Hitters

Abraham Toro (HOU); FAAB Bid: 2% - With Alex Bregman sidelined for roughly the next month, Toro will be getting regular playing time as part of one of the best lineups in baseball. The fact that he generally bats seventh or eighth doesn’t matter based on how deep Houston is as Toro will still have opportunities to produce. Since his promotion, Toro was hitting .282 in 39 at-bats entering play on Saturday with two home runs and ten RBI. Toro has had cups of coffee previously in the big leagues so the stage shouldn’t be too big and the fact that he doesn’t strike out a ton is a big factor here. In 17 games in Triple-A this season Toro hit .352 with two home runs and 11 RBI, and while that isn’t a pace he can keep up, we are working with a solid hitter here. 

Myles Straw (HOU); FAAB Bid: 3-4% - You may not know it based on the start to this article but there are teams other than the Astros in the major leagues. The fact that we can grab two members from such an explosive offense at this point in the season is a plus here, but Straw can help in a key category; stolen bases. Heading into Saturday’s double-header Straw had three stolen bases in the last 14 days and ten for the season. Over that same stretch Straw is hitting .333 which brought his batting average up to a respectable .264 on the season. He doesn’t bring much power to the table or hit the ball exceptionally hard but the speed is there and Straw can at least be serviceable otherwise. 

Alex Kirilloff (MIN); FAAB Bid: 1% - Kirilloff has always had the pedigree of being a solid hitter and the fact that he never struck out more 18.5% of the time prior to this season works in his favor. In 42 games this season he is hitting a solid .260 with six home runs and 26 RBI. Based on what we have seen from Kirilloff from a Statcast perspective, more production should follow and his .316 xBA is indicative of that. In 119 batted ball events so far this season the outfielder has a 14.3%-barrel rate along with a 47.1% hard hit rate which should drive even better results. 

Hunter Renfroe (BOS); FAAB Bid: 2% - When Boston acquired Renfroe this offseason I had high hopes for the right-handed hitting outfielder and what he could do with the left field in Fenway Park. Of course, that was under the guise that Renfroe could make contact on a consistent basis. Renfroe struggled to start the season so his availability shouldn’t come as a surprise but entering Saturday’s game he was hitting .297 with two home runs and nine RBI over the last 14 days. Overall, Renfroe has brought his batting average up to a solid .263 with nine home runs and 36 RBI and with a strikeout rate of 21.8% so things are actually going well for him in that department. We know that the power is real and it’s hard to argue with the 15.5-degree launch angle along with an 11.9%-barrel rate. 

Luis Urias (MIL); FAAB Bid: 1-2% - Sometimes you just need to fill a spot in your lineup to cover for injuries, days off, or poor performances. Urias is currently working on a nine-game hitting streak while spending most of his time batting atop the order for Milwaukee while being eligible at three of four infield positions in some leagues. Despite that, Urias is still hitting .237 on the season but with eight home runs, 32 RBI, and 31 runs scored there's some solid production here. 

Starting Pitchers

Joe Ross (WAS); FAAB Bid: 1-2% - The matchups might not be great for Ross this week as he faces the Rays and Dodgers, both at home, but he does take the mound twice. In his last three starts, the right-hander has two victories along with a 2.25 ERA and 22 strikeouts against just two walks in 20 innings. That type of strikeout volume is welcome in a week with two starts and Ross’ recent success doesn’t hurt either. Through 14 starts this season Ross has a 4.12 ERA (4.75 FIP/4.30 xFIP) along with a strikeout per inning.

Zach Davies (CHC); FAAB Bid: 1% - In his last start Davies threw six no-hit innings against the Dodgers, and in this situation, we are chasing the victory because with 49 strikeouts in 79.1 innings we aren’t getting upside there. It was the third start in his last four that Davies didn’t allow an earned run and this week he takes the mound against the Brewers in what should be another favorable matchup. The 4.65 BB/9 doesn’t lend itself to his xERA (6.18) or xFIP (5.32) but his FIP (4.60) does at least make you feel a little better. Tread carefully here but there is streaming value this week. 

Jon Gray (COL); FAAB Bid: 2-3% - The struggle when it comes to managing pitchers in Coors Field is real. So far this season it hasn’t mattered to Gray though as his 3.25 ERA at home looks a lot better than his 5.32 mark on the road. After a stint on the Injured List, the right-hander returned in a big way on Friday with five shutout innings against the Brewers with ten strikeouts. That brought Gray’s ERA down to 3.26 and he shouldn’t have any issues against the Pirates this week. While there is clear streaming value here, Gray has some value for the remainder of the season as well. 

Relief Pitchers

Amir Garrett (CIN); FAAB Bid: 5% - Entering the season it appeared that Garrett had the closer’s job in hand for the Reds but then the season started. Things haven’t been easy for the left-hander as evidenced by the 8.06 ERA he took into action on Saturday. But with Lucas Sims and Tejay Antone both on the Injured List, someone has to get saves in Cincinnati. A few days ago, we thought it might have been Brad Brach as he picked up the save, but today it was Garrett, so we have to chase here. Walking 5.64 batters per nine innings isn’t a recipe for success, but the left-hander is striking out over 11 batters per nine innings. If you are looking for a crumb of optimism, it can be found in Garrett’s 4.42 xFIP.

J.P Feyereisen (TB); FAAB Bid: 1% - It’s all about getting those vulture wins from your relief pitchers, and Feyereisen has two over the last 14 days. Whenever Tampa Bay trades for a relief pitcher it is bound to catch our attention and the right-hander is sporting a 2.06 ERA on the season along with a WHIP of 1.06 while striking out 34 battings in 35 innings. Feyereisen has four victories and three saves so far this season, but even without out that we know that Tampa Bay will use him in critical situations and there is value in the ratios and strikeouts.