Jack Leiter (3 2/3 IP, 7 ER) made his debut yesterday, and his stuff looks primo nasty with a side of broccolini cause homeboy is green. Jack Leiter also looks like he can’t control anything. Just chucking the ball five inches off the plate for the entire outing. Wonder if his father Al doesn’t like him and refuses to help him with his mechanics. That’s not cool, but father and son relationships can be fraught. Maybe he said to Al, “Hey, I don’t want to become a doctor, I want to write about fantasy baseball,” and his dad said, “Are you literally the dumbest person alive?” Maybe this convo didn’t happen, but it sounds so familiar. So, we got a Leiter of a cup of coffee and I don’t know if I want any more of that espresso. I could see grabbing him in deeper leagues in case he’s up for another start. and that was nerves. In shallower leagues, I don’t have the nerve, after getting tagged for seven runs. Though, if it’s any consolation, three of his earned runs yesterday were due to Leody not being able to play center. It’s no consolation? Yeah, I didn’t think so. I keep trying to get a scoring change made to my fantasy league where I started him, and my commissioner has stopped returning my texts after my last, “I never picked up Jack Leiter for this start! It was ChatGPT! It’s AI Leiter!” Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:
Kenta Maeda – 2 2/3 IP, 5 ER, ERA at 7.50. Adam Silver to Maeda, “Get ready to learn Japanese buddy!” Oh, wait. Seriously, Maeda looks like he shouldn’t be pitching for his own safety because at some point someone is going to connect on his 88 MPH junky four-seamer and line drive that stinker up the middle and into his groin. I’d be surprised if he ends the year with an ERA under 5. Tyler Perry as Madea is more watchable than Maeda.
Jonah Heim – 2-for-5, 2 RBIs and his 3rd homer. Hit ’em with the Heim!
Adolis Garcia – 2-for-5 and his 5th homer. He’s going to go 35/15/.260 and next year you’re going to ask, “Should I draft Adolis or (fill-in player’s name who is nowhere near as good as Adolis)?”
Marcus Semien – 3-for-6, 2 runs and his 3rd homer. Semien’s blast came on the road, and that is why you shouldn’t pick up food off the street and eat it. Five second rule or not.
Carlos Carrasco – 5 2/3 IP, 2 ER, 7 baserunners, 5 Ks, ERA at 3.44. Carrasco’s peripherals look so terrible that you almost have to give it to him for being usable while pitching so poorly. You almost have to give it to him. Almost. You don’t have to. It is not requirement. The props that you’re carrying around looking to give to someone? Those you don’t have to give to Carrasco. Can you tell there wasn’t much to talk about yesterday? Riffing for 250 words about a pitcher with a 7.9 K/9, 5.9 BB/9 and 90 MPH fastball.
Triston McKenzie – Has been pitching through a torn ligament in his elbow. Rest and rehab instead of Tommy John is the “Are you feeling lucky, punk? Well, are you?” of baseball.
Rafael Devers – Day-to-day with a knee contusion. He didn’t need an MRI, then the Red Sox were like, “Maybe we should splurge twelve-hundred dollars for a guy we’ve committed a few hundred million to,” and he was sent for an MRI, and that turned out okay, apparently.
Tyler O’Neill – Cleared concussion protocol, so guess where he was placed? On the 7-day concussion IL. I guess TO needed a…What’s the word?
Ryne Nelson – Left the game with an elbow contusion after taking a comebacker off his arm. Sounds like he could be the first pitcher ever to avoid major injury.
Logan Webb – 7 IP, 0 ER, 3 baserunners, 5 Ks, ERA at 2.93. Webb gem!
Jose Abreu – Nothing to do with yesterday, but bring up Joey Loperfido already.
@razzballfantasyJose Abreu well done, as in very cooked? original sound – Razzball
Amed Rosario – 2-for-4, 1 run, 1 RBI as he hits third. Should prolly add him into this week’s Buy column that’ll be up at noon, that is already available to Patreons.
Colin Poche – 1 IP, 0 ER, ERA at 4.91, and his 2nd save. This isn’t a change in the Rays’ 9th inning gameplan, though maybe it should be. Not to Poche, necessarily, but Jason Adam is a better option than Poche and Pete Fairbanks (8 BBs in 7 IP). Ya know what’s interesting, Kevin Cash has no problem messing with his lineup and pulling starters quickly, but he’s way more loyal to his closer.
Ryan Pepiot – 6 IP, 1 ER, 6 baserunners, 7 Ks, ERA at 4.37. Streamonator loves him, and so do I. Think this is a solid buy low for deeper leagues, or I guess just pick up if the league is shallow enough.
Griffin Canning – 5 1/3 IP, 2 ER, 5 baserunners, 4 Ks, ERA at 8.05. After being Leiter’d up in the Ratio Keister, every starter I see from yesterday looks better than what happened to me. Leody could’ve saved three of those runs vs. Leiter! What the eff, man? Any hoo! Canning gets O’s next time at home, and if you’re confident in him, then you know something I don’t know, or a lot less.
Robert Stephenson – Will miss the rest of the season with an elbow injury. The doctors realized there was a problem when “the Rays let him go.”
Paul Skenes – Pirates’ GM Ben Cherhestellingthetruthington said Skenes needs to be stretched out before being called up. Let’s follow this logic, guys and five lady readers! He threw 131 1/3 IP last year, so built up to what? A reliever? You know a good way to ruin a young arm? Have them throw 131 IP one year, then 100 IP, then 160 IP, then Tommy John surgery.
