As a community, fantasy players can be obstinate on how to valuate players due to perception. For instance, should Francisco Lindor be considered a first round talent? He did not possess a first round average draft position entering this season being taken 21st overall according to NFBC data but the third Indians player off the board. It’s splitting hairs when picking between Lindor and teammate José Ramírez , who oddly enough went one pick prior to Lindor in these drafts.

Last night, Lindor launched two home runs driving in seven runs and scored three runs. Lindor now leads the majors in extra-base hits (50) and in runs (73) atop a potent lineup. He’s also cashing on games versus the Royals with 17 home runs, 54 RBI and a .343/.403/.691 slash line against them. It’s not his fault, Lindor does not make the schedule. As for his place in fantasy rankings, here’s a look at his statistical last 365 days:

  • 163 games, 128 runs, 42 home runs, 106 RBI, 22 SB; .297/.367/.564

For perspective, during this same time frame, the consensus number one pick, Mike Trout , played 152 games with 122 runs, 41 home runs, 85 RBI, 25 stolen bases and a .300/.444/.597 slash line. It’s not to say Lindor’s more valuable in fantasy than Trout, but he’s overlooked going in the second round comparatively. By the way, Ramirez has 110 runs, 40 home runs, 100 RBI, 23 steals and slashed .307/.389/.609 in this time frame. Same goes for him.

 

That Just Happened

There’s going to be some ups and downs during Matt Kemp ’s fantasy revival this year. He entered game play on Sunday mired in a 1-for-21 slump. After getting out his first at-bat, Kemp’s not made an out since over the last two days with eight straight hits. He finished 5-for-5 in the Dodgers 17-1 drubbing of the Pirates last night with four runs, a double, his 15th home run and four RBI. Kemp’s hitting .323/.359/.565 with the All-Star break approaching and looking like one of the best bargains in fantasy this year. Not every pick needs to be trendy.

On an evening when Max Scherzer became the fourth fastest pitcher to reach 1,000 strikeouts with a team in their first four seasons, he incurred his fourth straight loss with the Nationals season in freefall. To make matters worse, not only did Scherzer lose to Rick Porcello and the Red Sox, but Porcello’s three-RBI double proved to be the difference in the game. He becomes only the second player, Preston Tucker being the other, to record three RBI versus Scherzer. While Scherzer continues to pitch well with a 2.16 ERA and 174 strikeouts in 120.2 innings, it’s disconcerting to see his record at 10-5 just past the midpoint of the season.

It’s easy to overlook Anthony Rendón ’s resurgence which seems to be lost within Juan Soto ’s breakout and Bryce Harper ’s struggles. But, Rendon hit his 12th home run in the Nationals loss as he stays hot. Rendon’s hit safely in 15 of his last 17 games going 26-for-67 (.388) with 14 runs, 10 doubles, six home runs, 14 RBI and walking six times.

Mookie Betts crushed his 21st home run in Monday’s win and has reached base in 27 of his last 57 plate appearances. Despite missing 14 games, Betts still leads the American League in slugging percentage, ranks sixth in home runs and stolen bases (15).

Aaron Judge hit his 23rd home run in an eventual Yankees loss but it’s his 79th career homer in his 262nd game. It took Hank Aaron 471 games to reach the same total. Times were different back then, as were ballparks, but it’s impressive nonetheless.

An under the radar player for the Braves has been Johan Camargo . He’s extended his personal hit streak to eight games with two hits including his eighth home run on Monday night. Camargo’s hitting .361 during his streak and has 15 RBI the last 17 games for Atlanta.

Avisail García remained hot blasting a home run for the second straight game and moved his hit streak to 12 games in the process. He’s 11 for his last 24 with two doubles, two triples, two home runs, four RBI and six runs scored his last five games.

Cincinnati’s won 15 of its last 20 games since June 10th for the best record in the majors during this time. This coincides with Scott Schebler hitting safely in 23 of his last 25 appearances going 35-for-102 (.343) with 10 doubles, six home runs and 15 RBI. Teammate Eugenio Suárez moved his hit streak to six games. Suarez continues to emerge as a power option with 30 home runs and 101 RBI in 145 games over his last 365 days.

It was not vintage Corey Kluber , but he won his 12th game of the season giving up three earned runs on seven hits with five strikeouts in six innings in Kansas City. Kluber’s 7-1 versus American League Central teams this year with a 1.68 ERA in his eight starts in the division.

Whit Merrifield homered to leadoff the game and hitting .367 (11-for-30) his last seven games after slumping with two hits in his previous 21 at-bats.

With contenders circling around the Marlins relievers, Kyle Barraclough suffered a blown save allowing his first run in 20.2 innings on Monday evening. He’s still been terrific and the two hits last night equal the amount of hits yielded during his scoreless streak. Brad Ziegler recorded his 13th scoreless outing in his last 14 games spanning 15 innings. Adam Conley and Drew Steckenrider both notched holds in scoreless appearances. Teams interest seems to center on Barraclough and Conley with Ziegler in the periphery. It’s likely Steckenrider stays with the team making his a stash for saves due to his remaining years of team control.

 

What To Watch For

Atlanta’s reportedly going to activate Arodys Vizcaíno prior to tonight’s game in New York. This puts A.J. Minter back into a setup role but he’s surged to a 1.26 ERA his last 15 games with 17 of last 43 outs recorded via the strikeout.

The Yankees used Aroldis Chapman , Dellin Betances and David Robertson for the second straight day. Manager Aaron Boone prefers not to use relievers more than two games in a row but he also deployed Chad Green for two innings. With Domingo Germán on the mound, a short night by the rookie pitcher could be a rough one for the Yankees with a short bullpen.

Will the Cubs extend their four game streak of 10 or more runs versus the Tigers and Michael Fulmer ?

Can Fernando Rodney hold on to the closer job after blowing back-to-back saves? Owners should stash Trevor Hildenberger just in case.

Cleveland’s been strong playing against its division and will send rookie Shane Bieber to mound looking for his fourth win.

After a pitcher’s duel on Monday, will the hitters bounce back in Coors Field with Chris Stratton and Anthony Senzatela on the mound? Senzatela’s taking Jon Gray ’s spot in the rotation.

With the Angels heading to Seattle, they could get a boost with Garrett Richards slated to come off the disabled list to start on Wednesday and Shohei Ohtani could return to the lineup as well. Just not on the mound until cleared by his doctors.

Max Muncy ’s crushed 18 home runs and appeared in his sixth game at second base on Monday night. He’s only four away from gaining eligibility in 10-game minimum leagues.

Be sure to check back later for the latest information in tonight’s Closing Bell with Justin Mason to stay ahead of your competition.

 

Statistical Credits:

MLB.com

Fangraphs.com

BaseballSavant.com