Pirates Spilling Over With E. Valdez Callup

As with all prospect call-ups, I like to get familiar with them, so I went to look at Esmerlyn Valdez and I was greeted by a 22-year-old Craig Monroe. I might be crazy with that comp. I went to look at Craig Monroe highlights (that’s how crazy I am), then watched Esmerlyn’s, and I can’t stop seeing the resemblance. To further research this nonsense, I went to Craig Monroe’s Wiki page and found this:

That has to be the quickest “lighthearted anecdote” to “Holy crap, that’s dark” in the matter of one paragraph break. So, Esmerlyn is a Wizard of Power, here’s what Itch said, “A quick glance at Valdez’s outcomes tells you this guy has always produced, generating above-average weighted-runs-created at every level and 76 percent better in 72 games at High-A this season. At 6’2” 181 pounds, Valdez has all-field power that allows him to wait an extra tick to fire. I like that he mostly uses that advantage to punish pitches for now but can see a future where he uses it to amp up the pitch selection to eleven, and I’d like to punch Grey eleven times.” Ok, not cool! Esmerlyn has 10 homers in 158 ABs this year in Triple-A, while hitting .253 with a 21.1 K%, which tells me he has a Launch Angle problem. Does maintain a 17 BB% and, at 22 years old, he could hit 30 homers as soon as next year in the majors. Not 100% sure on playing time, but assuming he’s not up to only face lefties, he’s worth an add in most leagues for power. He won’t be in this afternoon’s Buy column, because he’s here. Now, let’s hope no one ever comps him to Craig Monroe again. Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:

Braxton Ashcraft – 7 IP, 1 ER, 6 baserunners, 9 Ks, ERA at 2.89. He has a 2.88 ERA in 125 career innings. That seems good. [thinks for a millisecond] Yep! It is good! Thanks for the help, brain!

Brandon Lowe – 2-for-4 and his 13th homer, hitting .256. Was expecting Lowe to be higher on the Player Rater for 2nd basemen, at least inside the top five. He’s not (as of right now, I don’t think he moves in overnight either.) Surprised to see JJ Wetherholt (0-for-4, hitting .239) in the top five, since he’s cooled in May, but it goes to what I say, “If a guy has power/speed, it’s hard to not have value.” It’s not that pithy, but it’s true.

Henry Davis – 1-for-3 and his 3rd homer. Excellent news for Joe Pesci’s fantasy team, “Hey, How Ya Doin’ Hendry?”

Ivan Herrera – 2-for-4, 2 runs and his 6th homer, 2nd homer in three games, hitting .262. Fun fact! The iVan is an Apple minivan that also operates as a personal home computer.

Dustin May – 5 1/3 IP, 4 ER, 8 baserunners, 7 Ks, ERA at 5.00. Dustin May is also what time I tell Cougs it is. Coming up on Gettin’ Me A Beer June!

Robby Snelling – Headed for Tommy John. The surgery, not the ex-player or underwear. Hey, if your last name is John, don’t name your son, Tommy. We’re all out room for Tommy Johns. We’re full!

Sandy Alcantara – 6 IP, 6 ER, ERA at 4.00. Watched the 1st inning homer to Megahertz, and I thought, “Wow, so Sandy’s throwing meatballs now, huh?

Owen Caissie – 1-for-2 and his 4th homer, hitting .210. I can’t hear Owen without thinking of Throw Mama From The Train. Can anyone help with this affliction?

Kyle Stowers – 2-for-4 and his 2nd and 3rd homer. “I’m gonna fill his pockets with coins and toss him into the river–Hold up! Stowers moved! He’s alive!”

Spencer Strider – 6 1/3 IP, 3 ER, 6 baserunners, 9 Ks, ERA at 3.00. All the runs came on three solo shots, because someone values the xFIP stat.

Michael Harris II – 2-for-5, 3 RBIs and his 10th and 11th homer, three homers in the last three games. They call him Michael Harris II! Fast pharma ad commercial voice, “Because he hits two homers in a game, side effects are Braves’ managers, no matter who they are, randomly move him down the order even though he should be a two-hole hitter. Again, II, it’s in the name.”

Mike Yastrzemski – 3-for-3, 2 runs, 2 RBIs and his 3rd homer, and 2nd homer this week, and he will be in this afternoon’s Buy column, because Yaz tre hotski [adjusts beret].

George Springer – 1-for-4 and his 4th homer, 2nd homer in four games. A hand shoves its way out of the dirt. “Ah! No Zombino! Not again!” A manicurist sets up shop on the dirt and starts doing the Zombino’s nails. “Huh, weird.”

Carlos Rodon – 5 IP, 1 ER, 6 baserunners, 7 Ks, ERA at 4.15. VinWins mentioned yesterday in the comments how the Yankees had been the opponent in more top 100 starts than any other team (10 times). The Yanks’ haven’t been that impotent since before Fritz Peterson and Mike Kekich.

Spencer Jones – Optioned back to the minors. I wonder if the Yankees could trade him for Miguel Andujar.

Eduardo Rodriguez – 7 IP, 0 ER, 5 baserunners, 4 Ks, ERA at 2.24. Not to take anything away from him, which I say before taking everything away from him, this was a Streamonator dream matchup. A dreamonator.

Jose Soriano – 6 2/3 IP, 2 ER, 7 baserunners, 7 Ks, ERA at 2.44. Putting him right after EdRod, I notice that EdRod’s ERA is actually better than Soriano. If it’s any consolation, everything else about Soriano is much better. Well, not his team. But everything else.

Luis Severino – 7 IP, 2 ER, 3 hits, zero walks, 10 Ks, ERA at 4.23. Ya know what I looked at immediately with Severino, right? C’mon, it’s obvious. It rhymes with gnome/okay stilts. That’s right! home/away splits, and Severino is much better on the road. [makes mental note to trademark stilts for gnomes]

Cade Cavalli – 7 IP, 2 ER, 5 baserunners, 9 Ks, ERA at 3.86. Interesting underlying numbers from Cade. Lower (some would say suppressed) HR/9, and ground balls that are lower from last year (not good for low homers allowed), but here’s where things go a little sideways, his BABIP is .367. So, unlucky on BABIP and lucky on homers equals…? Neutrally a 3.87 ERA pitcher, which he is. That’s fun. Call him Popeye because he’s, “I yam what I yam.” (No sweet potatoes were eaten in the making of this blurb.)

David Peterson – 5 IP, 1 ER, 7 baserunners, 3 Ks, ERA at 5.03. Season-long ERA is giving an inaccurate impression. In May, he’s thrown 18 IP, and allowed 5 ER, that’s a 2.50 ERA. Strikeouts have been decent too with a 10.6 K/9, and I have Peterson in a bunch of leagues (not happily after his April), and I can’t in good conscience recommend him outside of maybe Streamonator. Though, I’m monocle’ing, obviously.

Dillon Dingler – 2-for-4 and his 9th homer. Up here in the back row of the upper deck, I’m fielding questions why I’m dressed as a poop emoji, like these people never heard of the Dingler Danglers Fan Club before. I do wish I was with my buddies in the outfield bleachers, pooping together.

Casey Mize – 6 2/3 IP, 2 ER, 4 hits, zero walks, 4 Ks, ERA at 2.47. Four straight starts of 6 IP and 2 or fewer earned runs, and a hitters can’t lay off nor hit his fall-off-the-table splitter. His velocity is down (94 to 93), but the underlying numbers all are fine. Not a 2.47 ERA pitcher, but solid enough for any league. His “usable pitcher in any league” bone is connected to his “8.5+ K/9 and barely 2+ BB/9” bone.

Joey Cantillo – 5 2/3 IP, 0 ER, 6 baserunners, 6 Ks, ERA at 3.05. Since I was just looking at Mize, allow me to comp him to Cantillo: Mize is better. Cantillo has more upside, but it’s almost nonexistent in his current form. 23 and Me results return Cantillo is more related to Shane Baz than Mize. A Baz cousin. A Bazin, i.e., he could sink you. (You just don’t get puns elsewhere like the writer’s hit his head into the wall too many times.)

Patrick Bailey – 1-for-3 and his 2nd homer. After the game, he said he would’ve hit for more power in San Fran but Posey said to him, “I’m the only catcher in San Fran that will ever hear the crowd’s cheers.” He said it while poking Bailey’s chest with his index finger to emphasis each word.