Brett Lawrie laying down the law highlights this week’s Week That Was.

Brett Lawrie:  Lawrie went 3-for-4 with two dingers, two runs and three RBI Saturday.  On the year, Lawrie is hitting only .245 but does have 10 dingers.  Is this monster game the spark for the 26-year-old to finally reach his potential?  Well, he has hit .370 over the last week, so that is pretty darn good.  On the year, Lawrie has almost doubled his walk rate – a very good sign of maturation.  Hmm, a maturing hitter of 26 with over 1,000 AB in the major leagues getting hot as the weather warms in the hitter haven of south Chicago.  Oh, and he plays the scarce 2B position.  Yep, that is a fantasy baseball train I want to ride before the price gets too expensive!

Cheslor Cuthbert:  Cuthbert went 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI on Saturday and then followed it up with a 1-for-4 with a two-run dinger Sunday.  His average on the year is up around .280.  Over the last two weeks, Cuthbert has hit well over .300 with five HR.  Not too shabby.   According to our friends at fangraphs, Cuthbert is not pull happy (less than 40 percent) – a good sign of maturity for a young hitter.  He is also hitting the ball with authority as approximately only 20 percent of his batted balls are of the soft contact variety.  Good production + good team + maturity + hitting the ball with authority to all fields = bargain time!   

Gio Gonzalez:  What is wrong with Gonzalez?  The Nats lefty laid another egg Saturday lasting just three innings while giving up six runs.  Oddly, he did strike out five and walk only one.  Dusty Baker says he will keep Gonzalez in the rotation.  Should you?  Well, you cannot like the 4.73 ERA on the year and cannot be a fan of the 5.45 ERA over the last 13 starts.  However, there are a bunch of positive signs.  Gonzalez is striking out more than a batter per inning, the BABIP and strand rates say he has been unlucky, the ground ball rate is still very solid and his xFIP is a full run below his ERA.  Yes, I am worried about the reduced velocity but I will be more than happy to buy low on a pitcher in a good park on a good team with a bunch of metrics that say improvement is coming. 

Julio Teheran:  Has Teheran arrived for good or has he just had the good fortune of pitching back-to-back games against the hapless bats of the Mets?  Well, no matter the opponent, 17 inning, no runs, 14 K, no BB is just awesome.  Moreover, it is not just the Mets who have fallen victim to Teheran.  Over his last 12 starts, Teheran has a 1.61 ERA and a miniscule 0.75 WHIP.  Will his string of success continue?  Yes, but not at this level.  The BABIP, strand rate and velocity all predict some regression.  That said, the swinging strike rate is still solid and the HR/FB does not show undue luck.  In the end, you have a pitcher in his fourth full season in the bigs who is just 25 years old.  Is it a surprise he is thriving?  No.  Buy but do not pay for a 0.75 WHIP.

Ian Kennedy:  Kennedy was lights out Sunday mowing down 11 Astros over seven innings in which he gave up just one run and three hits.   The full year picture is hardly that pretty.  Coming into the virtuoso performance Sunday, Kennedy had a very pedestrian 4.19 ERA.  So will the real Ian Kennedy please stand up?  I am going to cop out here and say he is not as bad as the 4-plus ERA says and not as good as the Sunday game.  What, you want advice on whether to buy or sell?  OK, I am buying.  The WHIP is strong – under 1.25; the K rate is over eight per nine innings; and the swinging strike and first pitch strike rate are solid.  With a good team (and a good defensive team) behind him, I like Kennedy to be a positive force on AL-only and mixed league rosters alike.

Adam Jones:  Jones has settled into the leadoff spot nicely.  Sunday, the O’s centerfielder went 4-for-4 with two runs and an RBI.  Buying opportunity!  Buying opportunity!  On the year, Jones has a mediocre .265 average and fairly weak .301 OBP.  Those numbers could scare away owners or cause the Jones owner to undervalue his asset.  Jones is just a darn good player who is basically guaranteed 25-plus HR and solid counting number production.  I am buying.  Oh, and the depressed BABIP says the average should continue to rise some.

Tyler Duffey:  The Yankees made Duffey look like Cy Young Sunday.  The Yanks managed just two hits against the Twins hurler and struck out eight times.  Is Duffey this good?  No.  Coming into the match with the Yankees, Duffey had an ugly 6-plus ERA and an equally displeasing 1.5-plus WHIP.  Given how good he looked Sunday and given that the BABIP and strand rates say he has been unlucky, I would keep an eye on Duffey for AL-only leagues.  In mixed leagues, I would simply move on. 

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: “Schultz has one question for The Week That Was' readers: how many championships has your team won since the Cavaliers became 2016 NBA champs? I'm looking over at you New York? You too, Pittsburgh - with your already stale Stanley Cup. 

Staying in the Land O' Champions for this week, with Michael Brantley shelved indefinitely and Corey Kluber taking his time getting to his Cy Young caliber stratum of steadiness, the Cleveland Indians may be flying under your roto-radar despite the fact that they sit comfortably atop the AL Central. How could this be, you may ask? Like the Red Sox teams he managed in the 00s, Terry Francona excels at getting the most out of his roster from top to bottom. For roto-purposes, this means that you should be overlooking Carlos Santana's .235 (and rising) batting average and focus on his 16 HRs. You could almost say the same for Mike Napoli, who's putting up nearly identical numbers. Now, neither of the Indians' cornermen are going to out pace the Goldschmidts and Rizzos of the world. However, they may help you boost your power numbers and the team that has them won't ask for much in trade. 

Nowhere near as roto-sexy as uber-shortstop Francisco Lindor or The Kipnis, Jose Ramirez has turned his steady playing time into a .290, 4 HR, 27 RBIs and eight-steal stat line. Again, Ramirez won't be the star of your team but he is likely outproducing your extra middle infielder or fifth outfielder.

Finally, the carousel of realized potential may finally be stopping on Trevor Bauer. Once the most-lavishly touted pitching prospect in the Diamondbacks system, he was at the center of the Tribe's 2012 Shin-Soo Choo trade. Considered a headcase and demoted to the bullpen at the beginning of the season, Bauer has been dominant over his last four starts with a 1.42 ERA, .85 WHIP and 32 strikeouts over 31 2/3 innings. There always comes a time when the forgotten prospect comes into his own and the bargain to be had is realizing when it's occurred. Take notice with Bauer - it's happening.”

Response:  Yes it is.  I am all in on Bauer and am happy to have him on my otherwise hapless Tout Wars AL starting staff.