I’ve mentioned fictional baseball legend Tim McCleod before. He is the champion of Tout Wars, and has the most important fantasy baseball podcast. He is also famous for his axiom, “Don’t make any changes to your team until after Memorial Day (because you’re Canadian). Well, here we are. It’s hot outside, and the kids are out of school. And we need to know where you stand and where you can improve. So I’m here to tell you who’s going to be your best bet all the way.”
Section 1
- Bobby Witt Jr
- CJ Abrams
- Brice Turang
- Elly De La Cruz
We are talking about the first two rounds of the draft here. Bobby didn’t miss April, and he hit 8 in May, even though the Royals’ offense had problems running him. Abrams continued his offensive streak and is on his way to a 30/25 season with a solid OPS. Turang was the leadoff hitter on one of the best and strangest teams in baseball. He should continue to be the only high-quality second baseman. Elly got off to a strong start and hit 3 homers last month. Also, he stole 3 bases last month. I don’t think he’s in the second stage of the plateau, he fell last year, but it’s always a possibility.
Section 2
- Ketel Marte
- Connor Griffin
- Travis Bazanna
- JJ Wetherholt
This will be the next 3 rounds. Marte woke up in May and hit a speed bump of 30 bombs. He also hit over 300 and has a streak to go. The next 3 are exciting rookies and highly productive prospects. Griffin has made some adjustments and has been really good in May. You will only get better. Bazanna added a SB to his game in his top month and seems to have established himself at the top of Cleveland’s roster. Wetherholt still hasn’t found the middle part, but he’s on his way to 20/20. His availability at multiple positions and impact in fantasy statistics makes me confident he will be a top 50 pick.
Section 3
- Brandon Lowe
- Xavier Edwards
- Otto Lopez
- Brian Rocchio
- Zach Neto
- Kevin McGonigle
- Nico Hoerner
- Gunnar Henderson
Lowe is rated for 35+ bombs, and getting that second is pretty bad. Especially since he’s hitting over .250. The Marlins middle infield pair has been stellar. Both hit over 300, and powered that offense. Rocchio is having a career year, and you have to ride that wave as best you can. Neto is on a 30/20 pace, but the Angels aren’t giving anyone a drive, and he’s not hitting often enough to close. McGonigle is recovering and still has the same problem. Unless you’re in a points league, you don’t get what he does well. But he did enough to crack the top 100. Nico has also cooled off a lot, as has the rest of the Cubs offense. But I believe enough in them to tell you that Nico will be great. Gunnar is having a hard time raising his rating. That said, you still run with 30 bombs.
Section 4
- Casey Schmidt
- Colson Montgomery
- Ozzie Albies
- Jazz Chisholm
- Trea Turner
- Mookie Betts
- Willy Adams
- Chase Meidroth
- Curtis Mead
- Bryson Stott
This is the 100-200 range, starters, but not the ones you enjoyed. Schmidt was surprised to develop some power to help the young Giants. Colson continues to build on his strengths, even if he doesn’t connect enough to contribute in other areas. Ozzie has cooled off from his hot start, but he’s still organized and giving it his all. Jazz rose from his bad beginnings, although he dug himself a really deep hole. I don’t think you will get a maximum value of 100 all the way. Same with Trea. He’ll still get 30 steals, but he’s not contributing anywhere else. Mookie is back all right, but he’s not a top 100 guy anymore. Willy is another vet who won’t return the top 100, but he still has some hot streaks to help you out. Meidroth remains limited to a basic machine that continues to score runs. The pop just doesn’t exist. The pop goes with Curtis Mead, who has quickly shown he can be an everyday guy in the Nats’ impressive offense. Stott came with the Phillies’ offense, but he won’t manage your team.
Section 5
- Francisco Lindor
- Corey Seager
- Bo Bichette
- Gerardo Perdomo
- Dansby Swanson
- Jeremy Pena
- Fernando Tatis Jr
This is the failure phase of big names. All these names have song records, but they have been absorbed or damaged. If you want to buy a little from these guys, that’s fine. I’m not going.
