Jarred Kelenic tops list of rookies to stash in fantasy baseball

SiriusXM and Fantasy Alarm analyst Jennifer Piacenti joins Yahoo Fantasy's Scott Pianowski with some rookies to add to your bench for later in the fantasy season.

Video Transcript

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SCOTT PIANOWSKI: --into the first week of May. That means rookie season. Some of our high profile prospects are gonna be coming up soon. You're gonna want to make sure these players are stashed on your roster, 'cause you're gonna want them in your lineups in short order. I'm with Jen Piacenti today from Sirius XM and Fantasy Alarm. Jen, give me a minor leaguer you have your eye on right now.

JENNIFER PIACENTI: I don't know how you don't have your eye on Jared Kelenic. He reported yesterday to the Mariners Triple-A Tacoma. I think that's a good sign he could be joining the big show soon. And he's the kind of player that's gonna make an immediate impact.

And right now, Seattle is in second in the AL West with a .548 win percentage. And that's ahead of the Astros and the Angels. If they want to continue to keep any kind of pace in this division, they're gonna have to do something. And my guess is it's gonna be lefty prospect Jared Kelenic.

He's got elite power, elite contact skills. He's patient to the plate. In 173 minor league games, Kelenic has 29 homers, 35 stolen bases, batting .290. He was tearing it up in spring training too. 23 plate appearances, he batted .333 and slugged .778 with 2 homeruns. And the best part, 3 more walks than strikeouts. If Jared Kelenic is still available, you need to go grab him.

SCOTT PIANOWSKI: Huge Kelenic fan. Remember, we saw what happened before the season when the GM got a little bit of hot water. They ended up making change with the team president, whatever it was. I think there may be some pressure on the Mariners to put their best team on the field. They are a surprise contender, as you mentioned and a really fun organization.

Julio Rodriguez is also a top prospect. I think we might see him this year. So it's better days are ahead for the Seattle Mariners. Could not be more enthusiastic about Kelenic. I'm gonna cheat a little bit with my pick, as Sixto Sanchez is rostered in 56% of Yahoo leagues. So most of you are on to Sanchez. And we've already seen him perform at the Major League level.

But because his shoulder wasn't right at the beginning of the season, they sent him to the alternate site. May not be up until maybe late May or early June. But he may be the gem of what is a very deep starting step.

I love all these Miami pitchers. But I think Sanchez has the highest upside of any of them. Some people may be sick of waiting. 'Cause I said he's available in about 44% of Yahoo. Just make sure he's not on your waiver wire. 'Cause you're really gonna be kicking yourself if you missed a chance to get Sixto Sanchez for nothing.

JENNIFER PIACENTI: Absolutely. And I sort of wonder if he's gonna get this extra time to rest. You know, we were all worried about the innings limit for Sixto Sanchez-- maybe 150, maybe 160. But maybe he's had enough time off that he's actually gonna help you down the stretch. So I think Sixto Sanchez is such a good pick up if he's available.

I'm gonna go for a little bit deeper of his stash. It's Bobby Witt, Jr. I think we all heard about Bobby Witt, Jr. in spring training because he was basically ridiculous. He hit .289, he slugged .526, 40 plate appearances, including that 484 foot homerun, which I think we all saw the StatCast videos of over and over again.

The issue, of course, is Witt Jr. is he's a major stash. We don't know when he's gonna be coming up. It could be June. It could be post All-Star break. It could be September for all we know. But we do know he's really good.

And in spring training, GM Mike Matheny had said he was open-minded about the young infielder making the club in the spring. So they're open to him joining. You talked about surprise contenders. That's Kansas City. They're tied for first in the AL Central with the White Sox. But they've actually allowed more runs and they've scored.

So they need to get some powerful bats back in the lineup. And I think we're eventually gonna see Bobby Witt, Jr. I just don't think they can keep him down the whole season. The question is, how long? If you have a deep bench, I'm gonna go ahead and pick him up now. If you don't, keep your eye on him.

SCOTT PIANOWSKI: It never hurts to have the pedigree of your father, Bobby Witt, Sr., being a Major League pitcher. If Nate Pearson of Toronto was not on your radar, he had his "here I am now, entertain me" moment on Tuesday. Pitches for Triple-A, throws 3 and 2/3 innings, and strikes out 8 guys. 8 strikeouts in 3.2 thirds innings.

There's only 11 outs. And he recorded 8 of them by the strikeout. If not for an injury in spring training, I think he would have started the year with Toronto. Of course, the Blue Jays, they're going for it. Vladimir Guerrero is having a breakout season. They think they can win this division.

The Yankees have gotten off to a poor start. The Red Sox may not have the pitching to contend all year. Tampa Bay's got a good team. But the lineup is so-so. So Toronto is gonna try to get their best lineup on the field.

I think Nate Peterson is up in May. He's still available in about 2/3 of Yahoo leagues. And he's gonna be fun to watch. He's gonna be a great strikeout source right away for a team that I think could still steal the American League East.