Gerrit Cole continued his strong first half on Sunday
All-Star starters were named last night and have been among the most important players on fantasy teams thus far. The pitchers and reserves will be named today. This daily update for July 6, 2015 begins with one of the potential starters for the National League.
Recap
Gerrit Cole controls Indians
Cole added to his MLB-best 12 wins, pitching eight innings for the Pirates against the Indians, allowing three runs on five hits for his first win in three starts. Cole struck out five batters and walked only one, moving his K:BB ratio to 4.35 and his WHIP down to 1.11. He retired the final 16 batters of the afternoon after the third inning and allowed only one extra-base hit for the game. The Pirates ace allowed 17 hits in his last two outings of June, 11 1/3 innings, and his start on Sunday was the eighth time in 17 starts this season that Cole allowed five hits or fewer. Advanced statistics have Cole’s ERA of 2.28 near a 2.61 FIP, as he has stranded 78.8% of batters, but also has a .311 batting average on balls in play and has seen his ground ball percentage rise to 52.4%. With his hard hit ball percentage dropping from 28.9% in 2014 to 26.1% in 2015, Cole has limited damage and will likely see his batting average on balls in play drop, maintaining his status as a SP1.
Danny Salazar pitched for the Indians and struggled mightily, allowing five runs on seven hits in 4 2/3 innings for his fourth loss of the season. Salazar did have seven strikeouts for the Indians and averages 10.8 strikeouts per nine. He now has five or more strikeouts in seven of his past 10 starts.
Carlos Correa makes more history, but Hanley Ramirez leads Red Sox past Astros
Correa is one of the top hitters in baseball since being called up on June 7 and was 3-for-4 with a home run against the Red Sox on Sunday. According to Elias, Correa is the first SS to hit seven home runs in his first 25 career games in the modern era (since 1900). The 20-year-old has 16 extra-base hits, 19 RBI, 16 runs scored, and a .932 OPS this season, adding five steals as well. Fantasy owners can ask more for Correa in the way of plate discipline, as he has 23 strikeouts and four walks this season, and he has only walked once in his past 10 games. Fantasy owners knew that Correa would be a future star, but his 2015 performance, including four multi-hit games in his past seven, proves that he can be a top-25 player for the rest of the 2015 season.
Correa was the offensive star of the game, but Ramirez was the hero for the Red Sox in their 5-4 victory on Sunday. Ramirez was 1-for-3 with two runs scored and a game-winning two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh inning. He has hits in nine of his past 10 games, including four multi-hit games, and has home runs in three of his past four. The Red Sox left fielder has 18 home runs this season, but only six other extra-base hits, and leads the Red Sox with 43 RBI.
Pablo Sandoval was also a major contributor for the Red Sox, finishing 3-for-4 with a double and two runs scored. Sandoval has been a bit of a disappointment with 20 extra-base hits and a .719 OPS this season, but has three multi-hit games in his past four.
Steven Matz tames Dodgers to continue his amazing start for Mets
Matz silenced the NL West leading Los Angeles Dodgers over six shutout innings, allowing only two hits and two walks while striking out eight batters. Through two starts, Matz has allowed 12 base runners in 13 2/3 innings and has 14 strikeouts. He has won each of his first two starts by allowing only two runs. Matz is only owned in 66.9% of leagues, but his performance in the minor leagues and his first two starts signal that he should be owned in all formats. He does have a .167 batting average on balls in play over his first two starts, stranding every runner that he has left on base, but he has allowed only 21.9% hard hit balls and is a must add for any fantasy owners.
Wilmer Flores supported Matz with a 4-for-5 performance and three RBI in the 8-0 victory. Flores added two doubles and a run for the Mets and has 23 extra-base hits this season. Flores is 11-for-20 in July and is the 13th-ranked SS according to ESPN and will add eligibility at 2B as well. The 23-year-old Venezuela native has 10 home runs this season and should be on fantasy radars.
Blue Jays slug past Tigers
The Blue Jays beat the Tigers 10-5 on Sunday afternoon, scoring 10 or more runs for the 15th time of the season, adding to their MLB lead in runs scored with 460. Jose Bautista led the Blue Jays with his 17th home run of the season, finishing 1-for-3 with two runs scored, two RBI, and two walks. Bautista only has a .246 average this season, but his 65 walks and 34-extra base hits give him a .917 OPS and his 57 RBI keep him as one of the most feared players in baseball. He has more value in leagues that use OBP or OPS rather than batting average, but Bautista is still a top-20 OF in standard leagues, as he is second in the American League in RBI and sixth in runs scored with 54.
Josh Donaldson continued his stellar start to his Blue Jays career with a 2-for-5 outing with two RBI against Detroit. Donaldson has three multi-RBI games in his past five and has a .292 batting average so far in July. The 29-year-old 3B has 56 RBI and 39 extra-base hits this season, leading the American League with 62 runs scored. Donaldson’s only weak point is his lack of walks, as he has only taken free passes 28 times this season. In spite of his lack of plate discipline, he has an .879 OPS.
Devon Travis continued his strong rookie season and rebound from an injury, finishing 2-for-3 with a double and three RBI. After missing more than a month, Travis has a hit in eight of nine games since returning to the lineup with four multi-hit games. Travis is a fringe top-10 2B for the rest of the season, as he has an .853 OPS, 20 extra-base hits, and 31 RBI in 45 games this season. He is boosted by the strong Blue Jays lineup, and the 24-year-old has also scored 30 runs this season.
Mike Montgomery continues to be a sleeper for Mariners
After back-to-back complete game shutouts, Montgomery pitched 5 2/3 innings against the Athletics for his third straight victory, allowing one run on six hits. Although he allowed seven baserunners in 5 2/3 innings, Montgomery still has a .191 opponent’s batting average and 0.94 WHIP in 50 innings this season. Montgomery has left a lot to be asked for in the way of strikeouts, 5.58 strikeouts per nine, but he has limited hard hit balls, sitting at 23.8% this season. It is easy to build a fantasy team around aces like Gerrit Cole, Max Scherzer, or Chris Archer, but teams need pitchers like Mike Montgomery to stay in the fantasy playoff race. He is still only owned in 60.7% of ESPN leagues and this hot streak should see that number rise to the upper-80% range within the week. If your team needs a stable SP3 or SP4, the 26-year-old Montgomery is your man.
A low strikeout rate has Montgomery’s FIP at 3.26 even though his ERA is at 1.62. His 86.6% strand rate is also unsustainable. Montgomery has never been a dominating pitcher, 7.39 strikeouts per nine in 842 1/3 minor league innings, but his limiting of hard contact has kept his batting average on balls in play down, .221, and keeps him fantasy relevant.
What to watch for
In the limited Monday slate, the best matchup is Dallas Keuchel and Carlos Carrasco in Indians-Astros. Carrasco is fresh off of an appearance where he came one pitch away from a no-hitter and averages 10.17 strikeouts per nine this season. Keuchel should be named an All-Star today for the first time in his career and is coming off of back-to-back shutout appearances, spanning 17 innings, finishing June with a 2.53 ERA. A.J. Burnett, Jon Lester, Chris Sale, and James Shields will also pitch on Monday.
Chris Zolli is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Chris, check out his archive and follow him @thezman2010.
