Fantasy managers naturally tend to fixate on their rostered players, following their early season plight in earnest. It’s also worth keeping tabs on other players and teams to facilitate trades and free agent/waiver pickups. Here are a couple of things to follow for all 30 teams. Even if you are not rostering the featured players, discerning the answers could help your club.
ARIZONA
Does Daulton Varsho play nearly every day, and if so, does he run?
Is Zac Gallen showing any il effects from the sore shoulder setting him back this spring?
ATLANTA
Does Ronald Acuna Jr. (above) run right away or maybe not at all?
Does Ian Anderson carry his solid playoff efforts over, specifically in terms of continuing to cut his walk rate?
BALTIMORE
How is Camden Yards playing with the renovations in left field?
Is Jorge Mateo playing regularly, and if so is he running? He could be available in some leagues as a cheap source of steals.
BOSTON
Who is Alex Cora using at closer, and does he appear to the primary option?
Is Bobby Dalbec still fanning less, or does he revert to pre-break 2021 levels?
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CHICAGO CUBS
Does David Robertson continue to get saves after capturing the season’s first one on opening day?
Does Seiya Suzuki look overmatched or do his solid plate skills translate against MLB pitching.
CHICAGO WHITE SOX
How do they handle missing Yoan Moncada to start the season, is it Jake Burger? Leury Garcia?
Is Michael Kopech pitching with early season innings restrictions?
CINCINNATI
Is Tony Santillan the closer, or did he just happen to be the recipient of the first save?
Is Nick Senzel healthy and is he playing every day? If healthy, the long-awaited breakout is waiting to happen.
CLEVELAND
Does Yu Chang hit enough to stay at second base when Josh Naylor returns, or does Amed Rosario return to the infield, pushing Yu Chang to reserve?
Do Tristan McKenzie and Cal Quantrill continue to exhibit improvement?
COLORADO
Does the club just let Brendan Rodgers play, or do they shuttle him in and out of the lineup?
Can Sam Hilliard make ample contact to get to his massive power?
DETROIT
Is Spencer Torkelson overmatched?
Can Tarik Skubal keep the ball in the yard?
HOUSTON
Does Ryan Pressly’s velocity return? A drop in velocity is often a harbinger for injury and even though he logged the opening day save, he threw four fastballs in the 91-92 mph range, down five ticks from normal.
After swiping a bag on opening day, is Jose Altuve continuing to make good on his desire to steal bases?
KANSAS CITY
He certainly didn’t appear overmatched on opening day, but still, does Bobby Witt Jr. control the strike zone well?
How does having veteran Zack Greinke front the otherwise young rotation? Does anyone begin to take the next step?
LOS ANGELES ANGELS
Does Tyler Wade run? He has 30-plus stolen base upside, and the bottom of the order will need to play small ball.
Rotation, rotation, rotation. Is Noah Syndergaard throwing effective breaking pitches? How is Michael Lorenzen transitioning to starter? Can Reid Detmers put last season’s small sample woes behind him and let his natural talent carry him?
LOS ANGELES DODGERS
Is Cody Bellinger making more frequent contact?
Is Gavin Lux playing nearly every day? He could have a Jonathan India type campaign with regular at bats.
MIAMI
Who closes? The Marlins portend to generate a bunch of save opportunities, and if it’s one guy, he could be a fantasy difference maker.
Is Pablo Lopez under any restrictions after missing last season’s second half with shoulder soreness?
MILWAUKEE
Does Craig Counsell find a way to get Keston Hiura’s bat into the lineup?
How does Counsell handle the back end of the rotation, is it a six-man? Does he keep the big-three (Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff, and Freddy Peralta) on regular rest?
MINNESOTA
How does Miguel Sano look after losing weight in the offseason?
Do Joe Ryan and Bailey Ober continue to pitch well, and of so, who saved their wins with Taylor Rogers dealt to the Padres?
NEW YORK METS
Who in the rotation steps up to help Max Scherzer while Jacob deGrom is out? Tylor Megill did his part on opening day.
How is Buck Showalter handing designated hitter? Righthanded J.D. Davis started the opener with southpaw Patrick Corbin on the hill.
NEW YORK YANKEES
Is Gerrit Cole spinning the ball enough to be effective?
Does Isiah Kiner-Falefa play regularly or does Aaron Boone find ways to get Gleyber Torres into the lineup?
OAKLAND
Who from Chad Pinder, Seth Brown, Kevin Smith and Sheldon Neuse steps up, taking advantage of more playing time?
With RingCentral Coliseum being such a great place to pitch, does James Kaprielian (when healthy) or Daulton Jefferies step up to give Frankie Montas some support, assuming Montas isn’t traded?
PHILADELPHIA
How badly is the Phillies pitching staff hurt by subpar defense, especially in the outfield?
Do either Bryson Stott or Matt Vierling help support a stacked upper half of the Phillies lineup? There could be RBI opportunities for the rookies.
PITTSBURGH
How long does the club have Oneil Cruz “work on his defense” with Triple-A Indianapolis?
With 12 strikeouts and just three walks in 12.1 spring innings, can Mitch Keller keep it going in games that count?
SAN DIEGO
Is CJ Abrams an everyday player and if so, does he contribute offensively or is he just focusing on the defensive side of things?
How does Bob Melvin handle the bullpen? With newly acquired Taylor Rogers not yet with the team, Pierce Johnson worked 1.1 frames, with Robert Suarez starting the ninth with a 3-1 lead. Suarez walked two and hit one before being lifted for Craig Stammen. Stammen threw a wild pitch, allowing one run before Seth Beer walked it off with a three-run shot to right field.
SAN FRANCISCO
Are there any early-season restrictions for effective, but oft-injured Carlos Rodon, Alex Wood and Alex Cobb?
Can the Strat-Matic approach continue to get the job done offensively?
SEATTLE
Are the dynamic duo of Julio Rodriguez and Jarred Kelenic up to the task?
Was last season the new baseline for Robbie Ray, or does his “Throw it down the middle and let natural movement do it’s thing,” approach backfire this season?
ST. LOUIS
Is Steven Matz taking advantage of solid defense and a great pitcher’s park? If Matz stays healthy, a sneaky good season could be forthcoming.
Can Paul DeJong continue what he showed in the spring? If so, RBI opportunities abound as the top half of the Redbirds lineup is solid.
TAMPA BAY
Does Josh Lowe play regularly, or at minimum fill the busier side of a platoon? It’s a lofty expectation this season, but there’s a Cedric Mullins type season in Lowe’s future.
Is Andrew Kittredge the primary closer, or does skipper Kevin Cash spread saves among several reliever like he’s done recently?
TEXAS
Can the offense slug the ball like they did in the Cactus League, providing run support to a fledgling, but potential solid staff?
Does someone emerge from the bullpen as the primary closer? Candidates include Greg Holland, Matt Bush, Joe Barlow and Brett Martin.
TORONTO
How much of Kevin Gausman’s 2021 performance was pitching in a great venue, in a division with several other pitching havens (plus Coors Field) or was his success due to the league’s best splitter, helping him navigate a tougher division in terms of lineups and parks, though fortunately he doesn’t have to worry about facing his own juggernaut of an offense.
How much time does Alejandro Kirk spend as designated hitter? Catcher eligibility playing primarily at designated hitter? Yes, please.
WASHINGTON
Does Keibert Ruiz continue to make frequent and solid contact, lengthening a potent top half of the order?
How is Cade Cavalli faring with Triple-A Rochester? Cavalli was in the running for a rotation spot in the spring. He fanned 11 with just one free pass in 8.1 innings, hut he also recorded an unsightly 14.04 ERA and repugnant 1.80 WHIP. If he continues to fan hitters with walks on the far, the ratios will correct and Cavalli could join an otherwise blasé rotation.
