The Z Files: Monitoring American League Camps

It won't be long before we're getting reports on actual baseball. While this is obviously welcome, the news will be tempered as it will emanate from closed workouts and intrasquad scrimmages. That's understandable, as the current conditions preclude exhibition games, with the exception of an allowed three-game set right before the season commences. Still, gathering actionable information will be a chore the next few weeks.

Of course, most clubs won't be waging many position or rotation battles since the regulars will require every bit of summer camp just to get ready for the regular season. While it would have been nice to see Jo Adell or Spencer Howard's name in exhibition box scores, word should leak out with respect to their participation in team drills, bullpen sessions and intrasquad games.

With just 60 games on the schedule, every plate appearance and inning pitched is magnified in importance. Mike Trout missing a few games on paternity leave wouldn't move the needle in a standard season, but it could drop him out of the top five in the impending truncated campaign. Here are some things to monitor in the American League camps. The Senior Circuit will be reviewed later in the week.

Baltimore Orioles

Does Ryan Mountcastle get added to the 30-man roster, and if he does, will he be the regular first baseman?

Where do Austin Hays and Anthony Santander hit in the order? Overall, the Orioles will be a second-division offense, but they have some thump at the top and their young outfielders could be productive relative to their draft cost.

Will Hunter Harvey be named the primary closer? Streaming closers could be a viable approach, and there will be some weeks the Orioles' schedule is favorable enough to deploy Harvey as a second or third closer in shallower formats.

Boston Red Sox

How will the club deploy Kevin Pillar? With all three regulars (Alex Verdugo, Andrew Benintendi and Jackie Bradley) hitting from the left side, Pillar will likely be in the lineup against all southpaws. The question is, will it be a straight platoon with a specific outfielder or will Pillar spell all three? J.D. Martinez can also play the field versus lefties, allowing Christian Vazquez to be the designated hitter. Speaking of which…

In a short season with only Kevin Plawecki and Jonathan Lucroy as backups, will Vazquez be among the league leaders in playing time among catchers? The Red Sox pitching might be lacking, but even without Mookie Betts, the lineup will be productive, and Vazquez could be one of the top fantasy backstops with added volume.

Will anyone emerge as a useful fantasy starting pitcher? Wins will obviously be even more wacky than normal. Nathan Eovaldi and Collin McHugh have pitched well between injuries while Martin Perez has teased fantasy relevance. If any can display consistency, they will potentially have solid run support at their back.

Chicago White Sox

The South Siders have a nice mix of youth and veterans. There isn't much by way of job battles or rotation openings, with Nick Madrigal being the exception. Early reports suggest Leury Garcia could open the season manning the keystone with Madrigal taking over whenever the club thinks he's ready. Usage in camp could shed some light on how soon Madrigal will debut, though as a veteran, Garcia may not need as much time to ramp up.

Cleveland Indians

The infield is set, though it would be nice to know where Cesar Hernandez hits in the order, as he has solid on-base skills and could thrive if the Tribe find a way to put him at or near the top.

Franmil Reyes and Oscar Mercado should play nearly every day, leaving two spots for Domingo Santana, Jake Bauers, Jordan Luplow, Delino DeShields and a handful of other fly-chasers. Santana is especially intriguing if he receives regular action.

It appears it's all systems go for Carlos Carrasco, though no one would bat an eye if the leukemia recoveree opted to sit out the 2020 season. It will be interesting to see how the back end of the rotation is assembled. Shane Bieber and Mike Clevinger likely have no restrictions (though perhaps Clevinger is slow-played initially). The Indians' lineup is solid and they'll face some lesser pitching staffs, so win potential should be there for Aaron Civale, Zach Plesac, Adam Plutko and maybe Logan Allen.

Detroit Tigers

The last note we had on Cameron Maybin indicated he was going to bat leadoff Opening Day against right-hander Shane Bieber. If Maybin remains a regular at the top of the order, he's in play for cheap speed. However, perhaps Detroit decides they're better off giving Christin Stewart, Victor Reyes and/or Travis Demeritte more playing time. There should be some news out of camp in Motown regarding this.

Are Tarik Skubal, Casey Mize and Matt Manning on the taxi squad just to get their work in under team tutelage, or will they debut later in the summer? There was talk of Skubal getting the first look of the trio. Where they train and under what conditions (bullpens versus scrimmage games) could shed some light on the question.

Houston Astros

The chief question to be answered may not be addressed until the season begins. Will new manager Dusty Baker give the core veterans (George Springer, Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, Alex Bregman) more off days than the previous regime? There are fewer natural off days in this condensed schedule, and Baker may take advantage of the team depth to sit the quartet more often than they're accustomed to. That said, they won't be under the day-to-day scrutiny of media asking about the sign scandal, so maybe they won't need as much of a mental break.

Will, and if so how, will Baker find playing time for Kyle Tucker? Will Josh Reddick take a back seat?

Justin Verlander and Zack Greinke still form a formidable one-two punch, but after that, who steps up? Jose Urquidy is a popular choice, but will he work enough innings early to warrant an aggressive draft cost? Exhibition games may have lent a clue; now we're at the mercy of how many pitches are thrown in bullpens and scrimmages.

Kansas City Royals

Assuming Adalberto Mondesi is fully recovered from his shoulder woes, will he run? Maybe there will be a report, but counting on steals is risky. That said, there were similar concerns when Mondesi returned late last season and he ran wild.

The plan in the spring was for Hunter Dozier to play regularly in the outfield with Ryan O'Hearn and Ryan McBroom vying for time at first base. This leaves Brett Phillips and Bubba Starling on the outside looking in. In most leagues, file this under, "Who cares." In AL-only it matters, so where Dozier works out most in camp is telling.

Los Angeles Angels

The most anticipated birth outside of the Royal Family is front and center. As mentioned in the intro, Mike Trout's wife is expecting. MLB is allowing a paid, three-day paternity leave with an extension at the club's discretion. Trout could miss the minimum of three games, but if the timing isn't right, he could opt to miss an entire road trip. It's not like he'll miss any meals if Arte Moreno refuses to pay Trout for an extended absence. The problem is, we won't know how long Trout will be out until the contractions begin.

One of the more relevant questions is when will Jo Adell debut? In this bizarre season, the Angels have a puncher's chance of making the playoffs. Brian Goodwin is a nice spare part, but Adell can be a difference maker. Hopefully, we'll hear how much action he receives in the intrasquad affairs.

The Angels are reportedly going with a six-man rotation, at least until someone gets hurt. Normally, that's a fantasy detriment, especially in a short season. However, if the starters will be allowed to toss at least five frames, they could be more attractive than other hurlers starting more frequently but leaving the game before the five-inning mark. Let's hope there's word on how many pitches the likes of Andrew Heaney, Griffin Canning, Felix Pena and even Shohei Ohtani are throwing in each session. The assumption is Dylan Bundy and Julio Teheran will be unrestricted.

Minnesota Twins

Nothing much to see with the lineup other than the physical conditioning of Miguel Sano. There are those steering into the variance skid, targeting players of Sano's ilk with the perceived ability to get hot for a two-month stretch and win fantasy leagues.

The rotation is set, with Rich Hill zooming up cheat sheets since he'll be healthy from the jump. However, it remains to be seen if the Twins take it easy with the oft-injured vet, with an eye on a long playoff run in this anything-goes type season.

Homer Bailey is penciled in for the No. 5 spot and showed signs of life late last season. Still, in a year where Minnesota may see a window, Randy Dobnak or Devin Smeltzer could be fallbacks, so following their usage in camp will be important.

New York Yankees

With Aaron Hicks, Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge all likely ready by the Yankees reported July 23 Opening Day, there isn't much by way of job battles, assuming Luke Voit shows he's worthy of being the primary first baseman.

On the hill, Jordan Montgomery has the edge for the final rotation spot, with Jonathan Loaisiga his primary competition, though Michael King is in the mix. Camp usage should settle the issue.

There's a lot of narrative with respect to how MLB clubs will handle the ninth inning, which obviously bleeds into the fantasy realm. There are some who expect saves to be more widely disbursed in deep bullpens, since there are fewer natural off days in the condensed schedule. The Yankees certainly qualify with Zack Britton and Adam Ottavino supporting Aroldis Chapman. Perhaps Aaron Boone will divulge his intentions.

Oakland Athletics

Dealing Jorge Mateo to the Padres helped mitigate the logjam at second base, but there's still unclarity. The hope is Franklin Barreto grabs the reins, so monitoring his camp performance is important. Tony Kemp is also expected to be in the mix with Rule 5 dark horse Vimael Machin still looming.

In the deepest of leagues, the battle behind the dish is worth watching. Sean Murphy is expected to be the chief backstop with Austin Allen thought to have the edge on Jonah Heim.

The team's given no indication this in the plans, but if there's a perfect squad to join the Angels in deploying a six-man rotation, it's the A's. Jesus Luzardo, A.J. Puk and Sean Manaea all are promising arms with an injury history. Frankie Montas doesn't have the health concerns, but he's still young. At minimum, don't assume Luzardo, Puk and Manaea are aided by the late start to the season as they're candidates to have their innings limited, even over fewer starts, as short-term workload contributes to injury as well as volume over the long haul. There's also talk Luzardo will be held back, though it's hard to fathom starting his clock last season then waiting to use him in 2020. If we're lucky, Bob Melvin will share his plans.

Seattle Mariners

Mitch Haniger's setback opens up playing time, ostensibly for Jake Fraley. If Haniger doesn't return at all, the possibility Jarred Kelenic joins the active roster in September increases. Where Kelenic is assigned could be a tell, as he's on the 60-man roster.

Shed Long appears to have the second base job secured. If he's hitting at the top of the order, Long becomes mixed-league worthy, though the Mariners should sport one of the weaker offenses in the league.

Several teams followed Tampa's lead last year and utilized the opener/primary pitcher combination. However, Seattle was one of the few to do it effectively and not out of desperation. Their staff is set up similarly in 2020, so it's worth checking the news out of the Pacific Northwest for streaming opportunities since Safeco Field is a good place to pitch.

Tampa Bay Rays

I'd like to be the first to congratulate the Rays on their 2020 World Series championship. Of all MLB organizations, they're best equipped for the nuances of the impending craziness. They've been unknowingly preparing for it the last several years.

Unfortunately, the repercussion is Tampa sports one of the least fantasy-friendly rosters in the league. Most of their position players see more pine time than other regulars. Playing time is always paramount; it's even more relevant this summer. It's going to be difficult to tell from workouts and scrimmages, but how action will be distributed could be the difference between a Ray warranting a mixed-league active roster spot or being a reserve for everyone except Austin Meadows and Willy Adames. That duo is likely looking at near everyday time.

Manager Kevin Cash not only keeps things close to the vest, he's prone to changing plans on a whim. That said, unlike pitchers on other clubs, Yonny Chirinos and Ryan Yarbrough have track records as primary pitchers, so they should be ranked and drafted as starters. It would be helpful if Cash elucidated his ninth inning plans, but don't hold your breath. If, by chance, Nick Anderson is deemed the chief closer, he's one of the top options at the position.

Texas Rangers

The Rangers could be the most frustrating team to handicap playing time for, as they have so many moving parts and some of their locked-in regulars don't have a set defensive position (Joey Gallo, Danny Santana, Nick Solak). That makes guessing who plays where, and how much, even more burdensome. Hopefully, camp provides clarity as word gets out with regards to who is playing where.

As opposed to the makeshift rotations Texas has graced us with the past few years, their 2020 version is replete with veterans (Lance Lynn, Mike Minor, Corey Kluber, Kyle Gibson and Jordan Lyles). Kluber is obviously worth monitoring coming off injury, but hopefully it becomes clear the rest will be under few, if any, restrictions, and are thus good targets to be in play for the elusive win.

Toronto Blue Jays

The Blue Jays are in the process of assembling a formidable lineup. However, there's some murkiness at first base and outfield. Travis Shaw was the clubhouse leader at first base and without actual games in which to lose the job, he's likely to open the campaign in the spot. How much action Rowdy Tellez sees in camp could hint at the length of Shaw's leash.

There's also playing time up for grabs between Teoscar Hernandez, Derek Fisher and Tellez at DH. Here's hoping skipper Charlie Montoyo lets us in on what he's planning.

The most relevant fantasy unknown with the pitching is Nate Pearson. Monitoring his usage will be key. There's rumors Toronto may opt to delay his promotion a week to keep control for an extra season. Even so, that's akin to being the No. 5 starter and missing a turn with an off day, so if the plan is for Pearson to contribute early, he'll get a full workload in camp, such as it is.