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) – Miami Marlins rookie Jose Fernandez shut down the Phillies Saturday night, going seven innings, allowing one hit and zero earned runs, while striking out eight. Jose Fernandez has been a bit inconsistent, but you can plainly see the talent level is there. Right now, it looks like the battle for Rookie of the Year is between him and Nolan Arenado, but I think Jose Fernandez is the clear favorite at his point.
Mr. Clutch (hitter) – A guy drafted number one overall was bound to make this list every once in a while. Miguel Cabrera went on a tear against the Astros, going 4-for-4 with two home runs, six RBIs, three runs and a walk. While he is definitely not on a 44 home-run pace like last season, Cabrera is giving you a .390/.467/.627 slash line, which is what you want from your number-one overall pick. Like I said at the beginning of the season, Cabrera is money in the bank.
Surprise, surprise! – Phil Hughes had an impressive stat line last night, going eight innings, allowing four hits and zero earned runs, while striking out nine. While this game was impressive, Hughes has been just average on the season. A 3.60 ERA with a 1.34 WHIP is nothing to boast about. I think he is an excellent pitcher to stream with his next start coming Friday against the Royals.
Here comes the heat – Jeremy Guthrie went the distance in a complete-game shutout Saturday against the White Sox. He allowed four hits and struck out three. He has been money in the bank thus far this season. He is 4-0 in six starts this season with a 2.40 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP. He’s been very hot thus far, but a 4.45 FIP, a 4.06 xFIP and a 93.3 LOB% tend to say that his amazing run will not sustain. But for now, enjoy the ride.
Left out in the breeze – For a guy basically pitching in a contract year, David Price has looked flat-out awful. He went 6.2 innings, allowing eleven hits, nine earned runs and three walks, while striking out five. He has a 6.25 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP for the season. He has been nothing short of just plain awful in this young season. Could it be a Cy Young hangover? Price is a definite buy-low candidate. The strikeout rate and walk rate are both fine. The .351 BABIP, 20.5% HR/FB and the 64.5% LOB% are all a bit unsustainable.
Who’s trending? – Michael Saunders is a guy you may want to look at. Yesterday, he went 3-for-5 with two home runs, three RBIs and two runs scored. He has had a very solid year thus far with a .300/.351/.620 slash line. The only thing that jumps out at you is the .320 ISO which might not last. He’s on pace to put up 20+ home runs and 20+ steals, and that is a valuable commodity in fantasy.
Bench me, please? – I think it’s time to put Ryan Vogelsong out to pasture. For the last two seasons, he is a pitcher no one believed in, yet he just kept producing. This year, everyone seemed to believe in him, and that is when the wheels finally have come off. He is still owned in 40 percent of leagues, and that number is just way too high. Last night against the Dodgers, he went 4.2 innings, allowing nine hits, seven earned runs and two walks, while striking out four. His advanced stats have always been awful and have finally caught up to him. Look for help elsewhere.
The Streamer – Jhoulys Chacin returns from the DL today to face the Rays. Chacin will be pitching in Tampa, which is a nice park to come back to. Before going to the DL, Chacin had been lights out on the season. While there will be some regression in his numbers, its not going to be against the Rays lethargic offense. Deploy with confidence.
