Boxscore Bits: April 21st, 2022

FOR STARTERS

• A whopping 2703 people watched (and I don’t fault the fans in the slightest, they are boycotting the disgusting OAK ownership and I totally get it!) the 1-0 battle in OAK and Lyles and Jefferies both took full advantage of the easy matchup. Both are deeeep league streamers. Lyles is at NYY and v. BOS, so that’s a no from me. Jefferies just gets 1 start (at SF) in a 5-game week and is also an easy pass.
• Another gem for Mikolas, though his 7% SwStr to this point does suggest that his 21% K rate might not hold. No one drafted Mikolas with any sort of expectation for strikeouts so that should be fine. He has a 2-start v. NYM and ARI next week and is widely available to stream (Y! 36%, ESPN 19%).
• There’s the Woodruff we drafted! Yeah, it was PIT so we expected it, but it all counts the same. He gets a trip to PIT and then CHC at home so it’s a good opportunity to stay hot even with the Cubs hitting pretty well.
• Alcantara was excellent against StL, netting a 57% GB rate and 13% SwStr rate while toting his highest velo of the season (up 0.4 over his last start). It was just the 3rd start in baseball this year to reach 8 IP.
• It’s hard to nitpick Gonsolin’s 6 shutout innings of 1-hit ball, but it still felt like it was missing a little something. He’s had a 15% SwStr in all 3 of his starts yet has just a 15% K rate! The spotty command and control haven’t really moved forward from last year’s struggles with a 13% BB rate and 38% Zone rate (31% in this outing; 42% lg. avg). I’m not out on Gonsolin, but the 94% LOB rate will come down and if the BB rate doesn’t come down with it, there are some tough starts ahead. I doubt ARI will be the team to instigate that regression, though, so he’s an easy start next week.
• Ohtani had the 2nd-best start of his career according to Game Score (81) as he needed just 81 pitches to absolutely dominate HOU for 6 IP. I wonder how many fantasy teams even got this start, though, since so many leagues require you choose hitter or SP with Ohtani and most fantasy managers simply keep him in at hitter. We should be in a place where all of Ohtani’s excellence is utilized by those who draft him. Who cares if that would make him the obvious 1.1 pick? I’ve never understood why anyone thinks that’s a reasonable counter, lol. Anyway, Ohtani is a stud and I love watching him play baseball!
• Lynch couldn’t maintain the strikeout prowess from his season debut (7 in 5 IP), but no one is complaining about 5 shutout innings. MIN couldn’t square him up so despite just 2 Ks, Lynch was never really threatened. He will likely be a popular 2-start pickup this week, though it’s not an easy slate with a trip to CWS and home start v. NYY. I like him in 12s and deeper while it’s more of a toss up for 10s.
• Gore has been solid in his first two MLB outings, but will he be heading back down to Triple-A soon with Blake Snell and Mike Clevinger working their way back? Keep tabs on the news with Gore so you don’t overspend on someone in the minors. If you can afford to stash even if (when) he is sent back, by all means go for it.
• Kelly has been an early gem after a strong spring, though his 9% SwStr rate doesn’t fully support the excellent 29% K rate. However, even with a regressed K rate, I’m buying. It will be interesting to see how much he costs in FAAB this weekend with a 2-start v. LAD and at STL. I’m going for Kelly in 10s or deeper despite the difficult setup.
• Great to see Berrios dominate against a quality opponent. Hopefully that calms the worries of those who have him rostered. He was always going to be fine, but as with Woodruff, it’s so good to see the stats start coming together.
• Bieber’s velo didn’t go up, but the boxscore suggests to me he was quite sharp. I didn’t get to see the game but looking at the data it seems everything was working. For all the concerns a lot of the fantasy community has for him, he has a 2.25 ERA and 0.69 WHIP.
• Keller was a chic sleeper after an offseason velo boost but we hadn’t seen any dividends from the extra heat until Wednesday. Next week is a great litmus test of whether or not you should hold Keller as he has a home 2-step against MIL and SD. It’s not an easy slate, but if you can’t start him here, he’s probably a cut.
• Sevvy’s velo was down a smidge, but he survived his 9 base runners and had a solid 13% SwStr rate. He’s setup for a nice 2-step next week v. BAL and at KC.
• McKenzie’s 4 BB likely ended his day sooner than he wanted, but all told this wasn’t a bad start. The young righty will have ups and downs while the upside remains rich.
• Decent rebound for E-Rod as it was his best start of the year. Definitely want to see more whiffs going forward and next week will be a challenge at MIN and at LAD. I’ll be starting him, but this is a pivotal week for 10s and 12s.
• Bassitt salvaged his start nicely after going down 3-0 in the first. He gave up just 2 ER in the next five innings with 6 Ks. No shame in giving up some runs to SF.
• Morton similarly saved what could’ve been a nightmare start by lasting 5.3 IP despite the shaky 1st inning. He started in a hole in his last start, too (5 ER in 2 IP), and managed to go 5 IP. It hasn’t been great, but I can’t envision sitting him anywhere.
• Stroman was drafted in part due to his high floor as a steady presence in your rotation, but he already has two 5 ER outings, one more than he had all of last year. I am fine cutting him in a 10-teamer if you really want, but I’d personally give him the 2-step next week (at ATL, at MIL) and then make my decision.
• Well, that’s not gonna help Keuchel reach his 160 IP!

COMBO MEALS

Shoutout to ESPN’s Fantasy Focus podcast for coming up with the “combo meal” term when guys get a HR and SB in the same game. Here are the Wednesday combo meals:

• Anthony Rizzo (4th HR, 2nd SB)
• Jurickson Profar (4th HR, 1st SB) – off to an excellent start and playing every day in LF; worth a look
• Raimel Tapia (1st HR/SB) – even with some regular PT, I’m not too interested

STOLEN BASES

• Rizzo, Profar, Tapia
• Paul Goldschmidt (2)
• Taylor Walls (2)
• Thairo Estrada (2)
• Yonny Hernandez (2)
• Tommy Edman (1)
• Jazz Chisholm Jr. (1)
• Randy Arozarena (1)
• Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (1)
• Adam Frazier (1)
• Jo Adell (1)
• Jorge Alfaro (1)

NOTABLE CALLUPS

• TJ Friedl, OF | CIN – I was hoping Friedl would make the team out of camp after a solid Triple-A campaign (111 wRC+, 12 HR/13 SB in 448 PA). He is a speedster with quality plate skills and a host of injuries and Tyler Naquin getting Covid opened the door for him to come up. As such, it could be temporary, but how much longer will Aristides Aquino get regular PT (-35 wRC+ in 38 PA)? Monitor Friedl through the weekend in hopes of getting a read on how long he is staying w/the team. I think he could be viable in 12s and up if and when he gets a real opportunity, but that might not be happening here, especially if Naquin returns quickly.

WTWT

Here is What To Watch Today for Thursday, April 21st:

• Miguel Cabrera is going for his 3,000th hit, he is 1 away!
• Michael Pineda debuts for the Tigers and could become a useful streamer in 12s and up.
• Paul Blackburn and Tyler Wells are both intriguing deep league breakouts I’m keeping tabs on.
• I’m dialed in on every Joe Ryan start, he was one of my favorite breakout picks this year.
• I’m eager to see what Jordan Hicks can do as a starter, though this will obviously be a short start.
• Taylor Hearn could become a team streamer at some point this season so I have been watching him closely.