Hello friends! May is drawing to a close, which is a not-so-subtle reminder to all of us that the first two months of the six-month baseball season are in the books. One-third of the season is more than a small sample size, and there’s no more pretending that weaknesses in our teams will just magically fix themselves. Unless, of course, you just want to look at the year in a dramatic way, leave the team where you started with Fernando Tatis at the end of the first round, and actually start focusing a homeless season on him just because it would be weird and weird.
However, regardless of whether you are short on strength, speed, or any number of calculations, you can find at any stage, there is still plenty of time for improvements to be made and to stop moving. That leads us to our weekly league depth look at a few players who may never catch the attention of regular league players, but who may need to be on our radar in the NL-only, AL-only, and other deep leagues. All of these people own 15% or less of Fantrax leagues, so we hope you can find something in your league’s chat bin if you need a program boost or two.
NL
Ryan Ward. I drafted Ward in several drafts and caught up in the winter leagues, as he seemed to be the type the Dodgers would show if they needed to strengthen the farm. Well, here we are at the end of May, and as I write this post, we learned that Teoscar Hernandez will hit the IL after suffering a hamstring injury. Ward should be officially a member of the league by the time you read this. His current ownership is at 5% in Fantrax leagues, so that will rise sooner rather than later. That said, it remains to be seen how the playing time will work out, how long Teo will be down, and who will step up. That means the first two blurbs of the week will both involve Dodger players, who may end up playing left field. Ward was up earlier this year to cover for Freddie Freeman while he was on paternity leave, and he’s eligible for both 1B and OF in most leagues, so this could end up being an interesting cup of coffee, at least.
Alex Call. I started writing quotes on the Call before news broke that Ryan Ward was on his way back to the show, but we’ll be contacting him this week, and we’re waiting to see how this situation unfolds. You will definitely be reminded that this is a deep league column when we note that Call is 31 years old, and has nary a homer or steal yet this year. He’s hitting .294 with a gaudy .413 OBP, though. As you may have heard, the Dodgers have a very good offensive system these days, so whoever is thrown into it is likely to score a few runs or knock a few guys out by being in the right place at the right time.
Drew Gilbert. Guys, times are tough in the NL-only. I feel like for weeks now, as weak as the overall roster has been, it’s been ten times harder to find a decent NL hitter to take. The AL team, on the other hand, had at least a handful of guys play each week. Gilbert is the NL’s top hitter over the past two weeks in terms of 5×5 value while still (barely) making 15% or less of an ownership margin. That doesn’t mean he was particularly productive in those two weeks; he is hitting .242 with 1 run scored and 2 RBI. The fact that he is in charge of even 15% of the leagues shows how bad things have become in other leagues. Do AL teams just get more organized and get more guys chances, and/or just shuffle their rosters and more players? I don’t know, but it’s bad out there.
Sam Moll again Edgardo Henriquez. This week’s NL final spot goes to the two NL pitchers who scored the best in the last two weeks based on Fantrax stats, but still own less than 15%. That, my friends, is why we are talking about Moll and Henriquez. Moll has been a bright spot in a Red bullpen that has been heavily drafted lately, and his overall numbers this season are impressive as well: 2.55 ERA, 1.054 WHIP, and 25 Ks in 24.2 innings plus a win. Henriquez, on the other hand, now has a 3.26 ERA/1.034 WHIP with 18 Ks in 19.1 innings, and 2 wins, for the Dodgers. All of this is true, I think, PSA when a pitcher’s times get tough in the deep leagues, sometimes it makes sense to hold a middle reliever. You just have to hope you get enough production to move the needle a little, rather than take the chance of a suspected developer blowing up your ratings. And yes, there are many shortcuts that can blow your ratings, too, as many of us can attest.
AL
Wade Meckler. This one flew under my nose even as a western coaster, but Meckler is really up there with the Angels. Josh Lowe’s demotion led to Meckler’s promotion, and he’s already made an impact. He got off to a hot start, going 6 for 14 with a homer and 3 RBI. It looks like he will be in the team, but it is a strong side, which could be very useful in the deep league world. Like many others we discuss here at RITD, Meckler is no longer a toddler; he’s 26, and his last MLB experience came in 2023 with the Giants. He played 20 games in total, and it really didn’t go that well. An opportunity is an opportunity, however, so if he can continue to do anything with his current opportunity, it could lead to deep league value as we head into the summer.
Blaze Alexander. Alexander is owned in 13% of Fantrax leagues, and it feels like more than that to me based on how many of my leagues he’s featured in. He’s been playing well enough for the Orioles to perhaps warrant a look in some of the shallower leagues, especially after a big game earlier this week. Of course, it is unlikely that he will see another game in his career with such production, because he had not only three hits, including a homer, but a whopping 6 RBI. He seems to be getting consistent opportunities at least, though, and is suited at 2B, 3B, and OF in most leagues. That’s three times the merit of the position.
Victor Mesa Jr. Well, it seems like we first heard about Victors Mesa almost two decades ago. Not much has ever come of it, but Victor Mesa is currently the best for the Rays. He has hit three straight games this week, going a clean 3 for 10, with a homer and 2 RBI. Playing time in Tampa Bay is always sad, of course, but for now, he should be on the league’s deep radar as we see how things develop. Despite perhaps still holding post-hype prospect intrigue, Mesa Jr. somehow he is only 24 years old.
Yoendrys Gomez. I’m not talking about relievers ton as there are entire departments here at Razzball Empire dedicated to such topics. But, I’m so surprised/surprised by so many close-ups this year (I’ll leave the “h” out for now), that I thought I’d write a whole post about it. I can still do that, but for now, we’re going with Gomez. His ownership increased by 3% over time (up to 12%), which isn’t surprising considering how well he’s been pitching. In case it slipped under your radar, Gomez notched his third save of the season (in three chances) against the Twins earlier this week. Gomez had pitched badly for the Rays before arriving in Minnesota less than a month ago, but his numbers with the Twins were pure. It’s just 8.2 innings, and he’s about as good a reliever as he’s ever been, but he still has to show off his 1.04 ERA and 0.08 WHIP with his current team.
