Good morning, afternoon or evening depending on when you are reading this or where you are reading this. Welcome back for another chapter of Up-and-Coming Dynasty Players.
This week the spotlight turns to the Great White North and shines on Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Bowden Francis. In case you haven't been paying attention to the world of baseball lately, Francis is coming off a start in which he carried a no-hitter into the ninth inning against the Los Angeles Angels.
As an encore on Thursday against Boston, his first start since facing the Angels, Francis took a no-hitter into the sixth inning and finished the night with on runs allowed on one hit and no walks and five strikeouts in seven innings of work.
A Little Background
Francis was first drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 18th round of the 2016 draft out of Chipola College in Marianna, FL. Francis did not sign with the D-Backs and the moved paid off as he was drafted in the seventh round one year later by the Milwaukee Brewers.
The 6-foot-5 right-hander pitched two full seasons in the Brewers' system before being traded to the Blue Jays on July 6, 2021, along with Trevor Richards for Rowdy Tellez.
The trade was one that did not send shockwaves through baseball, and it didn't look for Toronto at the outset as Tellez had a massive season for the Brewers in 2022 when he slugged 35 homers and drove in 85 runs. However, it is a trade that appears to be paying off for Toronto now. Tellez is now in Pittsburgh where he is a having an average season at best. Meanwhile, Francis is establishing himself as a solid major league starter.
This Buzzfeed quiz will tell you which Pixar character you’re most like, whether it’s the old man from Up, the dad from The Incredibles, Buzz Lightyear, Anxiety from Inside Out, one of those fishes they lost, that character voiced by Billy Crystal or Pete Crow-Armstrong. Please, blog, may I have some more?
Hello deep league friends, and anyone else out there who is still invested in fantasy baseball as we prepare to figuratively turn our calendar pages to September. Well, I will literally be turning my calendar page to September, as I love me an old school, large gridded piece of paper where I can jot down activities and appointments. Please, blog, may I have some more?
Ten, What a number!? It symbolizes completeness and finality. Count to ten. Groups of 10. 5 v 5 = 10. Well, there are 10 games on the main slate tonight and that’s a great number for a slate. For today’s article, I want to walk you through my process which starts with a table of relevant stats. Please, blog, may I have some more?
Yesterday, Lawrence Butler (3-for-4, 4 RBIs) hit three homers (17th, 18th, 19th) for the second time this year. The first and only other time an A’ss hitter has done that since Geronimo Berroa, named because his mother birthed him while skydiving. Please, blog, may I have some more?
John Connor did not exist until Kyle Reese was sent back to protect Sarah Connor from a terminator. Then the bee did something to the bird and voila! Connor became the messiah to bring down the bots. But the path wasn’t clear and fraught with much strife, as Connor was a juvenile delinquent and didn’t see the path until much later in life. Please, blog, may I have some more?
What is up party people? September baseball is right around the corner which is make or break time for teams, both real and fantasy. Matt Wallner can help give you that final boost. His last month has been pretty dang good with 7 home runs while batting over .300. Those are pretty solid numbers, especially for a guy who is more than likely on your wire right now. The only real knocks on him so far are his strikeout rate (37%) and that he takes a seat against lefties. That obviously limits his ceiling but with so little time left in the season you really can't complain too much. Best of luck to all on your championship push.
In our 57th episode, Mike Couillard and Jeremy Brewer open by discussing two opposite history-making baseball stories in Aaron Judge and Danny Jansen before analyzing the latest wave of prospect callups and injuries affecting our fantasy teams. Then we do a far too early mock first round (12 picks) draft for 2025. Please, blog, may I have some more?
Houston ain’t got a problem! Hashtag nailed it! Hashtag blessed for Dad jokes! Hashtag I still got it! [as I walk off the curb, sprain my ankle and trip into the sewer] I’m good! Little help! Captain Woo Cubano’s three homers yesterday brought him a step closer to respectability. Please, blog, may I have some more?
Athletics SS Jacob Wilson’s major league debut ended after just one at bat thanks to a hamstring injury that sent him to the injured list for about two months. He’s back up with Oakland now, singling and scoring a run in his return. He’s a curious piece for our game: a plus hitter without the extreme speed or power we love to see in a prospect. One huge plus: his glove at shortstop buys him lineup real estate even if he’s not hitting, and so far he’s been hitting everywhere he’s been as a professional. When Oakland plays in a kinder run-scoring environment over the next few years, Wilson will be their shortstop and potentially their leadoff hitter. In case it’s not clear at this point, I find him difficult to evaluate for dynasty purposes, but I’m more optimistic than pessimistic.