This week I want to discuss a few players in the big picture context of fantasy baseball, and I want to start with Troy Melton, a right-handed pitching prospect for the Detroit Tigers. In a points league, when structuring your team it’s all about having a consistent hitting lineup and mostly filling your bench with starting pitching depth. The inexperienced pitchers that are talented often have growing pains and are usually too volatile to use until they figure things out a little bit. Every so often though, a pitcher comes up and is immediately productive and exhibits great command. Even though Melton got moved to the bullpen after the Tigers traded for Charlie Morton, he’s worth talking about anyway. I know I’m still keeping him on my roster, because the Tigers have a great schedule coming up in a division where every other offense is weak and great for starting pitchers. If there is an opening in the rotation at any point Melton is going to be a big deal to roster and I’ll tell you why. Last year I missed out on Spencer Schwellenbach, the pitcher who came out of nowhere for the Braves and was a useful, productive starter from the jump, and I set out this season to find the next Schwellenbach so to speak. I truly believe Troy Melton is that player, and that it’s obvious to me that his best comp is Schwellenbach.

The most simplistic reasons for the comp are that both pitchers throw hard and have large arsenals, and that both have really good command as well. It’s rare to see a pitcher reach the majors and exhibit good command, especially of a large arsenal. That’s why even after this move to the bullpen, my confidence and excitement for Melton hasn’t changed. It’s also worth pointing out that if he actually is as good as Schwellenbach, taking someone with his upside out of the rotation in favor of a pitcher in his 40’s should be viewed as malpractice. That would be like the Braves taking Schwellenbach out of the rotation last season before his breakout. It also doesn’t make it look any better when you consider the fact that Melton, in his second career start, dominated a good Diamondbacks offense and produced a productive line of 7 innings, 5 hits, no runs, no walks, and 5 strikeouts. Even if you nit pick the low strikeout total, he struck out 7 in 5 innings in his first start. Melton did give up 6 runs in his debut, but giving up a grand slam had a lot to do with it. In 75 minor league innings this season, Melton struck out 101 with a 2.99 ERA and 1.24 WHIP. He’s even similar to Schwellenbach in that he started out as a rather unknown prospect, but has turned himself into the best pitching prospect in the Tigers system. The ironic part is that coming into the season fellow Tigers pitcher Jackson Jobe was the most hyped pitching prospect in the sport, and I don’t think it’s bold to say I’d rather have Melton long term. 

Melton also has great extension at 7 feet just like Schwellenbach, and that’s important because it gives hitters less time to react and makes them much more difficult to hit. While his fastball is not his best pitch, he averages 97 mph on the pitch, so when you combine that with 7 feet of extension it gets on hitters quickly. I had mentioned his large arsenal, as Melton throws 6 different pitches. Along with the fastball, he throws a sinker, cutter, slider, curveball, and splitter. The only pitch I wish he had was a changeup, but it’s not as important for a righty, especially when he already throws a splitter. So he even throws the exact same pitches as Schwellenbach, which is pretty remarkable. Even if he doesn’t make another start this season, Melton is going to be worth drafting next season if he has a rotation spot. I also roster rookies Zebby Matthews, Cam Schlittler, and Cade Horton, and I prefer Melton over all 3.

To quickly touch on the catcher position since it was the focus of my article last week, I did decide to drop Rice in favor of Baldwin. I made the move after Baldwin started in every game last week, and after it looked like his playing time was safe he sat 3 out of 4 games to begin the week, including against 2 lefties. At this point I don’t trust the playing time, but it’s also worth pointing out the Braves have 8 games next week that are all at home, and the Braves only face 1 lefty. It will be a great time to start Baldwin, as his numbers are much better at home as well. Other than that, I’d suggest Alejandro Kirk in a points league. Since he got injured last week, his roster rate has dropped and he’s available in a third of CBS leagues. He’s expected to return Sunday from his concussion, and he has a series coming up in Colorado next week as well. I’m also considering that option, as Kirk plays every day and gets on base a lot. Both of those things are really valuable for a catcher in a points league. He is a consistent producer each week, and is very similar to Baldwin in that way. To avoid the playing time concern, I’m likely to go with Kirk the rest of the season.