by Ray Kuhn

Almost. We almost made it through a full weekend without the weather taking a game, but rain in Atlanta left the Braves and Mets as spectators yesterday. All in all, we wrapped up an exciting weekend of baseball with some quality action on Sunday. Let’s take a look at some of the performances that stood out:

1) It’s Not All About the Batting Average
At first glance, Jose Ramirez owners aren’t going to be too excited about his start to the 2017 season. After all, Ramirez is hitting just .236 on the season. That though, can be expected to change as Ramirez’s BABIP so far this year is just .136. But while he isn’t sabotaging your batting average, Ramirez has at least come through in the power department. On Sunday, the third baseman made both of his hits count as he went deep each time. So far, Ramirez is up to seven home runs on the year, to go along with just 12 RBI’s and two stolen bases, but there is reason for optimism. All is not lost with Ramirez, as there are some other good signs as well. Through 18 games, he is striking out just 5% of the time and is also coupling that with a 15% walk rate. Buy low if you still can. Read more

by Eric Stashin (aka The Rotoprofessor)

Aaron Nola delivered a gem, allowing 2 ER on 6 H and 0 BB, striking out 9, over 7.0 IP to defeat the Pirates thanks to some help from Rhys Hoskins (2-3, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 2 R).  Garrett Richards struck out 11 Giants en route to improving to 3-0 (6.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 1 BB).  Blake Snell continued to emerge, defeating Minnesota as he allowed 1 ER on 5 H and 0 BB, striking out 6, over 7.0 IP.  Marcus Semien filled the box score against Boston, going 2-3 with 1 HR, 1 RBI, 3 R and 1 SB.  Clearly it was a big day around baseball and these are just a few of the stories worth noting.  Let’s now take a look at all the rest:

1) Sean Manaea makes history against the Boston Red Sox…
Throwing a no hitter against any team is impressive, but doing it against the best team in baseball (who entered the day 17-2) is almost mind boggling.  Likely on the bench for the majority of owners, Manaea had 10 K and 2 BB as he needed just 108 pitches to complete the no-hitter.  While it made sense to be skeptical on this start, Manaea now owns a tidy 1.23 ERA and 0.60 WHIP over five starts with 30 K vs. 6 BB over 36.2 IP.  Here’s the question though, is it time to sell high and move on?  There’s no questioning the fact that he holds value, but that value may never be higher and he already entered the day with a 100.0% strand rate and .169 BABIP while he had been having some home run issues (1.30 HR/9).  Everything could come crashing down without warning, so cashing out while everyone is clamoring over him makes complete sense. Read more

by Eric Stashin (aka The Rotoprofessor)

There were numerous debuts/returns that need to be noted:

• Lourdes Gurriel made some noise in his MLB debut, going 2-5 with 3 RBI as he was playing 2B and hitting 9th
• Nolan Arenado returned from suspension to go 3-4 with 1 HR, 2 RBI and 1 R
• Drew Pomeranz struggled in his first start of the year, allowing 3 ER on 5 H and 2 BB, striking out 7, over 3.2 IP
• Jeff Samardzija came off the DL to toss 5.0 shutout innings against the Angels, allowing 2 H and 4 BB while striking out 4
• Mac Williamson made his ’18 debut going 1-4 with 1 HR, 2 RBI and 1 R
• Matt Koch was surprisingly strong, allowing 1 ER on 2 H and 2 BB, striking out 4, over 6.0 IP against the Padres

It was a step in the right direction for Chris Archer, despite a no decision, as he allowed 2 ER on 4 H and 1 BB, striking out 5, over 6.2 IP against the Twins.  Max Scherzer (6.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 3 BB, 9 K) outpitched Clayton Kershaw (7.0 IP, 4 ER, 9 H, 0 BB, 4 K) in the matchup of the night.  What else happened that we need to know about?  Let’s take a look: Read more

by Eric Stashin (aka The Rotoprofessor)

It was a big day for Manny Machado, albeit in a losing effort, as he went 3-5 with 2 HR, 4 RBI and 3 R.  Jon Lester had a lengthy break between starts, thanks to multiple rainouts, but maybe he helped to get him on track as he stymied the Cardinals over 6.0 innings allowing 1 R (0 earned) on 2 H and 1 BB, striking out 7.  Jake Arrieta dominated the Pirates, tossing 7.0 shutout innings allowing just 1 H and 2 BB, striking out 10.  What else happened on the field we need to know about?  Let’s dive into the box scores and take a look:

1) How long do we wait on Alex Cobb…
We can’t say that we’re surprised that he’s struggled, but you would’ve hoped that he could put together at least a decent outing in Detroit.  It wasn’t to be as he allowed 7 R (5 earned) on 10 H and 1 BB, striking out 4, over 3.1 IP.  The biggest blow came courtesy of Jeimer Candelario (4-4, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 R), though he was hardly alone as Cobb has now allowed 12 ER over 7.0 IP.  Home runs have been the biggest issue (3 HR allowed), which isn’t a surprise when you allow 7 groundballs vs. 18 fly balls.  He’s also managed to generate 10 swinging strikes, just a continuation of a declining strikeout rate (6.42 K/9 in ’17) and groundball rate (47.3% in ’17).  You have to think that he’s better than this, but it’s impossible to trust Cobb until he shows us a little something.  Keep him stashed on your bench if you want, and in most formats it makes sense, but he shouldn’t be in starting lineups. Read more

by Ray Kuhn

Well, Wednesday brought us another postponement due to weather; the Cardinals and Cubs in Chicago, but that didn’t mean we were without a full day of baseball action. The Twins pulled out the victory in San Juan over Cleveland in 16 innings, and after digging themselves into an early hole, we saw Oakland emerge victorious against the White Sox in the bottom of the 14th. Let’s take a look at some of the individual performances that stood out:

1) Frazier Sets the Table
With Josh Harrison sidelined, the initial thought is that Adam Frazier would be the main beneficiary of the available playing time at second base. While that remains the case, the utility man actually got the start in right field on Wednesday. Batting lead-off, which also helps his fantasy value, Frazier went 3 for 5 (all singles), while scoring twice and driving in one run. In 38 at bats, Frazier is hitting a respectable .263 with minimal power; one home run and three RBI. Frazier is really just a replacement level addition, but in some leagues that is all you are going to find, and you can certainly do worse. Read more

by Ray Kuhn

Sometimes, we take it for granted. But the beginning of this season has proven that we should appreciate every full night of baseball action we get. Despite Shohei Ohtani having to depart after two innings with a blister, last night did live up to it’s billing as an exciting night around the major leagues. Let’s take a look at some of the performances that garnered some extra attention:

1) Welcome Home, Francisco
I feel like we have to start with Francisco Lindor are there are some things that simply transcend the game; and even fantasy baseball at times. After Hurricane Maria last September, it was a big deal to be playing major league baseball in Puerto Rican, and native son Lindor made sure to leave him imprint on the game. The shortstop went deep on Tuesday with a two run shot that was his just his second home run of the season. Granted it was Lindor’s only hit of the night, and he is batting just .238 so far this season with seven RBI, but it was hard not to appreciate the emotion of the moment. Lindor won’t be this bad all season, and perhaps last night will be the springboard that gets him going. He is already on the way to doing that, as in his last seven games, Lindor is hitting .267 with both of his home runs and all seven of his RBI. Read more