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Jun7 2021 Chat
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Brent Hershey
12:02
Happy Monday; especially if you've got Jesse Winker rostered! Queue is full, but always room for more — and as always, some brief context is preferable. Let's roll!
Rich
12:05
Hi Brent.  Two quick questions:  1) Skubal or Matz ROS?  2) Eric Haase: fact or fluke?  I know he’ll strike out 30+ percent of the time, but the power seems real, and the Tigers have been playing him in LF when he doesn’t catch, which could make for some extra dingers. Worth hanging onto even with Will Smith as my primary catcher, to play on days Smith sits and occasionally spell one of my outfielders (he’ll be OF-eligible with one more start in Yahoo leagues)?
Brent Hershey
12:05
1) Skubal. 2) I tend to still be skeptical in general, but this is the type of player who I'd prefer over a rookie catcher, for instance. As far as positional eligibility, not sure that helps a ton now in-season, as if some semblance of this continues, he's still not going to be a good play in the OF, really. But truth be told, I had a couple nominal bids in on him myself this weekend. Might be playable at C in some leagues.
Paulie Walnuts
12:08
Dynasty League 5x5 AL.  I have Leiter and Rocker in the minors hoping at least one of them goes to the AL with picks 2 through 5. What does the road to the majors look like for college players as opposed to those in the minors at the same age.
Brent Hershey
12:08
For those two pitchers coming out of a Tier-1 college program like Vandy, the road is likely short to the majors; often much smoother than similarly-aged MiLBers. No blanket answers, but the consistent high level of competition Leiter/Rocker have faced only helps prepare them for their ascent. Good luck with the AL assignments!
Dennis
12:10
12 team H2H 5X5 league. Is it time to cut CJ Cronn?
Brent Hershey
12:10
In a 12-teamer, probably better options. But realize that before the injury, he looked decent in April. But that team context is a rough one, and will likely not get better in the coming months.
PJH
12:13
Thanks for being generous with your time, Brent. In my H2H points league, I need to decide between Cron, Votto, and Sano at 1B for ROS. Who would you consider to be my best bet? Thanks!
Brent Hershey
12:13
I'd probably lean Votto; Sano just makes too many outs and we addressed Cron above -- who is closer to JoeyV in this format for me. And appreciate the kind words; this is always fun!
Buff
12:14
Thoughts on Keston Hiura: NL-only keeper league, hold and hope he figures it out, or sell for what you can get before his value tanks completely?
Brent Hershey
12:14
Tough call, but yeah, think you need to hold, unless you don't have a bench and you HAVE to play him. Hard to imagine his value plummeting more, but I guess it's possible.
Beano
12:17
NL 11 team 5x5: I need a starter. Available: K Stewart, T Davidson, j Lester.  Advice please!
Brent Hershey
12:17
Think I'd roll the dice w/ Davidson right now, but keep an eye on Stewart just b/c the Cubs seem to be doing some different things as far as pitcher profile preferences.
Todd
12:23
Hi Brent.  in an OBP-ish format (avg and BBs) is Brandon Lowe droppable when Votto returns from the IL?? do you see a scenario where Lowe's contact % returns to 2020 levels??
Brent Hershey
12:23
Hmm ... so small sample, but Lowe's June ct% is 70% (what it was in 2020). And April wasn't THAT far off (67%). Walk rate is fine; there's some minor BABIP misfortune, but quality of contact data (Statcast) has been down. So ... I think I'd still prefer Lowe over Votto ROS given the power potential there, but can see the argument for Votto, also.
AL Guy
12:27
B. Lowe - BA Upside ROS? & will E. Rosario's power come back?
Brent Hershey
12:27
Yes (tentatively) on Lowe. For Rosario, just this morning was looking at his line and shook my head at that 4 HR/.347 SLG. Plate skills mostly the same; weird groundball/flyball switch, but HR/F way down. Has never been a Statcast darling; nothing stands out there. That all says 'hold' to me, and that yes, pop has a good chance of returning.
Buff
12:33
Any ideas about why Spencer Howard consistently loses 2 or 3 ticks of velo in the 3rd or 4th inning and what this. portends for his future?
Brent Hershey
12:33
Baffling to the Phils, and baffling to me. When I saw several of his MiLB starts over the years, and confirmed this with other scouts, one of Howard's attributes was being able to HOLD his velocity deep into games (like that Low-A no-hitter that I attended, when his finishing pitch #103 was 96 mph). The fact that he's repeatedly had the opposite experience in his MLB starts just points to .... actually, I dunno what; maybe a physical (injury) problem? It's perplexing for sure, as he has the arsenal/stuff to start. Still TBD, obviously.
Steve
12:36
What is your assessment of Jarren Duran?  Is he ready to help the Red Sox this year or does he still need to refine his approach to increase his contact rate?
Brent Hershey
12:36
Sure seems like he's ready to me -- the contact rate drop is the trade-off for the increased power. From a fantasy perspective, think he has the CHANCE to be a difference-maker w/ power/speed combo in the 2H.
Guest
12:37
any of these players make sense for an AL only 10 team 5x5 traditional: tellez,bradley,garlick,gittems,lamb or zinmmer.  thanks
Brent Hershey
12:37
Sure, in an AL-only, would prob rank them Bradley (opportunity) / Tellez (hitting the ball hard) / Zimmer (young enough to have 2nd act with some power/speed).
Ms. J. Rabbit
12:40
Hiya, Brent! Honestly, I picked up Skubal a month ago because my boyfriend's a Tigers' fan and Tarik's adorable. Now I'm being inundated with trade offers! (One includes a straight-up offer for Mize.)

Forever keeper league. Do I hold?
Brent Hershey
12:40
Good scouting! I think we're seeing Skubal figuring it out over the past month or so. Higher K upside than Mize, though Casey perhaps safer long-term. I'd probably hold, but if one of those offers is for a more established player that's a good fit for your team, it would be worth considering. But he's also a quality keeper.
Peter Smiley
12:43
Brent, we're finally going to to see the Power of Kowar today! Are you a believer? Baseball's a strange game, so should any of us be shocked if Jackson somehow manages to become the most successful of the young KC hurlers? #AlsoRosterLacy
Brent Hershey
12:43
I'll be watching for sure; mainly to see if the reports of his CB development will make their way over to the majors. Wowza fastball-changeup combo when I saw him in High-A several years ago, but needed a breaking pitch option. Some reports say it's come into fruition; we'll see here early on. I still prefer Lynch (and prob Lacy also) long-term despite his rude MLB awakening, but that could change. Some real fun arms in that KC system.
Jeff KC
12:47
Hi Brent. Thanks as always for these chat opportunities. I'm in AL-only league and question about hot-starting Yermin Mercedes. His production really slowed in May, but HQ's projection for the rest of the year is still pretty rosy - 17 HR, doubling his RBI count YTD. What's your view -- is Yermin just in a slump right now, or have pitchers figured him out and we won't see him hit like April every again? Thanks.
Brent Hershey
12:47
Pretty fair to say he's not going to hit .415 with 5 HR every month  from here on (his April output). Cliché, but yes, baseball is game of adjustments. Seems like the league has had the upper hand since April; he needs to adjust back. Feel like he showed enough in April to adjust our expectations upwards some, thus the BHQ rosy ROS. But that figures that he'll continue to find a way.
Giancarlo
12:49
What do you think about Kirilloff? Statcast data following the wrist injury (which apparently is the same one he's injured before) are not impressive. Should I get him for Jazz? 12tm H2H 6x6 with OBP. Jazz is my bench and seems decently useful in daily lineup lg with SB potential vs. Kirilloff who I thought was a great buy for avg, obp and hrs pre-injury..
Brent Hershey
12:49
In general—and especially in a keeper formate—prefer AK. But for this year only; I'd probably stay with Jazz at this point until Kirilloff shows the wrist is healthy.
Jesus
12:51
Thoughts on India? Just a little hot stretch or do you think he could be on to something?
Brent Hershey
12:51
Hot stretch for sure .. but had one of these early on, then went through a rough patch, and is now back hitting again. With the Senzel/Moose injuries, bodes well that he's hitting again. Not anointing him star status, but liking what I'm seeing now. Controlling the strike zone for sure.
Sean
12:52
Pavin Smith or Trevor Larnach ROS? Both are interesting but I can only add one.
Brent Hershey
12:52
Smith, as I feel he's carved out more of a niche than Larnach for now. TL could be sent back once Buxton returns.
Jake
12:53
Is Jackson Kowar 12 team mixed worthy?
Brent Hershey
12:53
For me, not blindly (without seeing a MLB start), no. Think there's better options in 12-teamers.
Josh
12:55
Fry, Sulser or stay away from Baltimore's pen?
Brent Hershey
12:55
Prob #3 is the most prudent choice, but depending on bench, settings, etc, could see where taking a shot on either of these guys make sense. It's what this crazy saves market has come to
Garrett
12:55
Jeff Mcneil is sitting in my free agent pool right now, should I pounce? His skills looked fine before the injury, just a low hit percentage. You a believer?
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