Baseball has given us all some incredible memories and even better, has introduced us to some truly fantastic people. One of my favorites was Chris Duncan who passed away yesterday at just 38-years-old after a long and valiant fight with brain cancer. He was quite possibly the funniest person I’ve ever heard and very clearly an even better man. With all that said, let’s get into the fantasy baseball advice for your playoff races.
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#1 An important note for streaming SPs in September
At this time of the year, most teams are returning to pitch counts. Part of the reason is that there are so many youngsters filling our rotation spots, but then you’ve got teams like the Reds who aren’t in the race so there is no sense in stretching out a 24-year-old like Tyler Mahle. He’ll toss his 85 pitches in 4.1 innings and they’ll call in the extended bullpen to ensure Mahle’s health. If you are looking for a win from a streamer, go with a veteran who is still pitching deep into games.
#2 Don’t think you can rely on any September call-ups
I love prospects. It’s kind of my thing. I begged people to pickup Yordan Alvarez when he was called up and, Fernando Tatis Jr. before him and Keston Hiura too. You all probably remember that from this weekly article. There are several excellent prospects who received a September call-up too, but that doesn’t mean they are going to play. There is a reason the club didn’t get them on the roster and into the lineup already. Kyle Tucker is soon going to be replaced by George Springer‘s return. Sean Murphy isn’t playing every day and Brusdar Graterol won’t be in the rotation.
#3 Dinelson Lamet is a budding ace
He is available in 75% of leagues, by the way. We all knew Lamet had legit stuff when he struck out 139 hitters in 114 rookie innings and that pitcher is back now that he shook off the rust after his return from injury. In his last five starts, Lamet now has 40 Ks and just 20 hits allowed in 28 innings. Good luck finding anyone who comes close to that one the waiver wire. His next start is at home against the Cubs then he skips the series in Colorado.
#4 Starlin Castro might be your answer (no, really)
Cringe, vomit, do what you need to do. Good? Ok, Starlin is playing out of his mind. Why? Because he is going to be bought out this off-season for a million bucks instead of Miami paying him 16 mil. Castro has one last stand to earn himself a payday and boy has he turned it on. Over the past month, Castro is batting .364 with 8 homers, 9 doubles and 28 RBIs. His wOBA in that time is higher than Aristides Aquino and Bryce Harper, who has also been on fire. Let your opponent laugh at you when he sees Castro in your lineup. You’ll get the last laugh.
#5 Would you rather have a full streamer or half an ace?
Competition for streaming pitchers is crazy in the playoffs, and frankly, streamers at this point in the year are going to end up hurting you more often than they help. Instead, let your opponent make that mistakes while you dominate ERA, WHIP and get just as many Ks as they do with half an ace. I’m talking, of course, about a high-powered middle reliever. His name is Yimi Garcia and he has been an absolute stud over the last five weeks with 27 Ks in 17 innings. In fact, his WHIP on the season is below 0.90 so this isn’t just a chance at lightning in a bottle. Rather, he has sustained success long enough that we can rely on him in the closing weeks.
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