Let's make some room for Daniel Vogelbach
Is the timing finally right for Daniel Vogelbach? The Mariners are having a blast on offense, and he’s in the middle of things.
Vogelbach went deep in Monday’s 13-5 romp at Kansas City, his fourth straight game with a homer. He’s on a silly 8-for-13 binge in his last four starts, with five home runs. He’s walked six times against five strikeouts — anyone who pulls off that ratio is controlling their at-bats.
[It’s still not too late to join or create a 2019 Yahoo Fantasy Baseball league]
Vogelbach is already into his age-26 season, and we still have no idea if he can hit in the majors. He was blocked with the Cubs, and the Mariners didn’t use him much the last two years. But the minor-league profile begs for attention: Vogelbach posted a .291/.411/.496 slash over the equivalent of two Triple-A seasons, and his career OPS in the minors is a robust .879.
The trick for Vogelbach is playing time. Jay Bruce is essentially the team’s regular first baseman, with Edwin Encarnacion the DH. Sometimes EE will get out the glove and Bruce will slide to the outfield, but that means someone has to rest from the group of Mitch Haniger, Domingo Santana, and Mallex Smith. Vogelbach might not have a path to 475 at-bats without someone getting hurt; then again, if any of those five players did get hurt (any outfielder, first baseman, or DH), he’d come into job security quickly.
Maybe this is another Jesus Aguilar story: A percolating power bat who just needed a chance to play. And for the time being, we like being invested in this Seattle offense. The Mariners rank first in scoring, fourth in average, third in OBP, and first in slugging. Heck, they’re even first in stolen bases. Rain, runs, and Mt. Rainier.
If you have room to play the Vogelbach game, he’s free in about two-thirds of Yahoo leagues. And Seattle faces a right-handed starter in six of the next seven games.
Breakthrough year for Joey Gallo?
A source who knows things told me to get Gallo this year, and I regret not pushing in the chips on that play. Gallo is off to a .250/.447/.714 start through nine games, with four homers. The key stat for him is the walks and the strikeouts — he’s got 10 of each. His walk rate is double what we saw last year, and he’s trimmed strikeouts by 11 percent.
Sure, it’s a tiny sample, but remember how quickly those K/BB rates stabilize in the fresh season. And if Gallo were to have a breakthrough year at age 25, this is what it might look like. Maybe he’s a player worth exploring in trade.
Some other interesting hitters who are winning the early BB/K ratio game: Maikel Franco (being in front of the pitcher helps the walks), Kiké Hernandez, Rhys Hoskins, Jason Heyward, Tim Beckham. I took out the FAAB checkbook after seeing Heyward’s shocking two-homer, two-steal game; perhaps the signature significance rules apply. And maybe life after Chili Davis will be good to him.
I’m always seeking ratio-smoothing relievers ...
... especially if the acquisition cost is low. Now is a good time to hunt for a few. And don’t worry if they’re names you don’t recognize; fire-breathing dragons constantly come out of nowhere. How many Ryan Pressly shares did you draft a year ago?
J.B. Wendelken sounds like a cartoon character, but he’s doing fun things in Oakland: 10.1 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 13 K. Those last two columns, as usual, are the ones to focus on. He’s got a heater in the mid-90s, and an elbow two years removed from Tommy John surgery. The roomy park of Oakland doesn’t hurt.
If you want to take a spin with JBW, he’s free everywhere — just one percent owned in Yahoo leagues. I’ve added two shares myself.
Miami’s lineup is the saddest thing on television, but the Marlins have plenty of interesting pitchers. Reliever Nick Anderson isn’t well known (and he’s had a troubled past), but look what he’s done through 4.1 innings: 5 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 10 K. Let’s underscore this —13 outs recorded, 10 by strikeout. Anderson whiffed 88 men over 60 innings in Triple-A last year. Maybe he’s a late bloomer, ready to pop at age 28.
