Fantasy baseball rankings shake-up: Starting pitchers going down, rookies getting the call

Even the most optimistic fantasy baseball managers figured that New York Mets RHP Jacob deGrom was unlikely to make more than 30 starts this season, not after he missed more than half of the 2021 campaign and there was so much recent concern about his health. Still, the latest injury, while not to his elbow or any ligament at all, is a jolt, because deGrom is unlikely to pitch in a big-league game before June. When he does return, the normal angst about missing more time for another malady remains.

The final weekend of spring training passed and the real games start this week, and for those with fantasy drafts to come, deGrom no longer belongs in the second or third round of either points or roto formats — not with this disheartening weekend news. He will miss significant time. How far should he drop? Well, there is a reasonable comparison to be made here with San Diego Padres SS/OF Fernando Tatis Jr., I suppose, since their timetables may be similar. Tatis, after wrist surgery, dropped to roughly my No. 100 player in roto drafts. There is optimism he returns in May and excels.

Optimism is simply not there with deGrom. He is 10 years older than Tatis and a potential free agent after this season — and that absolutely affects decision-making on both his and the organization's part. While Tatis is a five-category hitter and perhaps the best player in fantasy baseball when healthy, deGrom is a four-category pitcher and, to be clear, not exactly a strong contributor in wins, so it's more like three categories. Hey, deGrom is amazing — when he pitches. His 15 starts last season were historic, a 1.08 ERA and an 0.55 WHIP, with a million strikeouts. Getting to 15 starts this season may well be problematic, but for now I have