Mostly MLB Notes: David Peralta and a look around the league
David Peralta is in the midst of something of a lost season, first hampered by a wrist injury and then later sidelined for nearly six weeks with a lower back strain. But he’s off the disabled list now and seemingly healthy, and he hit .312 with 17 homers and nine steals in just 462 at bats last year. Peralta hits in the middle of a lineup that features Paul Goldschmidt (.414 OBP) and the emerging Jake Lamb (.358 OBP) and in Chase Field, which is arguably one of the three best hitter’s parks in all of baseball. He’s somehow owned in just 40 percent of Yahoo leagues, so make sure he’s not still available in yours. Peralta could be a major difference maker down the stretch.
This current NFL player is also an impressive magician.
This NBA impersonator is pretty funny. The James Harden one killed me.
Quick Hits: Manny Machado has been a monster this year, posting career highs in BA, OBP and SLG, but after stealing 20 bases last season, he’s yet to record one swipe in 2016. It’s hard to complain, but his days running are probably over, which may be the only thing preventing him from being in the top-three fantasy discussion…There’s a real chance Andrew McCutchen, who won the MVP just three seasons ago, is the third outfielder drafted on his own team in fantasy leagues next year…Bryce Harper is batting .215 with a .691 OPS over his past 209 at bats…I witnessed in person Friday night the first 3-3-5 triple play in MLB history but the real highlight of the night was this fan getting absolutely trucked…Ryan Schimpf strikes out a lot, but he also walks and has underrated power, especially for a second baseman. Since the start of July, he has nine homers and a 1.081 OPS, yet he remains owned in just 22 percent of Yahoo leagues (he’s also still dirt cheap in DFS). His value gets a huge boost in OBP leagues, and he’s even batting cleanup lately. Meanwhile, The Padres recently tied an NL record homering in 25 straight games, as Petco continues to play as a neutral park for home runs.
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Headlines of the Week: Doughnut Glaze Mistaken For Meth Prompts Arrested Florida Man To Weigh Lawsuit…A Man Failed Miserably While Recreating One Of Cosmo Kramer’s Schemes…First Poo-Themed Dessert Café Set To Open In Canada…People Lined Up For Cronuts Appear Unfazed By Corpse On Nearby Bench…Lottery Winner Used $3 Million Winnings To Fund Crystal Meth Ring.
Quick Hits Part Deux: Dellin Betances and Kelvin Herrera both suddenly look like borderline top-five closers over the rest of the season…Daniel Hudson entered June 23 with a 1.55 ERA and a 0.76 WHIP over 29.0 innings. Since then, he’s allowed an almost unfathomable 28 runs (23 earned) over 8.0 innings. Jake Barrett appears to be Arizona’s closer down the stretch…Last week in this column I wrote about how Jeurys Familia had converted 50 straight save opportunities. He’s since blown each of his past two save chances, allowing four runs over 1.1 innings…The best catch of the week was made by a fan…After winning the Cy Young last season, Dallas Keuchel currently sports a 4.86 ERA with a 1.35 WHIP. He hasn’t struck out more than six batters in a game since June 12 and has yet to record a double-digit K game all year. I’d much prefer teammate Lance McCullers moving forward, but that’s not exactly going out on a limb…This Didi Gregorius catch off the catwalk fooled everyone…David Dahl is getting regular at bats for the Rockies and is off to an extremely hot start without even seeing Coors Field yet. He’s still widely available in Yahoo leagues.
Police Blotter: Chandra Levy Murder Mystery Deepens As Prosecutors Drop Case…Man Robs New York City Bank In Ball Gown, Heels…Buddhist Monk Imprisoned For Gambling $263,000 In Temple Cash…Drew Peterson Gets 40 Extra Years For Plot To Kill Prosecutor…Woman Robbed Bank To Return To Prison.
Longread of the Week: After The Fall
Bonus Longread of the Week: Aaron Hernandez’s Brother Retraces NFL Star’s Path To Murder
Quick Hits Part Tres: Wilson Ramos hit .229 last year, finishing with an MLB-low 0.4 WAR among catchers. He had LASIK eye surgery over the offseason and is currently hitting .331/.383/.533, has been moved to the cleanup spot and is tied for the lead with a 3.1 WAR among catchers. I guess not all offseason puff pieces are to be ignored…Here’s Giancarlo Stanton making a leaping catch followed by him hitting a bomb later in the inning…I’d treat Dee Gordon as a top-25 fantasy asset down the stretch…Rougned Odor is on pace to hit .280 with 32 homers, 15 steals, 98 runs scored and 83 RBI…As someone with a pretty big bet on the Indians to win the World Series, I’m not the happiest with Jonathan Lucroy right now…Corey Seager will be a top-20 fantasy pick next year, at minimum…This exchange between Billy Butler and catcher Chris Gimenez was followed up by this…Hernan Perez is quietly on pace to hit 11 homers and steal 28 bases in just 300 bats. He’s now batting third in the Brewers’ lineup, is eligible at 2B/3B/OF and is available in 75 percent of Yahoo leagues. Go pick him up.
