Looking at the rankings, it seems to be in a poor state.
Through 27 days of action, Chicago White Sox, Colorado Rockies And Miami Marlins all are on pace to lose more than 120 games. The White Sox, in particular, had a historically poor record, losing 20 of their first 23 games. That’s the second-worst start for any team in the modern era. They also ranked dead last in runs per game on offense (2.17), nearly two-thirds below the next worst team (Oakland’s 2.83) while pitching to the third-worst ERA of the game (5,14).
For their part, the Rockies have been held to two runs or less in six of their first 11 games at Coors Field. Meanwhile, the Marlins can’t seem to keep any starting pitcher healthy, not to mention the team is off to its second-worst 25-game start in franchise history.
When looking at these three teams, as fantasy managers, we often can’t see beyond a trio of dream matchups for our opposing players, especially pitchers starting ball. This is not an outrageous result, as 11 of the 20 best individual, single-game pitching scores of 2024 came against these three teams. Yes, it seems very likely that the White Sox at any location and the Rockies away from Coors (and maybe even at times at their great home field) will remain the two most favorable matchups for pitchers opponents throughout the season.
But these teams, no matter how bad, Maybe is an imaginary source of value.
Let’s go back to last season, when four teams lost at least 100 games (White Sox, Rockies, Oakland Athletics And Kansas City Royals). Bobby Witt Jr.. of the Royals remains the 14th overall scorer in fantasy points. The Royals also have baseball’s third-best scoring pitcher in the final two months of the season Cole Ragans. The White Sox have a pair of 300-point scorers in their ranks Luis Robert Jr.. And Dylan stopped. Nolan Jones of the Rockies has scored 268 points from the date of his recall on May 26 onwards. And even Athletics received 166 points from Zack Gelof following his July 14 promotion.
The lesson is the White Sox, Rockies and Marlins in 2024 Maybe still contribute something to our teams, be it for the entire rest of the season or a specific part of the season (as was the case with Ragans and Gelof last year). The main reason is because these teams have more room to play, are mired in rebuilding situations, and are in a much better position to take advantage of opportunities with young players or reclamation projects from other teams (à la Ragans).
Going in reverse order to my expected end-of-season win totals for each side, let’s see what value you can extract from each of these seemingly sad sides.
White Sox (expected record is 50-112)
Tuesday’s loss was especially troubling, not just from a purely baseball perspective as the team went 5-2 after 7⅓ innings compared to 8-13 Minnesota Twins group, but especially for fantasy, as we have seen theory closer Michael Kopech contributed to the crisis at the end of the half. Kopech, one of the few things that went right for the White Sox bullpen, reached the bottom of the eighth and had his second poorest outing in the past three games (1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 1 HR in this match).
Since Kopech is an intriguing late-inning player, his save prospects against what should be a terrible team raises questions about the end for 100-loss teams. There have been 42 teams with that many losses in a season since 2000, and within that group, the teams with the top saves averaged 17.4 saves. Fifteen (36% of the group) had a top savings rate of at least 20, six (14%) scored 25+ and three (7%) had a top 30+, with Ian Kennedy (30) of the 2019 Royals is the most recent.
However, the bar is higher (and harder to overcome) when a team loses at least two-thirds of its games. Nine teams have done it since 2000 and that group’s top saver has averaged just 13.2, with only two teams scoring 20 or more – Shane Greene (22) with 2019 Detroit Tigers And Trevor May (21) with 2023 Athletics.
That poured cold water on Kopech’s enthusiasm, even though a pitcher can hit 100 mph — 24 percent of the fastballs he threw this year have at least reached that mark. That speed — one could also add a 53% sniff rate slider that would certainly object.
As for the rest of the team, perhaps a historically bad team, short-term chances are the name of the game in any team with a mixed team of 12 or less. Luis Robert Jr.. is the most obvious fantasy asset on the roster, and the news is that he’ll be in for a shorter six-to-eight-week recovery period from a Grade 2 hip flexor strain, putting him on track from mid to late May again. That’s promising. He will immediately regain his universal fantasy initiation state once activated.
Besides, Andrew Vaughn And Eloy Jimenez, both with terrible beginnings, will bring imaginative utility in time. Jimenez’s downside is his injury risk – just like Robert’s – but his combination of above-average contact and raw power makes him worthy of inclusion in your lineup whenever he healthy. Jimenez is still present in more than three-quarters of ESPN’s tournaments.
Rotate members Erick Fedde And Garrett Hook, which also ensures regular streaming status. Fedde, returning to the United States after a year in the KBO (Korea), brought back both the sweeper and splitter he developed overseas, yielding a 27.3% strikeout rate, much higher than than any of his previous years in the majors. Crochet, thanks to his fastball and 96.3 mph slider, has a strikeout rate of 32.7%. However, as a converted reliever just two years removed from Tommy John surgery, workload will be a season-long question.
One last point: If you’re looking for a Gelof for 2024, prospect Colson Montgomery could fit the bill Although he’s off to a slow start for Triple-A Charlotte, hitting just .219/.305/.343 through 18 games, he would be a candidate to take over the job started at shortstop this summer.
Rockies (expected record is 51-111)
Despite their early struggles at Coors Field, the Chiefs Rockies remain one of the strongest streaming options when scheduled for home games. Remember, offense tends to rise with the temperature at Coors. From 2021-23, the Rockies and their opponents averaged 10.92 runs per game at Coors in March and April, and 11.42 – more than half a run – from May 1 on.
Charlie Blackmon, Elias Diaz, Ryan McMahon, Ezequiel Tovar and Nolan Jones both remain fantasy relevant whenever they are scheduled to play at Coors. Each averaged at least 1.86 fantasy points per home game last season. Jones, who is off to one of the worst starts of any pick in the preseason top 100, remains the top candidate at a low buyout.
It’s the road games that matter for the Rockies, and this year’s lineup (other than perhaps Jones) shapes up as a clear “stream them at home” team. No Rockies player has scored 140 fantasy points in their road games in any season since. Nolan Arena in 2019. To provide some perspective, 152 players scored more fantasy points on the road than the team’s leading scorer, McMahon (115), last season alone.
Kris Bryant could be a fantasy factor in both home and away games, as long as the back injury that keeps him out doesn’t become a long-term concern.
As for the pitching staff? No, there’s nothing to see there.
Marlins (expected record is 60-102)
Even though they weren’t expected to be a playoff team, no one expected the Marlins to have the bad history they’ve had in nearly a month of play. The Marlins are worth almost the entire rotation on the IL in Sand Alcantara (off season due to Tommy John surgery), Eury Perez (as above), Braxton Garrett And AJ Pukthat’s what created it Max MeyerThe recent demotion to the minors is puzzling.
Pitching is often the name of the game in Miami, if only because of the team’s pitcher-friendly home environment at LoanDepot Park. Jesus Luzardo, the Marlins’ earliest draft pick on average in the preseason, remains an attractive candidate at a low purchase price as long as his underlying metrics indicate bad luck (6.58 ERA, but 4.70 Statcast xERA). His average fastball velocity may be down a bit, but he’s still hitting at a better than 40% strike rate using both his slider and changeup.
Edward Cabrera, Trevor Rogers, Meyer and Garrett still maintain streaming options for their home games or at least against below-average offenses. Cabrera’s raw material makes him a potential breakout candidate, as he has thrown four different pitches at least 15% of the time in his two starts and three of them (change-ups) , curveball, and slider) produced a pitching rate of at least 32%.
What about the closer situation, related to the previous point about the final results of 100-loss teams? Scott tanner appears to have grasped that role thanks to his combination of a 96 mph fastball and an elite slider, though his historically shaky control leads to inconsistency. Scott is one of the more underrated relief pitchers in the game, but the worry about him, which is relevant to the team’s performance, is that he will be one of the more capable relief pitchers Most likely to be traded during the season. That’s why there’s so much talk about how Anthony Bender, Andrew Nardi And Sixto Sanchez is outpacing him, and fantasy managers should be on the lookout for who will be next in line throughout the summer.
On offense, start slow Luis Arraez And Jazz Chisholm Jr.. are weekly worth of fantasy picks. The former represents a buy-low candidate; the latter would qualify except for his checkered injury history. Fantasy managers could perhaps also appeal to the situational value of players like Tim Anderson, Josh Bell And Bryan De La Cruz.
