Yes, I came up with that brilliant title all by myself. So, Dylan Bundy, he has been a top prospect for seemingly forever. He was selected fourth overall in the 2011 draft and his eventual arrival to the big leagues was eagerly anticipated. His high 90s fastball fueled a near 30% strikeout rate over three different levels during his 2012 debut. Unfortunately, the good times soon came to an end, as he ended up succumbing to Tommy John surgery, which caused him to miss the entire 2013 season. He returned in 2014 to pitch 41.1 innings, but his strikeout rate in High-A over a rather small sample collapsed to just 12.8%. Then in 2015, he was shut down with a shoulder injury and managed to throw just 24 innings. And now, he is back with the Orioles after debuting for two games back in 2012. Phew, it’s been quite the roller coaster ride indeed.

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Hurting for a middle infielder? Of course you are! Look not further, I have come to your rescue.

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Yesterday, I discussed the hitters who have most underachieved their xBABIP marks. Today, I follow up on last month’s xBABIP overperformers with an update on the fantasy relevant hitters whose BABIP marks have most exceeded their xBABIP marks.

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I last discussed the xBABIP underperformers about a month ago, so with standings shaking out and only about two months left in the season, it’s time to share one final update. Below are the fantasy relevant hitters whose Alex Chamberlain xBABIP most exceeds their actual BABIP marks. If you’re looking for a trade target, this may be a good list with which to begin your research.

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Ah, the beauty of the Holds statistic. Up by 3, Jeremy Jeffress gave up two runs in the 8^th and then Sam Dyson blew his third save of the season giving up a run in the 9^th. Jeffress earns a hold (3) and Dyson is stuck with the blown save. I know I’m probably preaching to the choir, but this is one of those glaring statistical injustices it would seem. Either way, the Rangers would come back and win the game as Matt Bush pitched two scoreless innings for the W (5). I guess the real bullpen story of this game falls on the Houston side as Will Harris’ struggles continue after walking a batter and hitting the next. After a stolen base and a fielder’s choice leaving runner’s on second and third, Ken Giles came in and gave up a double to score two runs on Harris’ docket. That’s when things got interesting for Giles who would allow 3 more baserunners over 1.2 innings, while striking out six Rangers. Yes, I know that doesn’t seem to make mathematical sense, but Giles managed to strike out Nomar Mazara on a wild pitch after allowing a Mitch Moreland double. He would then hit Ryan Rua to load the bases. Then Giles settled down and struck out the side. Read the rest of this entry »

No major moves this weekend, so this will be a shorter Bullpen Report, along with a few minor adjustments to the grid.

Steve Cishek was placed on the DL on Thursday, which doesn’t shake up the closer’s role, but does impact who is next in line in Seattle. Both Drew Storen and Tom Wilhelmsen are currently next in line despite having difficult seasons, and probably shouldn’t be owned as insurance. Outside of giving up a run against Boston, Edwin Diaz has looked fantastic as he is closed all four opportunities since being made closer. He has been dominant all season with a ridiculous 17.38 K/9 and 2.48 BB/9, to go with his 1.86 ERA (1.75 FIP). The bridge to Diaz is shaky right now, but could be getting sturdier as Nick Vincent is on a rehab assignment. Vincent struggled with the long ball giving up 1.73 per 9, but has seen a nice boost in his K rate (26.6%) and BB rate (6.1%) from last year. Expect Vincent to move immediately into the chart once he returns from his rehab assignment. The second line will still be wide open and something I’m staying away from.
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Previous Rankings

Preseason

May

June

July

As many of the other positional rankings were impacted rather significantly by the trade deadline, the first basemen stayed in place with the exception of Steve Pearce. I am sticking with having lesser tiers, but making them larger. Especially since nobody complained last week, which is mostly my gauge when evaluating my rankings. So thank you for that.

Per usual, these rankings are reflective of 5×5 batting average leagues, even though there may be times that I am over/under-rating a player based on my inclination to play in more OBP leagues. Eligibility is increasing like wild flower, so I apologize in advance if I missed any eligible first basemen.

I really love cereal and I am trying to go on a diet that would essentially eliminate cereal from my life for the time being. In honor of my love of cereal, I have named my tiers after my favorite cereal. And no, these choices are not subjective. These are objectively my favorite cereals and should be yours as well if you are able to appreciate the finest in sugared breakfast foods. Read the rest of this entry »

Welcome to the final American League starting pitcher tiers of the season. The trade deadline deals resulted in several pitchers departing to the National League, with precious few arriving. With only about two months left in the season, potential innings limits are going to play a major role in rest of season value.

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Earlier this season I introduced the Prospect Scorecard as a way of better comparing and identifying the best fit prospect value for your specific fantasy league.  Today I’ll get a head start on my own 2017 prospect rankings by using the Scorecard methodology to rank the current top 50 prospects for Ottoneu. Even if you don’t play Ottoneu specifically, the 4 x 4 and FGPTS prospect rankings can serve as a good proxy for most OPS or wOBA-centric fantasy leagues, and the traditional 5 x 5 prospect rankings should cover a large portion of the rest.

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Today’s edition of the deep league wire features an injury related opportunity and more fallout from the flurry of trade deadline activity.

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