MLB FAAB Factor: And We're Off!

This FAAB article is in addition to the AL and NL FAAB articles that run Sunday. Bids are based on a $100 FAAB budget. Throughout the season, this column will have two goals:

1. Identify FAAB targets for fantasy managers in leagues with Thursday FAAB.

2. Offer a preview of FAAB targets ahead of Sunday's columns.

Welcome to the first 2024 edition of MLB FAAB Factor. I'm Jorge Martin, your cruise director, and we're in the early stages of the six-month crucible that is the MLB season. To say there are more highs and lows in this fantasy game than in others would be an understatement. But the daily action, the steady drumbeat of the game, really, there's nothing like it. We'll ride through all the dips on this roller-coaster season together.

I'm picking up the baton from my esteemed colleague Jason Shebilske, who handled this space last year. We're keeping the parameters mostly the same, though there might be a tangent or two at the outset from my years in the Dodgers' front office. I hope you enjoy those more than put up with them.

Are any of these players going to be the baseball equivalent of Kyren Williams and Puka Nacua after they were plucked off the fantasy football waiver wires following the first week of the NFL season? Only time will tell. Okay that's enough of an introduction. Let's get into it.

Starting Pitcher

Ronel Blanco, Houston Astros (35%)

Okay, so one of the great things about baseball is how out-of-nowhere players like Blanco can have a glorious day like the no-hitter he threw against the Blue Jays on April 1. A 30-year-old Dominican right-hander with just seven big league starts on the back of his baseball card and a 1.48 WHIP in 2023, all Blanco did was dazzle the Toronto lineup and get 20 swinging strikes on the way to seven strikeouts and just two walks. Blanco faces Texas on April 7, and we should find out quickly if he has a chance to match Johnny Vander Meer with back-to-back no-nos.
FAAB Bid: $9

Jared Jones, Pittsburgh Pirates (51%)

(Note: Jones was rostered in under 50% of Yahoo leagues as of this writing.) So much was made of top prospect Paul Skenes during spring training that Jones went almost unnoticed going into his own major league debut on March 30. All he did was bring an electric fastball that topped out at 99.9 mph on the way to striking out 10 Marlins in a 9-3 victory. He threw 89 pitches in 5.2 innings. With the Pirates being one of the sneaky teams in the early part of the season, Jones is one of the players who must be rostered, even if he's going against the potent Orioles lineup on April 5. 
FAAB Bid: $12

Garrett Whitlock, Boston Red Sox (39%)

The right-hander is a part of an underrated Boston rotation that could be good for fantasy – and Red Sox Nation – this season. Whitlock started the season with a five-inning, three-hit, one-run performance against the Mariners on March 31. His innings marks the past three seasons have not surpassed 78.1, so in the second half of the season we could see signs of fatigue. Pick him up for an April 6 start against the Angels that looks tantalizing. RP eligibility could be valuable in certain leagues.
FAAB Bid: $3

Ranger Suarez, Philadelphia Phillies (32%)

Suarez figures to slot in behind Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola as a crafty lefty who could eat some innings. And with the Phillies' potent lineup banging out runs on the daily, Suarez could get some cheap wins. He wasn't so lucky against the Braves in his first start, allowing three runs in five innings while striking out seven. Up next are the Nationals, so he could at least be a good streaming option.
FAAB Bid: $3

Zack Littell, Tampa Bay Rays (23%)

Death, taxes and the Rays uncovering good pitchers out of nowhere are absolutes in life. Littell is the latest case in point. Last May, the Red Sox DFA'd Littell, and then the Rays scooped him up to remake him. He finished 2023 with a 72-9 K-BB rate over 87 innings with Tampa Bay, and opened this season with six shutout innings, allowing four hits and a pair of walks. The Rays will get starting pitchers back from the IL at various points this season, but Littell should remain in the rotation. 
FAAB Bid: $5

Relief Pitcher

Aroldis Chapman, Pittsburgh Pirates (37%)

David Bednar battled a lat injury during spring training and was unavailable the first two games of the season. Then the Pirates ripped off five wins to start the season, and Chapman registered a save on April 1. The Cuban lefty is throwing in the high 90s again and is a great insurance policy in case Bednar misses time or has to be taken out of save situations because he's less than 100 percent.
FAAB Bid: $2

David Robertson, Texas Rangers (36%)

This is more of a speculative play, as Jose Leclerc has already been dealt a loss and has given up an unsightly five runs in 1.2 innings. Robertson picked up the win in the March 28 opener against the Cubs. He saved 14 games in 17 opportunities for the Mets last year and is next in line for saves if Bruce Bochy wants to make a change in the ninth inning. 
FAAB Bid: $1

Catcher

Elias Diaz, Colorado Rockies (16%)

Is this the type of respect that's shown to a 2023 All-Star – him being available in 84 percent of Yahoo leagues? The Rockies are going to be one of the worst teams in baseball, though Diaz appears to be a lock to start more than 100 games behind the plate and a chunk at DH – he appeared in 141 games with 526 plate appearances last year. Getting regular at-bats is so key from the catching position, and Diaz is a good second catcher in leagues that start two.
FAAB Bid: $3

Austin Wells, New York Yankees (7%)

Wells has started four of seven games at the season's outset, so he's more of a pick in daily-transaction or AL-only leagues. But as a left-handed hitter donning the tolls of ignorance, he'll get the bulk of starts and can take aim for that short right-field porch in Yankee Stadium. He hit four home runs in 19 big-league games last year. 
FAAB Bid: $1

First Base

Brendan Donovan, St. Louis Cardinals (30%)

Donovan has multiposition eligibility at 2B and OF as well as 1B, which is invaluable in daily leagues when days off make some positions really thin. But there's more to Donovan, as he's led off for the Cardinals in each of the first seven games of the season. In his past four games, he's gotten a hit in each, with six RBI and five runs scored. He only stole five bags last year, but that early .393 OBP is something to jump at, especially with injuries happening already. 
FAAB Bid: $4

Nolan Schanuel, Los Angeles Angels (7%)

I love players who walk more than they strike out, and Schanuel had 20 walks vs. 19 strikeouts last year, and already is at 5-4 in favor of bases on balls in the new season. The 2023 first-round pick out of Florida Atlantic is a speculative play on what could be another sub-.500 Angels squad that's just looking for big-leaguers to fill out a lineup. Schanuel won't be a big factor in the power department – just one homer in 29 games in 2023 – but with him often hitting second in the lineup he could score some runs ahead of Mike Trout. 
FAAB Bid: $1

Second Base

Brice Turang, Milwaukee Brewers (41%)

Speed thrills, which is why Turang has been climbing in his rostership percentage and probably will not be eligible for this article next week. The second-year player is hitting .438 with six stolen bases in the first five games. He stole 26 bases last year, so we're just seeing a continuation of Turang utilizing his blazing speed (29.4). He'll be the strong side of a platoon at the very least, so in daily leagues he can be swapped out when he's sitting against tough lefties. 
FAAB Bid: $5

Colt Keith, Detroit Tigers (25%)

Hitting .083 through April 1 – the Tigers have been rained out the past two days – Keith would not be the first rookie to struggle in his debut in the big leagues. The prospect pedigree is too good to overlook, though, as he hit .306 with a .932 OPS, along with 27 homers and 101 RBI across the top two levels of the minors last year. Plus, the name Colt Keith just screams baseball player. Give him time to break out. 
FAAB Bid: $1

Third Base

J.D. Davis, Oakland A's (13%)

Moving across the Bay Area in the final weeks of spring training, Davis has gotten off to a great start with the lowly A's. He's hitting .364 with a pair of home runs, which came on March 29 against the Guardians. Davis has been hitting in the heart of the order for Oakland, so there could be more RBI opportunities as the season progresses. 
FAAB Bid: $5

Michael Busch, Chicago Cubs (12%)

The lefty-hitting Busch could be a linchpin player for the Cubs at first base, though he started the season eligible only at the hot corner. The 2023 Matt Mervis experience left many feeling incomplete, so Chicago did a buy-low trade for Busch, who had done everything he could in the Dodgers' minor league system. After starting the season just 2-for-13, Busch went 3-for-3 with a run and RBI on April 3. Sign of a breakout with his former team coming to Wrigley Field? 
FAAB Bid: $5

Shortstop

Jackson Merrill, San Diego Padres (38%)

Just a few days short of his 21st birthday, Merrill hit his first major league home run on April 1. His bat is no joke, as Merrill hits the ball hard. His max EV is 106.9 and has a hard-hit rate is 47.4 percent, 11 points above the league average. Merrill should also have eligibility in the outfield in most leagues and has the look of a player who should improve as the season goes along. 
FAAB Bid: $7

Zach Neto, Los Angeles Angels (20%)

A 2022 first-round pick in the MLB draft, Neto is like Schanuel in the sense that the Angels need to figure out if the young player is ready to be a big-league regular. In the spring, Neto stole four bases, and the Angels are the type of team that should be on the move to compensate for a relative lack of pop outside of Trout. If Neto begins to deliver, look for him to move out of the ninth spot in the lineup and possibly into a leadoff role for the Angels. 
FAAB Bid: $2

Outfield

Michael Conforto, San Francisco Giants (52%)

(Note: Conforto was under 50% rostered as of this writing.) In his second year on the Giants, Conforto is also in his second full year back from shoulder surgery. Players coming back from shoulder surgery have said it is when they feel completely recovered and have their strength back. He's moved into the cleanup spot for the Giants in the past two games, and already has three home runs and seven RBI in the early going. 
FAAB Bid: $12

Alex Verdugo, New York Yankees (40%)

Verdugo is just getting his bearings after moving south to the other side of the Boston-New York rivalry. He hit his first home run of the season, a 10th-inning shot to right. The location of that home run is important, as Yankee Stadium is one of the best ballparks for lefty pull hitters. All of Verdugo's 13 home runs last year were from center to right field, with Fenway Park much less forgiving for lefties. Look for those homers to jump in 2024. 
FAAB Bid: $8

Victor Scott, St. Louis Cardinals (39%)

The steals alone are worth this pickup. When Scott easily stole second against the Dodgers in his big league debut, he showed that his speed is special. He stole 107 bases in 656 minor league at-bats and posted a .367 OBP before hitting the majors. Scott is also a plus defender, which would keep him in the lineup in spite of his early .136 batting average. If there are enough bench spots in your fantasy lineup, Scott could be worth a stash as he works out his early hitting slump. 
FAAB Bid: $12

Charlie Blackmon, Colorado Rockies (10%)

Yahoo's Scott Pianowski likes to call boring veterans who produce, "Raul Ibanez All-Stars," and the 37-year-old Blackmon certainly qualifies. This clearly explains why his rostership percentage is so low, despite the fact that he's played in six of the first seven Rockies games and hit first in each of his starts. He's also hitting .417 on the young season. While he played in just 96 games last season, he's healthy, and in the previous eight full seasons, he played no less than 135 games. 
FAAB Bid: $3