THE CASE OF JURICKSON PROFAR

Jurickson Profar was called up to take the roster spot of Rougned Odor when he was placed on suspension for his role in the fight with the Blue Jays. Odor is now back with the big league club which opens up the question of what happens with Profar? Where does Profar play since the middle infielder will be nothing other than a sub for the duo the team has locked in at second base and shortstop?

Let’s go player by player.

Rougned Odor is on pace to go 20/15 with 70 RBI and 90 runs scored this season. He’s playing daily at second base. Period.

Elvis Andrus is a player that everyone loves to hate in the fantasy game. I don’t get it, but it’s a fact. Sorry folks, but you’re not getting your wish with Andrus – he will NOT be benched. Many reasons why this is. First off, he’s on pace to hit .290 with 20+ steals. He’s also on pace to score about 80 runs. He also will be paid $15 million this year, next year, 2018, 2019, 2020 and then $14 million in 2021 and 2022. Folks, teams don’t give contracts like that to players they don’t trust/believe in. Andrus is playing every day, just the way it is.

When asked by Howard Bender on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio what I thought the outlook of Profar was this season I said ‘I expect him be used like Javier Baez.’ Howard immediately said something to the effect of ‘I knew you would say that’ and ‘I agree.’ What we both meant by that is that we see Profar being used here and there, without an official spot in the lineup, and that he’s going to have a dang hard time seeing enough work to be a turn to type of player in mixed leagues meaning it’s hard to envision how he’s playing enough to be in your weekly mixed league lineup.

Don’t take my and Howard’s word for it. Here’s what Rangers manager Jeff Banister said. "He's playing right now. We're going to find opportunities for Profar to play while he's here. Now is that on an everyday basis? I'm not willing to go into that just yet. We're talking about a guy who hasn't played for two years." It’s not just the manager either. Heed the words of the Rangers GM Jon Daniels. "Jurickson could be here for an extended period, and something else might present itself and he might not be. It's just the nature of the game.”

That’s the manager and the GM telling you not to get attached to Profar. Haven’t we just recently seen a very similar position play out? You know, the young player everyone in fantasy wants to see though there really wasn’t a spot for him in the daily lineup. You know, the guy who was demoted Monday by his team (Trea Turner was demoted Monday by the Nationals). That’s right, we have the exact same scenario playing itself out in Washington yet folks are completely ignoring that when it comes to Profar.

The only shot that Profar has to stick in the lineup on a daily basis would seem to be if one of the following things happens.

1 – Andrus or Profar is injured.

2 – The team decides to deal or bench Mitch Moreland or Prince Fielder. Remember that Joey Gallo is down in the minors so it’s not like the team doesn’t have an obvious, built in option at first or designated hitters if they want to move on from either vet. Gallo, not Profar, is the bat with the power. Gallo, not Profar, is the player who actually knows how to play first base. Seems pretty obvious to me that the long-term play, duh, is for Gallo to take over if need be, not Profar, at first base or designated hitter.

3 – Folks have suggested that Profar could play some outfield, and that’s possible. But there does he play long-term there? Nomar Mazara plays daily, as does Ian Desmond. Shin-Soo Choo should be brought off the DL next week and he’s going to play every day. That’s a full outfield folks. Don’t know how many folks have noticed either, but Ryan Rua is batting .304 with a .853 OPS and 20 runs in 34 games. Gallo could play the outfield as well.

As you can see, or at least from what I can see, there doesn’t appear to be any obvious spot in the lineup for Profar. They are finding a spot because he is ripping it up right now (.390/.402/.635), but is that who Profar is? Obviously it is not. Note that Profar didn’t play a game in 2014 because of a shoulder injury. Note that Profar appeared in only 12 games in 2015 because of a shoulder injury. In fact, his career was in doubt six months ago because of the multiple setbacks with his wing.

Profar returned to action this season and performed admirably over 42 games batting .284 with a .356 OBP and .426 SLG as he hit five homers, drove in 26 runs and scored 28 times. It’s unclear how well his body will hold up over the course of 150 games. That should be obvious. Second, don’t be blinded by nine games of excellence. I mean Logan Morrison has five games with two hits his last nine outings and has homered four times in three games. Are you really jazzed about LoMo? Third, let’s look at the overall work of Profar at the big league level, not nine games but 103 outings. Profar has hit .250 with a .313 OBP and .378 SLG. Those are terrible numbers. That’s what Profar has done as a Ranger.

Why are you so willing to look past two totally lost seasons due to injury with Profar?

Why are you so willing to look past 103 games of ineffective work at the big league level?

Why are you so willing to overlook the fact that Profar has no spot in the daily lineup with the Rangers?

I don’t really understand all the excitement, but I guess that’s just me.

DFS DIAMONDS

*The following list of players are guys that Ray recommends as daily plays.

CATCHER: Kevin Plawecki has a mere .669 OPS against lefties this season. Still, he faces Jonathon Niese who has had very little success against righties this season (.299/.362/.474).

FIRST BASE: Mike Napoli has a homer in 2-straight games. Check out the numbers his last 10 outings: six homers, 12 RBI, 11 runs. Napoli faces James Paxton who got bombed his last time out with a .876 OPS this season against lefties.    

SECOND BASE: Make sure his elbow is ok, but start Steve Pearce with confidence if he’s in there. Pearce has an insane .390/.468/.829 slash line against lefties while Robbie Ray is being hit hard by righties (.294/.391/.422).   

THIRD BASE: Mike Bolsinger has allowed three homers in three starts this season. All are to righties. Nolan Arenado has four homers and eight RBI his last six games.   

SHORTSTOP: Carlos Correa faces Colby Lewis with a .417 average and two homers against him in 12 at-bats. He’s caught fire of late with a hit in 8-straight games with an effort that includes a homer, a double and three triples with 10 RBI.

OUTFIELD: Mike Fiers has a .302/.343/.530 slash line against righties and has allowed 10 homers over 61.1 innings this season. Ian Desmond has driven in eight runs with eight runs his last 10 games and has a .389 batting average in June.

OUTFIELD: Jarrod Dyson faces Mike Wright who just stinks against lefties. Over the course of the season Wright has a .369/.421/.537 slash line against portsiders.

 

Ray Flowers can be heard Monday through Friday, 7 PM EDT and Friday on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio (Sirius 210, XM 87). You can also hear Ray Sunday nights at 7 PM on the channel talking fantasy sports. Follow Ray’s work at Fantasy Alarm and on Twitter (@baseballguys).