Right now, it’s Saturday in Los Angeles, and there’s reports that a hurricane could be hitting the region for the first time in 70-something years. So, I am preparing as anyone from SoCal would prepare — I’m wearing a pussy hat and an altered 2016 campaign shirt that reads I’m With Herricane, while stockpiling avocado toast. If I don’t have electricity on Sunday, just know that I wrote this on Saturday and am scheduling it now. I can guess what Sunday will bring though: Wow, I can’t believe CJ Abrams stole 17 bags on Sunday and Kerry Carpenter hit five homers. Sorry Mark Whiten, but you are no longer the King! What a great Friday Buy by (stutterer!) me! Also, on Saturday, word came down that Noelvi Marte was being promoted. Maybe it’s because I’m staring down death with a hurricane that could bring 2-3 (!) inches of rain, but I’m getting choked up at how awesome some of these Reds’ prospects are, and what that means for the future. “I love this crap!” That’s me auditioning for a new MLB commercial and getting the lines wrong. Any hoo! Noelvi Marte is being called up to play where? Yes, for this year, I’m about to exercise caution. His speed, contact and power is going to make him a fantasy star at some point, but he might not have everyday playing time. He was in the Itch’s Top 50 fantasy baseball prospects, and he was right behind E! in the Reds’ prospects top 10, prior to the season. Itch said, “Marte checks in at 6’1” 181 lbs but seems to be filling out in a hurry, just to the eye test. Next time we get a fresh weigh in, he might clear two bills. The power is plus-plus, and he controls the strike zone well for someone his age and level, posting a 13.5-to-18.3 percent walk-to-strikeout rate in 30 games for the High-A Reds. He’d posted a 10.7-to-21.3 percent rate in 85 games for Seattle before coming over in the Luis Castillo trade. Could be a sign he’s on an upward trajectory in that area, and he’s got the talent to sort of choose the type of hitter he wants to be. His big leg kick is changing shape here and there over the years as he navigates that path, and I’d like to bury Grey under the path.” Yikes, what the heck? So, I grabbed Noelvi everywhere in case the Reds figure out playing time for him — yesterday, he played 3rd — but I could see dropping him in shallower leagues if the ABs aren’t there. Anyway, here’s what else I saw this weekend in fantasy baseball:

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See all of today’s starting lineups

# MLB Starting Lineups For Mon 8/4
ARI | ATL | BAL | BOS | CHC | CIN | CLE | COL | DET | HOU | KC | LAA | LAD | MIA | MIL | MIN | NYM | NYY | PHI | PIT | SD | SF | STL | TB | TEX | TOR | ATH | CHW | OAK | SEA | WSH

In a recent ‘X’ (Twitter) poll, fantasy owners emphatically indicated they would rather own Corbin Carroll, Julio Rodriguez and Bobby Witt Jr. over Juan Soto.  How quickly we forget the wonderful players that have graced us with their talents.  Juan Soto at only 24 years old has nearly six seasons under his belt with almost 150 home runs, more walks than strikeouts and a 152 wRC+ across his career.  Nothing against the young guns of the last year or so, but let’s not forget a generational talent when we see it.  All this to say, we can win in the short-term by focusing on what a player did for us yesterday but to win a league we must think about tomorrow and beyond.  Speaking of thinking beyond tomorrow, this week’s rendition of the Top 100 players for the rest of the 2023 fantasy baseball season awaits!

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We’ve been cruising for about a month, but last week wasn’t my best showing. It wasn’t even bad, but all of the streamers just posted middling averages. The hitters actually outperformed the pitchers last week, with Nolan Jones and Tyler O’Neill both playing well. Graham Ashcraft, Kyle Hendricks, and Nick Pivetta were fine as our […]

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Graduated from Prospect News: Stash List Volume 9: Hero In A Half Shell: Masyn Winn, Jacob Lopez.

 

1. Red Sox SS Ceddanne Rafaela | 23 | AAA 

We’re entering the time of year when a player can debut, play most of the remaining season, including the playoffs, and retain rookie eligibility entering 2024. Given the new incentives for breaking camp with rookies, we might see a floodgate rush the next couple weeks. Guys who should’ve been up a month ago, like Rafaela, might’ve been held back for precisely this 45-day barrier. With 13 home runs in just 39 Triple-A games, he’s reaching new heights in terms of actualizing all that athleticism in the batter’s box.

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When you play in a dynasty league, you should always be looking for some late season adds who will either help you during your playoff run or add depth to your team if you are already building next season.

But who is out there at this point of the season who fits that description? Well, there are plenty of those types of players sitting on the waiver wire, and I’m here to once again shine the light on a player who has thus far been overlooked.

Chase Silseth is a right-handed pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels who did poorly in a brief stint with the club last season and started the year slowly when he joined the Angels this season. But since that slow start, he has been one of the best starting pitchers in the American League since July 1.

A MEANDERING PATH

Silseth did not enter pro ball as a top-ranked prospect. He probably hardly registered as a prospect! Silseth played his high school ball in Farmington, New Mexico, and wasn’t drafted. So he packed his bags and went to pitch for the University of Tennessee.

As a freshman he did a decent job on the mound, going 1-1 with a 4.35 ERA and 1.016 WHIP, appearing in 18 games and making two starts. But Silseth then transferred to the College of Southern Nevada in 2020 – only to have the season whipped out thanks to Covid, and then transferred to Arizona for the 2021 season. With the Wildcats he was 8-1 on the mound, but he had a 5.55 ERA and 1.449 WHIP but did have a 9.7 K/9 rate.

Despite his overall numbers, the Angels were intrigued by Silseth and selected him in the 11th round of the 2021 draft and even paid him an above-slot bonus of $485,00. The decision to draft Silseth appears to have been a good one for the Angels. Only one year later the hurler was seeing action in the majors.

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The Tigers’ lineup reminds me of a streaming show that’s supposed to be better, and you see flashes of why it’s supposed to be better. “Idris Elba is so good in The Wire, he’s gotta be better than this show on the airplane. Hijack? More like Goodbye, Jack. Then again, Idris Elba hasn’t been good since The Wire. Maybe it was The Wire that made him good, and Stringer Bell was such an iconic charac–Hold up, this airplane show is good when it’s not on the airplane.” That’s the Tigers’ lineup. Akil Baddoo? I was told he’s good. Spencer Torkelson? I was told he’s a big-time prospect. Riley Greene? Well, I’m still waiting to see his Stringer Bell role. Matt Vierling? He’s a 4th outfielder hitting third? Zack Short? Well, I was never told he was good. Hijack is better than saying “Hi, Zack” for your fantasy team. Javier Baez? Well, Zack Short at least has going for him that he’s named after the position. Javier Baez should be named Javier Swinging-At-A-Slider-In-The-Dirt. Wait, there’s that one part that is very interesting — Kerry Carpenter! He looks good, and not “Tigers good.” His strikeout rate and BABIP reenforce his batting average, which is solid. His power? Absolutely real. He had 22 HRs in 63 games in Double-A, eight homers in 35 games in Triple-A. That’s real power. When he hits the ball, it’s going for a homer, and the announcer can say, “Hi, jack.” (Was that whole thing just for that ending? Who’s to say?) Anyway, here’s some more players to Buy or Sell this week in fantasy baseball:

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What a difference a week makes. Since we last chatted, we’ve had one of the best middle infielders in each league become suddenly unavailable to their fantasy owners, and what’s followed has been, if not life imitating art, at least the fantasy community imitating major league baseball. Jonathan Aranda, Osleivis Basabe, Vaughn Grissom, and Nicky […]

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In every game, where each swing holds the promise of victory and the thrill of the unexpected (you did see Luke Raley’s inside-the-park HR on Wednesday, right?), one can’t help but think of the age-old adage: “It’s more fun than a barrel of monkeys!”  While the mental image conjured might initially appear whimsical, the metaphorical […]

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