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

Daily Lineups

Daily Projections

Player News

DFS MLB Playbook

RAYS ROUND UP…

A HIDDEN STAR ON THE BUMP

Erasmo Ramirez has a 10-4 record, a 3.66 ERA and 1.11 WHIP over the course of 20 starts and 27 outings. Those are really solid numbers, are they not? They get even better. If we remove the first two outings of the season when he was obliterated for 15 runs over 5.1 innings (is it possible to be that bad?) he’s posted a 2.68 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP. That’s some smoking work. That ERA mark has been bettered by only four AL arms this season (Sonny Gray 2.10, Dallas Keuchel 2.37, Scott Kazmir 2.39 and David Price 2.40), and the WHIP has been bettered by nine. In fact, do you know how many big leaguers have won 10 games, posted an ERA under 2.70 and a WHIP under 1.12? There are only nine others, and what a list: Zack Greinke, Clayton Kershaw, Jacob deGrom, Sonny Gray, Jake Arrieta, Matt Harvey, Dallas Keuchel, Madison Bumgarner and David Price.

Erasmo isn’t a star, not with a 6.66 K/9 mark, but he’s really, really good.

A SOLID STARTER ON THE BUMP

Nate Karns might walk a few more guys that I like at 3.31 per nine. He’s also the owner of a rather ordinary 1.19 GB/FB ratio and his 1.13 HR/9 mark is far from something that will knock anyone’s socks off. Ditto that 7-5 record of his. But there are plenty of things to like here.

Over 24 starts Karns owns a 3.44 ERA and 1.24 WHIP. Those numbers certainly play. Over his last 12 starts the numbers are slightly better with a 3.03 ERA and 1.24 WHIP. He’s humped up his strong strikeout rate to a borderline elite level at 9.61 per nine and he’s also dropped the walk rate down to 2.77 per nine. Told you he was pitching well.

The only negative is that he doesn’t go deep into games as the Rays are convinced that if they limited him to facing an individual performer three times a game that he will have more success than if he’s trying to roll through a lineup four times. As a result he’s lasted more than 6.0 innings only once in his last 12 starts despite pitching so well. The lack of innings is one of the main reasons that he has only seven victories this season but he’s still been a sneaky-solid play.

A STAR AT THE DISH

Who am I?

On June 17th I was hitting a dismal .199.

Since that day I’ve hit .349 over 47 games.

I’ve also hit .404 since I returned from the DL since July 28th.

I am Asdrubal Cabrera.

ACab has scored 32 runs in that timeframe of 47 games thanks to a .381 OBP and he’s gone deep six times with 16 doubles leading to a .562 SLG. He’s been a star. Seriously. With his furious runs his average is up to .264 and his SLG is .418. Know what his career marks are? Try on for size .267 and .410. He’s also up to nine homers after averaging 15 the past three years, so he should get close to that one as well.

He’s not great. The numbers aren’t overly impressive. But for the last two months there haven’t been many who are better up the middle.

SOMETIMES WE ALL JUST DON’T HAVE IT

Hisashi Iwakuma allowed no runs in the first four innings against the Athletics Monday night. The fifth inning though became the worst inning of his big league career as he recorded two outs while surrendering seven runs. Atrocious. The bombing vaulted his ERA all the way up to 4.29, more than a full run above his career mark of 3.24. That’s the bad news. The good news is that, overall, he’s pitching the same as always. I know you don’t want to hear that if he torched you Monday night, but it’s still true. Check it.

2015: 7.3 K/9, 1.50 BB/9, 1.04 WHIP, 1.76 GB/FB, 3.37 SIERA, 3.31 xFIP
Career: 7.5 K/9, 1.8 BB/9, 1.08 WHIP, 1.66 GB/FB, 3.33 SIERA, 3.25 xFIP

Doesn’t sound like he’s hurt, so continue to have some faith, even after the beating. After all, he had allowed a total of six runs his previous four starts.

ANYONE NOTICE?

I know that Ryan Braun hasn’t been a superstar, but do most realize that he’s two steals from his first 20/20 season since 2012? His current pace puts him on pace for 29 homers, 23 steals, 95 RBIs and 90 runs scored. Yeah, he’s good… even if you don’t want to admit it.

WHERE IS THIS COMING FROM?

David Peralta hit .286 as a rookie with eight homers and six steals over 88 games, solid work no doubt. He’s taken things to a whole other level in 2015 as he’s hitting .301 with a .366 OBP and .518 SLG over 115 games. He’s upped his home run mark to 13 and has driven in 67 runners in just 355 at-bats this season as well in a rather remarkable season. What I see are a few numbers though that make me nervous. His 1.72 GB/FB ratio includes a 50 percent ground ball rate. It’s difficult to hit 20 homers while doing that, so the only reason he’s had big fly success is a slightly elevated 16.0 percent HR/F ratio. His minor league numbers were excellent – over 347 games we’re talking about an elite slash line of .347/.392/.547 – and he’s been smoking hot his last 34 games batting .374/.411/.617. Still, a slowdown is coming and it could be abrupt, but even if that occurs he’s been a strong out of nowhere performer this season.

THE POWER HITTING CATCHER

Welington Castillo entered the 2015 season with a HR/F ratio of 10.2 percent over more than 1,000 plate appearances. This season that mark is 21.8 percent. You just don’t double that number, just don’t, but he is right now. What that means is that it could all stop at once. At the same time the dude has his swing totally grooved to the point that it’s getting to be obnoxious. Castillo has homers in his last two games and he’s gone deep 15 times in 181 at-bats with the D’backs after hitting two for the Cubs and Mariners earlier this season. He is, as they say, out of control. When the Player Rankings come out for the final time on September 1st I can’t think there is anyway that he won’t be listed as a catcher one, even with me knowing that his current rate of producing big flies isn’t sustainable.

HISTORY…

Through 1,000 games Andrew McCutchen has an .886 OPS. Compare that to the two greatest outfielders in Bucs history through their first 1,000 games: Roberto Clemente (.774) and Barry Bonds (.882). McCutchen won’t have the fantasy season we expected from him, he’s only stolen six bags, but you would be hard pressed to find a more dependable fantasy performer than him. Moreover, after his horrid start to the season he’s hit .327 with a .429 OBP and .572 SLG since May 7th, superstar stuff.

 

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).