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
TIGERS PEN A MESS
Joakim Soria was dealt, then things went nuts.
Alex Wilson was apparently tabbed the lead dog though he now has a shoulder issue which has seemingly opened the door for Bruce Rondon to burst through. I think. “Well the way Rondon has been pitching, I may end up giving him some more opportunities,” manager Brad Ausmus said. “Doesn’t mean all of them. Rondon is obviously going to need days (off) as well, and Wilson would get opportunities then. Wilson is going to pitch in the back end somewhere. It may be in the ninth, it may be in the eighth.”
Before injuring his arm Rondon was often looked at as the closer of the future for this club (he had Tommy John surgery last year). He’s not throwing 99 like he did as a rookie but 98 mph should do, right? He’s got a massive 13.25 K/9 mark this season but he can often run into the walk (3.57 per nine). Not a huge fan of his 1.00 GB/FB ratio either, but this is a huge arm who could easily run with the job if Ausmus settles on him. He’s a must add in all formats at the moment.
PINEDA EYEING A RETURN
Michael Pineda is on the DL with a flexor arm strain. He’s throwing the ball loose and easy and is set to start at Double-A Trenton Sunday. If that goes well he could be activated next week for the Yankees. “I think you have to see where he’s at and how he feels,” manager Joe Girardi said. “That’s something I think you talk about. He hasn’t been off that long. Sometimes need determines things, too.”
Be very careful with Pineda. Over his last eight starts he’s 2-5 with a 4.91 ERA and 1.31 WHIP. He’s also struck out 7.74 batters in that time while allowing seven homers. Certainly sounds like a guy who is wearing down. Given that from 2012-14 he threw a total of 76.1 big league innings consider me not at all surprised. He’s currently at 118 frames tossed for the Yankees.
WRIGHT EYEING A RETURN
David Wright hopes to return from his back issues next weekend when the Mets take their game to Colorado to faces the Rockies. With all his setbacks there’s zero way to know what he will have to offer. Outside of NL-only leagues it’s tough to recommend him with anything resembling confidence.
FLAT OUT EMBERASSING
Jon Lester has allowed 35 steals this season. No other lefty in baseball has allowed more than 19. That’s right… Lester is a lefty who is run on like he’s a righty who throws the knuckleball. Just dreadful.
SMALL SAMPLE SIZE BUT…
Maybe Francisco Liriano isn’t fine after all (he felt a twinge in his right arm pit two starts ago – noting that is his non-throwing arm)? Over his last two outings he’s allowed seven runs, 13 hits and walked six batters over just nine innings. He’s been really good this season (3.19 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 9.91 K/9), but he’s also a guy who never makes it through a full season. Ever. The last time he threw 165 innings was the only time he’s thrown 165 innings – 2010.
AL-ONLY ADD
The Orioles are going to call up Henry Urrutia. In 107 games at Triple-A this season Urrutia has 10 homers, 21 doubles and a .292 batting average. The guy can hit and might see enough work to be an option in league specific setups. If you need a boost, check out his availability.
DID YOU KNOW?
Nolan Arenado is batting .212 with a .262 OBP and .404 SLG his last 25 games. That’s pretty awful. He’s also hitting “only” .286 at home which is a lot less than folks would assume he would be given that his home park if Coors Field.
Adrian Beltre has nine homers and 30 RBIs. Freddy Galvis has 30 RBIs. Moreover, Alex Guerrero has 32 RBIs in 182 at-bats. Beltre has 30 RBIs in 376. My goodness, Kelly Johnson has 11 homers and 39 RBIs.
Brett Gardner has had a great year –that’s what you call it when a guy has 11 homers, 15 steals, 74 runs scored and a .286 batting average and didn’t cost a ton on draft day – but he has vanished completely of late. Over his last 100 plate appearances he’s batting .222 with a .284 SLG. He’s still got a decent .347 OBP but it hasn’t helped that much as he has but one homer and no steals.
Remember when everyone loved Brock Holt? The positional flexibility is great, but the guy is simply not very good. Over his last 85 plate appearances he’s hitting .228 with no homers. His vaunted OBP is also gone (.262) and his .253 SLG is pathetic.
Torii Hunter is hitting .184 with a .232 OBP the last 21 games. He has 18 homers, 60 RBIs and 52 runs scored, but his average is down to .242, his OBP is .296 and he’s only stolen two bases. The end is near, at least in terms of him having any mixed league value.
Adam LaRoche has four RBIs his last 22 games. His patented second half run isn’t coming.
Victor Martinez was hitting for a while. He’s not anymore. Over the last 26 games he has 18 RBIs but they’ve come at a huge price (.188/.245/.327).
Brandon Moss is batting .171 with a homer his last 22 games. His SLG is down to .385 and there isn’t much to get excited about at the moment. Unless you’re a pitcher and he’s at the plate.
Yasiel Puig is batting .207 with a .250 OBP over his last 25 games. Dreadful. He’s still produced some value though given that he’s hit five homers and driven in 20 runs.
Hanley Ramirez isn’t right physically. He’s failed to hit a homer the last 30 days (20 games).
Pablo Sandoval has been one of the worst third basemen in baseball this season and a massive letdown in fantasy. We’re 364 at-bats in and the guy is hitting .253 with 35 RBIs. His OBP is .304. That should, literally, be his batting average with half his games being played at Fenway.
Ray Flowers can be heard Monday through Friday at 8 PM EDT on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio (Sirius 210, XM 87). You can also hear Ray Sunday nights at 9 PM on the channel talking fantasy sports. Follow Ray’s work at Fantasy Alarm and on Twitter (@baseballguys).