Do you remember when Kyle Gibson was a major prospect? No, you don’t, stop lying! Most of you weren’t even alive back in 2013 when he last graced a top 100 prospect list. Alas, with a career ERA of 4.71 and only one season south of 4.00, he hasn’t exactly panned out on that hype. He’s shown flashes, but it has never consistently come together. He’s in the midst of one such flash (a tiny 1.69 ERA over his last four starts), but is there anything behind it that makes him viable for a strong finish?

Read the rest of this entry »

Here’s the transcript from today’s chat.

Read the rest of this entry »

It’s that time of year when teams will be churning through starting pitchers hope to improve their Strikeout and Win totals. Here are my thoughts on some lowly owned guys (under 10% owned):

Buck Farmer (1% Yahoo) at Cleveland (vs. Mike Clevinger)

Just looking on the surface, I would say roll with Farmer and collect some strikeouts (8.9 K/9) and take an ERA hit. The problem is that those strikeouts came early in the season. In his major-league stint in June, he posted 11.2 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9. Since returning, those numbers are 5.9 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9. There’s no guarantee his strikeouts will return.

Additionally, his flyball nature (48% FB%) has pushed his home run rate up to 1.7 HR/9. The home runs have inflated his ERA up to 6.32 with his ERA estimators hovering around five.

With Cleveland hitting on all cylinders right now, the Win is unlikely. With little chance for the Win and strikeouts, I would pass on him. Read the rest of this entry »

You know what kind of day it is when you wake up and all anybody is talking about is Ted Cruz. But the Grind grinds on…

AGENDA

1. Do a barrel roll!
2. Weather Reports
3. Pitchers to Use and Abuse
4. SaberSim Says…
5. TDG Invitational Returns!

Read the rest of this entry »

9/11/17

The latest episode of “The Sleeper and the Bust” is brought to you by Out of the Park Baseball 18, the best baseball strategy game ever made – available NOW on PC, Mac, and Linux platforms! Go to ootpdevelopments.com to order now and save 10% with the code SLEEPER18!

Follow us on Twitter

• @sporer
• @enosarris
• @jasoncollette
• @justinmasonfwfb

Leading Off: Question of the Day

• CLE will never lose again – who’s the 1st player drafted from them next yr? (3:30)

Notable Transactions/Rumors/Articles/Game Play

• Bradley Zimmer hurt sliding into first (6:30)
  • Jason Kipnis to see time in CF
• Jimmy Nelson hurt diving back into first (13:00)
• Michael Fulmer to have ulnar nerve surgery, same as deGrom (17:00)
• Eric Hosmer hit .195 thru 20 gms, hitting .350 since — contract guess? (19:30)
• Other shoe hasn’t dropped on Gio Gonzalez (2.50 ERA) — what’s he do in ‘18? (25:50)

Read the rest of this entry »

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

It wasn’t a great year for the Giants in 2017 and, unfortunately, there isn’t much help coming from the farm for 2018. The organization has some depth — especially in the outfield — but the system lacks impact bats and arms.

The Graduate: Ty Blach, LHP: As mentioned, there wasn’t much that went right for the Giants in 2017 but the development of Blach rates as one of the best. And I kinda saw it coming. He’s soaked up innings for the Giants as a freshman and currently sits at 150. He gives up a lot of hits (166) and doesn’t miss many bats (70 Ks) but he doesn’t hurt himself with walks (36) and he does a respectable job of keeping the ball in the park (16 HRs). The southpaw throws four pitches for strikes even if the heater sits around 90 mph. He’ll never be a star but Blach should continue to eat up innings and provide league-average-ish numbers for the Giants at the backend of the rotation — and in this era of the long-ball there is a lot of value in that skill.

Read the rest of this entry »

Storm surges are terrifying. I recommend living on a hill or mountain. But not too steep of a mountain or else you have to worry about avalanches. And if you live too elevated, oxygen deprivation and hypothermia are increased risks. Yes, a nice hill is what we need. My sympathy to those of you affected by recent (or not-so-recent) hurricanes.

AGENDA

1. Is He Back?
2. Weather Reports
3. Pitchers to Use and Abuse
4. SaberSim Says…
5. TDG Invitational Returns!

Read the rest of this entry »

Episode 296 – Hold My Beer, I’m Going In

The latest episode of “Field of Streams” is live!

In this episode, Dylan Higgins and Matthew Dewoskin discuss the Tank Bears, the Nationals facing a possible two-day-hangover lineup, Harrison Bader getting regular playing time, Dylan’s loud partying neighbors, being forced to believe in Doug Fister, Nicky Delmonico playing for a job, Brett Anderson’s impressive control numbers, Matt and Dylan both going with Jeimer Candelario, and the concept of being too patient at the plate in softball.

Read the rest of this entry »

Podcast (field-of-streams): Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

While the opening weekend of fantasy football was great, some of our teams are already done. Thanks a lot Allen Robinson.

Read the rest of this entry »

Another exciting weekend of bullpen activity around the major leagues…

Kelvin Herrera is out as Royals closer, according to an ESPN report. Manager Ned Yost said the team will go with a closer-by-committee, utilizing Brandon Maurer, Mike Minor, or Scott Alexander to close games. Maurer picked up the save on Saturday, with Minor pitching 1.2 innings to bridge the gap from the starter to Maurer. As I mentioned in last weekend’s Report, Alexander may be the most intriguing of the bunch, but Yost seems to prefer Maurer because of his experience as a closer.

Shortly after being traded to the Cardinals, Juan Nicasio pitched 1.1 innings to earn the save against the Pirates on Friday. On Saturday, he struck out two and allowed one hit to pick up another save against the team that cut him loose earlier this month. Tyler Lyons pitched the eighth and John Brebbia pitched the seventh, so that’s the order we’re rolling with on the grid. The Cardinals bullpen situation has been quite volatile since Trevor Rosenthal got hurt, so Nicasio could easily grab the closer role and run with it if he continues to pitch well. Read the rest of this entry »