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What is up party people? Baseball lost one of it’s greats this week and it may just be that he was the greatest ever. I never got to watch Willie Mays in person but I would give almost anything to be in the stands for his over the shoulder catch or to play stick ball with him in the streets and I don’t think I am alone in that dream. There are no words I can write that could even come close to encapsulating the impact he had on the game. Afterall, are there any more complementary words I could pay him than those of the great Ted Williams? “They invented the All-Star game for Willie Mays” It doesn’t get much better than that and he would be 1.1 in fantasy drafts. To the man, the myth, the legend, THE Giant, you will be forever missed but 24 lives on.

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What is up party people?  One of this season’s breakout hitters, Masyn Winn seems to still be flying under the radar. He hasn’t really stood out in a singular area but he looks like a vastly improved hitter from what we saw last season. Batting average has been his strong suite and you can’t be mad at a guy hitting over .300. The secret sauce is there might be some untapped power waiting  to be unleashed. I’m not suddenly expecting him drop 50 on us, but he did swat 18 in 445 at bats his last turn in AAA so the 3 he has this season feel a little low. Even if he turns into 20-25 home runs hitter and can keep his average close to .300 he suddenly becomes a much more interesting hitter. There’s quite a bit to like here even if the power doesn’t manifest this season

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What is up party people?  Just when it looked like Luis Matos was going to have the chance to bat everyday and work through his struggles, the Giants got some veteran outfielders back from the IL and deemed it appropriate to send Matos back to AAA. Now I can’t deny that he’s been a rut at the plate with just 2 hits in his last 19 at bats and hasn’t had an extra base hit in what feels like a year. Combine that with a complete lack of walks and you get a guy who went hotter than the surface of the sun to absolute zero. I’m still a believer in his talent and hope that this is just a short stint in the minors to get right and then he’ll be back.

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What is up party people? Since we last convened, we learned Jung Hoo Lee would undergo season ending surgery to repair his injured shoulder. I had high hopes for him and hope that he can come back strong next season. While his injury sucks, all injuries suck and you hate to see anyone have their season cut short, it has opened the door for Luis Matos to get a shot at everyday at bats in the majors. So far he has taken that opportunity and run away with it. All he’s done since being called up is bat over .320 with 2 bombs and a whopping 18 RBIs in only 40 at bats. Yes, 11 of those delicious RBIs came in back to back games but the early returns are very encouraging. It’s easy to forget that he just turned 22 this year so he should grow into his skills especially in the power department. I’ve seen enough to want him on my squad. With his contact abilities, he has the potential to be a points league star.

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What is up party people? Sigh, another week, another promising young outfielder hits the IL. Jung Hoo Lee wasn’t lighting the world on fire just yet but there were signs he was about to take flight. Then he dislocated his shoulder in a collision with the wall and his timeline to return is uncertain, with the worst case timeline being the rest of the season. We should have some clarity in the coming days, but I’m fearful it will be a lengthy stay on the IL. So far he has been replaced in center field by Luis Matos who was a top prospect just a short time ago. He has big time potential but struggled in the majors last season which is why he’s been in AAA. Now that injuries to the rest of the Giants hitters have given him a chance to play everyday, it’s up to him to put it all together and show off his talent. His numbers in AAA haven’t been great but he has hit the ground running since his call up and that makes him worth taking a shot on. Now lets look at some other potential replacement options, starting with some guys from last week and then we’ll see who’s hot.

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What is up party people? Elly De La Cruz is on one heck of a tear right now and I regret not getting more shares of him. I will be the first to admit that I thought his ADP was too rich for my blood going into the season mainly due to his strikeouts. I will also be the first to admit that despite a 36% strikeout rate, he has still been amazing. That is truly impressive. He’s got the power (8) and he’s got the speed (18) to be a star. Honestly, it’s surprising that he only has 5 doubles with those kind of wheels. I still have some concerns there will be some rough patches from the Ks but he’s good enough to be productive in spite of that. Consider this my apology to Elly for ever doubting him.

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What is up party people? We mostly focus on the positive, but not everyone has gotten off to a rockin start. Take, for example, Jordan Walker.  You know him well as Razzball favorite, destined for fantasy stardom. To put it bluntly, the results have not been that of a fantasy star and obviously the Red Birds feel the same way since they just sent him down to AAA. So far the points just haven’t been there and with a .164 batting average this season it’s not difficult to see why. Unfortunately the news doesn’t get much better when you look beyond that to his 18 strikeouts and only 6 walks. Yeah, that’s not very good. At least he is showing strong exit velocity, but that’s about it. He’s got roughly a full season in the majors, give or take a handful of games, but the power we expected hasn’t really manifested yet, with only 16 for his career. While disappointing, it is also not entirely unexpected. It’s not uncommon for guys to take a beat to grow into their power and Walker is still pretty young, at only 22. That means he still has time. Time to be better, time to remind us all of that big time power. I will admit that I am concerned but I’m not ready to panic. All the tools are still there and I want (need) to believe that he will figure it out. I hope that it will be merely a short stint to get right and he will be back to terrorize major league pitching but he really did look lost out there so who knows it will take for him to earn another shot, especially after last season’s struggles. Outside of deep leagues, I just don’t think you can afford to hold onto him.

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What is up party people? The Colton Cowser hype is growing and it looks like the hype might be real. While this outburst may be an outlier, don’t forget that he was once a first round draft pick way back in *checks notes* 2021. The Orioles are absolutely loaded with prospects, or at least it feels that way, so it’s really not that surprising he hit a logjam to find a starting spot. With his recent performance it seems he will get a shot to play everyday, even against lefties. He’s likely not available in your league and even more likely that he will not be in the next few days. The talent is certainly there for him to put up a really good season.

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What is up party people. The action is in full swing and there is nothing better than seeing one of your preseason favorites putting up a great performance. A perfect example of that is Yordan Alvarez because yes, this is the kind of performance we were expecting from him, 4 dongs and a .458 batting average. Ok, the batting average is obviously inflated due to the small sample size but the man has legit 70 bomb power. Love to see it.

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What is up party people? We’re now one week into the season so let’s dive into what we’ve learned. Just remember that all we have to go on right now is one hot or cold week, or something in between I guess. Trust your preseason evaluations don’t panic just because a guy you loved during the draft is batting below .200, *cough Nico Hoerner *cough. He will be fine and much much better days are ahead.

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