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Starting Pitcher Chart – June 18th, 2026

Eric Canha-Imagn Images

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

Woo has just a 6.26 ERA over his L4 but three were on the road and he’s really developed a venue-based split this year. He has a 2.37 ERA/0.71 WHIP in 6 home starts but 5.93/1.32 on the road in 8 starts. He’s always had that split, but it used to be elite at home and simply good on the road (3.71 ERA/1.09 WHIP coming into this year). A 12-point drop to 19% K rate on the road is what pushes me to taking this split more seriously. As such, I might be open to skipping his at PIT next week, at least in shallower formats. I still think even a diminished Woo is probably better than what most people have on their bench or wire in 15-teamers (not that you’d cut him, I’m not advocating of that at all, just saying you were looking for someone to fill-in next week off the wire).

  • Messick now has 120 career IP of 2.69 ERA/1.16 WHIP… what a stud! Someone brought up possibly trading him in my chat as a preemptive strike against a possible IP limit, but he threw 138.3 IP last year between the majors and minors so even just a 15% bump gets us 160 and shouldn’t require any major layoffs to get there.
  • Gray has been finding his footing of late with a 2.29 ERA and 24% K in 7 starts since coming off the IL (4.30/1.30 before that).
  • Is Manaea recapturing his 2024 groove? 2.91 ERA/0.92 WHIP/22% K-BB in his L5 outings including his first traditional start of the year last time out during which he went 6 strong (2 ER, 6 K, 0 BB).
  • MIL just keeps twisting the knife of the Devers deal for BOS as Drohan looks to settle into his role. Even with 5 IP/4 ER v. PHI, he still had 7 K/0 BB. His 7% HR/FB probably has some regression coming, but so does the 65% LOB rate so a mid-3.00s ERA with strong supporting skills seems plenty doable. He’s also 27 years old so he doesn’t necessarily have to be babies IP-wise, but on the other hand he has just 70 combined IP the last two years so they also can’t just push him to the max. I’m not concerned about any IP caps right now, though.
  • Yesavage retains his 3-x status thanks to an easier matchup after posting Duds in 3 of his L4 with 17 BB in the 22.3 IP being a huge problem.
  • Weathers and Roupp have sputtered significantly over their L5 including 3 straight Duds from Weathers while an 8-bomb at MIL and modest 4.7 IP/4 ER v. CHC last time out overpower 3 solid starts from Roupp in his recent quintet. Both get very difficult matchups, too, so they might even be skippable in 12s depending on your depth and what you need in the standings.
  • NYY is worse without Judge, but not bad as they sit 12th in wOBA v. righties this month. Burke has labored through a pair of 5 BB outings at PHI and v. LAD but has still managed 13 Ks in the 8.3 IP of work.
  • SFG has been top 10 vL over the last two weeks (and even better vR) so I haven’t been blindly recommending guys against them and certainly wouldn’t give Pérez if he wasn’t pitching well of late (3.81 ERA/1.19 WHIP in L5).
  • Jump has been nice in his first 4 starts – 2 home, 2 away – so I’m open to considering him in a lot of spots against the K-heavy Angels (25% K vR).
  • Leiter’s recent record (6.15 ERA/1.52 WHIP in L5) paired with MIN surging a bit offensively (6th wOBA vR in L14 days and that doesn’t even include their shellacking of Rocker tonight) makes him more of a lottery ticket stream at best.
  • SEA is no longer a pushover at home, sitting 8th in wOBA vR at home this year and I’ve never been shy about my distrust of Baz, so be careful here.
  • Obviously a big part of streaming is using less than stable skillsets against weaker opponents but I still want to be discerning and not just blindly start guys I don’t actually trust. To that end, I’m not sure I see many fits for Nola even against the lowly Mets. He’s now at a 5.95 ERA over his last 165 IP thanks in large part to a 1.7 HR9. If he wasn’t named Aaron Nola, we wouldn’t even be giving him a second look. I’m a track record/pedigree guy so I don’t discount a player’s history, but the simple fact is that old Nola isn’t comin’ back!

 

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Mining the News (6/17/26)


Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

American League

Angels

Vaughn Grissom went on a rehab assignment.

INF Vaughn Grissom
Injury: Left oblique strain
IL date: June 8 (10-day IL, retroactive to June 6)
Expected return: Mid-June
Status: Began a rehab assignment with Single-A Rancho Cucamonga on June 14, going 2-for-5 and playing nine innings at third base. Is expected to play in a few more rehab games but is nearing a return.

I’m not sure where and how much Grissom (.735 OPS) will play when he returns. I will guess that Denzer Guzman (.567 OPS) gets demoted. Also, I could see Grissom splitting time at first (Nolan Schanuel, .687 OPS), second (Oswald Peraza, .732 OPS), and third (Guzman). Nobody knows. Read the rest of this entry »


Paul Sporer’s Baseball Chat – June 17th, 2026

Thanks for coming out!!

1:01

Paul Sporer: Hey everyone, thanks for coming out!!

1:04

d_i: True or false.  Nick Kurtz has a case to be labeled the best hitter in baseball?

1:06

Paul Sporer: Oh he’s gotta be a part of the conversation for sure. Count me among those who had concerns about his K% coming into this year but when you add 8 pts of BB% (and even shave 3 pts of K%), it’s a totally different situation. The power was already covering the Ks to a degree but the OBP is now such a force. I thought the K% would sting more as BABIP regressed, but he’s up to .389!! That’s not just Sacramento, either: .400 Home/.380 Road

1:06

cjsarpon: Is it time to move on from Palencia? Elbow inflammation could be a long stint, IL spots are tight, wasn’t getting opps, and in a 4-5 point dogfight for saves (SVs only league). Yates, Webb, Theilbar, Santillan best SVs options on wire.

1:09

Paul Sporer: Yeah I’m OK moving on from Palencia. Not pitching well enough when healthy to think he’s a must-hold in any capacity

1:09

Your Pal Al: Two-part question — 10-team AVG/OBP/SLG/H/BB/HR/NSB league.

I spent serious draft capital on Austin Riley and Luke Keaschall hoping to lock down 3B and 2B. Instead, I’ve had to burn valuable roster spots chasing production while benching both of them, and IL hits to my SPs have only made it worse. Should I try to package Riley and Keaschall for starting pitching and roll with Royce Lewis, Matt McLain, Antonacci, and Gelof to rotate through 2B/3B (rank)?

Also, what FAAB % should I reserve for therapy?

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The Trade Desk: 2 Up, 2 Down

Pulling off trades in our fantasy baseball leagues can be difficult. We usually know our league-mates well, and they often know our true tendencies and intentions, but that shouldn’t stop us from engaging. We should be active with trade conversations to improve our rosters in our quest for league titles. This weekly column will recommend hitters and pitchers to try selling high or buying low on, and I’ll try to present realistic opportunities. Below are two players to target in trades and two to consider dealing.

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Roto Riteup: June 17, 2026

I remember this play in Little League:

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Starting Pitcher Chart – June 17th, 2026

Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

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

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Starting Pitchers Who Lost Stuff and Command in May and June

Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Last week, we examined a few starting pitchers who gained stuff and command in May and June. This time, we’re looking at starting pitchers who lost stuff and command since May 1. Pitchers can go through stretches of gaining and losing stuff and command, with these metrics fluctuating over time. The visual below shows the pitchers who lost two points in their Stuff+ and Location+ since May 1.

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Roto Riteup: June 16, 2026

Why would you test Kyle?

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Starting Pitcher Chart – June 16th, 2026

John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

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

Afternoon updates:

  • Senga coming off the IL and Scott headed on it (hip). Don’t start Senga until we see something and probably 2-3 good starts worth of that “something”
  • Rasmussen isn’t risk-free at LAD but he’s just too good for me to be concerned by his matchups
  • Commenter TJ brought up some King concerns for 10-teamers and it’s not completely unfounded with a 6.45 ERA/1.39 WHIP in his L4 starts but I’m not totally off him based on this run. ATH and WAS got to him the most, allowing 9 ER in 9.3 IP. ATH beat him straight up, but 4 of the 5 at WAS came in the 7th inning of what had been a solid start to that point (outside of the meager 2 Ks). He went 6 IP/4 ER v. NYM which falls shy of a QS but certainly isn’t a terrible outing. And then his most recent was 6.7 IP/3 ER v. CIN. Despite the ERA, I love that he’s gone 6+ in 3 of the 4. I will concede he’s not a must-start in 10s given the lighter skills (12% K-BB) compared to his recent years and a .246 BABIP that is rife for some more regression, but he remains startable against an OK Cardinals lineup. I do think 10-team managers have to think deeply about the ATL/LAD 2-step he’s set up for next week as they could get that BABIP regression going in earnest. Coming back around on this to say I’m convinced to drop King a bit after another “bleh” outing (4.3 IP/3 ER/8 BR/1 K)… in fact “bleh” is taking him off the hook a bit, it was bad. He’ll now be in the 1-2x range depending on matchup and that 2-step next week now becomes a potential cut point for 10-teamers since I can’t imagine you’d want to use it. Good call, TJ! 
  • Holmes is more of a Wins chase and with SFG’s recent offensive surge, I downgraded him to 1-x.
  • I want to love Perkins and even picked him up in my Main Event league on June 7th but it’s been tough to confidently start him. I didn’t even consider Vegas last week and then labored on this week’s 2-step — both at home — before eventually slotting him in. I’d likely skip this in daily moves leagues before jumping in this weekend against LAA.

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FAAB Frenzy and Waivers Wild: Week 13

Every Monday, this column will break down the most popular waiver wire and free agent acquisitions of the weekend.

Fantasy baseball managers know that our game is the ultimate test of grit, grind, tenacity, and patience. Unlike fantasy football, where league titles can be won with minimal in-season activity, fantasy baseball leagues require incessant attention and activity. Particularly when it comes to free agent adds and drops. Real-life baseball managers are constantly adjusting batting orders, players are frequently optioned to and promoted from the Minor Leagues, and injuries occur almost daily. There’s no resting on our laurels. We must always stay vigilant with league news and notes and remain active on the waiver wire if we want to win our leagues.

Every week, I’ll dig into the top adds on the ever-popular Fantrax and in the NFBC Online Championship (OC), a national mid-stakes contest with 240 total leagues of 12 and a six-figure grand prize. Reviewing player adds between the two should provide us with a well-rounded perspective and barometer of the fantasy baseball marketplace.

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