Morning everyone! It was quite the night in baseball yesterday, wasn’t it? From another solid effort by Wade Miley to a Tigers offense unseen before at Comerica Park to a Coors Field explosion that had both seasonal and daily people elated throughout the night. And let’s not forget about yet another Eric Thames home run! This is what it’s all about. This is why I love baseball, both real and fantasy, so much. I’ll try to keep it “morning coffee” length here, but it’s hard not to be amped-up about so many things.

Anyone hear of this Trea Turner kid?

If you thought the pre-draft hype was big, just wait until you hear all the chatter today. Trea Turner went 4-for-6 last night, hit for the cycle and finished the night with seven RBI and four runs scored. The only thing he didn’t do was steal a base, but according to the hype, that should be the least of your concern because he’s still primed to swipe 70 this season. Since coming off the disabled list on April 21, Turner is 8-for-19 (.421) with three doubles, one triple, one home run, nine RBI, seven runs scored and a walk and those who drafted him in the first round and endured his stint on the disabled list are now strutting around like proud peacocks.

Don’t worry, I’m not going to be my usual self and rain on anyone’s parade here. Coors Field or no Coors Field, hitting for the cycle and having a game like Turner had, is something that should be celebrated. Granted, you had to be a total goon to not get a hit at Coors Field last night as 27 runs were plated on 29 hits, but still, a cycle is a tremendous feat.

For those who are noting Turner’s zero stolen base attempts in the five games since he’s returned, be patient. They’re coming. Given the nature of his injury, if there’s no reason to push right now, the team won’t which is smart. Turner will sit atop that order when the Nationals face a lefty and bat second when they face right-handed pitching. He is going to have ample opportunities. He’s probably not going to swipe 70 like some of the over-zealous pundits predicted, but there is little or no question that a number north of 40 is easily possible. Maybe even probable.

I’m still not backing down for my pre-season decree that he should not have been taken in the first round, but as I’ve always said, I root for these guys to succeed because it’s great for the game. If I’m wrong at the end of the year, so be it. I’ll happily admit it. But the kid can have a great year and I can still be right, so here’s hoping.

Drop your shorts and bend over, Mr. Babar!

This just in: Eric Thames’ urine test will bat leadoff for the Brewers today and will probably go 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBI.

WTF, MLB? Seriously? A second “random” drug test for the guy who leads the league with 11 home runs? You have to be kidding me. So wrong on so many levels. If you want to show some sort of legitimacy to your testing policy and procedures, then we need to see the process with how names to be tested are drawn. Do you throw every major leaguer’s name into a hat and pick? Does a computer “randomly” spit out names and if so, what kind of data does the “randomizing” algorithm use? You have to admit, the timing of this is pretty darn suspicious.

After Thames went yard off John Lackey on April 17, both Lackey and Cubs pitching coach Chris Bosio made comments alluding to the fact that what Thames was doing wasn’t natural. They didn’t actually come out and say it, but Lackey was quoted as saying, “You watch film on recent stuff and try to figure out a way, you know, to get him out. But I mean, really even the homer hit the other way, I mean, you don't see that happen here very often. That's kinda one of those things that makes you scratch your head," and then Bosio starts making comparisons to Barry Bonds and Manny Ramirez when he was busted for PEDs while with the Dodgers. Bosio went even so far to discuss body type changes Thames has apparently undergone since his MLB days before heading to Korea and today.

Comments like that have to be expected. We’re all still pretty sensitive to the whole Steroids Era and what everyone’s attitude is towards that time period in baseball, but MLB’s sudden drug test of Thames here shows that there is nothing random about the policy and the front office is perpetually filled with frauds. Think about it – the league knew exactly what was happening in 1998 when Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa were battling for the single-season home run record. They knew steroids shouldn’t be allowed and they knew the long-term ramifications the drugs would have on the players and, ultimately, the game. But baseball needed saving back then as the fan base was in decline following the 1994-95 strike that affected both seasons. They needed something the people could get excited about and what’s more exciting than a chase for a record, not just by one guy, but a race between two. Add to that, the media campaign that introduced us to the phrase, “chicks dig the long ball,” and you’ve got MLB to blame for all of this.

The Commissioner’s Office can perpetuate the illusion that they are protecting the integrity of the game, but considering the lack of randomness we see here with their testing procedures, it’s hard to believe anyone in that front office knows what integrity is. Steroids are fine when it suits the league and puts money into owners’ pockets. Steroids are bad when the public outcry puts a negative image on the game. I’ll happily call bullshit here and now, with all of my might, I’m wishing Thames’ drug tests to come back negative and that he shatters the home run record. Up yours, John Lackey. Up yours, Chris Bosio. Up yours, MLB. If this “random” piss test comes back negative, you should all be forced to take a sip from the cup.

No. 9 in the batting order, No. 1 in your hearts

Don’t look now but someone woke Byron Buxton up from his early-season coma and now he’s working towards turning this first month of his season around. The strikeouts have been atrocious and he’s been as guaranteed an out at the plate as anyone could even be in this game. But before you drop him onto the Island of Misfit Ballplayers, take notice of the fact that he’s hit safely in three of his last four games and enjoyed his first multi-hit performance of the season. And he stole another base!

Obviously it’s tough to get excited about him right now. Those who still have him on their roster are still feeling the sting of his massively disappointing open to the year. But as I’ve said in these very same pages, the skill set is there and at some point, the pressing will stop. Paul Molitor made the mistake of batting him third that first week of the season and the youngster crumbled under the pressure. It was going to take some time to help him rebuild his confidence and the daily threat of being demoted to Triple-A obviously weighed heavily on him.

But the attention has been off for a little more than a week and he finally looks like he’s relaxing at the plate. I’m not saying he’s back to his 2016 September form here, but there is certainly a light at the end of the tunnel right now. He’s going to stay on my bench this week still – just a matter of precaution – and maybe I miss a few hits and steals, but if I was right about the kid this whole time, I’ll be reaping the benefits of standing behind him for another five months of the season.

Welcome to the majors, Mr. Bellinger. Your table is right this way

With a rash of injuries and the inability to recall Trayce Thompson this quickly, the Dodgers, much to the delight of you dynasty league prospect hounds, called up the much-hyped Cody Bellinger yesterday. Many were speculating a much later call-up and had it pegged as a replacement for the rapidly-declining Adrian Gonzalez, but here we are with waiver blood in the water and fantasy sharks gearing up for a FAAB feeding frenzy.

I certainly won’t deny this kid’s power potential as his minor league ISO numbers have been consistently fantastic. Add to it a solid walk rate and a splash of speed and you’ve got yourself the perfect target for over-anxious waiver claims. Given the way rookies are overhyped, you can expect everyone with a high waiver priority to put in a claim and if you use a FAAB bidding system, get ready for the zealots to make it rain at Club MLB.

But before you join the fray, keep in mind a few things. Number one, do you need Bellinger on your team? I’m not sure what your in-season eligibility requirements are, but right now, at least on ESPN, Bellinger only qualifies at first base. Is that an area you need to fill or are you already stocked with corner infield help? Number two, if you need outfield help, how long do you have to wait for him to be eligible? If you have to wait five games, are you even sure he’ll be up for that long? Joc Pederson is on the 10-day DL, but there’s still Scott Van Slyke and Enrique Hernandez available as well. With Thompson eligible to be recalled tomorrow, will this kid stay around if he’s not hitting? And that brings me to number three – what if he’s not hitting? A .342 average and five home runs over 77 plate appearances at Triple-A Oklahoma City looks nice on the surface, but when you consider just how hitter-friendly the Pacific Coast League is and couple that with a 28.6-percent strikeout rate, suddenly there’s a little skepticism brewing.

It’s okay to get excited about a prospect, but you need to rein in that enthusiasm sometimes and make sure you’re doing the right thing for your team. Everyone wants to be the owner who discovers the next big thing, but for every one who hits it, there are, literally, hundreds, maybe even thousands, of failures who cost fantasy owners a lot more.

Bumps & Bruises

Yesterday’s Injury Report covered most of the major stuff, but we’ve got a few injuries that cropped up after Tuesday’s games.

Felix Hernandez is heading back to Seattle for an MRI after leaving yesterday’s game with tightness in his right shoulder. Obviously this is something to monitor and it looks like, given the Mariners’ current 10-game road trip, King Felix will miss his next start.

Joining Hernandez on the plane back to Seattle is rookie upstart Mitch Haniger who is dealing with a strained oblique. Apparently, Haniger has been dealing with some tightness for a few days now and felt something more during Tuesday’s game. He’ll have tests run and we’ll see if he’s got a DL stint in his future.

Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford should be considered day-to-day after leaving Tuesday’s game with a groin injury. He apparently ran some sprints following the game so the team doesn’t consider this to be too serious, but for those in leagues with daily lineup changes, you may want to park him on the bench for today.

And finally, check in on the status of Jose Altuve who could miss today’s game if he’s still a little woozy from his collision yesterday with Teoscar Hernandez. Supposedly he passed concussion tests, but no one from the Astros would confirm anything until he was checked out this morning. Stay tuned and have a contingency plan ready.

First pitch today is 1:40pm ET so get those lineups in stat!