2211 - Tim's new rankings of 1B, 2B, SS, and 3B

Segment 1 - News and Notes
1.Gerrit Cole has been shut down for a month with nerve inflammation in his pitching elbow. He will pick up a ball at that point to test things.
a.This blows for people who drafted Cole in the first round.
b.Who gets the starts for the Yankees?
2.Eury Perez's elbow is also barking, and he’s meeting with a surgeon this week to get a diagnosis.
a.Another top-10 pitcher is gone. This is when I would like you to discuss your pitching narrative below. Only three of the top-10 starters in 2023 will begin the 2024 season, and 18 of 50 are hurt.
b.Who gets the starts in Perez’s absence?
3.Devin Williams will be out for three months. Yikes. He was a top 3 closer off the board. Who do you pick up? – Miguel, Uribe, Payamps
4.Taj Bradley will start the season on the IL with pectoral discomfort. Who gets his starts in Tampa?
5.On a positive pitching note. Scherzer and Verlander are getting closer to picking up a baseball.
6.There was a big trade this week with the Padres on the move again. They acquired Dylan Cease for Drew Thorpe (the second time he’s been traded this offseason), Jairo Irarate, Sammy Zavala, and Steven Wilson.
a.Do you like the move for fantasy managers who have drafted Cease?
b.Do you move up Thorpe in your rankings?
c.c. The Padres do this a lot: trade for big names. Will it work this time? The last I looked, they were in the same division as the Dodgers.
7.Shota Imanga has looked better than Yamamoto this spring. It had to said.


Segment 2 – Updating Tim’s Rankings

First Base
1.I’d move Rhys Hoskins up ahead of Sal Perez. He’s having a good Spring.
Second Base
1.Drop Tommy Edman down below Gavin Lux. The wrist isn’t coming around and he is starting the season on the IL. It could turn out to be a long-term issue.
2.Drop Zach McKinstry down into the 30’s. He won’t be a full-time bat.
3.Drop Jonathan India down.
4.Move Brendan Rodgers up into the mid-20’s.
5.Joey Ortiz at #65 moves up into the high 20’s with the trade to Milwaukee.
6.Drop Taylor Walls down. Starting the season on the IL.
Third Base
1.Drop Noelvi Marte. A reserve pick in 15-team ReDrafts.
2.It looks like the Joey Ortiz trade bumps Tyler Black down the board, as it should.
3.Colt Keith should slide up a few slots.
Shortstop
1.Oneil Cruz has to move up.
2.Jackson Merrill has to move up as it looks like he’s making the Padres as the CF.
3.Masyn Winn and Brice Turang should be bumped up.