What is up, party people? Welcome to this lovely Memorial Day. Thanks for taking some time out of your busy holiday weekend to play some DFS on Draft. Fantasy baseball never rests.
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I went into the Mike Foltynewicz vs. Red Sox in Fenway matchup a spry, jovial young rascal. The mischievous imp of Chinese food, the rapscallion. Then Mike Faultywirewitz went 7 IP, 1 ER, 6 baserunners (3 BBs), 7 Ks, ERA at 2.55, and I aged forty years. “I was told just the painting of me is supposed to age.” That’s me trying to get a refund for my Dorian Grey Albright portrait. The time Finkynewhitch was on the mound was like the three-year span when I lost my fortune investing in Beanie Babies compressed into two hours. He just loses all semblance of the strike zone out of completely nowhere. It’s like, “We’re cruising….so cruising…And now I’m throwing five feet outside the strike zone.” With that said, it’s hard not to be encouraged — his velocity is up to 96 MPH; his K/9 is up to 10.4; he’s got the best xFIP of his career, and his team should provide run support. He’s also in his third full year when I like to look for starter breakouts. The only drawback is his command is a mess. As long as you watch him pitch with cucumbers on your eyes to combat the wrinkles, you’ll be fine. Anyway, here’s what else I saw this weekend in fantasy baseball:
Please, blog, may I have some more?
by: Kerry Klug
Juan Soto & Austin Meadows: Two of the league’s highest touted minor leaguers, Juan Soto and Austin Meadows, were called up within days of each other this past week. Soto obviously was the biggest shocker as he is only 19 years old and had only played eight games in Double-A. Austin Meadows, however, was a bit more of a realistic call up as he is 23 and has been on the call-up radar for over a year now. Prospect lovers are going to freak out that I don’t have them ranked (yet!) in this column. Well the problem is they’re just a bit unknown. There are already reports that Meadows is going to go go back down as soon as Starling Marte is healthy again, despite Meadows crushing the ball in his first 29 ABs (6 runs, 13 hits, 3 HR, 2 SB, .448 AVG.) And Soto also has minor league options left on his contract so with Bryce Harper, Matt Adams and Michael Taylor still on the big league roster and Adam Eaton so slowly, but surely coming back soon — Soto might not be a Nat for long. Where would they rank if they were both given starting jobs for the rest of the season? Well despite the Soto surprise and hype — I like Meadows more. He was looking like a bat that might develop into a 20/20 hitter. His star has definitely dimmed since he was ranked as the #6 prospect before the 2017 season — but the potential is still there. Soto would only be ranked lower because of his age. It’s rare for a 19 year old with barely over 500 plate appearances to make the majors and positively contribute to their team. That’s why the minors exist in general. “Enough jibber and jabber — where Kerry, where?!” Due to their uncertainties I’d start them in the 70 to 80 range with a lot of upward mobility.
Please, blog, may I have some more?Hey, for a change we didn’t have a devastating injury this week! Huzzah! Not only that, we got ourselves a few newcomers to the list who are pretty exciting. The top 20 remains relatively unchanged, although Patrick Corbin gets a bit of a ding for the continued diminished velocity and a dip in his whiffs. Speaking of whiffs, can you Snell that Snell? Snell has a freakin’ 2.78 ERA and has had to face the Red Sox three times already. He’ll come down from that mark for sure, but he’s still really good. I didn’t write him up fully, but I trashed Zack Godley nearly 20 spots. I was as patient as I could be, but those 2017 K:BB gains have evaporated. I also believe I had Reynaldo Lopez a bit high given his lack of strikeouts, and his .218 BABIP through 10 starts is pretty absurd. Let’s check out some more of the interesting movers and shakers this week.
Please, blog, may I have some more?This week’s edition of the FAAB Five begins with a pitcher most of us have been waiting for all season, Jack Flaherty. Consensus would lead one to believe that the St. Louis Cardinals pitching prospect will not go cheaply. He has been hyped all season as his domination of the minor leagues have been witnesses by anyone doing a bit of research to win their league. Flaherty has been a top arm in that system for quite some time, and this is a system that is known for the development of top-quality arms. Flaherty joins Adam Wainwright, Carlos Martinez, Michael Wacha, Alex Reyes, and more that have grown and continue to flourish from within the St. Louis ranks. The talent is becoming undeniable after a couple more juicy starts in the majors this past week. Look for him to go for at least 10% of your budget, if still available. Jack Flaherty can be a successful pitcher in the majors right now posting nearly a strikeout per inning, limiting walks, and stepping up for impressive outings like his last performance on May 20th, 7.2 IP with 13 K and only 3 baserunners allowed.
Please, blog, may I have some more?So you found a second girl willing to touch your wood? Nice work! Now let’s focus on what really matters: your fantasy baseball erection. No, don’t look down! Focus! I’m talking about erecting your fantasy squad. Did I lose the five girl readers again? I always scare them off so quickly.
If you recall “Hold on Loosely – Part One”, we discussed not only the failings of your love life, but also some of last year’s surprise players who went undrafted in a majority of leagues. As June approaches we now have a large enough sample on our hands (that’s what she said!) to begin speculating which late round draft picks/free agents could help most in erecting your fantasy powerhouse.
In part one I brought forth the theory that elite offensive statistics are becoming more attainable via the waiver wire now than ever before. The chart below highlights some of this season’s surprise hitters drafted with an NFBC ADP of 300 or later.
Please, blog, may I have some more?Have no fear of black-lung, no lonesome Cowboy Junkies song mentioning silicosis. Instead you can grill without care for carcinogens and feast on the red meat of victory with Gerrit Cole. Mr. Cole is pitching like a Cy Young candidate this year with a record of 5-1, 1.86 ERA, and leading the league with 101 strikeouts. He’s facing the Indians in Cleveland who are only a .500 team despite leading their division. Chris Sale is tempting, but there’s a few Braves who hit him; the same with Strasburg in Miami. Tag Gerrit Cole with a first-round pick and celebrate Memorial Day in style. Let’s look at a few more early-, middle- and late-round picks for your Draft…drafts!
New to Draft? 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 you do. It’s how we know you care!
Please, blog, may I have some more?
by: Geoff
I have a soft-spot in my heart for the Tampa Bay Domers. Not only do they have to play in possibly the worst MLB stadium in active duty, they split much of their local media market with annoying snowbird Northerners with their Red Sox and Yankees caps! To the good people of Tampa, the Rays Up faithful, there’s light at the end of the tunnel. I can’t promise they’ll be up anytime in the next 4-20 years based on your callup principals and tendencies. There is hope. The Rays squeeze more service time out of prospects, than Tropicana does juice from Florida’s organ groves. Some might say it backfired on Brent Honeywell, but the most hardened Rays defender will say it was all part of the plan! Now Honeywell won’t start his service clock until September of 2029! I kid, I kid! But there is no team that gets more blood from their stones than the Rays. They have an impressive development track record spanning back a decade, and the current farm is full of talent with varying degrees of upside, but plenty of MLB futures. This is one of the more underrated systems in the game. It’s the Tampa Bay Rays Top Prospects for 2018 Fantasy Baseball.
Please, blog, may I have some more?
by: Smokey
Tap on the shoulder, now tap on the other shoulder. Swords and knights yadda, yadda. Pun joke and title inclusion over. I could probably draw it out to upmost degree, but I’ll just end it and rip the bandaid off and jump into the welcome back Kotter bullpen of Philadelphia. If the collective bullpen in Philly isn’t called the Sweathogs, they are doing something wrong. The Vinnie Babarino that is emerging as the future leader is most definitely Seranthony Dominguez. Dude set a record with hitless streaks to start the year for a rookie and is now the go to, end all be all holds guy for the Phillies. His arsenal screams future closer, but Kapler’s fear of commitment and Neris owning pictures of some relative of his. Dominguez is the guy, for now and for later. With 5 holds and 1 save in his last 6 appearances, he is involved in almost every winning game the Phillies are. He checks all the proverbial boxes that we have previously discussed when looking for a reliever to roster. Plus he has the save appeal, which is similar to curb appeal, minus the fact that you don’t need shrubs or a Chinese maple tree to accent how dominant he has been. Holds for now, saves for later for the Sir of the Cheesesteak. Roster with confidence as his results are great, but be patient as Kapler is a mad scientist with his bullpen decision making skills. Holds week brings the best out of all of us, because you play in a league with holds. That’s why we are fake internet friends.
Please, blog, may I have some more?If last week left a lot to be desired (also what women tell me), well this week makes up for it. There are more two start pitchers here than you can shake a stick at. Just try it! Try and shake a stick at all these names, it won’t work. You’ll tire by Tier 4, and Tier 5 alone has TWENTY TWO options. They’re stinky options, but options nevertheless. So leave the stick outside. They’re dirty anyway and you don’t vacuum the carpet nearly often enough to make up for that.
Please, blog, may I have some more?As Gerrit Cole’s weekly attempts to break the strikeouts per game record continue in Houston, the baseball world is left to wonder, “Wait what exactly did Pittsburgh get for trading this dude again?” Well, Bucs Nation got to see their return on full display Friday night, Joe Musgrove was dominant in his Pirates debut going seven scoreless innings allowing just five hits striking out seven and even added a hit and scored a run for his first win with his new team. Joe only needed 67 pitches to get through seven, throwing 50 of those for strikes and retired 80% of the hitters he faced on three pitches or less. He’s also the first pitcher to go seven innings with under 70 pitches in 10 years or something zzz. Enough with the stats, nerd! Tell me about the KAYS! Sure, Musgrove did not look spectacular in his rehab stint, and sure, the Cardinals offense is not the most menacing assignment, but the 25 year old RHP is formerly highly touted prospect! He had seven wins in 15 starts (109.1 innings) in 2017, but it’s the 98/28 K/BB rate that has got me doing the happy dance. ThasalottaKs! He’ll get a tougher assignment versus the Cubs next week, but could be worth a grab for that sweet, sweet upside alone. Remember, the Pirates traded Gerrit Cole for this kid! What do they know that we don’t!? I’d take a flier on Joe Musgrove anywhere I needed starting pitching help. I can see him becoming a reliable streaming option for me throughout the rest of the year. And that’s honestly one of the highest compliments I can give!
Please, blog, may I have some more?I watch a lot of baseball. Most nights, it’s on the TV while we’re puttering around at night and before I’ve plopped myself down for the evening. Therefore, by osmosis, my wife watches a lot of baseball but admittedly doesn’t pay a lot of attention to the action or the announcers. The other day though we were watching and an announcer made the comment that a player “got good wood on the ball”. This sent my wife into a 10 minute gigglefest of no recovery. Yes, I’ve got a keeper. Sticking with the theme of getting wood on the ball, that’s exactly what the Padres do not do. Only Miami has a lower team OPS and only Texas has more team strikeouts. Hence, I present my top pitching choice of the evening, Alex Wood ($19,700). Wood may not have the wins to show for it, but he’s been pitching pretty well thus far (3.32 ERA / 1.02 WHIP). It’s possible Jordan Lyles makes the Dodgers look silly tonight and Wood still doesn’t get a win, but I expect him to have the other stats to make him worth it. So, get some good Wood on DFS tonight and win all the monies!
New to FantasyDraft? 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 you do. It’s how we know you care!
Please, blog, may I have some more?
