Let’s get straight to this week’s pickups.
Reid Detmers – SP Angels – Listed in 37% of Yahoo leagues
Topping the list of the most frustrating players to roster in recent years is Detmers, who opened this season 3-0 with a 1.19 ERA and a 30/7 K/BB ratio in his first four starts, all which were against quality teams. He followed that up with his first loss, in which he lasted seven innings and gave up four runs against the Orioles. So still not bad. These last four starts, however, caused him to give up 22 earned runs in 20 2/3 innings, and as a result, he was dropped from several leagues. Still, this Detmers looks improved over previous versions.
For starters, Detmers currently has a 3.1 K:BB ratio, up from 2.8 last season and 2.7 as a rookie in 2021. His 30% CSW ranks 12th among qualified pitchers, with his percentage hitting rate of 13.9%, ranking ninth. He’s doing this while easily boasting the best groundball rate of his career (41%). While his actual ERA is as high as 5.19, Statcast has him with an xERA of 3.44 and SIERA puts him at 3.56. And he’s faced a pretty tough schedule thus far, at least until his final game against the Cardinals. Things should get easier from here.
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Detmers is still just 24 years old, and as frustrating as it has been, he has graded out as a league-average starter in his first two years in the majors. He’s probably better than that right now, and even in a bad situation like Anaheim, he looks like a top-50 fantasy starter to me.
Andrew Vaughn – 1B White Sox – rostered in 23% of Yahoo leagues
Speaking of players in bad situations, Vaughn won’t find runs and RBI easy to come by, even now that he’s warmed up for the White Sox. Still, he looks much better at the plate than he did a few weeks ago, and it paid off in the form of a two-homer game on Tuesday. His average exit velocity reached 91.9 mph in May, up from 89.6 mph in April, and Statcast thinks his good .490 hitting percentage in May is lower than what he’s actually doing; this gives him an expected slugging percentage of .589.
At this point, it’s fair to say that Vaughn will never become the player the White Sox envisioned when they picked him third overall in the 2019 draft, although it’s worth wondering if another organization would have had more success with him. If he falls again this summer, we might find out, as the White Sox will lose patience at some point. Still, he’s more likely to stick around if his recent play holds up. He’s in a good right-handed power estimate, and if he can pull out some more fly balls again, more homers should come. He might not be much help in mixed leagues, but he’s at least a fair replacement for now.
Alek Manoah – SP Blue Jays – Listed in 19% of Yahoo leagues
Expectations were low and rightfully so when Manoah made his season debut last week after a bout of shoulder tendonitis and a lengthy rehab assignment, and Manoah went on to struggle against the Nationals, giving up six earned runs in four innings. Interestingly, though, he showed considerably better speed in that match than he did for most of last year. In fact, it was the first time he had averaged 90 mph with his fastball since his 2023 debut on March 30. Pitching again on Sunday against the Twins, he was considerably more effective, allowing just three unearned runs in seven innings in a tough loss. . It was the first time in 16 starts since last April that he went seven innings and induced 15 lost hits for the first time since his outstanding 2022 campaign.
None of this is to say that Manoá is particularly trustworthy at this point. There were a few times last year when it looked like he might be turning the corner, only to fall back again. Speed gains are important, but speed was only part of the problem last year. Manoah still hasn’t figured out what went wrong with his slider last season, and two of the three home runs he’s allowed in his two starts this year have come on that pitch. He will need to make gains there if he wants to do much to help the Blue Jays and fantasy teams. Still, there is more reason for optimism than there was a few weeks ago. He doesn’t need to be picked in mixed leagues right now, but he’s worth monitoring.
Quick access
– In light of his recent progress in rehab, it would be a good time to place Gavin Williams in the 55% of Yahoo leagues in which he is available. I saw him as a top-40 pitcher before he injured his elbow this spring. He’s probably still a month away even if things go well from here, but he could be an impact pitcher over the last three months.
– Byron Buxton (knee) is available in about two-thirds of leagues and is expected to return next week after a brief rehab mission.
– Junior Caminero was featured here a few weeks ago. The Rays have started to give him some time at Triple-A second base, which could be a sign that a promotion to the majors is increasingly imminent. He hit .314/.379/.562 with seven home runs in 26 games with Durham.
