DFS PLAYBOOK PRO – An exciting offering from the Alarm is 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
WISLER PROMOTED
Matt Wisler will start for the Braves Friday. He’s one of the better pitching prospects in baseball. Coming into the 2015 season:
Baseball America ranked him the 34th best prospect in baseball.
Baseball Prospectus ranked him 53rd.
MLB.com had him 69th.
The 22 year old right allowed eight runs in his last Triple-A outing, but he will take over the vacated rotation spot of Mike Foltynewicz nonetheless. It’s not as bad as it sounds since Wisler had been on quite on a role prior to that beat down as he had posted a 1.96 ERA over his nine previous outings. How long he remains in the rotation in Atlanta though is an open question. “I’m not married to (Wisler) staying here,” said John Hart, Braves president of baseball operations. “I’m not worried if I have to send him back. Because we will have more information, (the young pitchers) will have more information.” Hart also admitted what the rest of us also know – Wisler’s raw stuff does not match that of Foltynewicz but he has a better handle on the art of pitching at the moment.
Wisler knows how to pitch.
It’s uncertain how long he will be in the rotation.
He’s a streaming option in mixed leagues as a result, so don’t go dropping Alex Wood and Tyson Ross to add him to your club.
RAYS BULLPEN
Anyone notice that Jake McGee worked the 8th inning last night and Brad Boxberger the 9th for the save? I did. This is exactly why I’ve told so many people not to drop Boxberger. The 9th inning situation in Tampa is not solved at the moment. Boxberger has been dealing with a biceps issue that he’s seem to overcome, and it’s time to give this guy some credit. Boxberger is 16-for-18 with a 12.41 K/9 mark, 2.92 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 3.40 K/BB ratio. Not a fan of that 0.91 GB/FB ratio, or the 3.65 BB/9 rate, but overall lots of success. McGee has been stellar with a 15.0 K/9 and one walks over 12 innings. He’s the real deal but he’s not the official closer of the Rays at the moment. Both men should be owned in all leagues.
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RANDOM THOUGHTS
Matt Duffy has become the Giants every day third baseman. I know. On the year his slash line is solid (.292/.342/.448) and while he’s been at the hot corner the numbers are over the top impressive (.336/.384/.537). He’s not the “third base” guy, and I kinda doubt he’s the “overall” guy as well. Still, he’s hitting right now and makes a nice fill-in if you need a short-term boost. He’s not a base thief and he’s not a 20 homer hitter, so he’s really more of an NL-only option.
Kenley Jansen has pitched 12 innings this season with 22 strikeouts and zero walks. You simply can’t pitch better than that.
Jimmy Nelson has hit the skids. His last two starts he’s struck out just three batters while allowing 21 hits in 10 innings. Moreover, his last five outings have resulted in one victory, a 6.67 ERA and a .178 WHIP. He’s gotta be on your bench right now, and if you’re one of those folks in a 10 team league it’s pretty impossible to think he deserves to be on your roster. Even those of you in 12-team leagues… looking at the waiver-wire might be a smart move.
I’ve gotten some Yasiel Puig complaints. Why? If you’re not satisfied with a .314/.392/.512 slash line it’s time to start your fantasy football drafting. He has three homers in 22 games, don’t forget this guy has yet to reach 20 homers and hits a ton of grounders, though it should be noted that in the early going he’s lopped off 10 percent from his ground ball rate and it sits at 42 percent. If he maintains that pace he’s certain to start reaching the seats with solid frequency. As for the running… he’s been injured so it’s hard to know. It’s also worth pointing out that he’s only been successful on 22 of 38 steal attempts, and that’s a dreadful 58 percent. Dreadful. I wouldn’t want him running if I was his manager.
Anthony Ranaudo looked sharp last night with 6.2 shutout innings against the Dodgers. He’s still not someone to be chasing at the waiver-wire. Not enough strikeouts, too many walks, nowhere near enough grounders. Only folks that should be interested are those in AL-only leagues. Even then, mildly intriguing is all you will get out of me.
Jeff Samardzija has been the definition of all over the place this season. In his first two starts of June he allowed 15 runs. In his last two starts he’s allowed five. Jeff hasn’t allowed a homer in two starts either, and he’s walked one or no batters in each of his last six outings. I’m buying if I can… the cost is just so low right now.
Kyle Schwarber has been great with the bat going 6-for-10. He’s still getting sent back to the minors next week. The facts are that the Cubs have two veteran catchers in David Ross and Miguel Montero so they don’t have a spot for Kyle. More to the point, the Cubs realize that Schwarber simply can’t play the catcher position well enough to be counted on. Don’t be tempted. The only way he stays up is if an injury happens.
INJURY UPDATES
Adrian Beltre (thumb) still is unable to swing a bat. So much for the 2-3 week timetable he was given when originally hurt. He last appeared on May 31st. Meanwhile Joey Gallo has impressed me, no doubt, with five homers, 10 RBIs, 10 runs scored and 10 RBIs through 15 games. However, here are his numbers the last 13 contests: .196/.302/.391 with a 36 percent strikeout rate. Stull so many concerns.
Ryan Braun said this about his thumb which has seemingly been a key reason that he’s had only three extra base hits his last 11 games. "I'm happy with where it's at.” Uh huh. Shenanigans. He is claiming it’s just part of the ebb and flow of a big league season. “"It's a tough game. It's been a really challenging season for us. A daily fight to try to stay positive…” I’m starting to get nervous. Think that’s the prudent place to be right now.
Carlos Gomez is on pace for 12 homers, 14 steals and a .752 OPS. He’s just not right (obviously). The blame can be laid at the feet of ill health. For the sixth time in nine games Gomez was out of action for the Brewers and it’s sounding more and more likely that a DL stint might be needed to get his groin and hip in order. "I just didn't think he was running that well yesterday during the game and we're not moving forward," manager Craig Counsell said. "He just feels the same. We've got to get him back to a level where we feel like we're over this.”
Victor Martinez (knee) has been activated from the DL. He missed around a month trying to strengthen his knee. What should you expect? Little at this point. V-Mart has more than 850 games of catching experience at the big league level, is 36 years old, missed the entire 2012 season with a knee issue, and through 34 games this season has one homer, is batting .216 and has a .578 OPS. I would expect more than that, but anything resembling an all-star level performer? No way in Hades I can sign off on that.
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).