Ottoneu Most Wanted: April 25, 2018

Happy Ronald Acuna day everyone! The baseball season creeps along through its first month, and I’m back again with a look at the most added and dropped players across all ottoneu leagues over the last week. Without further ado, let’s get started:

Christian Villanueva may be relevant, but it’s difficult for this Cubs fan to forget the defense-first 3B with a bit of pop that Chicago acquired (along with Kyle Hendricks) in the Ryan Dempster trade. I don’t know what to make of this version of Villanueva, but it’s hard to ignore the fact that he has a .415 ISO and a .493 wOBA through his first 104 PA between this year and last. If he’s still un owned in your league I think you have to consider adding him, just for the chance that he’s the ’18 version of prime Jose Bautista.

Greg Holland may be the designated closer for the Cardinals, but Bud Norris has notched five saves in the early going and has been pitching well (2.38 ERA/1.94 FIP/1.88 xFIP). It’s a crowded bullpen in St. Louis, but even without further saves chances Norris has value as a setup guy, so he’s worth owning in all points leagues.

Is vintage Tyson Ross back? His ground ball rate isn’t quite as high as it once was (50.7% vs his peak of 55%-60%), but he’s striking guys out and showing more control than he has in the past (2.45 BB rate, career 3.80). Any pitcher than can keep the ball on the ground (and in the park) while striking out more than eight per nine innings has value, so he’s a must own while he’s healthy.

I had the chance to see Teoscar Hernandez in person this past weekend, and he certainly passed the eye test (though I’m no scout). The good news is Hernandez doesn’t just have the look of a ballplayer, he has the production as well. He’s raked at AAA and a limited MLB sample over the past few seasons, and he’s flashed quite a bit of power in the early going this year (.368 ISO in 42 PA for the Blue Jays). With Randal Grichuk struggling right now, I think Teoscar has a chance to run away with the LF job the rest of the way, and he’s a must add in any league where he’s currently un-owned.

Who is Adam Cimber? His last name sounds like a portmanteau describing a lithe fire dancer, but in truth he’s a member of a very intriguing Padres bullpen. Cimber has been very active out of the pen through the first few weeks of the season, with 17 IP across 12 appearances. Along with the frequency has been quality, as Cimber owns an 11.65 K/9 and a 2.65 ERA/1.11 FIP/1.57 xFIP. He may only have one hold on the year, and may not pitch in many high leverage scenarios, but he could be a poor man’s version of Chris Devenski that happens to be available in almost 75% of leagues. I wouldn’t break the bank to add him, but he’s a great (hopefully cheap) pickup in points leagues, and is an excellent option in H2H leagues.

I won’t go into too much detail with this list, but I’m going to highlight the players I think are worth adding in leagues where they have been cut:

 

 

Yeah, I’m going to go ahead and say that none of this group is worth adding right now. Neil Walker, Justin Wilson, and Logan Morrison have worthwhile rest of season projections, but all three have been so bad that it’s difficult to recommend that owners invest cap space on them right now. I own shares of all these players that I’m currently holding, but that stubbornness could end up being a mistake.