The first month is in the books. Whew. And what a month it was. If I had the voice of Morgan Freeman, I’d be happy to record a summary of the fantasy baseball world in April. But, alas, I do not. Seriously, Freeman can make anything sound good. The thing I will miss the most is the daily fluctuations in roto league standings. Watching teams move up or down 10-20 points was exhilirating. It’s on the level of betting on greyhounds in Vegas. When will FanDuel get in on the action? Geez, I’m a freaking degenerate. By the way, nothing beats greyhound racing. Anyways, the point I wanted to make is that those huge gyrations should start mitigating. This is the time when certain stats start stabilizing. We must all pay homage to Russell Carleton, the Pizza Cutter, for his extensive research on stat stabilization. Click here for the stats. For perspective, the leader in plate appearances is Jean Segura with 116 and the leader in batters faced is Zack Greinke with 166. We should have a clearer picture of our teams and players now.
In this weekly column, I will highlight some players that have performed well over the past week. If I like them, Obama will make it rain. If I don’t, they get a whammy. If you are not familiar with whammies, please go and watch old episodes of the game show, Press Your Luck. The hope is that I can help you navigate the treacherous waters of fantasy baseball and have Obama make it rain for you at the end of the season. By the way, tips are not only encouraged but highly recommended. Not like those DFS guys that sell you lineups but don’t cash. I’m all about meritocracy. Don’t get paid unless you get paid. If you don’t win, I’d blame some other guy.
Michael Conforto – The Godfather, King of New York, and….my sleeper pick this year. I’m going to need the Japan Robot Association (JARA) to create a “patting-oneself-on-the-back” robot because my right arm can’t handle all the work now. Plus, I need that right arm for….uh…other activities. This kid is a flat-out stud. His swing is silky smooth and his approach is very advanced. He’s batting third for the Mets and…
Granted, he’s three years older than Trout and Harper at that stage of their careers, but impressive nonetheless. The one caveat is that the Mets and Conforto have not faced many left-handed pitchers this season. In a limited 28 plate appearances against LHP, Conforto has a slash line of .231/.286/.231, so there is the possibility that he could sit against lefties. With that said, he’s my sleeper pick for a reason. Pat my back faster robot! He’s only struck out 14.3% against lefties, so I think his approach, coupled with experience, will allow Conforto to ultimately be successful against left-handed pitching.
Ian Desmond – He’s alive. Nine hits, five runs scored, one home run, four RBI, and one stolen base is a very productive week. Entering last week, his batting average was a paltry .164. It now sits at .229. Take that Mendoza line. The good: crushing left-handed pitching (.973 OPS), four stolen bases, 12.3% walk rate and 20% strikeout rate against righties. The bad: .193 avg against right-handed pitching, .171 average on the road, and 59.1% ground ball rate against RHP. Things will get interesting when Shin Soo Choo returns and if Lewis Brinson gets called up. That’s a mighty crowded outfield in Texas. Nomar Mazara and Choo are probably entrenched. If Delino DeShields keeps sucking…Grey is probably in the corner fetal position muttering to himself…then Desmond could play center field but if Brinson comes up and performs as well as Mazara, then he gonna be in trouble. The power/speed combo and shortstop eligibility is very intriguing, but me thinks Desmond doesn’t last the whole season on the roster.
Jordan Zimmerman – Who would have thought that moving from the NL East to the AL Central would have been a positive for Zimmerman? Maybe he’s more relaxed now that he doesn’t have to pitch to an opposing pitcher. Weirder things have happened before, like Chuck Knoblauch getting scared throwing the ball to first base. Anyways, Zimmerman’s great start to the season reminds me of Kenta Maeda’s start. Zimmerman throws a little harder, but both pitchers rely on control and inducing soft contact in order to be successful. I think the fact that opposing batters are seeing these pitchers for the first time is a huge component to their early success. Also, both have low BABIP and extremely high LOB %. Zimmerman’s BABIP is .267. His career average is .292. The LOB % is a ridiculous 92.3%. That is not sustainable. I don’t think Zimmerman will be bad, but he is not this good. Because of that….
Jesse Hahn – I’ve got the need…the need for speed. During his most recent outing, 6 2/3 innings, zero earned runs with four strikeouts over the Houston Astros, Hahn was pumping his fastball in the 95-97 mph range. Woohoo! In prior seasons, the fastball never averaged more than 92 mph. Did he go to Germany to get the…cough cough…platelet injections? Or maybe he went to Japan and got a robot arm. Whatever it is, I love it. Speed, speed, and more speed. Unfortunately, as a masochistic Nathan Eovaldi owner, I know that speed is not everything. Major league hitters can hit a 100 mph fastball if it’s straight and they know it’s coming. The art of pitching entails keeping batters off-balance. Hahn does that with a devastating curveball. He has never had home run issues (career 0.46 HR/9), but has never had off-the-chart K/9 or BB/9 rates. Though, he’s never had the 97 mph fastball either. Pitching in cavernous Oakland Coliseum is a plus. In addition, Chris Bassitt may need Tommy John surgery, so a spot in the rotation is probably his.
