Another day, another top prospect that Fantasy baseball players need to know about. This time, it's Christian Pache, the No. 12 prospect coming into the season, per Baseball America, who joins the Braves to replace Nick Markakis, who was placed on the COVID-19 list. And yes, Pache is another prospect you should be excited about.
But how excited? Pache's numbers won't blow you away. He hit just .278/.340/.474 with 11 homers and eight steals in 104 games at Double-A last season before an even more uninspiring Triple-A run. But it's worth noting Pache was just 20, and he's very much still trying to figure out how best to maximize his prodigious skills. He's got burgeoning power and plus bat speed with plus speed to go along with it. There's a very intriguing Fantasy skill set here.
So, the question we can't answer yet is, "Has he figured out how to maximize those skills?" One of the problems with no minor-league games is we have no idea what kind of improvements Pache made this offseason. If he was raking at Triple-A, we'd call him a must-add player, for sure.
As is, he's certainly a recommended add, one who is certainly worth adding if none of the other outfielders Scott White profiled Tuesday are available in your league.
We discussed all the big developments on the Worryometer Wednesday edition of the Fantasy Baseball Today podcast. Follow all our podcasts and subscribe here.
Nimmo didn't get any love from Scott in that outfield breakdown, and that's at least partially because he is one of those hitters best suited for a points league, where you typically only have three outfield spots to play with. However, Nimmo led the NL in walks coming into action Tuesday, when he went 3 for 5 with his fourth home run. Nimmo doesn't run enough, and isn't enough of a power or speed threat to be a difference maker in Roto, but that sort of undersells him; even in his weaker format, Nimmo is a starting-caliber outfielder this season, and was a top-150 player in 2018. He's worth using in any format.
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Another day, another Dodgers pitcher with a great start. Gonsonlin limited the Mariners to just two hits in six shutout innings, his third straight start without allowing a run to open the season. He's probably done enough to keep a spot in the rotation even when Alex Wood returns, and it's worth buying in at this point.
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I'd be lying if I told you this was a full-throated endorsement of Senzatela, but I'm not stubborn enough to keep ignoring him. He bounced back from his first subpar outing of the season Tuesday by throwing eight shutout innings against the Astros, with six strikeouts and no walks. He's allowed two or fewer runs in four of five starts, and he has the best strikeout and walk rates of his career, to go along with a career-high pop up rate. Senzatela isn't the highest priority, but he's worth using in points leagues.
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Like with Pache, we didn't know quite what to make of Garcia as he made his major-league debut. Like Pache, he owned underwhelming minor-league numbers, but like Pache, he was a top prospect nonetheless, and one who was extremely young for his level. Garcia homered Monday and went 3 for 4 with a walk Tuesday, pushing him to 6 for 17 through four games. He may not be able to keep this up, but don't you want to see if something clicked for Garcia this offseason?
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We only got to see Sandy Alcantara once before the COVID-19 outbreak that swept through the Marlins clubhouse, but he is on the verge of returning to the majors and should be back on Fantasy radars. His season opening start might have been the most impressive of his career, as Alcantara's velocity was up and he had 13 swinging strikes and only two walks. It may have been one good start, or it may have been the start of a breakout. We don't know yet, but if Alcantara is on your wire, you should add him just in case.
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Burnes wasn't handed a particularly easy assignment in his return to the rotation Tuesday, but he held his own against the Twins, allowing one run and two hits with three walks and five strikeouts in five innings. Walks continue to hold Burnes back from reaching his full potential, but he hasn't had any meltdowns yet, despite walking 14 in 21 innings. If he can shave off one walk every outing, the strikeout stuff makes Burnes a potential ace, and one I want on my roster if he's going to be in the rotation. Just in case.
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