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Major League Baseball’s regular season is here, and with it comes the daily influx of baseball news that fantasy managers missed in the winter months. Lineup news, actual games happening, constant waiver wire moves, pitching assignments, and bullpen usage.
This column aims to cover any and all fantasy baseball news, big or small, and how it pertains to your fantasy team. Spring training or the regular season, it's covered here.
Has a player who's usually been hitting in the middle of a lineup suddenly batting eighth or ninth for an extended period? The fantasy implications will be covered here. The same goes for injuries and injured placements and whether or not you should consider picking up a player who was recently called up. Basically, any kernel of fantasy news and its relevance to fantasy managers could be covered here. Today, the news of the day is the fantasy impact of outfielder Aaron Hicks signing a Major League deal with the Baltimore Orioles and outfielder Adam Engel reportedly being acquired by the Seattle Mariners.
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Fantasy Baseball Impact Of Aaron Hicks Signing With The Baltimore Orioles
Aaron Hicks is staying in the American League East. The former New York Yankees outfielder has signed with the Baltimore Orioles on a Major League deal, per a tweet from the O’s official Twitter account on Tuesday:
Also per the tweet, fellow outfielder Cedric Mullins was placed on the 10-day injured list due to a right groin strain.
With Mullins on the injured list, it’s possible Hicks steps into a prominent role right away in the outfield alongside the likes of Austin Hays, Anthony Santander, and Ryan McKenna.
However, the veteran struggled mightily earlier in the season with New York, hitting just .188 with a .263 on-base percentage and a home run in 76 plate appearances. It wasn’t the biggest sample size in the world, but Hicks’ 26.3% strikeout rate would’ve been the third-highest of his career and the highest since the 2019 season. What’s more, he was also sporting just a 49 wRC+ in those 76 plate appearances.
Looking back further than just this year, the outfielder hasn’t logged a batting average over the .230 mark in any of the last four seasons. And while he’s offset that to a degree with some solid walk rates, the strikeouts and lack of hard contact (he also logged a .215 xwOBA, a .234 xwOBAcon and a 22.4% hard-hit rate this season) certainly aren’t ideal.
He's probably only a fantasy option in deeper leagues at this point in time, but it is worth noting that Camden Yards could be a good fit for the veteran if he can start collecting a few more barrels. Hicks collected eight home runs last year, but his expected
Fantasy Baseball Impact Of Adam Engel Reportedly Being Acquired By The Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners have reportedly acquired outfielder Adam Engel, per a tweet on Tuesday afternoon from Mike Curto, the broadcaster for Seattle’s Triple-A affiliate, the Tacoma Rainiers. Also, per Curto’s tweet, Engel is in the Rainiers lineup on Tuesday.
Engel previously appeared in five games for the San Diego Padres earlier this season, going hitless in five plate appearances for the National League West franchise. He also hit .170 with a .262 on-base percentage, two home runs, and three stolen bases in 61 plate appearances for San Diego’s Triple-A club.
The outfielder previously batted .224 with a .269 on-base percentage, a pair of home runs, and 12 stolen bases in 260 plate appearances for the Chicago White Sox during the 2022 season.
Considering he’s currently with the Mariners’ Triple-A club and considering the Mariners’ struggle to get consistent production from their backup outfielders, he’s someone to keep an eye on in the future for fantasy managers in deeper leagues. That’s especially true for those in need of stolen base production. Engel has swiped 47 bases in 528 career games, including 19 in his last 163 Major League games dating back to the the start of the 2020 campaign.
And while Seattle doesn't necessarily have a need in the team's starting outfield at the moment with Julio Rodriguez, Jarred Kelenic, and Teoscar Hernandez patrolling the outfield grass at T-Mobile Park, the club hasn’t received ideal production from their reserve outfield options so far.
Taylor Trammell, Sam Haggerty, and AJ Pollock are all hitting below .170 with on-base percentage under the .300 mark. Trammell is the only one of the trio with a wRC+ (it’s 90 as of the start of play on Tuesday) anywhere near league average, though he’s also striking out 35.3% of the time.
Mariners Outfielders Not Named Julio Rodriguez, Jarred Kelenic and TeOscar Hernandez So Far This Season*:
- Taylor Trammell: 51 plate appearances, .143 batting average, .294 on-base percentage, .338 xwOBA, 15.7 BB%, 35.3 K%, three home runs
- Sam Haggerty: 42 plate appearances, .162 batting average, .262 on-base percentage, .253 xwOBA, 11.9 BB%, 23.8 K%
- AJ Pollock: 94 plate appearances, .167 batting average, .234 on-base percentage, .290 xwOBA, 8.5 BB%, 21.3 K%, four home runs
*All stats as of the beginning of play on Monday.
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