Author Archive: Paul Sporer

1/24/22

The latest episode of “The Sleeper and the Bust” is live. Support the show by subscribing to our Patreon!!

Follow us on Twitter

• @sporer – Host
• @justinmasonfwfb – Co-Host/Producer

PATREON

• Join our Patreon for live video feeds of each show
• Watch the video feed replay on YouTube

OF RANKINGS 1-30

• Return of Ronald Acuña Jr.’s power
• Julio Rodríguez’s 2H SB slowdown
• Aaron Judge as the 1.1 pick
• Moving Kyle Tucker up the batting order
• Juan Soto’s success in SD
• Injury concerns for Yordan Alvarez
• Mookie Betts remains undervalued
• Mike Trout & baked in missed time
• Is Michael Harris II overpriced?

Read the rest of this entry »

1/20/22

The latest episode of “The Sleeper and the Bust” is live. Support the show by subscribing to our Patreon!!

Follow us on Twitter

• @sporer – Host
• @justinmasonfwfb – Co-Host/Producer

PATREON

• Join our Patreon for live video feeds of each show
• Watch the video feed replay on YouTube

SS RANKINGS

• Trea Turner’s return to the NL East
• Bo Bichette’s speed drop-off
• The Fernando Tatis Jr. premium
• The run-scoring potential for Francisco Lindor
• It’ll be regression not the shift for Corey Seager’s AVG
• The volatility of Oneil Cruz
• New rules and Tommy Edman’s SBs
• Dansby Swanson in Chicago
• Petco’s impact on Xander Bogaerts
• The arrival of Wander Franco

Read the rest of this entry »

A day late, but hopefully not a dollar short!

Check out the transcript:

Read the rest of this entry »

In the final game of the 2021 regular season, Max Muncy injured his left elbow after a collision with Jace Peterson as Muncy tried to catch a throw while Peterson ran through first base. It cost Muncy all of the 2021 postseason and in November of 2021, we learned that Muncy’s injury was indeed the torn UCL that many feared it was when it happened. In January of 2022, we learned he wouldn’t need surgery, but there were concerns about how it might impact at least the start of his 2022 season.

While he made it through spring and was ready for Opening Day, it was clear early on that the elbow was still bothering him. He hit a brutal .136/.313/.273 in 83 April plate appearances and while it was reasonable to believe the .149 BABIP would regress back toward his career .256 mark, there was still trouble brewing. It wouldn’t get much better in the following months with a .595 OPS in May, .675 in June, and .597 in July, all with sub-.200 AVGs and just 9 HR in his 339 PA. With just a .150/.327/.263 line through May 25th, Muncy hit the IL. He didn’t want to blame his struggles on the elbow, but I mean… c’mon, it was the elbow. He did eventually acknowledge that he rushed back from the injury and should’ve taken some time.

Read the rest of this entry »

1/16/22

The latest episode of “The Sleeper and the Bust” is live. Support the show by subscribing to our Patreon!!

Follow us on Twitter

• @sporer – Host
• @justinmasonfwfb – Co-Host/Producer

PATREON

• Join our Patreon for live video feeds of each show
• Watch the video feed replay on YouTube

3B RANKINGS

• José Ramírez as the 1.1
• Bobby Witt Jr.’s poor plate skills & OBP
• 1st round status of Manny Machado
• Fringe 1st rounders: Rafael Devers or Austin Riley
• The 3B Lifejacket: Nolan Arenado
• Paul thinks Ke’Bryan Hayes has some pwr upside

Read the rest of this entry »

1/13/22

The latest episode of “The Sleeper and the Bust” is live. Support the show by subscribing to our Patreon!!

Follow us on Twitter

• @sporer – Host
• @justinmasonfwfb – Co-Host/Producer

PATREON

• Join our Patreon for live video feeds of each show
• Watch the video feed replay on YouTube

2B RANKINGS

• Marcus Semien’s home/road split
• Jose Altuve as a target
• Justin isn’t sold on Jazz Chisholm Jr.
• The Ozzie Albies discount
• Andrés Giménez’s power
• Thairo Estrada breakout follow-up

Read the rest of this entry »

Notes on some select SS:

Trea Turner heads back to the NL East on the heels of his first 100+ R/RBI season – his 3rd of 100+ runs, 1st reaching 100+ RBIs (previous high of 77). There has been some concern around his spike in Chase rate (36% O-Swing; career 29% coming into ’22) and it might have played a role in his power drop as his .169 ISO was well below the .213 he had from 2019-21. It is worth monitoring. I’m more inclined to fade him to allow a transition year after inking the huge deal with Philadelphia as opposed to major concerns about the Chase spike.

Bo Bichette had just two months north of .743 OPS, but one of them was the incredible 1.105 in September with 7 HR which helped him secure the #4 spot at the position despite a 12-SB dip down to 13 with just a 62% success rate. The rule changes could fuel a bounce back into the 20s and if he regains the elite efficiency from 2021 (96%) or something close to it, he might chase down Turner for the top spot, especially if he can lead the American League in hits for a 3rd straight season.

On a per plate appearance basis, Fernando Tatis Jr. is tops. It’s the fact that I tabbed him for 530 PA that pushes him down to 3rd. He has just been so absurd across his 1175 MLB PA that it’s hard to find any flaw beyond the missed time – 21 games for sure due to suspension and the ever-present shoulder risk. If the remainder of the suspension is all he misses, he has a realistic shot at being the top overall player.

Read the rest of this entry »

Chat time!

Read the rest of this entry »

1/9/23

The latest episode of “The Sleeper and the Bust” is live. Support the show by subscribing to our Patreon!!

Follow us on Twitter

• @sporer – Host
• @justinmasonfwfb – Co-Host/Producer

PATREON

• Join our Patreon for live video feeds of each show
• Watch the video feed replay on YouTube

1B RANKINGS

• The 1st rounders: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. & Freddie Freeman
• Should Paul Goldschmidt be right there w/those 2?
• Is Pete Alonso the single best bet for 50 HR at 1B? Leaguewide?
• Will Matt Olson’s AVG rebound?
• Split on Vinnie Pasquantino & José Abreu is similar
• Is Nathaniel Lowe’s upside entirely R/RBI-related or can he pop 30+?
• Should C.J. Cron be a home-only player?
• Did Josh Bell tank his market value w/the struggles in SD?
• What are we missing on Andrew Vaughn?

Read the rest of this entry »

Second base is short on top end talent, but incredibly deep in middling options as there isn’t a ton of difference in the 24 guys bookended by the Urias brothers, Luis and Ramon.

Notes on some select 2B:

Marcus Semien fronted the league 43 games before hitting his first homer and still wound up with 26 thanks to an excellent summer. He hit .268/.324/.492 with 20 SB, 72 RBI, 85 R and those 26 HR from May 28th on. While his extreme volume is a big part of his game (4 straight 700+ PA seasons; led MLB in 3 of them), he still had a 20/20 pace over 600 PA in 2022.

I’m not projecting another 18 SBs for Jose Altuve given that he had just 13 in his previous 1436 PA from 2019-21, but the 33-year-old doesn’t need a repeat there to remain a premium option at the position. The offense remains loaded, and his skills are aging brilliantly.

Read the rest of this entry »