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) – So, if Felix Hernandez is King Felix, what should Jose Fernandez be? The Duke? The Earl? Prince Jose? Because he just joined an exclusive club last night. After going 8.0 innings, allowing just two hits and a walk while striking out 10, he became only the third 20 year-old and under pitcher to accomplish this feat. The other two? Kerry Wood and Dwight Gooden. Going forward, in non-keeper leagues, I would look to sell high. From what everyone is saying, Fernandez will be on an innings cap, so if you can flip him for a top-50 player after this performance, I would do it.
Mr. Clutch (hitter) – Seems like Robinson Cano has been in hibernation this season, but he erupted last night belting two homers in the Yankee’s route of the Twins. This is his third home run in the past two games, and he is a smooth 10-for-17 in his last four games. He trails only Jason Kipnis on ESPN’s player rater as the best fantasy second baseman. Going forward, he looks to be heating up, and owners maybe in store for a monster July.
Surprise, surprise! – Ryan Roberts came up from the minors and went nuts on the Astros last night, going 3-for-5, including two big home runs. While this one big game is nice, do not expect for him to stay up too long; David Price is being activated today, and Evan Longoria should “hopefully” be back in the lineup soon. If Longoria hits the DL, Roberts could be a useful fill in.
Here comes the heat – Matt Moore looked impressive against a lackluster Astros team, going 7.0 innings and allowing just two hits while striking out nine. After an awful three-game stretch, Moore has put together three straight quality starts, albeit, against some weaker teams. He gets the White Sox next Saturday, and after that game, I would look to sell high. His advanced stats scream sell high.
Left out in the breeze – It was not a good night for some elite hitters. Buster Posey went 0-for-3 with one strikeout, Carlos Gomez went 0-for-5 with two strikeouts and Miguel Cabrera went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. Not a good night for these guys, but nothing to worry here other than an off night.
Who’s trending? – Need speed? Well, you may want to turn to Rajai Davis, because if it ain’t tied down, he has been stealing it. Davis has seven stolen bases in the past four games including a pair last night against Detroit. He is filling in for the injured Melky Cabrera and should be added in all leagues until Cabrera comes back in a few weeks. By then, Davis may steal another 10 bases.
Bench me, please? – After last night’s awful performance against the Nationals, it’s time to look for other options for Yovani Gallardo. He lasted only three innings, allowing nine earned runs on eight hits. Gallardo’s ERA is now bolstered up to 4.78 to go along with a 1.46 WHIP. He is also not striking guys out at the same rate as we are accustomed to. Just looking at his overall body of work, I think there are better options on the waiver wire than Gallardo. If you can trade Gallardo for even 10 cents on the dollar, you’ve got to do it.
The Streamer – It seems as though John Lackey and A.J. Griffin were the consensus streaming options due to their huge spike in ownership. If you missed out on those two, you may want to avoid streaming today, because it gets ugly quick. I am going to recommend not streaming anyone today, but if you have to, I will give my next three to consider after Lackey and Griffin.
Scott Feldman at Oakland Athletics
John Danks vs. Baltimore Orioles
Phil Hughes at Minnesota Twins
Links of the day – A little something extra for fantasy baseball owners. I will be scouring the far depths of the Internet to find some good fantasy reads. I hope you enjoy!
- Does your keeper team suck? Need help finding the next big thing? These guys got you covered with their updated top-50 fantasy prospect rankings.
- Great breakdown of just how bad Justin Upton has been.
- Digging Deep, a look at Stephen Fife and Devin Mesoraco. Are they worth a stash?
- Need some pitching help this week?
- Finally, another good article helping owners in search of some help on the waiver wire.
