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| Tuesday, June 29, 2021 |
| Well, I really hope you were smarter than me and didn't have Matt Manning in any of your lineups Monday, because that was a disaster. He finished with a 22.09 ERA and minus-12 Fantasy points on CBS. Anyway, let's talk hitting. It's been an awesome season for Jared Walsh as he's batting .283 with 18 home runs. However, those numbers seem very influenced by April. Since May 1, Walsh is batting .260 with a 32% strikeout rate and a 55% ground ball rate. It's the opposite of what you want from a power bat. I would shop him around while the overall numbers still look respectable. |
| On the other hand, I would be looking to buy Pete Alonso. No, I wouldn't trade Walsh for Alonso straight up, but if you can get Alonso plus a lesser second piece, I would look into doing that. In many ways, Alonso looks like the best version of himself right now. The strikeouts are down to a career-best 21% mark while he's making the best quality of contact in his career. We know Alonso can be streaky at times. I would look to buy now before he goes on one of those heaters. |
| Of course, you can subscribe to make sure you get the latest episodes of Fantasy Baseball Today right when they drop on Apple and Spotify. |
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| Brewers getting pop from their infield |
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| Brewers 1B/2B Keston Hiura and SS Willy Adames have been red hot as of late, and that didn't change to start the week on Monday. Hiura and Adames combined for two three-run homers during a 10-run eight inning for the Brewers. Hiura now homered for the third time in four games, with at least two on high fastballs. This was the pitch that was eating him alive in his prior two stints in the majors. In his most recent Triple-A stint, he got his strikeout rate down to 25%. He did not strike out at all during his five plate appearances on Monday. He talked about how he focused on making better swinging decisions, and three of his four home runs this season have come in the three games since he's returned. |
| Hiura is available in 48% of CBS leagues and it's time to take a flier on him again. You won't find upside like Hiura can provide on the waiver wire often. |
| Hiura's teammate Adames has been on a power tear since the Brewers acquired him from the Rays. Adames now has a .286 batting average with 11 doubles and six homers in 35 games with the Brewers. He's on a 25-home run pace over 150 games and is just 43% rostered. |
| Both Hiura and Adames play in a very hitter-friendly ballpark and could provide the middle infield help you need on your Fantasy team. |
| More news and notes |
Diamondbacks 2B/OF Ketel Marte was placed on the IL with a left hamstring strain, retroactive to June 27. Angels OF Mike Trout was transferred to the 60-day IL. The move doesn't have much of an impact on Trout's recovery timeline. He won't be eligible to return until July 17. Cleveland SP Shane Bieber had a quick examination that went well Monday. He'll have a follow up in a few days that should reveal more about his timeline. Dodgers SS Corey Seager has been experiencing soreness when swinging a bat and has been shut down from hitting for now. He was expected back soon before this major setback. Red SP Sonny Gray plans to start Friday's game against the Cubs. Cubs 1B Anthony Rizzo (back) and Brewers 2B Kolten Wong (calf) remained out of their respective lineups Monday. Cleveland DH Franmil Reyes is expected to return Saturday against the Astros. He's 78% rostered and had 11 home runs in 40 games. That's a 41-homer pace over 150 games. Angels SP Dylan Bundy left Monday's game against the Yankees due to heat exhaustion. Not sure if you caught it but he threw up on the mound. Mets SP Marcus Stroman was placed on the bereavement list but is still expected to start Saturday against the Yankees.
Mets OF Brandon Nimmo was originally supposed to return Tuesday but will now continue his rehab assignment to get more at-bats. He's still 60% rostered. Rockies SP Kyle Freeland was removed from his start Monday with a hamstring injury. He has allowed just one earned run over his last two starts (11 IP) with his slider usage way up in both, including 39% usage Monday (28% for the season). He's 6% rostered and worth monitoring in deeper leagues. The Phillies hope to activate 2B/3B Jean Segura ahead of Tuesday's game against the Marlins. He's very quietly batting .332 with three homers and six steals on the season. |
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| Prospect updates |
| Mariners OF Julio Rodriguez was promoted to Double-A after batting .325 with six homers and five steals in 28 games at High-A ball. At 20 years old, it seems likely Rodrigue will emerge as the No. 1 prospect in baseball at some point next year. Cardinals 3B Nolan Gorman was promoted to Triple-A. He batted .288 with 11 homers, 27 RBI and four steals in 43 games at Double-A. Yankees 18-year-old OF prospect Jasson Dominguez was finally assigned to rookie ball in the Florida Complex League. He's still years away but someone to keep in mind for Dynasty leagues. He's been labeled the next Mike Trout, which is unfair to everyone. Rays SP Shane Baz pitched five shutout innings with 10 K at Triple-A on Sunday. |
| Time to move Story? |
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| Rockies SS Trevor Story has already hinted he doesn't want to re-sign with Colorado, so although it's not a guarantee he'll be moved at the trade deadline, it's possible. The Brewers would be an excellent destination for him; the A's less so. Both teams have been rumored to potentially be in the market for him. Is it the right move to sell high now before he loses Coors Field as a home park? |
| The problem with trying to sell high now is that he isn't performing at the level he has in past years. His home/road splits have always been top-heavy in Coors, and it wouldn't make too much sense for the Rockies to hold on to him past the deadline if all it leads to is a compensatory pick. It's not a bad idea to sell high on him now, but make sure you're not taking pennies on the dollar. |
| Fun with pace numbers |
| Angels DH Shohei Ohtani's first at-bat in Yankee Stadium? He hits his 26th homer. He's now on pace for 52 home runs, and 220 combined runs + RBI with 22 steals. He's the current favorite to win the AL MVP. Blue Jays 1B Vlad Guerrero Jr. also has 26 homers and leads the league with 66 RBI. He's now on pace for 52 homers and 132 RBI. Padres SS Fernando Tatis has 25 homers and 16 steals in 61 games. He's not going to get to 150 games, but his current 150-game pace is 61 homers and 39 steals. Blue Jays SS Bo Bichette has this current 150-game pace: 28 homers, 100 RBI, 24 steals, 128 runs scored. |
| Other standout power bats |
| Nationals OF Kyle Schwarber dropped another double dong on Monday and is now up to 24 for the season (15 in the month of June alone). He's on pace for 48 homers! Reds OF Nick Castellanos went 3 for 5 with a grand slam and seven RBI on Monday. It was his 15th homer of the season, and while the slugging has dropped off a tad in June, he's still batting .345 overall. He's on pace for 30 homers and 100 RBI. |
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