That’s What I Like: Chris Flexen, Hyesong Kim, Rob Refsnyder

Living in the Bold North, we only have grass for, like, 6 months out of the year. The rest of the year, our yards are filled with snow or dirt from the melted snow or sink holes from the melted snow. Yet, like clockwork, the Y chromosomes in our neighborhood all synchronize on Sunday morning and make the men step out and mow their lawns. Imagine yearning to see green all winter, and then when the faintest hint of green emerges, you shout at the top of your lungs, “REV IT UP!” and you begin cranking your two stroke with the ferocity of a teenager. Extra points if you mow your lawn three times a week. ENYWHEY. What else am I supposed to lead off with when it’s June? Let’s get you some players.

That’s What I Like

Chris Flexen, RP, Cubs: Gag. When I say that this article is called “That’s What I Like,” I mean, “That’s what I like for your fantasy team that needs a whole bunch of help and maybe here’s some guys you haven’t thought of yet.” Just try and get that by marketing! Flexen is about the most well-known quantity there is in MLB: he has years of blah and meh and, oh, he’s not starting anymore. Sounds intriguing, right? That’s where the Roleless Rob comes in. Flexen is now RP33 on the year, which is great for points leagues or deep leagues where you have to choose between Flexen and a flaming piece of trash. I think deep league players know what I’m talking about, right? Flexen’s snagged two Wins over the last week and hasn’t given up a run all year. The advanced metrics look reasonable — 2.94 xERA and 2.81 FIP, mostly driven by weak contact. Weak contact pitchers aren’t your typical bread and butter, but they’ll get you through more IP, which means better chances of Wins and better ERA/WHIP ratios. He’s available everywhere and could be a sneaky way to grab some extra Wins in RCLs or some last-ditch Wins in points leagues.

Hyesong Kim, 2B/OF, Dodgers: Kim got demoted last week and then responded with a tremendous game over the weekend. Dave Roberts said that Andy Pages, Michael Conforto, and Teoscar Hernandez will get starts over Kim. OK. I can understand two of those. ACKSHUALLY, I understand three of those because I bet the Dodgers want Conforto to look good for like 2 weeks and then they can trade him for even more closers. I’m not going to pretend like I have a playing time crystal ball, but what I can pretend to know is that the Dodgers love two things: 1) Dogs, 2) hitters. Kim’s batting .400 on the year with a .600 slugging rate. Conforto’s below the Mendoza line. Kim has already played 2B, SS, and CF. Conforto was nearly negative 10 Defensive WAR last year. I’m not saying it’s a 1-1 swap, but what I am saying, is that Kim just needs to hit, and the Dodgers will find a way to put him in the lineup. Conforto’s gone at the end of the year, and Kim is on the roster until the next Olympics. Like, this is such a buyer’s market for Kim that it’s practically a free playoff berth. Kim is available in 60% of leagues. Find a spot for him on your bench and wait until the Dodgers start making sense again.

Rob Refsnyder, OF, Red Sox: It’s important to say that Refsnyder’s never played a full season of MLB ball before. He topped out at 307 plate appearances last year, which is like saying “I was first place in my fantasy league on April 30.” Refsnyder has quietly turned himself into a barrel machine over the past two years (10% rate last year, 13% this year). He’s always had a proclivity for line drives, but now he’s hitting “harder” more often and the results are: .302 average, .585 slugging, and…a demotion to the bench. It’s not like there’s a ton of competition in the lower half of the Sox order. I mean, their #5 hitter Marcelo Meyer has a 30% K rate and a .296 slugging rate. This is why I hate early season baseball. Is June still early season? I dunno. Ask a calendarologist. My point is: Refsnyder is second on the Sox in wOBA and wRC+ and he’s sitting on the bench. I doubt that holds for long — either the Sox trade him or make room for him, and he’s available everywhere, so plop him on your bench or watch list and wait for the regular at bats to come pouring in.

I’m the Problem, It’s Me

Royce Lewis, 3B, Twins: Sigh. Me hating on the Twins is, to quote Bobby Brown, my prerogative. At the time of writing, Lewis is mired in a 0 for 28 slump, and the sky’s the limit for the slump. No really — he’s popping out everywhere. He plummeted from the top of the lineup to the bottom of the order in the span of a week, followed by a day off over the weekend. It’s not the worst batting profile I’ve seen — his K rate is only 10%, so the important part is that he’s making contact. But his launch angle over the slump is nearly 45 degrees. If you didn’t pass advanced statcast geometry, that’s like trying to make a moonshot to the actual moon. Lewis isn’t doing you any favors right now, and he’s already as fragile as they come. I’d recommend trading him off when the slump breaks.