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Mostly MLB Notes: Brandon Belt and a look around the league

Mostly MLB Notes: Brandon Belt and a look around the league

Brandon Belt has been a much better real life player than fantasy asset this year (although he’s been much worse as a base runner and defensively than usual), as his wRC+ (145) ranks No. 26 in MLB, ahead of Bryce Harper. Belt currently sports a .412 OBP and has walked more than he’s struck out this season, but thanks in part to AT&T Park, he’s on pace to hit just 15 homers, and he’s barely been a top-200 fantasy player at a deep first base position. Belt will likely start producing more in runs/RBI/SBs moving forward, but few players have had a bigger discrepancy between their real life and fantasy value so far in 2016.

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Headlines of the Week: A 12-Year-Old Genius With 3 College Degrees Aims To Be A Doctor By 18...20,000 Bees Chase Car For Two Days Because They Didn’t Want To Leave Their Queen...Man-Eating Crocodiles Have Invaded Florida...Casey Anthony’s Lawyer Admits She Killed Daughter Caylee, Investigator says...Dr. Henry Heimlich Uses Heimlich Maneuver For First Time At 96.

Quick Hits: Monday marked the first time all year Clayton Kershaw went back-to-back innings without recording a strikeout. He followed that up with a 10:0 K:BB game Sunday night and now owns a 1.56 ERA with a 0.65 WHIP. He’s allowed two runs or fewer in 10 of 11 starts this season. Kershaw is easily the most valuable fantasy player, and it’s not particularly close...Here’s Nomar Mazara hitting the longest home run of the season so far, a 491-foot blast off a lefty no less. Mazara’s “average true distance” on homers this season (424.8 feet) is the second longest in MLB...If you’re into podcasts, here’s one with Andy Behrens and me talking all things baseball, and here’s another with Chris Liss in which I talk about the plight in which I live with regarding the Warriors while also hyping “Horace and Pete”...The Padres had a rough series defensively against the Giants last week, highlighted by this Hunter Pence walk-off pop up.

Police Blotter: Daring ATM Heist: 100 Thieves, 3 Hours, $13M...Student Charged With Stealing Free Milk From School...Man Catches Teens Breaking Into House, Makes Them Call 911 To Report Themselves...Cops: South Carolina Man Applied For Loan So He Could Purchase Meth...Woman Wearing ‘Stop Domestic Violence’ T-Shirt Arrested For Domestic Violence...Guy On Forklift Robs Liquor Store, Slow Chase Ensues.

Quick Hits Part Deux: Jose Fernandez has a 1.00 ERA with 43 strikeouts over 27.0 innings over his last four starts. He owns a 2.82 ERA this season despite a .347 BABIP that’s well above his career mark (.281). Fernandez’s K/9 rate (13.35) easily leads MLB (next highest is Noah Syndergaard at 11.35). His velocity has fully returned this year (94.9 mph), and his 15.0 SwStr% is second only to Clayton Kershaw...Adam Duvall has a 47:6 K:BB ratio, but he’s slugging .573 and has hit 10 homers over 119 at bats versus righties. He has a .993 OPS in May and is owned in just 29 percent of Yahoo leagues. Duvall also made this nice play defensively last week...Russell Martin has been one of the worst hitters in baseball this year, but he has three homers (including his first of the season) with six runs scored and six RBI over his past five games, when he’s raised his OPS from .423 to .526...The Astros shattered the MLB record by striking out 52 batters during last week’s three-game series versus the Oriole...Paul Goldschmidt is batting just .257 this season and has a .754 OPS on the road, but with nine homers and six steals, he hasn’t exactly been a bust for his fantasy owners.

This high school talent show performance of a senior tossing a water bottle in perfection is (rightfully) dominating the Internet.

Although to be fair, it might not be as impressive as this classic “stupid human trick” performed on Letterman.

Song of the Week: Broods – “Free”

Longread of the Week: Venezuela Is Falling Apart

Quick Hits Part Tres: Dan Straily is currently holding opposing batters to a .195/.262/.300 line, which is pretty incredible for a pitcher owned in just 13 percent of Yahoo leagues...Gregory Polanco sports a .329/.410/.550 line against right handers and is continually underpriced in DFS...Steven Wright has a 2.52 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP on the year, and those numbers could be better, as the knuckleballer dealt with four passed balls and three “wild pitches” during his last start. Wright sure looks nasty, and he will benefit from strong run support moving forward. He should be owned in all fantasy leagues...Matt Carpenter has taken the first pitch of every game...Erick Aybar has a .027 ISO and a 13 wRC+, which are both mind-boggling...Here’s my latest MLB Stock Watch in case you missed it...Andrew Miller is somehow getting batters to swing at his pitches at a greater frequency outside the strike zone than in it...David Ortiz is slugging .720, which would be a higher OPS than Jose Abreu, Joey Votto and Matt Kemp currently have.

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