Now that we have some data in from early drafts, we’re going to switch things up for May As in prior years, we want to identify trending players in the early supplemental drafts, so that you can share in the wisdom of the crowds and see who is increasing in value. Because it’s not really viable information at this point to tell you that lots of people are drafting Jeremy Hazelbaker, we’re limiting our trend lists only to players who are still available in the majority of AL- and NL-only leagues. At least some of these players should still be available in your format, and are frequently worth a second look.
American League
Trending Scoresheet Draft Picks
1. Tony Wolters
2. Johnny Barbato
3. Dan Straily
6. Coco Crisp
9. Vidal Nuno
10. Enny Romero
11. Ronald Torreyes
12. Dae-Ho Lee
14. Mike Zunino
15. Brett Nicholas
16. Marc Rzepczynski
17. Tyler Wilson
18. Jorge Polanco
19. Ryan Rua
20. Darwin Barney
A few names stand out to us from this list. Devenski should be picked up in nearly all leagues, as a near-ready prospect who has stood out in the majors to date. Torreyes can hit a little bit, and makes for great speculative insurance for anyone who needs up-the-middle innings, particular if you’re already reliant on a Yankees infield member. Lee is a classic Scoresheet supplemental pick as a player with a hot start and a clearly defined role on a playoff team (listen to our podcast for more). Alvarez is perfect for people stashing away mid-season innings. He’s obviously does not come without risk, but he’s expected to be back soon. Zunino feels like fool’s gold to us, but if you’re a believer that he’s finally turned a corner, you should buy in, and maybe you should buy in anyway if you need catcher innings. Polanco’s constant yo-yoing by the Twins has clouded his value, but he should be owned in nearly every league at this point by teams who have space on their rosters to invest in the future. Tyler Saladino just misses this list, but is showing unexpected pop, carrying over from spring training.
Trending Prospects (Players who have not yet debuted in the major leagues)
1. Colin Moran
2. Edwin Diaz
3. Sam Travis
4. Joe Musgrove
5. Trey Mancini
6. Luis Ortiz
8. Renato Nunez
9. Andy Ibanez
10. Matt Chapman
Moran has cooled off significantly since a hot start, but is still likely an improvement on Luis Valbuena. He could be worth rostering if you need innings, but is no guarantee to be a keeper if he loses rookie eligibility this year. Diaz was moved to the bullpen a little prematurely, and should no longer be on your radar. Musgrove and Guerrieri are classic examples of why it doesn’t pay to draft non-elite A-ball pitchers, as you can still find near-ready gems in many supplementals. Matt Chapman is a surprising name to see on this list. As a former first-round pick from a major college, he’s the type of player who is usually owned in too many leagues rather than the other way around.
National League
Trending Scoresheet Draft Picks
1. Ryan Buchter
3. Derek Law
5. Caleb Cotham
6. Alexi Ogando
10. Matt Joyce
11. Cory Gearrin
12. Matt Szczur
13. Tommy La Stella
14. Blake Wood
15. David Ross
16. Cedric Hunter
17. Mallex Smith
18. Matt Bowman
19. Ryan Raburn
20. Jerry Blevins
As is generally the case, the National League supplemental drafts are slightly shallower than AL drafts, and tilted more towards pitching, for obvious reasons. Henderson, Law, and Gearrin are our favorite bets from this list going forward. We discuss Joyce, Szczur, and La Stella in depth on this week’s podcast, but are in the tank for all of them, as we are with Sean Rodriguez, who barely missed this list. Brandon McCarthy and Tim Lincecum are a little further off the list, but can provide innings soon.
Trending Prospects (Players who have not yet debuted in the major leagues)
1. Jorge Alfaro
2. Josh Hader
3. Andrew Knapp
5. Lucas Sims
6. Austin Riley
7. Amed Rosario
9. Ke’Bryan Hayes
10. Trent Clark
Alfaro and Knapp are competing for the same role in the battle to replace Carlos Ruiz next year. We think Knapp is more likely to be valuable between the two of them, but they are both worth a flyer. We’ve spent a lot of podcast time this season on Josh Hader, suffice it to say we’re not going to be less excited after a month spent laying waste to the Southern League. Rosario, Hayes, and Clark seem like legitimate pop-up guys, and we’re also high on Cody Bellinger and Alex Verdugo, who just missed this ranking.
This Week’s Podcast
This week, the Outcomes take the long way around to discussing May supplemental picks, stopping to lament the Cubs hot start and what it means for the “best player available” strategy. We also provide on-the-ground coverage of Max Scherzer’s most recent start, as well as what the Outcomes would proudly consider to be the second-best Good Wife coverage on the Baseball Prospectus podcast network. Catch this week’s podcast! It’s more fun than hanging off the side of the CN Tower.
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