After an early season hiatus, we are back with the first 2022 in-season addition of 3 Up, 3 Down as we chew on five periods of performances across the Roger Dorn Baseball League. Sure, the sample size might not be large enough to form strong opinions, but several players are off to surprising starts that have certainly driven their value up or down substantially.
Here's the latest 3 Up, 3 Down.
Jazz Chisholm (1R/$1), Ducks
Is it time to say I was wrong? I'm not fully there but I am getting there on Jazz Chisholm who has been awfully impressive to start 2022. He enters Period 6 as the third best second baseman while slashing .310/.354/.621 with five home runs, six doubles and three triples. His walk rates remain low with just six in 87 at-bats which will likely lead to dips in scoring when the bat goes cold but Chisholm looks the part of a top 10 player at the position, a spot I didn't think he could reach due to his historical lack of plate discipline.
Combined with Alek Manoah, the early season leader for 2022 Activation of the Year, GM Ryan Walsh looks to be building a contender in Burlingame.
Merrill Kelly (1D/$5), Devils
GM Jason Watson looks to have nailed what potentially could be the first elite level 1D/$5 player in RDBL History. Kelly has been exceptional to start 2022, posting a 1.22 ERA and 1.03 WHIP over 37.0 innings, ranking 3rd in pitcher scoring with 134.0 points entering Period 6.
Stacks Bullpen
The Alamo Short Stacks invested heavily in their bullpen and it paid off in Period 5. The trio of Emmanuel Clase, Liam Hendriks and Kenley Jansen posted 82.0 combined points over the last 7 days led by 44.0 from Hendriks alone who saved five consecutive games for the Chicago White Sox without allowing a hit.
Cavan Biggio (2R/$3), Aristocrats
Is it time to say I was wrong? Biggio was a breakout player in the shortened 2020 campaign, finishing in the Top 25 of all hitters in scoring while posting a .375 on-base percentage. Back injuries plagued him for much a disastrous 2021 season and he's off to a similarly awful start in 2022. The second baseman has gone just 1-for-23 while missing the last number of weeks due to COVID. Time is ticking on his ability to regain his footing as a net positive producer for the 'Crats.
Jonathan Schoop (1/$8), Clovers
Schoop was somewhat of a surprise drop by the Maltese Falcons after posting 376.0 points in a .278/.320/.435 campaign in 2021. The Clovers snatched him up for $8 in Auction and the results have been disastrous with Schoop arguably ranking as the worst hitter in the RDBL entering Period 6. The infielder is 13-for-97, producing just 4.0 total points with a .134/.176/.196 line.
Hunter Greene (Minors), Grapes
A dominant debut from Greene led some to question GM Terry Shelley's decision to hold him back from an activation. The results say otherwise.
Among starting pitchers, Greene already has the fifth most 101-plus mph pitches since MLB’s pitch tracking era began in 2008. His 18 101.0-plus mph pitches trail only Justin Verlander (46), Jacob deGrom (31), Yordano Ventura (27) and Noah Syndergaard (26). When you just look at fastballs, it’s 7.4% of the 242 fastballs he’s thrown.
That’s incredibly impressive in terms of pure velocity, but it’s led to some equally unimpressive results so far. Greene has given up nine home runs off his fastball, meaning that 3.7% of his fastballs have resulted in homers.
Overall, hitters are hitting .456/.523/1.000 against Greene’s fastball. Yes, there are small sample size caveats, but Greene’s fastball is playing as the worst fastball in the majors so far by a massive margin.
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