Henderson
For some reason, I thought everyone knew about Gunnar Henderson... I was clearly wrong. Sporting a near .300 ISO, he's in full breakout mode. The Orioles organization was looked at poorly in the past regarding player development, but under the new regime, we're seeing a lot of positive signs. I'd be moving on Orioles prospects before people figure this out, and Gunnar would be my first target. The BABIP is high and would like to see the K% come down, but it's not near a concerning level at this point. Even if you end up flipping Henderson, you're going to see this name popping up more and more VERY soon.
Dustin May
Sigh... Why can't we have nice things? May was finally putting it all together and you could feel the electricity watching. The strikeout rate had finally reached the levels we hoped and he was going deeper into games. Yes, the TJ is a setback, but I'm trying to buy anywhere I can. He can easily be the next star in the making when he gets healthy for LAD, and I want to have shares where I can. You may not see the elite innings for a few years with the Dodgers being cautious, but the ones you get should be elite, and I'd imagine the IL stints will allow for roster moves.
John Means
I remain shocked people still aren't buying in! Similar to Gunnar Henderson, the Orioles assumptions ring true here as well. Previous All-Star, runner-up for ROY, and one of (ok fine... quite a few) the no-hitters of 2021. The current injury is something he's dealt with before, so I'm buying even more aggressively than before with the price coming down. From what I'm seeing, you can get him at absolutely dirt cheap prices. Even if he regresses closer to his xStats, I'll gladly take a 3's ERA, around 1 WHIP, and close to 9 k/9. This is not a sexy name, but the production is undeniable.