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The Tufts Daily
Where you read it first | Thursday, April 25, 2024

Week one

Aside from Paul Goldschmidt, A.J. Pollock, Mark Trumbo and maybe Jake Lamb, I dislike just about every member of the Diamondbacks' 25-man roster.

However, this team has three excellent buy-low candidates sitting in Reno (its triple-A affiliate) or on a trainer’s table.

By now you have probably heard of Yasmany Tomas, the 68.5 million-dollar man. If you haven’t, he is a 230-pound behemoth with parking lot power. Arizona signed him to play 3B, but Tomas’ inability to field the position caused him to be sent to Reno. Now is the perfect time to buy low on the future D’Backs rightfielder.

Tomas is owned in just 10 percent of ESPN leagues, but that number will surely skyrocket as he begins knocking the cover off of the ball in the Pacific Coast League. I believe he could be called up in mid-May, perhaps mid-June in a worst case scenario.

Sticking with the Reno Aces, Peter O’Brien hit 39 HRs at three different levels in 2014. He may be moved to the outfield, but will still retain his catcher eligibility. If you are weak at catcher and have an empty bench spot, O’Brien will definitely be worth the wait. Projected call-up: late-June.

Finally, injured former ace Patrick Corbin has flown under the radar for the past few weeks, but is expected to rejoin the D’Backs rotation around June 1. In 2013, Corbin was an All-Star 14-game winner with a low WHIP and a reasonable 7.69 K/9 rate. If you have a DL spot open, he is worth a flier.

In terms of AL pitchers, I would definitely sell high on Trevor Bauer. His 2014 statistics proved that he is incredibly flaky. He is capable of pitching a shutout with 11 strikeouts, but he also frequently puts up lines like this: 4.1 IP, eight hits, three BBs and two Ks. He will have a great K rate, but his 2014 FIP shows that his ERA will not dip much lower than four -- plus he has well-documented control issues.

Out in San Diego, Ian Kennedy is now on the DL, which is great for any Odrisamer Despaigne lovers. The Cuban-born starter had a solid 2014 and deserved to be in the rotation this year over perennial disappointment Brandon Morrow. Now that Despaigne is in the rotation, I expect him to stay there for the entire season, replacing Morrow once Kennedy returns.

Despaigne does not have elite stuff, but his funky change-up and massive velocity gap between his fastball and change make him, at the very least, intriguing. He actually has posted phenomenal statistics at Petco Park (1.69 ERA and sub-1.00 WHIP in 58.2 career innings pitched). While he is not a strikeout pitcher, he is an absolute must-start when pitching at home.

Finally, every year we see five to 10 closers lose their jobs after the first month or two. I want to look at an under-the-radar set-up man who could be in line for 30-save seasons.

Drew Storen was dreadful in 2013 before putting up a dominant 2014 (albeit with a 90.6 LOB%). He also does not have a very high K-rate for a closer. The injured Casey Janssen has closer experience, but I see Aaron Barrett as the Washington Nationals' future ninth-inning guy. Barrett strikes out 11.06 per nine and had a 2.66 ERA in 2014 despite having a 70.3 LOB percentage. He has all the makings of a future closer, and given Storen's inconsistent history, Barrett could get his first opportunity this season.