With the season almost halfway done, it is important to look at some important storylines and aspects this week to be ahead of the curve and gain an edge on your league mates.
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Schedule Notes
The following team has just five games this week:
- Colorado Rockies at HOU, at SF
The following teams have seven games this week:
- Baltimore Orioles at NYY, at MIN
- New York Yankees vs BAL, vs CHC
- Cleveland Guardians vs ATL, vs KC
- Kansas City Royals at MIN, at CLE
- Houston Astros at TEX, vs COL, vs SEA
- Seattle Mariners at SF, at HOU
- Texas Rangers vs HOU, at BOS, at WAS
- Miami Marlins vs STL, vs PHI
- Washington Nationals vs CIN, vs TEX
- Chicago Cubs at MIL, at NYY
- Cincinnati Reds at WAS, at MIL
- Milwaukee Brewers vs CHC, vs CIN
- Pittsburgh Pirates at LAD, at ARI
- St. Louis Cardinals at MIA, at CHW
Aroldis Chapman To The Rangers
I think we all knew that Aroldis Chapman would be traded at some point, so it was no surprise that he was traded to the Rangers last week. The question becomes: what is his role? It seems likely that he is the seventh or eighth-inning guy for right now, but he could work himself into a closer role if Will Smith struggles at some point.
Hug Watch
With Chapman getting traded, does this open the floodgates for other teams to start making moves? The Royals, A’s, and Nationals have all been rumored to be interested in moving veteran talent, but the Rockies, Mets, and Cardinals could look to do that soon as well.
Pitching Prospects Disappearing Act
Reports are that the Marlins could demote top pitching prospect Eury Perez this week in order to limit his workload so they could potentially have him for a playoff race. Other pitching prospects could suffer the same fate as we saw from the Pirates with Roansy Contreras last season.
E-Rod Returning
Eduardo Rodriguez is expected to make his return from the IL sooner than initially expected. He has looked great in his rehab stints and is lined up for a Wednesday start versus the A’s. He is a must pick up where he might have been dropped.
Dodging the Ninth
The Dodgers have used a rotation for their closer role so far this season, but now Daniel Hudson is back from the IL and looked good in his first outing back. Watching to see his usage could be a sneaky clue into whether they will continue the committee or give him the job in the ninth.
Oscar the Grouch
Oscar Colas has been hot in the minors. He is hitting .394 with six home runs in his last eight games. The White Sox need a spark, and Colas could be providing that very soon.
All-Star Dropouts
Now that the All-Star Selections have been announced, we will see who will drop out over the next week. The selection process already sucks for the most part, and when we see a bunch of players pass on the opportunity, it makes it even worse. I already go camping, so I am not tempted to watch it anymore. I suggest you do the same.
Ferminator
Freddy Fermin has been fantastic, hitting .284/.341/.494 with four home runs in 89 plate appearances this season. If you are wondering who that is, don’t feel bad, I was sure he was a made-up player at one point as well. The Kansas City catcher has a hard road to get more playing time with Sal Perez in front of him, but he is a viable C2 that could be more if Perez starts DHing more.
Boomerang Turang
Brice Turang has returned from the Minor Leagues, where he was hitting .298 with three home runs and two stolen bases in 15 games. Turang is a defense-first type of player that has very good speed and enough pop to play. The question lies in whether the Brewers will play him enough to show that he could be a very good Major League talent.
Do We Like Mike?
Mike Soroka returned from the minors and had a decent first start back in the Majors this week. I have loved Soroka in the past, but he needs volume to be a valuable start for fantasy teams. This is a nice matchup this week against the Guardians, but we need to see him go deep in the game to consider keeping him on rosters.
The Fourth Manning Brother
Matt Manning has returned from the IL and looked good in his first start back. Manning is a former top pitching prospect that has shown flashes of his talent but has struggled more than not. He has a rotation spot when healthy, but we need to see him improve his consistency if we want him to be on our rosters.
13-15. Streaming Options
Tarik Skubal vs OAK
If you are looking for wins, look elsewhere, which is why I did not have him as a two-start recommendation. However, he could still load up on some strikeouts even if he only throws 75 pitches, which is what I would expect.
Ronel Blanco vs. COL
I know he has been shaky lately, but I love to attack Colorado hitters in their first series on the road.
Kyle Bradish at NYY
Bradish has been fantastic recently and is still not respected enough in the fantasy game. The Yankees were one of the worst offenses in baseball in June. It is a nice combination to bet on.
16-20. Two Start Recommendations
Bryan Woo at SF, at HOU
Woo has some tough matchups this week, but he has looked great since his debut, where he struggled. There is some risk with his profile because I don’t love his control or command, but I am riding with him until there is a bump, and then I will reexamine.
Gavin Williams vs ATL, vs KC
Williams was fantastic in his second start, which saved his rotation spot and sent Logan Allen to the minors. Now he gets one of the worst teams in baseball in the Royals and one of the best in the Braves. The Royals are just too good to pass up.
Clarke Schmidt vs BAL, vs CHC
Schmidt has been great recently and has some pretty nice starts here versus a Cubs team that has struggled over the last two months and a Baltimore team that is good but not great.
Brayan Bello vs TEX, vs OAK
Bello has been looking like a legit ace and could be a top-40 pitcher rest of the season. The Rangers are one of the toughest matchups in baseball, but the A’s are the best team to pick on for a streamer.
J.P. France vs COL, vs SEA
France gets the Rockies in their first game on a road trip, and I would start almost anyone in that scenario and a Mariners team that has been struggling offensively in the first half.
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