While the NFBC Main Event garners most of the attention, there are a handful of leagues with even a larger entry fee ($2.5K to $15K). They get originally named “High Stakes Leagues” and this year there are nine of them. With so much money on the line, these fantasy managers are going to try to gain any advantage. Most of the time, these managers will be a week or two ahead of everyone else on their adds. Here are the players and some information on the ones added in five or more of these leagues: Read the rest of this entry »

A cold hit me hard about the time I started this week’s report. I completed the rankings and just added small notes when I deemed them necessary. -Jeff

In the article, I cover the players using CBS’s (about 40% or less initial roster rate) and Yahoo’s ADD/DROP rates. Both hosting sites have the option for daily and weekly waiver wire adds. CBS uses a weekly change while Yahoo looks at the last 24 hours. Yahoo is a great snapshot of right now while CBS ensures hot targets from early in the week aren’t missed. The players are ordered for redraft leagues by my rest-of-season preference grouped by starters, relievers, and hitters. Read the rest of this entry »

American League

Angels

• Jo Adell (.628 OPS) has started four straight in left field.

• Mike Ford (.644 OPS) has started in 12 of the last 13 games.

Astros

• Chas McCormick (.727 OPS) and Mauricio Dubón (.558 OPS) are splitting time in center field.

• Christian Vázquez (.729 OPS) is playing more by starting in six of the last 10 games.

Athletics

• Vimael Machín (.599 2H OPS) has started seven straight and is hitting higher in the lineup.

Blue Jays

• After hitting .576 over the past month, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. has moved down the lineup and only started in five of the last seven games.

Guardians

• Steady.

• Owen Miller (.648 OPS) and Tyler Freeman (.607 OPS) are getting some at-bats but not enough to be fantasy relevant.

Mariners

• Steady. One spot seems dedicated to cycling in a bench bat.

Orioles

• Gunnar Henderson (.739 OPS, 1 HR, 1 SB) has started nine straight while playing all over (2B, SS, 3B, DH).

• Austin Hays (.721 OPS) and Kyle Stowers (.622 OPS) are splitting one outfield spot.

Rangers

• Steady but the addition of Josh Jung (.846 OPS in AAA) and demotion of Ezequiel Duran (.643 OPS) might move around the order a bit.

Rays

• Mainly full-time players (craziness) except in the middle infield spots (B.Lowe, Chang, Walls) especially with Wander Franco coming off the IL.

Red Sox

• Triston Casas (.863 OPS in AAA) has started five straight games with a 38% K% (61% fastballs) so far.

• Christian Arroyo’s playing time has dried up a bit with six starts in the last 10 games.

Royals

• Michael A. Taylor (.720 OPS) has started in nine of the last 10 games.

• There are no regulars in the bottom half of the lineup.

Tigers

• Ryan Kreidler (.661 MLB OPS, .763 AAA OPS) has started seven straight games.

Twins

• Gilberto Celestino (.632 OPS) has started 15 straight in centerfield.

• With all the outfield injuries (Kepler, Buxton), Kyle Garlick (.768 OPS, 9 HR in 144 PA) has started five straight and leadoff once.

White Sox

• Romy Gonzalez (.339/.356/.500, 2 HR) has started in 11 of the last 13 games.

Yankees

• The lineup has gotten to the point where Ronald Guzmán is getting plate appearances and batting cleanup. It’s nearly impossible to know which of the current Band-Aids will stick or be left floating in the pool. Stay away.

National League

Braves

• Robbie Grossman (vs LHP) and Eddie Rosario (vs RHP) are in a platoon.

Brewers

• Andrew McCutchen (.608 OPS over the last month) has only started in five of the last 10 games.

• Luis Urías (.715 OPS) has started in only six of the last 10 games, mainly against lefties.

Cardinals

• Tommy Edman bats ninth against righties.

Cubs

• Catcher-qualified Alfonso Rivas (.858 OPS since being recalled) has started in six of the last 10 games.

Diamondbacks

• Besides Ketel Marte, Josh Rojas, and Christian Walker, no one is starting all the time.

• Stone Garrett (1.242 OPS) is only starting against lefties.

Dodgers

• Chris Taylor (.682 OPS) has only started in seven of the last 10 games.

Giants

• David Villar (.754 OPS, 4 HR) has started seven straight playing both first and third base.

• Lewis Brinson (vs LHP) and Mike Yastrzemski (vs RHP) are in a centerfield platoon.

Marlins

• What a mess. Just a bunch of part-time quad-A fill-ins.

• Since coming off the IL, Avisaíl García has started three straight while hitting third or fourth.

• Jon Berti (vs RHP) and Charles Leblanc (vs LHP) are in a second base platoon.

• Peyton Burdick (vs LHP) and JJ Bleday (vs RHP) are in a centerfield platoon.

• Miguel Rojas has only started in six of the last 10 games.

Mets

• Since coming off the IL, Eduardo Escobar (.692 OPS) has started nine straight.

Nationals

• Lane Thomas has leadoff for eight straight games.

• CJ Abrams (.579 OPS) is starting against all righties (.687 OPS) and most lefties (.325 OPS).

• César Hernández has been moved into a utility role by playing at third base (3 games) and the outfield (3 games). He’s only started in six of the last 10 games.

Padres

• Steady.

• Trent Grisham (vs RHP) and José Azocar (vs LHP) are still in a platoon.

Phillies

• Bryson Stott (vs RHP) and Edmundo Sosa (vs LHP) are in a platoon.

• Brandon Marsh (.631 OPS), Nick Maton (1.033 OPS), and Matt Vierling (.619 OPS) are splitting one outfield spot with Castellanos on the IL.

Pirates

• It’s tough to know if there are any platoons since the team hasn’t faced a lefty in 11 games.

• Since his promotion, Jack Suwinski (14 HR, .687 OPS) has started eight of nine games.

• Rodolfo Castro has started in nine of ten games (6 HR, 4 SB, .233 AVG in 174 PA).

Reds

• Spencer Steer (.849 OPS, 1 HR) has started six straight games and has moved up to hitting fifth.

• The team has too many bodies with Nick Senzel, Aristides Aquino, Jake Fraley, TJ Friedl, Albert Almora Jr., and Donovan Solano all splitting time.

Rockies

• Michael Toglia has started nine straight games and is hitting .294/.563/.857 with 2 HR on the season.

• Ryan McMahon (vs RHP) and Elehuris Montero (vs LHP) are in a platoon.

A couple of weeks ago, I examined hitters who were getting No Respect from the opposing defense. The pitchers were throwing these batters slow fastballs right across the plate. Additionally, the fielders moved up because they didn’t expect the guy to hit the ball with authority. After getting some hints from the comments and some changes I listed in the original article, I decided to implement a some with the goal to find inexperienced major league hitters who might not have shown all their power and have another gear. The MLB teams know of this power since they have access to minor league Trackman information. Read the rest of this entry »

While the NFBC Main Event garners most of the attention, there are a handful of leagues with even a larger entry fee ($2.5K to $15K). They get originally named “High Stakes Leagues” and this year there are nine of them. With so much money on the line, these fantasy managers are going to try to gain any advantage. Most of the time, these managers will be a week or two ahead of everyone else on their adds. Here are the players and some information on the ones added in five or more of these leagues: Read the rest of this entry »

7:31	Jeff Zimmerman:

Read the rest of this entry »

In the article, I cover the players using CBS’s (about 40% or less initial roster rate) and Yahoo’s ADD/DROP rates. Both hosting sites have the option for daily and weekly waiver wire adds. CBS uses a weekly change while Yahoo looks at the last 24 hours. Yahoo is a great snapshot of right now while CBS ensures hot targets from early in the week aren’t missed. The players are ordered for redraft leagues by my rest-of-season preference grouped by starters, relievers, and hitters. Read the rest of this entry »

American League

Rangers

• Nathaniel Lowe has decided to swing at better pitches.

“Just committing to better pitches,” he said. “Offense as a whole is trending in such a direction where it’s like, such a visual thing, as far as ‘Does my swing look good?’ But the real one true answer is ‘Does your swing produce?’ And if you get good pitches to hit, are you doing what you’re supposed to do with good pitches to hit? I think that I’ve finally found a space where I can just commit to that.

OK, that gives us a place to start. What has Lowe done with pitches in the strike zone? It’s interesting to think back to spring training — remember when he simply wasn’t swinging at any pitches, choosing instead to track them for the first few games of Cactus League play? It felt weird to everyone, including his manager. It turns out that strategy was more like a big cat stalking its prey. Somewhere after Opening Day, Lowe — as he said above — started committing to (see: “swinging at”) better pitches.

His Swing% is up from 45% to 52% and his .855 OPS is a career-best. Read the rest of this entry »

With rosters expanding yesterday, lineups are going to be a mess to figure out will the changes. Better decisions can be made in just a couple more days. Today, I just gave each team a quick look for obvious changes and will focus on players losing playing time.

American League

Angels

• Mike Ford (.991 OPS, 2 HR, 27 PA) has started seven straight games at first base.

Astros

• After not starting much at all, Christian Vázquez has started in four of the last six games.

• Jeremy Peña has moved up to second in the lineup and Yuli Gurriel has moved down. Read the rest of this entry »

While the NFBC Main Event garners most of the attention, there are a handful of leagues with even a larger entry fee ($2.5K to $15K). They get originally named “High Stakes Leagues” and this year there are nine of them. With so much money on the line, these fantasy managers are going to try to gain any advantage. Most of the time, these managers will be a week or two ahead of everyone else on their adds. Here are the players and some information on the ones added in five or more of these leagues: Read the rest of this entry »