My Fantasy Baseball Experience - Rookie Performers
I hope you had a good weekend and enjoyed my last edition of My Fantasy Baseball Experience.
This week I will be talking about how to treat young players.
This week we will take a look at how to treat young players, specifically rookies. I will start with rookie hitters. I would say that you should expect rookies to perform well for the first month or so after they get called up because pitchers don’t know how to get them out yet. After about a month, however, you should expect many rookies to start to slump because there is enough data for pitchers to identify and attack the hitters’ weaknesses.
Some hitters, however, don’t experience this slump. They are good enough to adjust to the pitchers and fix the flaws that opponents were previously targeting.
For pitchers, it is much easier to break out during their rookie year than it is for hitters. Just look at Paul Skenes, who was one of the most entertaining players of the 2024 season, and he was a rookie pitcher. Usually, pitchers who break out right away have already established themselves as at least above-average players.
Overall, I think if a player breaks out despite not having a strong prospect ranking or track record, you should be cautious. Instead, look for players with a solid track record when trying to identify a young breakout player.
Now I will give you my waiver pickups of the week.
Pitchers:
Cam Schittler
Janson Junk
Luis Gil
Cam Schittler has incredible stuff, with a fastball touching 100 mph and a slider in the low 90s. He also turned in a quality debut on July 9, so keep an eye on Schittler on the waiver wire. He could be very good.
Janson Junk made his debut on May 24 and had a mix of bad and really good starts to begin his career. Recently, however, he has thrown 13 straight scoreless innings and has the potential to become a very good starter, so keep an eye on him on the waiver wire.
Luis Gil had an incredible rookie season in 2024, posting a 3.50 ERA while striking out 171 batters in 151.2 innings. He is returning from an injury and should make his first start soon, so watch for him.
Hitters:
Ceddanne Rafaela (OF)
Andrew Vaughn (1B)
Romy Gonzalez (2B)
Ceddanne Rafaela was a highly respected and highly ranked prospect for the Red Sox who didn’t perform very well offensively during his rookie season in 2024. However, he has been on a tremendous run lately, and this could be the time he finally breaks out.
Andrew Vaughn was also a highly respected and highly ranked prospect who disappointed after reaching the majors. Unlike Rafaela, who struggled for one season, Vaughn was disappointing for four years. He wasn’t terrible during that stretch, but he also wasn’t very good. He was similar to Spencer Torkelson in that regard. After joining a new team, however, Vaughn has been on a tear and should be one of the top players available on this week’s waiver wire.
Romy Gonzalez has spent most of his career alternating between a bench role and a starting job. After the injury to Triston Casas, Romy has found an everyday role and has been on a tear lately. He has the talent to be a very good player, and this could be his opportunity to break out as an everyday starter, so keep an eye on him.
I hope these waiver adds help you, and I hope to see you next week for the sixth edition of My Fantasy Baseball Experience.
