Nothing is a better, giant surprise than a Rubby in the morning!
Rubby De La Rosa has always been a guy with a power fastball and plus slider, but it’s never been enough. Ks haven’t been there, he couldn’t get lefties out, and he’s looked more and more like Nathan Eovaldi rather than “the next big thing”. But after yesterday’s outing, Rubby has somehow limited lefties to a .162 average and only allowed 1 homer in 87 LH batters faced. Compare that to last year, when lefties murdered him for .315 and 20 homers in 410 batters faced.
After a pretty brutal start – including 3 relief appearances due to the D’backs bullpen being overtaxed – I really didn’t think too much about Rubby and his upside. Kinda thought “he is who we thought he is!” Wait, that’s a different Arizona sports team…  His last 5 starts have been really good with solid Ks, but I thought for sure the Giants with their bevy of lefties would crash the party. Alas, we got a Giant surprise! Here’s how Rubby looked yesterday afternoon in Zona against those Gigantes:
First Inning: Rubby’s first pitch is a 93 MPH sinking fastball in there to Denard Span. Fastball a little in, then 95 MPH a little on the hands is dribbled to second for an easy first out. Fastball a little outside to Joe Panik, then heater again on the outside edge is popped up to third for another easy out. Hunter Pence takes a fastball in there, then Rubby’s first slider is a nasty 84 MPH bender that gets Pence waving, 0-2.
And ya know, why not?! How about the confidence to throw it again and trust Pence can’t make the adjustment.
And it’s Rubby’s first K wrapping up a solid, concise first inning.
Second Inning: First pitch of the second is a 93 MPH fastball in and on the hands of Brandon Belt who flares it to right for a one-pitch out. I got a little nervous with that pitch and swing there, almost got it right in Belt’s wheelhouse. Fastball in there to Brandon Crawford, 94 MPH is a smidge high, then Rubby’s first change-up – the main pitch I wanted to see – gets a whiff from Crawford breaking off the outside edge, 1-2.
Then Rubby goes fastball and it’s pulled on a line towards right, but Paul Goldschmidt leaps and makes the catch for the second out. Very, very loud out though. Fastball outside to Angel Pagan, fastball again a tad inside, then the 2-0 is a fastball on the outside black rolled to Au Shizz for a much easier third out.
Third Inning: Still a 0-0 game and Rubby is in there with that fastball to Conor Gillaspie 0-1, then that change-up gets another whiff – 2 for 2 for whiffs with the change to lefties – now 0-2, then big slider that almost looked more like a curveball is dribbled foul, slider low, change-up breaks low, fastball at 96 on the outside edge is slashed foul, slider pulled foul, and this is turning into a lengthy AB. Change-up drops low, then slider breaking off the outside edge is swung through and missed for Rubby’s 3rd K. But the first pitch to Trevor Brown is a 94 MPH fastball a little up-and-in, but Brown absolutely yanks the poop out of it for a home run. Pitch tracker had it in the top corner of the zone, but Brown must like it there. But Rubby dials it back in with a fastball in there to Matt Cain, then fastball again gets an infield pop out for the second out. First pitch change-up skips in the dirt to Span as we go back to the top, then fastball on the outer edge is grounded routinely to second for the third out.
Fourth Inning: First pitch big slider bends in there for strike one to Panik, fastball on the outside edge is flared foul, then 96 absolutely paints the low outside corner for a 3-pitch K to open the 4th.
Slider bends low to Pence, slider again buckles his knees but doesn’t get the call at the top of the zone, and wow, Rubby goes slider AGAIN and gets a whiff, 2-1. Pence getting nothing but sliders – and would you believe it – slider again, whiff again! And hell, why not, slider again and Pence has to reach out and poke it short for an easy second out. Fastball low to Belt, change-up stays low, fastball fouled off, either a hanging slider or change-up on the outside edge is fouled back, slider in the dirt, nice slider on the hands ripped foul, then 3-2 fastball at 97 (!!!) barely misses low and inside for Rubby’s first walk. Fastball at 96 fouled off by Crawford, then 87 MPH change-up again gets a whiff from a lefty – love it – 0-2. 96 is outside, change-up drops low, slider fouled back, then change-up again at 87 just dies into the dirt, it gets Crawford swinging over it, and Rubby is out of the inning with his 4th K.
Fifth Inning: Nice two-seamer running back onto the inside edge gets strike one on Pagan, two-seamer again runs away off the outside edge and gets a whiff, 0-2. Nasty. Then 95 MPH two-seamer looked like a carbon copy of the first pitch but doesn’t get the call, 1-2. Two-seamer again is called inside, then fastball again inside is flared to second for an easy pop out, one down. Slider drops into the zone on Gillaspie 0-1, fastball fouled back, change drops low, then that two-seamer yet again runs back onto that inside corner for a backwards K and Rubby’s 5th. Fastball stays outside to Brown, slider outside, then fastball sails up and in again – right near where Brown hit the homer the first time – and Brown crushes it to left but it’s well foul. Rubby needs to keep it away from there! Fastball again up is way in 3-1, then slider drops into the zone, 3-2. Wow, 3-1 slider. Interesting. Then slider again drops right into the zone for another backwards K as it nips the bottom of the zone breaking in there for Rubby’s 6th K.
Sixth Inning: First pitch of the 6th is a fastball that Matt Cain puts a good swing on, but it’s a pretty routine flyout to left, one down. Span looks at a fastball zip by that looked outside but is called a strike 0-1, fastball definitely outside this time, fastball again low, change-up gets yet another whiff 2-2, fastball painting the outside edge gets an emergency swing foul, then fastball on the hands is grounded to second, two down. Fastball just outside to Panik, change-up drops low, slider bends low, quickly 3-0. And Rubby loses him on 4 pitches with a fastball high. Besides the Brown HR, this is the first crack we’ve seen from Rubby this game. But up is Pence who Rubby has owned with sliders, and this is getting crazy, another slider and another whiff. I mean, this is dumb. Slider again, whiff again. Slider this time is too low 1-2, then Rubby slings a fastball in that absolutely ties Pence up for his 7th K. Great time to finally get Pence something different.
Seventh Inning: Still a 1-1 game and Rubby drops a change-up low to Belt, then fastball on the outer edge gets a great swing from Belt, but it’s caught on a line on the warning track for the first out. Belt’s had a few decent looking swings. Fastball outside to Crawford, change-up gets another whiff from Crawford – he’s swung through that pitch a bunch now – 1-1, and then whiff again on the change! 1-2 now, and change is tipped back foul, 95 MPH fastball spiked in the dirt, change-up flutters low with Crawford checking his swing, then 2-2 change-up again is dribbled down the first base line, Goldschmidt gets it cleanly with Rubby covering for the second out. Change-up is low to Pagan, fastball low, fastball again misses, another 3-0 count. And fastball all the way down to 92 MPH misses outside for a 4-pitch walk – second 4-pitch walk of the game. Hmmm, then out comes the trainer?! Oh no, what in the hell is this?! Maybe they saw that velo drop down?! But Rubby stays in, and a 91 (!!) MPH fastball is way outside to Gillaspie, 92 MPH fastball at the knees fouled off, 92 MPH fastball way outside, slider shatters Gillaspie’s bat as it dribbles foul, slider is way inside and in the dirt and it’s a wild pitch which moves Pagan to second, 3-2. Hanging, rolling slider is lined foul, then change-up drops in the dirt, and Rubby will leave after walking his last two batters. The D’backs would end up dropping the game, but fortunately not until the later innings. Great outing from Rubby.
Final Line: ND 6.2 IP 101 Pitches (59 Strikes) 1 ER 1 Hits 4 Walks 7 K  Gamescore: 71 Gamescore+: 72.0
Final Analysis: “One hit?! That’s all we managed, is one goddamn hit?!” “You can’t say goddamn on the radio!” “Eh, no one is listening anyway!”
Pretty incredible start, with Rubby getting 16 swings-and-misses from a usually disciplined Giants line-up. Especially with their supply of lefties, which has always been Rubby’s Achilles heel. With the nice Ks and most outs pretty weakly hit, easy outs, his Gamescore+ indeed came out higher than his Gamescore.
Rubby’s always had monster stuff, and it starts with a power fastball. The four-seamer topped out at 97 – usually in the 94-95 range – and the two-seamer had some great run when he went to it, another weapon against lefties – a pitch that breaks off the outside edge of the plate. His main off-speed is the slider, and just look at those GIFs to Pence and read through his AB again. Pretty sure I count 11 straight sliders he threw to Pence, and he didn’t have a chance. Love the confidence there. Then to his change-up, which was much, MUCH better than what I remembered from the last time watching De La Rosa pitch. It got 7 whiffs this game, at least 3-4 from Brandon Crawford, and was able to keep the lefties at bay.
But to the elephant in the room – you never like to see a trainer coming out towards the end of a start with the velocity dropping and walking your final two batters. To quote a vastly underrated movie – Enemy of the State – “It could be nothing…” “It could be everything!”  Apparently he was bothered by some groin soreness (as was I, watching his sexy pitches!) and he had a start pushed back earlier due to sore triceps.  Neither are reportedly big deals, however, it does impact how high I could move him in the re-ranks.
While I mentioned in the open Rubby’s strides against lefties – and we saw it again here – he’s got a dominant 28:4 K:BB v. righties and a little bit of a scary 17:11 K:BB against lefties in nearly the same number of ABs. His BABIP overall is .230 and LD% is a pretty lucky 15.5% thus far. Sure, a good pitcher should be limiting line drives by giving up weaker contact, but that’s a low number I would expect to go up a tad. And while his change-up is looking good, with a pitch value at a career best, he’s throwing it way less than previous seasons and throwing more fastballs and sliders. Maybe utilizing the change a little less is making it harder for hitters to pick up? I’m not sure… And the broadcast did mention he’s trying to embrace a high-leverage reliever mentality more and more, i.e. attacking hitters with his power stuff. If I’m outro-ing this final analysis a little wordy, it’s because I’m not 100% sure what to make of it all! I’m cautiously moving him up, but I do think there’s regression coming and I’m worried about the injuries.
Updated Top 100 SP
(rankings for ROS based on 12-team Roto, green for risers, red for fallers)
Dropped Out: Luis Severino, NYY (DL – triceps strain, and was has been falling for a while now), Mat Latos, CHW (I never got him past mid-90s, but I shouldn’t have ranked him either way haha…)
- At some point, I just have to cash out my Matt Harvey shares at a loss… Well, actually, the only league I had him was a keeper and I traded him in the off-season. Woo!
- Gerrit Cole is a tool.
- Another faller – now that we have a usable-ish sample – is Zach Greinke. I expect him to get better, but man did everyone’s fears of regression hit hard, and then some!
- Spoiler alert! Even though we don’t record the Razzball Podcast for another few hours, here’s how the first 10 minutes will go – Grey: “How about that Joe Ross, hahahahahahahahahaahaha [cackle cackle] You’re so dumb!” Meh, got BABIPed in that Tigers game and an error helped rough him up yesterday against the Marlins, he’ll be better.
- Man, with a few of those vets I had at 15-25ish last week moving way down, it was really rough putting together that range of guys. Johnny Cueto I was certainly wrong on, but I got a lot of flack for the Jeff Samardzija rank and he’s worked out solidly.
- Lord help me, I’m still holding out for Carlos Rodon. .336 BABIP, HR rate is high, and his Ks are up with BB down from last year.
- In the preseason, I said and I quote “I have the heebie jeebies about Steven Matz“. Tough to rank him any lower, but the heebies are super jeebious with his elbow and forearm getting re-evaluated today.
- Three lefties get big moves up with Drew Pomeranz, Rich Hill, and Jaime Garcia in the green this week. I still have some concerns with all of them, but they’re all must-plays for the time being.
- Julio Teheran has been surprisingly good for a little while now. I don’t know how much I really believe it, but he’s not too old and may be finding something again…
- Love me some Junior Guerra!
- I would probably be head over heels for Jon Gray with that stuff of his, but Coors man…Â Coors…Â Still, he cracks in my ranks as the first Rockie this year.
Has Rubby been a giant surprise for you as well? And what do you make of this week’s ranks? As always, shoot your thoughts below, and may your UCLs forever stay intact!
Fine to hold out hope for Rodon, but #26? At this point in the season? At some point the results have to be there or it just doesn’t make sense.
@DMC: Did you read my note on Rodon? If I liked him coming into the year and his Ks are up and BB are down with some unlucky peripherals in there, why would I be hitting the panic button? Remember I’m ranking from today forward (throwing out this somewhat unlucky start), so I’m not saying I think he’ll finish top 26 anymore, but that he will be at that level ROS.
I may have hit refresh on the homepage 27 times in the past hour waiting for this.
Does Porcello go up in your ranks in a QS league? How high?
I took your advice on Hamels and sold him for Upton. Let’s see how this goes.
@joe: Haha really appreciate that man! It’s glad to be back this beautiful Monday! Yeah he def would jump up. I still dunno if I 100% buy this K rate, but he’s always been a guy who doesn’t walk people, usually doesn’t blow up, and can pitch deep, so he’d prob jump into that 50ish range.
Sweet, I hope it works out! Has cut down the walks the past 2 games, but last outing was pretty bad!
@JB Gilpin: meant to ask this, any thoughts on Taillon? He seems to be getting lost in the Glasnow buzz, but he has been pretty lights out and has the pedigree to back it up. Locally, the sports beat has him coming up first before Glasnow.
@joe: Oh definitely agree Taillon is being lost! My issue is I don’t know how many innings he’ll throw – dude hadn’t pitched for 3 years! If anyone has the red light on a tough innings cap, it’s him. So while he might get called up sooner, I think there’s a better chance Glasnow pitches a lot more outings and through the end of Sept and into the postseason
@JB Gilpin: Let’s keep hoping for the postseason. Thanks.
@joe: Raise the jolly roger! Which I normally would be sad about, but this is the first clear Brewers tank year in a while. I’m good with it :)
My questions is about Gausman and Corbin: Are they must starts every start or streamers at this point?
Thanks!!
@Nitro: Totally depends on the league. In RCLs where SP are streamed heavy, they’re definitely streamers. Streamers with upside though, which is why they’re still ranked decently
JB
Great article as usual.
10 team keeper league, k/9.
What are your thoughts on Alex Wood, he has string along some nice starts. Thinking of picking him up for this week and dropping Pineda. Wood gets San Diego.
Defiantly like the upside Gray has with his SO ability, but the Coors think I have to agree.
Assuming Pineda is dropable, then Odorizzi, then Gausman.. Berrios is worth holding cause of keeper league only or I would have punted him weeks ago.
DeLaRosa, Gray, Wood, Kenndey, Chen, Corbin all on waivers.
My current staff:
Kershaw
Strausburg
Salazar
Hammel
Gausman
Bench
Berrios
Odorizzi
Pineda
DL – ERod
@primetime: Thanks man, thanks for stopping by! Yeah a few questions on Wood, I probably should’ve waited to do the ranks until Monday morning but finished em Sunday night just an inning or two into that game. 4 starts now with low walks, yeah he probably shoulda made it in. Velo up is nice too. I def like streaming out Pineda for a Wood start v SD there. I’d think about both Kennedy and Chen as long-term holds over Odorizzi, I know they don’t ooze sexiness, but I like em this year
Whats good JB? You aren’t alone holding out hope for Rodon. Being an NC State fan Ive followed his career for awhile and needless to say I was hoping he’d have been a little better thus far. I’ve been a little disappointed in both him and Corbin thus far. And I’m still hoping and waiting on ERod too, seems like he’s not where the Sox want him to be yet with velocity or trusting his knee.
So on to my roster: I hated dropping Ozuna for nothing, he’s been pretty hot and my O has underwhelmed with my power guys not living up to the pre-season hype, but Dyson became a must own for me with Tollesons struggles. I’m still kinda perplexed Dyson hasnt been announced the closer, Ive literally heard nothing concrete about the Rangers pen, no disappointment in Tolleson, etc. seems a little odd based on how many shaky outings he’s had lately. I wish it would get cleared up because I’m holding Tolleson and that spot could be put to better use imo.
With that being said would you just hold on the roster below until the closer thing sorts itself out? Obviously no one wants to trade for Dyson/Tolleson and I cant really do a 2 for 1 and move McGee because I dont see an obvious drop. Chen is the last arm I added but with Corbin and Rodons struggles I think my staff needs him. I could probably get Parra for McGee but Im not sure thats enough when there are no saves on the wire. Had thought about? Parra and Pomeranz but again …no one to drop. Additionally I could probably move Melancon, might could get J.Ross and Trea Turner for Melancon, but that weakens my closers quite a bit, especially with the Texas bullpen mess seemingly unresolved, and would force me to drop someone like Chen or Corbin. Maybe Im just better riding it out until Texas makes their intentions clear?
@We’re Out Of Room: Forgot the Roster lol:
ESPN 12 team HTH 5×5 with OBP and QS daily moves and 4 keepers per season
C Molina
1B Cabrera
2B Daniel Murphy
3B Seager
SS A. Russell
OF Stanton
OF Springer
OF Polanco
UTIL OF Burns
UTIL OF/DH Sano
Bench 2B/SS Castro
DL Pollock
SP Salazar
SP Corbin
RP Kimbrel
RP Melancon
P T. Walker
P Odorizzi
P C.Rodon
P Chen
Bench RP Dyson
Bench SP Kennedy
Bench RP McGee
Bench RP Tolleson
DL SP E-Rod
@We’re Out Of Room: Yo what’s up?! Yup living in Raleigh I def knew all about him, but it’s not that raleigh bias I swear! Just really like his stuff. Ugh, yeah on E Rod… This went from minor knee thing to months out… smh.
Yeah I like Dyson stashing a lot more now than a few days ago… Yeah you just got Melancon I would probably hold at that price if saves are sparse. I agree with your final thought there, hold the two TEX guys and see how the next save or two pans out. Hopefully at the very least, whichever doesn’t close can give ya a few Ks and a few nice innings…
@JB Gilpin: Thanks, guess great minds think alike…you’re pretty cool for an NC transplant there JB lol. Appreciate the advice, and don’t worry I’ll probably be back in a few days seeking more insight lol.
@We’re Out Of Room: Hah I still try my best man! Look forward to running outta room man!
@JB Gilpin: See look Im back all ready lol. Meant to ask, what kind of offer, based on my roster needs, would you accept for McGee? Already discussed Parra, and while I need some O help not sure he alone is enough. But what about pitching with Corbin/Rodons struggles? Would you do Shark for McGee? Other starters he has are Wacha and Liriano, he has Lester and Cole too but obviously that would require Melancon and something I’m sure. Any of those options worth moving on or still would you still just hold?
@We’re Out Of Room: Hmmm, I mean Parra has been pretty good, objectively that’s not far off. Shark+Parra and we’re cookin’! I just dunno about just Shark either even though he did move up a good bit in these ranks. I might wanna see how the TEX situation plays out, but both Shark and Parra 1 for 1 are about even, if a non-closer sweetener could get you both then I would like that one!
@JB Gilpin: Yeah he’s already angling for Melancon, but when I said ok Melancon and Chen for Cole or Lester and Parra…silence filled the internet lol. I think getting Parra or Shark for McGee would be the best I could do tbh. Just read an article on the Rangers pen saying they werent ready to give up on Tolleson just yet, blamed his trouble on his change up, but obviously the door is ajar for Dyson, so might be awhile before that situation corrects itself.
@We’re Out Of Room: I might could get Shark and Parra for Melancon, but then Im back to dropping Chen or Corbin for nada, and there’s a pretty big difference in Melancon and McGee imo.
@We’re Out Of Room: Haha yeahhhh not too surprised…
Yeah I like moving McGee just for the one. I’d take Shark probably with your roster comp
I posted for Gray to take it easy on you with Ross
1) the dropped infield pop up with two outs was huge
2) Terrible decision to walk the .217 Hechaverria to get to Jose Fernandez. Ross had just hit 100 pitches before the walk and looked gassed.
No love for Alex Wood yet? I thought he looked sharp last night and gets San Diego next start.
@Jvanslyke: Haha thanks man, I appreciate it! 1 – yup, awful stuff 2 – yeah he seemed to go pretty deep, but at least they showed a willingness to let him go deep. The DET start was a BABIP mess too. He didn’t get rocked in either.
Yeah, here’s what I said above after seeing you asked too :) “I probably should’ve waited to do the ranks until Monday morning but finished em Sunday night just an inning or two into that game. 4 starts now with low walks, yeah he probably shoulda made it in. Velo up is nice too. “
What are your thoughts on Sonny Gray? He’s giving up a lot more home runs compared to his career statistics and walking a lot more batters. I have Keuchel already, which is aggravating enough; is it worth trying to buy into better days if it’s cheap? I know his owner is tired of him.
Thanks in advance!
@John: Uggghhh yeah I dunno. Has been really bad since a back injury last year, walks were already not great before and he was surviving on some BABIP that is drying up. If it’s super low I like the gamble, but not paying too much. Any time!
Thanks for the rundown. So if I’m offered Nola for J. Zimmerman, is that a no brainer at this point in a keeper?
@Pitching: Thanks for reading! Maybe not quite a “no brainer” but I would definitely want Nola, even in a redraft, so keeper league it’s a great deal
@JB Gilpin:
My conforto for his nola in a keeper league. Who comes out ahead?
@crabman: Ehhhhh I reallllly like Conforto. I would probably hold him
Trade liriano for fielder?
@YO: Yeah I prob would, it’s one under-performer for another and I like taking the risk on the bat.
I am wondering about the Padre SP Colin Rea. He gets 2 starts this week @ home vs LAD & SF. He definitely does not have a great pedigree but when you look at this year’s starts so far & take out his 2 starts @ Col & @ CHC he looks more then decent considering what’s out there. The Cubs especially in Chicago or pitching in Mile High make most SPs look pretty bad.
His other 5 starts were against pretty decent competition …all playoff contenders except Philly. Those starts were: NYM; @ LAD; StL; Pit; & @ Phi. His numbers those game were: 31 IP with 9 ER & 22/8 K/BB. I figured his ERA over those 5 games to be 2.32. I know the Ks are lighter then what we would like ideally & SON seems to hate both of his starts this week. But given what is out there in 12 team leagues …I thought he might be worth a peek or at least to see what he does this week.
Love to hear your analysis JB …Hang in there fellow Brewer fan
@henncoop: Hmmm, good point there. I dunno, those are still two of the better O’s in NL and Petco has been turning into a neutral park. Yup, Ks were jumping out to me too. Pts league or H2H roto league? In a pts, I’m all for streaming him for the two starts. I think it’s a little risky in H2H roto. In daily moves I’m prob still avoiding. The overall K:BB is just so boring. Aw, thanks man! I’m glad we’re rebuilding the right way though instead of spending $30 or $40 mil on mid-range FA and hope they work, like Wolf and Garza. Lowest payroll with a big Braun contract too. It’s going the right direction
@JB Gilpin: 12 team 5X5 roto league with weekly lineups
@henncoop: Ehhhhh I just don’t think the K potential is worth the risk, I would probably find a different 2-start guy or the best 1-start guy if you have a P spot open
@JB Gilpin: Thanks for your take on it. I do think he may be a guy worth watching.
I am actually going to the game Wed …actually a bit excited to see the Cubs play …1st time in years but hopefully the Crew kicks Lackey’s butt …never could stand him. With Nelson up we might have a chance
@henncoop: Oh yeah, he’s been on my fringe list the last few ranks here.
Oh nice! Yeah Nelson and Junior are our only watchable SP right now haha. How about Hader though, another shutout through 6 tonight already!
@JB Gilpin:
Big Hader fan. Ace in the hole or destined for the bullpen?
@crabman: I really really hope that the bullpen noise is unfounded and he can be like Chris Sale who everyone thought was bullpen. Well, that might be aiming high… I think in the next 1-2 year they’ll give him every chance to start and we desperately need a lefty starter, I think he’s a starter long term
In hindsight we can see Cueto’s pattern:
Pitch good in NL
Pitch bad in AL
Pitch good in NL
@Scott: Hah, I mean, you’re not “wrong”, but he should’ve at least been competent in the AL! Especially on a team with a good defense in a much better pitcher’s park!
Right now, I would trust Chen over Corbin.
@Scott: Hah, I mean I have em back to back…. Basically the same to me, Chen is safer and “trust” I guess I prob would more too, but I still think Corbin has the upside.
Matt Harvey….called it!
-Angry Mets Fan
@Cram It: Haha yeah this has been going exceedingly poorly. Random thought – remember when Mike Minor had a urinary issue, and it somehow evolved into a shoulder issue that ended up costing him years of injury? Maybe urinary issues are a sign!
@JB Gilpin: You know what, come to think of it, I had a UTI once and the time frame does coincide with my declining shoulder with is pretty much shot these days. There’s something here!
While I’m here….
Conley @ PHI/vs WASH
or
Eickhoff vs MIA/vs ATL
@Cram It: Hahaha, I talked this on the pod too. There’s a connection for sure!
Gimme Conley
Detroit is putting in all their righties against Berrios tonight. What’s that about?
@Scott: Hah must be a reverse splits thing, but whewee did it work!
Rubby is just lucky he didn’t have to deal with a real leadoff hitter like the guy I just acquired in my annual brockbuster deal of the year: Ben Revere!!! Man I can’t believe the other guy actually gave up Ben Revere for Denard Span straight up. The extra 1 SB and two runs scored are sure to put my team over the top.
But for real reals, 3 soft grounders to second for the western half of Benard Respan?? You can’t score runs and occasionally steal a base like that!
@Odor’s Odorizzi Spray: Hahaha YES! What a massive winning trade! Haha.
Hah well he’s been better and at least he wasn’t striking out badly like Crawford who looks meh and Pence who got slaughtered with that slider!
Matz MRI came back clean. I thought it was them being extremely cautious and had it not been @ Coors he would have made his scheduled start.
Also traded Porcello and Trumbo for Kluber and Odubel Herrera over the weekend. Started to get some buyers remorse but that’s a big gap between the two, so I’m assuming you expect Kluber to come around?? I know he typically struggles in April.
How do you feel about Smyl @ TOR and @DET this week.
Look forward to these every Monday. Great work as always.
@WillisReid: Well it was that at first, then he had to get a second evaluation and the resulting MRI, I don’t think the MRI was part of it at first.
Holy crap that’s a great trade! Love it!!!
He bested TOR last time and they’re not the 2015 Jays. Smyly has been too good not to play in my mind.
Really appreciate that man! Sorry for the comments gap, commute home and podcast takes my Monday late afternoon!
Have you read or seen anything about Lincecum’s form post-surgery? Worth a speculative add?
@Steve: mehhh AL only deepish play for me
@Steve: @Knucks: Yeah agree. Sounded like he was he “old” self i.e. 90 MPH and bleh stuff, I’m not going nuts for him
No faith in Trevor Bauer’s improvements this year thus far?
@bobbo:I hope pitches like this and can stick with Carrasco back soon-ish
@bobbo: @Knucks: Mehhhh never been a Bauer guy, and yeah the uncertainty if he sticks in the rotation makes him tough to rank top 100 ROS. I’d stream him in prob 14ers or deeper
Would you trade J Heyward for Rodon? Are you more optimistic Rodon turns it around than J heyward?
@Wacha wacha: Tough to give up a bat like that, but I am not a big Heyward guy… Depends on needs I’d guess, I could see going either way
Similar to wacha wacha, would you trade Heyward or Fowler in a 3OF OBP league for Nola. Have Blackmon Davis and Bautista as my other outfielders (one occupying util)? Am I selling too low on either of them? The guy I would trade with only has Stanton and Brantley as main stay outfielders but he is in first and don’t want to let him run away. Thanks as always!
@Moore Semien than a Blackmon: Yeah same answer as above, but since I see you have a full OF I would indeed do Heyward for Nola. I like Fowler a good bit, I’d hold him or try n sell for more later. Any time!
Hey JB
Which side do you like on these trades in 10 team h2h obp in a vaccum?
Price for jd Martinez
Heyward for Fowler
Villar for yu
Shaw for rodon
Thanks for the help!
@Scooter G: h2h pts or h2h roto? Prob going JD Martinez, Fowler, Yu, Rodon. Any time!
JB need your wisdom. I’m getting light up in Ws, Qs in a 10 teamer h2h 7×6 hits, OPS, QS
My only decent trade chips are Chris Carter, Chapman, Rondon and Colome/Boxberger (DL).
Is Carter for Kennedy fair? Carter for McCullersfair? What was McCullers injury that has sidelined him?
Secondly, would you drop Colon for Dyson to use Dyson as additional trade bait to the Tolleson owner?
Lastly, what combination of my above trade chips would you offer for Darvish? What is Yu’ s ETA?
Thx much.
@jal179: not sure about McCullers shoulder… But I’d want him over carter unless I needed power in the worst of ways. But can try and see if McCullers owner needs it. Kennedy is pretty much a streamer.
dyson over colon easily
Then try rondon or chappy for yu. Rondon first of course. Yu is prob mid June I believe we said
Good luck
@jal179: @Knucks: Uh oh, look out for the JB Brewers bias! Ummm, I think both deals are fair, but all things equal I want the bat. If I knew McCullers would be heavy and stay in the rotation until the end of the year, I might do that one, but is too risky to me.
Yeah gimme Dyson too.
I think Yu is coming back well before mid-June. Yeah the format seems to favor starters strongly, I def like trying Chapman plus a sweetener for Yu
Thanks gents.
McCullers scares me a bit but I honestly don’t trust Carter to hit more than .220.
Hendricks is the only other SP on their roster that seems like a fairish offer.
You guys prefer Hendricks over McCullers ROS for Ws and QS?
@jal179: Well 30 HR and 100 RBI even at .220 is still pretty valuable in today’s baseball. Yeah I like Hendricks more for the safety, especially for QS. I’m still iffy on if I’d do him for Carter though, maybe in that deal see if you can get a low end closer sweetener?
Let’s talk about Iwakuma. Are we holding out hope that he returns to his former reliable self? I used to let him WHIP my team into shape on a weekly basis. Now I’m not so sure as he keeps getting hit hit hit.
Droppable for a low end starter?
@Dave: Hahaha love the wording. Yeah in 10 or 12ers there at #51 = stream, stream, stream away. Not holding on too strongly at all…
–See you got Duffey moving up….Grey doesn’t like that he’s low 90’s and has only 2 pitches. But I went back and except for his debut, he has strung together 12 starts allowing 3 runs or fewer, and that only twice…he must be doing something right. I think he is just a winner….
–I took him over Gausman because something’s wrong if Gausman is averaging so few strikeouts….he doesn’t inspire confidence.
–Hope you are right about Joe Ross….Rubby is tantalizing me….
I will hold with you and wait one; maybe two weeks on Rodon. But he’s trying my patience!
Non-pitcher question: Would you stash Trea Turner over having a bench bat that doesn’t play much? Byung-Ho Park….My power comes and goes…Freeman, Segura, Kang, Franco, Betts, JUp, Cargo…
Thanks!
Greg
@greg: Yeah, I actually ranked Duffey in my original ranks, but as he lost his spot I kinda tempered expectations. I dunno about a “winner” but I do think he can be serviceable, at least while young and hitters seeing the first time. Totally good using him over Gausman for now. Nooooo, don;t lose Ross for Rubby!
Agree, Rodon is trying my patience too… I gotta believe in the K:BB!
Hmmm, that is a lot of power, and guessing your 1B and UTIL are usually used. i might try and trade the next few days first though, Park does have value. If nothing works, then I’m OK with that swap, Any time!
Do I get Valencia or do you here?? Trying to decide if I trust the bot or my brain….
@Knucks: Hah, whaaaa? I do like Valencia while hot though!
@JB Gilpin: My bad, was talking about your No Halftime shizz
@knucks: No need to answer this by the way, as I now realize that I’d have to go with Bautista. I want to, but I can’t bring myself to fight Rudy’s Tron!
@knucks: Hah I was wondering if that was a no halftime reference, awesome thanks for joining man!
Yeah I went against the grain there just trying to get someone to nab it, glad we got a contest goin!
My team is struggling in a 12 teamer, H2H league. Been flopping around between 8-10th place ugh. So decided to heavy up on bats, traded Archer for J Upton. Had Archer last year and he sunk me down the stretch so I may have some negative bias going on him.
So the question for you is whether my “second tier” pitchers are steamers (7 moves per week) or do just I stick with them for a bit??
SP: Price, Carrasco, CMart, Hill, Chen, Pom
On wire Tillman, Estrada, J Gray, Gaus ( I put him there LOL)
@John: Ah, well still early, plenty of time left. Eesh, yeah it’s a gamble on Upton, but sounds like about an even trade.
Of those, I’m def riding Hill and Pomeranz while hot. I think Chen is more a streamer, I know I have him ranked well, but it’s more for dependability than upside.
@JB Gilpin:
I may have gotten caught up in the Upton will turn it around posts!
@John:
Grey likes it, I sense you don’t, so that makes it fun too! Hoping it turns out like my hoops trade for CP3 and Hassan. Went from last to first. Fingers crossed it can happen again.
@John: @Johnc: Haha nah I mean it’s a good deal needing O. Yeah it’s a lot like a hoops deal of struggling PG (assuming you did that early) for hot C so it’s kinda needs based.
Wait, you got CP3 AND Hassan?! That’s two pillars right there!
My team did it! Beat Brighton 3-1 over the 2 legs so we are one game away from the Premiership now. Wembley here we come! Just hope I can get tickets for it haha, the demand is gonna be massive between us fans.
Moore sucking lately after I traded for him gah. gopheritis the problem. Any hope going forward? At least his K-BB% is strong which it hasn’t been in the past. Same exact story with Pineda I feel, who of course I own in the same league haha. Bought Rubby in time though at least! :) He looks good going forward, always liked his stuff.
Have taken over this other dying keeper league team, basically I get this and next year free to rebuild…sounds good to me! Started with Bell and a bunch of scrubs on my farm and now added Dahl, Taillon, Alford, Devers, Buxton, Judge and 2 1st round picks in next years prospect draft. Quite a quick rebuild!
@Swfcdan: Ah hell yes! Awesome man, go Wednesday! I actually looked on my TV listing and didn’t see you guys :( All the games Sunday was that EPL relegation sunday or whatever its called haha.
Yeahhhhh, never been a true Moore believer. Should flash some nice K games at times though, and yeah exactly, the K:BB is still encouraging.
Oh cool! Love when you can inherit a rebuild for a cheaper price. Might need a new owner or two in my REL next year which I might need to offer a discount to :) Nice work on the rebuild so far!
@JB Gilpin: Hmm ok so I realise why my posts didn’t work, seems you can’t post (some?) links on here ha. Oh well maybe I can email you them or something, as I have two great sites for streaming footy games. We are in the final on May 28th man, so don’t miss it! :)
Love some of the prospects I got back. As you’re a pitching guy I wanna talk about Taillon who’s one of them. Know you love Glasnow and rightly so haha, I think Taillon could actually be the better of the two for the next couple of years. His stuff is still great now he’s back and he’s showing pinpoint control, remember this guy was drafted between some guys called Harper and Machado whoever they are…ha some company. Really looking forward to seeing him soon, he and Glasnow should both be up already, damn Super Two!
@Swfcdan: Huh weird, sorry about that! Yeah maybe bc I’m admin I never get yelled at for links haha.
Oh awesome man, yeah hit me up! [email protected]
For sure, Taillon always had the raw potential. I agree that “maybe” in the medium term Taillon could be the guy, but due to innings this yr and upside for their careers, I still love Glasnow haha. Agree, this super 2 is so dumb! They should both be up now!
@JB Gilpin: Oh jeez now the links appear above, how wierd. Sorry for the repeat posts! Haha.
Anyway there they are! Most footy games get shown on there, sure yours will be.
@Swfcdan: No worries! Thanks for the links, shoot me a comment before kickoff the day before or morning of and I’ll watch and root loudly!
Still not buying Porcello at all? 65th seems awfully low. K’s will come down, but the 3.11 ERA/3.35 xFIP/3.29 Siera seems to suggest a return to his 2014 Tigers season could be reasonable….
@Matt: Yeah but even in that 2014 season I think he was like 50th on the season? Problem is, in Roto with a K rate at 6 or 7 in 200 innings just really kills your Ks in an IP or starts limit league. I also am starting to lean off of xFIP, I don’t like changing a pitcher’s results to league average results. But that’s another discussion :)
@JB Gilpin: No innings cap in my league—rather IP itself is a category in our H2H league. We use K/9 so it balances that out—-Porcello obviously can’t be counted on to be a boost in that category.
However, a mid 3’s ERA and 200 IP and a bunch of QS (we use QS rather than wins), would seem to be more valuable than 65th in our league at least.
@Matt: Ohhhhhhhhhh well still, I think that benefits Porcello a lot. He should throw a ton of innings and with no caps, relievers can help K/9.
Also – yes QS. He would get to 45-50 pretty easily in that format than the standard roto
15 team root, very competitive – been offered Ruby or Shields plus Boxberger for my Pence. My lineup is pretty loaded but would you do one deal over the other or neither?
Thanks!
@JimmyJackJames: Mehhhh, I def am not a Shields fan and Rubby has those minor injuries and I still don’t fully buy, I’d rather hold Pence. Any time!
10 team h2h keeper. i have wilson ramos as a catcher, and theres always someone available.
don’t expect much with the richards news that he’s trying to avoid TJ and will probably end up landing him in Dr. Andrews office.
I have lester, degrom, nola, shark and odorizi.
with all that said, if you had to pick two to stash on your DL which do you choose:
Wheeler
Richards
or Darnaud?
@chris: Yeah I don’t expect anything from Richards in redraft, how many can you keep? Actually I don’t think it matters, I’d def rather stash the two pitchers, I am just not a D’Arnaud guy and don’t think he ever stay healthy
So your ranking tyler glassnow that high for ROS? Cuz I was thinking about dropping him for ruby or some other Shiney new toy for the week to watch. Btw I’m in a 12 team mixed league h2h points. Does this change your opinion of how high Tyler is ranked? ……. so I should look at dropping either shields, estrada or tomlin all before I should think about dropping glassnow? I just don’t want to sit on a minor league pitcher for 4 more weeks if he’s not going to be worth it. My bench is limited to only 5 bench guys or really only 4 now cuz tyler is still in the minors so just curious on your thoughts I don’t know to much on this guy. I didn’t know he has almost top 50 stuff. Thx for your help.
Gerrit Cole a tool? He’s been good outside a few bad match-ups no?
Should I pick up Hahn in a 12 team h2h
@Rodger Dorn: Is he back up? That newly-found 94 MPH fastball is enticing for me as well!
@Rodger Dorn: @Matt: Yeah called up this morning, mehhhh I don’t have the biggest expectations though, if you have unlimited daily moves, I don’t mind the flier, but off a shoulder injury I kinda just wanna wait and see how tonight goes
In a HTH Keeper league, should I drop Urias for Taillon?
@Scott: How many can you keep year to year? If it’s over 10 I wouldn’t, under 10 I dunno if you’re gonna keep either and I think Taillon makes a bigger impact for 2016 alone
Would a 10 team, 25 man roster + 3 DL + 1 NA weekly h2h redraft be considered a deepish league?
Most teams roster 10-12 pitchers and zero to 2 bench bats.
Reason I ask is the pitching FA pool has NOTHING in it and I’m scrambling to find rosterable starters.
We have 3 add/drops per week so I don;t 1 streamer spot but rostering Colon, Eickhoff, Wright and Corbin feels pathetic.
Anyone have any suggested strategies to improve my staff?
Thoughts include stashing Gattis as a future C and Dyson as closer in waiting and trading Gattis for an Aaron Sanchez type SP and Rondon + Dyson for a top SP.
Any advice peeps?
@jal179: Deepish? Eh kinda, not too bad though, although my fave league is 30 man, 25 man roster with 5 DL and 2 NA :) Plus we have a farm system.
Tough to stream, but yeah I would try and find at least one 2-start SP every week. I def think you should roster Gattis. Dyson, sure if you have the space. Def like the idea of stashing Gattis and trading him when he gets C eligibility and hope he’s hitting
Picked up Richards in my dynasty league after he was dropped. Was hoping he’d be back at some point next season. Now the dipshit thinks he is Tanaka. Injection, rest, and rehab. He is just delaying the inevitable and guaranteeing he misses all of next season when he ends up at Dr. Freeze. A real pisser.
@Lville Jim: Hahaha yeah I kinda agree, just get the surgery already… No need to wait
@Lville Jim: stupid ass team doctors or GM’s allowing these guys to stay injured longer.
@Eli Man Penguin Boy: of course at LAA those are the same guys who called a elbow tendon rip “dehydration” for about 3 days.
@Eli Man Penguin Boy: Hahahaha yeah for sure… TJ is so successful now that I don’t get the delay
H2H Points league 14 teamer (K for pitcher = 1, for batter = -1)
Batters (1b=1, 2b=2, etc, R = 1, BB = 1)
Give Sano, get Pomeranz.
The back end of my rotation is MEH. Right now I don’t even start Sano. Plus his K’s kill him in my points league. What would you do?
My team:
C: Ramos
1b: goldy
2b: kinsler
3b: franco
ss: correa
OF: Springer
OF: Yelich
OF: Pillar
U: Story
Bench: Sano, Mauer, Drury, Revere
Minors: AJ Reed
SP: Price, Salazar, Tijuan Walker, Velasquez, Duffey, Miley
RP: Melancon, Jeffres
DL: Bailey
Minors: Giolito, Taillon
@Moses: Yeah in roto it’s a no question hold, but I like that deal! You can play Pomeranz as RP too if you wanted to right? I think you got too many bat reserves I like getting the pitcher, def fits the need.
J.A. Freaking Happ!!!!!!
Picked him up over the weekend and I get -10.5 freakin points. He hasn’t had a negative score all year and he chose to screw me royally today.
Do I hold on to this guy or do I drop him for Ross, Griffin(DL), Rodon, Karns, Colon or Corbin?
@Rondo: Haha yeah, never been the biggest Happ guy since liking him as a pseudo-sleeper early last year. I’d drop him for all of those! Prob getting Ross first
J.A. Freaking Happ!!!!!!
Picked him up over the weekend and I get -10.5 freakin points. He hasn’t had a negative score all year and he chose to screw me royally today.
Do I hold on to this guy or do I drop him for Ross, Griffin(DL), Rodon, Karns, Colon or Corbin?
@Rondo: This was not supposed to post 3 times. My PC froze. I was upset but not THAT freakin upset.
@Rondo: Haha no worries!
J.A. Freaking Happ!!!!!!
Picked him up over the weekend and I get -10.5 freakin points. He hasn’t had a negative score all year and he chose to screw me royally today.
Do I hold on to this guy or do I drop him for Ross, Griffin(DL), Rodon, Karns, Colon or Corbin?
@Rondo: Sorry again, bad connection had this post multiple times.
@Rondo: :)
Alex Cobb or Garrett Richards ROS for DL stash?
@Raymond: Garrett isnt coming back this year he blew up his elbow
@Raymond: @Bye Felica: Well Felicia, he’s gonna try and get PRP and rehab it now… I’d still go with Cobb tho
IN a weekly h2h mixed 12 team league I traded j. shields for wacha …. how do you think that worked out. I know wacha has a inj risk but I figured it was worth the risk.
@F’ING RAIN OUTS: Love it! Not a Shields guy at all. Wacha I’m not necessarily huge on either but I def think you won the deal
Why do you like Joe Ross? Ks are down, walks up, getting fewer ground balls..
@Baseball Fan 2000: Well I loved him coming into the year, and he’s had two pretty unlucky starts that have skewed all those numbers. No one had a comment like that last week! I love his pure stuff, pitches in best division to pitch in, good offense, good park, I think he bounces back from these two rough ones just fine
@JB Gilpin: Hope so, I flipped Gallo for him in my dynasty league.
@Lville Jim: Oh damn, yeah even if it doesn’t work out this year, I think you made out great on that trade!
You like Foltynewicz? His hair is pretty sa-weet.
@Christian Herman: Hah yeah I do! Always liked his stuff, ranked him pretty high at one point last year, then he lost his breaking ball and fell apart. One more good start this week with low walks and he’ll be vaulted in pretty high. Still a little risky ROS, but I like his upside as a short term add
@JB Gilpin: JB who do you like better folty or blair long term?
@crabman: I almost blurted out FOLTY! but I guess it is a little closer than I thought re-thinking it. Still Folty for the upside tho
Asked Grey these two questions too but I’d love to get your take as well since they involve starters!
10 team h2h obp limited season moves
My pitching staff: Archer, Smyly, CMart, Stroman, Wacha, Hill, Sanchez, Wood, Moore, Iglesias (DL)….Jeffress, McGee, Colome
1) Tried to trade my Sanchez or Berrios (just dropped for Wood) for Boxberger but he balked at those offers. He is asking for one of Wacha or Stroman. That’s too steep of a price, right? I’m think he either takes Sanchez or I walk. Guys like Giles, Cingrani, Neris, Dyson, Strickland, and Harris are all on the waiver.
2) My weakest two starters: Sanchez @ MIN, @NYY, vNYY, @DET and Moore @DET, MIA, @KC, @MIN
Hold those two or drop for:
Conley WAS, @ATL, PIT, @MIN
Andriese @DET, MIA, @KC, @MIN
De la Rosa @STL, SD, @HOU, TB
Karns @BAL, OAK, SD, @TEX
Duffey TOR, KC, @OAK, TB
@bossmanjunior333: Sure thing! 1 – wow, he “balked”? Boxberger might not even close! Yeah def too steep. Agree, Sanchez or Wood or nada.
2 – I do like Duffey, but damn those are rough matchups. I think I’d keep Sanchez and lose Moore for Conley
What do you make of Andriese’s first two starts? Would you drop Gausman to pick him up?
@Rusty: Give it a shot. I dropped him for Dyson
@Rusty: @Bye Felica: Nahhh I wanna see a little more from Gausman. I know he hasn’t gotten Ks either, but I think he has a lot more K upside than Andriese. Andriese has good movement, but is kinda blah, I’m not huge on him
12 team, 5×5 roto. You starting Rodon today v. Hou? SON doesn’t like it (-$1.5)
@Zobrist Guy at the Bar: Yup! I obviously own him in a lot of leagues and I’m trotting him out there
JB, Berrios is a mess, nice K side but since first call up has not impressed me one bit. Crazy that there two top prospects buxton and berrios are not good. Buxton is Melvin Upton, Berrios I have no comparison yet.
Tailon is killing AAA ball, shouldn’t he be on this list? I am in a 10 team keeper league, what are your thoughts of dropping Berrios for Tailon?
@primetime: Yeah so unfortunate for those twinkies! I still think they have bright futures though.
My issue with Taillon is the innings, after not pitching for 3 years, I wonder how deep they let him go into the season. He’ll probably crack it in next week tho. Oh yeah, def would own Taillon over Berrios now, these came out before that blow up last night and the demotion this morning
JB –
Whats good bro? Excellent write up as usual. I’m in a 10 team roto league with a small bench and no DL spots. My offense is quite good, but my pitchers have been trash due to some RP blow ups and inconsistent 3-6 SPs. What do you make of Maeda going forward as a #3-boarderline #2 fantasy starter? He was just cut in this league (not sure why?). Would you add him to this rotation over anyone?
Strasburg, Salazar, Liriano, McCullers, Rodon, Gausman
Is Maeda a more “safe” fit for that rotation than, say, Gausman?
Thanks, homie!
@OldMilwaukeePounders: Whats up man?! Thanks for reading! Yeah, I mean I’m not a big Maeda fan in ROS terms – got some flack for the low ranking to start the year – but he should def be owned. Yeah, I would snag him over Gausman. Any time!
@JB Gilpin: Thanks, JB. I may wait and see if i can get him without using wavier priority. Although it is only middle of the road and not top dibs.
@OldMilwaukeePounders: Cool, yeah in a shallower league, I dunno if Maeda is “that” much better than other waiver options, so agree on holding the waiver
Just traded Adam Jones for Greinke… This league is a bit of a joke, 8 team head to head, so everybody is stacked. My outfield is still stacked after losing Jones.
How’d I do? Is Greinke really going to be thaaat bad?
@Alex: I def think he’ll be better and that sounds like a dead even trade and based on need, so yeah if your OF is still stacked, def sounds like a win!
Hey JB,
Just want to pick your brain to get your expert pitching advise. I am in a deep roster 5X5 roto dynasty league. I currently have A Blair who came off my NA list & he has been underwhelming at best. I also have De Sclafani on the DL & may be available soon.
My options on the wire would be Andriese, Guerra (not too likely given his age), & De la Rosa.
BTW the rest of my staff would be: Thor, Cole, Archer, Shark, Smyly, Pineda, Kennedy, & Giolito & Appel in the NA slots.
RP are Allen, Rodney, Jeffress, C Smith, & Hererra (so either of the last 2 could be dropped as well)
This article has me thinking De la Rosa might be worth grabbing for Blair. Few Years older then Blair but he looks to be figuring things out.
@henncoop: Also Tyler Duffey & H Santiago are out there as well but keeping in mind this is a dynasty league with 30 player rosters & 5 NA slots as well. Thanks
@henncoop: Yeah I’m not a big Blair guy, and that was before yesterday :) Seems very hittable with nonexistent K upside.
Don’t slam Guerra on his age! He’s a converted catcher with not a lot of innings on his arm. He has less innings pitched through Minors and other leagues than Jimmy Nelson for example (just knew that from Brewers blog stuff haha). All that said, I would indeed go upside of De La Rosa over Blair
Ohhhhh Duffey is mad close. Not considering Santiago too much. I think I’d lose Carson Smith too and get Duffey
@JB Gilpin: Thanks ..done & done
@henncoop: Noice!
What do you like about junior? 80 is pretty high
@Robert: Hah I don’t think 80 is “that” high, but I like he throws hard, his split-finger change-up is legit, and he has pretty good control. Bad ballpark doesn’t help, but he’s still a pretty fresh arm being a catcher convert, so I think the velo and decent enough upside is there
Well we ran out of room the 1st day but I’m back. What are your thoughts on Duffey? He’s available in my league but with my log jam at closer with the cuff of Dyson I dont have an empty spot right now. The only way I can even begin to clear a spot would be to get the owner in need of saves to accept a combo of Dyson and Tolleson for one guy. Not saying I could pull it off, but what kinda of return should I be aiming for, Parra, Herrera, Pomeranz, Gio Gonzales? Any of those guys worth moving the Texas combo and freeing up a roster spot for?With the free spot Duffey could be added to help out my roster. And other bats like Choo, Gattis, etc are also available.
@We’re Out Of Room: Follow up after Tolleson has another meltdown….can they just name Dyson the closer so I can free up his spot already? Choo got scooped but the ever streaky Kris Davis is on the wire, along with Gattis, and the aforementioned Duffey. Still without the trade scenario I mentioned above, I dont really have a drop, unless Im going to cut bait on Tolleson, but I dont know how wise that is, despite his obvious struggles.
@We’re Out Of Room: Hah I figured as much! Meh, I like Duffey in kinda the deeper league sense, I dunno if he’s more than a streamer yet in shallower. Yeah with Tolleson this bad, I def would trade the pair for all 4 of the guys you mentioned. I’d still hold both TEX guys for the next day or two, but hopefully they indeed swap em haha
@JB Gilpin: Doubt he’ll do Parra or Herrera, so if I could(by some miracle) get the owner to trade Gio or Pomeranz for the Texas two step that is Tolleson/Dyson, you think that would be a decent trade? Any preference as to which arm, is one more rosterable ROS iyo than the other? I know that Pomeranz is ranked higher, but you also stated you didnt quite believe in him just yet either. If he wont trade Im gonna just have to ride it out until Bannister makes up his damn mind lol.
@We’re Out Of Room: Yeah I do, mostly because in a shallower league, owning 2 RP in a mess is such a drain on your roster. I’d prob gamble on upside of Pomeranz indeed, not the biggest Gio believer either, and Pom has the upside hence the higher rank. Hah sounds like a plan!
@JB Gilpin: Ughh I was so close, he said he would do Pom for Dyson/Tolleson but he doesnt have a free roster spot due to injuries to AGon, Duda and Frazier being DTD. He doesnt really have any throw away players to make it a 2-2 without me winning the deal hands down…sooo close lol.
@We’re Out Of Room: According to rotoworld Tolleson is being removed as the closer. So new question is do I trade Dyson for Pomeranz, or hold my 4 closers and drop Tolleson? Wire adds are K.Davis, Gattis, Suarez, Pillar, Valencia, or I could bolster my staff a bit with Duffey.
Drop Tolleson, Valencia
@We’re Out Of Room: @Grey: Damn! Well I think I would still do Dyson for Pomeranz and get out of the TEX mess. Then drop Tolleson and yeah, I like Valencia as your hot add for now too.
Get outta my article, Grey!
@JB Gilpin: lmao…you guys trip me out, love the podcasts, appreciate the advice from both of you.
As always, any time!
JB SON really likes McCullers’ next two starts vs Tex and Balt. These are two good offenses. What say you? Remember, I’m in that Pitchers Rule league where you get 50 points per win. What’s your outlook on McCullers this year?
@Jedimasters: Hmmm, yeah not huge on those, and with him coming off injury, I dunno if he can be efficient enough to be in a great spot for winning either of those.
I was worried all the yo-yoing from RP to SP to RP etc etc would mess with him, I think he might be a stronger finisher though. As long as they leave him at SP and the shoulder thing doesn’t crop up
So waiting to hear on Pomeranz for Dyson…and saw that KDavis is hitting more HRs, hes scorching hot, but Valencia is 3/4 couple of runs and RBIs…still feeling Valencia for my roster? Even if Pom falls through I can still drop Tolleson for one of those bats.
@We’re Out Of Room: Well he sent me the offer of Pom for Dyson…still like that deal for me? Now to decide who to add for Tolleson…Davis or Valencia?
@We’re Out Of Room: Yeah, I think I will lean Valnecia just bc he can fit in at 3B on your off days. I still like the deal man! Nab that Pomeranz and nab that Valencia!
@JB Gilpin: That’s a lot of juice Pom Wonderful and fresh squeezed Valencia, tasty way to start the day lol…appreciate the advice JB!
@We’re Out Of Room: Well eff me for being patient lol, both K Davis and Valencia were scooped up earlier this morning. So while I accepted the Pom for Dyson trade Ive got to figure out who to drop Tolleson for. Think Duffey is at least worth a stream and see? Would still leave me the one bench bat, so I guess I wouldnt have to worry about leaving too many stats on the bench iof I load up on arms.Bat wise the only intriguing names would be stash AJ Reed, Bour, Lamb, Zimmerman, Inciarte, pretty meh huh?
@We’re Out Of Room: Haha, people are snipin’ ya again! Yeah I think I’d stream a pitcher there indeed, I’d take it day by day. And yeah, that wire is pretty blah.
@JB Gilpin: Thanks buddy, we’re almost out of room for a 3rd time in this thread lol.
@We’re Out Of Room: And I dumped Tolleson for Duffey, we’ll see how his start goes and I’ll check back in with ya afterwards to get a recommendation moving forward. But I did add Pom so maybe my pitching will help carry me. Roster now looks like this:
ESPN 12 team HTH 5×5 with OBP and QS daily moves and 4 keepers per season
C Molina
1B Cabrera
2B Daniel Murphy
3B Seager
SS A. Russell
OF Stanton
OF Springer
OF Polanco
UTIL OF Burns
UTIL OF/DH Sano
Bench 2B/SS Castro
DL Pollock
SP Salazar
SP Corbin
RP Kimbrel
RP Melancon
P T. Walker
P Odorizzi
P C.Rodon
P Chen
Bench SP Pomeranz
Bench SP Kennedy
Bench RP McGee
Bench SP Duffey
DL SP E-Rod
@We’re Out Of Room: Almost out of room again! Yeah it’s looking better, Pomeranz has some pretty encouraging numbers for sure, then you can see how Duffey does next start or 2
@JB Gilpin: Ha, well I’m consistent, if nothing else. I kinda have high hopes for Duffey, today against Toronto should be telling. I do think Pomwonderful helps my staff and as long as McGee doesn’t implode I should still be ok in saves. My O is still underperforming, Stanton, Sano and others havent yet lived up to the hype and losing Pollock early hurt too. Plenty of time to identify some help there though, gonna watch the call ups and drops as guys get healthy on other teams.
Yeah the Stanton start is def hurting for sure, but he should be fine. Pollock was a rouggghhhhh one for sure
Props on the Junior Guerra ranking!
@Eric: Thanks man! Grey didn’t even give me a shout out for the lead article this morning, I mentioned him on the Pod since he’s been called up!
Out of room yet again…well Duffey sucked lol. I dumped him and I’m Streaming Fiers today, but dont view him as a keeper either. Have a few options for Fiers spot after todays start, tell me which ones you like if any: stash AJ Reed, add a DL guy like SS Peralta or Descalfini and eat the spot until they get activated(I think Peralta is pretty close), add Lawrie or Fielder(who were both dropped recently), a back up to Miggy at 1st like Zimmerman or Bour, a Steals guy like Maybin, or a hot bat like 1b/OF Pearce? A lot of meh but that’s what’s out there right now.
@We’re Out Of Room: Haha more than expected now! Yeah I think that Duffey game was a mix of Duffey regressing and Blue Jays bats should be better and both at the same time. Mehhh, Reed I think might take a little while since he hit the Minor League DL. I’d prob take the shot on Fielder or nab Pearce in the hot streak, especially if Pearce has 2B elig in your league
@JB Gilpin: Yeah Pearce is still 4 games away from ESPNs ridiculous 10 game rule. But I do lack a back up at 1st to Miggy so he would still have value for me. I want to like Prince but he’s been bad, and I have a plethora of underachieving power players as is. Prince hasnt been this bad since his spinal fusion, wonder if he’s hurt? I forgot your boy Guerra is out there but is he worth owning or just a streamer? Also has DeSclafani gets closer, is he someone you think will be ownable? Same question on Erod who Im still holding on my DL.
@We’re Out Of Room: Gotcha, yeah in Yahoo he’s 2B elig as well – Yahoo always seems to be laxer on position elig haha. Nah guerra is def a streamer in standard leagues, he’s more an NL only call/stream play. I’m getting annoyed with Erod, but I might still hold his upside over Desclafani, mostly because Desc might never win a game with that bullpen
@JB Gilpin: Yeah dropped Fiers and added Maybin, who’s been pretty hot, and outside f Burns I have little speed. But if Miggy misses any time with the knee contusion I’ll probably have to drop Maybin and add either Pearce or Bour, because I dont have a back up at 1st, guessing you like Pearce better?
@We’re Out Of Room: Hah i added Maybin in a few as well. Ummm, Bour is kinda hot too, but yeah gimme Pearce. I’d try to hold Maybin while hot though. I might lose Castro first, I know you like MI backup flexibility, but he’s so meh to me
I can get a struggling CarMar and Karns for my struggling Harvey and Hahn in a points league. Should I hold my Harvey or make the move and hope CarMar gets it back and Karns is for real?
@stan: I’d take Martinez side, but it’s razor close. Carmart is gonna get a nice drop in this next reranks too…
@JB Gilpin: @JB Gilpin:
What’s ailing carmar ? Velocity seems great but swstr% is way down.
@Stan: Interesting thought, and it looks like it’s completely due to his 2-seamer getting hit hard this year, might need to read into this a little more for the profile tomorrow