Scott White Dynasty League: 2023 conundrums

It’s three or four weeks before the 2023 auction, so we need to start looking at our keepers. After a few months without looking at the roster, it wasn’t in as bad shape as I expected.

[STOP PRESS: It seems that the trickiest problem is for Scott to find a date suitable for all 24 teams. As long as it isn’t when GB play USA in the World Baseball Classic, we will be ready, even if it means a 2:00am start]

KEEPERS

Catchers: Elias Diaz ($2), Omar Narvaez ($2)
1B: C.J. Cron ($22)
2B:
3B:
SS:
OF: Anthony Santander ($17), Lars Nootbaar ($2), Joey Meneses ($2)
SP: Gerrit Cole ($54), Robbie Ray ($20), Blake Snell ($30), Tyler Mahle ($11), Ross Stripling ($2)
RP: Ryan Pressly ($10), David Robertson ($3)
Bench: Keegan Thompson ($2)

NON-KEEPERS – too expensive

Eugenio Suarez ($26)
Nick Castellanos ($37)
Jorge Polanco ($25)
J.P. Crawford ($15)

NON-KEEPERS – not good enough

Cavan Biggio ($2)
Hunter Dozier ($2)
Edwin Rios ($2)
Drew Smyly ($15)
Tyler Gilbert ($3)

DECISIONS

Deciding on keepers is fraught with potential disappointment. I recall two players, who were nothing more than relievers, that we couldn’t justify keeping. Despite their low price, we couldn’t waste a roster spot all year with the outside chance that they would get a rotation spot.

Max Fried has made 109 starts since my decision to dump him, and more recently, Luis Garcia of the Astros has had two straight seasons of 28 starts.

Players that we have to make decisions about include: Anthony DeSclafani ($2), Brad Keller ($2), Kenta Maeda ($8), James Paxton ($8), Rowan Wick ($2).

I’m lending towards the DeSclafani and Maeda but both finished last season on the IL.

Other decisions involve the minor league roster.

MINOR LEAGUER ROSTER

After the auction, we have the minor league draft. Any player that has signed a contract with an MLB team is eligible, providing they have ZERO big league experience.

We tend to use our 12 minor leaguers as trading chips rather than players to progress through our system and onto the big league roster. One of the disadvantages of qualifying for the playoffs so frequently is the poor draft position in the minor league draft. Add to that our inferior knowledge to people like Chris Welsh, Al Melchior, and Michael Hurcomb, and you can see why our roster looks so uninspiring.

Jorge Mateo (we could promote him as we need a SS but ideally, we want someone better than Mateo).
Jose Barrero (feels like a make-or-break season for Barrero. Perhaps we should have traded him away two years ago).
Michael Toglia (Rockies 1B prospect – MLB’s No.5 first base prospect. Prospect fatigue surrounds him, but he will hit, and he has a great park to hit in).
Jordan Westburg (Our only Top 100 prospect)
James Triantos (I picked Triantos in the first round last year, one pick after Scott White took Harry Ford and the pick before Chris Towers took Sal Frelick. My pick doesn’t look great now).
A.J. Vukovich (Despite the D’Backs need for a third baseman, Vikovich might not be the answer unless he can improve his patience at the plate. He will start 2023 in Double-A)
Maximo Acosta (The Rangers invested a pretty penny in the speedy young Venezuelan and in his first season in Low-A he did ok, swiping 44 bags).
Ed Howard (The Cubs’ first-round pick from 2020 suffered a freak accident sprinting to first base that required season-ending surgery on his left hip).
Aaron Bracho (Second baseman in the Guardians organisation, Bracho has posted .587 OPS at High-A over the last two seasons combined).
Anthony Garcia (Post 1.122 OPS between Rookie Ball and Low-A in 2021 but struggled mightily with the Tampa Tarpons, hitting below .200 in 2022).
Erick Pena (The former Top-100 prospect who was once described as the “Next Carlos Beltran” hit .150 in Low-A Carolina League last year)
VACANT