\HITTERS

Byron Buxton has returned from another trip to the minors with a thundering presence. Over four games he’s hit .563 with three homers, three doubles, nine RBI and seven runs scored. He’s also struck out only once in 16 at-bats, a great sign after all his early season struggles with the whiff. As I’ve said all along, he’s an elite talent. Truth be told, everyone in the baseball universe believes that… other than folks that play fantasy.

Asdrubal Cabrera, “my guy”, has been out of control of late. Over the last two weeks the only thing that has slowed him at all is his wonky knee. When on the field he’s been a simply dominant force with a .597 wOBA. Yeah, not a misprint. Over his last 13 games he’s hit six homers, has stolen a base, has 13 RBI and nine runs scored. His slash line is up to .274/.325/.464 and he has 19 homers. Trevor Story can’t match that. Brad Miller can’t. Neither can Marcus Semien, Troy Tulowitzki, Addison Russell etc.

Evan Gattis is a limited/flawed player. Always will be, it’s just who he is. That said, what he can do is put a charge into the ball, and as a catcher eligible player he’s a fine play. Over his last 10 games he’s gone deep five times with 10 RBI while batting .355. Through 368 at-bats this season he’s hit .250 with 24 homers and 59 RBI. That’s exactly the level of production one should have expected from the White Bear. One of the best power options at catcher. Period.

Odubel Herrera has a .200 wOBA the last two weeks as his game has fallen off a cliff, smashed into the ground, and burst into flames. Over his last 18 games he’s hitting .235 with two RBI and five runs scored. He has a .576 in that time with one homer and no steals. After that amazing start he’s reverted to being – the guy he was last season. In one fewer at-bat this season he has added five homers to 13, added an RBI to 42, added four runs to 68, added three steals to 19 and lost .030 points in batting average at .277. No appreciable growth at all in the fantasy numbers.

Dee Gordon over the last 13 games: .156/.191/.178 with no steals and two runs. Gulp.

Dustin Pedroia doesn’t have a homer his last 11 games and has driven in just three runners. Those are poor numbers. However, that belies his stupendous work with the lumber as he’s hit .543 with a .512 wOBA. He’s also crossed the plate 11 times. The 33 year old second sacker has proven that those who doubted him this offseason, and most of you reading this were likely in this group, were wrong about the little fella. Through 130 games he’s batting .326 with 12 homers, 58 RBI and 91 runs scored. As a hitter, same guy he has always been. Only seven steals so that part of his game hasn’t returned, but overall he’s been fantastic.

Yasiel Puig crushed it in the minors with a .994 OPS over 19 games. Recalled to the big leagues, he’s produced three hits, three runs, and three RBI in two games. It’s unclear how much he will play but given everything about him, all the up and down craziness, wouldn’t it just make total sense/nonsense for him to go out and hit .350 with a .950 OPS over the final month?

Wilson Ramos continues to slow. Over his last 10 games he’s struck out 14 times, hit .188, has a .233 OBP and .275 SLG. He’s simply slowing down as he was playing so far above his head that that Regression Monster was always going to hit him hard.

Gary Sanchez has one hit in three games. Over his last six games he’s hit just .174 with a .217 SLG and no RBI as the slowdown begins. He’s still has a stupendous .355/.434/.748 line.

 

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PITCHERS

Chris Archer is 8-17 but things continue to move in the right direction for him. Check it out. Over his last nine starts he has a 2.79 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, 11.64 K/9 and 1.86 BB/9. Been writing about him for weeks now. Yep, he’s back. There, I said it.

Jose De Leon made his big league debut on Sunday, and it went well. He allowed four runs over six innings, but he struck out the side in the sixth inning while working quickly and mostly efficiently (he didn’t walk a batter). “His tempo is fast, it’s right at you, it’s not comfortable for hitters,” said Austin Barnes. “He attacks hitters. He’s always on the offensive.” He’s an elite talent. As long as he’s starting he deserves to be in your fantasy lineup. The problem is we just don’t know how he will be used. Clayton Kershaw should be back Friday adding himself to a mix that includes seven different starting pitchers used the last seven games by the club.

Kendall Graveman has thrown a quality start in five of six games of late. In those six starts he’s posted a 1.93 ERA and 0.88 WHIP as he’s walked a total of six batters. Alas he has a mere 21 strikeouts in 42 innings and he’s just 3-2. Pitching pretty well though if you’re looking for a streaming option.

Seth Lugo has been filling in for Steve Matz, and we were worried that he might lost his spot of Matz were to return quickly. Alas, it sounds like Lugo might remain in the rotation even if Matz is back since Jacob deGrom is now as big a concern. Dealing with a sore forearm, it’s possible that deGrom will miss not just one but two starts. There’s no structural damage with his arm, but deGrom has struggled his last three starts and admits his arm just isn’t right. Lugo has been a start over his last three starts going 3-0 with a 1.50 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and a solid 3.25 K/BB ratio. He’s a streamer. Go for it.

Julio Teheran had a rough start against the Diamondbacks causing some concern. That should be forgotten since has he’s allowed two walks and two runs his last two starts as he’s struck out 15 batters over 13 innings. Don’t know how many folks realize that he has a 1.03 WHIP and a 4.21 K/BB ratio. Do that for a decade and they make a spot for you in Cooperstown.

 

Ray Flowers can be heard Monday/Tuesday and Thursday/Friday, 8 PM EDT, Wednesday 7 PM EDT on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio (Sirius 210, XM 87). You can also hear Ray Sunday nights at 11 PM on the channel talking fantasy sports. Follow Ray’s work at Fantasy Alarm and on Twitter (@baseballguys).