Chris Taylor back in play as key Dodgers regular
I don’t blame anyone who gave up on Chris Taylor in mid-April. He was hitting south of .100 about three weeks ago, and Enrique Hernandez has the Dodgers second base job.
But Taylor is still capable of playing all over the field, and the A.J. Pollock injury has opened up playing time in Chavez Ravine. And although Taylor’s seasonal stats still don’t look like much, it’s time to get him back into the Circle of Trust.
Taylor was useful in Monday’s victory over Atlanta, with a single, double, stolen base, and two RBIs. It’s his fourth straight multi-hit game, and he’s already collected two homers and two steals in May. Forget the seasonal slash line — the OPS is still under .700 — focus instead on his current form and what he’s done in the past.
Taylor was a surprise package in 2017, coming out of nowhere to hit 21 homers, steal 17 bases, and slash .288/.354/.496. He wasn’t as much fun last year, though a 110 OPS+ still makes him an above-average hitter. Maybe his early-season slump this year was tied to uncertainty on playing time, which isn’t a factor any longer. Taylor doesn’t have to get two hits every day to maintain his regular spot in the lineup.
And if you can get a share of the Dodgers lineup, please do. The Boys of Summer are second in runs, fourth in OPS. Los Angeles also has the best record in the National League. Taylor offers three positions of eligibility (second, short, outfield), and is ready to go in 71 percent of Yahoo leagues.
Change is good for Martin Perez
I wish I had been more proactive with the Martin Perez story this spring. Any pitcher escaping the hell that is Texas immediately deserves a second look, and Perez was throwing pellets all spring.
Perhaps I overreacted to Perez’s brief, ineffective stint in the Minnesota bullpen last month. Perez couldn’t do much right over 8.1 innings (11 H, 8 R, 7 ER, 9 BB, 12 K), pushing the ERA over 7. But he’s been nails as a Twins starter, winning four of five turns and fixing his ratios (33 IP, 25 H, 6 R, 7 BB, 27 K). The strikeout column is never likely to be dominant — although he had nine on Monday — but if he can maintain this control, that K/BB ratio is good enough to pitch for me.
I don’t blame anyone who looks at Perez’s home-run luck skeptically — he’s given up just two so far. SIERA and xFIP both place his true ERA in the 4s, while standard FIP is secure at 3.12. But also keep in mind these estimators are taxing Perez for his relief stints, a stretch I’m willing to throw out. He’s not a reliever any longer. The cadence of the rotation seems to be agreeing with him. And life in the AL Central is good work for a pitcher; there isn’t a dangerous opponent on Minnesota’s midwest schedule.
Set up your plans for Saturday, when Perez goes up against the weak-hitting Tigers. He’s still free to grab in 56 percent of Yahoo leagues.
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Yadier Molina chugging right along
So much of success in life is just showing up, and that’s never been a problem for Yadier Molina. Even in his age-36 season, Molina is handling a heavy workload. He leads all catchers in at-bats and hits, and he’s still giving us reasonable category juice from a weak position (three homers, two steals). He also has a whopping 25 RBIs, sparked by a surprising (and okay, unsustainable) .371 average with men in scoring position.
Molina’s more of a guess hitter these days, but he guesses right an awful lot. His walk rate is lower than ever, but he’s also striking out a scant 7.5 percent of the time. No one plays cat and mouse like Molina. And the .278 average is not only supported, it might be a little unlucky. Molina’s BABIP is down 18 points from his career norm, despite maintaining last year’s hard-hit rate and mildly raising his line-drive clip.
Hash out all the numbers and Molina checks in as the No. 5 fantasy catcher in 5x5 formats. When’s the last time anyone lost money on this guy? Sure, there isn’t anything actionable in this blurb, unless you trade for Molina, but sometimes you have to throw a dap at a performing player. Long may Molina run.
