Taking a look around the league, here’s a recap of last night’s action and suggestions for your fantasy baseball team.
Mr. Clutch (pitcher) – Jeff Samardzija went the distance last night in a complete-game shutout effort. He only allowed two hits and two walks while striking out eight. Statistically, Jeff Samardzija is having his best season but still only ranks 35th on ESPN’s player rater among starting pitching for the season. This late-round fantasy draft pick should continue to crank out great starts like this one and be one of the fantasy sleepers that pays off.
Mr. Clutch (hitter) – If you own Carlos Gomez, you can thank me for trading him three days ago. Gomez had another big night, going 2-for-3 with two home runs, two runs and two RBIs. As soon as I trade him, he starts going nuts. Gomez has four home runs in his last three games, which is unreal. His little outburst has catapulted him into the top 10 for outfielders on the season. For me, he is a top 15 outfielder going forward. Another late-round pick paying off huge dividends.
Surprise, surprise! – If Didi Gregorius keeps playing the way he has, people are going to be rethinking the Trevor Bauer trade that was seen as a bad trade earlier this year. Didi went 2-for-4 with a home run, three RBIs and two runs. An injury hampered his fantasy value earlier as it seemed he was really finding his groove. Didi has .324/.385/.541 slash line on the season. He’s on pace for double-digit home runs but is not going to provide any speed. Reds fans must be reading this and banging their heads right now. I think Didi is a top-10 fantasy shortstop going forward.
Here comes the heat – Dan Straily has put together two impressive starts, the latter coming last night against the Giants. Straily went 6.0 innings allowing four hits, an earned run and a walk while striking out one. He has not been the strikeout machine we thought he was going to be, but he has the ability to be an effective pitcher. If you are in need of pitching, this could be your guy.
Left out in the breeze – Most people were ready to give Justin Upton the MVP award at the beginning of the season, it’s a good thing we didn’t. Another 0-for-3 with two strikeouts has his batting average all the way down to .267. His K% is the highest it has been in four years. Even with his current home-run drought, he is on pace for 30+ home runs. I don’t think he is top-10 guy like most were touting, but top 15? I think I’m will to buy that.
Who’s trending? – Tyler Skaggs was called up and delivered a gem. He went 6.0 innings allowing three hits and three walks while striking out nine. This is what you want to see in a stud prospect, especially against the Rangers. The downside: He will likely head back to the minors. He has definitely whetted our appetites, so be on the lookout for when Skaggs comes back up. He is a must-own in keeper leagues.
Bench me, please? – The Michael Saunders lovefest should be over now because he has been just flat out awful lately. Going 5-for-46 with 19 strikeouts will get just about any player benched and hopefully booted to the curb for someone else.
The Streamer – With Jeremy Hellickson, Edwin Jackson, Kevin Gausman and Ryan Dempster out there, it seems there is plenty to choose from. I am not really trusting any of these guys. While I do like Gausman, I don’t like the matchup with Washington. That being said, I’m taking Jarrod Parker against the Giants as my streamer. He seems to be finding his groove and the Giants don’t scare me. Deploy with confidence!
