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Fantasy Baseball Daily Update: 4/21/15

Luis Valbuena had a big day for the Astros Monday

Luis Valbuena had a big day for the Astros Monday

The main headlines on Monday were with the Chicago teams. Kris Bryant led the Cubs with three RBI, the White Sox had a walk-off win in the ninth by scoring four runs, and the two top prospects in Chicago, Cubs shortstop Addison Russell and White Sox pitcher Carlos Rodon, were added to MLB rosters. This is the daily update for April 21, 2015.

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Recap

Luis Valbuena powers the Astros past the Mariners
Luis Valbuena has been an unlikely source of power for the Astros this season, as he has five home runs, and was 2-for-3 with two home runs and three RBI against the Mariners. He had a home run on Sunday against the Angels as well, and had 16 home runs last year with the Cubs. He could be a cheap source of home runs with multi-positional eligibility. His .634 slugging percentage will normalize over the season, but the Astros could be good enough for Valbuena to get a good amount of RBI as well, especially if he hits second behind 2014 batting average leader Jose Altuve like he did on Monday.

Kris Bryant shows up big for the Cubs against the Pirates
Since being called up from Triple-A Iowa, Bryant has lived up to the hype, with a 1.150 OPS and four RBI in 14 at-bats. He finished 3-for-4 against the Pirates with three RBI and a double on Monday night, scoring a run as well. He also has four walks and four strikeouts this season, a positive sign for his plate discipline. The only real question for Bryant was if he would be able to handle MLB pitching and cut down his strikeouts. He appears to have worked to fix his strikeout issues, and could be a top-five 3B for fantasy purposes in 2015.

Anthony DeSclafani shuts down the wounded Brewers
Anthony DeSclafani’s rough 2014 season looks like it is behind him, as he pitched eight innings of two-hit ball against the Brewers on Monday. He has now pitched 21 innings this season, and has only allowed nine hits and two earned runs. He also has 16 strikeouts to only four walks. He had a 7.40 ERA as a starter last season in his 23 1/3 innings pitched, so this strong is a bit unexpected. It is wise to ride this hot streak for DeSclafani and also acknowledge that he has very good control and a good ground-ball rate. Jonathan Lucroy was also injured during the game, fracturing his toe, adding to the Brewers’ woes.

Padres offense explodes against Rockies
Matt Kemp had four RBI against the Rockies, and Will Venable relieved an ailing Justin Upton to hit a home run to help the Padres to a 14-3 win. Upton has a quad injury, and was removed from the game after the Padres scored nine runs in the first two innings. Even so, the Padres offense is rolling, scoring five or more runs in each of the past four games. Early returns show that Upton and Kemp were sound additions, as they each have an OPS over .950, and Yonder Alonso has responded to facing less pressure batting in the lower half of the lineup with a .930 OPS. The Padres also have a 2.81 team ERA. San Diego may have transitioned from one of the most irrelevant teams to one of the league’s most fantasy-relevant squads.

Paulo Orlando and the Royals move to 10-3
29-year-old rookie Paulo Orlando has five triples so far this season and appears to be a suitable insurance policy for the Royals while Alex Rios is on the disabled list. Edinson Volquez also pitched seven innings, allowing only one run, and the Royals now have a 3.13 team ERA. The top-five hitters in the everyday Royals’ lineup have a .300 batting average or better, and Salvador Perez, who was 2-for-3 with a run scored and RBI on Monday, has 12 RBI. The amazing thing about the Royals’ great offensive start to the season is that their most fantasy-relevant player coming into the season, Alex Gordon, only has a .656 OPS in 32 at-bats.

What to watch for

Tuesday’s slate is full, and the headline matchup is of the surprise teams atop the NL East, the Braves and Mets facing off in New York. Jon Niese will face Trevor Cahill as the Mets look to stretch their winning streak to nine games and their perfect record at home to 8-0.

Chris Zolli is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Chris, check out his archive and follow him @thezman2010.

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