Is Daulton Varsho worth a speculative add?
Christopher Crawford advises Carson Kelly fantasy managers to add Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Daulton Varsho.
Video Transcript
CHRISTOPHER CRAWFORD: Carson Kelly is going to miss a significant amount of time after fracturing his right wrist on Saturday in a loss to the Dodgers. One player fantasy managers should look as a potential replacement is the player who's going to replace him in real life-- Daulton Varsho.
The Diamondbacks recalled Varsho on Sunday, and he went 0-4 on Sunday with 2 strikeouts. Now, recommending a player that has just 7 hits and 45 at-bats over 20 games may seem odd, but look. This is a former top prospect who has a clear path for playing time for the woeful D-backs. And in his 18 games with Triple-A Reno, he slashed 313, 368, 750 with 9 homers and 2 steals. That latter number is important. Varsho has plus speed, and he's the type of player who can steal 20 to 25 bases if he gets on base enough to do so.
The risk here is obvious. But unless you have one of those rare set-it-and-forget-it backstops-- and you do not anymore if you were rostering Kelly-- you probably aren't going to find a catcher with more upside than Varsho on the waiver wire.