Taking a look around the league, here’s a recap of last night’s action and suggestions for your fantasy baseball team. Suggestions? Let us know in the comment section.
Mr. Clutch (pitcher) – Yu Darvish flat out dominated the Angels last night, going six innings, giving up three hits, walking two and striking out 11. He’s my pick to win the AL Cy Young award and he has not disappointed. Right now, he is sporting a ridiculous 13.5 K/9.
Mr. Clutch (hitter) – The Rangers just wrecked the Angels last night, and Nelson Cruz had a big part in that wrecking. Cruz went 3-for-4 with a home run, two runs scored and two RBIs. Cruz is on pace to give you similar numbers from last season. Deploy with confidence.
Surprise, surprise! – Hello Chris Young! I feel like this guy just came back from the grave last night putting up all kinds of numbers. Going 2-for-3, with two home runs, four RBIs, two runs, a walk and a steal. Young maybe a player to monitor in the upcoming weeks. He has been awful thus far, but this big game could be the spark he needs to get it going. He already has five steals (only eight total from last season) and four HRs (14 last season). Young could be (and has the potential to be) a 20-20 guy this season.
Here comes the heat – Alex Cobb looked like a stud against the Yankees last night going 8.1 innings, allowing three hits and zero runs, while striking out seven. Cobb has quietly put together a solid first month of the season, but the question remains can he keep it up? He is sporting a 1.82 ERA, but his FIP of 2.78 and xFIP of 3.41 tell a different story down the road. There is also his high LOB% (81.7) and his low HR/FB% (4.3) that kind of scream sell, sell, sell!
Left out in the breeze – Going 0-for-4 with two strikeouts will land you here every time. Mike Moustakas seems to have taken a step back this season until you examine his numbers more closely. His BABIP is .176 (career .276), his K% is 15.2% (20.2% last season, career 17.6%) and his BB% is 8.1% (6.4% last season). It seems as though he is progressing in the right direction, however, the important fantasy numbers are not there.
Who’s trending? – Edward Mujica is a must-get right now if you are in need of saves. He has looked very impressive thus far as the Cardinals closer and is 4-for-4 in save opportunities this season. He’s still available in 25 percent of leagues, and that number should be far less in the upcoming days.
Bench me, please?– Adam LaRoche is now 2-for-18 with 12 strikeouts in his last six games. Granted, one of those hits was a home run but nevertheless, LaRoche has been awful this season. I don’t think he should be dropped just yet, simply because he has 30 HR, 100 RBI potential. Regardless, another couple weeks of this and you are going to have to.
