Well, a WWE fight broke out in the Blue Jays and Rangers game. Except, this fight was very real. If you haven't seen Rougned Odor clock Jose Bautista yet, stop reading for just one second and check this out.
Here's a quick look at those who impressed on Sunday, and those who... well, did not.
Editor’s Note: to read about even more waiver wire options, be sure to check out our famous waiver wire pickups list which is a running list that is updated daily. Prefer using your phone? Our free waiver wire app is available for download in the Apple Store.
Fantasy Baseball Studs
Rougned Odor (2B, TEX): Wow! What a punch that was. On top of showing great improvements from the leadoff spot as of late, Odor deserves this mention for defending himself against one of my least favorite baseball plays of today's era. Suspensions need to be given for everyone who slides as late as Bautista did into second base. OK, moving on.
Gerrit Cole and Jon Lester (SP, PIT and CHC): Cole makes this list for a second Sunday in a row, and his opponent in Chicago deserves a mention as well. While Cole had the better outing of the two and picked up the win, Lester carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning while striking out nine. Both top-end pitchers are showing dominance in recent outings, and such success against great offenses is proof that they both have game. P.S. Jose Fernandez had another stellar outing as well, striking out 11.
Hector Santiago and Tyler Duffey (SP, LAA and MIN): In our back-end pitchers tier, Santiago and Duffey both flashed brilliance with scoreless starts on Sunday themselves. The Angels' lefty completed eight innings with five strikeouts while allowing only two hits and a walk. The Twins' righty pitched seven innings while allowing six hits, walking one, and striking out six. Both pitchers have plenty of upside, and while we can't fully trust that they'll dominate every time out, we know that these results are possible every five days.
Danny Valencia (3B, OAK): Valencia unleashed three moon shots, including the game-winning bomb in the top of the ninth inning. It's tough to gauge his fantasy value at the moment, as a hamstring injury has already caused some absences this season, but in deeper leagues his power potential cannot be ignored.
Alcides Escobar (SS, KC): Escobar manned the leadoff position flawlessly for the Royals on Sunday, going 4-for-6 with a double, two runs, an RBI, and a stolen base. We pretty much know what we're going to get from the middle-of-the-pack shortstop, but a four-hit game that fills the roto sheet like this deserves some recognition for sure.
Brandon Drury (OF, ARI): Speaking of four hits, Drury did so himself without the help of his surrounding teammates. Drury has been a pleasant surprise for the Diamondbacks as well as savvy waiver wire fantasy owners, and he's giving his managers no reason to take him out of the lineup.
Fantasy Baseball Duds
Masahiro Tanaka (SP, NYY): Luckily Tanaka's poor sub par start didn't cost the Yankees a win on Sunday, but they need him to be on his game if they're going to continue climbing out of the hole that the team has dug itself. The ace went five innings, walked three batters, allowed eight hits and four earned runs, and fanned seven. The strikeouts are nice, but four runs in five innings doesn't seem efficient enough for this often-quiet Yankees offense.
Sonny Gray (SP, OAK): Gray continues to be tortured by the A's lack of defense, as he allowed three unearned runs on Sunday in the no-decision. The numbers aren't incredible outside of the unearned runs, but they're serviceable if he can get some help from his teammates. If the Gray owner in your league is valuing the ace as if it's all his fault, a buy low opportunity awaits you.
Joey Votto (1B, CIN): Votto is not one to strike out three times in a game, but that's just what he did in his 0-for-5 showing on Sunday. I'm not sure what is up with his swing right now, but this is not the Votto fantasy owners know and love. Hopefully there isn't an underlying injury contributing to this slow start, because owners should be waiting on a huge bounce back before June rolls around.
Bryce Harper (OF, WAS): Harper walked, lined out a couple of times, and struck out swinging on Sunday. Those line outs will surely be doubles once in a while, but fantasy owners are not getting the return they hoped for after Harper came out on fire in April. While the increased walks are dropping Harper's roto value slightly, he's still the top hitter in leagues that reward players for walks.
Freddie Freeman (1B, ATL): Poor, poor Freddie. Freeman went 1-for-6 on Sunday with three strikeouts against the Royals. The lack of lineup protection will cause games like this sometimes, but he's started to show the that drives up his fantasy value upside of late. Hang tight with Freeman, and if you want to sell high after his next 4-for-5 game I can't blame you as long as you get a nice haul in return.
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