With a couple of injuries in recent days in the New York infield, the Mets decided to call up Brett Baty, one of its top prospects. Baty has big time raw power, and the hope is that it will continue to develop as he gets more seasoned. Well, it only took him one at-bat to hit that first home run of his career, and he could be a priority fantasy baseball waiver wire pickup moving forward. Shohei Ohtani notched a four-hit game as he looks to strengthen his AL MVP resume, and Framber Valdez notched his 20th straight quality start. Carlos Rodón continues to be unhittable at home, and Jordan Montgomery continues to make the Yankees regret dealing him at the MLB trade deadline. We’ll touch on a couple of injuries, and then look ahead to Thursday, where I’ll give you my best bet of the day, as well as a player with insane BvP data that you can use with some MLB player props this evening.

 

 

 

Fantasy Baseball MLB News & Notes

Brett Baty Homers in MLB Debut

Baty has exceptional raw power, as seen by his 70 grade, and he flashed it last night, hitting his first home run of his Major League career. The power hadn’t quite translated in games prior to this year, when he swatted 19 home runs with a .544 slugging percentage in 89 games at Triple-A. From a fantasy perspective, the power is intriguing, and the path to regular playing time is open at third base with Eduardo Escobar hitting the injured list. Baty is a player that needs to be rostered, because the raw power is immense, and if he can translate it into the games on a regular basis, watch out, folks!

Also in this contest, Starling Marte went 3-for-5 with two home runs, and Francisco Lindor also homered.


Shohei Ohtani History Update

There are few players that can make history every time they take the field, but Ohtani is one of them. Ohtani is the only player in AL or NL history to make at least 20 starts on the mound and hit five triples at the plate in the same season. He’s done it twice (2021, 2022). Furthermore, there’s this:

Ohtani is heating up, and it’s a problem for opposing pitchers. During his five-game hit streak, he’s hitting .526 with a 1.053 slugging percentage, and if we go back to his last 13 games, he’s slashing .353/.414/.725 with five home runs, eight runs scored, 10 RBI, and two triples. What can’t this guy do!?

 

More Organizational Changes in Texas

First it was Chris Woodward, and then it was Jon Daniels, the now former president of baseball operations. It’s been a disappointing year to say the least in Texas. Despite being just 13 games under .500, therein lies the problem, as the team went on an absolute spending spree this offseason, signing high-profile free agents Corey Seager and Marcus Semien, and adding Jon Gray to headline the team’s rotation. If you ask me, the next logical step is to promote Josh Jung, who literally will not stop hitting in the minors!

 

 

 

Carlos Rodón is Unhittable at Home

Rodon is a cheat code when pitching at home, or at least that is what it feels like! He allowed just one earned run while striking out 11 Diamondbacks last night, dropping his ERA to 2.89 on the season. The star southpaw has not allowed more than two earned runs in a home start this season, and for the 2022 season in his home park, he’s 6-1 with a 1.86 ERA, 13.0 K/9, 35.7 percent strikeout rate, and .208 BAA. Arizona couldn’t handle Rodon yesterday, and despite his velocity being down a bit across the board, his four-seamer and slider still posted a whiff rate of 38 percent and 47 percent respectively.

I’m not saying this is something, but I’m also not saying that it’s nothing. Just keep this in mind (fastball velocity):

 

Jordan Montgomery Excellent Again for the Cardinals

Starting pitching is everything in this league, and with the injuries that St. Louis has dealt with on the bump, Montgomery has been a breath of fresh air for the Cardinals. He’s won all three of his starts with the team, posting a 0.54 ERA, 9.18 K/9 and a 17:3 K/BB ratio across 16.2 innings of work. His changeup generated a 55 percent whiff rate yesterday, and since coming to St. Louis, they have brought back his four-seamer usage, whereas with his prior team, he primarily relied on his sinker.

I bet the Yankees would love to have a guy like Montgomery in its rotation. Too soon?


Framber Valdez Logs Another Quality Start

Valdez just continues to get it done, there’s not much else to be said. He has a quality start in all but two starts this season, and during this impressive streak, Valdez has a 2.53 ERA (3.14 FIP), 8.13 K/9, 2.80 BB/9, and 0.47 HR/9. Valdez is a ground ball machine, which certainly helps limit damage against him, and his 67.6 percent ground ball rate on the season leads all qualified starters in baseball. For a frame of comparison, Logan Webb is the next closest at 58.2 percent.

 

MLB and Fantasy Baseball Injury Updates

  • Tyler Mahle is dealing with shoulder fatigue, but an upcoming MRI should reveal additional information and provide more clarity on his timeline for return to the mound.
  • Clay Holmes lands on the injured list with back spasms. Holmes has a 10.24 REA and 9.31 BB/9 over his last 11 appearances prior to landing on the injured list.
  • Joey Votto’s 2022 season will come to an end due to undergoing surgery to repair a torn left rotator cuff, which he claims has bothered him for the past seven seasons.
  • Eduardo Escobar will head to the injured list for left side tightness, opening the door to a regular role for top prospect Brett Baty.

 

Thursday’s Best Bet

San Diego Padres OVER 5.5 Runs (+105 Bet MGM)

If you want to play it safer, you can go for over 4.5 runs, but I want that plus sign, so give me the over on 5.5 runs. Manny Machado is 9-for-19 with five home runs against Aníbal Sánchez for his career, and as a team, the Padres have the fifth-highest batting average, fifth-highest OPS, fourth-highest wRC+, and 10th-highest ISO against right-handed pitching over the last two weeks. Sanchez has a 7.20 ERA on the year, and has allowed a 3.00 HR/9 through six starts. Yikes. On the road, he has a 6.30 ERA, .413 wOBA against him, and 1.70 WHIP. The Padres are going to get to him early and often tonight.

 

 

 


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