Taking a look around the league, here’s a recap of last night’s action and suggestions for your fantasy baseball team.
Clutch Performers – Every year, there are players everyone targets because they are “sleepers” that no one knows about. My favorite was the year everyone thought Kyle Blanks was going to be the next Hank Aaron a couple years ago (spoiler alert: Blanks was not Aaron that season, nor the next). However, sometimes those sleepers actually come through, and this year Mike Minor came through in a big way. In the second half of last season, Minor showed promise. This year, that promise has turned Minor into a top-20 fantasy pitcher, and he continued to dominate last night. Minor is the real deal, and if anyone thinks otherwise in your league, trade for him now. Who else was the real deal last night? Let’s see:
- Mike Minor — 7 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, W
- Clayton Kershaw — 8 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, ND
- Torii Hunter — 4-for-5, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R
- Hiroki Kuroda — 7 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, BB, 8 K, ND
- Freddie Freeman — 4-for-4, 2 RBI, 2 R
- Matt Holliday — 3-for-5, 2 RBI, R, 2 SB
Surprise, surprise! – Brett who? Brett Oberholtzer took the majors by storm yesterday. Will it last? My bet is no. Who else was a surprise yesterday?
- Brett Oberholtzer — 7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 6 K, W
- Jason Castro — 3-for-4, HR, 4 RBI, 2 R
- Matt Dominguez — 4-for-5, HR, 2 RBI, 3 R
- Brett Pill — 3-for-5, HR, 4 RBI, 2 R
Left out in the breeze – Nothing was worse than what Gio Gonzalez served up Wednesday. Who else came close to Gio? No one really, but there were some awful performances. Let’s check them out:
- Nick Franklin — 0-for-4, 4 K
- Jeremy Hellickson — 4.1 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, L
- Hanley Ramirez — 0-for-4, 3 K
- Jeff Locke — 4 IP, 10 H, 4 ER, BB, 6 K, ND
- Gio Gonzalez — 3.1 IP, 11 H, 10 ER, BB, 3 K, L
Trending developments – It is amazing that Baltimore — which throughout the past few years has had so many pitching prospects — would trade for starting pitching at the deadline, but that is what they did when they gobbled up Bud Norris. This move definitely bolsters the value of Norris, but I believe any league where Norris has value he is already owned.
Ian Kennedy was in desperate need of a fresh start, and that’s what he gets by heading to his hometown team, the San Diego Padres. I have been eyeing the Diamondback pitchers all year as buy-low guys, and now with Kennedy moving to a new team, he becomes very interesting to me. I feel the Padres saw something in Kennedy they could fix and “bought low.” If things turn around for Kennedy, we may see it in the next few starts. Keep your eyes out for this guy. Who else is trending? Let’s find out.
- Last night marked Martin Perez’s first quality start in four games.
- Homer Bailey picked up his first win since his no-no. He is now 1-4 in his last five starts.
- Mark Ellis is on an 11-game hitting streak with a .415/.419/.512 slash line
- No Dodgers starter since Sandy Koufax has finished the season with a sub-two ERA. Clayton Kershaw has a 1.87 ERA.
- Justin Verlander is 21-2 in interleague games.
Prospect Watch – Mike Olt became fantasy relevant once he was traded to the Cubs, and now it seems to me only a matter of time before he gets the call up to the majors. Olt is not going to help you with your batting average, but has a patient approach and has power to burn. Keep tabs on this guy if you need help at the hot corner. Here is a clip to get you more aquatinted.
Head-2-Head – With Chris Tillman more than likely off the waiver wire (now over 80 percent owned), the best streaming option becomes very murky for today. Nonetheless, I am taking Garrett Richards at home against the Blue Jays. Toronto has a very average offense and in Richards’ last start at Oakland, he was very sharp. He could become fantasy relevant with a strong performance today.
Links of the day – Now, it is link time.
- Who are you buying and who are you selling? Some good options from this link.
- Rookie report time. Jose Fernandez and Wil Myers are the big topics.
- Did you own Yadier Molina? Here are some options going forward.
- Here is a link breaking downCody Asche.
- The prospects behind the Bud Norris trade.