The Daily Grind: Obi Juan Soto

Sometimes, I remember Kila Ka’aihue.

AGENDA

1. TDG Invitational
2. Weather Reports
3. Pitchers to Use and Abuse
4. SaberSim Says…
5. Obi Juan Soto

1. The Daily Grind Invitational

Hey, I won. No big deal, right. Act like I’ve been here before. Miles Mikolas‘ complete game shutout was a wonderful complement to a two home run game from Mark Reynolds. Rookie Juan Soto and not-rookie Bryce Harper also delivered value. Leaderboard.

We’re doing a single-entry, 40-user contest tonight on FantasyDraft. As per the usual, no rake!

If you have not signed up for FantasyDraft, please use this referral link for tracking purposes. If I understand properly, by using the referral, you will receive a 10 percent return on any rakes you pay.

2. Weather Reports

Storms threaten Philadelphia, Washington DC, and Cincinnati. None of those games should be considered safe or a washout. We’ll just have to look back later in the afternoon.

3. Pitchers to Use and Abuse

Main Slate: There’s a Chris Sale ($25,600), a Gerrit Cole ($24,600), and a whole bunch of slaw. Both aces have easy matchups. Sale is visiting the Rays in their pitcher friendly dome-thing. Cole is hosting the Giants. I don’t care that the Giants have the 11th best wRC+ in the league, they’re still a bottom five offense. Just look at the personnel. Same goes for the Rays and their 8th-best wRC+. No team has outperformed their actual offensive talent more than Tampa Bay.

Trevor Bauer is third most expensive at $22,800. Not the best value for a visit to Wrigley Field. Watch the wind reports. Bauer has enough strikeout potential to be a solid contrarian pick, but I’d feel a lot better if he cost $2,000 less. It’s not like Tyler Chatwood ($12,700) is going to roll over.

Jeremy Hellickson ($15,400) is possibly my favorite pick for tonight. By saying so, I’ve ruined him for our Invitational. He should carry a very low ownership rate as people cling to memories of 2017. It’s not that he’s become a different pitcher like Jordan Lyles. Hellickson is simply throwing fewer fastballs than ever. Frankly, I still think he could trim down to like 20 percent fastballs, 10 percent cutters, and mix the other 70 percent between curves and changeups. #BeBold. The Nats are hosting the strikeout prone Padres in what should be an auto-win.

Speaking of strikeout prone, White Sox meet Kevin Gausman ($14,500). This isn’t a risk-free matchup for the volatile righty, but the upside is substantial. We could see a seven-inning, 10 strikeout performance. Or he might cough up three home runs. Gausman doesn’t appear to be suffering his usual case of early-season uselessness.

What if I said you could roster a pitcher with a 60 percent ground ball rate, over a strikeout per inning, and an affordable $14,400 price tag. Say hello to Trevor Cahill. The A’s righty wasn’t his sharpest versus the Red Sox last week. That’s forgivable. The A’s are hosting the Mariners.

Want a Fail Mary pick? Lance Lynn ($9,100) is at home against the Triple-A Tigers. He’s been downright terrible, but his fastball-heavy approach could work opposite a weak opposing lineup. He might be your best bet to afford an ace and some good hitters.

Stack Targets: Mike Leake, Eric Lauer, Lynn, Jason Hammel, Brock Stewart, Matt Koch, James Shields, Jake Faria, Matt Harvey, Brandon McCarthy, Andrew Suarez, Domingo German, Jhoulys Chacin, Vince Velasquez

4. SaberSim Says…

Sale, Cole, Gausman, Luke Weaver, and Velasquez are the top rated pitchers. I disagree about Velasquez, although I can see why one might like the strikeout ability enough to overlook the blowup potential. Lynn, Gausman, and Velasquez are probably the best values. Bats include Giancarlo Stanton, Mike Trout, Aaron Judge, Trea Turner, and Gary Sanchez. I guess SaberSim hates Cole Hamels tonight. Chris Young, Marcell Ozuna, Franmil Reyes, Justin Bour, and Rhys Hoskins make for some tasty bargains.

5. Obi Juan Soto

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