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10 Important Stories From 05/12/17 Box Scores: McCullers Ace-Like Rise, How To Handle Harvey/Duffy & More

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by Eric Stashin (aka The Rotoprofessor)

Miguel Sano did it again, going 1-3 with 1 HR, 1 RBI and 1 R (representing the only run scored in the game), pushing him to .305 with 10 HR on the season.  Joey Gallo delivered the walk-off blow against the A’s, finishing the day 1-3 with 1 HR, 3 RBI and 1 R.  Willson Contreras busted out, going 2-4 with 2 HR, 2 RBI and 2 R, making fantasy owners reconsider moving on from him (and you shouldn’t move on from him).  What else happened on the field that we need to know about?  Let’s take a look:

1) Is Lance McCullers Jr. emerging as an ace…
He tossed 6.0 shutout innings against the Yankees, allowing 4 H and 0 BB while striking out 7.  He now has not allowed an earned run over his past two starts (13.0 IP) and overall owns a 2.98 ERA and 1.12 WHIP, to go along with 57 K vs. 13 BB.  He entered the day with a 58.1% groundball rate and 12.3% SwStr%, and he backed up each number last night as well (9 groundballs vs. 2 fly balls, 12 swinging strikes).  While he’s had a few bumps (he gave up 5 ER in two of three starts earlier in the season), he certainly appears to have the makeup of a high-end starting pitcher.  Maybe there’s a slight regression on the horizon (he entered the day with a 77.8% strand rate), but overall there’s a lot to like.  Buying him will likely be impossible, but consider him a own in all formats.

2) Has Joe Biagini found a home in the starting rotation…
Injuries have necessitated the Blue Jays to get creative, and they opted to move Biagini from the bullpen to the rotation.  Taking on the Mariners yesterday, he tossed 5.0 shutout innings allowing 4 H and 0 BB, striking out 3.  Over 9.0 innings as a starter he’s allowed 0 ER on 6 H and 0 BB, striking out 7, so thus far the experiment has been a positive one.  Can he continue it, though?  He spent the bulk of his minor league career as a starter, generating a 7.3 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9.  His control has been better since moving to the bullpen, and it’s possible that his time there has helped him learn (he also posted a 2.35 BB/9 at Double-A in ’15), while he’s always been able to generate ample groundballs.  While he’s not going to be a strikeout machine, and his 7 swinging strikes yesterday backs that up, he should be able to chip in a 6-6.5ish K/9.  That’ll be enough to at least be a streaming starter, with the potential for even more.

3) Alex Cobb seemingly runs out of steam…
After tossing 6 shutout innings he came out for the seventh, and things started to fall apart.  While he still got the W, he ultimately allowed 4 R (3 earned) on 4 H and 3 BB, striking out 5, over 6.1 IP against the Red Sox.  He continued to struggle to get swings and misses, with just 5 on the day, and his groundballs were hardly impressive (8 groundballs vs. 6 fly balls).  Having entered the day with a 47.5% groundball rate, as well as a 23.4% line drive rate (yet a .292 BABIP and a 78.6% strand rate), it’s fair to be highly concerned with his makeup.  The owner of a 3.65 ERA, if you are looking to go for it in ’17 now may be the ideal time to try and sell high.

4) Does Derek Dietrich deserve our attention…
With Martin Prado and Adeiny Hechevarria on the DL, Dietrich has seemingly found regular playing time for now.  He’s also been pushed to the leadoff spot over the past two games, with Dee Gordon hitting ninth.  Yesterday he went 2-4 with 1 HR, 1 RBI and 2 R, giving him a five-game hitting streak overall (8-17, 1 HR, 5 RBI and 4 R).  He’s proven in the past that he has power in his bat, and in the early going he’s actually improved his plate discipline (7.5% SwStr%, 24.0% O-Swing% entering the day).  If he can maintain that he will be a dangerous player when in the lineup, but bear in mind that he will lose AB once the team returns to health and he will also likely take a seat with a southpaw on the mound (he hit .200 against LHP last season).  When there are a slew of righties on the schedule he’s worth streaming, while the AB are there.

5) Leury Garcia continues to earn his job…
There was a major question as to who the White Sox’ centerfielder would be entering the season and maybe things change once Charlie Tilson gets healthy, but at this point there it is obvious who has put his stamp on the position.  Garcia went 3-4 with 2 HR, 3 RBI and 2 R yesterday, putting him at .304 with 4 HR, 11 RBI, 12 R and 2 SB over 92 AB this season.  Power isn’t his game, so don’t let this one deceive you, but what’s most important in his numbers to start the season is that he’s cut back on is swinging strikes (11.7% for his career, 7.2% entering the day).  That will be key for his development, especially as more of a speed threat, though he’s not drawing walks (3.2%) and isn’t hitting the ball particularly hard (16.2% line drive rate entering the day).  In other words, he’s no guarantee to continue producing.

6) Another disastrous performance from Matt Harvey…
Taking on the Brewers, without Ryan Braun, Harvey was battered to the tune of 5 ER on 7 H and 5 BB, striking out 6, over 5.0 IP.  Most of the damage came via the long ball, as he allowed 3 HR:

  • Hernan Perez – 3-4, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R
  • Eric Sogard – 1-1, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 R, 1 SB
  • Orlando Arcia – 1-2, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R

Harvey has now allowed 6+ ER in three straight starts and owns an unsightly 5.63 ERA and 1.43 WHIP.  There have been excuses for his poor performance, including being pushed up a day, but at this point the excuses are running thin.  He simply isn’t the same pitcher that he was prior to last season’s injury, and it’s fair to wonder if he will get back there.  Home runs have clearly been his biggest issue (10 HR allowed in 40.0 IP), and the swinging strikes simply aren’t there (7.4% SwStr% entering the day).  While it makes sense to stash him on your bench, until he shows some type of sign of an improvement he can’t be trusted.

7) Don’t give up on Danny Duffy, maybe…
While he may have been overshadowed by Dylan Bundy (6.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 1 BB, 8 K) yesterday, Duffy pitched exceptionally well himself.  Going 7.0 IP he allowed 2 ER on 8 H and 1 BB, striking out 6, though he had to settle for a no decision.  The biggest concern has been the disappearance of his strikeouts, with just 35 K over 50.2 IP (he entered with a 5.98 K/9), but he did have 15 swinging strikes last night so there’s upside there.  The bigger concerns is his drop in velocity (he was averaging 93.0 mph on his fastball entering the day) and the potential for him to start being burned by home runs (he’s allowed just 2 HR, despite a modest 43.2% groundball rate).  There’s obviously upside and value, but it’s also hard to mark him down as a “set ‘em and forget ‘em” type option.

8) Eddie Butler opens some eyes…
Once considered a top prospect for the Rockies, Butler has virtually disappeared from the fantasy map in recent years.  In five starts at Triple-A he was pitching well (1.17 ERA, 1.11 WHIP), and he took that success at brought it to the Majors yesterday.  He tossed 6.0 shutout innings against the Cardinals, allowing 2 H and 3 BB while striking out 5.  Of course he owned a 4.99 K/9 while at Triple-A and his 9 swinging strikes yesterday are hardly impressive.  He may get an opportunity to stick in the rotation for a little while and if he does there is some upside, but it may be capped given the potential lackluster strikeout mark.  Until we see some more, don’t consider him a must grab option.

9) The time has come for the Pirates to demote Tyler Glasnow…
It was another disastrous outing, as he allowed 7 ER on 7 H and 2 BB, striking out 3, over 2.1 IP against the Diamondbacks to see his ERA bloat all the way to 7.98.  Some of his struggles are due to poor luck (he entered the day with a .353 BABIP and 60.2% strand rate), but he’s also predictably struggled with his control (6.33 BB/9 entering the day) and he’s now allowed 4 HR over his past three starts.  He clearly needs more time to figure it out, and hopefully the team allows him to go back to Triple-A and do so outside of the spotlight.

10) Does Luis Valbuena deserve more attention…
IT was easy to forget about him, after he missed the start of the season on the DL, though after going 3-5 with 1 HR, 1 RBI and 1 R yesterday, he’s now hitting .290 with 2 HR over his first 10 games of the season.  The big question when it comes to Valbuena is how he’ll be utilized, especially once C.J. Cron returns from the DL.  Will they share 1B duties?  Will he be pushed to 3B, sending Yunel Escobar to the bench?  Will he occasionally get time at DH, sending Albert Pujols to the bench?  You would think he’ll be in the lineup most days that a right-handed pitcher is on the mound, though keep in mind he’s just a career .234 hitter against RHP.

Sources – ESPN, Fangraphs, Baseball Reference, MILB.com

Make sure to check out all of our updated rankings:

Position
Posted
Catcher April 25
First Base April 26
Second Base May 1
Third Base May 4
Shortstop May 8
Outfield
Starting Pitcher
Relief Pitcher


Source: http://rotoprofessor.com/baseball/?p=32991


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