The Daily Grind: Setting the Stage

I’m running a little late due to dynasty trade discussions. Trying to make money through the buying and selling of teenagers is the anti-DFS.

AGENDA

1. TDG Invitational
2. Weather Reports
3. Pitchers to Use and Abuse
4. SaberSim Says…
5. Setting the Stage

1.The Daily Grind Invitational

It’s pretty clear we all overthought things. Roc-pile walked away with victory by fitting a couple pitchers around a six-man Dodgers stack. Easy peasy. Congrats and Leaderboard.

A 14-game slate is ours tonight on FantasyDraft. See ya there.

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

Nah.

3. Pitchers to Use and Abuse

Jacob deGrom is the lone ace in the slate. For $21,300, he looks like a solid investment at home against the Braves. Mike Soroka ($17,600) may be an even better play. Just beware of hidden pitch counts. He’s coming off a sore shoulder-shortened outing. For somebody with his injury history, that’s concerning.

If you’re looking for name value, Jose Berrios is the next best thing to deGrom. For $21,200, you can roll the dice on a visit to the volatile White Sox at Guaranteed Home Run Rate Park. He should earn an easy victory, and there’s an obvious path to double-digit strikeouts. He’s a little overpriced for my liking though.

The Reds offense is a bit of an enigma. I’m still incredibly wary of targeting against them at home. So while Cole Hamels ($19,300) could easily earn his contract. I’m probably staying away. Similarly, I’m steering clear of Sonny Gray ($15,500) against an explosive Cubs lineup despite what looks like a friendly valuation on paper.

Mike Clevinger ($18,700) might also be pitch count constrained. Assuming he throws something like 90 pitches, that’s more than enough time to strike out eight Orioles in five innings. The only thing I don’t like about this matchup is homer friendly Camden Yards. John Means ($14,000) is a boring bargain play against a mostly hapless Indians unit.

Merrill Kelly ($18,000) recently steamrolled the Giants in Arizona. Now he gets a chance to repeat the feat in San Francisco. This is a safe if slightly overpriced play.

Walker Buehler didn’t work out yesterday, but that’s not stopping me from thinking long and hard about Hyun-Jin Ryu at Coors Field. The main attraction is a $17,100 price tag for a pitcher who routinely records over 20 points. As an added bonus, the Dodgers practically project to produce a double-digit run total again.

A few sleepy but playable targets include Wade Miley ($16,900) at home against the Mariners, Anibal Sanchez ($14,900) visiting the Tigers, Danny Duffy ($14,800) north of the border, and slumpy Chris Archer ($13,800) in a difficult trip to Milwaukee.

One bargain offers the shining hope for serious value. Elieser Hernandez ($13,100) recently handled the Phillies at their homertastic home park. Now Hernandez will receive the aid of homer-suppressing Marlins Stadium. A strikeout per inning over five or six frames is all that’s needed to produce a mid-teens point total.

Favorites: Clevinger, Ryu, Hernandez

Stack Targets: Sean Reid-Foley, Antonio Senzatela, Noe Ramirez, Carson Fulmer et al, Jhoulys Chacin, Daniel Norris, Tommy Milone

4. SaberSim Says…

The simulator is loading projections…

deGrom, Clevinger, Lance Lynn, Berrios, and Ryu are the top-rated pitchers. I just don’t feel good about fastball-only Lynn against the Rays. Maybe if he was left-handed. Values include Chacin, deGrom, Clevinger, Hernandez, and Eric Lauer. SaberSim always likes Chacin, and it’s always wrong.

Cody Bellinger, Max Muncy, Joc Pederson, Mike Trout, and Christian Yelich lead the way among hitters. I feel like Trout and Yelich could sort of slip through the cracks with this Dodgers stack at Coors. Humberto Arteaga, Vladito, Wilkin Castillo, Nicky Lopez, and Mark Reynolds form the city council of bargaintown. The denizens of bargaintown finally realized electing five mayors isn’t reasonable.

5. Setting the Stage

Aaron Nola one-hit the Mets over seven innings.

Hector Neris looked gassed yesterday when he blew Nola’s 1-0 lead in the top of the ninth. That set the stage for Edwin Diaz…

Craig Kimbrel rediscovered his velocity between Triple-A and the Majors.