nolan jones is having a moment. The rookie left-handed swinger from Cleveland is off to a 7-for-13 start in the majors, with one home run and eight RBIs. He has also drawn three walks. The Guardians didn’t want to overwhelm the rookie right away, he ranks sixth or seventh most days, but maybe that could move forward, eventually.
Jones’ minor league history has been a meandering one; he was recruited as a high school kid in 2016, he had ups and downs. One year, a hand injury kept him down. He did not play anything in 2020, the year of the pandemic. All three major prospect boards had Jones ranked 36-52 on their clipboards before 2021, but then Jones had a messy season in Triple-A (.238/.356/.431).
He was not considered a prospect for the new season.
Ankle and back problems kept Jones out of action for several weeks this year, but when he was healthy in Triple-A, he posted (311/.417/.500). He has always had a positive batting eye. He doesn’t project as a huge powerhouse, but maybe Jones could be a 15-18 homer guy in the majors. He will steal a base if you leave it unattended.
Jones rates third base at Yahoo, and he’ll quickly take on the outfielder tag, which is where Terry Francona is using him. Jones was actively added on Yahoo in the last 24 hours, but is still present in about two-thirds of the leagues.
A new pinch-hit closer in Texas
When the Rangers moved joe barlow Outside of the closer role last week, we’re left with a cast of thousands to choose from. Denis Santanaany? Joseph Leclercany? shrub mate? Does anyone have a phone number for Jeff Russell or Francisco Cordero?
I was wondering if he was left handed brock burke could sneak into the concert, with those tidy ratios (1.12 ERA, 0.97 WHIP). But he has been a different southpaw, Brett Martin, going into work. Martin now has three saves in four days, finishing off the Twins twice and then toppling the A’s on Monday. All of them were three-out handshakes in the ninth inning.
Martin’s seasonal numbers are okay, not outstanding, but solid. There’s a 2.89 ERA, a 1.18 WHIP. His strikeout rate is just under one per inning, which isn’t ideal for a closer. He also walked 10 batters in 28 innings. He at least he has only allowed one home run this year.
In the chase to save, possession of the concert is the biggest part of the battle. Martin has the job to lose now; it’s just a question of whether the 27-year-old can keep the momentum going. I have added it for one of my teams desperate to save.
You can do the same thing in about 83 percent of Yahoo’s leagues.
Could Yandy Diaz be more than just a filler batting average?
I never really know what to do with Yandy Diaz, one of those players who is more important to his MLB team than he is to the fantasy coaches. Sure, we love a .307 average. But Diaz has only three home runs, only one steal. His fancy BB/K rating is more impressive on the real field than it is in fantasy play, unless you’re playing an OBP format, that .418 number doesn’t really give you extra juice when he’s attached to a modest 39. careers. He has scored 23 on the year, more than 264 at-bats.
[Play in one of Yahoo’s MLB DFS contests]
Diaz could be better used as a filler for the DFS and for teams that need help with batting average. He’s hitting .360 over the last month (over .500 in July), and he’ll always walk more than strikeouts. The Rays beat him as a leadoff hitter semi-regularly. Diaz qualifies at first and third base. If you can focus on when Tampa Bay faces a southpaw, that’s where the sweet spot is: His slugging jumps to .493 (that’s 117 points lower in the pack deficit).
You can decide how much of this glass is full, how much is empty. Diaz is currently in the top 30 percent of Yahoo’s leagues.
