Fantasy baseball: 2020 Atlanta Braves fantasy preview

2020 Atlanta Braves projected starting rotation

Mike Soroka, RHP (13-4, 2.68 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 142 K in 174.2 IP)
Max Fried, LHP (17-6, 4.02 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 173 K in 165.2 IP)
Mike Foltynewicz, RHP (8-6, 4.54 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 105 K in 117 IP)
Cole Hamels, LHP (7-7, 3.81 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, 143 K in 141.2 IP with CHC)
Sean Newcomb, LHP (6-3, 3.16 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 65 K in 68.1 IP)
Mark Melancon, RHP (5-2, 3.61 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 68 K in 67.1 IP, 12/12 saves with SF/ATL)

Soroka will help your peripherals more, but his lower strikeout totals keep him from being a true ace. Still, Soroka is a nice second pitcher in your rotation.

Fried is the guy that’s going to get you more strikeouts, but the WHIP and ERA are going to hurt. Whether you are targeting Fried or Soroka will depend on how your early rotation looks before you get to that point of the draft.

Folty’s diminished strikeout totals last year are a bit concerning. He racked up over 200 in 2018. Maybe it was the injury. At any rate, He’s worth a look in the middle third of your draft. He’s a good bounceback candidate.

Hamels hasn’t had an ERA under 3.50 since 2016 and hasn’t won double digit games since 2017. His last 200 strikeout season was also in 2016. He’s a name only right now. His last sub 1.20 WHIP came in 2015. That said, this is a great park for lefty pitchers, and while Hamels wont see a return to Cy Young form, he could have a strong season in relation to his draft slot if the triceps tendinitis doesn’t linger.

King Felix opted out of the season, so that will open up a slot for Sean Newcomb. He was once a good prospect and still has had strong numbers in the majors with a 3.87 lifetime ERA and more than a strikeout per inning. The WHIP is nasty though, and not in a good way. Only draft Newcomb to fill out your rotation.

Melancon was good as a closer, and he’ll get a good amount of saves. The problem is with the peripheral numbers. He wont help you as much as most closers, but the sheer volume of save chances leaves him firmly in the second tier and maybe even a notch above.

Prospects to watch:

Both Ian Anderson and Kyle Wright have put up some big strikeout numbers in the minors, but Wright has struggled in callups over the last two years and Anderson got punished in his AAA stint last year. That’s why they went with Hamels and King Felix. The Braves don’t really think these two are ready, but they may not have a choice with Touki Toussaint contracting COVID, Hamels battling a minor injury, and King Felix opting out.

Bryse Wilson has dominated every level of the minors, but he has a 7.00 ERA in 27 major league innings. Use with caution.

Tucker Davidson flew through the high minors last year and up prospect lists. He has a big arm if he can overtake the three guys plus Sean Newcomb in front of him. Good luck with that!

There are only five more of these where this came from! Sports may be on hold, but we will have baseball sometime this season. We here at FanSided Fantasy are going to make sure you’re prepared!