Our goal with each issue of The Buzz is to start with a high-profile baseball story and then weave in fantasy stories where it makes sense. This is a reporter's note intended to be shared with anyone who loves baseball, or fantasy baseball. This season it will be lively every Wednesday.
When Mookie Betts was traded to the Dodgers in February 2020, I texted an old friend who is an avid Dodgers fan. “You're going to love Mookie. He's great at everything.”
Fast forward to 2024. Marcus Lynn “Mookie” Betts is still great at everything.
Have you read Mookie Betts' baseball commentary page lately? It's a dream. Mookie leads the majors in almost every offensive performance. It's completely unreasonable. First at-bat, first RBI, first hit. He is 1st in triples, 1st in home runs, and 1st in RBIs. Start with a walk. First, he ranks first in all slash lines (average, OBP, slugging power) and, of course, in OPS. He also ranks first in total bases.
Now, part of it is trick frames. After all, the Dodgers started the season early. They played 8 games. Most of the league is playing catch-up.
But Mookie's teammates also played in eight games, as did most of the main Padres. Why aren't they leading the world in every aspect?
Most drafts are complete, and there's no hard-hitting practical fantasy advice here. But, relatively speaking, I'm starting to wonder if Betts is an odd trade this draft season. He settled for Yahoo's 4.2 pick. I can't blame the person who pushed the Ronald Acuña Jr. button if they had the No. 1 overall selection. But should Betts have been the No. 2 pick in most leagues? He plays his three positions (secondary, shortstop, outfielder), is in a well-rounded batting lineup, and has continued to be durable throughout his career, still entering his age 31 season. I just got it.
And perhaps this is the evergreen point to remember — Betts isn't just part of a solid lineup; at the top Complete lineup. Efficiency is always the main focus in fantasy sports, but volume is also an important consideration.
This theme is often mentioned with Marcus Semien, a reliable star at the top of the Texas lineup. Only in Semien's case can his fantasy value be thrown out in an almost dismissive manner, as if it were artificially inflated by volume. Semien is such a jack-of-all-trades that it seems like he's been taking care of his body and preparing for a full season as a pro in recent years. He wanted to play in every game, and the Rangers approved that. I happily grabbed Semien in the third round while I could.
Maybe he'll be drafted this week. Perhaps you're looking at that No. 2 spot, which Acuña is missing. Do you take Betts 2nd overall?
There are three positions to fill. We've hired a strong offensive frontman and will be visiting fun teams every day. These are all good things.
Of course, you can't blame people who prefer Julio Rodriguez with the No. 2 pick. Rodriguez is eight years younger than Betts, but he's still on the escalator. But Rodriguez's supporting cast takes a significant step back, and Seattle's ballpark suffocates the offense.
Corbin Carroll in second place? Another youth card is played. Whenever Carol wants a base, it's his. But he's only done it once, and Arizona's lineup is also a step back.
Is Bobby Witt Jr. 2 years old? Many of you have walked that path, and maybe I have too. However, the Royals' offense lacks buoyancy. There is no guarantee that Witt will be useful in the batting average column either.
To be fair, Betts is a 4.5 category contributor these days. He picks his slot by stealing bases, and 10-15 is a reasonable projection. But he'll dominate in RBI stats, with a good chance of 30-40 home runs, and he was able to rack up 107 RBIs as a leadoff man last year. Getting a lead singer on baseball's hottest ticket seems like a pretty good deal to me.
Betts' career, of course, began in Boston. I was the same. I text his thread daily with some old friends from New England, and Mookie's daily exploits are a regular topic of discussion. I've had a lot to share lately.
Mookie Betts may be aiming for his second MVP season. It's a good thing you have an unlimited data plan.
There was a better subheading, but Bryce Turan stole it.
Turan doesn't have much in common with Mookie Betts, unless you want to talk about the quality of their midfield defense. Turan is an excellent defender, which allowed him to remain in the lineup despite posting a .218/.285/.300 slash line as a rookie last year. Cats cannot be fed in OPS+ 61.
But Turan is also a young player, and young players are an unfinished story. The future is not written. Turan is off to a great start this year, going 7-for-14 with a walk. But what really made a difference was that he stole six bases in just four games.
We always knew Turan could run. Last year, he swiped his 26 bags in his 30 attempts and his sprint speed reached his 95th percentile. There's a new stolen base era in MLB, and Turan fits in perfectly, like the glove on the Milwaukee Brewers logo.
And last year's mediocre offense doesn't have to be the clincher for Turan's turnaround. He hit a reliable .270/.363/.478 in the minors, showing excellent on-base skills. His speed was always maintained and in 118 attempts he performed 100 swipes. The Brewers will likely protect Turan against left-handed opponents, but again, it's not a killer move. It's primarily a right-handed world. And take a look at Milwaukee's upcoming schedule. There will be nine right-handed opponents over the next 10 games.
Certain simple events require fantasy managers to act immediately. If you see save, you'll probably react. I would like to consider a move based on his performance with 10 strikeouts. And when you see someone running every time they get on base and they continue to have success, you want to add that player if you can. Theft often comes in clusters. A player's development isn't always linear or easy to predict, but what Turan did in four games is noteworthy.
As you might expect, Turang has been actively added to several Yahoo leagues in the past 24 hours. I'm sitting with some stocks. But he's still ready to break into his 69% of the Yahoo world.
