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Are you looking for some strategy on how and on whom to spend your FAAB budget throughout the baseball season? Stay tuned to this weekly series, which will pinpoint some potential free-agent targets and discuss how much of your budget should be spent on them.
Baseball is a long season. For the next 26 weeks, we must carefully place bids and target players who will fill holes in our team. Pay close attention to this in category leagues and spend big on a player if you need a specific category filled urgently.
Below are a few players with roster percentages under 50% in most Yahoo leagues, that could benefit rosters and provide you with an added boost in several categories. I will also include what percentage of your FAAB budget you should look to spend on each player. Let’s get it started!
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A.J. Puk SP/RP - Miami Marlins
49% rostered
FAAB Bid: 3%
At the top of the list is someone who is a target for shallow leagues, as he currently sits just under a 50% rostered mark. Puk is in line to enter the season in the Marlins' rotations due to injuries to Edward Cabrera, Braxton Garrett, and, recently, Eury Perez.
Not only should Puk open the season in the rotation, but he should have plenty of leverage to remain a starter for a significant period. The southpaw stole headlines throughout spring training, with an incredible 1.32 ERA across 13 ⅔ innings pitched and tallied 23 punchouts.
The only worry with Puk is that he has yet to start a game in his major league career and should not be viewed as a reliable source for innings in points leagues. Instead, view Puk as a starter who should only go five innings each start and post strong ratios suggested by his dominance this spring.
The Marlins are trying out last year’s closer AJ Puk as a starter this year and he got off to a good start this Spring!
Worked 2 scoreless innings and added 3 nasty Ks along the way 🤮🤮🤮 pic.twitter.com/DFjLlcC94H
— Just Baseball (@JustBB_Media) February 27, 2024
With how injured the Marlins staff currently is, Puk could have a spot in the rotation for the foreseeable future. With his promising spring and excellent showing as a reliever last season, it is worth investing a portion of your FAAB in him before the season gets underway.
Griffin Jax - RP, Minnesota Twins
38% rostered
FAAB Bid: 2% for teams lacking saves, 1% for others
Earlier this week it was announced that Twins closer Jhoan Duran was placed on the 15-day injured list with an oblique strain. With the Twins being the favorite to win their division and projected to have a successful season, their closer was in line to receive a significant amount of save opportunities.
This now opens the door for Griffin Jax to become the presumptive ninth-inning option in Minnesota. While Jax is not confirmed to be the defined closer, it seems more often than not that Jax is likely to see a majority, if not all opportunities as of this writing. Brock Stewart is another option for seeing save opportunities, but Jax was the team’s primary setup man last season, so I would rather invest in him, as he can collect holds as well.
Jax becomes a must-target for rotisserie teams that are lacking save providers. Jax could potentially see ample opportunities as Duran could miss at least a month of work.
Jackson Merrill - SS/OF, San Diego Padres
38% rostered
FAAB Bid: 2%
Jackson Merrill, the twelfth overall prospect in baseball, won the center field job in San Diego thanks to a dominant spring training performance. In the Cactus League, the shortstop-turned-center fielder posted a .351 AVG with two long balls.
Merrill was known to have an excellent eye at the plate throughout the minor leagues, only striking out 25 times across 187 at-bats in Double-A last season. This makes him an intriguing target not only in rotisserie leagues but also in points leagues, as he should have a rather low strikeout rate in his debut season.
While he will only be eligible as a shortstop in most formats this week, by the end of the second week, he should be eligible as an outfielder on all platforms, making him well worth the investment in five outfielder leagues. The 20-year-old looked very good in his major league debut in Korea. He went 2-5 with a double in his second game and hit three balls with an exit velocity of at least 95 MPH in the opener.
20-year-old @Padres rookie Jackson Merrill picks up his first @MLB hit in Seoul -- 6,900 miles from his hometown of Baltimore, Maryland! pic.twitter.com/XTf1PnZV2a
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) March 21, 2024
That said, two games out of 162 are not worth over-analyzing, but it is promising to know that Merrill does have an everyday role, had strong bat-to-ball skills in the minors, and a great prospect pedigree. He will not blow you away with power but will be valuable in helping your team’s batting average and could fill a fifth outfielder spot on your roster.
Henry Davis - OF/C, Pittsburgh Pirates
22% rostered
FAAB Bid: 1%
Rounding out this list is someone who is likely to gain catcher eligibility within the first week of the season.
Henry Davis, who was selected first overall in the 2021 MLB Draft, did not have the best debut season. In 225 at-bats, the catcher tallied a .213 AVG, 302 OBP, and .351 SLG with seven home runs and three stolen bases.
While Davis may not be valuable as an outfielder, he will be as a catcher, especially if he logs starts in the outfield when he is not behind the dish.
There can be an outcome where he is among the top catchers in plate appearances simply due to his positional flexibility. He can be penciled into the Pirates lineup every single day.
With Yasmani Grandal battling injuries, Davis should see most starts at catcher during the first week, which will give the positional eligibility, and then could shift back to the outfield once Grandal returns.
However, let’s not discredit Davis as a hitter, even though he disappointed last season. The former Louisville Cardinal has tallied four long balls this spring with a 1.280 OPS, which could be a sign that he is turning a corner as a hitter.
Henry Davis isn't slowing down
He's now batting .303 with an 1.095 OPS this Spring Training pic.twitter.com/ez64KQkRgn
— Platinum Ke’Bryan (@PlatinumKey13) March 18, 2024
If you are looking for an upside second catcher, place a claim for Davis this week. He has the potential to be an everyday player with upside power numbers.
While Opening Day is still a few days away, it is never too early to get ahead of your league mates. These players might have been an afterthought on draft day, but today, they are probably better options than players currently on your roster. Take a cheap flier on these players, and they very well might give you a needed boost in the early part of the season.
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