Have you ever been to summer camp? No, this isn’t going to delve into a lifetime story about my experiences as a teenage boy at summer camp. It is in relation to that terribly stupid game called the “3-legged race”. Yes, the one where you and a stranger get to try and coordinate a rhythm that you couldn’t figure out with your own two legs yet. The race starts off well, you have the “left-right” cadence down pat, until you don’t. Eventually one of you has fallen or lost your balance and will be dragged the final 2/3 of the race with your face covered in mud and you inevitably lose the race and the ire of the girls in the all-girl summer camp across the lake. The fantasy baseball season is like this race. But, with the proper cadence and rhythm, you can “left-right” your way to a fantasy championship. We are 1 leg of the way done with this race, er marathon, of a season. By now, some of your competitors have given up with the smell of fantasy football on the horizon and the talks of Tim Tebow doing the lords work in Jacksonville. So follow along as I prep you for another week of Head to Head. Say it with me, Right-Left-Right…. Get up you idiot!!!
Runs/SB
Nick Madrigal, 2B, CWS-48% rostered in Yahoo- Madrigal has seen his spot in the order in flux over the season, but he has made a regular appearance at the top of the lineup more often than not. With the Sox slated to play 4 of 6 games vs LHP, look for Madrigal to possibly hit in the 2-hole. Over the past 14 days, he has carried a .333 average with 4 runs scored. The speed is there for him to swipe some bags eventually, as he showed just a couple years ago in AA <—not a LaRussa joke
Kolten Wong, 2B, MLW-34% rostered in Yahoo- It definitely appears that Wong is finding that power stroke that he has shown to possess. Add in the speed on the base paths, and you have found a solid H2H 2B. Over the past 2 weeks he has a 8/2/9/2/.310. The Brewers travel to Cincinnati and then back home vs the Pirates.
Honorable Mention: Raimel Tapia, OF, COL– 52% rostered in Yahoo- Since his blazing start to the season, the Coors effect seems to be playing like the beer, not the altitude. None the less, he has a solid matchup this week against a RHP heavy set of games. Fast forward to the weekend series, and he gets the Reds who have allowed baserunners the green light often (29 SB’s)
HR/RBI
Pavin Smith, 1B/OF, ARI– 48% rostered in Yahoo- Smith has been mentioned on here before, but after hitting in 5 straight I felt compelled to mention him again. The D’Backs have an interleague matchup against the A’s and then get the Angels at home. Pavin is hitting .417 with 11 runs, 2HR, and 8RBI over the past 2 weeks.
Garrett Cooper, OF/1B, MIA– 33% rostered in Yahoo- Cooper has absolutely been mashing these past 2 weeks! 6/3/9/.429 Cooper has definitely benefited with having a DH spot available for him recently, but they do play in Boston on Monday. Even if he sits one of the games vs Col, his final 3 games of the week are against LHP, where I would expect him to play for sure. Honestly, I have to envision with this hot streak, he finds playing time at the expense of others.
Honorable Mention: Tyler Stephenson, C/1B, CIN– 6% rostered in Yahoo- This is my “out on a limb” call of the week. Stephenson has been hitting in the cleanup spot for the Reds over the past week just waiting for the power to show itself. The Reds get 6 games at home vs MLW (without facing Woodruff/Burnes) and then they host the Rockies.
Wins
Alex Cobb, SP, LAA– 12% rostered in Yahoo- Alex Cobb has looked really good since he came off of the IL. During his past 3 starts, he has a .53ERA/.94WHIP/33%k% and 0 barrels allowed. He will face the Diamondbacks, to which I say START.
Adbert Alzolay, SP, CHC– 44% rostered in Yahoo- Alzolay is in line for two-starts this week. Neither are great matchups, but he has just been so good as of late, it’s hard to ignore. Since May 17th, he is 3-1/2.38/.97/22k’s. The bullpen for the Cubs has been amazing, and he has yet to pitch less than 5 innings only once (April 24), there is good chance to pick up a much needed W.
Honorable Mention: Adrian Houser, SP/RP, MLW– 8% rostered in Yahoo- This is purely a weekend streaming start this weekend vs the Pirates. Houser’s last 2 starts have been very promising. He went 5 scoreless vs the Padres and 5 strong against the Tigers, with a solo HR as the only blemish. The Pirates have been terrible against RHP on the road (78wRC+) Definitely a stretch, but in daily starts, grab him on Friday and finish your week off strong.
Ratios (ERA/WHIP/K’s)
Yusei Kikuchi, SP, SEA– 50% rostered in Yahoo- Kikuchi gets the Indians in a matchup that might not lead to a W (your team needs to score to win), but should provide solid ratios and K’s. The Indians have been putrid vs LHP over the past month. (.191 BA against and a 29% K%) Add in the 43 wRC+ and you have the makings for a low scoring affair.
Tony Gonsolin, SP, LAD– 45% rostered in Yahoo- This isn’t only a “this week” pick up, but also a good grab going forward. Gonsolin is ready to get into the rotation after being on the IL to begin the season. While he might not be stretched out and ready to give us enough innings for the W, I really like this matchup vs the Pirates. As mentioned about two inches above, the Pirates are always a good streaming out. Their 78 wRC+ is better than their 71 wRC+ that they have on the road, to go along with a 25% k%.
Speculative Saves/Saves
Jordan Romano, TOR-58% rostered- Still under the 70% threshold that I would set for a closer. With the rest of the Jays’ bullpen crapping on our shoulders, Romano has been a pleasant surprise over the past month. He hasn’t allowed a run since 5/16 and has picked up 2 saves and 11k’s over the past 14 days.
J.P. Feyereisen, TBR-43% rostered- I feel like I have been talking about him for the past month…probably because I have. He was more than effective in MLW, but was never going to be anything more than a setup arm behind Hader. With the trade to Tampa, he has been used in a multitude of areas. It is still most likely Diego Castillo’s job, but Feyereisen has proven to be a trusted commodity.
Keynan Middleton, SEA- 8% rostered- I am not entirely sure what is up with Kendall Graveman. He is still in quarantine from what I have heard. There is a great chance that he returns to the team by the time you read this and you can ignore, but what you can’t ignore is that fact that if Graveman does miss time, it appears to be Middleton’s 9th inning role. Monitor
Hansel Robles, MIN– 23% rostered- Minnesota is definitely not secure in its’ 9th inning, but it does appear to be a matchup based situation of Robles and Rogers. Considering the Twins play the Yankees and the Astros, both RHB dominant, I could expect Robles to get the bulk of opps.
