Daily Slivers of the Fantasy Soapbox - Yesterday's Recap

Welcome to the April 17th 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 the April 16th games. Enjoy them. You can even respond with your own thoughts on Twitter @EllisCan2.

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Daily Musings

• THUNDAH! Kyle Schwarber (one) with a 463-foot monster jam.
• Nick Castellanos (five), Ronald Acuna has the HR-Champ baton....and he went that-a-way.
• Why does Jared Walsh get no respect? 4th HR. 10.6% Brls/PA.
• How many people complaining about Javier Baez, but soaking up his three HR, four SB? I don't see you wanting to give them up so stop yer yappin'.
• Willson Contreras (three) w/ 415-foot sultry swat.
• Taylor Widener (6 IP, 2 BB, 3 K) is no Max Scherzer (7 IP, 10 K), but he has promise...and it is exciting.
• Trea Turner (second SB) warming up the pistons.
• Josh Rojas has two hits; Spring Training excitement seems so long ago.
• Zach Eflin (7 IP, 2 ER, 6 K) mixed four pitches above 10% usage. Four-seamer & slider had 56% & 45% Whiff rates, respectively.
• J.T. Realmuto (two) makes a deposit in your early-round piggy bank.
• Jeff Hoffman makes life look simple vs CLE (6 IP, 1 ER, 4 K). Whoa! Slow down. His 2.93 ERA is shiny, but check his K-BB% (9.4%) and SIERA (4.83). ARI next.
• So tough to choose who to start...Andres Gimenez batting .194 w/ HR & SB...or Amed Rosario batting .194 w/ HR. It remains close, but Gimenez wins again.
• Yankees make Michael Wacha look like Tyler Glasnow. Nope, this is a new & improved Wacha. Better than 30% Whiff rate on all pitches. More cutter, less four-seamer. 21.3% K-BB. 2.94 xFIP. KC next.
• Giancarlo Stanton with a quick reminder he's healthy & playing (second HR). .182 AVG doesn't feel warm & cozy.
• NOOOO! Don't take the Moose away, you non-COVID related illness thing. Mike Moustakas.
• Anthony DeSclafani looking good vs. MIA (6 IP, 1 ER, 4 K).
• Uh-oh, someone woke the Starling Marte and he's hungry. Two straight days with mashed taters. Nick Solak (three) sitting at the same table.
• Go DJ, cuz that's my DJ. DJ Stewart (one) making his impression felt with a 436-footer.
• I heard on the interwebs there has been a David Dahl sighting. First HR.
• My man JT Brubaker. Underrated lover. 6 IP, 1 ER, 8 K. 19.7% K-BB & 3.76 xFIP is solid. 91% LOB won't last. DET/KC next is nice. Check your wire.
• One day, Travis Shaw is the Mayor. The next day he is captaining his own vessel leaving everyone behind (eight).
• Mickey Moniak makes his 2021 debut. Don't go so quickly.
• Let's just sit here in this field of lilies & remember 2019. Ahhh. It was nice. Adrian Houser had a 17.3% K-BB & 3.60 xFIP. Now it's 5.1% and 4.06, respectively. SD next...no thanks.
• Redbeard himself with a 375-ft shot across the bow. Colin Moran (three).
• Shall we all remember Devin Williams (1 IP, 2 ER) for the man he was in 2020?
• Fernando Tatis Jr. returns. Did you enjoy 410-ft long ball or was it on your bench?
• Luke Raley who? 436-foot icebreaker is a nice conversation starter.
• Fantasy owners love having Will Smith in lineup. Manny Machado (four) does too as security isn't very strong. (Two SB). Shooting for record totals.
• Three more exit velos exceeding 100 mph for Corey Seager. Smoking.
• It's not often, but Evan White (first HR) turns on his laser from time to time. (110 mph)

Swing & Misses

• Max Scherzer 19
• Michael Wacha 18 (78 percentile Chase rate)
• Jeff Hoffman 17 (82 percentile Chase rate)
• Walker Buehler 16
• Frankie Montas 15 (66% Sinker; 16% Splitter)
• Yusei Kikuchi 14
• Jorge Lopez 14
• Zach Eflin 12
• Mike Foltynewicz 12
• JT Brubaker 10
• Andrew Heaney 10 (HOU next)
• Jose Urquidy 10 (63% four-seam; 23% slider)

Endgame

• Will Smith (three).
• Yimi Garcia (three).
• Cesar Valdez (three).
• Lou Trivino (two).

Closing Thoughts

• It's Saturday. The weekend is here. I know, I know. I'm running late. Morning weekend chores already got me busy. You should be busy too. Get what you need done. Get what you want done. Once done, you've got time in the afternoon to relax w/drink in your baby pool.
• (No Fear, Just Fantasy)

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