Author: admin

This week’s question: How do you handle lowball trade offers? What do you do when a trade you consider is lopsided is announced?

Lenny Melnick (LennyMelnickFantasySports, @LennyMelnick): Ask the owner offering the stupid deal “how does this help me”? If Both teams cannot say how the deal hepls them get to playoffs or Money…Void the deal if owner cant say how it helps !!

Howard Bender (Fantasy Alarm, @RotobuzzGuy): The worse a lowball offer is, the more disgusting my counter-offer becomes. As for a lopsided trade being announced, I usually just keep my mouth shut. There ws one exception though where I reached out to the commissioner because the person in third and trying to climb made an extremely egregious trade with a disconnected owner who hadn’t made a move almost the whole year. I simply asked, “What’s up?” and the commish told me that’s just the way it is. Nothing else to do about it. You certainly don’t want to be the guy who lobbies the league for a veto.

Seth Trachtman (Rotoworld, @sethroto): I try not to take lowball offers personally. I’ll usually just promptly turn down the offer, and if the owner continues to make lowball offers, I’ll explain to the other owner why I’m turning the offers down. I have a hard time coming up with a situation where a fantasy trade offer is worth burning bridges. There’s not much you can do for lopsided trades, unless there’s collusion involved. I’d contact the commissioner in that case, but lopsided trades are just one of the realities of playing in a league that allows trades. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Jeff Zimmerman (Fangraphs, The Process, @jeffwzimmerman): Reject and move on. One owner will almost every weekend send a trade offer on a couple replacement level players. They are the players he plans on releasing when FAAB runs. As for lopsided trades, I don’t care one bit. It anything about it is too fishy, either they or myself needs to leave the league.

Michael Florio (NFL Network, @MichaelFFlorio): I may disagree with others on this, but I simply reject the offer and keep it moving. I do not think you owe it to anyone to have to make a counter-offer. If you are interested in making a deal great, but just because they want too, doesn’t mean you have too. When a trade I consider lopsided occurs, there really is not much I think that can be done. I do not believe in vetos, because most owners think selfishly and take advantage of the veto for their best interest. But unless you can prove collusion, I just think you got to leave it be. But take note of the owner involved, because you should be making that guy some offers in the future.

Scott Swanay (FantasyBaseballSherpa, @fantasy_sherpa): I used to do the passive-aggressive thing where I would respond either by countering with a more one-sided trade in my favor or the question “Why would I want to do that?” Now I’ll either respond with a quick “no thanks” or, if I see the seeds for something more mutually beneficial, a bona fide counteroffer. I try to keep the mindset that most people aren’t looking to take advantage of other owners; they just value the players involved differently than I do.

Rudy Gamble (Razzball, @RudyGamble): Most managers in your league suck as trade partners. I am sure most are good people but they either overvalue their players or want $1.20 on the dollar to feel totally confident in making a trade. So when the lowball offers come, I either politely decline or make a reasonable counter-offer that will generally be declined. Since I only play in industry leagues or no trade leagues, I do not have to worry about lowball trades. But at least 5 times a year I tell Grey to get out of his NL-only dynasty league because the trading in that league is shady as f**k (which is my nickname for a big oak tree).

Phil Hertz (BaseballHQ, @prhz50): I try to make the most of lowball offers, by treating them as opening salvos. Once I know what they’re interested in, I try to see if I can turn the offer around to my advantage by finding some gems on his offer.

Glenn Colton (Fantasy Alarm, @GlennColton1): Lowball trade offers depend on the source. If received from a league-mate known to be difficult, I just ignore them. However, if received from a straight shooter (e.g., Doug Dennis and Chris Liss always make fair offers in Tout and LABR), then you simply counter and try to get a fair deal done. As to the announcement of a lopsided trade, I often do two things: 1) write to the owner and say “hey, next time canvass the league, you might have gotten more” and 2) review team’s needs around the league to see if I am missing opportunities to get a good deal

Ron Shandler (RonShandler.com, @RonShandler): I see two issues here: 1) What one person considers a lowball may be a fair offer from someone else. We all value players differently, sometimes VERY differently, so I always try to keep that in mind. 2) We may consider ourselves the most intelligent baseball fans and most astute evaluators of talent, but orchestrating trades is a completely different skill, and some of us are just lousy at it. Salesmanship requires an understanding of human behavior that is often foreign to pure analytical types. So if I receive what I consider a lowball offer, I try to understand who is placing the offer, and even if I perceive it as a “he’s in a rush and just threw something out,” I’ll respond with something to redirect it (after cursing under my breath for 10 minutes), without being condescending. Sometimes that gets things back on track, sometimes it doesn’t. But nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Mike Gianella (Baseball Prospectus, @MikeGianella): I usually ignore them. As Ron points out beauty (or ugliness in this case, I guess) is in the eye of the beholder, but if I think an offer is awful right out of the gate I will politely decline. My counteroffer will probably be seen as unreasonable, since the person who made the initial offer and I won’t be close on what constitutes “value”. After a lopsided trade is announced, I make a mental note about what appealed to the person who got ripped off and try to capitalize on their perception of value in the future.

Ray Flowers (Fantasy Guru Elite, @BaseballGuys): I think any offer should be considered a starting point for a discussion. I have sent out a “bad” first offer with a note saying something like ‘I’m interested in X and wondering what you would be looking for in exchange’ in order to let the other owner know I’m interested their player, but not intending the first offer to be accepted. Most of the time, I just get a no response, leading me to think that folks don’t actually read my comments they just see the offer and discount it, so be careful how you send your offers to others. It has also been my experience that when there is a disagreement, people just view the players differently. Some folks understand that and try to work around it, some folks get pissed off at it and think you to be a moron. I would also say, that if someone is willing to deal, I will always listen. You never know who they believe in or who they don’t. If you stop listening, you might be closing the door on a potential deal that you would benefit from in the end.

Jason Collette (Rotowire, @jasoncollette): I just try to keep the dialogue going most of the time. Honestly depends on my schedule. I don’t do trade reviews from my phone (too many lessons learned/burned) so I wait to get to my laptop to look into things.

Patrick Davitt (BaseballHQ, @patrickdavitt): I usually briefly explain why the deal is not a fit for me, and I leave player value out of that. I’ll take a $9 player for a $15 player if it helps me in the categories. Like others here, if I see a potential legit trade, I’ll offer it, but my experience has been that guys who throw lowballs aren’t typically interested in legit deals. They want to “win” trades.

Dr. Roto (Scout Fantasy, @DrRoto): Honestly, it gets me really angry when i get a lowball offer. I want to type back, “I’m Dr. Roto, why would I EVER do that ridiculous deal?!” Then I cool off and write back calmly, “Thanks for the offer, but it doesn’t work for me. Maybe we can deal again soon. Never burn a bridge with a trading partner if you don’t have to.

D.J. Short (Rotoworld, @djshort): It would be easy to respond back expressing anger that such an offer would be proposed, but I usually just reject and don’t give an explanation. It’s usually not worth it. As others have said, perhaps dealing with that particular owner will come in handy down the road, so there’s no need for creating bad blood. But I do take a mental note from that experience as far as player valuation. In regard to seeing lopsided trades being announced, it’s sometimes hard to grade in a vacuum since owners have different category needs and motivations. Most of the leagues I play in are very competitive and there’s no room for funny business, so I try not to be too judgy about it at this point.

Scott Wilderman (OnRoto): I’ve played with a guy who always starts with an insulting lowball offer — but I know it’s business, not personal. If I’m at all interested in any of the players proposed, I’ll counter with a deal equally lopsided in my favor — it’s important that ‘fair and reasonable’ be mid-way between the two starting points, or you can get sucked into subconsciously thinking the other guy moved more than you did during the bargaining.

Zach Steinhorn (CreativeSports, @zachsteinhorn): I get annoyed by lowball trade offers, especially when the owner doesn’t include a message explaining why the trade could make sense for both of us. If there isn’t an accompanying note, I’ll usually just reject the offer without countering and would be hesitant to spend any more time dealing with that owner in the future. If there is a message, it shows that there was actually some thought put into the offer and if I’m interested in any of his/her players, I’ll see if we can work something out. Lopsided trades bother me as well but I rarely publicly question them, especially in industry leagues where I have a lot of respect for the knowledge of my peers and trust that there was no collusion.

AJ Mass (ESPN, @AJMass): If you’re going to allow trading in your league, you have to allow trading. So, when one manager makes a deal where it appears he’s gotten fleeced by another, so be it. As long as it’s not a case of clear collusion, who’s to say it won’t be the “fleeced guy” laughing at the end of the season. As for getting a lowball offer — “You have Mike Trout. I have Jeff Erickson’s autograph. Let’s deal.” — just respond “No thanks” and move on. So long as it doesn’t become a daily nuisance — “What if I throw in a Todd Zola selfie?” — then you just let it go.

Andy Behrens (Yahoo! Fantasy Sports, @andybehrens): If an offer made to me isn’t a reasonable conversation starter, I’ll reject without counter or comment. I’m not going to any effort in a trade conversation if the other party won’t put anything interesting on the table. As for lopsided deals in my leagues, I really only care about deals that seem obviously collusive. I’m fine with the idea that deals are going to have perceived winners and losers. Sometimes a fantasy manager actually has to take a small loss on a trade in order to address an area of need. As long as both parties in a deal are acting in good faith, I won’t complain.

Al Melchior (The Athletic, @almelchiorbb): If I get a lowball offer, I usually decline without comment. I may look at the roster to see if there is a reasonable counteroffer I can make that would fill a need for me. As for lopsided deals in my leagues, I rarely do more than take note of it and file it away for future reference.

Mike Podhorzer (Fangraphs, @MikePodhorzer): I reject the offer without comment, but realize that I have now learned which player(s) this owner is looking to trade for. At the very least, I will then look at his team to see if I should make a counter offer involving the player(s) originally asked for. When a lopsided trade is announced, it’s frustrating. There’s nothing that can be done, but at least you’ve spotted the sucker! So I become a little more aggressive trying to trade with that owner, hoping I will be the next beneficiary of his poor player evaluation skills.

Jeff Boggis (Fantasy Football Empire, @JeffBoggis): I find lowball trades insulting. I typically leave the comment of “I could not hit the reject trade button fast enough” on the trade request. I then maycounter with my own lowball trade offer, just to emphasize my point. I love trade negotiations, but don’t waste my time with trades that do nothing to benefit both teams.

Todd Zola (Mastersball, @toddzola): Note to Ron – I’m sitting right here. Jokes aside, I’m up front concerning my trouble with negotiating. It’s irrational, but saying “yes” to someone normally requires saying “no” to several and that’s tough for me. In general, I think there’s a fine line between considering an offer insulting and taking it personally. It’s fine to consider an offer insulting, that’s just the way some operate. The key is not taking it personally. You’re not the only one getting offers of that nature. Everyone in the league is. If you were the only one, it would be personal. Some just believe in a lowball opening salvo, then negotiating an equitable deal. In this instance, I may pursue talks if I sense something can be worked out. Some start low because they think they are supposed to and others aren’t confident enough to start with something on a more even keel. In these cases, I try to figure out who it is they want from me (it’s usually apparent) and counter with something more reasonable.

Following is the latest weekly report summarizing the top free agent bids in each of the five Tout Wars leagues, with links to the detailed bidding action following our 8 p.m. ET deadline each Sunday evening. All prices are on a $1000 base.

After you scan the detail below, please join our live chat, starting at 9 p.m. ET Sunday evening, to discuss these results with Todd Zola of Mastersball and other Touts.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Mike Podhorzer was the high bidder this week, dropping $77 on Mac Williamson. The oft-injured slugger was released by the Giants after coming up short in his latest audition. Williamson is a disciple of the launch angle revolution, but injuries and failure to make consistent contact have interrupted his opportunities to demonstrate if it he’ll join those displaying an increase in power. Williamson should see decent playing time with Mitch Haniger on the shelf.

The next highest bid came courtesy of Glenn Colton and Rock Wolf as they needed an arm to replace Domingo German. The dynamic duo snagged Brandon Workman for 27 units. The Red Sox don’t have a traditional closer with Workman curving his way into some saves.

The only other double digit bids were offered by league leader Jason Collette who dropped $16 on Tommy Milone and Colton/Wolf who doubled down on save speculation with $12 on Miguel Castro.

Review all 6/9 AL bids here.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Quiet week in the Senior Circuit with only six purchases. The top bid was a $75 expenditure on Kevin Cron. The corner infielder could be in line for more playing time after going deep twice this weekend.

Lenny Melnick decided $23 was a fair price for Drew Pomeranz. The veteran lefty is coming off his best start of the season, holding the potent Dodgers scoreless over five frames, fanning seven with just one walk.

Review all 6/9 NL bids here.

MIXED AUCTION

Scott Swanay hopes to fortify his lead adding Colin Moran for $57. Moran should continue to see regular time at the hot corner as Cole Tucker was sent back to the farm, clearing shortstop for the recently returning Jung Ho Kang.

The second highest winning bid was $53, submitted by Zack Steinhorn on Lourdes Gurriel Jr. The utility man has been playing a lot of left field lately, slashing a robust .314/.364/.667 since being recalled May 23.

Starting pitching dominated the rest of the bidding with Adrian Sampson, Freddy Peralta, Anibal Sanchez, Framber Valdez, Jalen Beeks, Michael Wacha, Jon Duplantier and Jason Vargas all finding new homes.

Review all 6/9 Mixed Auction bids here.

MIXED DRAFT

D.J. Short was the big spender, topping the bidding with $70 on Framber Valdez. Valdez is needed with Corbin Martin sent back to Triple-A for more seasoning.

Perry Van Hook was next, offering $43 for Jerad Eickhoff. Van Hook also took a $13 shot on Rockies rookie Peter Lambert.

Adam Ronis hoped to upgrade his pitching with a $34 bid on Ryan Yarbrough. Last season’s primary beneficiary of following an opener, Yarbrough seems to have regained his form after a time-out in Triple-A. Ronis also snagged Anthony Desclafani for $23 as he needs to replace Carlos Carrasco and Matt Strahm.

Review all 6/9 Mixed Draft bids here.

HEAD TO HEAD

Ian Kahn took advantage of James Paxton’s availability, besting two other triple-digit bids with a healthy $276 purchase. The losing bids were $237 and $188.

Clay Link aims to fortify his lead with a $57 buy of Zach Plesac while Ryan Bloomfield hopes the recent surge from Brian Dozier if is a harbinger of things to come.

Review all 6/9 Head to Head bids here.

Here’s the picks the Touts are counting on in tonight’s Tout Daily DFS Contest.

Todd Zola (Mastersball, @toddzola)

Pitcher: Masahiro Tanaka – This feels like a trap game and goes against my preference of using DFS pitchers at home, so I’ll likely hedge it in a different contest.

Hitter: Braden Bishop – Platoon edge on Wade Miley, leaging off, essentially a free square.

Jeff Boggis (Fantasy Football Empire, @JeffBoggis)

Pitcher: Noah Syndergaard – Even the Marvel Comics character Thor was once stripped of his powers, but managed to regain his strength and glory. I see the same for the Mets equivalent in Noah “Thor” Syndergaard tonight aginst a weak San Francisco Giants hitting team. He’s priced moderately cheap at $9,600 and has extra incentive tonight as he opposes Madison Bumgarner. Here is to Thor raising the hammer tonight.

Hitter: Christian Yelich – Yelich let me down last week with a late scratch, so he owe’s me one. He has 4 home runs in his past 10 games. He’s not cheap at $5,900, but worth the investment at home against Miami’s Pablo Lopez.

Howard Bender (Fantasy Alarm, @RotobuzzGuy)

Pitcher: Blake Snell – If you’re going to pay up for pitching, I’ll take Snell against a Tigers team that struggles a bunch against left-handed pitching and are striking out over 26% of the time against them.

Hitter: Ramon Laureano – A modest bargain on DK, but a great value on FD. He’s on a 15-game hit streak with eight doubles, two home runs, four RBI, six runs scored and a stolen base.

Anthony Aniano (Rotoballer, @AAnianoFantasy)

Pitcher: Noah Syndergaard – For $9,600 I have a pitcher who strikes out 1 out of every 4 batters he faces and the Giants strike out just under 9 times per game. The Giants are 27th in runs per game and 28th in OPS. Advantage Syndergaard.

Hitter: Austin Riley – 8 homers, 22 RBIs and an OPS of 1.083 for $4,900 and he faces Brault, a lefty, this evening in Pittsburgh. Versus lefties Riley has 7 hits in 18 ABs including 5 home runs. He’s a must play.

Gene McCaffrey (The Athletic, @WiseGuyGene)

Pitcher: Noah Syndergaard – If he’s ever going to dominate it’s at home against the Giants – and I bet the Mets let him pitch close to a, whaddya call it, complete game.

Hitter: Manny Machado – Looks like he’s heating up, have to take the chance at $3800.

Tim Heaney (Rotowire, ESPN, @TeamHeaney)

Pitcher: Chris Paddack – The Phillies’ lineup looks slightly less daunting without Andrew McCutchen (knee), and Paddack is nails at home with a 1.42 ERA.

Hitter: Elias Diaz – A catcher batting fifth is typically a value I’d chase, especially at $3,500, and Diaz’s career .344 wOBA versus southpaws typically makes him a near instant click in those matchups.

Michael Florio (NFL Network, @MichaelFFlorio)

Pitcher: Blake Snell – Blake Snell is the biggest favorite on the slate, plus he is facing a Tigers team that has the sixth highest strikeout rate against lefties (26.4%) and rank 22nd in terms of wOBA (.305) against south paws. You have to pay, but it is wise to pay up for Snell tonight.

Hitter: Ronald Acuna – Acuna is leading off for the Braves agaist lefty Steven Brault. Acuna has hit .302 with a .340 ISO against lefties, plus Brault has been anything but intimidating this season. At only $4,500, Acuna feels like a great value here.

Steve Gardner (USAToday Fantasy Sports, @SteveAGardner)

Pitcher: Max Fried – So many good pitchers on the slate tonight, you can’t help but pick a couple good ones. I’ll go with Fried at a relatively paltry $7800 vs. a Pirates lineup without Josh Bell and Gregory Polanco.

Hitter: Manny Machado – At $3800? This must be a misprint.

Jeff Erickson (Rotowire, @Jeff_Erickson)

Pitcher: Eduardo Rodriguez – Looking to pay down to afford some better bats. E-Rod has produced around 20 DK points in four of his last starts.

Hitter: All the Houston – Astros as much as possible against the worst starter on the board.

More homers end of season, Derek Dietrich or Daniel Vogelbach? More steals end of season, Jarrod Dyson or Mallex Smith? Higher 5×5 rank end of season, Christian Yelich or Cody Bellinger?

Michael Stein (Fantasy Judgment, @FantasyJudgment): I am impressed with the imrpovements Dietrich has made this year so I think he will hit more HR’s than Vogelbach for the rest of the season. Dietrich also plays in a better offensive ballpark and should see regular playing time. Mallex Smith will have more stolen bases than Dyson. In terms of Yelich vs. Bellinger, I will go with the reigning MVP who could be in line for a repeat this year. Yelich will ultimately out-perform Bellinger in all categories as Bellinger’s batting average returns to earth.

Doug Dennis (BaseballHQ, @dougdennis41): This seems a philosophical question about when do we adjust projections toward current results, and by how much. I’d still say Vogelbach, Mallex, and Yelich (which I would have said before the season started).

Jason Collette (Rotowire, @jasoncollette): Both are in my Collette Calls column this week. Dietrick is YOKED (https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D71l65eX4AAlUs6?format=jpg) this year, and he is crushing the baseball. His Barrel % is up three times as much as previous seasons, his exit velo is a career-high, as is his launch angle. The move from spacious Marlins Park to cozy GABP certainly helps his cause as well. He gets more games against Pittsburgh, and plays in the hot summer heat in Cincinnati — all conducive to another Adam Duvall-type season

Derek Carty (RotoGrinders, @DerekCarty): THE BAT is biting *hard* into Dietrich, who has improved in every conceivable way after an amazing shift in context moving from Miami to Cincy. Dietrich: 22 HR to Vogy’s 15. It has Mallex with 18 SBs and Dyson with 14 SBs, although that’s partially because the FanGraphs Depth Charts give an extra 70 PA to Mallex. Yelich and Bellinger both project fantastically now, but Yelich comes out on top by a couple bucks

Glenn Colton (Fantasy Alarm, @GlennColton1): I vote for Dietrich over Vogelbach. Cubs gave up on Vogelbach and that worries me. Plus, players of that physique are more likely to wear down. I like Mallex over Dyson as age for steals guys is a huge issue. As to Yelich v. Belinger, Yelich has done it for a full season, Bellinger has not so you gotta go with Yelich but I would be happy with either!

Tim McCullough (Baseball Prospectus, @TimsTenz): I’m going for Dietrich who’s taken a step forward after we saw his power really blossom last year. I think Dyson’s best years are past him now and Mallex seems to steal in bunches. Neither are hitting particularly well right now but I expect Mallex to start figuring it out. Bellinger just seems too locked in not to be a four category stud. It’s going to be close but I’m sticking with Bellinger to keep up his torrid hittting.

Matt Modica (The Athletic, @ctmbaseball): It’s Dietrich for me. He has hit some prolific homers but right field at Great American Ballpark is perfectly tailored for him and should add some easy homers to his total. I will go with Smith over Dyson because I believe Seattle will give him every opportunity and more at bats rest of the season. Bellinger is a burgeoning beast but Yelich is a better pure hitter and base runner. Also, Miller Park versus Chavez Ravine.

Anthony Aniano (Rotoballer, @AAnianoFantasy): Derek Dietrich should finish with more home runs. Playing in that ballpark provides an advantage that Vogelbach can’t duplicate. His line drives of the past have turned into fly balls which he’s hitting at a career high 52%. That should continue. Mallex Smith will finish with more SBs. Younger, more playing time, and a better hitter over the rest of the season. Smith should be fine. Bellinger will outperform Yelich in 5×5. More HRs, RBIs and a higher batting average will make up for the stolen base advantage that Yelich has. Honestly though, you can’t nitpick over two players who will finish in the top 5.

Ray Flowers (Fantasy Guru Elite, @BaseballGuys): I worry about playing time when the Reds get healthy for DD. Also worry about him getting plunked for his ‘stare at it’ ways when he hits a big fly. There’s also the stupid high HR/FB. I’ll take Vogelbach. For the wheels, give me Smith. A better overall hitter, that gives Smith the playing time advantage the rest of the season. I’ll take Yelich. Bellinger has such a massive battle with the regression monster to deal with moving forward.

Ryan Hallam (Fighting Chance Fantasy, @FightingChance): I want to say Dietrich here, I have to believe that the Reds will continue to find regular at-bats for him even when Scooter Gennett is healthy. Vogelbach has a more secured place in the lineup, but I’m going to stick with the flashy guy and say Dietrich. For speed it is easy for me with Mallex Smith. If Jarrod Dyson could get on base better, I like his base stealing ability but he has shown a real knack for making outs in his career. Lastly, I like Cody Bellinger much better, as I am tired of watching Christian Yelich beat up on my beloved Cardinals, but in a 5X5 scenario, I do believe Yelich will be the better player. Bellinger can’t possibly keep up this pace he is on, and while he may have more home runs at seasons end, I do think Yelich will get him with batting average and stolen bases while keeping RBI close enough.

Phil Hertz (BaseballHQ, @prhz50): Vogelbach over Dietrich – the former will benefit as vets get traded; the latter might be traded to a place where abs may become scarce. Smith over Dyson – he was the clear choice before the season and is starting to heat up. Bellinger over Yelich – truly this was a coin flip for me.

Mike Sheets (ESPN, @MikeASheets): Give me Dietrich, Smith and Yelich. With Dietrich, it’s mostly about the park, though I do wonder how all of the playing time shakes out once Scooter Gennett returns. I just believe in Smith’s skill set more at this point. The fact that the Mariners already sent him down once means they could very well do it again, but Dyson has started just three of Arizona’s last six games and will continue to platoon. I love Bellinger, but I think Yelich has the safer floor and Miller Park is an elite park for his left-handed power.

Clay Link (Rotowire, @claywlink): I think it’s Dietrich, but it’s close. I think Vogelbach’s playing time is more secure. Once Scooter Gennett is back, Gennett will be at second base almost every day for the Reds, and Nick Senzel will be in center, so Dietrich may become part of an outfield rotation with Jesse Winker, Yasiel Puig and Jose Peraza. Peraza has been starting in left field against southpaws — just more moving parts. Mallex Smith over Jarrod Dyson, as Smith has a two-steal lead despite the time spent in the minors and Dyson just doesn’t have the track record (never once reaching 400 PA). Yelich over Bellinger.

Jeff Boggis (Fantasy Football Empire, @JeffBoggis): I was fortunate to be able to pick up Dietrich off of the waiver wire in two of my leagues. He’s going to not only get more playing time, but should remain in the starting lineup, regardless if and when Scooter Gannett returns from the IL. Dietrich plays in a better hitting park than Vogelbach. Mallex Smith over Jarrod Dyson as age plays into the equation here. Yellich over Bellinger as Yellich has done produced at this level for 1 1/2 seasons where Bellinger could still have a 2nd half swoon.

Scott Swanay (FantasyBaseballSherpa, @fantasy_sherpa): I’ll go with Dietrich over Vogelbach, primarily because we know that Dietrich can maintain a healthy AVG/OBP over the course of a season, but we don’t yet know that about Vogelbach, which could conceivably cut into his playing time as the season progresses. The Dyson/Smith choice is the hardest for me – if Smith is still getting regular AB with a batting average below the Mendoza line, that suggests to me the Mariners are more committed to him as an everyday player than the D’backs are to Dyson, so I’ll go with Smith. I’ll take Bellinger over Yelich – Bellinger could hit at the Mendoza line for the rest of the season (which he won’t) and still wind up the season with an average of ~.270, which tells you what kind of a season he’s having. He should finish the season with a higher average than Yelich, and even if Yelich hits a few more home runs and steals a few more bases, that won’t be enough to overcome the batting average gap.

Todd Zola (Mastersball, @toddzola): Call me oontrarian but I’m going Vogelbach for HR and Dyson for steals. Dietrich is such a fun story, but his reversion is so drastic, it will be hard to maintain. Pitchers should find a hole somewhere and exploit it. Seattle has cut bait with Mallex Smith once, I can see it happening again. Dyson is usually exposed playing regularly but I think he’ll hang in there are continue to run. Steals are worth so much compared to homers, giving Yelich the edge.

It’s a clean slate as tonight marks the first week of Period 3. Here’s who the Touts are looking at to get the next segment off on the right foot.

Dan Strafford (FNTSY Radio, @DanStrafford)

Pitcher: Dylan Bundy – Bundy’s price is a bit elevated on DraftKings but should serve as a good pivot off of Nick Pivetta (remember the preseason hype for NP and now his elevated K% in minors should help that again). While Bundy can struggle mightily with the long ball, he gets a very solid matchup against Detroit. Their active roster ranks in the bottom half of the league in ISO agaisnt RHP and have a K% of over 26% on the season which is good (bad?) enough for second overall.

Hitter: David Dahl – Dahl’s price point at Coors Field stands out as a great discount. If priced as a typical Coors hitter there might be some reasoning for really diving into a bit of struggles with K’s on the year. But he stands to be fairly highly owned and with good reason. On the year he sports an ISO of .188 while Kelly has outperformed his underlying numbers, especially on his four seamer to date.

Jeff Boggis (Fantasy Football Empire, @JeffBoggis)

Pitcher: Matthew Boyd – Over the past 10 games pitched, Body has impressed with an ERA of 2.92 and a WHIP of 0.99. He takes on the Detroit Tigers on the road tonight. Salaried at $10,300.

Hitter: Austin Riley – Riley has hit successfully in 9 of his first 11 games since being called up by the Braves. He is hitting .341 with 5 home runs and 14 RBI. He’s batting 6th tonight and faces Washington SP Strasburg at home. Salaried at $4,000.

Howard Bender (Fantasy Alarm, @RotobuzzGuy)

Pitcher: Marco Gonzales – Love the price here which is likely surpressed by his lack of strikeouts. But he’s facing a Texas team that is posting a .286 wOBA with a 27.4% strikeout rate over the past week and strikes out nearly 29% of the time against southpaws. Not to mention the most dangerous hitters on the Rangers are left-handed and lefty bats are posting just a .280 wOBA against Gonzales.

Hitter: Max Kepler – Why not go with one of the hottest hitters in baseball (.500 with 3 HR, 10 RBI, 1 SB over last 7 games) leading off for the hottest-hitting team in baseball? Zach Davies has struggled against left-handed hitting since he returned and Kepler is sporting a .940 OPS against right-handed pitching this season.

Anthony Aniano (Rotoballer, @AAnianoFantasy)

Pitcher: Max Fried – For $8,100 Fried is pitching to a 2.88 ERA and 8.1 Ks/9. In his last 17IP he has 17Ks to only 5 earned runs. Washington is currently 19th is runs per game and OPS.

Hitter: Alex Bregman – Bregman for $4,800 versus Jon Lester. For his career Bregman is a .300 hitter versus lefties with 21 home runs.

Gene McCaffrey (The Athletic, @WiseGuyGene)

Pitcher: Max Fried – Bargain priced home start, Fried keeps showing that he’s the real deal.

Hitter: David Dahl – If he’s super-popular tonight, well, he should be. Sometimes you just have to beat the crowd somewhere else.

Jeff Erickson (Rotowire, @Jeff_Erickson)

Pitcher: Dylan Bundy – For thrills-seekers only. The last time I used Bundy it was in the infamous KC home blowup, so I’m playing with a chemical fire here, but he gives me savings with K upside against a bad lineup. Plus I’m guessing none, er, few of my esteemed colleagues will opt to use him. Also, I’m fading Fried because the Nats hit lefties well, and because it should be hot in ATL.

Hitter: Renato Nuñez – Nuñez has a .998 OPS against LHP’s, and an .874 OPS at home vs. .661 on the road. Even though the opposing starter is Matthew Boyd, I still like the matchup.

Tim Heaney (Rotowire, ESPN, @Tim_Heaney)

Pitcher: Rich Hill – Trying to shift a little bit but stay within the top tier of starters. This Mets lineup can do well against lefties, but Hill should breeze through this one at home.

Hitter: Niko Goodrum – Leading off against Dylan Bundy means at least two chances at the talented but homer-prone starter — or, better yet, more cracks at this bullpen.

Steve Gardner (USAToday Fantasy Sports, @SteveAGardner)

Pitcher: Trevor Richards – Richards has been good against bad teams and bad against good teams. He gets one of the majors’ worst offenses (the Giants) at home.

Hitter: Lorenzo Cain – The Brewers face the Twins’ Devin Smeltzer, who’s making his MLB debut. I’m banking on their leadoff guy getting 5 or more at-bats.

Todd Zola (Mastersball, @toddzola)

Pitcher: Rich Hill – Mets offer decent strikeout potential and It never rains in California, but girl, don’t they warn ya? It pours, man, it pours — but not tonight.

Hitter: Rafael Devers – I’m a self-admitted wuss and avoid weather games like the plague. That said, my sticking my head out the window forecast for Boston (I’m maybe 25 miles west) says the game will play and Devers is dialed in.

Charlie Wiegert (CDM Sports, @GFFantasySports)

Pitcher: Matt Boyd – He’s been pitching great, just wish Chris Davis was in the lineup to get 4 K’s!

Hitter: Freddie Freeman – He’s been raking lately and will take Strasburg deep tonight!

This week’s question is self explanatory:

Given the diligent manager stays on top of their team all season, Memorial Day Weekend is a natural checkpoint. What tips do you have when assessing your roster?

Lenny Melnick (LennyMelnickFantasySports, @LennyMelnick): If you’re 10 HR or so behind the pack at 1/4 pole, don’t wait to Mid yr to try and catch up..You need to be 10 better just to catch the pack..Best way to improve any % is addition by subtraction..

Charlie Wiegert (CDM Sports, @GFFantasySports): We’re a little past 1/4th of the season, don’t panic yet. This is a good time to access you’re strengths and weaknesses, but take note that perhaps injuries have caused some weaknesses to. If you drafted a Trea Turner, and your sucking at SB’s, that will change by July. Look to trade for guys off to a bad start, knowing they’ll come around; Matt Carpenter, Bryce Harper, etc.

Ray Flowers (Fantasy Guru Elite, @BaseballGuys): You need to be honest with your team – what it is or isn’t. Now is the time to start targeting categories. You should have a feel about how your team is actually going to produce, so check the standings. Where are you weak? Should you make a move to add a speedster? Maybe a closer? Starting to think about your place in the individual categories and how you can improve is a great thing to start to do at this time.

AJ Mass (ESPN, @AJMass): By now you should have an idea of your per-week pace compared to the rest of the teams in your league. Now, if you’re 10 HR behind the next team ahead of you in the standings, that may not seem like a huge deal to catch up simply by improving by a single HR per week. However, if 10 HR equals 20 percent of your current total, then it is indeed a huge deal. It’s figuring out whether or not simple improvement by your current roster is enough to overcome deficits or if a category is indeed a lost cause that can now be punted in order to allocate your resources elsewhere which will help focus your energies in the right direction.

Paul Sporer (Fangraphs, ESPN Fantasy Sports, @Sporer): Don’t give up on the ratios no matter how bad they might look. This has been a cause célèbre (I doubt I’m using that phrase properly) for our own Todd Zola and he’s so right. The key here, unlike other categories, is that not only can you improve, but your opponents can also come back to you. Keep grinding. It’s way, way, way too early to punt any ratio.

Jeff Boggis (Fantasy Football Empire, @JeffBoggis): Thoroughly access where you are in comparison to your opponents stats, access your team’s strength’s and weaknesses, and don’t punt any categories. Make trades where there is the ability to increase your stats, while potentially reducing other league manager’s stats. Grind, grind, grind!

Anthony Perri (Fantistics, @Anthony_Perri): The end of this month marks a third of the season, Take a look at all of your players and their underlying indicators. There are quite a few players every year that have been unlucky, start with BABIP for hitters and strikeout rates. For pitchers that are underperforming, have they lost anything on their fastball, how are their swinging strike rates in comparison to last year, their LOB%? These will help you decide what players need to go, and what players should remain on your roster.

Rudy Gamble (Razzball, @RudyGamble): In leagues that allow trades, this is a good time to identify teams with inverse needs (e.g. speed for power) as enough time has gone by for ‘draft day love’ to have dissipated. Now is also when FAAB buys should start taking category needs into account vs best player available.

Steve Gardner (USAToday Fantasy Sports, @SteveAGardner): The one-third mark makes it easy to see where you stand in the Roto counting categories, so I’ll look at those and adjust my expectations depending on what injuries I have and when those injured players are coming back. It’s a good time to explore trade options as well to bolster the areas where you know you need help. In keeper leagues, competing for a title may already be a lost cause, so it could be time to start thinking about trading short-term assets for potential keepers. In redraft leagues, there’s still time to get back into contention.

Al Melchior (FNTSY Radio, @almelchiorbb): It’s a good time to check in on the categorical standings, but I also want to get a sense of where I have real surpluses and deficits by position. For both purposes, I want to get a good sense of whose stats look like flukes, both in the good and the bad sense. A sort by wOBA-xwOBA is a good place to start. For example, my Tout Wars mixed auction team appears to be weak at OF, but both Kole Calhoun and Christin Stewart have underachieved their xwOBA by more than 25 points. I need to look closer at their peripherals, but I may be better off addressing other positional needs at this time.

Glenn Colton (Fantasy Alarm, @GlennColton1): Of course, checking categories and needs is important. However, the most important thing to do at memorial day is to look for players on your team overperforming who you might be able to sell high and players around the league underperforming you might be able to buy low. Also assess whether you should be hoarding FAAB or spending now — that is very team specific.

Anthony Aniano (Rotoballer, @AAnianoFantasy): In roto leagues at this point of the season try to fill needs in the standings and not positions in your lineup. If your 2B is not performing consider what was thought to be his best asset, speed, power, etc.. and find a way to improve what he is not providing from whatever position you can find it.

Patrick Davitt (BaseballHQ, @patrickdavitt): What everyone has said: Assess your categories realistically to see if you have significant surpluses or deficits that might become trade possibilities. One thing that hasn’t been mentioned is to keep in mind the added production you will get from your injured or reserve guys (or Farm players if you have them) when you are able to get them onto your active roster.

Todd Zola (Mastersball, @toddzola): Following up on PD’s comment, with all the recent call-ups, some teams may have positional or statistical excess they’re willing to peddle instead of reserving or even releasing. It could pay dividends to find matches. Something else I like to do at this juncture is look at WHIP compared to ERA. Normally, they end up within three standings places. If they’re further apart, plan on ERA moving towards WHIP. This helps set a reasonable expectation for points not currently accounted for in the standings.

Ryan Hallam (Fighting Chance Fantasy, @FightingChance): Memorial Day is a big weekend for me in fantasy baseball. While I am willing to make moves on maybe the bottom five guys on my roster, I try to remain patient on a lot of the rest of it. Memorial Day is the perfect time to reflect on your draft, see where you are, and see where you can make the moves to improve your team to make the push for the next portion of the season. Now is the time to pull the trigger on guys like Joey Votto who just look completely lost and have two months of the year under their belt.

Peter Kreutzer (Ask Rotoman, Fantasy Baseball Guide, @kroyte): The biggest mistake is to underestimate your ability to bounce back. Giving up a category if it helps you gain more points isn’t a bad thing, but just because you’re behind by quite a bit doesn’t mean you’re done in any category. For one thing, some of the guys who stunk in the first quarter are going to be a lot better. At this point it’s good to be tactical, but unless you see a path to winning (or money) that comes from a radical move, playing the waiver wire and improving your pitching are potentially more productive than locking in a loss in a category. Picking off slow starters for modest prices can help a lot. Going big isn’t always being bold.

Ariel Cohen (CBS Sports, @ATCNY): To add a point not covered yet in the conversation – Take a look not just at where you are by category, but also in how close the categories are. If you are in the middle of the pack in SB and HR, but HR is more tight than SB – HRs start to become more meaningful for you, and you may want to turn your focus on it. In player valuation – that’s the theory behind SGP, isn’t it?

Mike Gianella (Baseball Prospectus, @MikeGianella): The best tip I can give is pay attention to your roster all season long. Memorial Day shouldn’t be a tie to suddenly look at your roster and say “oh my God, I need power!” This is the time of year when some people do believe its’ “time to look at trades” so it’s when I’ll start sending out feelers to those types of fantasy managers and take their temperature.

Mike Podhorzer (Fangraphs, @MikePodhorzer): We’re still relatively early in the season, so you can make bigger standings moves then you think with a big day. This also means that it’s probably easier to move up (or down) in the ratio categories than it might seem. Be objective when reviewing your players and avoid the temptation to keep the faith that obvious overperformers (Jeff Samardzija & Zach Davies have significantly outperformed their SIERA marks) will continue performing at their current level. Save your ratios by jettisoning these ticking time bombs before they unleash their damage on your roster.

Ray Murphy (BaseballHQ, @RayHQ): With 70% of the season left, I’m still primarily interested in identifying any areas where my team is away from the pack in a category (to the good or bad). If I’m within the clustered center of the pack, that spot remains highly variable and something I might look to fortify via trade. Where I’m out of the pack, those are the assets I might be able to offer in trade. But worrying about whether I’m 6th or 8th in a category separated by one night’s performance is just noise in the evaluation process.

Jon Hegglund (Baseball Prospectus, @JonHegglund): I like to do deep dives on a few of my key players who are underperforming to see if I should bet on positive regression or if their performances are reflective of underlying skill changes. It’s important to take action, but it’s equally important to not cut or trade a player who may be ready to bounce back.

Zach Steinhorn (Baseball Prospectus, @zachsteinhorn): We are now at the point in the season where league standings are no longer completely meaningless, so Memorial Day Weekend is a good time to closely examine each category to get a clear idea as to your strengths and weaknesses. Explore trade possibilities but don’t simply make a trade for the sake of making a trade. The waiver wire can often be the better route to take when looking to improve your roster. And don’t get discouraged if you are 10+ homers or 25+ RBIs away from gaining points. All it takes is a hot couple of weeks to catch up to the pack.

Scott Swanay (FantasyBaseballSherpa, @fantasy_sherpa): Perform a realistic assessment of your team’s points ceiling, both in the short term and the immediate term. If you don’t like what you see, determine if there are any categories with relatively low correlations to other categories (i.e. – stolen bases, saves) that you’d be better off punting, identify potential trade targets on other teams, and send out some offers. It can also be helpful after waivers have run to see if other teams have extra players they may be willing to deal as an alternative to cutting them. Nothing earth-shattering here, but worth keeping in mind.

It’s the final week of Period 2 with three more Golden Tickets up for grabs. Here are some of the players the Touts are counting on to got to the promised land:

Jeff Boggis (Fantasy Football Empire, @JeffBoggis)

Pitcher: Clayton Kershaw – Kershaw has quietly put together a nice string of games recently, winning 3 out of his last 4 contests. Fun fact: Current Tampa Bay Rays hitters have struck out 29.2% of the time against top-tier left-handed pitchers like Kershaw over the last two years (The League Average is: 20%).

Hitter: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. – Two weeks ago when Vlad Jr. was first available in Tout Daily, I started him and he did nothing. Last week, I went with someone else and Vlad Jr. hit 2 home runs. Going with Vlad tonight, although it’s not the greatest matchup against Eduardo Rodriguez. He had the day off yesterday, is somewhat rested, and hopefully in for a big night!

Charlie Wiegert (CDM Sports, @GFFantasySports)

Pitcher: Spencer Turnbull – Anyone noticed how well Spencer has pitched lately. 1 run or less in 5 of last 6 starts, averaging one strike per inning, and he goes against the weak hitting Marlins

Hitter: Peterson & Senzel – The two highest priced guys in my lineup. both hitting lead off, and both with good pitcher matchups

Rick Wolf (Fantasy Alarm, @RickWolf1)

Pitcher: Caleb Smith – Very consistent strikeout pitcher with eight or more strikeouts in each of his last four games. He pitches tonight in Detroit where tonight’s lineup has a total of 2 ABs versus him. The only two hitters to worry about are Castellanos and Cabrera who is not himself lately.

Hitter: Gary Sanchez – Super chalk play with this one, but need to make sure folks are going all in on him versus the Orioles’ David Hess. Easy pickings, but paying up at catcher will force bargains other places. Like Minnesota stack if you cannot afford the Yankees stack.

Phil Hertz (BaseballHQ, @prhz50)

Pitcher: Clayton Kershaw – Rays look like a good match-up for Kershaw

Hitter: Ronald Acuna – Coming off a big game ; going against a shaky rookie.

Howard Bender (Fantasy Alarm, @RotobuzzGuy)

Pitcher: Julio Teheran – He’s been a stronger pitcher over his last five starts and has learned to handle left-handed hitting better. Not that it matters much with a start against the Triple-A SF Giants in a cold, damp setting at pitcher-friendly Oracle Park. Even with the wind blowing out to right, I don’t worry about the Giants lefty bats at all.

Hitter: Kike Hernandez – While Hunter Wood is opening, it should be lefty Jalen Beeks on the hill for the Rays through the middle innings. Hernandez is super cheap today and has an .891 OPS with a .380 wOBA against southpaws this season. You’re going to need to squeeze some bargain bats into your lineup with the way the pitching is priced again.

Gene McCaffrey (The Athletic, @WiseGuyGene)

Pitcher: Michael Wacha – I have to gamble with Verlander at the top of my ticket, so I’m going with a home start against a mediocre Royals team with no DH

Hitter: Gary Sanchez – I want some Yankees tonight, and Sanchez cleary has the best chance to hit a home run (or two!) of any catcher.

Anthony Aniano (Rotoballer, @AAnianoFantasy)

Pitcher: Spencer Turnbull – A starting pitcher for only $7800 against the Marlins who score the fewest runs per game in the league. He has allowed 5 ER with 24 Ks over his last 22.2 innings pitched.

Hitter: Scott Kingery – Versus a lefty this season, Kingery is hitting .333 with a home run and 3 RBIs with only 1 strikeout (albeit a small sample) but he has 4 of his 10 career HRs versus lefties in his brief career.

Jeff Erickson (Rotowire, @Jeff_Erickson)

Pitcher: Gio Gonzalez – The Reds have the second lowest wOBA on the road this year, have had trouble scoring generally and Gio has been cromulent lately. His $7.4K price allows me to afford a lot of good hitting.

Hitter: Dan Vogelbach – Lance Lynn has an Airplane ERA at home (7.27), so I’ll try to load in some Mariners (and Rangers) for a potential shootout.

Clay Link (Rotowire, @claywlink)

Pitcher: German Marquez – Marquez has been great away from home, posting a 2.55 ERA, 2.89 FIP and .223 wOBA in 35.1 innings away from Coors Field. He heads into one of the more pitcher-friendly venues in the league to face a Pirates team that ranks 20th in the league in wRC+ vs. RHP.

Hitter: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. – Going back to this well again and again and again, until the cost aligns more closely to the skills (currently $3900 on DraftKings).

Todd Zola (Mastersball, @toddzola)

Pitcher: Julio Teheran – I prefer using my DFS pitchers at home but when Oracle Park is Plan B, I’ll take it.

Hitter: Michael Brantley – Astros pricing prohibits a stack, but I’ll get some exposure to Dylan Covey

This week, the Touts were polled on the recent cascade of call-ups, here’s what they have to say.

Which of the recent call-ups will have the greatest impact? Who are you handling with care? Who could surprise?

Alex Chamberlain (Rotofraphs, @DolphHauldhagen): This is probably a less-popular pick, given the marquee names called up this week, but my big FAAB target this week is Nicky Lopez. I’m always one to favor hitters with above-average plate discipline and/or contact skills; Lopez put on an absolute clinic at AAA (four times as many walks as strikeouts???) while running a good deal (9 SB in 12 attempts in 138 PA). His kind of polish, on a team hurting for impact players (outside of a select few), could make him a fantasy mainstay. I am treading most carefully re: Keston Hiura and Brendan Rodgers; I think Hiura might be a better real-life hitter than fantasy hitter right now, and I think we’re far from seeing the last of Travis Shaw. Rodgers, well… let’s just say the Rockies are not exactly adept in their handling of young talent. Oh, right, and a surprise… Willie Calhoun *truly* looks better than ever, Danny Santana is not a feasible long-term option, and the Rangers seem content for now with handling their outfield in timeshare fashion.

Anthony Aniano (Rotoballer, @AAnianoFantasy): People will trip over themselves trying add the Rileys,Hiura and Rodgers but Nicky Lopez of Kansas City is the player for me. Whit Merrifields ability to play the OF opens up second base for Lopez and his hit tools will play at the big league level. Any player who walks 14% of the time compared with only a 4% strikeout rate has the mature approach to handle big league pitching. Mix in just enough power/speed and Lopez will be a longterm middle infield add for this season. I’ll be treading lightly on Keston Hiura. That Brewers infield is already crowded once Shaw is fully healthy and unless Hiura is scorching hot he could easily be sent to AAA for more seasoning. Oscar Mercado can be a pleasant surprise if he viewed for what he is, a stolen base play. If you add him and keep expectations low in terms of power and batting average he could provide what he’s best at, stolen bases.

Jon Hegglund (Baseball Prospectus, @JonHegglund): I like Austin Riley to have across the board impact, but he’ll be getting plenty of attention in FAAB this weekend. Like Alex and Anthony, and probably many who will respond below, I like Nicky Lopez to be sneaky good. Remember what Jeff McNeil did last year? I think Lopez could have a similar under-the-radar impact–hitting second everyday in a surprisingly potent Royals lineup (at least the top half), he could make a difference in runs and average (and OBP, especially). Also, as a huge Willie Calhoun guy last year, I am contractually obligated to remind you not to sleep on him, now that he’s back. I’m less bullish on Hiura and Mercado, the former because he needs to hit right away to keep the “injured” Travis Shaw at bay, and the latter because it seems like Cleveland just has a bad vibe this year. Mercado will help in steals, but probably not as much as you hope.

Michael Stein (Fantasy Judgment, @FantasyJudgment): Of all the recent call-ups I am most excited about Austin Riley. I like his offensive prowess and the opportunities he will have hitting in a good lineup. While he may have some struggles in the outfield, I think the Braves will continue finding at bats for him. I even foresee him sticking around and sending Ender Inciarte to the bench when he comes off the injured list. I can also foresee the Braves giving Riley some time at third base to spell Josh Donaldson who has not been overly productive and is clearly not part of the Braves long-term plans.

Steve Gardner (USAToday Fantasy Sports, @SteveAGardner): I’ll join the Austin Riley chorus, partly because he’s been mashing in the minors and there is more than one pathway to playing time now that he’s seen some reps in the outfield. The Braves have a solid offense and Riley won’t face too much pressure to produce right away — even though he did.

Mike Gianella (Baseball Prospectus, @MikeGianella): I like all these players but I’m going to go with Riley based on the power potential and the idea that he’ll play someone on that team. I love Hiura as a player irl but in Roto formats I’m not as enthused as I am about these other names. No one mentioned in this article is going to slip under the radar among serious players but Shaun Anderson has the advantage of a great park and is a solid option who is unlikely to garner the FAAB budget-busting bids that some of these “bigger” names.

Jake Ciely (The Athletic, @allinkid): I know the Rockies have been pretty nonsensical with call-ups and rookies vs. veterans in the past (and still with Ian Desmond), but I’ll take Brendan Rodgers. Do the Braves (fool themselves) and try to get some trade value by playing Ender Inciarte once he’s back, and we see a possible demotion like Carter Kieboom if Riley’s defense is woeful in the outfield and he struggles at the plate? Speaking of defense, that’s a big concern with Keston Hiura. Willie Calhoun looks better, but neither Calhoun nor Oscar Mercado excite me offensively the way those three do, so going back to them, I’ll take Rodgers in Colorado and believing he’s here to stay. As an aside, I think Nicky Lopez is the underrated/overlooked add, as his playing time might be the safest.

Michael Florio (NFL Network, @MichaelFFlorio): I believe that Brendan Rodgers, Austin Riley and Keston Hiura have the highest upside of the recent prospects. Rodgers will get to play in Coors and join a good lineup. I also believe he will have a long leash at second base, as both Ryan McMahon and Garrett Hampson have been disastrious this season. The Rockies have gotten a .199 average from their second basemen this year. Riley and Hiura both join strong lineups as well, but both will have stronger competition breathing down their neck in Travis Shaw and Ender Inciarte. I believe if both hit, they will stick, but if they struggle their clubs have big league ready options. Calhoun is the perfect combo of opportunity and ability, if he can finally put it together at the MLB level. So far, so good though. Nicky Lopez is definitely the name that can surprise.He has shown great plate discepline in his minor league career, has a spot at second and consistently has hit in the two hole since getting the call. Mercado is the one I am most handling with care. He brings great stolen base ability to the table, but other than that he does not stand out nearly as much as these other prospects. With so many being called up, put in a bid on each. I missed out on the top tier guys, but got Nicky Lopez for $5 out of $100 and Mercado for $3 in leagues where FAAB has ran already. The others each went for $20+.

Ariel Cohen (CBS Sports, @ATCNY): If the Rockies mishandling of prospects scares owners, then great! I’m going with Rodgers as the prospect who could have the greatest impact. He will play SS in the short term, and if it goes well, could take over the 2B job long term. Plus, Coors Field I’ve heard is a nice ballpark for hitters to play in. Hiura to me is another Kieboom situation … meaning that he’s great long term, but I feel this is a short stint until Shaw returns. The Brewers also have little margin for error to play with. As for surprise – if you liked Jeff McNeil, you might like Nicky Lopez. KC should be able to give him more leash than some of the other call-ups this week. Riley might have the highest upside, and the power should play well in Atlanta’s home ballpark.

Howard Bender (Fantasy Alarm, @RotobuzzGuy): I really want to hop onto the Austin Riley bandwagon as the power is spectacular and a comp of Troy Glaus isn’t too far off. I’m just concerned as to where he plays once Ender Inciarte returns. I would prefer to see Riley over Markakis in the corner outfield or over Josh Donaldson at third, but I think the Braves need to make a deal or two before space opens up for him. So I’m in for the guy who probably has the best chance at regular at-bats between now and the end of the season and that’s Nicky Lopez of the Royals. They’ve got Whit Merrifield in the outfield full-time to keep second base oopen for Lopez and he’s got a nice blend of some power, some speed, but a solid average/OBP. He blends nicely with the Royals who are clearly built for speed and not comfort and should hopefully stay put all season. Of course, I probably also said similar things about Carlos Febles and Angel Berroa, so maybe I’m just sadly addicted to Royals middle infield mediocrity. Sigh.

Patrick Davitt (BaseballHQ, @patrickdavitt): I like Oscar Mercado and FAABed him for a buck a couple of weeks ago. Good speed potential, but more importantly a clear path to PT in a CLE OF that has a .295 OBP. Mercado had a .396 OBP in AAA before his callup. Of the who-don’t-ya-trust candidates, I’ll take Hiura, for the opposite reason: MIL is stacked with experienced, successful hitters, and it isn’t like his glove is going to keep him in the lineup.

Lenny Melnick (LennyMelnickFantasySports, @LennyMelnick): Nicky Lopez can impact the SB catagory ..Most others are good complementary players..

Ryan Bloomfield (BaseballHQ, @RyanBHQ): Will Brendan Rodgers stay up once Trevor Story returns? Will Austin Riley stay up once Ender Inciarte returns? Will Keston Hiura stay up once Travis Shaw returns? Will … ok, you get the point. All the focus right now is on how immensely talented these guys are—and for good reason—but what if their MLB stay is just a week or two? My pick for greatest impact: Nicky Lopez. He should have a relatively long leash, he’s shown solid plate/contact skills at Triple-A, and he comes with immediate SB impact. Guessing bid amounts is a fools errand, but I’ll hedge that Lopez won’t burn as large of a hole in FAAB wallets this weekend. I’m also on board with Michael Florio’s comment that Willie Calhoun might have the best combo of playing time safety + impact skills, but with the start he’s having, you’ll have to pay full freight.

Dr. Roto (Scout Fantasy, @DrRoto): Keston Hiura can flat out rake. There will always be a spot in a lineup for a hitter of that quality. Nicky Lopez is batting 2nd behind Merrifield and in front of Mondesi. He’s going to see a lot of fastballs and steal plenty of bases

Doug Dennis (BaseballHQ, @dougdennis41): I threw money at all of ’em and we’ll see what happens. But the guy I want most is Hiura. I think he will hit more than the others–including Lopez, although Lopez has the best floor and least risk bc of clear PT on a bad team.

Glenn Colton (Fantasy Alarm, @GlennColton1): who to target depends on your team situation. Do you have a big positional or category need. If you are desperate for swipes, Mercado jumps to the head of the line. That said, I think people are sleeping on Willie Calhoun who may be that hackneyed post-hype sleeper

Charlie Wiegert (CDM Sports, @GFFantasySports): Depends what you are looking for! If you’re looking for AB’s and rs, Nick Senzel will produce the most from now till season end, with Nicky Lopez not far behind both appear to have a clear path to playing time and hitting at the top of the order. Austin Riley will produce the most HR’s and RBI’s if he stays n the Braves lineup Willie Calhoun will not be far behindI

Ryan Hallam (Fighting Chance Fantasy, @FightingChance): I’m really hopefully for Willie Calhoun. If you heard me on Sirius/XM back in March I made my pick of Willie Calhoun live on the air with Todd Zola and Jeff Erickson. Now, I am hoping that this pick pays off. I like Brendan Rodgers, but always worry about the depth in Colorado. I have grabbed Oscar Mercado in a few leagues, and like others I also like Nicky Lopez. The reason I am targeting him is because I always seem to build my teams around power, at the expense of speed. Mercado (if he sticks) and Lopez are my chance to right the wrongs of my March drafts and get my lineups some much needed speed. That being said, all of these young kids have fantasy potential and if you are able to get any of them they should help your team.

Phil Hertz (BaseballHQ, @prhz50): I need more information . Is it a keeper situation? Am I in contention? The guys I like the most long term are Hiura and Rogers, but I’m not sure they’re the best choices for the rest of

Tim McCullough (Baseball Prospectus, @TimsTenz): It’s Austin Riley for me. He’s mashed against both Double-A and Triple-A pitching the last two seasons and is clearly ready for MLB. His power in that lineup will generate some nice counting numbers. I think people will be surprised by Red Sox second baseman Michael Chavis. He’ll have some adjustments to make at the plate to cover a couple of holes in his swing but he’s shown the ability to adjust before and will take over at second (sorry Dustin Pedroia). Chavis has excellent OBP skills and will produce solid numbers across four fantasy categories. I’m handling Jesus Luzardo with care.

Larry Schechter (Winning Fantasy Baseball, @LarrySchechter): While everyone is focused on the callups, if you need a starting pitcher, grab Daniel Mengden, who is probably available and definitely worthy of a spot in your mixed league. Of the call-ups, Nicky Lopez is by far the safest bet to get full-time AB’s the rest of the year. However he’s probably only going to be an upgrade for your roster if you’re in a 15-team mixed league and have a weak middle infielder to replace. IMO none of these call-ups are going to be big roster upgrades for anyone unless you’re in a mono-league. Mercado played against a LHP and then sat two games against RHP. He’ll have no mixed-league value playing only against LHP.

D.J. Short (Rotoworld, @djshort): I love Austin Riley and Keston Hiura for the long-term, but there’s at least enough playing time concerns there that I could see Brendan Rodgers coming out on top here. Second base has been a black hole for the Rockies this year, so here’s hoping he gets a real shot. Playing half of his games in Coors Field gives him a big edge here. And he’s been a lot better during his second stint in Triple-A. Granted, I don’t know what to make of any Triple-A numbers this year, especially in the PCL. Still, I’d rather see him putting up those sort numbers than not. Like others have said, Nicky Lopez might be the safest even if he doesn’t excite as much as the others in terms of counting stats.

Peter Kreutzer (Ask Rotoman, Fantasy Baseball Guide, @kroyte): I don’t think any of these really exciting prospects are bust-the-bank sure things this year, so moderation is advised, but if you have holes you really want to take your shot at those that might improve you. Since I’m not sure what exact roster of hopefuls we’re talking about, I’ll note that Willie Calhoun and Nicky Lopez seem to have the clearest path to regular playing time. Keston Hiura and Brendan Rodgers are probably the biggest talents, and could force their way into playing time. Austin Riley has power and the Braves need some punch, so who knows there. Oscar Mercado steps into a good situation, since Cleveland needs offense. My point is that you should target the guys who fix your problems, and bid strongly, but don’t make any of them your last shot at improving. While any of them could be great the rest of the way, in all likelihood, you’re going to need more, so hold onto a bullet to use later.

Mike Podhorzer (Fangraphs, @MikePodhorzer): Greatest impact assuming the playing time is there has to be Brendan Rodgers because of the Coors boost. Although I like Oscar Mercado’s fantasy potential, I expect him to be sent back down once Tyler Naquin is activated from the DL. So far, he has only started against lefties, so it doesn’t appear that the Indians have any intention of giving him a full-time job now, and if not now, then it’s probably because he’s not expected to be up for long. Nicky Lopez could surprise because of his elite minor league plate discipline and clear path to playing time. Though he might not be the strongest of fantasy contributors, he’s unlikely to flop, and he should hold a starting job the rest of the season.

Craig Mish (SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio, @CraigMish): At this point Austin Riley has more than earned his time in the majors. He still has a few games to go hypothetically until Ender Inciarte comes back but no way they pull him from the lineup. Brendan Rodgers’ leash isn’t as long but he’s a Coors field hitter and Garrett Hampson isn’t coming back soon. Keston Hiura follows those two, his path to PT is clear but Travis Shaw isn’t going away. For me it’s Nicky Lopez after that followed by Willie Calhoun and Oscar Mercado. Yordan Alvarez in leagues he is available, probably best to take a pre emptive strike now. The Pirates will also look to P Mitch Keller soon, I don’t see them rolling with the opener the rest of the season.

Michael Rathburn (Rotowire, @FantasyRath): Austin Riley will have the biggest impact because of his power. They will find a way to get him at bats. I love what Willie Calhoun has done in AAA and gotten back to the majors and I think he could surprise only because people might have written him off after last year.

Ray Murphy (BaseballHQ, @RayHQ): I’m interested in Riley and Hiura, but operating under the assumption that they will be bid through the ceiling. Lopez and Mercado are almost must-bids if you need their particular skill set, as SB are so hard to find. In a vacuum, I may be most interested in Willie Calhoun, as I think he’s much closer to a finished product than the others, thanks to his high-minors experience. TEX is a bit logjammed in the OF, but at some point (soon), Calhoun is a part of their future and Hunter Pence is not.

Todd Zola (Mastersball, @toddzola): I wrote the question so I’ll scold myself for not answering it and answering something else. This is akin to the MLB trade deadline in AL/NL only leagues. In instances I don’t have the hammer, I’ll go just a little aggressive on the second-tier targets. For example, Jerad Walsh and Cole irvin. OK, since I don’t want to yell at myself, Riley is the upside play as Ender Inciarte isn’t going to block him. i think it’s dangerous to bag Mercado and assume you’ve fixed steals. I’d rather grab Mallex Smith if available. My surprise is Irvin. With everyone throwing 92-plus, his 88 mph not-so-fastball could be deceptive first time through the Senior Circuit.

Jason Collette (Rotowire, @jasoncollette): I’ve long been a fan of Austin Riley and was touting him after seeing him mash at the AFL in 2017. That said, for the price, give me Nicky Lopez. Excellent bat to ball skills and can scoot under a manager with a led foot.

Derek VanRiper (Rotowire, @DerekVanRiper): I think Austin Riley has slightly less playing time risk than Keston Hiura and Brendan Rodgers, and the output might be in line with Pete Alonso’s first 40+ games in the big leagues. Adjustments are key for hitters like that, of course, and since his hot week will likely drive prices north 25% of a FAAB budget in some rooms, I’m going to be somewhat careful with him. Rodgers, by virtue of playing half of his games in Coors *should* be the most impactful, but we’ve seen the Rockies go their own way with limiting the playing time of David Dahl, Ryan McMahon and Garrett Hampson in recent years. Value-wise the greatest impact might come from Nicky Lopez. The Royals have already installed him as their No. 2 hitter, they don’t have much to squeeze him off the roster talent-wise, and he’s got outstanding plate discipline with enough speed to be dangerous. Projections systems loved Willie Calhoun a year ago, and he’ll probably be cheaper than the “big three” this weekend, and the Rangers have no reason to send him back down to Triple-A at this point. Overall, throwing cost out the window, I think Calhoun is the best bet to make the greatest 2019 impact.

Mike Sheets (ESPN, @MikeASheets): If I’m going to heavily invest in one of these guys, it’s going to be Riley. We’re always looking for these prospects to come up and be difference-makers, and he has a good chance to be one. There is the concern about what happens when Inciarte comes back, but if Riley continues to rake, the Braves have to play him. While Rodgers also has the tools to be a difference-maker, I’m hesitant to get too excited. Based on how the Rockies have treated past prospects, I just don’t trust them to give him a long leash and let him play every day (he’s already on the bench on Sunday after starting his first two games). With so much attention going to Riley and Rodgers, Lopez has a chance to be a sneaky pick-up this week. His tools aren’t as loud as the others, but he has a good hit tool and can add value with his legs.

Clay Link (Rotowire, @claywlink): It’s between Hiura and Riley for me, but I’m going Riley. We now have minor-league batted ball data at RotoWire, and before Riley’s callup, he had a hard-hit rate north of 40 percent along with a sub-20% K-rate. Meanwhile, Hiura had a 34.4% hard-hit rate and a 27.2 K%. I’m a little worried about the swing and miss in Hiura’s game. Willie Calhoun has surprised in the days since his callup and I think he may continue to surprise. The Rangers need to evaluate what they have, and while Calhoun’s defensive deficiencies may cost him a full-time role, I think he will be in the lineup five days a week or so at the expense of veterans Hunter Pence and Shin-Soo Choo. I’m handling Oscar Mercado with care since it appears he’s going to be on the short side of a platoon, for now.

Jeff Boggis (Fantasy Football Empire, @JeffBoggis): Being that I live in Atlanta and follow the Braves, Austin Riley is the most exciting player to be called up that could make the greatest impact. He’s off to a blistering start with a .533 batting average, 2 home runs, and 4 RBI through his first 5 games in the major leagues. The batting average is unrealistic, but if the 22 year old keeps hitting for a decent average, he will stay up with the team.

Scott Swanay (FantasyBaseballSherpa, @fantasy_sherpa): I’m sure most will choose among Austin Riley, Keston Hiura, and Brendan Rodgers, but just to be contrarian, I’ll go in another direction. The first two of the three popular/obvious choices play for playoff contenders, which suggests they might not have the longest leashes on major league life if they get off to a slow start. The third figures to be fighting for at-bats w/ Ryan McMahon and Garrett Hampson, who is likely to be back in the majors soon. So I’ll look in the direction of two teams that aren’t going anywhere this season (Royals, Rangers), mention Nicky Lopez and Willie Calhoun as two players likely to see significant playing time going forward, and I’ll choose Calhoun based on his greater capacity for hitting baseballs over outfield fences.