This week...was a project. I had to miss last week (although I did get to run into Johan Santana and Rod Carew at Target Field...you know, NBD) so there was a lot to catch up on this time out. I also have to qualify that with only a handful of weeks left in the season, you can take these ranks to be more fluid than in the past. The vast majority reading this are in standard 10-12 team mixed leagues. In those leagues, you can pretty much stream plus matchups with anyone outside of the top 60 and worry less about the actual ranking. Take full advantage of the Streamonator. Pick on the worst offensive squads in baseball - the White Sox, Orioles, Mets, Royals, Padres, Marlins, and Tigers are punching bags. Even the Reds, Giants, and Twins have been bad over the second half thus far, and sure aren't going anywhere fast.
We have unfortunately lost Johnny Cueto for the season with Tommy John, and we're still a ways off from the return of Stephen Strasburg, Carlos Martinez, Yu Darvish, or Michael Fulmer. Oh, and another qualifier: the Rays are making this list harder for me to make with this whole "Opener" business. I obviously have Blake Snell on the list, but I'm gonna go ahead and treat their long relievers that actually go fiveish innings as starters. Yonny Chirinos and the newly acquired Tyler Glasnow make the list, though their roles are somewhat murky. Fantasy-wise it's actually a bit of an advantage for these guys as far as accumulating wins. Fewer starters than ever in MLB are going 5+ innings to qualify for the win; with the Opener taking care of the first inning, all the other guys have to do is toss four innings to qualify for the dub. There's a lot of new blood on the list this week, so rather than spending time with some of the risers and fallers, we'll peep the newbs. That's as cool as my slang gets, by the way.
It's good to be back, baby!! After a week's hiatus (hey, sometimes life gets in the way of this fantasy bidness) we're back to partying. It's Two Startapalooza, after all! I've gotta say, it's a pretty interesting week of double dippers. Tiers 1 and 2 take up nine nearly universally owned starters, but Tiers 3 and 4 are totally preggo with exciting streaming options. Those Tiers went out to lunch at Golden Corral and decided to take the rest of the day off from work and see how many chicken legs they can shove down their gullets instead. Don't act like you haven't done that before. Tier 4 is awash with more recent pop-up guys like Ryan Borucki, Andrew Suarez, Brad Keller, and even...hey! It's Tommy Milone! What a time to be alive. I won't speak of Tier 5 because those names are unspeakably ugly.
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It's all Rangers, all the time up in this Mug's Root Beer. You in your 90's, "Hey, kiddo, I remember back in the August of 2018, this young man, Grey Albright. He had a full head of hair and a gorgeous hairlip. Well, that young squirrel talked at length about the Texas Rangers. Texas? You don't remember that? It was a state. It became a part of Meh-eee-co after the War of 2020, when Admiral Kushner tried to invade Tijuana to erect a large-scale fence twenty yards from an already erected fence. Oh, well, it was nice talking to you, I'm going back to watch The Real Housewives of Miami Island." Yesterday, Joey Gallo (3-for-5, 4 RBIs and his 30th and 31st homer) lit up the scoreboard like the Macy's Day Parade. Macy's Day is a holiday when jeans you don't want are purchased cheaply by relatives and handed to you, much to your chagrin. It's a tradition; don't act above it. You, "Can this guy really talk for 500 words about Joey Gallo without talking about Joey Gallo?" Just try me! So, Gallo is on pace for a nearly identical year to last year when he hit 41 HRs and .209. Right now, his average is at .202, but, don't worry, he's got at least .007 in that bat! His strikeout rate never budged from last year no matter what spring training narratives were saying about him cutting his Ks down. Have you seen his swing? He starts in Austin and ends in Arlington. Never the hoo! He is who he is, and good at what he does -- hit bombs. Now, see you back here tomorrow for all the dirt on Isiah Kiner's Korner with Falafel. Anyway, here's what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:
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Yesterday,
Kole Calhoun went 1-for-2 and his 14th homer and, seriously, how many home runs does he have since the break? 475? Am I warm? Because it feels like I'm super warm...*eyes drift to a mirror* ...so super, super warm. Hot even. What's your name? *snaps out of it* Damn it, reflection! Okay, starting a dynasty team, Trout or Calhoun? It's too difficult to decide! What is this world coming to with the fire emoji that is Kole Calhoun in the last two weeks? I can't handle it. Literally, and I'm wearing oven mitts. Here's Calhoun two weeks ago: *opens DeLorean door* "I can go anywhere? How about Balco in 2001?" Somehow, Calhoun is only owned in 45% of leagues, which I hope means 55% of people are already checking out our
fantasy football rankings. If not, shame. Anyway, here's what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:
Boy, I'm really phoning it in with this week's article title. Anyway, it's the last full week before we get a midseason breather for the All Star Break, so it's a fairly busy one. Tiers 1 and 2 look like more fun than an Alabama Slammahamma. Don't bother Googling that, I just made it up. It sounds like a real thing though, doesn't it? Tier 3 isn't quite the juicy peach we had a week ago, but some options may be on your waiver wire. Tier 4 gives us a bountiful bouquet of bodaciousness, with a vast array of not-horrible starters that have decent matchups. Danny Duffy climbing out of the bottom tier might be optimistic, but his duo of AL Central opponents are enticing. There are even a couple of Tier 5 guys that might be of deep league interest, but...we've officially hit the Tommy Milone point in the season. Will he really get two starts? Everyone hopes not. Don't even talk to me about his minor league numbers, they're always good. He's the epitome of a Quad-A pitcher. Even in what would be his second start against the Mets who can't hit a lick against lefties, I'd rather just run into the corner of a groin-high kitchen table and call it a day.
I am a winner who's probably gonna win again. Giancarlo, forgive me! Giancarlo, forgive me! So many swings I don't understand. Sometimes I need to stream Tommy Milone. Mitch don't kill my vibe! Mitch don't kill my vibe! I can feel your energy while Judge hits homers two planets away. I got my drink, I got my music. I would share it, but today I'm yelling. Mitch don't kill my vibe! Mitch don't kill my vibe! (repeat 2x) Yesterday, Mitch Haniger (2-for-4, 3 RBIs) hit his 15th and 16th homers, and now has 4 homers in the last nine games. He even has a steal, and his run game got the whole world talkin'. King Kunta. Oops, wrong Kendrick Lamar song. If you need help this final week, grab this *itch. Anyway, here's what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:
If your eyes weren't burned away from the eclipse, it's great to have you back and reading the write up. We have a full slate tonight with no bona fide ace on the mound but that doesn't mean we don't have some solid match-ups to pick from. The biggest one that stands out is
Lance Lynn ($14,800), he is being priced as a middle of the road started despite the fact that he has 2 ER or fewer in his last 9 starts. Tonight should be no different as the San Diego Padres come to St. Louis, Lynn's home ERA is currently 2.62. The Padres are no secret to DFS when it comes to streaming pitchers but Lynn is priced really low and the Padres offer a great strike out potential. They currently rank 3rd in the MLB in Strikeouts and are dead last in runs scored. Lynn should be able to have his way with this line-up and also have a great chance to win the game as Cardinals are significant favorites.
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Matt Adams was acquired by the Braves for Juan Yepez, who was always a little too excitable for the Braves -- Yepez! See? Not a good look. It was a tearful exit from the Cardinals' clubhouse for Adams. His emotions hit a crescendo when he realized he couldn't carry out all the food he had accumulated in the clubhouse refrigerator. Through tears, "Why didn't I learn to balance soda on my head like I was Jamaican?" Hey, mon, they have grape soda in Atlanta. Adams will be the 1st baseman in Atlanta until Freeman returns, while conceding to Loney on occasion, assuming Adams doesn't try to eat him, "I thought his jersey read Baloney! I'm a terrible person!" Adams gets a boost in value, but mostly just for NL-Only and very deep leagues. Anyway, here's what else I saw this weekend in fantasy baseball:
Aloha from Clearwater Beach, Florida. I will be relaxing at the beach in this 90-degree weather today. I promise, I’m not trying to rub it in. The weather is starting to warm up as we approach summer, which means the balls will start flying out at a higher rate than they already are this season. Today’s lede has done a great job limiting home runs this season and I’m excited to see him deal today. I must say that I’m pleasantly surprised how good
Eduardo Rodriguez has pitched this season. Rodriguez looks to make it 6 quality starts in a row today and he has a stellar matchup against a team with the 3
rd highest K rate vs. left handed pitching. If you haven’t noticed I like using lefties in DFS, especially when the teams they are facing struggle at the plate against lefties. John Farrell has no problem letting Rodriguez eclipse 100 pitches as he's done it on several occasions this season already. There appears to be no pitch limit for E-Rod, so if he gets off to a hot start today we could see a high K total in the box score. Today’s game is being played at O.co, which is smack dab middle of the road in home runs per game this season. Eduardo’s price tag is $17,600, which I consider a steal for his upside. Plug him into your lineups and lets win some money today!
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 be sure to sign up through us before jumping into the fray. It’s how we know you care!
True story, I told Cougs that I had the hots for Maria Conchita Alonso, and she was like, "You know the woman who walks her Yorkie off leash in the neighborhood that Ted always tries to hump?" I answered in the affirmative. I hate people who have their dogs off leash. It's like people who bring their dog into the supermarket. I love dogs, but I don't need Arfer Woofruff licking my bottle of Kombucha. Any hoo! As you likely figured, the woman with her Yorkie off leash is Maria Conchita Alonso, and she's no longer hot because she can't follow the rules! So, guys and five girl readers, Yonder Alonso has nine homers. Quite the change from a guy who used to be Hither Alonso. Okay, Imma let Fangraphs Database finish about launch angle and exit velocity, but Yonder Alonso is the greatest 1st baseman waiver wire pick up right now. Yonder Alonso had two homers on Saturday and added his ninth on Sunday, and I'd grab him everywhere. Anyway, here's what else I saw this weekend in fantasy baseball:
In a week where Clayton Kershaw is slated for two starts (pour one out for that first one. It should have been another epic matchup of Madison Bumgarner against King Kershaw, but alas...dirt bikes. Ugh!), the pitcher drawing the most attention, or at least the most reaction like the one above, is from none of other than the guy doing the reaction above! It's like those Gronk wearing a shirt of Edelman, wearing a shirt of Gronk, wearing a shirt of Edelman things. You'll get through this. I promise. And no more mention of anything Boston in this post. You have my word. (Still butt hurt about the Super Bowl. Always will be.)
Now, back to the matters at hand. Jason Vargas. Jason freaking Vargas. I was in an AL-Only auction at the end of March. $270 budget, 33 roster spots, 10 teams. Jason Vargas? Thrown out around #300 and went for a cool $2. I mean, who in the I want to cuss right now ever saw this coming? Certainly not ol' Vargas himself. Why? Because this version of Vargas, the 34 year-old version, is every bit the same version as last 11 years who never held a K/9 north of 7 when pitching more than 12 IP in a year. And yet, here we are in Week 4 and Vargas is the ever-deserving candidate to be highlighted leading into this week, joining the echelon previously only befitted by Kershaw and MadBum.
Paul Sporer at FanGraphs said, "Jason Vargas is pitching out of his mind right now...His velocity has always been underwhelming (~86-88 mph) and it’s on the low end this year at 86.6. Vargas is using essentially the same pitch mix, too...I don’t really know what to make of this." It's a fascinating article that shines some light on the deeper stats of Jason's breakout. Go nerd out for a bit after you finish here, because somewhere between his last healthy season in 2014 and now a beast has emerged. An 87 MPH beast. Can it last? Let's hope it continues for at least his next two!
(For the record, I nailed the Eric Thames Top 100 and Andrew Triggs Two-Starts highlights last week. That probably means Vargas implodes this week, haha.)
Pitchers are listed in order by rank. Colors represent 8 toughest or 8 easiest opponents according to team wOBA for last 14 days.
About 2.5 weeks in, only 25 or whatnot left to go! Man I love baseball, so much time to make your shitty teams unshitty again. "Make American Unshitty Again!" Totally should've been the campaign slogan...
Speaking of, what is the AL turning into in the REL, 1990's MLB?! What's with the Yankees taking over the first spot outta nowhere?! The pinstripes have gotten a great balanced attack from their roster (despite losing
Gary Sanchez), with the surprisingly hot starts from
Chase Headley and
Aaron Judge. Plus
Luis Severino going nuts with the Ks! On the NL side, yawwwwwwwwwwwwwwn. Business as usual with the Nats winning games in real-life, and awesomely suited for fantasy in REL-life. Good luck to those squads hoping to hold onto the #1 spots!
Here’s how week 3 went down in the 2017 REL League:
PS - this league is way better than Razz30.
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