Fantasy Baseball Today - 🚨Ronald Acuña Has A Torn ACL & Will Miss The Rest Of The Season! - Emergency Podcast (5/27 Fantasy Baseball Podcast)

Starting point is 00:00:03 Now here's Frank Scott and Chris. Well, there's no way around it. This sucks. Welcome into an emergency edition of Fantasy Baseball today on Memorial Day, May 27th. I am Frank Stample here with Chris Towers and the number one overall pick in fantasy. The reigning National League MVP, Ronald de Cune, will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL in his left knee. He was bouncing off second base. Looks like he was about to attempt a delayed steal, something of that sort, and took an awkward.

Starting point is 00:00:33 step. He crumbled down to the ground. And it turns out he does indeed have a torn ACL in that left knee. And we'll talk about replacements and all that other stuff. But let's just start with Acuna here, Chris. Obviously, this sucks for baseball, for fantasy, for the Braves and their fans. But we now lose one of the best players in the game in the prime of his career, 26 years old. Your initial thoughts. I mean, it's especially tough because it's the second time that this has happened to Ron Acuna. It's worth noting this is a different knee. Yeah, then the one that he tore his ACL in earlier in 2021, which was also the need that he injured earlier this spring. If you remember, he had a torn meniscus.

Starting point is 00:01:12 So it's probably not related to that. This is just bad luck. It stinks. It makes projecting his career moving forward a lot more difficult. You know, when looking ahead at 2025, it's possible he'll be ready to go by the start of next season. it's just because I think his previous ACL injury was later in the year and he was ready fairly early on there. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:01:39 So he tore his ACL, his right ACL in July of 2021. And he made his debut the following year, April 28th. Yeah. So I think he could be ready for next season on opening day. The question becomes now will he be compromised in any way? Yeah. And you already saw. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:01:56 Yeah. We saw in 2022 while he still ran really well. he was among the leaders and steals. He wasn't the same as a hitter. He was hitting a lot of balls on the ground. He was struggling to get under the ball. There's no guarantee that the same thing will happen. But given the struggles that he was having this season and then this torn ACL, I think you're probably looking at next year.

Starting point is 00:02:18 Top 50 pick for sure. But I don't know if he's like a second rounder. Probably not. Yeah, it's so tough to say because I remember, coming off that previous ACL injury, he was a second round pick, right? I think like an early second rounder in 2022. And I think people are going to be able to talk themselves into that

Starting point is 00:02:43 just he has number one overall player upside, right? So if he's ready for opening day next year, yeah, his ADP was 12.6 that year. I think he's probably like a second round pick next year, but yeah, that's probably fair. We're getting ahead of ourselves. There's so much that still needs to happen. see how he looks heading into next season.

Starting point is 00:03:01 We'll save that for another time. But let's talk about replacements. Obviously, that's what a lot of people want to hear about right now with Ronald Kuna and the top outfielders in Scott's Week 10 Sleepers article, Dalton Varsho, who I believe is up over 80% roster now, so probably not going to be available. But Davis Schneider, who has second in outfield eligibility, Andy Pahez, and Eddie Rosario.

Starting point is 00:03:23 Anyone from that list that especially stands out? I have some other names we'll get to. I think Pahas. I know he's been struggling for the last couple of weeks, but I think the upside there is probably significantly higher than the other guys you mentioned. So he would be the one that I would prioritize if those are my options. Great lineup, you know, decent home park. I think a lot of things point to Andy Pah as being a very useful fantasy option moving forward.

Starting point is 00:03:50 But obviously, after a hot start, he slowed down. So he needs to figure that out and turn things around. You know, if you're talking in like the 80% to 70% range, so in shallower leagues, Nolan Jones is still out there. I know he's out, but if you're looking for upside in the long term, he's probably someone you should look at. Kerry Carpenter, 79%, Joe Adela, 74, Max Kepler, 70%. If you specifically need speed, Brent and Doyle is 69%.

Starting point is 00:04:21 None of those guys are going to replace what you were. hoping to get from Ronald Acuna. But I've got Ian Hap is 66%. He's another guy who has some upside, especially in points leagues. Luis Matos, potentially has a 2020 ceiling. He's showing,

Starting point is 00:04:39 he showed some signs last season, but obviously wasn't great overall. It's kind of been the same thing here, but he's been very good at AAA. He's still pretty young. So Luis Matos, if you're chasing upside, would you like me to continue?

Starting point is 00:04:53 I'll throw a couple names out there. And then anyone I don't mention, feel free to throw out there as well. But yeah, Matos, Brenton Doyle for the speed. I think in particular, Doyle and Joe Adele are like, I don't know, 50% of what you're expecting from Ronald Lecuna, something like that. But at least they can offer a little bit of speed component there. I think Willi Arbrew has a pretty fun skill set. Don't like that he doesn't play against left-handed pitching, but obviously he has a little

Starting point is 00:05:16 bit of power and speed as well. And I'll continue to throw Tommy Fam out there. I know that, you know, Scott has been a little bit skeptical of Tommy Fam, but he's playing now. he's playing every single day. He's leading all for the White Sox. Not that it's a good lineup, but he can also offer a little bit of power and speed. And from a points league perspective, he does get on base quite a bit. So those are other names. I think FAMM, the problem is I think the ceiling is fairly limited. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:05:39 You know, not just because we expect regression from what he's done so far, but also terrible lineup. And I think it seems fair to assume that at some point Tommy FAM is going to be traded and no longer be. hitting lead off and playing every day. So that would be my concern as far as upside for Tommy fam. If you're looking for a pure ceiling play, I think there are a couple who are in the minors who are worth stashing just because, look, you're already behind on what you expected from Marlona to Cunia. And now you're not going to get what you expected moving forward.

Starting point is 00:06:16 So I do think you have to shoot for some upside in replacing him. James Wood is 62% rostered. He is dominating AAA. strikeout to walk rate actually. Strike out to walk ratio is almost one to one. He's walking a ton. His play discipline has been much better than we expected. He's the kind of guy who could get called up any day now.

Starting point is 00:06:37 And has legitimate five category potential. I mean, we're talking about a prospect who in the next five years could absolutely make himself a contender for the first round in fantasy. So James Wood not a guarantee. certainly, but if you're chasing ceiling, he's got about as much as anybody else who's going to be available. I'd also say Jason Dominguez, who there was a report maybe a month ago that said that even if,

Starting point is 00:07:08 even when he's ready to return from Tommy John Surgery, the Yankees probably aren't going to call him up. He's only played nine games above AA. I know he got called up last year and had, I think, four home runs in eight games. He was really good. But it's possible they let him stay at AA or AAA or AAA. for another month or so after his rehab assignment is up,

Starting point is 00:07:27 which I think is in the next week or two. They'll have to make that decision. So he may not get the call, but look, Aaron, Judge and Giancarlo Stanton have long track records of getting hurt. I don't want them to, obviously, but life could find a way in a way that pushes Jason Dominguez back into fantasy relevance.

Starting point is 00:07:46 So if you're chasing upside, I think Dominguez and James Wood in particular are worth stashing if you've got the roster spot to play with. I'll throw out some names in deeper five outfielder league, some of the most added on CBS right now. Dylan Moore, who's been playing a lot for the Mariners. Alec Berluson, I know that Lars Neupar is dealing with a hamstring injury. So Burleson's getting some playing time.

Starting point is 00:08:09 He's been racking up the hits lately as well. Jake Myers doing some interesting things. He's hitting the ball really hard. And obviously, the Astros are a really good lineup. And JJ Bladay has done some nice things for the Oaklandies this year. A little bit of pop. He doesn't really offer much outside of that. I think Brent Rooker is rostered in.

Starting point is 00:08:27 He's fairly widely available as well. Rooker, I think Rooker got added in a lot of leagues when he had that crazy hot stretch. But yeah, he's up to 95%. Oh, okay. Wow. I didn't realize he was that wide. Okay. People love them some Brent Rooker.

Starting point is 00:08:43 And I'll throw out one last name, Ronald Dukunia's teammate, Adam Duvall, who is set to get a lot of playing time moving forward. He hit 21 home runs in only 92 games last year. He also did that with an 834 OPS. Throw out some trade candidates. If you listen to the podcast that actually came out today, which unfortunately we talked about Ronald Acuna's slow start and trading for star players. If you have the ammo to buy low on a Julio Rodriguez or Corby and Carroll,

Starting point is 00:09:10 my guess is if you lost Acuna, you probably don't have enough to get that done, but it doesn't hurt to try. And I think Luis Robert, before he returns from the IL, George Springer and Nick Cassiano's off to really slow start. starts the season. And Chris, what do you think about the Rangers? Evan Carter and Wyatt Langford. It looks like Langford could be back from a rehab assignment soon. Evan Carter, I mean,

Starting point is 00:09:32 he's just, he's looked lost this year. Is it worth trading for him? I don't know. Yeah, I think both. Look, I think the biggest thing you have to keep in mind is your likeliest replacements for Ronald Ocuna are not going to be very good players. And so whether that comes in the form of Will you're Brayu or Tommy Fam guys who I like, I like. but they're certainly not going to replace Ronald Acuna. I think it makes sense to look at Wyatt Langford and, you know, Castellanos, less so George Springer. I have more concerns about him turning it around than Castellanos.

Starting point is 00:10:10 But like, and Carter, I don't know if the upside is quite as high in the same way as Wyatt Langford. So I'm less interested in buying low on him. But I think these are all the right. types of trades that you need to be looking for, which is slow starters with big upside. I throw Jordan Alvarez in there as well, if anybody's concerned about him, OPS, below 800 right now. It's just to say that you need an impact bat if you're going to survive this. And it's going to be really hard to find it on the waiver wire.

Starting point is 00:10:43 I'm not saying any of those guys can't be that, but certainly they're all real long shots. And so your best bet is probably to be trying to, identify a player like Holy Rodriguez, I think is the obvious candidate. He hit two home runs this weekend, right? So he might be starting to turn it around. And that's exactly what we expect from him.

Starting point is 00:11:05 So as we talked about in that podcast, we all pretty much expect Julio Rodriguez to be Julio Rodriguez moving forward. So if you get an opportunity by law on him, I absolutely think you should take it. That's one of the few players, I think, who could realistically replace what you were hoping to get from Acuna. But there

Starting point is 00:11:21 are no good answers. You know, Jared Kellnick isn't a good answer. Adam Duval isn't a good answer. These are all, you're just hoping that they can hold you over until you can identify an impact player that you can slot in there. And you said something there throughout your analysis that I wanted to mention that it's going to be hard to recover from this injury. And just want to remind people like it's going to be very tempting to just like give up on the season in fantasy, but you can make it through. Yeah, so you can make it through and I want to just let everyone know, like, if you had Ronald Le Cunia on your fantasy team, don't give up. Stick around and obviously, you know, whether it's via trade or waiver wire,

Starting point is 00:12:03 making some moves, don't give up. I think you can find a way. Let's take a quick break and when we return, we will just talk about what this means for the rest of the Atlanta Braves lineup. We'll do that right after this. Welcome back in and once again, Ronald LeCunia out for the rest of the season with a torn ACL in his left knee. What does this mean for the rest of the Atlanta Braves? We mentioned that Adam Duvall likely to step into the lineup moving forward and I actually saw that the Braves lineup is already out here for Monday and they are getting some reinforcements back. Austin Riley in the lineup, Sean Murphy back from his oblique injury as well.

Starting point is 00:12:39 They moved Ozzy Albies up to leadoff. That's against the lefty. My guess, Chris, is against a right-handed pitcher. Michael Harris will move up to lead off, which actually is really good for his value. but I think as a whole, this obviously is a net negative for the entire Atlanta Braves line.

Starting point is 00:12:56 Yeah, I mean, the nice thing for the Braves offense. And I do worry about Michael Harris moving up just because he's been off to a very slow start himself this season. And will they want to move him up to the lead off spot consistently if he's not hitting well that I'm not 100% sure of? But, you know,

Starting point is 00:13:13 it's possible. But the nice thing is they did get Austin Riley and Sean Murphy back on Monday. Monday. So, Riley missed, what, 14 straight days, didn't go on the IL, Murphy back from the, uh, is that opening day oblique injury? Opening day. It's May 27.

Starting point is 00:13:32 Yeah. So I, I would guess we're going to see well, gosh, do they, would they even try Marcelo Zoon in the outfield? I don't think so. I know he got some, right? I know he got some reps at first base in spring training, but I mean, that doesn't really help them all that much either.

Starting point is 00:13:50 Yeah, he's played. 14 innings in the outfield since the start of last season. He famously has one of the worst attempts on a flag ball I've ever seen. Yeah, he it's so weird because early in his career he was a decent outfielder. He actually played

Starting point is 00:14:06 center field for the Marlins occasionally. But yeah, he's been a disaster. But that might be a break glass in case of emergency type of situation. If, you know, Jared Kellnick doesn't get going, maybe they try to get both Darneau and Sean Murphy's bats in the lineup a little more often.

Starting point is 00:14:23 Play O'Zuna in the outfield. I don't know. That's a potential option, but they don't really have anybody in the high miners that they could call up. It's going to be Duval, Kellnick, and if that doesn't work, maybe they have to swing a trade. But yeah,

Starting point is 00:14:41 yeah, it's a bad situation for a team that's been pretty disappointing so far. That's the last point that I was going to make as well is Alex Anthopolis. he's no stranger to making trades, obviously. They're actually getting set to face the Washington Nationals who have Eddie Rosario on their team, who has obviously spent some times, some time with the Atlanta Braves.

Starting point is 00:15:00 Yeah, so Winker, I feel like that could make some sense. Old friend, Jorge Soler, St. Francisco Giants? Like maybe something like that can happen as well. But it wouldn't surprise me if the Atlanta Braves go out and make a trade for an additional outfielder moving forward. All right, well, bad news, bad way to start. Monday, unfortunately, here on Memorial Day, but Akunya will miss the rest of the season. We gave you some replacements, and I think that's pretty much it.

Starting point is 00:15:26 We're going to wrap there for Chris. I am Frank. Thanks as always for tuning in to Fantasy Baseball today. Please make sure to follow and leave a five-star rating on Apple or Spotify, and we will be back again later tonight with a long weekend recap. See you then. Bye-bye.

Fantasy Baseball Today - 🚨Ronald Acuña Has A Torn ACL & Will Miss The Rest Of The Season! - Emergency Podcast (5/27 Fantasy Baseball Podcast)

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