This week I want to start looking ahead. The plan is that each week I’m going to identify a few players who might soon be due an expanded role or if they’re in the minors, then maybe they are ready for a call-up. I’ll try not to pick the low-hanging fruit, and by that I mean dwell on some of the more obvious roster shifts.

Let me give an example though to contextualize that expressly. This week, I think the guys who are about to kick down the door are Brett Baty and Brandon Pfaadt. Now, their circumstances are different, but the results might be the same. Baty recently had a 4-hit game that included two jacks, a theft, and a handful – literally five – ribbees. Since the Mets are very much in win-now mode, and since slugger Pete Alonso has started the season 3 for 14 with one homer, Baty’s hot bat would seem a welcome addition. Sure, the Metropolitans are 3-1 but they’ve beaten a Miami team trying to find an identity, and collectively, the squad hit .223 in that opening series.

Though Cahna and Marte performed, they were the only ones out of the routine group of starters who really did. Tommy Pham has been great in 9 at-bats, getting 4 hits and 8 total bases. It is true too that he has averaged 16 dingers over the last two years, but that only means he’s rosterable in 15-team leagues and it doesn’t mean he’s the answer for a big league club. If you are curious, the guy who got the nod over Baty, Eduardo Escobar, is 1 for 16. Baty might be the best definition of a kick-the-door-down prospect we see all year.

Want to get access to the rest of Chad’s Stash Feature? You’ll need to have a FANTASYPASS membership. Click here to learn more and sign up!

As for Pfaadt’s Diamondbacks, it is true that after being bullied by …

Premium Access Required