Team-By-Team Notes

Since we won’t be seeing Jenrry Mejia for at least half the year, courtesy of a PED suspension, it’d seem to come down to Jeurys Familia and the rehabbing Bobby Parnell (elbow) for saves in Queens. Familia has the job now. Parnell is expected to begin pitching for high-A St. Lucie sometime this week, setting him up for an early May return to the Mets. Familia will do his best to run away with the job in the meantime.

The 25-year-old Familia was one of the NL’s best setup men last season, amassing a 2.21 ERA with an excellent groundball rate and 73 strikeouts in 77 1/3 innings. There is a big negative to being a sinkerballer in New York, in that the Mets are starting a middle infield of Wilmer Flores and Daniel Murphy. However, if Familia is mostly pitching the ninth inning with a lead, he could find himself with Ruben Tejada playing behind him more often than not, which should help. Familia’s real flaw is that he is incredibly shaky making the throw to first after handling a comebacker or a bunt. If that begins to cost him this year, it’d give the Mets extra incentive to go back to Parnell. Familia should be the better pitcher of the two, but he might not actually be the better closer.

Things could also hinge on Parnell’s velocity. There were mixed reports this spring, some placing him in the 88-92 mph with his fastball, others higher. Before getting hurt, Parnell was a 93-98 mph guy. If we start hearing of mid-90s fastballs again while he’s in the minors, his stock will climb. Right now, I’d give Familia the edge for the rest of the season, even though I expect that Parnell will be handed his old job back for a spell.

As for Mejia, it seems like quite a long shot that he’ll be a candidate for saves after he returns. He might not pitch well enough anyway, and even if he does, the Mets won’t want to reward him. Besides, the Mets have postseason aspirations and Mejia won’t be eligible to pitch in October. They can’t rely on him.

American League Notes

Baltimore: Wei-Yin Chen couldn’t summon up his usual fastball in his debut. According to PITCHf/x data, he averaged 89.6 mph with his heater, down from 91.8 mph last season. He has, in previous seasons, picked up some velocity as the year has gone along, but he hasn’t started with that low of a base. Chen isn’t really a shallow mixed-league guy anyway, but he figured to remain a nice asset in AL-only leagues this year. Unless the fastball comes back quickly, that might not be the case. … The Orioles won’t get J.J. Hardy (shoulder) or Matt Wieters (elbow) back this week. Hardy should be ready to come off the DL early next week, but Wieters is still at least two weeks away.

Boston: All was great with the Boston rotation the first time through, with Clay Buchholz and Joe Kelly looking particularly strong. Buchholz, obviously, was less great in Sunday night’s outing. Kelly, who spent the first five days on the DL following a bout of biceps tightness, had the best slider I’ve ever seen from him in his start against the Yankees, and his curve looked good as well. I’ve never been very high on him because of his lack of a strikeout breaking ball, but the slider will become one if he keeps throwing it like that. I still wouldn’t grab him in mixed leagues just yet, but he’s worth watching. … The Red Sox will activate Koji Uehara on Monday, and he’s expected to immediately resume closing games. … Shane Victorino started just three of Boston’s six games, though it probably would have been four if he hadn’t played 10 innings off the bench in Friday’s 19-inning marathon. That led to Allen Craig making his first start on Saturday. Daniel Nava, on the other hand, has already been in the lineup three times and gone 4-for-10 with four RBI. That’s probably the way it should be: Nava projects as a bitter hitter against righties than Victorino or Craig and he’s a better defender in right field than Craig. A Craig trade would still seem to be in the best interests of both parties.

Chicago: It was Chris Sale to the rescue on Sunday, and he looked just as strong as expected against the Twins. The rest of week one was a mess of bad offense and bad pitching. After getting hyped all spring, Micah Johnson looked overmatched in a couple of plate appearances I saw and finished the week 3-for-16 with a 4/0 K/BB. He was 0-for-1 on the basepaths. Part of the reason Johnson got so much attention in fantasy circles was that he stole 84 bases in the minors in 2013. However, he was limited by some hamstring problems last year and went just 22-for-35 stealing bases in 102 games. My guess for Johnson in the majors this year was 23 steals in 435 at-bats, which won’t be enough to give him mixed-league value. A 40-steal season certainly isn’t impossible, but since he’s not going to offer much else, I think he’d pretty much have to reach that mark to be an asset in mixed leagues. … Jeff Samardzija’s velocity was better on Saturday than it was in his Opening Day start. He’s high on my list of likely disappointments, but if you did draft him, there’s no reason to panic about his early 6.23 ERA.

Cleveland: Having to go without Yan Gomes for 6-8 weeks is a bigger blow to the Indians than most will realize, but Roberto Perez isn’t such a bad fallback. We just have to wait and see how he hits. A non-entity in the batter’s box his first four years as a pro, he busted out by hitting .305/.405/.517 in 174 AB in Triple-A and .271/.311/.365 in 85 AB in the majors last season. The projection systems weren’t buying it: ZiPS had him at .194/.281/.301 this season and Steamer put him at .198/.274/.290. Perez is a fine defensive catcher, so he’ll play regularly regardless of whether he produces; the Indians have no plans to put Carlos Santana back behind the plate, leaving Brett Hayes as Perez’s backup. I think Perez is worth a try as a Gomes replacement in two-catcher mixed leagues; those in one-catcher leagues can do better. … Zach McAllister and T.J. House getting lit up the first time through the rotation can’t hurt Danny Salazar’s chances of a quick return to the majors. Salazar pitched six scoreless innings with seven strikeouts and no walks in his first Triple-A start. He’s still worth owning in mixed leagues.

Detroit: So, the Tigers’ offense is a buzzsaw, with four players hitting at least .440 through six games. Five players have OPSs over 1.000. It’s certainly made it less of an issue for fantasy purposes that Yoenis Cespedes is batting sixth and Nick Castellanos is batting seventh. I don’t suggest trying to take advantage of the incredible surge by going out and picking up Anthony Gose and Jose Iglesias in mixed leagues. Gose’s 9-for-20 comes with seven strikeouts. He’s going to remain a strikeout machine, and while he does offer plenty of speed and moderate power, sitting against lefties will cut into his upside. Iglesias’ two steals to go along with all of the singles have been a nice surprise, but he’s just not all that fast. … What’s really incredible is that the Tigers have been able to overcome the loss of Joe Nathan… OK, maybe less than incredible. Manager Brad Ausmus was quick to reiterate that the closing gig would belong to Nathan once he returns from his flexor strain. If all goes well, we’ll see him again in about three weeks. Of course, Joakim Soria will close in the meantime.

Houston: I’m still pretty sure Evan Gattis is going to pick up a hit this season.

Kansas City: Credit Ned Yost for finally getting through to Mike Moustakas and the highly unconventional decision to hit him second. I don’t know that I trust Moustakas not to fall back into his old horrible habits in time, but he’s a changed hitter right now and it’s working beautifully. He’s a mixed-league third baseman until further notice. … Salvador Perez is off to an even hotter start. Unfortunately, he’ll be run into the ground again this year, though maybe not quite to the same degree he was last season. Trading him in June could prove to be a smart play. Of course, he’s not the only catcher who figures to wear down as the season progresses.

Los Angeles: This isn’t really the space for a rant about the Angels’ bungling of the Josh Hamilton situation, but boy have they bungled the Josh Hamilton situation. I wonder if it’s having an effect in the clubhouse, too. … Jered Weaver has averaged 82.6 mph with his fastball in his first two starts, down from 86.3 mph last year and an average of 90 mph in his prime. I hope he gets some of it back, but I’m afraid he might have already tumbled over the cliff. Mixed leaguers can move on. … Matt Shoemaker’s velocity was also down significantly in his first start, from an average of 90.5 mph last season to 88.2. In his case, it’s possible it’s just a dead-arm situation -- I didn’t hear any negative reports this spring -- but it’s definitely something to watch. … Drew Rucinski is expected to make a spot start for the Angels on Tuesday before Garrett Richards (knee) returns next time through the rotation.

Minnesota: I should save all of my rants for the Twins anyway. At least Trevor May will move into the rotation this week, though it’s the result of an unfortunate elbow injury for Ricky Nolasco. May isn’t worth the risk in AL-only leagues right now, but he’s more interesting than the Nolasco-Tommy Milone-Mike Pelfrey trio. … The Twins might have had the right idea in sitting Oswaldo Arcia against Chris Sale on Sunday. That he also sat earlier in the week against a right-hander was bizarre. Arcia should be the Twins’ best or second-best hitter against righties, depending on how Joe Mauer performs. He’ll struggle against lefties, but it still makes more sense to go with him as an every day guy than to aim for that one extra win a platoon partner might provide in a season in which the Twins are certain to lose 90 games. Arcia is 23, and he offers rare power. He should be a building block, despite his dreadful defense in the outfield. I think Paul Molitor disagrees, though, and it worries me.

New York: Masahiro Tanaka’s second start Sunday night was better than his first, but he still looked average at best. His fastball is, at the moment, below average. That’d be workable if he still had the diving splitter -- Uehara makes it work even with his 89-mph fastball -- but the great late movement hasn’t been there. His slider looks like the better secondary pitch. Unless Tanaka starts throwing harder, he’s not going to excel. He’s a mediocre play in mixed leagues right now, though still worth using with the Rays next on the schedule. … With Dellin Betances still looking for command to go along with his improving velocity, Andrew Miller should remain the short-term favorite for saves in the Yankees pen. … Mark Teixeira hitting for power from the right side of the plate was one of the few encouraging takeaways from the first week for the Yankees. Carlos Beltran’s inability to drive the ball, dating back to the spring, has to be one of the biggest worries, especially with Joe Girardi continuing to insist that he’s a No. 3 hitter. Factoring in defense, I think the Yankees might just be better off with Chris Young in right field. Beltran just doesn’t appear to have much to offer in 10- or 12-team mixed leagues.

Oakland: After six homers this spring, Rule 5 pick Mark Canha has gone from potential first baseman against left-handers to starting left fielder, if only because Coco Crisp (elbow) is sidelined. If Canha keeps hitting, though, the A’s will be able to find room for him. He’s probably not going to maintain a quality batting average, but the power is for real. I wouldn’t go grabbing him in mixed leagues. … Josh Reddick’s return Sunday means that Ben Zobrist should go back to playing second base most of the time, knocking Eric Sogard out of the lineup. Reddick is hitting low in the order, seemingly leaving him without value in 10- and 12-team mixed leagues.

Seattle: All of the progress Taijuan Walker made this spring seemed thrown out the window with his command way off in his season debut, but there shouldn’t be any bailing on him in mixed leagues for at least a couple of weeks yet. … There’s nothing right now to suggest that Felix Hernandez’s right quad tightness will cost him a start.

Tampa Bay: With John Jaso (wrist) and James Loney (oblique) on the disabled list, the Rays called up Mikie Mahtook and Allan Dykstra. Dykstra is getting a look at first base, but he doesn’t have a whole lot to offer there, except for maybe some walks. While he did have a .930 OPS in Triple-A last year, he was helped by Las Vegas inflating his numbers. He doesn’t possess the power one would prefer from a first baseman. Mahtook is taking a backseat to David DeJesus, who is off to a very fast start after thinking he’d have a greatly reduced role. … Tim Beckham, who is the second baseman against left-handers with Nick Franklin (oblique) out, homered Saturday and went 2-for-3 with a triple and two RBI off the bench on Sunday. It could get him an early look as a regular, and while I don’t think that will amount to much, he’s worth a pickup in AL-only leagues. Just don’t go overboard with the FAAB bids. There’s still a good chance that he’ll end up in Triple-A once Franklin is ready.

Texas: My high hopes for Derek Holland were fairly well dashed with the news that he would miss 2-3 months with a shoulder strain. We’ll probably get to see Wandy Rodriguez up in his rotation spot soon. Rangers starters are pretty well off-limits in fantasy leagues now. Yovani Gallardo still has a little AL-only value, but that’s it. I’m not a Nick Martinez backer. … Carlos Peguero should take over as the Rangers’ left fielder against right-handers with Ryan Rua out. He’s more interesting that Rua for fantasy purposes, offering plenty of power but also tons of strikeouts. He has short-term AL-only value, and if he produces, the Rangers should stick with him after Rua returns.

Toronto: The Blue Jays named Brett Cecil closer and then removed him from the role before he ever had a save chance. It’s probably temporary, but it’s also probable that Miguel Castro is going to prove to be the superior pitcher this year. Not that Cecil is any sort of slouch; he did fan 76 batters in 53 1/3 innings last season. Castro just seems to be that good. The 20-year-old throws 94-98 mph with a legit changeup. He still needs to tighten up the slider, which shows glimpses of wickedness, but he might be the closest thing we have to a new Betances this year. … I didn’t think the Blue Jays would sour on Russell Martin as a No. 2 hitter quite that quickly. Dalton Pompey has occupied that spot the last two games, making him a great pickup in any mixed leagues in which he’s still available. … Michael Saunders, who is working his way back from knee surgery, had to leave a minor league game with right hamstring tightness Sunday, making it highly unlikely that he’ll rejoin the Jays this week. Kevin Pillar will continue to play left field. … Daniel Norris probably has full-time mixed-league value anyway, but he’s a top-notch streamer this week with the Rays and Braves on the schedule.

National League Notes

Arizona: Archie Bradley shut down the Dodgers on Saturday as a two-pitch pitcher, throwing just two changeups to go along with his fastball and curve. Those top two pitches are excellent offerings, but Bradley lacks fastball command and since he the curveball is so hard to spot, he’s basically left with nothing except the fastball when he gets behind. While I think the future is bright, I remain rather skeptical that he’ll be a mixed-league asset this year. … With the Diamondbacks facing a few lefties in week one, Jake Lamb is tied for ninth on the squad in plate appearances but first with seven RBI. Lamb probably is going to be something of a liability against lefties this year, but it’d still be better if the Diamondbacks could trade Aaron Hill to free up full-time at-bats for him. Until it happens, he’s a weak bet in mixed leagues, even after the exceptional start.

Atlanta: Jim Johnson seems to be fixed -- he’s struck out six and walked none in 4 1/3 scoreless innings so far -- and while that probably won’t mean anything in the short-term, he’s a nice speculative saves pickup in NL-only leagues. Most likely, either Jason Grilli or Johnson is going to get shipped out of town in July. Maybe even both. But if Grilli leaves and Johnson stays, Johnson will likely get to close. It’s also possible that Grilli will get hurt again before then. … The Braves’ surprising decision to go with a third-base platoon of Alberto Callaspo and Chris Johnson has paid early dividends, with both off to hot starts. I imagine we’ll eventually see Johnson get another chance to play everyday -- the Braves would love to see him justify the extension they signed him to last summer -- but Callaspo, for better or worse, is the superior player against right-handers. … Mixed leaguers hoping for steals from Eric Young Jr. should move on; Cameron Maybin is set to eat into his playing time.

Chicago: Mike Olt has a sore wrist. Tommy La Stella is dealing with some sort of rib-cage strain. Things are certainly shaping up for the Cubs to need another option at third base. It’s just too bad they’ll have to wait until the weekend to call up Kris Bryant, but now they at least have the perfect excuse for promoting him. They still might face a grievance somewhere down the line, and bringing him up as an injury replacement would very much help their defense. … Bryant has started all four games at third base for Triple-A Iowa. Perhaps the Cubs have no intention of giving him any time in left field before promoting him. Bryant homered for the second time Sunday.

Cincinnati: Raisel Iglesias started out throwing darts Sunday, but he faded quickly, which shouldn’t be overly surprising after he topped out at four innings during spring training. That he threw a couple of very good changeups was encouraging, and he gets some late action on his 93-mph fastball. It bodes well for him becoming a quality starter in time, though he still needs to improve his command. More pressing is that he still needs to build some stamina to get through six innings at a time. The Reds will probably send him back to Triple-A for 2-3 weeks to make room for Homer Bailey in their rotation. … I’m starting to regret the modest Joey Votto ranking (No. 90 in the top 300) after his early power outburst. It would seem to be more than just a fluky week one.

Colorado: LaTroy Hawkins blew his second save in three changes Sunday and has given up five runs and seven hits through 2 2/3 innings, leading to plenty of speculation that he’s not long for the role. Adam Ottavino appears to be the Rockies’ best reliever, and he’s off to a great start, with seven strikeouts and one hit allowed in 4 1/3 scoreless innings. The Rockies, though, do have two fallbacks with considerable closing experience. One of them, John Axford, won’t be an option for a spell after taking a leave of absence to attend to his ailing son. However, Rafael Betancourt is still there and he’s pitched three hitless innings. I think the Rockies will give Ottavino a chance to win the job, but then, they make as many strange decisions as any organization in the league. Hawkins hasn’t lost the role yet, but one more blown save would probably do it.

Los Angeles: There aren’t any concerns about Clayton Kershaw. None. … Chris Hatcher was given the first chance to close in Kenley Jansen’s absence, but it looks like Joel Peralta’s job now. That’s the way it should have been from the start. What’s really interesting is Yimi Garcia’s emergence as a late-game option; he doesn’t stand out with his 91-94 mph fastball, but thanks to fastball movement and a plus slider, he’s a big strikeout guy anyway. I think he’s probably the Dodgers’ best right-handed reliever right now, though I’d expect Peralta to continue to close until Jansen returns. … I was rather hoping that Alex Guerrero would be traded to a non-contender that would have a full-time job open for him, but he looked too good this spring for the Dodgers to give him away. He made his first start Sunday and went 3-for-5 with a homer, a double and four RBI against the Diamondbacks. I don’t think Guerrero is likely to luck into a starting job with the Dodgers; Juan Uribe is too good defensively and Justin Turner is still a nice fallback at third base, too. He can hit, though.

Miami: Many had high hopes for the Marlins, but just one week in, Henderson Alvarez has a sore elbow and Mat Latos looks like a dud. Assuming that Alvarez lands on the DL, the Marlins will choose from David Phelps and Brad Hand to replace him in the rotation. Phelps looked like the top fallback a week ago, but he’s given up four runs in one inning over his two appearances, whereas Hand has pitched 7 1/3 innings of three-run ball. Phelps is still the more interesting of the duo in NL-only leagues, but I’m guessing Hand will be the choice. … Latos showed the same velocity in his rocky debut that he did while amassing a 3.25 ERA in 16 starts for the Reds last year. It’s not that he can’t be effective while working at 89-93 mph, but it leaves him with less margin for error than he’s used to. Since his ceiling isn’t what it was, he can be dropped in shallow mixed leagues. He wasn’t exactly recommended in the first place.

Milwaukee: Scooter Gennett was on the bench against a right-hander Sunday, which is telling about the kind of start he’s gotten off to. The Brewers have already dropped him from seventh to the eighth spot behind Jean Segura in the order. Last year, Gennett hit .289 with pretty good pop for a second baseman, slugging .434. Gennett can’t hit lefties and he’s not very good defensively, so if he’s not hitting right-handers, he’s a big liability. He’s not going to be of any use in mixed leagues unless he moves up in the lineup.

New York: Not only did Flores make three errors in the first week of the season, but he played 51 innings at shortstop without being involved in one double play. The typical shortstop is involved in about two every three games. Brandon Crawford was involved in seven through six games. Even if Flores does start hitting -- and I think he will -- he needs to do better than that to be an adequate regular. Mets fans don’t want to hear it, but I think Tejada is still their best option at short.

Philadelphia: Domonic Brown (Achilles) homered Sunday in the third game of his rehab assignment with Single-A Clearwater. He could return as the Phillies’ right fielder against right-handers before the end of the week.

Pittsburgh: Andrew McCutchen returned to the lineup Sunday after resting a sore knee Saturday, alleviating some of the concern over the “lower body” problems that have plagued him since the spring. The Pirates and McCutchen have refused to give any clear diagnosis of what was/is ailing the former MVP, which is why there’s still reason to be nervous. Still, it doesn’t sound like he intends to start taking regular days off or anything. … Starling Marte, who had huge strikeout problems early last year, is sporting a 12/1 K/BB ratio to go along with his .136 average in 22 at-bats. Gregory Polanco is at 11/1, but at least he’s hitting .261 in the process. He doesn’t have Marte’s strikeout history, either. … Mark Melancon’s velocity was way down in his first two appearances (92.5 mph last year to 89.6 mph this year), but since something similar happened last April, it’s not a big concern as of yet.

St. Louis: The slimmed-down Yadier Molina hasn’t looked like his old self offensively or defensively. That’s not just a five-game judgment, either; he hit .217/.234/.239 in 46 at-bats this spring. Manager Mike Matheny seems to have noticed, too, dropping him to the seventh spot in the quite a bit earlier than I thought he would. I don’t think the power is coming back, and he’s not a top-10 fantasy catcher for me right now.

San Diego: The Padres are loaded with right-handed-hitting middle-of-the-order type guys, including second baseman Jeff Gyorko and third baseman Will Middlebrooks. One exception is switch-hitter Yangervis Solarte, so they’ll surely keep trying to work him in if he continues to hit. He’s 5-for-15 so far. Gyorko actually looks more vulnerable than Middlebrooks. He’s the weaker defender, and he still hasn’t hit at all since his rookie season in 2013. The Padres might be a better team with Solarte playing second base and batting first or second against righties. … Ian Kennedy’s strained hamstring will put Odrisamer Despaigne in the rotation for at least a couple of weeks. Despaigne is a solid choice in mixed leagues this week with a home start against the Diamondbacks.

San Francisco: Tim Lincecum turned in a successful first start versus the Padres, but it was with a fastball that averaged just 87.3 mph. That’s down from 89.6 mph last year, and unlike some of the aforementioned hurlers here, he doesn’t have that history of weaker-than-usual April velocity. … Ryan Vogelsong and Yusmeiro Petit figured to be the Giants’ fallback starters, yet it’s Chris Heston replacing Matt Cain (elbow) in the rotation. I wouldn’t expect any long-term value there, but he does have some NL-only value while starting. … Casey McGehee is likely to miss a couple of more days with a bruised knee. Matt Duffy is filling in.

Washington: Doug Fister had an excellent first start against the Phillies, but it was all sinkers and he struck out just one batter as a result. His velocity wasn’t great this spring, and it looks like he might be compensating by shying away from his four-seamer and cutter. The velocity will probably come back a bit, but if it doesn’t, he’ll have difficulty with better offenses. … With the DH in play in Boston, it looks like the Nationals will activate Jayson Werth (shoulder) on Monday. He’ll get more rest than usual in the early going, but he can be used in mixed leagues. … Anthony Rendon (knee) is probably two weeks away if everything goes right. It might not.