Finally (read in your best Dwayne Johnson voice) I am writing about Blake Snell. With 356 points Snell is a top ten starting pitcher in points leagues. He is averaging just under 20 points per start and is striking out just over ten batters per nine innings. Considering an average draft position of 162 (14th round), owners have more than quadrupled their draft day investment. It’s all sunshine and roses, right? I’m not so sure. That’s right, I’m about to drop the people’s snellbow on you. Blake Snell’s ERA is 2.24, but his FIP is 3.44. As we all know, or should know, FIP is a better indicator of a pitcher’s actual performance. These numbers suggest that there is some regression to come. In redraft leagues I’d strongly consider selling high, but in keeper leagues, even with the looming regression he’s quickly becoming a valuable starting pitcher with ace potential. If you can get a good offer, I’d still consider snelling high. Trevor Bauer resents this opening paragraph.
There are twenty-one batters with the last name Garcia in the CBS player pool. Only three, however have at least one plate appearance. Leury, Avisail and Greg. One of those names is not like the other, but the one I’d like to talk about is Avisail Garcia. After spending a fair amount of time on the disabled list and missing MLB action for seven weeks he is making up for lost time. In the last week he was tied for the lead in points for hitters with 46 points. Considering he had 18 home runs, 80 runs batted in and a .330 batting average last season, he might be worth keeping an eye on at just over fifty percent ownership.
Francisco Lindor also had 46 points last week. I did say Garcia was tied for the lead. The difference between Lindor and Garcia is that Lindor is a bonafide stud. In fact Lindor is the best shortstop in points leagues. Yes, he’s more valuable than Manny Machado. He has two more home runs (23 to 21) and twenty-one more points than Machado. Last season Francisco had about 90 more points than Manny. Not only is he the top SS, but he’s also a top five overall hitter in points leagues.
Max Muncy needs to be owned. He has 1B, 3B and OF eligibility to go with last week’s 40 points. I read somewhere that he’s the fastest to twenty homers in Dodgers history. Anything labeled “Dodgers history” just sounds impressive. After spending all of 2017 in the minor leagues he’s making the most of his 2018 opportunity. Since being called up in mid-April Muncy has 188 points and 0.82 points per plate appearance. As a point of reference, Mike Trout has a 0.89 PPPA.
Aaron Hicks is on pace for 30 home runs and about 400 fantasy points. Last year that would have been good enough to be in the top twenty outfielders. That makes him a starter. Any questions? Oh yeah, he had 35 points last week. Any questions? Oh wait, I already asked that.
2017 was a disappointing season for Jose Peraza owners. It seems that he is trending is the right direction in 2018. He’s not having a superstar season, but he has been very hot the last few weeks. Last week alone he had 34 points. Something important to remember about Peraza is that he’s only 24 years young.
Another week another Nick Markakis mention. Like Peraza, Markakis had 34 points last week. On the season he has 287. Only Mike Trout, Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez have more points than him in the outfield. Nick is having a career year.
Alex Bregman has been on fire. Like Peraza, he’s only 24 years old and is improving on his 2017 season. He has a PPPA of 0.75 and is a top five third basement tied for points with the likes of Freddie Freeman. That alone should say enough about his talents.
Zach Eflin is averaging 19.7 points per start. In his last two starts he’s totaled 51 points. He’s dealing with a finger issue right now, but he’s someone to keep a close eye on. I can’t stress this enough, it’s players like Eflin, Markakis and Muncy that help teams win championships. The overachievers.
I can see Madison Bumgarner being one of the top three starting pitchers in the second half of the season. You heard it here.
Follow malamoney on Twitter at @malamoney
