DFS PLAYBOOK PRO – An exciting new offering from the Alarm is here! It’s the DFS Playbook Pro. I will be doing a daily breakdown of the hitters –Hitting Coach – while Howard Bender looks into the Pitchers (Pitching Coach). You can find the link to the Hitting and Pitching articles under the DFS Playbook pro tab at the top right of the screen.
OTHER LINKS TO BOOKMARK
HESTON HISTORY
Chris Heston tossed a no-hitter against the Mets Tuesday night. Some highlights.
He became the third Giants rookie to toss a no-no. It was the 17th no-hitter in Giants history.
Heston struck out 11, didn’t walk a batter and hit three. He’s the first pitcher to toss a no-hitter and miss out on a perfect game because of hitting multiple batters since 1914. Heston also became the first pitcher, ever, to throw a no-hitter with no walks and multiple hit batters.
Heston struck out three men in the 9th to cap the outing. The last pitcher to match that feat in a no-no was Sandy Koufax on September 9th, 1965.
The Giants have a no-hitter or perfect game each of the last four seasons.
Great stuff.
Now the reality check.
Take a look at his earned runs totals his last nine starts. Get the Dramamine ready, it’s gonna be a bumpy ride.
Six, 1, five, 1, five, six, 0, five, 0
Over his last nine starts he’s allowed at least five runs five times. Wait, don’t you hate Shane Greene for doing the same thing? Oh that’s right, you do.
Heston has a solid 8.03 K/9 mark. Well, he’s struck out 21 batters in his two complete games this season but the other 10 times he’s taken the hill he hasn’t struck out more than six batters. His 2.19 walk rate is a number I do like to see which leads to another number I’m a fan of – his 3.67 K/BB ratio. His mark was 2.94 in the minors so I’m a bit dubious of a continuation, especially when you note that his K/BB ratio in 47 starts at Triple-A was just 2.29. Gotta love the 56 percent ground ball rate, but again his minor league production in that measure was below his current rate (49 percent from 2011-14).
When you can’t trust a guy from start to start he’s impossible to run out there in DFS, and given the inconsistencies we’ve had with Heston to this point I would be very reluctant to break the bank to add him if you’re staring at him on waivers. He’s a depth starter in mixed leagues, not a guy to aggressively target in trade talks or off the waiver-wire.
I HAVE A 15-GAME HITTING STREAK
No one talks about me.
I’m only batting .260 with a .724 OPS.
I’ve never appeared in 125 games in a season and in five previous campaigns injuries have allowed me to appear in 100-games just once (123 games in 2011).
For my career my slash line is league average stuff (.252/.333/.422).
I do have a 15 game hitting streak though.
I am Logan Morrison.
LoMo has hit .362 with a .413 OBP during his streak of success, but even with all the hits he’s not driving the ball much. In those 15 games he has two doubles and no homers leading to a poor .397 SLG.
Despite the recent success he’s just a guy. Ride the wave but get ready to hit the beach and pull back on a beer instead of gearing up to head out to hit one last swell.
I HAVE A 13-GAME HITTING STREAK
I look like I’m 13.
I have six homers in 480 career at-bats.
I have 41 RBIs and 61 runs scored in 129 career games.
I’m also a career .310 hitter with a .361 OBP.
During my 13 game hitting streak I have three homers, nine RBIs, 10 runs scored a steal and a .389/.441/.648 slash line.
I am Joe Panik.
Who is Panik? He’s a guy that could be your quintessential .290-10-55-65 guy at second base. Unfortunately he doesn’t run, he has only three steal attempts in 129 games, but it’s clear he can hit. He puts the ball in play, he only has 62 strikeouts in 480 career at-bats, and his 0.60 BB/K ratio is solid.
He’s ripping it up right now, but he’s not an emerging star.
I HAD AN 18-GAME HITTING STREAK
I’m hitting .341.
I have a .384 OBP.
I have a .504 SLG.
I wasn’t drafted in a single mixed league this season.
Hell, I may not have been drafted in AL-only leagues.
I am Chris Colabello.
Colabello lost his 18-game hitting streak Tuesday night but that doesn’t mare in the least what has been a stupendous start to his Blue Jays career. I mean, it’s been crazy good. He’s hit lefties (.407/.448/.815) and righties (.324/.367/.422) with aplomb and has been a flat out stud muffin. But all good things must come to an end. The obvious concerns.
- He’s simply not this good (duh).
- His 5.8 percent walk rate is low.
- His .444 BABIP is only .136 points above his mark last season. He won’t finish the year over .400 unless he gets hurt.
- His 28.7 percent line drive rate is more than double the 13.7 percent mark he posted in 2013-14. It also happens to be a mark no one ever posts over an entire season.
- His .384 OBP is higher than his .380 SLG from last season.
Colabello is the classic sell high bat. Don’t go out trying to add him in a trade. You will be disappointed. From this point forward he’ll likely be fortunate to be a 5th outfielder in a mixed league.
WAS I WRONG?
I wrote the following about the Red Sox Eduardo Rodriguez back on May 31st.
“Rodriguez is looked at as a # 3/4 big league starter when he’s fully developed (likely a #4)… His fastball can flatten out and lack movement at times though 
and sometimes he leaves the ball up in the zone where it can be hit hard. There’s also the fact that his off-speed stuff isn’t what most would call impressive, so on the nights when he struggles with control, or the fastball does lose some movement, he’s nothing other than an average type of arm... I would hesitatingly add Rodriguez in a 12 team league and certainly wouldn’t drop a solid arm to do so.”
To this point it certainly looks like I was completely wrong.
Through three starts Rodriguez has gone six innings each time allowing three hits or less. According to Jason Mastrodonato that makes Rodriguez just the fourth man in 100 years to accomplish that feat. Eduardo has been obnoxiously good. In truth, he’s been too good. I know, but it’s true.
The 9.2 K/9 rate is great. At the same time his minor league mark was 7.8.
His 3.05 BB/9 rate with the Sox is a league average type of effort.
His 0.44 HR/9 mark is right in line with his career minor league mark.
His .149 BABIP is literally half of the .301 mark he posted in the minors since 2011.
He’s been stupendous. Will totally give him that. He’s sticking in the rotation which was a question a couple weeks back. What does he do moving forward? History can be a cruel mistress. Given the hype and his home team, it would be wise to visit trade talks to see if you could ply a struggling vet – like a James Shields or Jon Lester – for the young lefty from the Sox. Just listen to the words of Adam Jones of the Orioles. ““He came at me with his best, and I missed two pitches… I had two pitches to hit and missed ’em… He’s had, what, three, four starts up here now?” said Jones, his skepticism noted. “I want to see him have 15-20, see how that continues to go. But he’s got good stuff.”
Ray Flowers can be heard Monday through Friday at 7 PM EDT on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio (Sirius 210, XM 87). You can also hear Ray Sunday nights at 7 PM on the channel talking fantasy sports. Follow Ray’s work at Fantasy Alarm and on Twitter (@baseballguys).