The cream rises to the top. Here's are the position battle updates from this week.
Cardinals CF: Top prospect Victor Scott has had a very good spring to make it a competition, but former top prospect Dylan Carlson has gotten hot and has probably done enough to send Scott back down to the minors to open the season. The team hasn't made an official decision yet, to be clear, this is just me reading the tea leaves; Scott hasn't played at Triple-A yet, and I'm guessing the organization was hoping they'd get a reason not to call him up yet, and Carlson's .865 OPS might be enough. I hope I'm wrong, and even if I'm not, I think it'll be weeks, not months, before we see Scott and his game-breaking speed up with the big-league squad.
White Sox rotation: Garret Crochet not only made the White Sox rotation – he's their Opening Day starter! He hasn't started a non-exhibition game since 2020 when he was in college, so I'm not expecting Crochet to go out there and pitch deep into games right away – he hasn't recorded more than 11 outs in a game this spring, after all. But Crochet has been very good, with 12 strikeouts over nine scoreless innings, and I'm targeting him in the later rounds in case the former top prospect lives up to his former hype. And, with Michael Kopech moving back to the bullpen – where he is a candidate for saves and a late-round sleeper himself – it looks like Michael Soroka has a rotation spot locked up, too. The former Rookie of the Year runner up has thrown just 46 innings in the majors since his rookie season, and was awful last year with the Braves, but he's had a very good spring himself and could be someone we're rushing to add on waivers in April if he gets off to a nice start. In 15-team leagues where you have a roster spot to play with, consider beating the rush.
Dodgers rotation: Tyler Glasnow and Yoshinobu Yamamoto were not great in their debuts, but they should remain at the top of the rotation when the Dodgers begin their domestic schedule, with Bobby Miller, James Paxton, and Gavin Stone slotting in behind them. Emmett Sheehan once seemed likely to be in the rotation, but he was added to the IL with right forearm inflammation this week and could be out a while, it seems. Stone is a very intriguing sleeper now.
Tigers No. 4/5 SP: Reese Olson, Matt Manning, and Casey Mize are competing for two of the final three spots for the Tigers, and I'm not sure how they're gonna pick; they've all had terrific springs, with velocity up across the board and ERAs of 3.68 or better. I'm guess Olson is the most likely candidate for No. 4, which leaves two former first-round picks in Mize and Manning to battle it out. Manning has probably been a bit better this spring, but it seems like a legitimate coin flip between the two of them, and they're both interesting last-round targets.
Marlins rotation: With injuries delaying Braxton Garrett and Edward Cabrera's start to the season, plus Eury Perez's uncertainty, it looks like the Marlins have more than enough room for A.J. Puk, Ryan Weathers, and Trevor Rogers. Heck, they might even have room for Max Meyer, though they've already optioned him to minor-league camp, so it seems more likely we'll see Bryan Hoeing or George Soriano as the fifth starter to open the season. Puk, Rogers, and Weathers are all worth targeting in the later rounds in that order, with Puk probably worth a top-250 pick this days.
Reds No. 5 SP: plus Nick Lodolo: Lodolo looks set to make his season debut on April 10, so the Reds are going to have to boot someone from the rotation when that happens. Which means Nick Martinez and Andrew Abbott will be pitching for their jobs for the first couple of turns through the rotation. Abbott is the higher upside option, so I'm rooting for him, though Martinez has had a couple of pretty interesting seasons pitching in long relief. Could both pitchers make things tough enough on the Reds that Graham Ashcraft's (4.76 ERA last season, 4.81 for his career) job is in jeopardy? That might be the best outcome for Fantasy, though Martinez's experience in the bullpen could also make for a more natural switch.
Twins No. 5 SP: Louie Varland will fill out the Twins rotation. That news comes after the team announced that Anthony DeSclafani will open the season on the IL with a forearm injury, and it's a decision Fantasy players need to know about. Varland has been very good in his minor-league career, sporting a 2.96 ERA and 29% strikeout rate, and could be a pretty interesting sleeper.
Braves No. 5 SP: Reynaldo Lopez is the Braves No. 5 SP. I'm not particularly interested in Lopez, but he did legitimately beat out Bryce Elder and A.J. Smith-Shawver for the spot in the spring.
Royals No. 5 starter: Alec Marsh won the competition, with Jordan Lyles moved to the bullpen and Daniel Lynch sent down. Marsh is not without some appeal, which primarily centers around a legitimately very good sweeper that garnered a 45% whiff rate last season. The problem is … he just hasn't been very good, either in the majors or the minors – he has an ERA over 5.60 at both levels. He's an AL-only target when waivers run this week, but probably not more than that.
Cubs rotation: Jordan Wicks and Javier Assad will be the No. 4 and 5 starters for the Cubs, with Drew Smyly set to begin the season in the bullpen and Jameson Taillon looking likely to open on the IL with a back injury. Taillon may not miss much more time than that, so they'll have to make another decision, and if I had to make a choice between them, I'd defer to Wicks' better minor-league track record, though he's certainly only an NL-only option for now.
