Latest news with #D.J.Short
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Bubba Chandler, Ryan Weathers, and Hunter Dobbins
We're now officially more than one quarter of the way through the MLB season and it's getting increasingly difficult to find standout players on the waiver wire. So, we need to look a bit deeper to find gems. Fear not, because there are still a handful of available players that have the chance to be difference makers in both the short and long term. MLB: Los Angeles Dodgers at Miami Marlins MLB Power Rankings: Freddie Freeman leads Dodgers, the Cardinals and Twins are rolling Advertisement The Cardinals and Twins each bring eight-game winning streaks into the new week. D.J. Short , D.J. Short , Here are three players that are under 40% rostered on Yahoo leagues that you should strongly consider adding. If you want a larger list, Eric Samulski wrote his extended waiver wire piece on Sunday. Bubba Chandler, SP Pirates (30% Rostered on Yahoo) Chandler's debut is likely imminent. Mainly because he's proven everything he needs to at Triple-A with a 2.00 ERA over 67 1/3 innings split between the last two seasons with 95 strikeouts and 26 walks. Apart from those great results, his stuff is incredible. Chandler's fastball sits in the upper-90s and routinely touches triple digits with great rising action. It has a 42% whiff rate this season in the minors and we can trust its potential to be one of the best handful of fastballs by any starting pitcher in the league immediately when he's called up. Advertisement Otherwise, his most reliable secondary pitch is a slider that averages 88 mph with great bite. He's also comfortable with his changeup – a big deal for pitchers who are making the jump to the majors – and has more than doubled the usage of his curveball at triple-A this season compared to last. Again, the stuff or matter of readiness is not in question. This just comes down to when the Pirates call Chandler's number, and it could be very soon if they follow the same plan they used last year with Paul Skenes. Similar to Chandler, Skenes was tormenting Triple-A batters last April and we all knew he'd be in the big leagues before long. Pittsburgh waited until after the Super Two deadline in early May, which is the annual cut-off that determines whether a player begins the arbitration process after two or three years of service time, and scheduled Skenes for a home game against a division rival. That was Saturday, May 11th against the Cubs. Advertisement Now, again, we're in early May, the Pirates' next esteemed pitching prospect is on fire, and they have a seven-game homestand coming up next week against the Reds and Brewers. With their season spinning out of control after the early firing of manager Derek Shelton and a last-place 14-28 record, the organization will be looking for a spark both on and off the field. Chandler is that spark and he needs to be stashed away on more rosters with an increasing likelihood he debuts sooner rather than later. Ryan Weathers, SP Marlins (13% Rostered on Yahoo) One of the most popular breakout picks from this spring, Weathers is set to make his season debut this coming Wednesday against the Cubs. Advertisement While inconsistent and sometimes unimpressive in the past, he showed off improved stuff this spring and that makes him an intriguing flier. Weathers generated buzz in March when he was tossing 99 mph fastballs with around 20 inches of induced vertical break after previously sitting in the mid-90s with a relatively unimpressive shape. Only five qualified left-handed starting pitchers in the league right now – Tarik Skubal, Garrett Crochet, Jesús Luzardo, Cole Ragans, and MacKenzie Gore – average 95 mph or harder with their fastball. Weathers will join this list when he returns. He'll also show a sweeper, slider, changeup, and sinker off that fastball. He threw each at least 14% of the time in his most recent rehab outing and all five pitches exhibited the same extra life they had during spring training before his forearm strain. Advertisement Before that injury, his average draft position jumped from around pick 400 in February to nearly inside the top-250 just before he went down. Based on that momentum, there was likely more helium to come, too. The market was telling us that he was inching his way into being viewed as a top-50 type of pitcher. Now, he's set to return and the stuff looks exactly as it did when he had all that momentum. Great stuff, great home park, and a guaranteed rotation spot means he should be rostered in more places than he is right now. Hunter Dobbins, SP Red Sox (7% Rostered on Yahoo) The Red Sox have a decision to make next week. Advertisement Walker Buehler is set to return from the injured list. Brayan Bello and Lucas Giolito have come back healthy and that trio plus Garrett Crochet gives them 80% of a solid rotation. That leaves just one spot between the upstart Dobbins and Tanner Houck. Dobbins has been solid as a 25-year-old rookie who's made four scattered, spot-starts over the course of the season. He's reached the sixth inning in three of those four starts with a 2.78 ERA, 19.8% strikeout rate and 4.2% walk rate. His low strikeout number hints that these strong results may not have much staying power, but he's been excellent at limiting damage due to tremendous command and a deep arsenal that includes two distinct sliders, a curveball, and a splitter. Advertisement All four of those secondary pitches have a plus movement profile and gives him multiple weapons to attack hitters from each side of the plate with. Also, they help to cover up his four-seam fastball, which doesn't miss many bats despite sitting at 95 mph. Then, we have Houck, who has a major-league worst 8.04 ERA and is coming off a 2 1/3 innings, 11 earned run catastrophe against the Tigers on Monday. Shockingly, it was the second time this season he's allowed 11 earned runs in fewer than three innings of work. Houck has gotten into trouble this season because he's failed to develop a method for facing left-handed batters. He has a solid sinker and sweeper combo, but that's really it. Neither of those pitches often perform well for right-handed pitchers against left-handed batters and they've allowed a .633 and .690 slugging percentage for Houck, respectively. Dobbins will face this same Tigers team on Wednesday and a start significantly better than Houck's could give him a leg up in the race for the fifth starter spot that will be decided soon. Advertisement Given Dobbins' pitch-ability and Houck's more stuff-centric approach, Houck is better suited for the bullpen anyway. Dobbins is a solid speculative add at the moment with an increased likelihood he'll be able to stick in this rotation. Just be mindful of how difficult of a place Fenway Park is to pitch and if Dobbins is on your team, use him more so as a streamer away from home or only at home in favorable matchups.
NBC Sports
14-02-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
2025 fantasy baseball draft prep: Rankings, strategy, sleepers, mock draft results
With spring training getting underway, fantasy baseball drafts won't be far behind. The Rotoworld Baseball staff is happy to help set you up for success, both on draft day and for the duration of the 2025 MLB season. That's why we've put together this page to have links to all of our preseason coverage in one place. Keep in mind that this is just the tip of the iceberg of the comprehensive content you'll see between now and Opening Day. Bookmark this page and check back often as we add our latest articles and rankings to this page. Happy drafting season! 2025 FANTASY BASEBALL RANKINGS 2025 preseason Top 300 rankings for 5x5 mixed leagues 2025 fantasy baseball Top 500 dynasty rankings 2025 Top 150 starting pitchers 2025 Top 100 prospects D.J. Short, 2025 FANTASY BASEBALL STRATEGY ARTICLES Fantasy baseball bullpen report: Top closers, sleepers, outlooks for each team Fantasy baseball post-hype pitchers: Baz, Williams could be ready for breakout Fantasy baseball post-hype hitters: Larnach, Walker among names to consider Fantasy baseball sleeper pitchers: Ryan, Meyers, Verlander in February update Fantasy baseball sleeper hitters: Lowe, Meadows part of February update Fantasy baseball ADP movers for February: Contreras, new closers surging Starting pitcher strategy: Finding this year's Garrett Crochet Fantasy baseball breakout candidates: Vinnie Pasquantino leads hitters entering their prime years Fantasy baseball dynasty start-up mock draft (from late January)
