Fantasy Baseball Today - 04/27 Fantasy Baseball Podcast: Adds and Drops, Week 6 Help

Episode Date: April 27, 2018

We start the show with our favorite two-start pitcher for the upcoming scoring period (1:20). Could that be Kyle Gibson? Then it's on to Thursday's standouts which include the awesome Michael Fulmer (7:00), the sell high candidate Chase Anderson and the terrible Dylan Bundy (12:45). We'll tell you why pitch selection matters with these guys ... Bullpen updates (18:00) as we wonder about Fernando Rodney's job security, a look at the Most Added list (24:40) which includes some young 3B options, and some listener questions (32:43) including inquiries about Ronald Acuna's short term and long term value, Chris Archer's struggles (37:20) and Jorge Soler ... Players to add (44:20), players to drop (47:50), yesterday's SP performances (52:00) and two-start pitchers for Week 6 (55:28) ... Your emails at [e-mail] To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If you are an alien from outer space and you never watch the baseball game until yesterday, you probably think Kyle Gibson is the best pitcher in the history of the game. We will talk about that. And more players that you might want to add or will tell you if you should avoid them. And am I going to win the bet? Is Fernando Roddy going to lose that closer's role before June 1st? Welcome to the Friday edition of fantasy baseball today. It is April 27th.

Let's talk about the NFL draft for 10 minutes. What do you think? Over under? 10 minutes. No. Okay. Good idea. Not 10. Under.

You know who's an alien from outer space? Who? The Foo Fighters. Why? That's where the name comes from. Oh, yeah, that's right. It is about UFOs. I will ask Chris about the Food Fighters concert and really just ridicule him for not going in a little bit.

But there will be no football talk. You can listen to the Fantasy Football Today podcast. We will be breaking down the first round of the draft later on today. I'm going to ask you guys, Scott and Chris, give me one to start pitcher. that you want to pick up for, I have a tough time calling at this, but week six next week. Realistically none. I can't imagine dropping a player I like in the hope of squeezing an extra start

out of one of the guys who would be available here. It's a bad selection. My favorites that I'm going to talk about in the week six preview video, I'm going to shoot after this podcast, are Jake Ferrea. and Matthew Boyd, here's the thing. Both were supposed to be two start pitchers last week, and the reason they weren't was weather stuff. And I feel like that's an underrated part of this discussion,

especially with all the weather issues we've been having this season. Like, when you're talking about really fringy pitchers like that and you're picking them up solely for the second start, and they don't make that second start, it's really bad. Yeah, but May showers. We're almost done with April showers. May flowers. I don't know.

That's a good point. All right, so you said Jake Faria and Matt Boyd, but you really said don't reach for two-star pitchers. Chris, do you share this opinion? Let's talk about a guy who has a 365 ERA over his last 103 innings with 100 strikeouts. and just walked into a little place called Yankee Stadium. Ever heard of it? Oh, I've heard of it.

Had 19 swinging strikes and 10 strikeouts against the Yankees. You ever heard of them? I think I've heard of them. Kyle Gibson, you ever heard of him? Best pitcher in baseball. Probably, you've probably heard of him, but you probably don't think he's very good. But since the second half of last season, he has been very good. are pretty good.

I don't want to oversaw the cake. That take petered out. But he has two starts next week versus Toronto and at the Chicago White Sox. I think Kyle Gibson is a worthwhile player to add onto your fantasy roster. Okay, yeah. I mean, I was looking last year at the game log. He had a five-star stretch in late August and into September with a four. 4-0 record in a 130-80-R-A, three walks in 32-and-two-thirds, only 26 strikeouts.

He was pitching really well, Kyle Gibson. Then his final three starts, he gave up 11 earn runs over 16 and 2-thirds. He had three bad starts. So I don't know that anybody's going to use the word trust with Kyle Gibson, but Chris is at least interested in Gibson's two starts, which, again, are Toronto at home and at the White Sox. I have to say, and maybe this is just years of me knowing to – to ignore Kyle Gibson.

Like a guy who, when he first got called up, was a pretty exciting prospect. But, you know, so was Jeremy Hellickson once upon a time. Three of his five starts this year, 15 plus swinging strikes for Kyle Gibson. And I would say the second half numbers for him last year that Chris was referring to weren't so different from what we saw from like a Jake Faria last year.

So maybe there is a little more. here than meets the eye. He's like a transformer. He's been transformed into something usable. Okay, usable. Well, we'll keep an eye on Kyle Gibson. He is 26% owned. Let's talk about Thursday standouts,

and this time I'll actually let you guys give standouts that is hogging the segment like I did yesterday. But I want to talk about Matt Cook. He's 8% owned. And Matt Cook looks like through two starts, he's a ground ball guy. I don't know if that's what he really is. But this is the guy who's replacing Taiwan Walker

in the Diamondback. rotation. He will be pitching with a humidor for half his starts. And Matt Cook is 8% own. I just, I want to find guys in those deep leagues that maybe they should be like 30% own. I'm not saying add Matt Cook everywhere, but should we add Matt Cook in some leagues, 8% owned? In case anybody wants to add him, it's K-O-C-H. Yes. That's how Cook is spelled. I guess if you're going to frame it that way, does he deserve to be owned in like an NL-only league? Yeah. I don't think he's very good. You don't? No. No, he is pitched to contact all the way.

And that rarely sustains itself in the modern era. Well, then who stood out to you guys yesterday? Because I had Kyle Gibson and Matt Cook. And, yeah, I just want to preview what's coming up on the show. I'm going to ask you guys some players that you might want to add, Domingo Santana, Oduble Herrera. Really? Did you just do that? What? And you didn't sing it?

And it's Cocoa Friday. Wow. Yeah. Santana. We definitely going to talk about pool pets. We're going to do some Ronald Ocuna trade talk and other trade talk. We're going to do rankings risers and rankings fallers. You know, players that might be okay to drop.

Would you drop Justin Smoker? Jake Junis, if there's somebody you really want. We'll get to all that. A little section specifically for Carlos Santana. And there was a lot from yesterday. And, of course, we'll take a look ahead to Week 15, which, begins next week or six or something like that. Anyway, who's it out to you guys?

Let's... Michael Fulmer. He worked on in spring training and in the offseason on his slider. That was a storyline that we were following. Scott, and the intent was to throw a slider that is more conducive to inducing swings and misses, correct? that was the impetus for his changes? You know, I'm not, I guess so.

I mean, obviously he thought it would be better than, it was going to be a slower, more traditional slider because he was kind of throwing the war than slugher pre-stead. And that's what it has been. His average velocity is down about three miles per hour. On that slider, and perhaps most importantly, his swinging strike rate is up to 19.4% with that pitch. That gives him, right now,

three pitches with an above-average whiff rate. His four-seem fastball is getting a lot of wiffs for a four-seem fastball, and his curveball is also getting a decent amount of wifts. And, you know, the knock on Michael Fulmer coming into this season was the elbow concerns, but also the lack of strikeouts, and that was certainly the case. There were his first few starts, but got nine of them yesterday, 10, 10 strikeouts yesterday. Swinging strike rate is way up 11.4% overall. 24 swinging strike.

Yeah, I mean, that's the thing, but you look at the overall, you look at the overall numbers for Fulmer. He still has 22 strikeouts and 29 and a third. So this start definitely helped his swinging strike rate. Given that this is the, we're seeing the development of a different pitch, it's possible that it took like five starts to click. I'm not saying it's definitely that, But I think it's worth considering the possibility.

Yeah, I agree. It's worth, like, I'm not, I'm not banking on him being this big strikeout pitcher all of a sudden. But we always, it was always a curiosity. Why is this stuff so good and doesn't get more swings and misses? And in addition to the slider, which was responsible for the majority of the swinging strikes, he also talked about how he used his fastball differently in this game. Keeping the two seamer low in the strike zone going up high with the four. Warseamer, and that disparity gave hitters, made it tough on hitters.

Yeah. Okay. So, you know, Fulmer is very interesting because I kind of felt like if he wasn't going to strike guys out, that maybe he's, maybe he's somebody that's borderline dropable. Yeah. He's obviously pitching well, but he didn't pitch that well last year. But yeah, okay, great star for Fulmer. And you know what? I'm going to skip ahead to the rotation.

It's an eight-man rotation today based on who pitched yesterday. top three in this rotation are Sale, Carlos Martinez, and Paxton. We can talk about them later. They all, well, Paxton and Sale are kind of interesting in their own ways. But anyway, the next five, I want you to rank right now. And they are Dylan Bundy, Chase Anderson, Kyle Hendricks, Michael Fulmer, and Mike Clevenger. So Bundy, Anderson, Hendricks, Fulmer, Clevenger. think about it for a moment

and then tell me how you'd rank them I'd rank them Bundy Hendricks I think the rest are slippery enough that I'd go ahead and move Fulmer to the front of that group I'll go to Flammer Bundy Hendricks Fulmer

Clevenger who hasn't been getting swings and misses like he did last year his strikeout rate is way down and then rounding it out is Chase Anderson. Yes, and Anderson throws seven innings against the Cubs at the Cubs, gives up one run, but only two strikeouts, and he has...

Actually, it's kind of funny. Anderson, well, no, he's got the worst strikeout rate, 23 strikeouts and 34 and 2 thirds, but... Fulmer's actually worse. Is it really? How is that possible? Oh, no, sorry. Come on, silly man.

I was looking at Hendricks's. No, everybody, Anderson's the worst, but Hendricks, Fulmer, and Clevenger, have fairly similar strikeout and inning totals right now. So Scott goes Bundy Hendricks, which is also the way Chris would have it, right? Bundy Hendricks? Yes. Then Scott goes Fulmer 3, Clevenger 4.

Chris goes Clevenger 3, Fulmer 4, and Chase Anderson is at the back of this list at number 5. Do you think Chase Anderson should be owned 95% of leagues, or would you be okay cutting him loose? He does have a 286 CRA. That's pretty good. Yeah, I feel like he's flirting with disaster here. I am straight up worried about him, and he's the only one of this group that I can say that about. Three of his six starts have been three strikeouts or fewer.

The velocity is back to normal after a big jump last year, transformed him as a pitcher. And I feel like he's had a lot of good luck so far. So I don't know that I'd go as far as to drop him right away because pitching is reliable pitching is scarce, but I do not have the vice grip on him. It has been a disappointing start for Chase Anderson, despite the 286 ERA. So I'm hearing sell high. That's what I'm hearing. If you could, yeah.

I think you can. Absolutely, I think you can't. Because he had a really good year last year. People might not be aware that the velocity is down. And that was a huge key for him, as Scott mentioned. So we're thinking sell high on Chase Anderson. All right, Scott, wait, did you give a standout? No, we got Fulmer from Chris.

Well, I actually was going to talk about Dylan Bundy, so this is a good – I want to talk about him here. Obviously, this was a disaster start after a very strong beginning of the season. And wouldn't you know, it's because he wasn't throwing his best pitch is slider-cutter hybrid. The key to everything, as often, he was throwing it consistently 25% of the time, those first few starts, and it was down to 18.6% of the time. And if you followed the Dylan Bundy, the Dylan Bundy saga the last couple of years, you know what happened to him last. year featuring the slider prominently early in the season going well, abandons it, well doesn't abandon it, but doesn't feature it nearly as much in the middle

portion of the season, it's disastrous, then goes back to it late in the year and is the best we've ever seen. So is that happening again? I obviously can't rule it out, but the way he described this start was it sounded like he got, he was kind of getting there was some like dinking and dunking off and then the early portion of the game just giving up hits in a way he's not used to

and so he started to try different things he said he went to his curveball more in this start just to try something and yeah I mean the data backs up what he's saying there problem is the curveball isn't good so things unraveled from there I hope he just goes back to what he was doing after this start

and doesn't have the misfortune early in the start to try tinkering with things again. Scott has Dylan Bundy, speaking of rankings risers as his number 26 starting pitcher, and you're not going to drop him after last night. Drop me in the rankings, not drop him off your team. Right? Dylan Bundy? Oh, yeah. I'm going to keep him where he is.

All right then. Some news and notes for you. Danny Farquhar making progress as he recovers from a brain hemorrhage, one of the scariest things that we've seen in baseball in a long time. I was watching the Cardinals Mets game, and Matt Carpenter just cannot throw. And I did tweet, hey, is this normal for Matt Carpenter? Because, you know, the Cardinals fans would know better than I would. And one person said yes, and it's even worse when he has a back issue or something.

But I don't know. This looks like, it looked like Josh Donaldson at the beginning of the year. And now Donaldson's on the deal with a shoulder injury. I'm not saying that's going to happen. but Matt Carpenter is not throwing the ball very well at all at third base, and the team's so bad on defense. I don't know. Do you make anything of that or just whatever?

I don't make much of it, no. Okay. I think they're pretty set on who they want their hitters to be. There's just some access there that they're going to play with. By the way, I was having a hard time choosing my words with the Bundy thing because it wasn't exactly dinking and dunking. He gave up a home run in the first two winnings, But my point was they got off to a hot start against him offensively,

and so he tried to change what he does. Okay. Carpenter is now batting leadoff, by the way, so that's, I guess, good for fantasy. Chris Bryant's still day-to-day. And I'm just going to bring this up. Not actionable, as we like to say. But it seems like they're waiting for Bryant to feel comfortable getting back in the batters box because he got hit in the face.

And didn't that sort of derail John Carlos Stanton for a while? Perhaps. Um, no. No. The season after he got hit, he, um, well, because he didn't play the rest of that season. But the season after was the best we'd seen of him until last year. I think it was the following, he broke his hand the following year. Okay. All right. And the lingering effects from that were what caused him to struggle in 2017. All right. So get well soon, Chris, Brian.

Get back in the line up, 2016, sure. Tampa Bay third baseman Tim Beckham out at least six weeks after core muscle surgery. I mentioned this yesterday, but Danny Valencia, if you're in a L-only league, he has been starting, and he homered yesterday. Mark Trumbo could be back Tuesday. Eugenio Suarez is off the DL. That was quick. Jose Abrae who sat with the flu. Stephen Mats expected to stay in the Mets rotation.

Andrew Miller is on the DL. Apparently most of the Indians fans who were in attendance last night, booed when the the Brown selected Baker Mayfield, and it was announced at the ballpark. So that's interesting. I don't know what's that all, but that's all about. And guys, Jung Ho Gong of the Pittsburgh Pirates, got a work visa, got a visa, and he will rejoin the pirates in a few days. This is a third baseman with serious power.

He hit 21 home runs in 103 games in 2016 with an 867 OPS. Is there a reason to pick up Jung Ho Gong? It'd have to be it deeply because you've got to figure there's going to be a lot of time spent just getting ready to playing games again. And it's not clear that we'll be an opening for him once he is ready to play in games again. So I don't expect to see him until after the All-Star break. It's maybe in an Inel Lonely League, it's worth stashing away if you have roster spots to play with. But beyond that, I'm not especially excited. All right, he is not gung-ho for jung-ho.

go to the bullpen. Fernando Rodney blew his third save in a row. And, you know, it wasn't entirely his fault. It wasn't, actually. There was an error. And then there was an infield single. And then it's not his fault that Gary Sanchez is amazing and hit a home run off of him. But nevertheless.

You can't blame him. He faced an amazing hitter, right? That's how we're closer's never have to give amazing hitters out. All right. So let's discuss the thought process that would lead the twins to removing Fernando Rodney from the closer's role after three weeks after putting him in the closer's role. Okay. Well, I don't think it's going to happen after three weeks. I'm, uh...

Paul Moliter? Paul Moliter? And who are I? Hey, guys, it's me, Paul Molotter. Hey, Paul. Let's go into the season with Fernando Rodney as our closer. never really had any inconsistency or struggles in that role. He's always been pretty much lights out. So, you know, the thinking is we'll put him in this role and we'll let him pitch. And then after,

you know, six and two-thirds innings-ish, we'll reassess the situation because obviously there's something new we can learn about Fernando Rodney that we didn't know before. You're a liar, Paul. Hey, Scott, did you hear what Paul said about Fernando Rodney the other day? Is he out of his mind or what? No, look, I know they're not going to make a change now, but how much do you value picking up Addison Reed, who is 27% owner? He's had two bad addings in his last three, but I think we all know that Addison Reed is a better pitcher than Fernando Rodney. 27% own. If you're speculating on saves, is this like the first guy on your list?

Or would you rather have A.J. Minter? I would rather have Addison Reed. I just... I have a hard time getting excited about speculating on saves when it's not clear that a change is going to be made and it's not clear a change is going to be made here because...

Well, if it was clear, the change is going to be made, you're not speculated. But you have to... You have to not only believe that Addison Reed is a good pitcher, which I think there are some questions about that. Why? He's been good three years in a row. You have to believe that not just

that Addison Reed is good, but that the, like, there's just too many steps that you have to... I get it. I get it. I'm just going to speed it up. I just, you know, I want to get to more stuff. I totally get your point. I just want to bring it up. Addison Ridge's 27% own.

I know he pitched the 7th and Zach Duke pitched the 8th, but Reed would be the logical guy that they go to. And Fernando Rodney, look, Fernando Rodney had a 12-something ERA in April last year, and he finished the season with the rest of the year. He had a 238 ERA and 33 saves and 33 chances beginning May 6th. second. So he turned it around last year. He's not gone yet, but he stinks. So Greg Holland pitched the ninth in a tie game, but Nora's pitched the eighth when they were trailing by one. So Holland pitched as a closer would pitch, and he has four straight scoreless appearances, yeah, I think he has four straight scoreless appearances, I think. That's correct. Two base runners between them. So he looks like he's on the verge.

So if you could drop Fernando Rodney for Greg Holland, would you do that? Yes. I would. Okay. A Rhoda's Viscayino got a save. AJ Minter got to save the day before. Minter had pitched two straight days, and it's probably... Like, Miss Gayeneu probably gets more saves than Minter as of now, right? Like, going forward, unless he blows it? Yeah. Yeah, I mean, until Minter takes the job outright, and I think that will happen at some point.

It doesn't appear to have happened yet. James Familiar, I don't know if he's overworked or what, but he blew his third save, and he's had two bad outings in his last three. You guys concerned about Familia? No. I'm not, no. How about Brad Brock pitching the eighth and Darren O'Day, pitching the ninth. It was a blowout

loss, so it was a non-save situation. But, yeah, what do you think? Well, I mean, the Orioles, granted, they haven't done a lot of winning, six wins, but, you know, we haven't seen a Brock save since April 11th, I think. And we've seen an O'Day save since then. And, yeah, they've twice now in the last

couple weeks used him pre-9th inning. They've used Brock pre-9th inning. So I don't know, I don't know what's going on here. I don't. I don't have a lot of confidence in Brock or anybody in this bullpen right now. Okay, and Soria is 33% owned, and he got the save for the White Sox, his third save, and Nate Jones set up for him and pitch the eighth. It would not be a huge shock if Jones got a save the next time they have an opportunity,

but Soria, I believe, has been used in that role more often than Nate Jones. It is Kokomo Friday. It is casual Friday. I am wearing shorts instead of sweatpants. I'm not quite sure which one's more casual, but it's a little bit warmer, so I got the shorts on. It's also Indochino Friday. That seems like a contradiction, but go ahead. That's actually true, yeah.

No, it's Indochino Friday, and actually I was just thinking about some place I have to be in a couple weeks, and I am excited to wear my Indochino suit. And it's time for you to get an Indochino suit. Look, it's really important now, okay? Three of us are all in our 30s, and maybe you're a little bit younger. growing up or maybe you're older or whatever? Really? Well, Chris, let me talk to you then, 29-year-old, Mr. Millennial.

Looking good is very, very important. And I know you're going to say, but it's so expensive, but it's really not anymore. Not with Indochino. You can get any premium Indochino suit for $379. That's actually a great deal. Because if you go to a store and you buy a suit off the rack, it might be less than $379. But after tailoring, it's going to be more. And it's not going to be as good.

And you're not going to be able to customize it. You're not going to have a monogram on it. You're not going to have a customized jacket lining. You're not going to be able to pick every single detail, including the fabric of the suit. But that's what you can do at Indochino.com. I-N-D-O-C-H-I-N-O dot com. It will fit you so much better than any generic off-the-rack suit. I absolutely love my Indochino suit.

It is by far my favorite. And $3.79 is an amazing deal. That's 50% off. And shipping is free. And you get it just custom right to your measurements. It's very easy. Go to Indochino.com and use the promo code F-B-T. Promote is F-B-T.

Any premium suit at Indochino.com. I-N-D-O-C-H-I-N-O for $379 with free shipping. Time to take a look at the most added list here on CBS. com leagues. Miguel And Doohar is number one. He is 76% owned. And Tey Oscar Hernandez is number two at 74% own. those two guys, Anzuhar and Hernandez,

Teoska Hernandez, owned in three quarters of our leagues? Has the world gone batty? Or is this A-OK? It's A-O-K. And I think there's a chance those two will continue to rise. And Duhar, despite his defensive limitations,

seems to have locked up that job for now. It'll be interesting to see what happens when Drury comes back. But I really like the bat here for Andihar. He's a high-contact power. hitter, which I always think is a great combination. I have probably more questions about the power than Scott or Heath seem to, but, you know, he was a 16 homer guy in 125-ish games in the minors last year.

I guess with the juiced ball, he could be a 25 homer guy. So, I don't think he's a power hitter. I think he's probably more like an average power hitter, but an average power hitter in today's baseball hits 20 to 25 homers. Well, maybe Ann Duhar is a doubles hitter. He has a ton of those. What about to Oscar Hernandez is 75% owned? Yeah, I think it's fine.

Ride the hot hand. He's got a big bat. There are holes in his game, but, you know, there's also big upside. Tyson Ross is number three on the list. He's 59% owned. And good for you for not being afraid of Tyson Ross after the bad start at Colorado. And Jamer Candelario is 56% owned. Would you rather have And Duhar or Candelario?

I'd rather have And Duhar. There's more upside there. Christian Vianueva is number five on the most added list. He's actually more owned than And Duhar. Who would you rather have? And Duhar. And Duhar. Chris Stratton is 63% owned.

That means Chris Stratton is owned in more leagues than Tyson Ross. Is that a mistake? That's a mistake. Is it a mistake to own Chris Stratton in a 12-team league? I mean, I don't think it's a mistake, but there are probably guys I would rather own. I would probably rather have Kyle Gibson. Oh, okay. Mac Williamson up to 29% owned.

Maybe still a little low? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That's taken a long time. It's taking a long time for people to come around to Mac Williamson, which is understandable given us history. But wake up.

Kurt Suzuki is on the most ad list. Kurt Suzuki is 61% owned. Do you buy his production? I think he's like a top four catcher or something. I mean, this is the second straight year. He's done basically the same thing. I know. He's in my top 12 catchers now.

My biggest concern, like, I'd be fine just saying, all right, this is my catcher now. And trusting it to last. And it's not like... It's not like it's totally out of nowhere. Like, you had three seasons in a row in Oakland where he hit at least 13 homers. That's not a huge production, but for a catcher, it kind of is. So, at the very least, he should be owned in all two catchers. Well, and I think even if we're talking to points league, because...

He doesn't strike out very much. Yeah, his, before this kind of power serves the last couple years, it was always true that he didn't strike out much. He struck out four times this year. Wow. All right, it's Kurt Suzuki we're talking about. Suzuki or Sorvelli? I prefer Sorvelli, but if I knew Kurt Suzuki was going to start four out of every five games

for the Braves, it'd be Suzuki. I just, you know, I think he's indebted. danger of going to a 50-50 split here with flowers. To speed it up, Harlan Garcia, 46% owned. Too high, too low, right? No. Too high for Harlan-Lamarlane. Chad Betta, 66% owned.

Definitely too high. Too high. Walker Bueller, 59% owned. Probably a little high, but, you know, he's one of the more stashable prospects right now, and he should start again in that double header, but then who knows after that. Glaver Torres, 89% owned. See how he does. C.J. Crow and 30% owned.

It's to be the last guy we talk about. C.J. Crone, 30% owned. Like, he's the hot hand, for sure. But I think he has two walks this year. There's not a lot to fall back on when he's not hot. He's, we have a very long track record of C.J. Crow not being that good. If they are facing a bunch of, well, let's see if I can take a look at their matchups for next week. If they're facing a bunch of lefties next week, then maybe you can.

can get another good week out of C. C.J. Cron. He's good against lefties. Next week begins, what, on the 30th? For him? The one lefty I see is Dallas-Kaiko, and I don't see his weekend match-ups. Oh, I'm looking at the wrong team. I'm looking at Glaborias. Actually, yeah, I know we're not going to talk much about hitting matchups. The Yankees have awful matchups next week.

They face the Astros and the Indians. So just keep that in mind. C.J. C. C.C. C. C. C. C. C. Coming up next week, he's got Detroit and Toronto. Matthew Boyd's a lefty. I don't know. That's the only lefty on the schedule for him, Matthew Boyd. The righties aren't so good, though. So it's kind of interesting.

But, yeah, I don't think we trust Zsaicro much. All right, then. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for listening to The Most Adelist. Now let's hear from you with some emails, Fantasy Baseball at CBSI.com. This email is from Scott. Scott is a longtime listener. That's why I'm going to let him go on this rant and just laugh about it.

But he wrote us an email yesterday with the subject line, 100% baseball. And I think this was in response to my telling everyone at the beginning of yesterday's show that you should, and you should continue to do this, watch all of your NFL draft coverage on CBS Sports HQ, which is our live 24-7 streaming site, CBS Sports HQ. You can download the CBS Sports app on your connected device, and you can just watch CBS Sports HQ from there. It's absolutely awesome. I was watching it last night. did an amazing job. All right, so the subject, 100% baseball.

I don't give a crap about the football draft, and neither should you. Nobody seems to care about the baseball draft in June. Why? Because they don't play immediately the next year? Damn millennial instant gratification jerk wads. I had to censor the last word because it was really gross. Yeah. This sounds kind of trolley to me.

Yeah, so that was kind of mean. So 100% baseball. That's what Scott wants. So Scott, just for that, here's email today number two, Justin from Madison, Wisconsin. Chris Towers sounds exactly like Jake McDormon from Greek and Limitless. I can't listen to him without seeing Jake's face. It's fantastic. He's a pretty good-looking guy.

I have no idea who that is. There's a picture of him shirtless, and it's pretty much me, honestly. I might have a little more hair, but other than that, yeah, no, totally. I totally see it. So, Chris, you heard the email. You don't look like him. You sound like him. No, yeah, he said I look exactly like him.

Every time he hears my voice, he sees him. I think maybe you should just present, like, never go on camera again. Just be. Oh, that is the plan. Yeah, sir. That's a good plan. Do you guys know who this is? What a jerk thing by Scott White to say.

I'm just going to let that go. I didn't hear. I was trying to look up who the hell. I was playing off your joke. I thought I was in on the joke. Wow. I thought you were in on that joke. No, let's move on.

It's fine. I'm fine. I'm not a good looking. I'm not even mad. I think what we're going to do... What we're going to do is read these emails. And then while you do that, I'm going to try to find some Jake McDermen sound and see if we can compare it to Chris.

So here's a quick round of emails from no name. Grade the Trade. Keeper League. Five keepers. 10 teams, five keepers, 25 man rosters. its categories. Would you give up Anthony Rizzo to get Ronald Acuna? You know what I'm going to say. Scott, would you like to say what I would say?

Ronald Ocunia could be anything. He could even be Anthony Rizzo. That's exactly what he's going to say. And I disagree. He could be much better than Anthony Rizzo. He can't be much better. He can't be much better than a perennial NDP. He could be Mike Trout. That's the one way he could be much better than Anthony Riz's. I'm saying he could be better than what Rizzo is going to be. in the next few years if Rizzo's in his peak now. I think when you have

a proven stud certainly one's still in his prime. Dude, y'all play scared. If you're keeping them in an equal level, if like Acuna is a dollar keeper and Rizzo's a $35 keeper, fine. That's a different situation. But if you're keeping them on equal terms,

you gotta stick with that. I think trading Rizzo for Acuna could be playing scared. I think there's a, There's an element of, well, I'm worried that I'm not going to get the upside. But, like, Anthony Rizzo has plenty of upside, too. Okay, all right. Fair enough.

So you guys will take Rizzo. This is from Daniel. Would you trade Ronald O'Kuna for Marcel O'Zuna? Yeah, sure. Okay. This is from Chris R. Hey, Eric Barry and should have been a mic. Hint, 30-50 Club.

Eric Barry is a safety for the Eric Barry And should have been a Eric Barry And should have been 30-50 club Mike Cameron Does this mean they were in the 30-50 club?

I guess Barry Bonds Eric Davis I don't know I don't know Worst mistake I made so far this year Was dropping Cory Dickerson too soon Would you buy high on Corey Dickerson? No

He is doing some interesting things He's basically completely selling out for batting average. He has a 40% line drive rate. His strikeout rate is down to 11%. I don't think the 40% line drive rate is sustainable, but if he keeps not striking out, it could get interesting. It just doesn't seem like the, I don't know. We've gone through these kinds of ups and downs with Corey Dickerson before,

and I feel like the ending point is always a little bit disappointing. All right, this is from Mike. Should I trade Sean Mania for Chris Archer? Yes. Yeah, when I wrote, I wrote my Shamaniah Sell High piece on Monday of this week, and the three pitchers I mentioned who would be good targets were Archer, Tanaka, and Kintana. So yeah, I think it's hard to sell high on Shamanaya, but I think that's one where you've accomplished the goal.

Okay, I think we should probably talk about Chris Archer, and we will do that in just one second. Who wants to make some money tonight? Easy money. Play against me in draft. Last place again. Three of the last four times I've played in our five-man fantasy baseball today podcast draft contests. Three of the last four, or four or the last five, whatever, I've either come in fourth or fifth.

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I've read the interview. Mentally weak. You, yeah. You are mentally. until the week. Listen, I'm still enjoying it. I play for a dollar every day, whatever. I might play multiple contests, but the fantasy baseball today podcast one is, whatever, a dollar a day, but it's fun, right? You get into this draft. It's not like a salary cap site, like the other DFS sites. You do a snake draft. And on draft, you can play a snake draft with other people anytime you

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So use the promo code FB Today on the draft app or draft.com. All right, yeah, Chris Archer yesterday. 11 hits, four earned runs at Baltimore. His whip is terrible. His ERA is 661. And I'm just going to say the last two years, this is where he's finished. In 2016, he was the number 38 starting pitcher in points and number 37 in Roto. In 2017, Archer was number 17 in points and number 27 in Roto.

So at least last year, you know, what was the difference? Well, he lost 19 games in 2016, so that crushed his points ranking. But we're talking two years in a row with a very similar ERA, just over four. Nine or ten wins. 230 to 249 strikeouts. 57 combined home runs allowed. A 1.24 whip and a 1.26 whip. He basically has been the same exact picture two years in a row.

when you look at ERA, whip, walks, strikeouts, and home runs. The only difference was more, and wins, more losses in 2016. And we are talking about a guy who has been outside the top 24 in categories of Roto leagues, two straight years. And in points leagues, he was 17th last year. Why, what am I missing? Why is he so much better than I think he is? And I don't think he's bad. And I would trade Sean Minier for Chris Archer.

But why, like, you guys make me feel crazy every time I talk down on Archer. He strikes out like 250 guys a year. Yeah, that's one. He's a one category contributor at this way. Okay, calm down. No, no, I'm not. What else is he contributed? What else?

What else is he, that's not a category. What else is he contributed? What else is he contributed? What else? Tell me that. He, he, he, Nothing, thank you. Like, no, I mean, he's going to give you a ton of strikeouts in a cult, in an environment where few pitchers can because they're going so few innings.

What else is he? I think that's a big deal. It is. It is. Points leagues. I know you're not talking about categories, but the innings are a big deal, too.

Absolutely. But I think for the last two years, Chris Archer has been a one category contributor. I don't agree that a 1-26 whip doesn't help over 200 any.

I don't agree that a 4-ERA is bad over 200 any. It's maybe not bad, but it's not worth taking as a top 20 pitcher. There are 10 to 12 pitchers every year in the top 20

who aren't worth taking in the top 20. At least he's going to be there. Is he? Yes. Not in Roto. What do you mean? No, he's going to be present. Like, we don't have a track record of injury

like we do with some of the other guys in the top 20. Like, I still think, like, okay, yes, He hasn't inflated, he's had an inflated ERA now, two and one, eight years in a row. That is true. The peripherals are still all great, and we all still profess to believe in those. I just, I don't buy that he's just a four ERA pitcher forever and ever. Yeah, and I mean, I compared him to Chris Sale in this respect. Chris Sale had a, in 2015 and 16, he had a 341 and a 334 ERA.

And it just felt like that was too high for Chris Sale. So he had a $290 ERA last year, and he's going to be, you know, probably around that this year, right? And I get that. Like, I thought going into this year, Archer had a really good chance to get back into the 330 range. I'm losing faith. And he still does. I'm losing faith. What's he doing different? I think that the league may have caught up with him because he does not really have a third pitch.

He still is basically a two-pitch pitch. Well, interesting you should say that, Adam. Because yesterday he had 19 swinging strikes a season high, eight of them. came on the third pitch. What? The change-up? See, that would be a nice development for Archer. And I think it's important because I just don't know that he can survive.

And the other thing with Archer is he really seems to be a victim of this home run era. Because home runs have destroyed him the last two years, specifically on the road. It seems like it'd be reflected more in the fifth, though. It's reflected in the ERA. I've mentioned that he's given up 37 home runs on the road over his last two seasons. And that's basically one full season. of starts, 37 home runs. I mean, it's a little, he's a little frustrating, but, like, I just don't see how you

could call him. Like, it's different from Billy Hamilton. If you're going to reduce Chris Archer to one category, fine. One category guy, fine. But it's, like, different from Billy Hamilton, because Billy Hamilton, he kills you and everything else. Archer just kind of maintains everything else. You know, like, and that's, and that's the worst case scenario of Archer, the four ERA Archer. There is a chance he's a mid-3s-E-R-A instead. Yeah. All right. Well, okay, he doesn't kill you like Billy Hampton. I agree. But he doesn't stand out anymore right now and for the last two years in anything but

strikeouts and innings. So, all right, fine. We can't do this every time he starts. Tim from Central Illinois wants to know if Jorge Soler should be owned in all 12 team leagues. I believe Jorge Soler is a good baseball hitter. I don't know if that means he has to be own in every 12-team league because you might not have someone who's worse than him. But I think we are seeing a ton of really, really promising signs from Jorge Salere right now, and I definitely want to own him. Yeah, I mean, the walks in particular. So, yeah.

The plate discipline in general, he's not the free swinger that we saw in Chicago. He's looking like the guy he was all throughout his AAA career when he's put up really good numbers. and he's still hitting the ball pretty hard. Homer yesterday. 52.5% hard content. Yeah, and the stat cast data is also pretty promising. I just think he's one of those guys. I wrote about this in the waiver our column yesterday.

We have to try to strike a balance between just telling you who has been good within the last 24 hours and who is going to be good moving forward. And Jorge Saler was in the waiver wire column for me on Thursday because he looked. He looks like someone who is going to be good moving forward, even if he hasn't been yet. And he's 16% owned. So Horace Oler is definitely... Which actually went down since yesterday. Really?

Oh, wow. Yeah. All right, guys. 16% you said? Yeah. Am I wrong on that? No, I don't know. It just surprises me.

The walks would be a game changer, but they've only happened over his last six games. He has nine walks in his last six games. 17%. I don't know. that takes away from it or not. I'm just saying a week ago, it would have been hard to have the same discussion. Okay.

All right, keep an eye on Horia Salaire. So let's see. This has not quite gone as I plan. Let's go through some segments pretty quickly. Tell me if you want to add these guys. Domingo, Santana, 71% owned. Ryan Braun started at first base yesterday, so I think everybody has a spot now.

Not that Santana was sitting that much, but now you feel even better about it. So, yeah. Yeah, and he's third or fourth on the team and played appearances, but that was a lot because of injuries for other guys that might not have sustained, but with Thames out, it looks like he's going to play every day. I don't think he's going to play every day because Aguilar is going to play sometimes. Well, yeah, they have off days sometimes. I would imagine Bron will sit when Aguilar plays, though, just because he needs days off.

All right, he's going to play enough, but, you know, Santana doesn't. have one extra base hit so far. He also struggled in April last year. He batted 1-97. He did have five home runs, but he got off to a slow start. Santana, 71%. Matt Davidson, double-donged yesterday, 55%. You want to add him? Amid all those other third baseman you rattled

off earlier, the Vienaweva-Anduhaar group, Davidson's behind all of them. Odubo Herrera, 64%. I think he's getting on base basically every day. He's batting 3-41. He's good. He's not that good. He's pretty good.

I will tell you specifically how not good he is. Tell us. Last year, he was the number 56 outfielder in points, number 55 in Roto. He played 138 games. If Odubo Herrera had played 155 games, he would have moved all the way up to number 46 in points. He's not that good. Well, he's not that good. He's not that good.

But he's okay. He's okay. I would accept that. Yeah. I mean, he's outside of my top. 40 outfielders, so I don't know that we're seeing things differently here. I would imagine in most leagues he's one of the better hitters who might actually be on the waiver wire.

David Peralta, 62% own. Odubo Herrera is better. I think that's questionable. I think the skills are similar. I think maybe Peralta has a little more power. And if Herrera was to go back to stealing bases, that would change things, but it doesn't. We have no evidence that's going to happen.

So, the fact, Peralta's playing virtually every day, and he's holding his own against lefties. I think he might be a little under, I guess I can't say under a value because he's more owned than Herrera, right? No, they're about the same. About the same? Okay. Okay, that's David Peralta.

Eduardo Escobar, 33% owned. Number 19 in points, number 16 in Roto, despite a pretty good number. 303 batting average, three homers, one steal. Eduardo Escobar. The fact that he's shortstop eligible, I believe that's true. Yeah. Yeah, that makes him a little more interesting. But even that position, there's just surprising amount of depth,

not like high-end depth, but usable depth. And I don't think he's really in the mixed league territory there. Okay, that's Eduardo Escobar, who did hit nine home runs in September last year. And he's got three. Not exactly crushing it, but he's got three. All right, this next group, okay to drop, question mark. I want to know if these guys, look, you don't have to drop them,

but let's say there's someone you really like out there. Are you feeling like they're okay to drop? Justin Smoke. Really hard to make sense of Justin Smoke's last three years, really. Because he's still hitting the ball pretty hard. He's swinging and missing less than he did last season, so the plate disciplines actually, you know, There are reasons to believe that the strikeout rate will come down,

but he's also only been good once in his career. Is he okay to drop, Justin Smoke? I think it's in like a 10-team league. A league where fewer than 300 players are rostered. Jake Junis. Sure. Yeah, I'd be a little more hesitant with him just because there is such a scarcity of quality pitching.

But the five home runs he gave up yesterday, I think we need to remember. He's a fly ball pitcher who gave up 1.4 per 9 last year. So I've sobered up a bit on him after the strikeouts this spring and the first couple starts being so good. But he's still right there in the top 60 starting pitchers for me. All right, Jake Junis.

Michael Brantley, 83% own. Is he okay to drop? I would want to hold on to him. Yeah. Okay. I mean, 83, I don't know that it needs to be higher than that, but I'm not looking to drop him. Aaron Hicks, 77% own. Yeah, I think it's fine to drop him.

There are things to like about Aaron Hicks. I just, he's another guy that's the track record. For him, it's, well, like two months of good production. Basically, yeah. And he does have 10 walks, 11 strikeouts, but he's just not doing much. And Matt, I mean, if you're playing just week to week, gosh, the matchups next week are so bad for the Yankees. Orlando Arcea, Catelle Marte, Ahmed Rosario.

Three shortstops who are owned in 42 or 43% of leagues. None of them are doing well. Orlando Arcia, Cetel Marte, Ahmed Rosario. Are you okay dropping any of those? I don't even know if people can. Like, if you're rostering them in that many leagues, that means you have to, basically. Yeah, that's probably true.

They're not in leagues without a middle infielder spot. And I even dropped Catele-Marte in a standard Roto League, one where 360 players are rostered, just because he seemed like the obvious guy to drop. So I would say they're all dropable if there's somebody who you're looking to add, and you're honestly excited about it. Because I'm not excited about any of them the way things have started out here. Okay, that's Arcia, Marte, and Rosario.

Who's got the most upside? Rosario. Okay. Yeah. It'd be nice if he stole a base every now and then. The thing that I was going to say about Carlos Santana, I know we keep saying that he's a by-low candidate, and he is. He has finished 7th, 11th, 7th, and 7th in the last four years in points leagues, and 12th, 14th, 10th, and 16th in Roto. But he usually had, not only does he usually have slow starts, it usually lasts about three months.

I looked at his first three months of each of the last four seasons, and I'll just give his batting averages. starting with 2017 and working back to 2014. 225, 237, 213, and 205. So it's always the same. It's like 10 to 12 homers, really good plate discipline, some double. It's always the same. And then he has huge second halfs. So Carlos Santana is a by-low.

But based on the last four years, you might want to wait a little bit longer to make that by-low offer. Okay. Hey, I did want to get to the rotation, but first and some Frenchy starting pitchers, and then we'll do two-star pitchers for next week. I just want to hear, does Chris Towers sound like this? I'm Jake McDorman from Greek, and you're watching Clever TV. Chris, can you say that?

I'm Jake McDormon from Greek, and you're watching Clever TV. I'm Jake McDormon from Greek, and you're watching Clever TV. Hey, I'm Jake McDorman from Greek, and you're watching Clever TV. I don't hear it. I don't hear it. Yeah, it's, you know, I don't hear it either. It's more, again. Maybe we need the buzzing sound.

More in the face and the physique. Yes, exactly. Yes, Chris, you are a very, very handsome man. Eight-man rotation, we already covered five of them. Chris said that would be Bundy, Anderson, Hendricks, Fulmer, and Cleaviger. Chris Sayall, guys, 231 ERA, 45 strikeouts and a 0.97 whip and 35 innings, but not going deep into games. Is there anything here that concerns you would sail? His velocity was down early.

The last couple of starts, it looks like it's been back. There's no reason to be concerned about Chris Sale. Carlos Martinez. Do you have anything to say about him? He's good. He is good. And he's gotten the control. He's gotten the walks under control the last few games.

Of course, could always go crazy at any time. James Paxton. James Paxton's walking everyone. He's also pitching pretty well. He has a 512 VRA, but it's a little skewed by one or two terrible starts. But anyway, the control has been good the last two years, not this year for James Paxton. That's a little concerning, but at the same time, how are you going to replace James Paxton? Because, I mean, four of his six starts have been really good.

Yeah, well, I'm not going to replace him with Chris Archer, that's for sure. Who would you rather have Archer or Paxton? I'd rather have Archer, but it's pretty close. Yeah, that comes down to just the injury. very concerned with Paxton. I think Paxton's the better pitcher, but I think Paxton's one of the best pitchers in baseball. Fringy starting pitchers, tell me if you saw any of these guys on your waiver wire,

would you be like, ooh, I got at him right now. Jordan Montgomery, Marco Estrada, Lucas Gialito, or Bagel with Nova, Yvonne Nova. Montgomery Estrada, Gialito, Nova. Get rid of Gialito. Not throwing that curve. He's 51% owned. He's not getting strikeouts. He's not getting swings and misses.

The velocity's down. He's not there in the curveball. There's just not really anything to like about Lucas Julia. Would you pick up any of these guys if you saw him? Yes. Jordan Montgomery. I think he's good. Yeah.

I mean, he's 81% of the most likely to pick up. But it's not like if somebody dropped him today in a league where I could honestly see somebody dropping him. I'd be like, oh, my God, I got to pick him up right now, which is like how you presented the exercise. What about Sean Newcomb? He really got squeezed, and then he gave up a three-run home run. He was having such a great start. And the umpire really affected his walk total in this start. Six innings, four runs, three walks, seven strikeouts.

Nukem is 69% own. I know if Pete was here, he'd be like at him. Needs to be 99. So I haven't been as excited about him as he has. In part because I don't think he's, like, his best pitch is the curveball, and he's not throwing it nearly as much this year. I don't know why, but I don't see the super high ceiling for him. I think he could be, I don't know.

I think he could be top 40. But that's all I'm giving him. Who, Sean Newcomb? Okay. Yeah. All right then. Let's take a look at the two-star pitchers for Fantasy Week 28. And why do I keep saying that?

Because I am always confused about which week it actually is. So we are going to start Let's see Is there anyone questionable Now John Lester I think he's earned it at this point With Colorado and at St. Louis How about Junjun Riu at Arizona at San Diego?

Ooh yeah At Arizona at San Diego Yeah Yeah Oh damn it guys There's something I wanted to do At the beginning of the show And I keep forgetting

Do you think Eric Lauer needs to be owned in more than 5% of leagues? I think he is is interesting. I wrote about him at the Wavermore I call him the day that he got called up and obviously he got spanked by the Rockies. Not a surprise.

Right, like the Rockies don't have the greatest lineup in baseball but they're still tough to hit. They're still tough to pitch against a course. So I think he'd give him a buy for that. A Mulligan. All right, it's Eric Lauer. He is a two-star pitcher. Pretty good line. Moving down

the two-star pitcher. There are a lot of them. Jake Junis. at Boston and home against Detroit? No. Scott, are we going to start James... Start in a points league. Junis in a points league. Are we going to start James and Tyone

at Washington and at Milwaukee? No, probably. I'd roll the dice in a points league. Like, you know, if he gives you... The answer is almost always yes in a points league. Almost always. Yeah, if the guy's worth rostering, he's probably worth starting.

So let's just say either yes, no, or points only. Points only. Okay. Tanner Roark, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. Yes. Eduardo Rodriguez, Kansas City, and at Texas. Yes. Aaron Sanchez at Minnesota at Tampa Bay.

Hold on what? Yeah, points league only. Points only, okay. Points only. And a yes from Chris. That means both. Yvonne Nova at Washington, at Milwaukee. Points League only.

Yeah. Felix Hernandez, Oakland and the Angels at home. That's tough matchups. Points League only. I agree. That's what I meant on Nova, too. I wasn't saying yes. I was saying points league only.

Drew Pomeranz, Kansas City and at Texas. Yeah. Yes. He looked pretty rough that first start back and the Velo was down. I'm going to say snow. Snow. Snow. Drew Pomerant.

President Snow. Jordan Montgomery at Houston Home Against Cleveland No No I mean maybe points but Who did you just ask about gray? No they both have the same match of Jordan Montgomery

And Sunner Gray At Houston home against Cleveland I would say yes to Montgomery Take that All right Say yes to the dress Marcus Stromen at Minnesota and at Tampa Which dress

It's a show Points league only Points only Points only. Points only. only for Stroman. Jake Ferrea at Detroit home against Toronto. Is this sneaky one?

I'd rather not. He's probably my top two star sleeper for this week, but I don't recommend him. You cannot start Stephen Mats, right? No way. No. Marco Estrada, at Minnesota, at Tampa Bay. I'm fine starting him, yeah. I would say, man, maybe he should be my top sleeper.

Those are pretty good matchups. He's just been pretty awful lately. But I can see Points League's doing that. Marco Estrada. Lance Lynn, Toronto, and at the White Sox. No. Alex Cobb, at the Angels at Oakland. No.

Matt Boyd, Tampa Bay at Kansas City. Like the matchups. Don't like the pitcher. And he was not, you know, his last start was rough after a good stretch there. He's still probably one of the best you could do off the waiver wire if you're forced to act. That is Matt Boyd. Andrew Triggs.

Lucas G. Elito, Yelis Chasin, Chad Cool. Anyone? No? Probably. I could talk myself into Cool or Cheneen with... Well, cool with good matches. Shecine actually does have pretty good matches, but...

Who did I drop now? Kyle Gibson, we talked about earlier. Toronto and at the White Sox, maybe worth a gamble. No Matt Whistler, no Matt Moore, no Jordan Zimmerman. Matt Cook, no. Jason Hamill, Kyle Freeholt. Brandon Finnegan, Eric Lauer, Dylan Peters.

And I don't think there's anybody we like, right? Not really. No one's pretty bad. Okay. Boy, that is long. That's a very long. What is happening in that toilet? Man.

My goodness. It sounds like it's like 18 gallons. That's a lot. That was a waste of water. Thank you all for listening to the Fantasy Baseball Today podcast. We're coming back at you on Monday with a weekend weekend.