I hope you like September call-ups, because this edition of the Deep League Report has a lot of them. Are any of them worth a bid? There’s only one way to find out.
AL-ONLY POSITION PLAYERS
I wrote fantasy takes for the Call Up features on three different players this week. JaCoby Jones is the first one. Here’s a link.
He’s an interesting player for deep AL-only roto leagues. Not necessarily good, but interesting. A shortstop in the minors, it looks like Chad Pinder will mostly play second base for the A’s, although he could spell Marcus Semien at shortstop occasionally, too. In Triple-A this year, the 24-year-old hit .258/.310/.425 with fourteen home runs and five stolen bases. That batting average is not inspiring, but the home run total shows promise, especially since it’s consistent with the fifteen home runs he hit in Double-A in 2015 and the thirteen homers he hit in High-A in 2014.
At worst, Pinder could pop a few homers for your roto team as a middle infielder while posting a batting average around the Mendoza Line. However, getting back to that batting average—there’s reason to believe that it might not be as mediocre as it was in Triple-A or as bad as it’s been so far in the majors (currently .172). He managed to hit .317 in Double-A in 2015 and .288 in High-A in 2014 while hitting for similar power, so it’s possible that his 2016 average is the outlier. Granted, it might not be probable, since he just might not be able to hit for average against better pitching. It is possible, though. Bid $3 – $5 and hope for a few home runs from a middle infield spot while acknowledging the batting average risk.
He played nearly every day for a week and a half while Yunel Escobar was sidelined due to concussion symptoms. Escobar returned to the lineup a few days ago only to get hit in the wrist by a pitch, putting him back on the bench indefinitely and giving Kaleb Cowart another chance to play, albeit probably a short one. The 24-year-old hit .280/.340/.452 in Triple-A this year over 457 plate appearances with nine home runs and eighteen stolen bases. In the majors, he’s hitting .265/.280/.388 with one home run and no stolen bases. Distressingly, over those 50 plate appearances with the Angels this year, he has no walks despite posting an not-so-bad eight percent walk rate in Triple-A. If you’re looking for a middle infielder, Cowart is an option since he has played six games at second base. Bid a buck or two and hope for a home run or two and a stolen base or two before Escobar rejoins the lineup. If he starts playing regularly at second base after Escobar returns, add a buck or two to that bid.
Other Options: Hunter Dozier, Michael Bourn, Ben Gamel
AL-ONLY PITCHERS
Touted by many roto experts as an excellent middle relief option in the preseason, Liam Hendriks flopped out of the gate, putting up a 9.26 ERA with a 1.97 WHIP in April followed by a 5.79 ERA with a 1.29 WHIP in May. In mid-May, an elbow injury that might explain his poor performance landed him on the DL. Since he returned from the DL in June, he has been much better, posting a 2.55 ERA with a 1.10 WHIP in 35 1/3 innings with 37 strikeouts and nine walks. If you’re looking for a safe non-closing relief option to help stabilize your rate stats without sacrificing your performance in the strikeout category, Hendriks is worth a $2-3 bid.
Acquired by the A’s from the Dodgers in the Rich Hill trade, Jharel Cotton instantly became one of their best pitching prospects. For the Dodgers, the 24-year-old put up a 4.90 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP with 119 strikeouts and 32 walks in 97.3 innings for Triple-A Oklahoma City. For the A’s, Cotton posted a 2.82 ERA and a 0.92 WHIP in 38.3 innings with 36 strikeouts and seven walks for Triple-A Nashville. His combination of strikeout stuff and decent control makes him a good bet, especially since he gets to play his home games in pitcher-friendly Oakland. According to manager Bob Melvin, Cotton is expected to remain in the A’s rotation for the rest of the season, so you shouldn’t have any concerns about his spot in the rotation. He’s worth a $7-10 bid in redraft leagues and slightly more in keeper leagues, although in keeper leagues you should try to avoid bidding high enough that his keeper price would leave you with little surplus value next spring. If there’s no surplus value, there’s no point in stashing him for next year.
Like Jharel Cotton, Raul Alcantara is expected to hold down a spot in Oakland’s rotation for the rest of the season. He posted a 4.80 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP in Double-A with 73 strikeouts and 27 walks in 90 innings before he was promoted to Triple-A, where he put up a 1.18 ERA and a 0.91 WHIP with 32 strikeouts and three (!) walks in 45 2/3 innings. He doesn’t have Cotton’s outstanding strikeout rate, but the 23-year-old’s walk rate is very good, which should help him with his rate stats in the majors. Oakland’s home park will help, too. His profile and his rotation spot make him a decent investment in deep roto leagues. If you’re looking for innings or wins and you’re not locked in a tight race in ERA, bid $3-5 on Alcantara. That’s slightly less than you should bid on Cotton since he doesn’t have Cotton’s strikeout rate, but it’s still more than most of the dreck left in the free agent pool in deep AL-only leagues.
Other Options: Ubaldo Jimenez, Matthew Strahm, Yohander Mendez
NL-ONLY POSITION PLAYERS
His prospect stock has definitely fallen over the last few years, but it wasn’t that long ago that Luis Sardinas was a respectable fantasy asset as a farm player. Since then, the 23-year-old has seen his average drop as pitchers learned to exploit his hacking tendencies. He also hasn’t developed any home run power, as his 2016 total of three home runs across all levels is one more than he hit in all of 2014 and 2015 combined. He can steal a few bases, but he’s nowhere near elite, racking up eleven combined between Triple-A and the majors this year. What he does have for the remainder of the season is a shot at regular playing time in San Diego now that the Padres have released Alexei Ramirez. He might not steal many bases and he almost certainly won’t hit many home runs, but he’ll get plate appearances, which will translate into more runs and RBI than most of the backups populating the free agent pool in deep NL-only leagues. Bid $1 or $2 and hope that he doesn’t hack his way out of the lineup before the end of the season.
Like I did for JaCoby Jones, I wrote a fantasy take for the Call Up feature on Gavin Cecchini this week. Take a look.
In his second year at Triple-A Indianapolis, Alen Hanson put up a nearly identical slash line. The second baseman hit .263/.313/.387 last season compared to .266/.318/.389 this season. His calling card when it comes to roto is speed. He racked up 35 stolen bases in 2015 and 36 stolen bases so far in 2016. He doesn’t figure to get a lot of playing time in Pittsburgh with Josh Harrison at second base, Jordy Mercer st shortstop, David Freese at third base and Jong Ho Kang due to return to the lineup any day now, but he could steal a few bases in spot starts and in pinch running opportunities. If you need steals, he’s worth a $1 or $2 bid. Just don’t expect much playing time or the kind of runs and RBI than come with everyday playing time.
Other Options: Jace Peterson, Chris Coghlan, Stephen Cardullo
NL-ONLY PITCHERS
Jose de Leon
Like I did for JaCoby Jones and Gavin Cecchini, I wrote a fantasy take for the Call Up feature on Jose de Leon this week. Check it out.
Seth Lugo
Beset by injuries, the Mets rotation hasn’t been the juggernaut that many expected it to be this year. Those injuries opened up a spot for Seth Lugo in their rotation, and he’s done well with the opportunity. In four starts, the 26-year-old has allowed six earned runs with sixteen strikeouts and five walks in 24 2/3 innings. Between his performance and the fact that the Mets don’t exactly have a surplus of healthy starting pitchers, the tall lefty should have a spot in the rotation for the rest of the season. Bid $4-5 and cross your fingers that he keeps putting up the kind of numbers that he’s posted so far.
As a Brave, he hasn’t quite been able to strike out more than a batter per inning like he did throughout his minor league career. Mike Foltynewicz is still turning in a decent season, though, learning to harness his stuff and somewhat limit the walks. Over his last three starts, the 24-year-old walked only one batter while striking out sixteen batters across 19 2/3 innings. He also gave up eight earned runs over those three starts, mostly due to the four home runs he allowed. The big righty has a tough matchup against the Nationals in his next start, but if you need innings in a deep NL-only league, he’s a legitimate option. Commit a FAAB dollar or two and hope that the Nats don’t tee off on him.
Other Options: Rafael Montero, Trevor Cahill, Matt Wisler
Thank you for reading
This is a free article. If you enjoyed it, consider subscribing to Baseball Prospectus. Subscriptions support ongoing public baseball research and analysis in an increasingly proprietary environment.
Subscribe now