Taking a look at the recent trends in the Senior Circuit lineups:

(Check out Jeff’s work on the AL here)

Braves

• Johan Camargo has jumped into the #2 spot the last four games with Ozzie Albies and Ender Inciarte both being pushed down to the latter third (alternating between 6th and 7th) and Dansby Swanson holding down the 8-hole.
• Ronald Acuna is locked into the leadoff spot and has been amazing from that position. Among the 45 hitters with at least 150 leadoff PA, his .464 wOBA is tops (worth noting that Mookie Betts isn’t far behind at .445 in 2.5x the PA). At this rate, he’s going to push into some 1st rounds next year.

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Angels

• It hasn’t changed much once Shohei Ohtani became the designated hitter.
• There is a first base platoon with Jose Fernandez facing righties and Jefry Marte against lefties.

Astros

• It’s set with the exception of Marwin Gonzalez playing more since he’s heated up (.268/.316/.563 over the last 28 days).

Athletics

• Ramon Laureano is now batting leadoff. He’s a must-own in all leagues at this point.
• Mark Canha doesn’t face right-handed pitchers. When he starts against lefties, Matt Olson (1B) or Chad Pinder (LF) head to the bench.

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Here is the chat transcript for today:

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• Due to Brad Boxberger’s recent struggles, the Diamondbacks are going to the most hated word in fantasy baseball – a committee, with Boxberger out. While it’s possible that Boxberger can string together a solid run and get back into the mix, we are going to take him off of the grid for now. In his place I would expect a combination of Andrew Chafin, Archie Bradley, Yoshihisa Hirano, Jake Diekman, and Brad Ziegler to see the ninth. It’s not that helpful to list off 5 names in a committee but that’s why it’s such a pain in our butts. Archie Bradley was always the presumptive favorite but he’s been terrible of late and unless the Diamondbacks want to give him a chance to prove himself in the middle of a playoff race, I’d expect them to mix and match with the other guys. For the first stab I’m putting Hirano, Diekman and Chafin on the list. Hirano is a righty so I’m guessing he could see more than the rest of the committee but with multiple lefty options in Diekman and Chafin it’s possible they see more saves, along with Brad Ziegler who just won’t go away!

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Tomorrow features one nearly useless doubleheader and at least one very useful singleheader. It’s Streaming Wars.

AGENDA

1. TDG Invitational
2. Weather Reports
3. Pitchers to Use and Abuse
4. SaberSim Says…
5. Have Your Awards And Eat Them Too

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Yesterday, I highlighted five lesser owned hitters who have running wild over the last two weeks. Today, I’ll discuss four hitters who have posted absurd HR/FB rates over the last 14 days. These players are all widely available and could knock another couple out, which may be the difference between a point or two in the homer category, and perhaps RBI.

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Bryce Harper is hoping to be the next two-way player.

.@Bharper3407 can rake. He’s also a pretty good hitter. ? pic.twitter.com/xJB17AsEwJ

— MLB (@MLB) September 11, 2018

…but he’s no Kyle Gibson.

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Obviously, there are flaws for any SPs who are readily available for streaming, but today’s batch seems to be particularly volatile. I’m always down for a pitcher who can deliver that gem of 7+ innings with a  bunch of strikeouts, but when the downside is a sub-5 inning nightmare, you have to carefully calculate if you can take on the risk.

(I’ll be citing the FantasyPros roster rates)

Tanner Roark – WAS at PHI (47%)

The Cards hit Roark for his worst start in the second half last time out, but even with the 5 IP/6 ER dud, he still has a 2.91 ERA in 55.7 IP since the break. Roark has two quality starts, a dud (4.3 IP/6 ER), and a rain-shortened outing that had started well (3 IP/0 ER) against the Phillies this year. The Phillies have been a middling offense against righties since the break, sitting 18th in wOBA at .317 with a 23% K rate.

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9/10/18

The latest episode of “The Sleeper and the Bust” is brought to you by Out of the Park Baseball 19, 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 SLEEPER19!

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 2018 Disappointments in 2019 Drafts

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The Pirates system doesn’t have immense depth or a long line of high-impact players but the big league club could benefit from quite a few contributions in 2019 — especially on the infield.

Click here for the pre-season Top 10

1. Mitch Keller | RHP | AA —> One of the top arms in the upper levels of the minors, Keller has a nice mix of fastball velocity and ability to generate ground-ball outs. He’s also been durable and threw more than 140 innings split between three levels in 2018. He finished the year in triple-A but may return to that level in 2019 until he adds some additional polish to his secondary offerings and command. His fastball/curve combo, along with better-than-average control, could make him a solid No. 2/3 starter at the big league level — especially with an improved changeup.

2. Ke’Bryan Hayes | 3B | AA —> I’ve long been a fan of Hayes, who had his best pro season in 2018 while playing in double-A at the age of 21. He flirted with a .300 batting average while showing a better eye at the plate with 57 walks and just 84 Ks. On top of that, he started to show more gap pop and could be good for 30-40 doubles at the MLB level while producing 10-12 homers with his current approach. Defensively, he has the skills to develop into an impact defender at third base.

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