A sampling from today's notes...
Justin Maxwell (OF-HOU) - Let's face it here, despite the Opening Day win over the Rangers, the Astros are going to be awful. Jose Altuve should be owned in most leagues, but other than Bud Norris, maybe Jose Veras the "closer", and well, that's about it. Maxwell though is showing that he deserves some attention as well, knocking out a couple hits and a walk Sunday against Cole Hamels to raise his early slash line to a solid .381/.435/.619. With Altuve leading off and Maxwell hitting second, the Astros have a seemingly decent start to a lineup, but it's all downhill from there. Still, it makes us wonder what realistic full-season expectations are for Maxwell. Projections for Maxwell generally run in the .240/.330/.470 range, highlighting his power and plate discipline along with his lack of contact ability. As a big leaguer, Maxwell has struck out in 32% of his PA's and walked in 11% of them while posing a .212 ISO. Given he's already 29, an AVG more than .260 is unlikely, but Maxwell could hit 20-25 homers with 15 or so steals, making him a very valuable sleeper commodity.
Jeff Samardzija (SP-CHC) - It wasn't that long ago that I thought Samardzija was nuts for not pursuing a career as an NFL tight end. It's possible that NOW, he could be a top-10 tight end in the NFL, but he's quickly moving his name up the charts of baseball's top starting pitchers and is looking like a rare and legitimate ace. Ponder this: would you deal him for Cole Hamels in a keeper league? Maybe, but you'd at least have to think twice, right? Sunday, Samardzija recorded just 17 total outs in going 5 2/3 innings, but 13 came via the strikeout. Samardzija may have lost Sunday's game against the Braves, but he still has a 2.63 ERA and in his first two starts, he's fanned 22 in just 13.2 innings. Samardzija did walk four batter Sunday, preventing him from going deeper into the game, but if he can get to 200 innings, 250 strikeouts are looking possible.
Donovan Solano (2B-MIA) - The situation in Miami remains ugly outside of the fact that Giancarlo Stanton is a beast, but there still guys getting at-bats, and in deeper formats, those guys have value. He was 3-for-5 with a double and RBI Sunday, leaving him at a respectable .333/.417/.381 to start the season. Hitting in front of Stanton is a good gig if you can get it. It was his first XBH hit this season, but Solano has struck out just three times in 24 PA's, so it's possible he could hit in the .280s. Just don't expect much in the way of power, and if his minor league record is an indicator, stolen bases won't be quite as frequent as we'd like.
Alex Gonzalez (SS/1B - MIL) - Gonzalez was an afterthought in my NL-only auction last weekend, but after going 2-for-4 with his first 2013 home run Sunday, he might find his way into my lineup starting Monday. Gonzalez has a .690 career OPS, but he also has 156 career homers for a respectable 36 AB/HR rate. That rate from 2010-2011? - 31.2, so he's showing a bit more power as he ages it seems. Gonzalez actually hit cleanup Sunday, but only due to the injuries to Braun and Ramirez. If you need a few homers and can absorb the BA hit from a guy who won't hit .250, this is your guy.
Jose Fernandez (SP-MIA) - Fernandez retired the first 10 major league batters he's ever faced in his debut Sunday, ultimately allowing just one run on three hits over five impressive innings to go with an 8:1 K:BB. His fastball sat in the 95 mph range and he regularly broke off some knee-buckling curve balls from what I saw. Fernandez does not turn 21 until July 31, and while having him open in the rotation was a curious business decision, it's clear that he has the talent to compete at this level. Fernandez got the nod due to injuries, but it's going to be tough to justify sending him down at this point. I expect he'll remain in the rotation for the balance of the season.
