On July 31st, there was a great disturbance in the force, as Tommy Pham was traded from the Cardinals to the Rays. The black hole was subsequently filled by an innocent-looking 24-year-old with 315 major league plate appearances, Harrison Bader (43.4% owned – increase of 29%). Then it started happening. Each pitch thrown was met with anger. Each cleat dug further into the dirt until the shoe twisted, then churned the ground, causing a volcano-like explosion hurling a 190-pound mass of anger down the base path. The innocent-looking 24-year-old was no more. The hate. The anger. It all manifested to unveil….Darth Bader. He of the 46.8% hard hit rate. He of the .242 ISO and .576 SLG. If I compare the numbers from the month of August to the rest of the season (74 PA vs 223 PA), the swinging strike rate is down 2%, the chase rate is down 4%, contact rate is up 5%, hard hit rate is up 14%, and ground ball rate is down 10%! Could be a case of the small sample size, but it could also be that he’s playing regularly now. Regardless, there’s going to be some regression, as a .432 BABIP is unsustainable. With that said, the power/speed combo is too enticing and we all know that the force is strong in St. Louis. TREASURE
Clay Buchholz (65.6% owned – increase of 11.3%) is coming off a complete-game win over the Padres. First off, it’s the freaking Padres. Secondly, it’s the freaking Padres. Since returning to action on July 24th, Buchholz has a 4-1 record with a 2.36 ERA. Holy Buchholz!!! The K/9 is only 7.86 and the xFIP is 3.88. The swinging strike rate is 9.7% and the overall contact rate is 78.9%. The peripherals don’t look particularly inviting but….his next outing is against the Orange County Angels (I refuse to call them Los Angeles). The OC Angels have no Trout or Pujols, have Simmons batting cleanup and the catcher batting fifth. After that, he gets the Giants and Padres. Then, it’s probably the Braves, Astros, Cubs, and Dodgers. It makes me want to puke, but Buchholz is a viable option for the next three outings. After that, you’d be living dangerously. TREASURE that turns to TRASH
Melky Cabrera (9.7% owned – increase of 8.8%) has been a sneaky fantasy asset for about a month now. Batting sixth in a potent Indians lineup, Melky has caught the eye of many fantasy owners because he’s homered in three straight games. He’s also belted five total for the month of August. Melky doesn’t walk much (4.9%) or offer stolen base potential, but he only strikes out 14.1%, has a .275 average with an ISO of .174. That number will likely come down, but a .145-.150 number is a reasonable outcome. Obviously, don’t expect a home run every day, but he does have double-digit pop. Just keep in mind that Ryan Rua will sometimes take his spot against lefties. TREASURE
