Pirates, fantasy owners scrambling in wake of Starling Marte suspension
Stunning news from the MLB commissioner's office on Tuesday with the announcement that Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Starling Marte has been suspended 80 games after testing positive for performance enhancing drugs.
After the initial shock wears off, fantasy owners will have to find a way to replace one of the top stolen base threats in the majors. Marte hit .311 last season and in just 129 games swiped 47 bases. Only Jonathan Villar and Billy Hamilton stole more.
This season, Marte was off to a relatively slow start, hitting .241 with a pair of homers and two steals in four attempts.
How great a loss is he for his fantasy owners? I had Marte ranked as the No. 14 overall player in 2017 and the No. 6 outfielder.
Top 200 rankings highlight Sports Weekly's fantasy baseball preview
Impact on the Pirates
The Pittsburgh front office made a major decision this offseason to move the two-time Gold Glover to center field and bump veteran Andrew McCutchen, whose defense declined significantly according to advanced metrics, to right field.
With Marte out, McCutchen seems to be the leading candidate to take over in center field. Obviously, losing someone as skilled as Marte in center and replacing him with a below-average defender will have an adverse impact on Pirates pitchers.
Utilityman Adam Frazier will get the biggest upgrade in playing time. He's already played four games in left field while Gregory Polanco was sidelined by a groin injury. Frazier played both corner outfield spots last season so we'll have to wait and see how manager Clint Hurdle decides to align his trio.
The Pirates could also give first baseman Josh Bell or second baseman Josh Harrison some time in the outfield since both have played there before in their careers.
And among the deeper options, they could recall Grapefruit League sensation Jose Osuna (.407, 5 HR, 17 RBI in 54 spring at-bats) as a corner outfielder.
Another option is calling up top prospect Austin Meadows as a replacement in center field.
Meadows is off to a slow start at Class AAA Indianapolis, hitting just .162/.220/.270 in 41 plate appearances. He also struggled in his first exposure to that level at the end of last season. He could be the Pirates' best option -- but likely not their first one.
Fantasy impact
Frazier already seems to have Hurdle's trust. He started the Pirates' first two games of the season in Boston -- one in left field, one at designated hitter. So when they've had an extra spot in the lineup available, he's been the choice.
Frazier stole 17 bases in the minors last season (but was caught 15 times). He's 0-for-2 in steal attempts this season. So although he has decent speed, he's nowhere near the base-stealing threat Marte is.
Fantasy owners need to resist the urge to overreact
He has, however, been able to get on base frequently in the early going. He's hitting .308 with a .372 OBP in 43 plate appearances. He also has one homer and four RBI.
Fantasy owners who had Marte as one of their top speed sources are facing the same sort of dilemma as those who owned Miami Marlins second baseman Dee Gordon last season. There's no one available on the waiver wire who can provide the kind of impact they can on the basepaths. And the 80-game absence may even bring the possibility of dropping Marte into the realm of possibilities in extremely shallow leagues with limited bench space.
While Frazier is the most immediate replacement, Meadows may be the most interesting.
Top 40 fantasy baseball prospects: Yankees have a gem in Gleyber Torres
The No. 2 fantasy prospect for 2017 in our preseason rankings, Meadows missed a good chunk of last season with injuries, but did post an outstanding .311/.365/.611 slash line in 190 plate appearances at Class AA Altoona before being promoted.
With some additional seasoning at the Class AAA level (and some improved results), Meadows could be an option in a couple months. He should already be owned in fantasy keeper leagues. If he shows signs of life at Indianapolis, fantasy owners can start thinking about adding him in anticipation of a call-up. But as was the case with Polanco, his MLB debut could be delayed for service-time concerns.
And don't forget about Osuna. He's just 24 and playing alongside Meadows at Indianapolis. He has shown good plate patience so far this season, posting a .250/.341/.389 slash line in 41 plate appearances. His strong showing this spring might make him the player the Pirates promote to take Marte's place on the 25-man roster.