Bernie on the Scene: Players Who Concern Me

LEADING OFF

I was going to do two articles on potential fantasy busts for this season. However, the more I thought about it, the more the "sprint" season has me totally confused. I think there are a tremendous number of bust candidates. I think there are a tremendous number of guys who could really have the 60 best games of their career. We may see a player or players hit .400. Who knows? Not me. I have no idea how this shortened season will play out. I have no idea if MLB will even log 60 games.

What I do want to share is my "Concern" list. The players below bother me in this year of the virus. I just can't pull the trigger on drafting them or paying up in an auction. You may disagree. That's why they make chocolate and vanilla ice cream. We all have different tastes.

THE STARTING LINEUP: 10 players I'm Concerned About

Cavan Biggio, Blue Jays, BL, 2B/3B/1B/OF, age 25

Cavan Biggio is not Craig Biggio. Cavan does not have the tools his dad rode to a Hall of Fame career. In fact, I don't think Cavan Biggio has a distinct place to play on defense. To me, the Blue Jays have forced him into their lineup.

Biggio will start at second base for Toronto, but I think the season he put up as a rookie last year is pretty indicative of his ability. He  hit 16 home runs. He drove in 48 in 429 plate appearances. That isn't bad. And he did steal 14 bases without getting caught. But he swings for the fences. He still doesn't have the plate discipline I look for in a player his age. He strikes out too much (123 times.)  I just don't trust him. I think there are far better options at 2B than Biggio.

Paul Goldschmidt, Cardinals, BR, 1B, age 32

I never thought I'd worry about Paul Goldschmidt. I do. He'll be 33 in September. His elbow continues to bark. He has had a bad elbow for a few years now, and at least for one stretch during the last few seasons his elbow has slowed down his swing and impacted his power. Maybe he gets through a 60-game season healthy. Or maybe not. Be aware of the issue. 

Goldy has hit more than 30 home runs each of the last three years, including 34 last year. He drove in 97 runs in 682 plate appearances. But I can't get past the elbow. It's a concern for me. I'll take him if he falls to me. I won't reach.

Carter Kieboom, Nationals, BR, SS/3B, age 22

Kieboom will turn 23 in September. I find it hard to believe the Nationals will be counting on him to play third base in the short season. However, that's exactly what I've read.

He got a taste of the big leagues last year and didn't hit well at all. For a championship team to trot him out at a corner, power position baffles me.  I've seen him play a great deal. I'm not impressed at all with his bat. I just find it hard to believe that he's the best option the team has at third base. I just think the pressure he will face will compound his already limited offensive ability. He does have good baseball instincts, but this is a reach for Washington, but not for me.

Adam Eaton, Nationals, BL, OF, age 31

The Nationals gave up pitchers Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez and Dane Dunning to get Eaton. I still can't believe Mike Rizzo made that trade. When healthy, I have always found Eaton to be extremely meh! Not just a little meh, extremely meh! In a year when the baseball flew out of parks, Eaton hit 15 homers in 656 plate appearances. I need more production than that from my outfielders. He did score 103 runs, and that matters. He'll give you some stolen bases, but he certainly won't drive in many runs. I'm not a fan. We can do better than Adam Eaton.

Brad Hand, Indians, LHP, age 30

As an Indians fan, I was excited when the team picked up Brad Hand in a trade with the Padres. He started out well for Cleveland. But he scares me. He can get very wild, very quickly. He then compensates by throwing cookies down the middle of the plate. Yielding 53 hits in 576.1 innings as a closer is too much for me to handle comfortably. Add 18 walks, and that's 71 base runners he has to cope with. That doesn't include another five intentional walks.

Had Emmanuel Clase not been suspended, I think he would have seen some  ninth-inning action. That said, I think Clase takes over for Hand as soon as next season. Buyer beware. He can be very good in a short season. Or … he can revert to what we saw last year.

Eric Hosmer, Padres, BL, 1B, age 30

It really is hard to believe Hosmer isn't 45. It seems we've been talking about Eric Hosmer forever. I want more than 22 home runs in 667 plate appearances from my first baseman. There are guys who aren't as well known who can give you that. I'd rather have Christian Walker, Luke Voit or Miguel Sano — and they're all bunched near Hosmer in many draft rankings.

Hosmer's bat has slowed. He will still drive in runs due to his position in a lineup that has some solid hitters. But the Padres are stuck with his awful contract until 2025. It was a horrible deal for San Diego, one of many they have made. I'm passing on Hosmer.

Kyle Seager, Mariners, BL, 3B, age 32

Yep, Kyle Seager is 32. And he never really hit up to his press clippings. Not only is he a lousy hitter, he plays for a team that is almost as bad as the Pirates. I take that back. The Mariners are worse. Their lineup is atrocious and they will be eaten alive in the American League West. Seager won't help them. Or us in fantasy.

As I stated above, I want home runs and power from my corner infielders. Seager hit 23 homers last season in 443 plate appearances, one less than his 2018 campaign when he went to the plate 630 times. So on ratio, he improved. But his batting average will kill our teams.  He's just not worthy of drafting from a Mariners team that will struggle to score runs.

Andrew Benintendi, Red Sox, BL, OF, age 25

We should take a good look at Andrew Benintendi. When he arrived with the Red Sox he was seen as an impact player. He was exciting. He made things happen. What happened? Last year, in a season that was bursting with offense, Benintendi crashed. He got to the plate 615 times. He hit 13 homers and drove in 68 runs. He struck out 140 times, a number that jumps out at me. His walks went from 71 to 59. He dropped in home runs and RBI. His batting average plummeted. His stolen bases fell from 21 to 10. Those are huge declines year-over-year. Can he come back? Maybe. Will I take the chance? It all depends upon the price. He's a low round pick for me. A flyer. I'm concerned.  No Mookie Betts in the lineup bothers me as well.

Roberto Perez, Indians, BR, C, age 31

What's wrong with this picture? Perez went from hitting two home runs in 210 plate appearances in 2018 to hitting 24 homers in 449 plate appearances in 2019. True, there was no Yan Gomes around to steal his at-bats. But seriously, is this guy a 20-homer hitter? I just don't think so. He did strike out 127 times, and I think we'll see more of that. I think Perez thinks he's a slugger. I think Perez is going to the plate hunting home runs. I think he had his best season of his career, and he can't do it again. He'll try, but he'll have empty at-bats with lots of swings and misses. Look, I think he's an outstanding defensive catcher with a strong and accurate arm. That's enough for me. I don't want him to strand base runners by him thinking he can hit. He can't. What we saw was a fluke.

Gio Urshela, Yankees, BR, 3B, age 28

In 2019, Gio Urshela went from being a utility player to a full-time offensive force for the New York Yankees. Injuries to players like Miguel Andujar and Didi Gregorius gave Urshela a chance to play. To his credit, he did an outstanding job. He hit 21 homers and drove in 74 runs in his 476 plate appearances. I never saw that coming. The Yankees didn't either, I guarantee you. He also hit .314. 

Urshela is a terrific defensive third baseman. But I feel about Urshela like I do about Roberto Perez. I just don't see any way this guy repeats his offensive performance from last season. And more than that, I just don't see him winning that job over Andujar when all the dust settles. So far, Urshela is penciled in as the starting third baseman. But if the Yankees don't want Andujar in that role, there will be plenty of calls from general managers to take him off their hands. I may be wrong about this, but I think Andujar is the better hitter. Not anywhere near the defender as Urshela, but a better overall hitter.

HEADING HOME

• The Indians likely will change their name. Dropping INDIANS has been in the works for some time. Now they feel even more pressure. Because of the Hall of Fame being in Cleveland, I kind of like ROCKERS with a guitar as the logo. Or SPIDERS, their name from the 1800s. What are your ideas? Let me know in comments below or on my Twitter feed. 

• Players testing positive for COVID-19 will be sidelined and then have to get through two negative tests to be eligible to play. If they test positive now, they will have enough time to get back in the lineup by July 23 and 24, when the season begins. So don't drop them or panic YET. 

• A lot of fantasy owners are concerned about Mike Trout sitting out some games. He may. But they will only be a few when his wife delivers their child. I don't even know the due date. I do, however, think he will play enough games to have a positive impact on our fantasy teams. He's still Mike Trout, and three-fourths playing time him is likely better than most of his peers. 

• I'm delighted to be talking baseball at RotoWire Fantasy Baseball once every week with Jeff Erickson and Chris Liss. Listen to their show week days at Sirius/XM Fantasy Sports radio. 

• I hope you will follow me on Twitter @BerniePleskoff, and I hope you will reach my baseball articles at forbes.com. I write about baseball there once a week. I put the link on my Twitter account to make it easier to find.