Welcome to the Wednesday, July 3rd 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 3rd. Enjoy them. You can even respond with your own thoughts on Twitter @EllisCan2.
Be sure to check all of our fantasy baseball lineup tools and weekly lineup resources:- Fantasy baseball injury reports
- Fantasy baseball trade analyzer
- Daily MLB starting lineups for fantasy baseball
- Fantasy baseball BvP matchups data (Batter vs. Pitcher)
- Fantasy baseball PvB matchups data (Pitcher vs. Batter)
- Who should I start? Fantasy baseball player comparisons
- Fantasy baseball closer depth charts, bullpens, saves
- Fantasy Baseball live scoreboard, daily leaderboards
Daily Musings
- With everyone hitting, Juan Soto getting no love for his pace. Already at 15HR(22 in 2018), .301/.406/.554 slash.
- Nathan Eovaldi for closer? Pass.
- Nope, will not acknowledge that Victor Robles was caught stealing for the fifth time.
- Rain ruins everything, or it makes it look like it did. Joe Musgrove(3IP, 1H, 0ER, 4K) & Kyle Hendricks(3IP, 2ER, 4K) both had solid starts. Who knows how it really would have turned out.
- Sometimes you just need a Regular Guy to hold the line. Adam Frazier is one such guys. 9R, 1HR(fourth), 8RBI, .395AVG over last two weeks. Only 6% owned. Great option in deep leagues.
- Red Sox tired of being pushed around, corrected themselves w/10 runs. (Psst, bullpen still gave up four runs).
- Rafael Devers, I only miss you, on two occasions…That’s day..and night. So smooth launching two love bugs into the stands. Six RBI. Batting second suits you. Keep up the pre-at-bat breathing.
- Andrew Benintendi, by any yard stick, has not measured up thus far. 133 hitters have more homers than Benny. As crazy as it sounds, he still fits my purpose for his selection w/eight SB. Sticking with him. Buying low hoping for a better second half.
- Unknown blessings: When you get outbid for Trent Thornton. You’re upset for two days. Then 2.2IP, 7ER, 1K and suddenly you’re in a Waiting to Exhale scene: (slow motion) “aaaaaaaaahhhhh”. Trent, you’ve got to say Mercy. Ah, "Jujyfruits" was your safe word. That's a tough one to remember.
- Danny Jansen might be heating up. 3HR, 6RBI, .444AVG in last week. Only 20% owned. Can’t complain about CCO (Crappy Catcher Options) when you can stream the hot hitter.
- Tag Team, back again! Christian Yelich (31) & Mike Moustakas (24) go toe-to-toe w/ Eugenio Suarez(20) & Yasiel Puig (18). Winner: Puig’s aggressiveness on the base paths.
- Hold up, wait a minute! Have I recommended Eric Thames recently? (Rhetorical question). Still only 10% owned. Three HR in four games.
- Chance Sisco w/the King of Bass CD. Fifth HR, third in four games. Yes, let the young men play more…you’re not playoff bound, Baltimore.
- Edwin Diaz w/18th SV. Who volunteers to start the slow clap for the Mets bullpen?
- J.D. Davis w/ninth HR, .283AVG. He needs more playing time. Needs to start vs every righty (.301AVG), even lefty split isn’t bad(.253).
- Brandon Lowe left the game but not before his 16th long distance call and also some thievery(fifth SB). He’s ok, don’t be alarmed.
- Aaron Nola was superb. Eight scoreless innings w/eight K. Great bounce-back from last meeting (4.1IP, 5ER). 17.3%K-BB & 9.6%SwingStrike rates are still low for him.
- Jose Leclerc allows another run. We can only hope for him to be last year’s version for so long. The hope bucket is near empty.
- The Angels win. That was nice for many different reasons.
- David Fletcher w/three R, .287AVG. He has two more games in Arlington. 31% owned. Play the matchups/venues.
- What terrible luck for Jose Urquidy debut to be in Coors? Not bad w/3.2IP, 2ER, 4K. Pulled quick before the wheels fell off. Smart.
- Yuli Gurriel was the most refreshing hitter in Coors. 5HR, 9RBI, .326AVG over last two weeks thanks to two rockets taking flight (418ft, 431ft). Only 55% owned. A lot of fair-weather friends out there.
- Jose Altuve stole his second base. He’s still giving effort.
- Jose Ramirez. Last two weeks: .314 w/8R, 2SB; 14.6%BB, 4.6%K - Good. . Still hitting 60.6%fly ball during that time - not good. Still buying low for the upside.
- Miguel Sano w/13th HR. Great power-but-no-AVG option. 39.5%K rate. YOWZA!
- Matt Olson w/17 taters, second on the team only to Matt Chapman(21).
- Plan of Action: Do something spectacular in the first at-bat of the year. Then it’s all downhill from there. Chris Herrmann ordered a Grand Slam in first at-bat. BACON CRISPY! Delicious. No, don’t get excited and add him to your rosters.
- Jose Martinez impresses the crowd with his two taters. He needs more playing time.
- -The Giants w/ a young kid that destroyed the ball. 4-for-5, 3R, 2HR, 5RBI. Only 15% owned?! Sometimes you find a goldmine, too good to be true & you can’t hit the Add Player button fast enough. It's Evan Longoria. Don't go crazy.
- Wil Myers sighting. 430-footer (12). What have you become?
- Dylan Cease debuts today.
- Enjoy your Wednesday night baseball. Be engaged with someone new, online or in person. Then reach out and say hey to one of your old friends.
- No Fear, Just Fantasy.