Brandon Belt (1B - SF) - It figures, that with a career as unfortunate as I perceive Belt's to have been, the one year that San Francisco is playing as a plus offensive ballpark (due to certain internal configurations in place without fans changing some wind patterns, supposedly) is the year that Belt suffers a sudden reversion of all of the contact gains he's made over the past 5 years. Perhaps it was just a slow start though, because after a 3-3 day on Sunday, Belt is 12-23 with 3 2B and 2 HR over his past 5 starts (7 games). Belt still offers above-average power (hard contact rates above 40% last 2 years, above 50% in 2020), above-average LD rates consistently, and above-average strike zone discipline....the park was the primary issue limiting his value for me. I think there's a solid chance that he can provide CI value this season, and I don't mind grabbing him in pretty much any format right now before the majority of people get wise to this year's SF park effect. To give you the actual data, the past three years Oracle Park has played to 0.615, 0.75, and 0.69 for HRs (worse for LHB). This season it is playing to 1.14 currently......huge, huge difference.
Alec Bohm (3B - PHI) - Alec Bohm had a walk, two singles, and his first big-league homer on Sunday as he continues to impress at the plate. Sure, he still only has 73 games (including the 10 this year) above A-ball, but unlike many of the top prospects that have been pressed into service so far in 2020, Bohm doesn't look overmatched at all.....at least not at the plate. He looks every bit the plus contact, plus power guy that he's been touted to be, and I firmly believe that he's worthy of a starting spot in standard formats and deeper already.
Corbin Burnes (SP - MIL) - Burnes once again showed flashes of brilliance in an inconsistent outing against Pittsburgh on Sunday, striking out 7 over 5 1/3 innings but allowing 7 baserunners and 3 runs as well. I'm as enthusiastic about the K rate as I am apprehensive about the BB rate and hard contact rate, but that enticing ability to miss bats has me believing that he's worth a pickup in just about all formats right now. The kicker for me is the expected schedule: it's entirely PIT, DET, and STL except for a late Sept start in Cincinnati, and that fact puts Burnes inside the top-75 SP for me right now. He would be in my lineup going forward, performance-dependent (mostly in terms of control), except for that outing in Cincy.
Will Smith (C - LAD) - Smith came off of the IL Sunday and promptly walked and homered against the Rockies in an 11-3 blowout win. I am a huge Smith fan, so take this with a grain of salt, but this kid easily has the chops to be a top-2 or 3 hitter at the position as soon as.....now. His contact ability is terrific, but he hits so many flyballs that the AVG won't be as much of a help as it could be. He does have a ton of pop though, and hitting in that lineup will give him plenty of opportunities for the counting stats to pile up. The downside here is that the Dodgers still find uses for Austin Barnes, so this could very well be a Posada/Girardi sort of a situation in the near-term, where Smith's utility will be limited by managerial decision making. I still see him as a clear starter in all formats even with the playing time limitations.....the power potential is just too great here, compounded by the surrounding lineup quality.
Adrian Morejon (SP - SD) - Morejon had a rough first inning on Sunday against Houston, allowing 3 runs on a walk, a single, and a Kyle Tucker HR, and when they're only letting you throw around 40 pitches, it's impossible to provide any positive value with that kind of a start to the outing. Really, the Padres haven't let Morejon off of his extremely tight leash since 2018....he's never allowed to go more than 3 innings. This kid has a ton of talent, but he's still just 21 and San Diego is obviously thinking long-term with him. As such, he really can't be recommended outside of dynasty formats right now, but the ceiling here is tremendous....even Sunday he fanned 3 in 1 2/3 with 6 swinging strikes in 36 pitches with 97 mph velo.
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