Coming into last night the Baltimore Orioles were the fourth lowest scoring team in the league with 321 runs scored. They are still the fourth lowest scoring team today, but they did manage to score a season high 13 runs against Mike Clevinger and the Clevinger Indians. I mean Cleveland Indians. To be fair to Clevinger he was only responsible for seven of those runs over one and two thirds innings. Not exactly what his owners were hoping to see in his return from the IL. Am I the only one that thinks he looks like 2017 deGrom? And which one of them played Mitch in Dazed and Confused? But enough about that. After raking in Triple A and being called up to Baltimore back on June 3, Sisco has done very little. On Friday night he exploded with a homer, a double, a single, three runs and five RBIs! For my points readers, he had 18 points before this game in which he totaled 15 more nearly doubling his season total. While it was a great performance, Trey Mancini is the only Baltimore bat I’d consider owning. I say no thanks to Villar, in case you were wondering, but I do have a points league perspective. So I guess if you need saves he’s cool. You cool, man?
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Sometimes a comet comes streaking across the MLB sky. Today is one of those days on FanDuel, when a highly talented guy gets called up and makes his first start and starts out ridiculously cheap. Lefty Brendan McKay ($5,700) is already a legend. He held Judge and Stanton to 0-4 with three strikeouts when they were rehabbing in the minors earlier this year. Furthermore, he’s held right handed batters to a .160 average and .462 OPS this year. Lefties have hit a robust .185/.464. He’s facing a Rangers squad that only hits .250 0n the road and .238 against left handed starters. Some may stay away from him because he is a rookie, and because Justin Verlander is starting against the Mariners today. But McKay’s value is just too good to pass up. Plus, we need the salary cap space for some pricey batters today.
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Please, blog, may I have some more?It’s not easy making a reliever as an MLB closer these days. The ball is juiced and more hitters than ever have figured out that swinging for the fences pays off even with some extra strikeouts. Those factors equal plenty of blown saves these days. The pitching landscape is changing. You need to take more cracks at saves than ever, even if you strike out, too.
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From the journal of Jim Morrison, he wrote about an encounter he had with lizard wearing a crown of thorns that he alternated calling, Jesus Luzardo and The Luzard King. Here, I wish to transcribe Jim’s musings, “Today, I rode with a large Native American man to a Wawa to get some beej ferky (sic). The Native American man told me about the many lives he had lived and how he never trusted rookie pitchers. He recounted a story about how he traded all his pitchers for Chris Paddack, due to a great April in 2019. This was confusing to me, since this was 1970, but this wise Native American knew more in his head, which he covered in an Indians baseball club hat, than I’d ever know. Was this Lou Boudreau? Before we got to the Wawa, which was only three minutes away by automobile, so not sure why it was taking so long — were we lost? — the Native American man pulled over and picked up a pitchman for an insurance company which was an animated lizard. This was The Luzard King. An obvious lizard, which made it weird when it kept saying it was a gecko. The Luzard King said it had a shoulder issue early in the preseason of the 2019 season, which I had a premonition would be 38 years after my death. Also, oddly enough, I’m being fed a quote from the future from Prospect Mike about Jesus Luzardo. He will say, ‘Luzardo’s stock just continues to rise. He’s in the rarified air of ‘best pitching prospects’ now. The lefty threw 109 innings across three leagues in 2018 and posted a 129/30 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Everything is plus or better – the heater, the curve, the change, the control. He’s the total package, like the package I filled with anthrax and sent to Grey.’ Who is this Grey he speaks of? Who is Prospect Mike? Was it the peyote talking or was it something more mysterious?” And that’s me quoting Jim Morrison quoting Prospect Mike! Don’t think Luzardo is going to be up before the All-Star Break, but now is the time to stash him. He could be a top arm in the 2nd half, or at least a solid Middler like early Yonny. Call him Once Uponny. Anyway, here’s some more players to Buy or Sell this week in fantasy baseball:
Please, blog, may I have some more?Well, the All Star break may not be until next week, but we’re already more than halfway through the season, folks, as just about all MLB teams played their 81st game earlier this week. As we look over the season’s first half from a fantasy perspective, it’s clear that some suggestions for deep-league pickups have been more successful than others. Let’s focus on the positive: starting with the NL this week, let’s take a look at a few of our own Deep League Fantasy All Stars, guys who were mentioned in this column earlier in the season and weren’t even drafted in most leagues. Each of these players has managed to achieve at least some degree of mixed-league relevance, and we’ll look at them with an eye towards the hope that they can continue to provide value in slightly shallower leagues over the second half of 2019.
Please, blog, may I have some more?Welcome back to the weekend DFSers! We have another massive 14-game slate on FanDuel, with everyone playing except for the Yankees and Red Sox, who are shipping off to London. Pitching is a little on the light side today, with Jacob deGrom and his tough match-up with the Braves being the most expensive pitcher on the slate at $11,500. There are some really awesome hitting match-ups today, so I’m more likely to pay down a little at pitcher in order to fit in the big bats. That’s why I’m locking in Merrill Kelly ($8,600) as my starting pitcher. In five starts since a rough start in Coors on May 28th, Kelly has gone 34.1 innings pitched, while allowing just nine runs and striking out 32. More importantly, Merrill Kelly faces the Giants, who have the fourth-worst wRC+ against right-handed pitching for the season. In addition, this game will be played in Oracle Park, giving Kelly a park upgrade as well. Let’s take a look at what paying down at pitcher on FanDuel can get us.
New to FanDuel? Scared of feeling like a small fish in a big pond? Well, be sure to read our content and subscribe to the DFSBot for your daily baseball plays. Just remember to sign up through us before jumping into the fray. It’s how we know you care!
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Yesterday, the Pirates exploded for five homers, touching up Brad Peacock (3 IP, 6 ER, ERA at 4.13). Maybe the Pirates would’ve let up more if his name was Brad Parrot. Kevin Newman led the way once again, going 3-for-5, 2 RBIs with his 4th homer, and 2nd homer in as many games. Of course, he will be in this afternoon’s Buy column. Didn’t need Newman to star in the show off the Peacock, but fantasy owners should still be saying, “Hello, Newman.” Then, Starling Marte (2-for-5, 3 runs) got a slam (12) and legs (12), as he plays his OCD for laughs, as one can do in the decade of the 90s. Then, Jacob Stallings, subject of Permanent Midnight and staff writer on ALF, got into the action, going 3-for-3, 2 runs, 2 RBIs with his 1st homer. Then, Corey Dickerson (1-for-4, 2 RBIs) hit his 2nd homer, and had his 2nd big game in a row. Previously, Co-Dick was famous for what Siamese Twins filled out on a medical report, but maybe we should be “Stuck on You!” Finally, Josh Bell (2-for-5, 2 RBIs) hit his 22nd homer, 2nd homer in the row and Bell said, “If we’re doing this like the 90s, I saved you,” but the Pirates couldn’t be reached for comment, in hiding, wearing a puffy shirt. Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:
Please, blog, may I have some more?I had a buddy that used to DJ back in the day. This was a time when vinyl actually had to be spun on the turntables. A time when milk crates upon milk crates would house the entire collection. A time when amazingly awesome friends would help move all the equipment to the place of his gig. And back. Now, there’s nostalgia in the actual art of spinning records, but was all the hassle worth it? Which brings me to DJ LeMahieu of the New York Yankees. We have pleasured ourselves many of times over because he played in Colorado, but the end results did not bring us fantasy elation. He’s in New York now and has been absolutely balling. Is he worth it?
Please, blog, may I have some more?It may have taken a while to get his feet under him but Scott Kingery, (OF: $3,500) has been a great fantasy option this year. Last season’s struggles are in the rear-view mirror. The stats really jump off the page, batting over .300 with double digit bombs and some speed. The results should continue to improve as he gets more ABs, especially Kepler keeps him in the leadoff spot. Sadly, that’s a real wild card and there’s no telling what he’ll do. Kingery has more than proven that he needs at bats and he should hopefully find himself in a prime slot while he’s raking. That makes him a solid choice.
New to FanDuel? Scared of feeling like a small fish in a big pond? Well, be sure to read our content and subscribe to the DFSBot for your daily baseball plays. Just remember to sign up through us before jumping into the fray. It’s how we know you care!
Please, blog, may I have some more?[brid autoplay=”true” video=”432555″ player=”10951″ title=”Fantasy Baseball 2019 Mailbag Week 14″]
Yesterday, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. went 3-for-5, 4 RBIs with his 11th and 12th homer, hitting .304. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. is the greatest living hitter, and I’m not living in a hyperbolic chamber, while dining out on superlatives to describe how hot Gurriel’s been since he returned from the minors. On our 30-day Player Rater, he’s a near-top 10 hitter over the last month. His father, Yuli Gurriel, calls his son every day and asks him how he does it and LouGu Jay R is just like, “Father, I cannot explain my success with the white ball.” And Yuli’s like, “Careful with the coded language because I learned the hard way people don’t like racism. Who knew?” LouGu Jay R may simply be a hot bat, but there’s something to be said for a guy who has been hot the entire time he’s returned from the minors. Maybe this is LouGu’s floor vs. ceiling. At least one Junior is impressing on the Jays. “I got a better butt.” That’s Vlad Jr. modeling in front of a mirror for ESPN’s Nude Magazine. However, the song Vlad Jr. sings to his reflection is apt, “Gurriel, you knows it’s true.” Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:
Please, blog, may I have some more?Tampa prospect Wander Franco (2-for-3 with a steal) was promoted to High-A this week at the ripe old age of eighteen. If he finishes out the year there, he could start the 2020 season at Double-A and a promotion to the bigs at nineteen wouldn’t be crazy talk. There’s not much to say about Franco that hasn’t already been said. He’s the best prospect in baseball with the chance to contribute in all five (or six) offensive cats. The big news here is that the promotion makes him the youngest player in High-A by a fair amount. The next youngest players are nineteen, there are only four of them in all of High-A, and they all play for the Padres. Fun facts for your next office birthday bash. Tell Karen that no the cake is not gluten free and yes she should stop referring to her cats as her “fur babies”. Here’s what else is happening around the minor leagues…
Please, blog, may I have some more?I don’t have any particularly insightful thoughts to put in an introductory paragraph, so let me just talk about how bonkers yesterday’s FanDuel slate was in regards to offense. The Cardinals had a Vegas Implied Total of 5 and they were the 11th highest offense on the slate. Five teams (Atlanta, Boston, New York (Yankees), Cleveland and Chicago (Cubs) all were projected by Teamonator to score 6 or more runs. A sixth team (San Diego) wasn’t too far behind at 5.96. It was truly bizarre. Well, actually, I’m not sure it’s bizarre anymore. With the summer months approaching and everything we know so far about the increased HR rates and increased offense (such as the ball or the emphasis on launch angle/exit velocity), these types of slates may become more and more common. Should make for an interesting year.
On to the picks…
New to FanDuel? Scared of feeling like a small fish in a big pond? Well, be sure to read our content and subscribe to the DFSBot for your daily baseball plays. Just remember to sign up through us before jumping into the fray. It’s how we know you care!
Please, blog, may I have some more?