Hidden beneath the Braves league leading offense, Nick Markakis currently holds the third highest weighted runs created plus metric in baseball of players with at least 150 plate appearances. He ranks behind Mike Trout and Manny Machado , but Markakis owns an impressive 167 wRC+ along with a .338/.419/.554 slash line. Markakis launched his seventh home run on Wednesday in his 35th game. It took him until August 15th last year during his 117th game to reach seven homers.
More impressive, he’s walked 20 times this year against 13 strikeouts while almost doubling his isolated power compared to last year. Markakis has hit more fly balls, up five percent, upped his home run per fly ball percentage by almost nine points but owns a hard hit percentage in line with last season. It’s entirely possible he’s benefiting from the inflated line drive percentage but can the Atlanta lineup and ballpark keep Markakis relevant the rest of the season? Steamer rest-of-the-season projections suggest he’s in line for 10 more home runs and 53 RBI which would track him for 17 home runs and 81 RBI as opposed to his present 32 home run, 130 RBI pace. Erring on the side of caution, the Steamer seems more in line with his past, but one season outliers seem to happen. Tracking Markakis going forward will be fun to do.
That Just Happened
Julio Teherán won his third game of the season on the road in Tampa Bay. In a post-game interview he suggested it’s the best he’s felt since 2016 when Teheran made the All-Star team. Here’s evidence:
Teheran’s first eight starts 2016: 48.1 IP, 40 H, 17 ER, 17 BB, 44 K’s, five home runs, 3.16 ERA
Teheran’s first eight starts 2018: 43 IP, 32 H, 15 ER, 18 BB, 42 K’s, six home runs, 3.14 ERA
No guarantee he finds out a way to succeed in Atlanta, but so far, Teheran’s much improved compared to last year.
Also on Atlanta, Ender Inciarte ’s much more aggressive on the bases this year. He recorded 22 stolen bases in 31 attempts all of 2017 but Inciarte swiped two more bases on Wednesday night moving into a tie for the major league lead with 15 steals and in only 17 tries. Even if he loses his spot atop the Braves lineup, his stolen bases this year could make him a steal in terms of return on investment in drafts.
The Rivalry’s back. Boston and New York traded leads, momentum along with bullpen meltdowns in an eventual win by the Yankees. Brett Gardner busted out of a 8-for-60 slump with three hits, all for extra-bases, culminated by a two RBI triple off of Craig Kimbrel resulting in a blown save. Then, Aaron Judge hit a two-run home run to center field one could hang their clothes on to dry. Aroldis Chapman entered to notch his ninth save and struck out three along with a single yielded to J.D. Martínez .
On-base machine Jorge Soler hit his 10th doubled in Baltimore and has now reached base in 29 of his 32 starts this year. Viewed as a late round power upside play, Soler’s evolving into a fantasy asset due to his improved approach at the onset of the season. Boom or bust option, Lucas Duda , hit his first home run in 69 at-bats, and fourth of the year on Wednesday.
Seems like positive regression has set its eyes on Carlos Santana . He tied a career-high with five RBI last night on three hits, including a double, in spite of hitting below the Mendoza Line. Teammate Maikel Franco crushed his seventh home run and third in six games. Do not look now, but Franco’s hitting .292 as mid-May approaches.
Although most fantasy pundits focus on Vlad Guerrero Jr., and with good reason, the kid can rake, many seem to be overlooking Teoscar Hernandez . Hitting lead-off on Wednesday, Hernandez went 3-for-4 with a double and his sixth home run. With a four run rally in the eighth inning, the Blue Jays won and provided Tyler Clippard with his first save of the year with Roberto Osuna on leave. If searching for saves, appears as though Clippard’s the add in Toronto until clarity emerges regarding Osuna.
Chris Davis homered for the second straight game and could be breaking out of a prolonged slump. Davis drove in three with his drive, Jonathan Schoop added two hits and scored two runs while Mark Trumbo knocked in two propelling the Orioles to a much needed win.
Speaking of a player needing a slump buster, Manny Margot recorded three hits, stole his fourth base and accounted for both Padres runs, one via an RBI along with scoring one. It’s been a rough start to the year for Margot, but the talent plus his sample last year hint at a potential hot streak in the offing. Hop on board.
Neither starter made it past the fifth inning when the Dodgers and Diamondbacks locked horns last night. Take a moment to note Patrick Corbin ’s velocity chart with his fastball sitting at 89 MPH once again Wednesday night:
It could be nothing, or it could be something. Speaking of which, Kenley Jansen notched his sixth save with a clean inning working on consecutive days. He’s faced Arizona in all five of his outings in May giving up three hits, one earned run, two walks and striking out two for a 1.50 ERA with a 0.83 WHIP. Although his velocity seems to be trending in the right direction, Jansen’s still seven percentage points below his swinging strike rates versus last year while allowing more contact. Currently, Jansen’s pacing towards 63 strikeouts in 68.2 innings this season, which would be a disappointment based on the investment needed to roster him.
Night Moves
Our own Craig Mish attended Álex Reyes rehab start as he works his way back to the Cardinals rotation. Reyes lasted 3.1 innings giving up four hits, zero runs and one walk with six strikeouts. He will head to Single-A Peoria next, then Double-A, Triple-A and hopefully the Cardinals rotation. If he’s still on waivers, the time to stash him is running out.
Hanley Ramírez homered for the first time in 19 games. He’s being pushed for playing time by Mitch Moreland . Keep tabs on how these roles evolve as the season progresses. During his slump, Ramirez slugged a paltry .307 in it.
Could Nick Pivetta be the next pitcher who exists as a home stream? He whiffed seven during five shutout innings last night including retiring 10 in a row. However, his road ERA of nine over 10 innings this year compared to 2.48 ERA at home in 29 innings raises some concern when managing his starts for fantasy.
Oakland placed Trevor Cahill on the disabled list with an impinged elbow. They promoted center fielder Dustin Fowler . He’s intriguing in 15-team or deeper leagues.
Burning Questions
Will the Braves carry their hot hitting offense into Miami versus a pitching staff which seems to be reeling after visiting the Cubs? Can a trip to Coors Field wake up some of the slumbering Brewers bats? How soon will Milwaukee give a save chance to Corey Knebel ? With Kenley Jansen likely out Thursday night, if there’s a save chance, which Dodger reliever fills in?
All of these questions and more will be answered by the Fantasy Alarm team committed to keeping you ahead of your competition. Check back for the Closing Bell which will recap all the injury moves and highlight the only day game between the Giants and Phillies.
Statistical Credits:
MLB.com
BaseballSavant.com
Fangraphs.com
BrooksBaseball.ne