by Ray Kuhn

Just because there was a reduced schedule of games, although we did have a double-header in Chicago start two hours than normal to mess everyone up, we had yet another busy night of action around baseball. At this point in the season, either you are invested in every pitch as you compete for a fantasy title, or you are busy watching pre-season football. Even if you fall into the latter camp, you still should at least be abreast of what is going on, as it could shape the 2018 season. Let’s take a look at some of the performances that stood out from Monday’s action:

1) Is Rodon Becoming an Asset…

Carlos Rodon was one of the pitchers we looked at over the weekend as he was making two starts this week, and his first came last night against the Twins. The southpaw didn’t disappoint as he picked up his second victory of the season while allowing two runs in 6.1 innings of work. Rodon kept the base runners to a minimum, four hits and three walks, as he struck out nine batters and lowered his ERA to 3.88. That now gives Rodon 68 strikeouts in 60.1 innings, and while his WHIP is 1.36, Rodon’s xFIP is 3.79, so you could argue that his ERA is right where it should be. However, the 55 hits Rodon has allowed so far this season is something he will need to improve upon, although so far in August it is down to 24 hits in 29.1 innings. Read more

by Eric Stashin (aka The Rotoprofessor)

Are you someone constantly on the lookout for the next potential closer? That’s what we are trying to pinpoint here, with our Top 5 Closer In Waiting Power Rankings. These rankings look at the pitchers who appear capable of taking over their team’s respective closing duties (though in some cases, will need some help to get there). Keep in mind, if a pitcher is currently part of a committee they will not be included in these rankings despite not currently “holding” the job outright.

Without further ado, let’s take a look at how things stand (the number in parenthesis is their ranking from our last update, which came on June 26): Read more

by Ray Kuhn

What is better than a full night of baseball? The answer, obviously, is not too many things as we had all 30 teams in action last night. It made for an exciting nigh, well unless your team didn’t perform too well, as there was something for everyone. Let’s take a look at some of the performances that stood out:

1) An Unlikely Hero…

Did you really think we weren’t going to start with Scooter Gennett? Despite the fact that he doesn’t have much of a fantasy pedigree, it is very likely he made someone a lot of money last night in DFS. As crazy as it may seem on the surface, Gennett had the platoon advantage last night in a hitters park against Adam Wainwright, and he was batting fifth in the order. One home run would have been expected, but four? That is just unreal. While we know this was clearly an isolated incident, this isn’t a situation fantasy owners should ignore either. Gennett left the park four times on Monday, which gives him seven home runs on the season, and thanks to the fact that one of those was a grand slam, he drove in 10 runs which brought his RBI total to 30. The utility player also added a single for good measure as he saw his average go from .270 to .302. Gennett is a solid player with a little track record and some pop, and it appears Cincinnati is going to deploy him all across the diamond, so in deeper leagues there is a little value. But overall, just enjoy the performance. Read more

by Eric Stashin (aka The Rotoprofessor)

As fantasy baseball owners we should always be looking for an opportunity to buy low.  Whether it’s a player who has gotten off to a slow start or has recently been placed on the disabled list (or maybe it’s a combination of the two), trying to find the player you can acquire at a fraction of the cost will be key to any long-term success.

Which players currently represent that type of opportunity?  Let’s take a look at a few hitters who we highly recommend targeting if the price is right (all statistics are through Wednesday): Read more

by Eric Stashin (aka The Rotoprofessor)

After learning of the loss of Freddie Freeman the Braves moved quickly, acquiring Matt Adams from the St. Louis Cardinals to help plug the hole.  Once thought of as one of the potentially premier power prospects in the game, Adams stock has plummeted in recent seasons.  The question is if all he needed was a fresh start, something he’s surely to get now as he should play nearly every day (with one potential exception).

Adams did show a bit more power last season, hitting 16 HR over 297 AB (as well as adding 18 doubles).  His fly ball rate was up, which is definitely notable:

• 2015 – 38.8%
• 2016 – 48.4%
• 2017 – 45.5%

Read more

by Ray Kuhn

It took a few seasons of being a utility player, but Eduardo Nunez finally got a chance to show what he could do last season. Nunez saw a substantial increase to his at bats, 553 between his time in Minnesota and San Francisco, and there were results to match.

But can we expect a repeat from in Nunez in 2017, and where should we draft him?

Without jumping too far ahead to the ending, I would not draft Nunez at his current ADP of 119. That makes him the seventh highest shortstop being selected and the 14th ranked third baseman. There is an obvious reason why Nunez is being selected at his current price, 40 stolen bases last season, and that part of his game will continue to be an asset in 2017, but it’s not enough to justify an eighth round selection. Read more