Scott Schebler (41.6% owned – increase of 13.3%) is batting .248/.322/.550 on the season with nine home runs and 20 RBI in 109 at-bats. He’s also sporting a 23% strikeout rate with an 8% walk rate. I thought Jay Bruce was on the Mets! The Reds be loving their lefty-whitey right fielders that can bop ’em out of the park. Unfortunately, they often send the crowd home unhappy like what happened after mighty Casey’s last at-bat. Me thinks that Carl Henry Lindner Jr., the owner of the Reds back in 2000, used to cry when he read Casey at the Bat as a child. It was during those times that his brain began to hatch the master plan. Bring his family’s dairy business out of the doldrums of the Great Depression. Become one of the richest men in the world so that he could buy a baseball team. Acquire a “Casey” on his team, thereby creating a parallel universe where mighty Casey does in fact not strike out. It would be in those moments when tears of joy would flow down his face, instead of the tears of sadness experienced in his youth. Lindner bought the team in 2000 and Adam Dunn, the original “Casey” was acquired in 2001. After Dunn left, Bruce took his place. So, bascially Schebler is just the most recent cog in the “Casey” legacy. Usually, I shy away from these types of players, as they are very streaky and you have to endure some rough cold streaks. With that said, he’s entrenched in the sixth spot of the Reds order, against both lefties and righties, and that power is so enticing! Also, that ballpark where he plays half his games is amazing for left-handed power to right field, which is the direction he hits to 44% of the time. Lastly, have you seen some of the pitchers in the NL Central? I imagine this is how Carl Lindner would look if he were still with us today. TREASURE (Beware: could become a donkey at any moment)
Here are a few other players that caught my eye on the most added/dropped list:
Nomar Mazara (74.5% owned – decrease of 5%)
People are dropping Nomar? Did he change his name to Nomeh? Five home runs, 21 RBI, and two stolen bases is droppable these days? I guess with Aaron Judge and Eric Thames mashing balls, it does seem a little inadequate huh? Just looking at those guys makes me want to pop viagra while injecting steroids. Okay, he’s been in a slump, although he did hit a home run last week, and he’s been dropped in the batting order. That’s not good. But you know what? Every player goes through streaks. Both the walk and strikeout rates are the same as last year. The average is only .231, but the BABIP is a low .247. Now, there’s definitely some things to be concerned about. The infield fly ball rate is 15%, an insanely high number. In addition, he still can’t hit left-handed pitching (.111 average in 29 plate appearances). With all that said, as long as he’s playing everyday, the skill set, pedigree, and approach all portend to positive days ahead. Once he gets back into the groove, Mazara should move his way back to third in the batting order. The summer heat should help him get his groove back. TREASURE
Carlos Beltran (48% owned – decrease of 7.2%)
Why is Beltran still 48% owned? It’s only been one month, so there can’t be owners that have thrown in the towel, right? I blame it on the proliferation of zombie television shows and movies that have infiltrated our society. Too many believe that the dead will rise up and prosper. I used to love Beltran as a player….15 years ago. Unfortunately, he’s 40 years old now. I love that he’s able to continue playing at this age, but father time is undefeated. Beltran is sporting a .243 average WITH a .310 BABIP. He’s slugging .357. The strikeout rate is a career-high 25%, while the 2.5% walk rate is a career-low. The 12% swinging strike rate is? Yup, a career high. Hard contact and soft contact rates are? Is that what they call a rhetorical question? Beltran’s career has spanned close to 20 years! Even if some positive regression is in the works, what’s the upside? TRASH
Joey Gallo (48.7% owned – increase of 16.4%)
Is the J in E & J Gallo Winery for Joey? Because he’s ageing very nicely. Wow, that was bad. As you can tell, I was a hit with the ladies. Another reason to give props to our Supreme Leader, Grey. He be providing the lyrical gifts to all you Razzballers everyday. It ain’t easy. Alright, back to our little Joey. In 30 plate appearances last season, he had a strikeout rate of 63%. No, I do not have dyslexia. So far in 119 plate appearances this season, that rate is down to 39%. Wait, maybe I do have dyslexia. I’m seriously bugging out right now. Anyways, back to our little Joey. He does have a very good walk rate (11%) and has even stolen four bases, but that average…Ewww, that average of .202. The BABIP is .234 but that number doesn’t matter with a player like Gallo anyway. It’s all about the plate discipline numbers for me. The swinging strike rate has gone down from 22% to 17%. The contact rates…whoa, those contact rates. In the strike zone, that number has gone from 60% to 80%. Contact rate in general has gone from 50% to 63%. I’m very intrigued. Very, very intrigued. He was recently moved up to fourth in the lineup and the weather is going to heat up in Texas soon. I just can’t fully buy in, though. I should have just called this article the Adam Dunn piece because Gallo reminds me of Dunn. Huge power, low average, decent walk rate, and high strikeout rate. Here’s the thing, though. Dunn never had a swinging strike rate above 12% in his 13-year career. Also, he came into the league with a 79% contact rate in the strikezone with a 70% contact rate in general. I’m just not buying that the huge increase in contact rate for Joey is for real. If he can maintain this new rate for a year, then I’ll change my tune. TRASH
