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| Tuesday, April 27, 2021 |
| So Monday was interesting. First we turned back the clocks on Rich Hill and Adam Wainwright. Then we had double dongs from Cedric Mullins and Rhys Hoskins. And finally, Anthony DeSclafani might be awesome? DeSclafani hurled a complete game shutout Monday against the Rockies, allowing just three hits while striking out nine. Check to see if he's available in your league as he's just 64% rostered in CBS leagues. |
| Let's stick on the West Coast for a second to focus on the Reds' bullpen usage. Lucas Sims recorded five outs across the sixth and seventh innings, Amir Garrett blew the game in the seventh, and then Tejay Antone pitched the next three innings. I'm not sure that they would have went to Antone for the save opportunity but it was either him or Sean Doolittle, who has a 5.19 ERA. I would add Antone in category leagues where available. Even if he isn't the closer, he'll help with ratios and strikeouts. |
| Of course, you can subscribe to make sure you get the latest episodes of Fantasy Baseball Today right when they drop on Apple and Spotify. |
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| OMGG player from Monday |
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| Scott White's pick: Phillies 1B Rhys Hoskins |
| Hoskins went yard twice on Monday and that gave him his MLB-leading seventh and eighth home runs. He also now has six home runs over his last six games after launching a pair of solo shots. The raw power and talent has always been there for the 28-year-old, but could this be the season he puts it together? |
| Some things have changed already for Hoskins in 2021. For starters, Hoskins appears to have changed his approach at the plate. He is no longer walking and has a career-low 4.5% BB rate (entering Monday). Hoskins has struck out 31 times but has only walked four times. Also, his swing rate and chase rate are currently both at career highs. Normally, that might be viewed as a negative, but maybe it's a good thing with Hoskins putting the ball in play more. He has a .261 batting average with a .907 OPS so far this season. Scott is a little concerned about the lack of walks with Hoskins right now, but it's hard to not be intrigued by what we're seeing. |
| Chris Towers' pick: Orioles OF Cedric Mullins |
| Mullins went 3-for-5 and hit his second and third home runs on Monday to lead Baltimore over the Yankees in a 4-2 win. After a scorching hot start that saw him scooped up off plenty of waiver wires, Mullins went through a mid-April slump but he's back in full force again. After Monday, he's now gone 9-for-18 in his most recent four games. Chris thinks there's something here after Mullins has made the decision to ditch his switch-hitting ways and believes there's a chance he can return value in Roto leagues the rest of the way with his power/speed profile. |
| My pick: Rays SP Rich Hill |
| Is it time once again for the annual "Let's get excited about Rich Hill" talk in Fantasy? On Monday, Hill delivered six innings and allowed just two earned runs with 10 Ks and 12 whiffs on 93 pitches. The key difference? He threw his cutter on 19% of his pitchers after entering Monday having thrown it on just 6% of his pitches. Hill is rostered in just 23% of leagues and has his next two starts against the Astros and Angels. |
| Scott specifically remains skeptical of Hill's likelihood of keeping this up. |
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| More news and notes |
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| Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said OF Byron Buxton was held out of the lineup Monday due to a sore knee stemming from lingering patellar tendinitis. This is not what you want to hear, as tendinitis can tend to linger for some time. There was a report earlier in the day that the Brewers have optimism OF Christian Yelich will be able to return to game action before the week is over. Then, later, there was a later report that he has done zero baseball activities yet. The optimism isn't warranted just yet. Braves SP Max Fried, on the IL with a hamstring strain, threw live batting practice Monday and could be back as soon as next week. Royals C Salvador Perez was removed in the bottom of the sixth inning Monday against the Tigers after jamming his thumb earlier in the game. Angels OF Mike Trout, Astros 2B Jose Altuve, Angels 3B Anthony Rendon and Dodgers 2B Gavin Lux were all back for their respective teams on Monday, so you can safely place them back in your lineups -- with the exception of Lux, who should only be in your starting lineup in deeper formats. Astros SP Jake Odorizzi was placed on the 10-day IL with a right pronator muscle strain. Dodgers RP David Price was placed on the 10-day IL with a hamstring strain. Mariners SP Nick Margevicius was placed on the injured list with left shoulder inflammation. Before I get too excited for Logan Gilbert again, the team already said Ljay Newsome will join the rotation. OF Leody Taveras was optioned to the Rangers' alternate training site OF Odubel Herrera was recalled by the Phillies and starting in left field Monday Marlins OF Starling Marte is still feeling discomfort in his fractured rib and remains without a timetable to return to activity. The Twins reinstated SS Andrelton Simmons from the COVID IL. The A's reinstated SP Mike Fiers from the 10-day IL. He'll work out of the bullpen initially. Cardinals C Yadier Molina was back in the lineup Monday, batting fifth. Giants OF Mike Yastrzemski was out of the lineup with that oblique injury. |
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| Would you rather? |
| Cubs 3B/OF Kris Bryant or Mets OF Michael Conforto? |
| Bryant hit a grand slam off Charlie Morton Monday for his sixth home run and is hitting the ball much harder than he has in years past -- he's currently OF10. On the flip side, Conforto is batting .214 with a .339 slugging percentage (.267xBA/.464 xSLG) after hitting .322 with a .515 slugging percentage last year. His 53% GB rate this season is considerably higher than his career-high of 43%. |
| Both Scott and Chris are choosing Bryant. |
| Indians SP Zach Plesac or Dodgers SP Dustin May? |
| Plesac had one of his better starts on Monday with the following stat line: 7.2 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 4 K with 11 whiffs on 93 pitches. He threw his slider more than any other pitch (35%). On the flip side, May has a 2.53 ERA with a 1.67 xFIP and a 2.67 xERA. He also has a 13.5 K/9, 2.1 BB/9, 57% GB rate and 14% SwStr rate. |
| Scott is going with Plesac because Monday's start was a great example of how efficient he can be with his pitches and he's still worried about May's long-term innings cap. Chris already moved May ahead of Plesac after their second starts and he's confident in taking his chances with May. I lean with Chris on this one so there's your tiebreaker! |
| Marlins SP Trevor Rogers or Cubs SP Kyle Hendricks? |
| Rogers now has a 1.29 ERA and 1.00 WHIP on the season. In his last two starts he's thrown 13 shutout innings with 15 Ks to one walk. On the flip side, Hendricks has struggled mightily this season this far with a 5.68 ERA and 3.8 BB/9. His BB/9 rate has never been higher than 2.6. |
| Chris still has Hendricks ranked higher than Rogers and would prefer him. Scott is in lock step with Chris here. The winner is Hendricks. |
| Marlins 2B Jazz Chisholm or Brewers 2B Keston Hiura? |
| Chisholm went 2-for-4 with a double and two steals on Monday. He now has four home runs and six stolen bases on the season. He has led off for the Marlins six straight games. However, the strikeouts are starting to pile up a bit and he's now up to 32% K. On the flip side, Hiura continues to struggle after coming into the season as a mid-round target for some. He went 1-for-4 with three more strikeouts on Monday. He now has a .152 batting average and 39% strikeout rate on the season. |
| Scott is ready to turn the page on Hiura and he's rolling with Jazz here. Chris agrees and is considering moving Jazz all the way up to his seventh-ranked 2B. He continues to show really strong skills on batted balls, from his barrel rate to his exit velocity. |
| To stream or not to stream (for Tuesday) |
| Those pitchers in bold are the top-three pitchers we would look to stream. |
| Royals SP Jake Junis at PIT Pirates SP Tyler Anderson vs. KC Brewers SP Adrian Houser vs. MIA Rays SP Michael Wacha vs. OAK Angeles SP Jose Quintana at TEX Giants SP Aaron Sanchez vs. COL |
| To stream or not to stream (for Wednesday) |
| *Note: Chris likes Cobb, Minor and Weathers as well. I'm with Chris that Minor vs. the Pirates is one of my favorites. If they're available in your leagues, grab one to stream! |
| Braves SP Huascar Ynoa vs. CHC Padres SP Ryan Weathers at ARI Royals SP Mike Minor at PIT Giants SP Alex Wood vs. COL Angels SP Alex Cobb at TEX Yankees SP Domingo German at BAL |
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