Daily Slivers of the Fantasy Soapbox - Yesterday's Recap

Ellis Canady reviews last night's MLB box scores (7/5) and provides fun opinions on a variety of topics to help fantasy baseball owners with their lineups.

Welcome to the Saturday, July 6th edition of Daily Slivers of the Fantasy Soapbox.

Discussing baseball is as fun as the game itself. It has a way of bringing people together to share different opinions about the sport we all love. A similar action can be done with fantasy baseball where we not only discuss topics but also look to improve our teams as well as the teams of our fellow fantasy baseball enthusiasts. Everyone has their own perspectives which are not to be cast off as frivolous. They should be used as a method of expanding our own knowledge.

In this article, I review the previous day's boxscores and provide my opinion on a variety of topics. Some will be random, some will be fun, and some will be stat-driven. It's a soapbox so I may rant from time to time as well. So without any further delay, below are my thoughts on July 6th. Enjoy them. You can even respond with your own thoughts on Twitter @EllisCan2.

• Fantasy baseball trade analyzer
• BvP matchups data (Batter vs. Pitcher)
• PvB matchups data (Pitcher vs. Batter)
• Who should I start? Fantasy baseball comparisons
• Daily MLB starting lineups
• Fantasy baseball closer depth charts
• Fantasy Baseball live scoreboard
• Fantasy baseball injury reports

Daily Musings

• Ian Kennedy can’t be perfect all the time. BS w/2ER, 1K, 1IP.
• Adalberto Mondesi shows speed w/double, triple, SB.
• Trea Turner breaks from speed for power (seventh HR).
• Lorenzo Cain 3-for-6. AVG up to .250. The second half has to be better. 10SB is still appreciated. I’d buy low just to get a piece of the Brewers lineup.
• Keston Hiura w/two SB. He’s a solid power/speed guy and will rack up stats rest of season. Only 41% owned.
• Josh Bell w/27th shot across the bow.
• Chris Davis w/seventh bomb. AVG still below the Mendoza Line (.182). No thanks.
• Aaron Judges presides. Two HR(9) forecasts what second half could be. Giddy.
• Brett Gardner surpasses 2018 HR total w/13th HR. Top-45 in Runs(52), even hitting at bottom of the order. .240AVG though.
• Nate Lowe gives immediate excitement w/first career HR(418ft). Need playing time provide upside. Capt. Obvious moment.
• Brendan McKay impressive even w/5IP, 3ER, 3K. I love his focus & intensity. Undeterred even at the major league level.
• Rafael Devers onslaught continues w/16th crowd-pleaser. Surprisingly, fly ball rate(31.3%) is 7% less & launch angle(8.5-degrees) is a couple of degrees less than 2018. AVG exit velo (92.8mph ranks 11th) is 3mph faster than 2018.
• Pete Alonso w/29th lob into the stands. 11%Brls/PA ranks 10th.
• Jacob deGrom was stellar w/7IP, 2ER, 10K.
• Edwin Diaz probably wants to hide; he definitely wants a clean-slate for after the All-Star break. 0.1IP, 4ER, 1K. Chupacabra! is the safe word.
• Jordan Yamamoto stymies Braves. 6IP, 0R, 7K.
• He may not always play but when he does, Shohei Ohtani’s sweet swing gives HR excitement (13).
• Mike Trout third-straight game w/ho-hum HR(26).
• Yuli Gurriel matches Trout w/2-1-1 homer schedule the last three days. Someone’s eating their spinach. Head-to-Head on Saturday, winner gets...announcement in Sunday's ramblings.
• All Twins players (& fantasy owners) were happy w/15 runs on the board, unless you were a Nelson Cruz owner, left w/heel injury. I knew he shouldn’t have attempted that stolen base.
• Jarrod Dyson reaches 20SB. Only a .238AVG over the last month. Sacrifices.
• Christian Walker bouncing back from terrible May(.208AVG). Two HR Friday gives him 7HR, 21RBI, 2SB, .270 over last 30 days. Only 23% Owned. Ahahahahaha. Someone’s missing out.
• Liam Hendriks(fourth SV) is still the guy. Why is he only 50% owned?
• Franklin Barreto w/first HR. A power/speed guy that we’ve been waiting forever to get a chance. Hmmm, I’ll put you on Scout list.
• Kirby Yates w/28 saves. HOT DAMN!
• Everyone’s part-time lover, Hunter Renfroe w/26HR. .248AVG & crowded roster reason for part-time.
• The Cardinals bats come alive against the Giants. Whew. Worried there for a second. It was to the benefit of Dakota Hudson (5IP, 3ER, 6K). 6.6%K-BB. Ugh!

• Word on the interwebs is that Carlos Carrasco has Leukemia. If true, this is terrible and another page in the Book of That’s Shitty! It is an unnecessary BS disease that unfortunately afflicts many people. As someone who has lost a loved one to cancer, I am a staunch and vehement enemy of any and all of these cowardly forces. All of our prayers go out to Carlos and his family.
• Enjoy your Saturday baseball which includes eight afternoon games. Say hey to someone new.
• No Fear, Just Fantasy.

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