If I were to tell you yesterday – when I originally looked at the leaderboard – that Jayson Werth has been the fourth best hitter in the major leagues over the past calendar year would you have believed me? I wouldn’t have believed me.  Despite watching Freddie Freeman on basically a nightly basis, I wouldn’t have pegged him sixth either. On the pitching side of things, it’s pretty cool to see that Scott Kazmir has been a top 20 pitcher over the past year.

I always enjoy looking back using the leaderboards, because no matter how much ball I watch I always miss something/under-appreciate someone. Onto to our task of the day.

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Let’s be honest, if you’re watching baseball tonight, you’re watching Jose Fernandez and Alex Wood square off again. If that wasn’t your plan, you should immediately make it your plan. Last week – when the two first met – it was magical, as Jeff Sullivan wrote. Even if you aren’t a huge fan of either team, tune in for the fact that the two men above are two of the quickest working staring pitchers in the game, which is always a plus.

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Much has been written about how well pitchers have performed the past few seasons. Or put another way, much has been written about how hitters are faring worse than they have in a long time, especially in regards to walking back to the dugout after striking out. I’m not smart enough to give you a fantastic answer in regards to why this trend is continuing. However, I am going to tell you my favorite aspect of it, at least as far as one team in concerned. Velocity.

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I’m not sure how your roto teams are doing, but I’ve had a rough start so far. I own multiple shares of: Miguel Cabrera, Edwin Encarnacion, Brad Miller, Jason Heyward, Danny Salazar, and Aaron Hill. I also recently lost Chris Sale from two teams. So, thankfully Edwin and Miggy have began to come around otherwise this week would have given me a whole lot of sadness. It can’t all be bad though, right? Andrew Cashner has been very good. Kluber was lights out yesterday. Lance Lynn has quietly been very good. So it appears better days are on the horizon. Hopefully better days are on their way for you too, if your squads have limped out of the gate.

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So, it’s the day after #JoseFernandezDay. It’s so unfortunate that we’re only treated to one, or if we’re really lucky, two of those per week. Unfortunately, we can’t have nice things. The baseball gods knew Fernandez’s next start was today, so apparently they decided us mortals shouldn’t be treated to a Chris Sale start as well.

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Dave Cameron tweeted something interesting yesterday. As of yesterday, the top three offenses in the major leagues were: Colorado, Oakland, and Miami.

Strange, right? Although, aside from the Marlins I’m not too shocked. After all, the Rockies’ roster still has Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez. Except, I am surprised that Charlie Blackmon has been their best hitter thus far. It’d be fun to see what that team could accomplish if they had a solid rotation, but alas. They’re not terrible, but they’re not very good either. As it stands, Colorado is one of the best offenses to stack – shocker. I’m buying into the Athletics’ offense a little more as well, especially versus right handed pitching. As far as the Marlins are concerned, I’m going to need to see a little more.

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Can we take a moment to talk about Chase Utley? I briefly mentioned Scott Kazmir’s come back the other day. Utley’s isn’t very similar because he hasn’t actually gone anywhere the past few years, even if it felt as if he had at times. Utley’s stayed productive despite his body’s seemingly ill wishes. From 2005 – 2009, it’s hard to put into words how good he was. He was second in WAR over that time period with a 37.4 mark, second only to King Albert’s staggering 41.

Obviously his prime was fantastic, even if, as a Braves fan, it was tough to watch. But damn, if it wasn’t fun, too. Over the past few years, injuries have been a bother, but he’s still remained remarkably productive at the plate. Since 2010, his wRC+ marks are as follows: 128, 111, 113, 126, and 252 (’14; small sample, etc.). Utley’s revert back to otherworldly excellence so far has been marvelous to watch, and to read about it, which you can do here. Hopefully he continues his tear for a little while longer, because it’s been fun.

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So, remember that time I recommended stacking Giants versus Paul Maholm? Yeesh. Oh well, perhaps you’re nice enough to let me slide on that one. Hell, I can’t be the only one who thought he’d get hit pretty hard. I thought the match-up itself had tremendous blow-up potential, considering Ryan Vogelsong was on the other end of the bill. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite work out that way. The Giants I happened to pick performed alright, but they weren’t winning you any money. So hopefully, we have a little better luck today.

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Jesse Chavez has been mentioned a lot on Fangraphs lately. Wiers mentioned him in the Roto Riteup yesterday. Cistulli dug a little deeper, and even added a few gifs later on in the day. Chavez’s start has been impressive, but I want to shed some light on Oakland’s rotation as a whole. The Athletics lost Jarrod Parker in spring training. A.J. Griffin will be back eventually, but his timetable is still a little uncertain. All told, the Athletics had to replace two pitchers that were firmly slotted into their Opening Day rotation. They’ve done that, and then some.

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April 15 is one of my favorite days of the year. And not because it’s tax day. It’s Jackie Robinson Day. It’s the day our sport comes together to honor Mr. Robinson and his magnificent achievements. Without his sacrifice and perseverance the game we love wouldn’t be nearly as special as it is today. So, today when you’re enjoying the game, think a little bit about Mr. Robinson.

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