Daily Trends: July 24, 2015

 

The Mets are a mess. They say players are healthy. They aren’t. They keep guys on their roster thinking they can help. They don’t. Somehow they are still only three games behind the Nationals in the NL East. At least they are --- finally --- trying to do something.
 

The Mets called up their best prospect Friday, outfielder Michael Conforto, as they finally placed Michael Cuddyer on the DL. Who is Conforto? Let the waiver-wire stampede begin.

 

Conforto was the Mets 2014 first round draft pick. In the mid-season rankings update from Baseball America he came in as the 14th best minor league prospect in the game (he was ranked as the 80th best prospect in baseball coming into the season). In 91 games this season, only 45 of them at Double-A, he hit .297 with 12 homers, 54 RBIs, 46 runs scored and a .854 OPS. Solid numbers, but far from outstanding. There’s also the lack of upper level experience (I know that no one cares). Michael has a nice stroke and power to all fields. However, he can run into periods of times where his mechanics waiver a bit, and he does have an uppercut hack that can lead to issues when he’s not in a groove. He doesn’t have much in the way of foot speed so he’s not helping out there. 

 

He’s a must add in NL-only leagues.

As for mixed leagues, think Torii Hunter-ish. 

 

 

Clayton Kershaw is amazing. Yes he started slowly with a 4.32 ERA through his first nine starts, but since then, scintillating. Over his last 11 starts Kershaw is just 6-3, but he has a 1.21 ERA and a, get this, 0.61 WHIP. Read that one again. Heck, read both of those numbers again. He’s also struck out 12.34 batters per nine and his BB/9 rate is 1.21. He’s crushing it (1.59 FIP, 1.65 xFIP in those 11 starts). The last five times out he’s allowed a total of two runs and guess what – he’s working on a string of 29-straight scoreless outings. Kershaw has also become, over his last three games, the only lefty since 1914 to have 3-straight starts with at least 11 starts and no walks. 

 

With the run his ERA sits at 2.51 and his WHIP at 0.94 on the season. Guess he’s “back” to being Clayton Kershaw. 

 

 

Matt Wieters still isn’t starting in back-to-back games behind the dish for the Orioles and it doesn’t sound like that plan will be a changing in the near future. He did it once before the All-Star break, but it doesn’t sound like it’s going to be a normal thing. "Not that I know of," manager Buck Showalter said. "Matt hasn't brought it up to me, the trainers, [bench coach] John Russell. If and when will be up to Matt, like it was last time. And the trainers. He feels fine and we're going to keep him that way." While that might suck if he was in the National League, it really doesn’t impact his fantasy value since he can slot into the ole DH spot as he has done allowing him to appear in all six of the Orioles games since the Break. 

 

Wieters has appeared in 32 games this season hitting .243 with three homers and 12 RBIs. Yeah, his numbers kinda stink after a hot start. His walk rate is down, just five so far, while his 26.3 percent K-rate is way up (it’s under 19 percent for his career). He’s also failing to lift the ball per usual as his 32 percent fly ball rate is well below his 39 percent career mark. 

 

His pedigree suggests he’s still a fine second catching option in mixed leagues, so I’m going with that. So should you.

 

 

Yasmani Grandal just can’t stay healthy but boy is he producing when he’s on the field. Over his last 67 plate appearances he’s hitting .340 with a .470 OBP and .642 SLG. He’s just been a beast. Top-10 with top-5 upside the rest of the way.

 

Chris Iannetta has a .979 OPS his last 61 plate appearances. He’s hit four big flies while generating 13 walks leading to a .426 OBP. He’s not going to help in batting average, never will, but he has some pop and if you’re in an OBP league he’s an intriguing option as a second backstop.

 

James McCann has to share some time with Alex Avila, but in his 13 games of work the last month he’s gone deep twice, driven in nine and hit .417. Then there’s also that 1.097 OPS McCann’s sporting which is the highest of any backstop in baseball the last month. When a lefty is on the hill he’s been a start this year as well (.353/.400/.588). A strong second catcher in mixed leagues. 

 

Derek Norris was a start early on, then he was solid, now… not so much. Over his last 20 games he’s hitting .153 with 19 strikeouts and three walks. The recent struggles have dropped his season long mark down to .230, and that OPS is on the wane at .673 as well. He’s been solid, and I can’t say he’s not a second catcher in mixed leagues, but with his K-rate way up and his walk rate in the tank (the mark was 12 percent the last two seasons and is just 5.4 right now), it’s almost impossible to think a return to C1 status is in the cards. 

 

Is Salvador Perez playing too much? He seemed to wear down last year and the same thing seems to be happening this year as well. Or is it just a sample size thing? Over his last 22 games Perez is batting .193. The power stroke has been great, he’s got 15 homers and is well on his way to his first 20 homer season, but the rest of his game… not so much. Perez never walks, but this is stupid. Over the course of 335 plate appearances he’s taken six free passes, and one was unintentional. That’s just flat out pathetic. His BABIP is down at .262 and his line drive rate is a bit low, for him, at 21 percent (22.2 for his career). His production is still C1 stuff no doubt, but concerned am I. 

 

Wilson Ramos is a tease. Usually he performs but cannot stay healthy. Well, this year he’s been mostly healthy and he’s not getting it done. Things have taken a drastic turn for the worse of late as he’s hitting, if you can call it that, .162 with 20 strikeouts his last 19 games. He still has that strong 17 HR/F rate, but as always he’s simply not lifting the ball (23 percent fly ball rate this year, the same as it’s been the last two seasons). He just isn’t getting it up. 

 

J.T. Realmuto is hitting .324 with two homers and nine RBIs his last 19 games. Over his last eight games he’s hitting .344 with a .656 SLG. See those lefties on the hill and Realmuto eyes light up. Realmuto has a .894 OPS over 66 plate appearances. He’s a second catcher in mixed leagues as well.