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Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Are prospect call-ups Jesus Sanchez, Matt Manning worth a pickup?
How hard should you pursue the latest prospect call-ups?
By
Scott White
•
2 min read
Marlins outfielder Jesus Sanchez is back in the big leagues, getting the call Tuesday. Tigers pitcher Matt Manning, meanwhile, is set to make his major-league debut Thursday.
One has been one of the hottest hitters in the minors this season. The other was a consensus top-50 prospect coming into the year. Would it make sense to call both must-add, then?
That's taking it a bit far for me, for a couple reasons. One is that the degree of difficulty in transitioning from Triple-A to the majors appears to be on the rise again. I've written about this phenomenon in other places, and so has Chris Towers. It has changed the cost/benefit ratio so that making a knee-jerk investment may no longer be worth it except for the very best prospects.
So wouldn't these two qualify? I've already highlighted their credentials, after all. Remember, though, we just saw Jesus Sanchez in the majors last year, and he went 1 for 25. His performance at Triple-A Jacksonville has been notable and enough to put him back on the prospect map, but his overall track record caused him to drop off every top 100 list prior to the season. He had also come back down to earth over his past 19 games, batting .233 (17 for 73) with a .670 OPS, and again, producing at the major-league level is another matter entirely, as we've been reminded in recent weeks by Jarred Kelenic and Jackson Kowar, among others.
- We talk Tyler Glasnow, Luis Castillo, Taijuan Walker and Frankie Montas plus Jesus Sanchez and Matt Manning on the Fantasy Baseball Today in 5 podcast. You can follow us to get the latest episodes on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
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Manning's situation is almost the polar opposite. He had been as steady a minor-league performer as they come since being drafted ninth overall in 2016 -- compiling a 3.49 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 11.0 K/9 across five seasons -- and was thought to be one of the top prospect stashes coming into the year. But you see the way his minor-league season has gone, with him being pummeled for 11 home runs across seven starts. It's the sort of performance that might lead you to suspect an injury, but because there's a need and he was OK last time out -- allowing two runs on four hits with two walks and eight strikeouts in six innings -- the Tigers are willing to give him a shot.
And I'm not here to say you definitely shouldn't. Because they have to meet a certain standard of availability, virtually none of the players highlighted in this space are must-add in the strictest sense. If you have a roster spot to burn, there's never any harm in shooting for upside, which both Sanchez and Manning possess. My hesitance is more from the perspective of a shallow-league player -- which I would describe as the majority of our audience -- who's sweating every add/drop decision because roster space is so precious.
For now, I'd say Sanchez is a priority add in five-outfielder leagues and Manning in any format 15 teams or deeper. Whether my interest in them expands will depend on their performance, but seeing as they're rostered in 31 and 26 percent of leagues, respectively, I suspect there will be future opportunities to write about them here.
So who else?
Possible waiver wire pickups
So the final result Tuesday was merely so-so, and his 4.42 ERA and 1.40 WHIP have been trending the wrong direction for three outings in a row now. Still, there are some positive takeaways for Shane McClanahan, who may be pushed harder now that innings-eater Tyler Glasnow is down for the count. His 89 pitches were a season high, and he had 16 swinging strikes, including six on a curveball that he featured more than ever before. We already know the fastball and slider will play.
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Jonathan India filled up the box score with two singles, a double, a walk and a stolen base Monday and then walked twice more Tuesday. His on-base base percentage, which was always a strength in the minors, is up to .374 for the year and .430 over his past 29 games, during which he has hit .301 (28 for 93) with four homers, four steals and a .914 OPS. The turnaround has him doing basically everything we hoped would do when he was first gaining steam this spring while also making him a fixture atop the Reds lineup.
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At the start of the year, remember, it wasn't even clear Amed Rosario had a role. With another three hits and a stolen base Tuesday, he's suddenly looking as productive as he's ever been, batting .336 with two homers and seven steals in 35 games since the start of May. It translates to something like a 32-steal pace over a full season, and we've always known he's capable of hitting for average because of his low fly-ball rate and all-fields approach. Just recognize that he's more useful in categories than points leagues.
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With another towering home run Tuesday, Bobby Bradley's power has been as advertised during his first week on the job. What's interesting is his strikeout rate. In 109 plate appearances at Triple-A, it was 32.1 percent. In 62 plate appearances between spring training and the majors, it's been 17.7 percent. I so long for his power to be usable that I'll stretch for an unlikely explanation and point out that Bradley's demotion was "a bitter pill for him to swallow," according to manager Terry Francona, after he worked so hard to improve his swing for spring training. Maybe he was just going through the motions at Triple-A.
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