Welcome to the May 4th 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 May 3rd games. Enjoy them. You can even respond with your own thoughts on Twitter @EllisCan2.
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Daily Musings
- Big Daddy Lorenzo Cain w/ 446-ft monster jam. He works. He gets the job done.
- Kenta Maeda calms the panic. W, 5.1 IP, 8 K.
- Shohei Ohtani provides his ninth coast-to-coast flight. No, not a literal flight. A flight of bourbon. Celebrate!
- Mitch Haniger (eight) w/ bounce-back player of the year. You don't consider it a bounce-back?
- Francisco Lindor, we're here for you. Take a day. Breath. Just play the game you love. Smile.
- Vince Velasquez sneaks a W (6 IP, 1 ER, 6 K), which is why we started him. Brace for impact w/ ATL next. 30% called strikes/whiffs.
- Oooh, look at those dance moves. Yeah, Byron Buxton doing the runnin' man right into your hearts w/ fourth SB.
- Four-seam, slider, and curve. Yep, three pitches. Well done Tyler Glasnow. 43% Whiff rate is nasty.
- Always got to be a one-up guy. Whit Merrifield (four) stand proudly next to his 382-ft mark. Eddie Rosario (three) walk right by him to 383 foot and plants his flag.
- Daniel Lynch, you did well. Three runs in 4.2 IP. 43% Whiff rate on slider was nice. Four BB, not so nice.
- Adolis Garcia shakes the ground to remind you he's still here. Sixth HR.
- Raise your hand if you thought Nate Lowe would give you four SB. Stop. Put all your hands down. I don't believe you.
- He's not Jerry Callo. Jerry Callo is dead. He's Joey Gallo! (Third My Cousin Vinny reference)
- Are you really satisfied w/ J.T. Realmuto's third HR, .309 AVG?
- Adrian Houser w/ 7% whiffs on all pitches. Hmmm.
- Anthony Rendon injured again. Take care of them knees. The people are excited by your third care package.
- Cedric Mullins (five) dropped another big batch of vinegar bbq on the plate.
- Aaron Civale had six pitches in double-digit usage. Impressive.
- Nick Maton getting all the hits (.327 AVG), but no HR/SB. I get a Kolten Wong vibe?
- With Brandon Nimmo injury, does Kevin Pillar get his motor runnin'? Second HR & I'm intrigued.
- Stop, Stop it. Just because he hit a 450-ft rocket & has HR in two straight games doesn't mean Harrison Bader has some Harrison Ford and Darth Vader in him. (Yep, had to be one May The Fourth Be With You...shenanigans.)
- Operator, could ya help me place this call. See the number on this boxscore is low & causing confusion. See, he plays for Toronto & has a brother down in Houston.
- Keston Hiura gets sent down. It's ok. You're exactly where you need to be. Get better & get back up here.
- Tyler Anderson puts a little restraint on Friars offense. 6.2 IP, 2 ER, 5 K. CHC/SF next.
- Dustin May has TJ. Terrible. I hope the surgery/physical therapy goes well.
Endgame
- Hector Neris (six)
- Taylor Rogers (two). Oooh, Tainted Save (1 IP, 2ER). I love you, though you hurt me so.
- Alex Reyes (eight). The 20% BB & 5.43 SIERA aren't stopping this guy.
- Emmanuel Clase (six)
- Jake Diekman (three)
- Mark Melancon (10)
- Cesar Valdez (seven)
Closing Thoughts
- Too many people fear failure. They avoid taking chances because they don't want to embarrass themselves or take even the slightest step backward. Failure is part of the process. There is no better teacher than failure. Through failure, you will succeed and the lessons/skills will stick. So, get out there and fail to your heart's content. Don't worry about what anyone else says. You're working towards not only success but domination.
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(No Fear, Just Fantasy)
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