Starling Marte’s star burning brightly highlights this Week’s Week That Was.
Starling Marte: Starling Marte was hot on Saturday. The Bucs OF went 3-4 with 3 runs, an RBI and a swipe. Thus far this year, Marte has12 homers, 46 RBI, 41 runs and 15 stolen bases. His .279 average is ok but not up to the level of his other stats. Two key points here about Marte. First, there is every reason to think he will be this good or better in the second half. His contact rate has improved every year (including this one) and a depressed BABIP says the batting average should follow the contact rate the rest of the way. Oh and do not forget that Starling hit .332 in the second half a season ago. Second, those who payed careful attention saw that Marte was the classic Rules of Engagement target – a player with big ability at only 26 years old who already had notched over 1000 AB in the big leagues. Buy and feel comfortable paying full freight!
Francisco Cervelli: Sticking with the Bucs, Francisco Cervelli just keeps on keeping on. Saturday, he went 2-4 with two runs and two RBI. Thus far, Cisco is hitting a cool .306 with 23 runs, 3 dingers and 25 RBI. Cisco is not going to make anyone forget Johnny Bench or even former teammate Jorge Posada. However, an everyday catcher hitting .300 and adding counting stats can make all the difference. With big increases in contact and walk rates and a big drop in K rate, there is every reason to believe Cisco has found a home in Pittsburgh.
Brian McCann: Speaking of catchers, they guy who replaced Cisco in New York, Brian McCann, really is enjoying the beginning of summer. Yesterday, the Yankees backstop went 2-4 including a grand slam. On the year, McCann is hitting .274 with 12 dingers and 49 RBI. I loved McCann coming in to the year because he is such a consistent source of power (9 years in a row of 18 or more dingers) and because he is the classic “second year in a new home following a big contract” guy. Loyal readers of this column and/or listeners to the Colton and the Wolfman show know that the Rules of Engagement say to roster such second year stars. McCann is proving once again that the Rules of Engagement exist for the protection of you and your fantasy team!
Matt Duffy: Matt Duffy continues to make believers out of skeptics. Saturday, Duffy filled the stat sheets going 3-4 with 3 runs, a dinger and 2 RBI. As of today, Duffy is hitting .294 with 27 runs, six home runs and 36 RBI. As noted in the Fantasy Alarm pre-season magazine, I never believed in Casey McGehee. So, it is no surprise that the Giants have a new man to take over at 3B for the Kung Fu Panda. The real question is whether Duffy can continue the magic into the dog days of summer. The fact that his contact and walk rates are way up and his K rate down says he is likely to continue to hit. Moreover, the fact that he hit .332 with a .389 OBP in AA last year before being called to the show further supports continued success. Guys like this win fantasy leagues, especially in NL-only leagues.
Eric Hosmer: Eric Hosmer had a nice day at the park Saturday going 2-4 with a run and a swipe. Eric Hosmer is fast becoming the Rodney Dangerfield of fantasy baseball – he just gets no respect I tell ya. On the year, Hos is hitting .294 with 8 dingers, 40 runs and 40 RBI with 4 SB to boot. Yeah, I know that hitting 8 dingers is not great for a 1B. However, when you add all the counting numbers and the batting average, what is the problem? I do not know about you but I am more than happy to own a guy who hits .290 plus with 15 HR, 85-90 runs and RBI and 8-10 SB. Geez, didn’t many clamor to own Keith Hernandez and Mark Grace back in the day? Yeah, they did. Plus, Hosmer still has the potential to add some flyballs and some dingers as he continues to mature. If the Hosmer owner in your league forgets that Hos is only 25, fleece that fool!
Tom Koehler: Tom Koehler beat Clayton Kershaw Saturday. Yes, you read that correctly. The Marlins hurler went 7 innings, giving up just 2 runs and 6 hits while mowing down 5. On the year, Koehler has a 3.66 ERA with a 1.26 WHIP and 62 K over 86 innings. The advanced stats are a mixed bag. On the one hand, his velo has remained at around 92.5 and his BB rate has decreased. However, the BABIP is depressed and the gopher balls have skyrocketed. The thing that worries me the most is that his swinging strike rate is all the way down to under 6%. To me, that portends trouble in the second half. I would sell if I could.
Danny Santana: Danny Santana is back with the Twins and could be that SS eligible outfielder that is available in your deep AL-only league. Yes, I was one of many who said his .407 BABIP could not be repeated. However, with Buxton out a month Santana could see some real PT. Can he produce? Hmmm, good question. Well, if you need some steals, he is a good target. Otherwise, I would not count on much from Santana whose .308 AAA average this year was boosted by an almost .390 BABIP.
And now the moment you well, may or may not be waiting for, the Baron of Bottom of the Page pontificates a/k/a Schultz says: “One of the biggest stories of the 2015 season has been the promotion of a highly touted, power hitting third basemen from the minor leagues to play a role in launching a struggling team back into the post-season. For the most part, everyone considers this story to be one that comes out of Chicago and involves the emergence of Kris Bryant as a legitimate real-world and roto-force of nature. Based upon his draft position and the amount of money spent on him at auctions throughout the roto-land, it's not a story that could be considered unexpected, surprising or newsworthy. Except this isn't the story of Kris Bryant, it's the story of Maikel Franco.
Since being signed as a 17-year-old out of the Dominican Republic, Franco has steadily moved through the Phillies' minor-league system, showing an improved eye at the plate while his power develops. Now 22, he might be the most exciting thing to look forward to in the Phillies' future. Although it took him a week or so to get himself on solid footing, savvy followers of the game have noticed the burgeoning benefits to be gained from an early investment in the Phillies rookie. The window of opportunity likely closed after his titanic outburst this week against the Yankees but nonetheless, he is still likely attainable for a fraction of the cost of Bryant.
For those who like to crunch numbers, chew on these: in 65 games this year, Bryant has hit .274 with 10 HRs, 43 RBIs, 40 runs and 6 steals while striking out a ton; in 40 games, Franco has put up a .303 average with 10 HRs, 29 RBIs, 24 runs and only 24 strikeouts. Schultz isn't saying that Franco will end up becoming a better pro than Bryant as the years go on. However, in keeper leagues, the significantly lower cost to acquiring him will let you reap his benefits for longer than you will the Cubbies' new savior.”
Response: Fascinating. The question is whether Schultz is overselling Franco. It does not appear so. Indeed Franco is making better contact in the bigs than he did at AAA this year. All that said, I think Franco is good but Bryant is special. My two cents.