Baseball Prospectus - Chat with Mark Barry

Chat: Mark Barry

Welcome to Baseball Prospectus' Friday June 05, 2020 1:00 PM ET chat session with Mark Barry.

Mark Barry is a member of the Baseball Prospectus fantasy team.

Mark Barry: Light queue today, but let's do some chatting.

sykklone (IA): My only baseball concern right now is if they play or not. In your opinion what are the chances?

Mark Barry: Man, I don't know. I hope so, because I love baseball, but also there are so many issues re: health/safety and labor. I'm definitely not encouraged by some of the owners' negotiation tactics, either. Let's say 60/40, no baseball this season.

brad (NJ): Thanks for the chat. I have been seeing a trend of expert starting to lean towards Lux as the second best prospect and Adell as third of course after Franco. What say you?

Mark Barry: I totally understand the Lux love. He's up and he's good. I think he might be safer than Adell, but I don't think there's nearly the upside that you get from Jo Adell. I think Adell should be closer to #1 than #3.

MK (Houston): What is your dynasty outlook for Mitch Haniger and Gregory Polanco? Do you think they'll bounce back from big injuries and be valuable dynasty pieces?

Mark Barry: These two are both hard to talk about, but for different reasons. I've been super high on Polanco since seeing him in Indy, so he's been one of My Dudes. One of the things that was so appealing was that he could blend the power/speed, but as the years go by, the speed is drying up and as the shoulder injuries accumulate, so has the power. I'm hoping for the best, but not rushing out to scoop him up anywhere.

Haniger, well, his injuries and subsequent surgeries just sound awful. Last I read, he still hasn't been cleared for baseball activity, but he's at least working out, which is good. I'd guess we don't see him this season. I'd be interested to see if anyone is selling low in dynasty, although the injury history is certainly alarming.

coffeeguy8806 (Chicagoooo): How do you think the game restructuring (be is tournie or shortening in an obscure way) will change the value or bubble players/prospects? I immediately think of Kyle Wright, Logan Gilbert, Spencer Howard, Tucker, Lowe etc My concern is that these guys don't see the light of day then you are stuck with an anchor on a roster that is too good to cut but no one will pay for. Thanks and stay safe out there! -Stan

Mark Barry: I think Spencer Howard making the Opening Day roster as the 5th starter was one of those not-so-secret secrets, so he's probably likelier to contribute in a present sense than the others. I've always held out for Tucker, but the more and more I talk to people, I get struck with the "The team isn't creating room for him for a reason" vibes. Same goes for Lowe.

I also think that the restructuring could be okay for bubble guys, especially if they expand rosters to 30+. Those guys that might've languished in Triple-A could see more opportunities with the likelihood of a minor-league season decreasing by the day.

brad (NJ): I am hoping the Yankees take a college SP in round one and hoping Blaze Jordan falls to them in round two. What do you think the chances of that are?

Mark Barry: A college pitcher late in round one does sound very Yankees, but I don't know if I'd count on Blaze being around that long.

Ben (Pittsburgh): For 12 team dynasties, is Chris Archer now a drop? he probably should have been prior but got to imagine this may be the end of his rosterable fantasy career.

Mark Barry: Ugh. Yeah the Archer news is terrible. He's probably a drop now, yes, unless you have the means to hang on to him on the IL or your rosters are crazy deep.

Mark Barry: I think we're going to wrap it up there. Thanks for the questions, it was lovely as always. Take care of each other.