Mike Soroka (Braves, ESPN position rank: 9)has been excellent so far this year, to the tune of a 7-1 record with a stellar 1.38 ERA and 0.87 WHIP. Through his first 65 1/3 innings of work, he has posted 57K:17BB and opponents are batting just .169 against him. Soroka has been a top 10 SP according to ESPN’s positional Player Rater. Not bad for someone who went undrafted in most formats, with an NFBC ADP of 388. He has been elite through his first 10 starts, allowing more than 1 run just once. Soroka has only let up 1 HR so far this year, and holds a solid 6.5% walk rate. He has displayed great command with his pitches and has been excellent at generating ground balls. His 58.4% ground ball rate ranks 3rd among MLB pitchers with at least 60 IP.
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If you know me then you know I’m a sucker for guys with a Pop N Speed combo in H2H leagues. By having a lineup full of guys that can sprinkle in some HR and SB any given matchup, it maximizes your chances to compete for these categories week in week out. While 15 HR and 10 SB over the course of a year may not sound like a lot, having a bunch of guys that can hit those marks certainly adds up. Stolen bases are a tricky category to try to focus on so I like to have many guys that won’t necessarily get one every week, but have the ability to record one any given week. It may not sound like much but with speed down league wide, many weeks are decided by a single SB. Here are some guys that are pretty widely available in ESPN leagues that display the beloved power/pop combo.
Please, blog, may I have some more?Since many of you play in highly competitive or deeper leagues, this week I wanted to focus on players in 10 or 12 team leagues that will almost assuredly be available on your waiver wire. For deeper leagues, these guys will most likely still be available as they are all owned in under 2% of ESPN leagues. I noticed I accidentally unfairly discriminate against deeper leagues in my pieces, so I wanted to make sure I am giving player recommendations for those that play in them. So here is 3 From Me: deep dive edition.
Please, blog, may I have some more?Especially in H2H, you really can never get enough starting pitching. I’m a firm believer that most of your bench spots should be utilized for having SPs. One, because it is frustrating trying to decide between what hitters to start and seeing stats sitting on your bench. And two, because I’m also a believer that the more the merrier when it comes to starts and pitching strategy in H2H. Yes, there is a greater likelihood that your ERA and WHIP can get blown up with just a couple bad starts. However, I think that giving yourself more starts and trying to win strikeouts and wins every week will pay off more times than being conservative and trying to win ERA and WHIP. Because let’s face it, even the times you try to do that it can all come crashing down with a bad start or two anyway. And then you’re at a disadvantage in strikeouts and wins too because you only used 6 or 8 starts.
Since I love chasing winning strikeouts and wins every week, I’m always trying to find guys to add to my pitching staff. Here are 4 starting pitchers that are less than 40% owned in ESPN leagues.
Please, blog, may I have some more?You hear that? It sounds like the Angels may actually be forming a respectable lineup around the best player in baseball. Over the past few years critics have rightfully been pointing out that Trout’s prime years have been going to waste due to lack of a supporting cast. The Angels still have a ways to go if they want to fulfill our wish of seeing the best player of this generation back in the playoffs, as his lone appearance in 2014 isn’t enough. However, as of late his supporting cast has been putting forth some under-the-radar production to help the Fish Man out. Ohtani’s 2019 debut was much awaited to help give Trout some additional protection, and the Angels have won 5 of their 8 games since his return to the lineup.
Please, blog, may I have some more?It’s hard to not like the man. The MLB needs more players like Derek Dietrich. Whether he’s smacking dongs, fending off a horde of bees, or rocking a sweet eye black mustache, he never ceases to entertain. In the words of Will Ferrell in Blades of Glory, it gets the people going! His success so far this season makes for a great story, as he was forced to settle on a minor league contract to begin the year. The utility man has seen the bulk of his playing time at 2B thus far, taking advantage of Scooter Gennett going down. With Scoot set to miss another month or so and the release of OF Matt Kemp, Dietrich should have a path to pretty consistent playing time.
Please, blog, may I have some more?Death, taxes, and A.J. Pollock headed to the Disabled List Injured List. Different name, same game for Pollock this season unfortunately. He will be getting an exploratory procedure on his right elbow to determine the severity of an infection. This is the same elbow he had surgeries on in 2010 and then again in 2016, where he missed nearly the entire year. So certainly not an ideal situation for him and the Dodgers to be dealing with.
You already know I had to keep in line with the Easter/Passover puns. I’ve wanted to discuss Christian Walker’s success at the plate this season and now seems like an appropriate time. Walker has been a huge beneficiary of King Goldy getting shipped to St. Louis, as well as a quad injury to Jake Lamb. With the opportunity, Walker has been doing his best Goldschmidt impression. Through 80 PA this season, he is slashing .347/.413/.722 with 7 HR, 13 runs, and 13 RBI. In true Goldschmidt fashion, the first baseman has also flashed some speed by going 3-for-3 in SB attempts. His .462 wOBA is 8th among all major leaguers this season, and his 188 wRC+ is good for 9th in the MLB. Both figures are likely to be unsustainable over a full season, but to be top 10 in both categories after a full month is nothing to sneeze at. His .347 average on a .429 BABIP hints that regression is to come, but he has shown that he should continue to produce at the plate.
Please, blog, may I have some more?Maybe you drafted an underperforming middle infielder. Cano, Dozier, or Peraza to name a few. Or yours got injured. Looking at you Gennett, Murphy, and Turner owners. One of the thinest and hardest positions to fill in fantasy (MI) hasn’t been getting easier as some of these guys have been producing next to nothing for teams. I certainly have been in that position this year, so I have actively been seeking middle infield reinforcements. Thankfully there have been some guys contributing that have been able to fill in. Below are 4 guys under 40% owned on ESPN that can serve as viable options going forward.
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Getting Ahead in H2H: Baby Got ‘Bach
April 10, 2019 | 2019 Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball Head-to-Head Leagues |by: Yost
Daniel Vogelbach has long waited to get consistent at-bats at the major league level, and he finally seems to be carving out a significant role in the Mariners offense. In his past four games played, he is 8-for-13 (.615) while hitting 5 home runs, driving in 9 runs, and scoring 6. Over those four games he has walked four times while striking out twice. Vogelbach has proven to have a keen eye at the dish across every level he has played at. In his 68 games of limited MLB action over the past couple years, he has walked at a 13.5% clip. Last year at AAA his walk rate was an impressive 20.4% over 84 games, and was 14% in 125 games at AAA in 2017.
Please, blog, may I have some more?Although we are just one week into the season, we finally have some real numbers to look at. And as soon as real numbers are coming in, the waiver wire is churning with players being added and dropped left and right. No one wants to miss out on the potential “add of the year” so this part of the season we see lots of players flying off the wire in hopes they are season long contributors. The window to add someone this part of the year can be extremely narrow, so get ready to capitalize. Most pitchers have made one start, but it is never too early to scoop up a guy that flashes potential. There are a couple of Brewers pitchers that have impressed in their first start of the season. Both were primarily relievers last season, but open the year with an opportunity to be a productive member of the pitching rotation. Lets go shopping for a nice new pair of Brews!
The Brewers are a great team to pitch for, as they have one of the league’s best offenses backing them. This means plenty of run support and thus, plenty of opportunities to record wins every time they toe the rubber. The Brewers are also a great team to pitch for because they also have one of the league’s best bullpens. This should allow them to stay in line for wins when they hand the ball over with the lead and feel comfortable that the bullpen won’t blow it for them. A potent offense and strong bullpen is a starting pitcher’s, and fantasy owner’s, ideal situation to be in.
Please, blog, may I have some more?With the season upon us now, I was looking at who I thought would lead the main H2H hitting categories (AVG, SB, R, RBI, HR) this year. Now, it is easy to pick the top players in the game and say that they will lead a certain category because the likelihood is high. So I wanted to expand it, and make it guys going outside the top 100 according to NFBC ADP. Part of building a H2H championship caliber team is being able to find guys later on in the draft that you can bank on to help you out in certain categories. Again, finding a guy at the beginning of drafts that will help you out in certain categories is easy because they are being drafted that high for a reason. So here are the guys that went outside the top 100 NFBC pick that have the best shot at leading the league in each category. I am aware that none of these guys will actually lead the league in their given category, but simply have the best shot (in my opinion) among guys outside the top 100.
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