Corners Report: I Want My Vladdy Back

Some big fantasy news has dropped in the last few days. Offense is up, there are copious amounts of hot streaks, and it’s from a new batch of 2019-style baseballs. Credit to Eno Sarris for the catch……

Offense looks like it’s about to warm up with the weather. This is great news for fantasy managers who need a counting stat boost. Not so much for pitchers, but that’s MarmosDad‘s problem, not mine. I’ll watch this week and give some risers due to this development.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has not been himself. With just one home run the past month, and four (four HR!) on the season, I guess it’s time to move him down out of the top spot. He’s not showing signs of turning this around.

The hard-hit metrics have diminished, as have his normally elite exit velocity numbers. It’s not an approach issue; the walk and K rates are fine. He’s just not hitting the ball hard.

Over the weekend, Vlad left a blowout game with back issues, and watching him, he does tend to shake a lot, grab at his back, classic bad back behavior. He has to be injured. The record low HR for a guy with his bat speed is 18 HR, according to Eno Sarris, and he gets paid a lot more than me for this stuff.

I’m still buying Vlad, as he tends to become the hottest hitter in the game for months at a time. Maybe an IL stint can get him back to normal. And of course, looking forward, if he doesn’t this year, he’s gonna be my third round pick everywhere next year.

So who goes first at first? My old BFF Bryce Harper at least gets consideration. The 34-year old future Cooperstown resident hit for the cycle Saturday, and followed it up on NBC by falling a triple short of another one. His last week had a 1.317 OPS. Enjoy this vet for as long as you can. Maybe, maybe, it’s the raw milk he filmed himself drinking all offseason?

Is Manny Machado showing signs? Yes, he is. .270 over the last seven and a solid OBP. Thing is with established guys like him is they’re easy to trust. They have a track record. So yes, I’m back starting Manny.

Haven’t talked a ton about Michael Busch. If WRC is a category, he’s great. Even in cold-hitting stretches (like the past two weeks), his OBP is at .420, keeping him in the lineup. He’s a launch angle guy, though, and his production ebbs and flows based on if his fly balls drop in or drop over the fence. Busch is a spurt player. His hot streaks carry his overall numbers. Keep that in mind, especially in a H2H.

Can we forget that I peeped Royce Lewis? No? Well, he’s gone 4-25 in the last week, right back to normal. Maybe they should send him down every other week, then he gets hot, send him down and make him mad, get hot again, ride the St. Paul shuffle.

You know who’s been great at third? Zack Gelof. Post post hype sleeper who also qualifies at second and outfield, he’s the number one rated player the last seven days. It likely is the home field, and he did get lift in the new Vegas field with the new bouncy ball. But come on, he hit .421 with a .789 slug. He’s worth a checkout at least.

Caleb Durbin seems to be heating up for Boston as well, albeit with no power. He’s a contact guy, and the BABIP fairy sprinkled his pixie dust upon Durbin’s bat for a week, bestowing him with a .476 batting average in that time frame. He’s still not walking, and I’m gonna pass, but he is a decent stream.

Durbin and Willi Castro are the level of player that are tough to stream. By the time you realize they’re on a hot streak, the streak has ended, and you put them in for the regression. So generally ignore unless you’ve got to have a replacement.

One last guy to highlight is Sam Antonacci. 3B eligible, he’s at .287 with four HR and 9 SB in 195 at bats as of this writing. He does have a lower walk rate, but all his contact metrics are great. In fact, they show he’s actually underperforming his expected stats. Unlike me, who definitely underperforms expectations around the house. Antonacci is a contact hitter with a great plate approach. Don’t sweat the lower bat speed; it’s so he can control things à la Luis Arraez.

Thanks to all who read and commented last week. I’m back in the grind now, trying to get my TGFBI squad past 8th and home league up from third, so let’s win some leagues this summer!