Archive for Featured

We previously covered several starting pitchers who changed their arm angle in June and July. Let’s follow that up with a few other starting pitchers who have been throwing from different arm angles this season. Arm angles can impact pitch movement profiles, depending on the pitch type.

Besides one near-elite starting pitcher, we’ll examine a few players who have been performing well while showing different arm angles. How have those arm angles impacted pitch movement and usage? Why does it matter?

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One way to celebrate not getting traded is to hit three bombs!

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8/3/26

The latest episode of “The Sleeper and the Bust” is live!

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TEAM-BY-TEAM TRADE DEADLINE AFTERMATH

• Lars Nootbaar to the Diamondbacks 2:05
• Tyler Mahle and Lane Thomas to the Braves 6:33
• Adley Rutschman, Erik Miller, and Eli White to the Red Sox 13:15
  • Marcelo Mayer to the Giants
• Kevin Gausman, Clay Holmes, Braxton Garrett, Ryan Zeferjahn, and Tyrone Taylor to the Cubs 21:56
• Luis Castillo, Joey Bart and Brenton Doyle to the White Sox 27:16
• Foster Griffin, Jo Adell and Nathaniel Lowe to the Guardians 32:23
• Connor Norby to the Rockies 37:55
• Daulton Varsho to the Astros 40:10
• Moisés Ballesteros to the Angels 41:33

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• Daily SP Chart archive
• 2-Start podcast episode ranking
• SP Rankings (last update: 7/24 | next: September)

Welcome to the Daily SP Chart, click here if you’re new to get an idea of what I’m doing with these rankings.

I’m wiped after a pair of Trade Deadline shows (with Nick Pollack here and then a Sleeper & The Best ep. that should be up by the morning for audio and can be watched here) so I’ll drop some comments in the morning!

• Skubal debut in LA… I’m sure everyone will be tuned in as there was absolutely zero pushback or consternation about it! Btw, people can be annoyed with the deal and how the Dodgers get everyone, but taking it out on Skubal who was simply traded by his team is silly.
• I won’t pretend it was the consensus but I didn’t think any pushback on Minnesota keeping Ryan had merit. They’re very much in the mix, were clearly buying, and still have another year of Ryan to consider dealing him this winter/next year if things go south.
• I have no idea if Milwaukee offered Henderson in the River Ryan role of a Skubal trade, but if so, I’d have rather gone that route. But it’s pure speculation, we have no idea who Milwaukee offered (or if it’s out there, I haven’t seen it). I wanted them to go hard for Skubal not just so my Tigers get what I perceive to be a better return (if Hendo was in it) but also so the Dodgers didn’t get another elite piece.
• Maybe Jared Jones is more firmly back than I originally thought. I preached some caution on a couple recent pod appearances where he was getting promoted as a 2H breakout because I didn’t want to get caught up using a small sample to think someone is fully back from TJ. It is 5 starts and 27 IP where Jones has been completely dialed: 2.00 ERA/.63 WHIP/28% K-BB. Even if I still have a bit of residual caution on thinking he’s fully back, he has done enough to be a rotation lock for the foreseeable future. He gets a 2-step this week (NYM on the wknd) and even if this didn’t go super well, I still think he’d be a firm 3-x next week v. BOS whereas in the throes of my panic, I might’ve run him to the bench at the first sign of trouble.

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With the All Star Break behind us, it is time for MLB teams to commit one way or the other – go all in for the playoff push or start building for the future? The trade deadline is just over two weeks away and you can expect to see a flurry of activity. Someone will get a new closer. Someone will upgrade at shortstop, bumping another bat to the bench. Someone will clear a spot for their top prospect to debut.

And that, of course, will have fantasy implications. While our partners on the green side of this site will go in depth into the whos and whats and whys of all that activity, this is where you can come for thoughts and analysis on the fantasy implications of each trade.

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Here is today’s chat transcript:
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Likely his last webgem as a Giant:

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Following on from looking at those who have managed to increase the velocity on their four-seamer since the start of the season, it is now time to turn to those losing velocity. Some have not been so fortunate. Whether through wear and tear or potential injuries, these pitchers warrant serious monitoring and potential red flags as we move forward.

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• Daily SP Chart archive
• 2-Start podcast episode ranking
• SP Rankings (last update: 7/24 | next: September)

Welcome to the Daily SP Chart, click here if you’re new to get an idea of what I’m doing with these rankings.

• I willing to take a shot on Javier after the excellent 5 IP relief appearance thanks to the good TOR matchup. He’s an even easier start for me in weekly leagues with a trip to SDP on the weekend.
• Pfaadt is surging since his return w/a 1.85 ERA/1.06 WHIP in six starts, running up a beautiful 5-0 record in the process. The cold water comes when we see just a 10% K-BB during this run. I’m still running him today because of the matchup but I don’t think he’s fully emerged from his previous troubles with this run. He’s still toting a 200-pt OPS platoon split as lefties remain a major hurdle. Until we see significant improvement there, it’s hard to see any run as a real breakout.
• Boyd is rolling so I’m sticking w/him even v. LAD!
• Taking anyone into Coors is always fraught and Seymour is hardly an ace, but I’m OK taking the shot here.
• None of the 3 1-x’ers are close to a must start. In fact, they’re all probably “half” x’s for me as I can see taking a chance on talented-but-inconsistent pitchers. Be very careful with them!

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I’m writing this before trade deadline day, which means that there’s likely to be a slew of additional hitters who are going to earn increased playing time or be recalled from the minors and immediately serve in a starting role. For now, let’s talk about eight hitters who have seen increased playing time recently or have been recently recalled.

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