Welcome to the 2022 Dynasty Baseball Buy or Sell 5-27-22
Are there any other Star Wars fans in here? I am a big-time Star Wars fan and I can't be happier about the new series that comes out today. That is the new Obi-Wan Kenobi series. The series is set to take place in the time era between Episode III and Episode IV and follows Obi-Wan when he is in hiding from the Empire. Ten years after Episode III to be exact.
From the looks of the trailer, we are in for a great series. This should be no surprise as almost all the other Star Wars spin-off series from Disney have been great. Whether you are talking about The Mandalorian or the Book of Boba Fett. In this series, we get to see not only Ewan McGregor reprise his role as Obi-Wan Kenobi but we also get to see the return of Hayden Christensen in his role of Anakin Skywalker aka Darth Vader.
“Where is Obi-Wan?”
Start streaming #ObiWanKenobi this Friday on @DisneyPlus. pic.twitter.com/YWrzoAAv6z
— Obi-Wan Kenobi (@obiwankenobi) May 26, 2022
As of right now, the first season is set for six episodes that are going to be coming out in season one, and that includes a two-episode premiere tonight. With new episodes coming out weekly on Fridays. Part of me wishes they would release all episodes at once for binging purposes, while the other part of me enjoys the week-long suspense that comes with weekly episodes.
Either way, we are in for a great series that should have a ton of action and suspense that follows cannon as Disney continues to push the envelope on the Star Wars franchise that George Lucas failed to give us before the sale to Disney. Let me know down in the comments if you are a Star Wars fan and if you plan to watch the Obi-Wan Kenobi series.
Now lets get into this weeks Buy or Sell.
2022 Dynasty Baseball Buy or Sell 5-27-22
Make sure you have Dave's Dynasty Baseball Rankings bookmarked.
Buy
Alex Verdugo, OF, Boston Red Sox
If you are in the market for an outfielder. Then I would look no further than Alex Verdugo, who is off to a bit of a slow start in 2022, but he can be a very solid dynasty asset. While the slow start may scare some, this is a great buy-low opportunity. Verdugo was one of the bigger names to come over to Boston in the Mookie Betts deal.
Since being traded to Boston, Verdugo has been thrust into an everyday job in the outfield. He has responded by slashing 281/339/421 in just under 1000 plate appearances since 2020. While he does provide some power. The speed that was there in the minors (44SB) has not been a part of his game since.
Let's get into why you should be looking to buy Verdugo. He is currently batting 215 which is not only below league average, but also well below his career average of 281. However, there are reasons to believe that things are set to change. First of all his xBA is almost 80 points higher than his BA and at 287 is more in line with his career batting average. Also his 287 xBA ranks in the 82nd percentile.
ALEX VERDUGO HAS WOKEN UP! 🗣#RedSox | #DirtyWater pic.twitter.com/6qldSIRpsP
— Tyler Milliken ⚾️ (@tylermilliken_) May 27, 2022
His BABIP is also well below his career average. He currently only has a BABIP of 221 which ranks as the seventh-worst among all qualified hitters. This is a sign that the hits are going to start finding holes and the average will begin to rise. Verdugo also does not strike out, he has a career strikeout rate of 15% and is only striking out 12% of the time so far this season.
Also while he only has three home runs and 10 extra-base hits his xSLG of 526 suggests that there is going to be a more power coming. Currently, Verdugo is struggling against off-speed pitches, he is currently only hitting 147 against changeups and his xBA against changeups is only 209. There are many reasons that signal a bounce back is coming.
If you are in batting average leagues and need help in the outfield I would be looking to buy Alex Verdugo while the price tag is low from his slow start.
Sell
Andrew Benintendi, OF, Kansas City Royals
We go from talking about one Boston outfielder to a former Boston outfielder in Andrew Benintendi. Similar to Verdugo's slow start. Benintendi is off to a hot start. Let's take a look at why you should be taking advantage of Benintendi's hot start, and his inflated value to sell now.
Andrew is currently slashing 327/393/425, and his batting average is on pace to be a career-high. However, while the OBP and AVG are great the slugging percentage leaves more to be desired. Benintendi currently only has two home runs and nine extra-base hits.
Furthermore, he has an ISO of only .098 which ranks as the 30th worst amongst all qualified hitters. Some of the biggest reasons why the power is down is the fact that Benintendi doesn't hit the ball hard. His 40% hard-hit rate barely ranks above league average and his xSLG is hovering at league average.
One of Benintendi's most significant values was his ability to hit for power while also providing speed on the bases. From the years of 2017 to 2019 he hit 49 home runs and stole 51 bases. Which was a 162-game average of 18 home runs and 19 stolen bases. A very real 20/20 caliber player. However, since 2019 the speed has disappeared as he has not stolen double-digit bases. The power numbers are also concerning as well. He has seen an increase in groundballs displayed by his decreased launch angle.
Some more outliers would be Andrew's wRC+ which currently sits at 142 and is ranked in the top 25 of all qualified hitters. The biggest concern is that he has never had wRC+ higher than 125 in a season and even had a career-low of only 43 in the COVID shortened 2020 season.
So while on the surface level. Benintendi looks to be off to a good start however the advanced stats paint a different picture. I would be looking to sell Benintendi now as his value is at a high. Before the regression to the mean happens.
Check out Nick's Dynasty Baseball Player of the Week.
