Baseball Prospectus - Chat with Mark Barry

Chat: Mark Barry

Welcome to Baseball Prospectus' Wednesday August 16, 2017 1:00 PM ET chat session with Mark Barry.

Mark is a staff writer for the BP Fantasy team.

Mark Barry: Day baseball is on. And so are we (fine, not a great start). Let's have a chat.

Ceej (Pittsburgh): I've seen a wide range of opinions on Torres. Think defensive shifting keeps him at SS when he comes up next year, or does he get moved to 2B or 3B?

Mark Barry: With Didi under contract through 2020, I don't think his spot will be at short. I'm guessing he moves, and will man the hot corner at some point during the 2018 season.

Chris (DC): Nick Williams has 5 walks in the past week. 5! Moving forward, what type of value does he have in a OBP dynasty league? Does he have the chance to be a top 20 OF?

Mark Barry: I guess there's a chance, but he's never been a fan of drawing walks at any stop, so he's going to have to hit his way to a decent OBP. It's possible, but I think Top-20 is a stretch, in OBP leagues, especially.

easterbrook (ontario canada): good day mark...... With the torrid ascent of Robert Acuna, who at the mlb level would be a favourable comp?

Mark Barry: Oh man Acuna has been incredible. He's hitting .328/.400/.560 at Triple-A in 31 games. He's 19. PECTOA has his top two comps as Mike Trout and Carlos Correa, and that was before this season.

Cal Guy (Cal): Hi Mark, Are either late blooming OF Pham or Hicks for real, and what do you expect from them next season?

Mark Barry: I think they're both for real, to a degree. Both just needed a break to play a little more. If Hicks can stay healthy, I could see him doing something like .270/.360/.450, which would more than play in that lineup.

Same deal for Pham. I might actually give him the slight nod for fantasy purposes, just based on his success stealing bases this year.

Buff (CO): What's your take on Chris Shaw? Can he play the outfield? Will he be the power bat the Giants so desperately need?

Mark Barry: Shaw has been an interesting name for awhile. He's striking out a little too much for my liking at Triple-A, but he's also slugging over .525, so I guess you just deal with it. If Schwarber can play the outfield, I don't see why Shaw couldn't.

dan22ke9 (Windy City): Can you provide any recent information regarding David Dahl's back spasms that led to DL list. Is this new injury somehow related to his prior cracked ribs?

Mark Barry: I don't have any updates about Dahl's condition, but man that dude seems to get unlucky a lot with injuries. It seems reasonable that it could be related, I agree.

Herb Tarlek (WKRP, Ohio): Best guess for David Dahl stats in 2018? Will they be in Colorado?

Mark Barry: A follow up on Dahl: it's always been about health with him. A healthy Dahl at Coors Field? Maybe something like .290ish average with 20-25 homers and 15-20 steals? Obviously that's with the biggest and boldest of caveats.

Angelfan114 (California): Would you trade acuna, j Sanchez, quantrill and a future first round amateur pick (2020) for hamels and Donaldson. I'm in 3rd place in a 10 team standard scoring.

Mark Barry: I would have an awfully hard time trading Acuna, especially with Hamels and Donaldson being relatively down this year. If you can keep those two beyond this year and think it could bring you a championship, flags fly forever.

Paul (DC): Zach Godley and his ungodly like success. Where the heck did this come from and more importantly, can he keep a reasonable facsimile of it up in future seasons?

Mark Barry: I love Godley. I wrote about him for a Freestyle a couple weeks back and was kind of blown away with what he's done so far this season. I think the elite groundball rate has come back to earth a little, which won't help him at Chase Field, but I still think he's really good. I could see him as a top 30ish option next season.

Cal Guy (Cal): Mark, Dodgers have a crowded starting rotation. Is Buehler going to be part of the rotation next season?

Mark Barry: I wouldn't be surprised to see Buehler make his debut out of the pen this season for the Dodgers. I think the rotational depth they have will likely just make it easier for them to be super careful with him next year, although that didn't end up helping with Julio Urias :(

I don't see him making an impact out of the rotation next year, but he could see a start here and there.

Brick (Tampa, fl): How high does Florial rise on the 2018 BP prospect list?

Mark Barry: I know he's got some serious tools, but he's still super young. Maybe the back half of the Top-100?

matzabal (CO): I own Rougned Odor and Yoan Moncada in a keeper league. Who's going to be a better 2B bet in 2018? And who's better in 2019?

Mark Barry: Odor has a .258 OBP this season, which just seems impossible. I just don't love his approach, and a lot needs to go right for him to be a net positive. That said, it did last season, so it's possible.

Moncada strikes out a TON. He also walks a lot, and his contact numbers are up, while his swinging strike rate is slightly down. I think he figures it out. I'll take Moncada for both 2018 and 2019.

a.j. (las vegas): the white sox seem to have half a dozen potential closer prospects. Which one do you see winding up with the saves?

Mark Barry: Honestly, I have no idea. Their bullpen looks bleak right now. Having said that, it did last year too and they found guys like Kahnle and Swarzak to fill in admirably. I think picking up Zack Burdi right now as a dynasty league stash could be an interesting idea.

Tap Dancer (There): Stephen Gonsalves and Jack Flaherty continue to tear it up in the minors. Do you see either receiving a September call up and making an impact at the major league level?

Mark Barry: Gonsalves just got to Rochester, so I wouldn't expect his call up to be imminent unless he continues to dominate. It looks like he's well below his innings output from last season, so if they keep hanging around the WC race, he could be an interesting option.

I'd be more surprised if Flaherty gets a call this year, with their rotation looking a little more crowded and Luke Weaver likely being the next in line at the Triple-A level.

Brick (Tampa, fl): Next year's Ronald Acuna will be...

Mark Barry: I mean, the correct answer is probably "n/a", but Florial could make a leap. Also a guy like Miguel Aparicio could be interesting.

BC (Urbandale): Is Wills on Contrearas' ceiling best catcher in the game?

Mark Barry: Sure, it's possible. I think he's closer to his ceiling now, so it would take drop-offs from Posey, Sanchez, and Perez. He's easily a top-5 guy already.

Chansen8895 (San Jose): What are you doing with Gregory Polanco in a dynasty setting? This season has just been painful.....

Mark Barry: Ugh. Polanco has been one of my favorite dynasty targets for the last handful of seasons. He just hasn't been healthy at all this year, so it's been tough to build on what he did last year. I'm worried that he's always going to be a guy that deals with lingering issues. I'm hanging on to him because his value is probably at an all time low right now.

Mark Barry: Wrapping up a bit early today, apologies. Thanks for all the questions!