Stats that have fantasy owners searching for answers in latest Mostly MLB Notes
Mostly MLB Notes: Talking Vince Velasquez, all things baseball and more
The biggest worry about Vince Velasquez entering the year was health, far more than performance. But he’s allowed 13 runs over his last three outings and sits with a 5.98 ERA and 1.42 WHIP on the season. His 23.6 K% suggests he’s a clear buy-low candidate, but it’s easy to say someone with a 5.98 ERA (who’s allowed an absurd nine homers over 43.2 innings) will get better. Yes, that will regress. He has good stuff and is a good pitcher. His 10.8 SwStr% ranks top-30 among all starting pitchers in baseball (ahead of Dallas Keuchel, who has a 1.84 ERA). It’s simply crazy Velasquez is available in more than 40 percent of Yahoo leagues right now.
I finally listened to S-Town. Great podcast. Please do yourself a favor if you haven’t yet. It will be well worth your time. I promise.
Headlines of the Week: Texas Man Sues Woman For Texting In Date…This 150-Foot-Tall ‘Vending Machine’ Will Serve You A Ferrari…Spurs Fan Files Lawsuit Against Warriors, Pachulia Over Leonard Injury…Man Sues Planet Hollywood For Assault After Being Frightened By Mannequin In His Room… Walmart Worker Tackles Hungry Deer Seeking Tasty Deal…Sea Lion Grabs Girl and Pulls Her Into Water.
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Quick Hits: Buster Posey is on pace to finish with 25 homers and 40 RBI. All seven of his homers this season have been solo…Matt Cain had a 2.30 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP over his first five starts. He has an 8.41 ERA and a 2.07 WHIP with an 11:14 K:BB ratio over his following four…I wasn’t exactly a buyer of Cain entering the year, but I fully admit I was of Joe Musgrove, but he’s been a huge disappointment, including serving up seven runs over 3.0 innings during his last outing. His xFIP is 4.52. It appears I got this one wrong…C.J. Cron hit a grand slam Sunday and was sent to the minors Monday…Mike Trout is on pace to finish with 49 homers, 109 runs scored, 120 RBI and 32 steals while batting .350. I went out on a limb and said Clayton Kershaw should be the No. 1 fantasy pick this year, but I didn’t count on Trout (the best player in baseball), having the greatest year of his career.
Police Blotter: Cow Escapes Sturgis Butcher Shop, Leads Police On Chase Through Downtown…Driver Offers Police Officer Taco Bell To Ignore Cocaine In His Car…Tennessee Man Gets $14M Bond After Daring Judge To Raise His Bond…Father And Son Busted With More Than $17M In Sea Cucumbers…Woman Who Dressed As Dinosaur To Spook Horses Turns Self In…Couple Unknowingly Drives Onto Interstate With Drunk Man On Trunk.
Quick Hits Part Deux: Julio Urias has allowed 12 runs over his last two starts, spanning 6.1 innings. Even crazier than the runs served up is his 1:4 K:BB ratio over that stretch, leading to him getting sent back to the minors. I’m still a believer long term, but this has been quite discouraging (he has a middling 8.9 SwStr%)…Freddie Freeman has faced 10 teams this year and homered against every one of them. Brutal loss to the DL for those who own him…Is Andrew Miller the best reliever ever (he currently sports a 0.43 ERA with a 0.71 WHIP and a .137 BAA) without recording a save over 21.0 innings? This isn’t a criticism about Cleveland by the way. At least he has two wins for his fantasy owners…Ian Happ sure looks legit, even hitting cleanup recently for the Cubs. He’s owned in just 42 percent of Yahoo leagues right now.
Songs of the Week: Soundgarden – Fell On Black Days and Temple Of The Dog – Hunger Strike.
Longread of the Week: A Q&A With Tony Reali About Postpartum Depression And Anxiety In Dads.
Quick Hits Part Tres: Jose Berrios disappointed in a big way last year, but he’s looked great so far, producing a 0.59 ERA and 0.39 WHIP. It’s a small sample, but this is a big prospect (and it helps the Twins have such a strong outfield defense), and he’s still available in a quarter of leagues…What a slide by Josh Harrison…What a catch by Kevin Kiermaier to end a game…Here’s Joey Votto popping out for the first time since 2016…Ryan Schimpf currently sports a .162 BABIP. No one is within 30 points. His wRC+94 is right around league average despite that…Over his last 10 games, Justin Smoak is batting .353/.476/.824. Yes, that’s an .824 slugging percentage. Good for a 1.300 OPS. To go along with five homers and 12 RBI over 10 contests with a 5:8 K:BB ratio. Smoak is a former top prospect who’s owned in less than half of Yahoo leagues…The Warriors are going to beat the Cavs in the Finals with ease. Book it. This isn’t a threat it’s a promise.
