I pat myself on the back and then try to help some more in this week’s Week That Was.

Pats on the Back

Last week we extolled the virtues of three young power/speed outfielders and they made us look SMART!

Michael Taylor:   Last week we wrote: “Michael Taylor went 2-4 with 2 runs, an rbi and a dinger Friday night.  Do not look now but the Nationals OF is filling the shoes of Adam Eaton better than most thought he could.  In the week ended Friday, Taylor hit .400 with 2 dingers, 4 RBI, and 6 runs scored.  On the year, Taylor has 8 dingers and 5 swipes in just 184 at-bats.  I know things do not work out so neatly, but if you projected that production over a full season, you would be looking at about 28 dingers and 18 swipes.  I will take that all day every day.  Can this type of production continue?  I say yes.  Taylor is hitting the ball harder than he did last year and is going oppo more often.  More power and a more mature approach equals good odds of continued success.  Buy!”  All he did was hit 3 dingers with 6 RBI, 7 runs and 2 SB over the last seven games.  Oh, and he hit well over .300 doing it. Convinced?

Keon Broxton:  Last week we wrote: “Keon Broxton hit a three-run jack Friday night as his hot streak continues.  In the week ended Friday, Brox had 4 dingers, 9 RBI and a darn solid .300 batting average.  I know people talk about Lewis Brinson and Brinson could be the real deal.  However, he will not be stealing time from Broxton (maybe from others of course, but not relevant to this discussion).  Yes, the overall .230ish batting average is not pretty but Broxton, like Taylor, is going the other way and doing things in a more mature manner at the plate.  There will be some slumps, but by year end, when all is said and done, Broxton will put up some darn good counting numbers.  Buy!”  All he did was go 8-21 over the last 7 games with two dingers, two swipes and 5 RBI.  Oh and he posted a .480 OBP to boot.  Convinced?

Joc Pederson:  Last week we wrote: “Joc Pederson returned from the DL with a bang Friday going yard and adding two hits, two runs and an RBI.   I know the Dodgers have a lot of mouths to feed but cream rises to the top and injuries (Toles, AGonz) create opportunities.  Now healthy, Joc is poised to take advantage.  In the four games through Friday night since coming off the DL, Joc has a wicked 1,000+  OPS, a dinger and a swipe.  Will he hit for power?  Yes.  Will he run?  More than you think at first blush (his 6 SB in the majors last year hides the fact that he swiped 30 or more in his last year in both AA and AAA).   Will his average improve over last year?  Well, the increased contact rate and decreased K rate says it will.  I am buying here too.”  All Joc did this week was hit .316 with an OPS over 1,200 in the week preceding Sunday (the game is still going as I finish this article but Joc is staying en fuego as he is 3-4 in the game).  Oh and in that last week, Joc hit two dingers and scored 7 runs.  Nice!  Convinced?

[Authors’ note: Apologies for my touting Chris Carter.  As soon as I said in this space he was a sneaky value, he did not hit at all.  I still think the Yankees pulled the plug too soon but yeah, I whiffed badly on that one.  That said, the way Tyler Austin played in the first two games the Yankees may be wondering whether I am right and they should have kept Carter].

Some other notables from the Week That Was

Josh Harrison:  Harrison filled the stat sheets Saturday going 2-4 with 2 runs, 2 RBI, and a dinger.  It has not been a good year for the Bucs, but do not blame JHay.  Through Saturday, Harrison has a .294 batting average with 9 dingers and 9 stolen bases.  Not too shabby.  The advanced metrics support this line.  His walk rate is up, his BABIP is right around career average (so no luck involved) and has raised his hard contact percentage from well below league average to well above league average.  Oh, and it does not hurt that he is eligible and both 2b and 3b in almost every league and OF in many.  Buy!

Austin Bibens-Dirkx:  Give this Rangers righty all the credit in the world. He toiled in the minors forever, finally made the bigs and on the big stage of New York pitched a gem.  He held the Yankees to one ER (cannot blame him for a Judge blast) on only 5 hits over 7 innings.  In my best Yoda voice, -- feel good you should, roster Bibens-Dirkx you shouldn’t.  First, the Yankees ran out backups yesterday and had the non-murderers row of Austin, Torreyes, Romine and Mason Williams lined up in a row.  Yes, you can only pitch to who comes to the plate but Sanchez, Ellsbury, Gardner, Headley, did not come to the plate.  The bottom line here is that Bibens-Dirkx barely throws 90, has a super-lucky .203 BABIP, is striking out just over 5 per 9, has a FIP that is 1.5 runs above his ERA and gives up hard hits about 35% of the time (league average 30).  All of this adds up to a feel good story you should cut short or your fantasy team could well suffer.  Sell!

And now, the moment you likely have not been waiting for -- Schultz says: “Old adages like "April showers bring May flowers," "it's always darkest before the dawn" and "don't stop thinking about tomorrow" may not appear to have any utility towards achieving success in the world of rotisserie baseball. For the most part, you would be right. Stat-heads spend great time looking for trends and indicators that predict that a struggling player is about to come around. For the rest of the roto-world (somehow that term seems archaic and obsolete), it's easier to look at an overall stat-line and act accordingly. This strategy will be the dead weight that sinks your roto-battleship.

Jackie Bradley Jr. was one of this season's most intriguing players, having shown strong signs in 2016 of living up to his limitless potential. In many keeper leagues, he was the prize in innumerable dump deals. He has "rewarded" his roto-owners with a lackluster .269, 9 HR, 31 RBI in the midst of a potent Red Sox lineup. However, it is well worth noting that in June, JBJ has hit a robust .351 with 3 HR, 13 RBI - nearly 1/3 of his overall numbers. 

Matt Adams' 1 home run and 7 RBIs were so uninspiring that the Cardinals essentially paid the Braves to take him off their hands. While the overall 13 HR and 38 RBIs may be considered pedestrian for a first baseman, it is notable that in just more than 30 games with Atlanta, he's hit 12 dingers and driven in 31, making him one of the most productive players at that position. To put Adams' recent output into perspective, during that same time Paul Goldschmidt hit 8 HRs and drove in 30.

Finally, even though he's come back to earth, Justin Bour's .344 11 HR, 21 RBI May counterbalances his putrid .222, 4 HR 15 RBI April. 

If the roto-owners of these players aren't paying close attention to the upswing and only focusing on the overall numbers, Schultz Says - fleece early, fleece often.”

Response:  Wow, I would love to ridicule but once again I cannot.  Great stuff here, especially about Matt Adams who has the face of the franchise, Freddie Freeman, talking about switching positions to keep Adams in the lineup.