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Rookies and prospects who have recently been called up to the Major Leagues. Andrew Ericksen evaluates the most relevant rookies for Week 7 of the 2020 fantasy baseball season.
While we’ve had some big time pitching prospects make waves throughout the 2020 season, it was this past week where we saw many of the most promising pitching performances from prospects so far this year.
The 2020 fantasy season doesn’t have too much longer to go as the regular MLB season concludes in about a month. Choosing the right pitchers to round out your rotation the rest of the way could be the difference between a deep playoff run and an early playoff exit.
The three pitchers highlighted in this week’s article could all play big roles in redraft leagues to close out the year and they all look to be fantastic assets in all dynasty and keeper leagues.
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Triston McKenzie (SP, CLE)
In what may have been the most impressive MLB debut of the 2020 season, Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Triston McKenzie pitched six innings and allowed two hits, one walk and one earned run while striking out 10 on August 22 against the Detroit Tigers. McKenzie instantly became a must-add pitcher in all deep leagues despite the fact that it wasn’t clear at the time whether or not he’d have another start with the club.
McKenzie had back problems that shortened his 2018 campaign, then suffered from lat and pectoral strains that cost him the entirety of the 2019 season. His MLB debut on August 22 was his first competitive action in almost two years.
Luckily for McKenzie, fellow pitcher Zach Plesac (COVID-19 violation) has been away from the team since McKenzie’s debut, enabling McKenzie to get a second start and for now, it looks like McKenzie should stay in the rotation for the near future.
In McKenzie’s second start, which came this past Friday against the St. Louis Cardinals, the results weren’t quite as inspiring as McKenzie pitched just four innings and allowed three hits, three walks and two earned runs.
He’s currently slated to make both of his next two starts against the Kansas City Royals, two games where he could deliver some solid strikeout numbers with the potential to go a bit deeper than he did against the Cardinals this past week. He’s worth owning in all leagues where you have a need for a back-end rotation pitcher.
Ian Anderson (SP, ATL)
Despite going up against a tough New York Yankees lineup and facing off against Yankees ace Gerrit Cole, Atlanta Braves rookie pitcher Ian Anderson coasted through his MLB debut. He pitched six innings, allowing just one hit, two walks and one earned run while striking out six.
The 22-year-old Anderson had been extremely productive in the minor leagues ever since first joining the Braves’ organization in 2016. Last year, over 26 starts split between Double-A and Triple-A, Anderson posted a 3.38 ERA and 1.25 WHIP with a K/9 of 11.4.
Anderson leads with a mid-90s four-seamer and supports it with a changeup that had phenomenal results in his big league debut. He threw 35 changeups against the Yankees and it induced a whiff-rate of 44.4%, yielding no hits.
The Braves are desperately in need of starting pitchers right now and Anderson will certainly be sticking in the rotation going forward. With the support of the Braves’ high-powered offense and a minor league track record of limiting walks that should enable him to pitch into the sixth innings of games, Anderson is someone worth owning in all redraft leagues. His next start will be on the road against the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday.
Sixto Sanchez (SP, MIA)
While McKenzie and Anderson may have had the most impressive MLB debuts this year, Miami Marlins starting pitcher Sixto Sanchez likely had the best standalone outing of them all.
In his second MLB start on August 28 against a tough Tampa Bay Rays lineup, Sanchez pitched seven innings and allowed six hits, one walk and no runs while striking out 10.
Sanchez excelled at limiting base runners and run production in the minors. Last year, over 20 starts split between Double-A and High-A, Sanchez posted a 2.76 ERA and 1.07 WHIP. However, the strikeouts we saw against Tampa Bay seemingly came out of nowhere. Sanchez averaged just 8.1 K/9 in the minors last year and just 8.0 the year before.
Of the three pitchers highlighted in this week’s article, Sanchez seems like the riskiest to trust in redraft leagues. The Marlins aren’t going to give nearly as much run support or bullpen support as the Indians or Braves. The Marlins couldn’t even come out ahead in Sanchez’s 10-strikeout gem, losing the game 2-0.
Sanchez is slated to make his next start against the Rays once again on Tuesday and knowing the Rays, they’ll have prepared themselves for the rematch quite well so don’t expect similar results. Keep an eye on Sanchez in redraft leagues, but he’s far from a must-own at this point.
Ryan Mountcastle (OF, BAL)
Baltimore Orioles outfielder Ryan Mountcastle had a tremendous first week in the majors. Through his first seven games, he went 8-for-24 with two doubles, two RBI and two runs.
Mountcastle became one of the top hitting prospects in the Orioles’ organization the past few years by showing both solid contact numbers and solid power potential.
Last year was by far his best year from a power standpoint. He spent the entirety of the year at Triple-A and slashed .312/.344/.527 with 25 home runs and 83 RBI. However, the increase in power unfortunately also showed a decrease in plate discipline in 2019.
In 2018, Mountcastle struck out just 79 times compared with 26 walks over 102 games. The following year, he struck out 130 times with 24 walks over 127 games.
Through seven big league games, he’s maintained a solid strikeout-to-walk ratio with six strikeouts and four walks. That’s an extremely good sign to see from someone with potential strikeout concerns exposed to their first big league action.
Mountcastle should be added in all deep redraft leagues and AL-only leagues. He’s likely going to be a regular in the middle-third of the Orioles lineup the rest of the year and should provide solid power numbers along with a solid batting average. In more shallow leagues, he can remain on waivers.
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