We have a special guest host this week. Marky Mark ladies and gentlemen! I enjoyed watching Entourage and The Italian Job. I forgot about the Marky Mark days. Now, I won’t be able to watch anything Wahlberg-related anymore. To honor the douchey-ness of the above picture, all whammies this week will be Marky Mark pictures.
Why bestow Marky Mark the honor of hosting this week’s No Whammies!? Because there are so many similarities between Mark Wahlberg (Marky Mark) and Mark Reynolds of the Colorado Rockies. Terrible segue, I know. Just like that POS vehicle that mall cops ride around in. I digress.
Mark Reynolds was once Marky Mark-esque: young and hip. We drooled over the tantalizing power/speed combo. In 2009, he slugged 44 home runs and stole 24 bases. He made the young soil their drawers. The same way Marky Mark got panties wet. They both had flaws, though. Reynolds struck out 35% of the time. Marky Mark? No explanation is necessary. Over time, Wahlberg evolved and became the respected actor/producer that he is today. You can never run away from the past, though, Wahlberg. As for Reynolds, he has also evolved. Gotta love that good ole survival instinct, as this was probably his last chance to get paid playing baseball. So far, Reynolds is slashing .291/.358/.464 with eight home runs. What can we expect going forward? His strikeout rate is a career-low 24.9% and BABIP is an insane .370. With that said, he’s playing half his games in Coors, so an elevated BABIP is to be expected. The average should also get a Coors Field boost, but .291? That will probably come in a bit. The strikeout rate seems like an outlier, but I do believe that is sustainable. He is no longer selling out for power, as his pull % is at a career-low 38.9%. As long as he gets consistent playing time, as he is currently receiving, Reynolds should be able to contribute in fantasy.
Lonnie Chisenhall has been starting in right field for the Cleveland Indians. Opportunity is half the battle in the fantasy game and Chisenhall has been receiving it. The news on Michael Brantley doesn’t sound great, so the situation could continue. Chisenhall won’t steal many bases, although he does have three this year, but he could pop double-digit home runs and provide a solid batting average. I love that he only strikes out 14.7% of the time. Did you know that the Indians rank 8th in all of baseball in runs scored?
Marcus Semien is a player I own every year. I’m a sucker for power/speed, regardless of the consequences. I dropped him for Jhonny Peralta a while back, though. I think Semien is sad and trying to woo me back with his performance. He has matched his career-high in homers with 15 already. I’m sorry Boo, but someone else picked him up. I don’t think I’m going to be able to get you back. So, the good for Semien. He’s only striking out 21.8% of the time and is walking 8.8%, both career-bests in the big leagues. His BABIP is a low .269. There are things I worry about, though. His contact rate on pitches outside the strikezone is a career-best 67.9%, but contact in the zone (81.8%) is down from last year’s 88% mark. That troubles me. In addition, his line drive rate is at a career-low (15.3%), ground ball rate is a career-high (42.9%), and the home run/fly ball rate is an unsustainable 18.3%. We know who Semien is. I’d expect some lean times ahead.
I love me some Carlos Santana. Oh, this is a baseball site? Who knew? I love that Carlos Santana too. I own him in practically every league. Some by choice. Others because greedy bastards were selecting their corner infielders before I could get my first baseman. Regardless, I always end up with Santana on my teams every year and I’m usually happy. He’s obviously more valuable in OBP leagues. If they abolish shifts, then Santana could be elite in any format! Haha. Stupid shifts. Actually, Santana is probably stupid for not adjusting to the shifts, as he pulls the ball over 50%, but he’s in the big leagues and I’m sitting on my Ikea chair writing about him. So, who’s the stupid one?. Anyways, Santana has a 1:1 BB/K ratio. That’s the main reason why he’s batting leadoff for the Indians, which makes him very valuable in fantasy. More plate appearances and, if you didn’t read above, the Indians are 8th in MLB scoring runs. He’s also hit 16 home runs, so there’s that.
After breaking down the Zapruder Film for Ian Kennedy’s 2016 season, I have unearthed the mystery. Stop the presses! Call the History Channel! Ok, it’s nothing earth-shattering and doesn’t deserve any props towards me, but if you want to toss some my way, I won’t object. Start Kennedy at home (2.11 ERA) and sit on the road (5.36 ERA). That’s why you visit Razzball, for hard-hitting analysis such as that. To break down Kennedy a little further, his FIP and xFIP are way higher than his ERA and the strand rate is a robust 84.3%. The main problem for Kennedy is that batters are launching the ball into the air almost half the time. Correspondingly, 16% of those have turned into home runs. Because of the huge home/road split, Kennedy becomes the second-ever player to earn the illustrious whammy/Obama combo.
Thanks for reading and good luck this week.
