Hot hitter Rundown

You should always have the big picture in mind when it comes to your season-long fantasy baseball leagues. Putting too much stock in a small sample size might cause you to make a decision that hurts you in the long run. That said, it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be taking stock of what’s happened in the immediate past. It can be useful when it comes to weekly or especially daily lineup decisions, waiver wire considerations, tracking who might be coming into more playing time, etc.

The Rotoworld Player Rater is a handy tool that’s among the extensive offerings in Season pass. Each week, I’ll be using the Player Rater to look at the hottest hitters, position by position, over the last week, and providing commentary.

*The following data is based on 5x5 Roto scoring and cover games played from May 8-14.


Catcher

Rank	Player	Tm	Pos	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	R	VAL
#1	Buster Posey	SF	C	3.93155	1.35806	-0.45701	1.86370	3.00300	9.70
#2	Yadier Molina	STL	C	1.59423	0.87031	2.77375	0.81657	1.41003	7.46
#3	Yasmani Grandal	LA	C	0.42557	2.82133	-0.45701	3.79735	0.34804	6.94
#4	Caleb Joseph	BAL	C	0.42557	1.84582	-0.45701	2.89685	0.34804	5.06
#5	Austin Hedges	SD	C	1.59423	1.35806	-0.45701	1.08185	1.41003	4.99
#6	Drew Butera	KC	C	1.59423	0.87031	-0.45701	1.90567	0.87903	4.79
#7	Salvador Perez	KC	C	0.42557	1.84582	-0.45701	2.38027	0.34804	4.54
#8	Willson Contreras	CHC	C	1.59423	0.38255	-0.45701	0.59326	0.34804	2.46
#9	Gary Sanchez	NYY	C	0.42557	0.87031	-0.45701	0.83056	0.34804	2.02
#10	Austin Barnes	LA	C	-0.74309	0.38255	1.15837	0.62123	-0.18295	1.24

Buster Posey’s home run totals have been in a decline the last few seasons, and he popped just one longball in April. However, he’s now gone deep in four of his last six games and has five dingers already in May. His six home runs is tied for fourth among catchers … Speaking of declining power, Yadier Molina hasn’t had much home run pop the last few years, but he hit two over the boards on Sunday, including a long blast off of Jake Arrieta. You obviously can’t count on many days like that, but Molina is so good at making contact that he remains one of the better bets for average among catchers … Austin Hedges hit two more homers this past week and actually picked up eight hits among his 23 at-bats. He’s hitting just .209 with a .258 on-base percentage, but Hedges leads all backstops with his eight longballs. Essentially, he’s given fantasy owners what they thought they’d get out of Mike Zunino … It hasn’t been a great start for Willson Contreras, but a two-homer game highlighted his last week. I was a little worried coming into the season that Contreras would play a tad less than most starting catchers given that he has a quality veteran backup behind him in Miguel Montero. But, Contreras’ 33 games played so far ranks third at the position …

First Base

Rank	Player	Tm	Pos	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	R	VAL
#1	Paul Goldschmidt	ARZ	1B	2.76289	1.84582	1.15837	0.56528	1.94102	8.27
#2	Tommy Joseph	PHI	1B	2.76289	0.87031	-0.45701	1.75904	2.47201	7.41
#3	Eric Hosmer	KC	1B	-0.74309	-0.10520	4.38913	2.35230	0.87903	6.77
#4	Mark Reynolds	COL	1B	0.42557	1.84582	1.15837	1.08185	1.94102	6.45
#5	Justin Smoak	TOR	1B	1.59423	2.82133	-0.45701	0.94921	0.87903	5.79
#6	Justin Bour	MIA	1B	2.76289	1.84582	-0.45701	0.44663	0.34804	4.95
#7	Wil Myers	SD	1B	2.76289	0.87031	1.15837	-0.21657	0.34804	4.92
#8	Eric Thames	MLW	1B	0.42557	0.38255	1.15837	0.06270	1.94102	3.97
#9	Logan Morrison	TB	1B	2.76289	1.84582	-0.45701	-1.26370	0.87903	3.77
#10	Yonder Alonso	OAK	1B	2.76289	1.35806	-0.45701	-0.58652	0.34804	3.43

Tommy Joseph was one of the worst-hitting regulars in baseball in April with a .476 OPS and just one home run, but he’s really turned it on in May with a .400/.512/.886 batting line, four homers and nine RBI in 12 games. It’s good timing on his part, as he was facing the possibility of losing playing time to Howie Kendrick (oblique) when Kendrick returns from the disabled list … Although he didn’t homer and drove in just two runs, Eric Hosmer remained hot this past week with a .986 OPS while also chipping in three stolen bases. Hosmer has a career-low strikeout rate (14.7 percent), but he’s still hitting a ton of balls on the ground (55.1 percent), which is why it’s looking unlikely at this point that he’ll have back-to-back 20-homer seasons … Justin Bour’s hot week – which included home runs in three straight games – got him moved up to the cleanup spot Sunday (he went hitless in four plate appearances). Bour is 6-for-22 (.273) with a home run against lefties so far this season, which is an encouraging start for a guy who’s generally been helpless versus southpaws … The consistency hasn’t been there from month-to-month, but overall Logan Morrison has been quite good since his unspeakably bad April of 2016. Since May 1 of last year, LoMo boasts an .828 OPS and a wRC+ of 127, which ranks 35^th in baseball among those with at least 400 plate appearances. He’s batted cleanup for the Rays in eight of his last nine games (and he hit fifth in the other one) …

Second Base

Rank	Player	Tm	Pos	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	R	VAL
#1	Neil Walker	NYM	2B	1.59423	3.79684	-0.45701	2.75022	1.94102	9.63
#2	Brandon Drury	ARZ	2B	1.59423	1.84582	-0.45701	1.99634	0.34804	5.33
#3	Jonathan Villar	MLW	2B	0.42557	1.35806	1.15837	1.34713	0.87903	5.17
#4	Robinson Cano	SEA	2B	1.59423	1.35806	-0.45701	2.03831	0.34804	4.88
#5	Rougned Odor	TEX	2B	-0.74309	-0.59296	4.38913	-0.34921	1.41003	4.11
#6	Jason Kipnis	CLE	2B	1.59423	2.33357	-0.45701	-0.48185	0.34804	3.34
#7	DJ LeMahieu	COL	2B	-0.74309	-0.10520	1.15837	1.83573	0.87903	3.02
#8	Whit Merrifield	KC	2B	0.42557	-0.10520	1.15837	0.69792	0.34804	2.52
#9	Chris Taylor	LA	2B	0.42557	0.87031	-0.45701	-0.36320	1.94102	2.42
#10	Starlin Castro	NYY	2B	0.42557	0.87031	-0.45701	-0.08393	1.41003	2.16

Neil Walker put up an ugly .583 OPS, which was especially worrisome given that his season ended last year due to back surgery. However, the second baseman has come out with guns blazing so far in May, batting .360/.429/.640 with two dingers and 12 RBI across 12 games. Walker has been a fixture in the Mets’ cleanup spot of late and it will stay that way at least until Yoenis Cespedes returns … Brandon Drury’s ability to hack it defensively at second base has been questioned, but he’s been a beast at the plate over his last 19 games with a .364/.417/.621 batting line, three homers and seven RBI. Drury doesn’t steal bases and needs to hit more balls in the air in order to take advantage of his good raw power. But, he’s now batted .290/.336/.466 over 628 plate appearances since the beginning of last season. He can hit … After swiping bases in three straight games over the weekend, Rougned Odor now has four steals to go along with six home runs. That puts him on a 25-homer, 17-steal pace. However, he’s hit only .200 so far this month after a .196 average in April. Odor has upped his walk rate a tad this season, but I think it’s fair to say many in the fantasy industry underestimated the batting average floor for a guy with such awful plate discipline …  Jason Kipnis’ production has been sluggish since he returned from the DL. But, Indians manager Terry Francona stuck him in the leadoff spot Sunday and that seemed to spark him, as Kipnis responded with a four-hit game that included his first two longballs of the season. Carlos Santana hit fifth Sunday with Kipnis in the leadoff spot. We’ll see if that arrangement continues …

Third Base

Rank	Player	Tm	Pos	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	R	VAL
#1	Travis Shaw	MLW	3B	0.42557	2.33357	1.15837	1.46578	1.41003	6.79
#2	Nolan Arenado	COL	3B	0.42557	1.84582	-0.45701	1.06786	3.00300	5.89
#3	Mike Moustakas	KC	3B	1.59423	1.84582	-0.45701	-0.09792	1.41003	4.30
#4	Jedd Gyorko	STL	3B	0.42557	1.84582	1.15837	0.43264	0.34804	4.21
#5	Joey Gallo	TEX	3B	1.59423	1.84582	-0.45701	-0.97045	1.94102	3.95
#6	Yunel Escobar	LAA	3B	0.42557	1.35806	-0.45701	0.43264	1.41003	3.17
#7	Trevor Plouffe	OAK	3B	1.59423	-0.10520	-0.45701	1.22848	0.87903	3.14
#8	Evan Longoria	TB	3B	0.42557	0.87031	-0.45701	0.80258	1.41003	3.05
#9	Alex Bregman	HOU	3B	0.42557	1.35806	1.15837	-0.46786	0.34804	2.82
#10	Miguel Sano	MIN	3B	1.59423	-0.10520	-0.45701	0.09067	1.41003	2.53

Travis Shaw kept it rolling with another big week that included a .942 OPS and seven more RBI (he’s tied for sixth in baseball with 31 ribbies). He’s even contributed a surprising three stolen bases for fantasy owners so far. Shaw left Sunday’s game with a finger injury, but X-rays came back negative … “Only” hitting one home run qualifies as a disappointment for Jedd Gyorko these days, but he drove in six more runs and had an .804 OPS. In 556 plate appearances since the start of last season, Gyorko has slugged 37 home runs. Jhonny Peralta (illness) is due back this week, but that should be irrelevant to Gyorko at this point. He’s locked in as the Cardinals’ third baseman and cleanup hitter … Yunel Escobar’s hamstring injury came at an inopportune time, as he was batting .357/.400/.571 with three home runs and 10 RBI over his last 13 contests. The Angels did at least just get C.J. Cron back, and he should be in line for regular duty at first base, with Luis Valbuena sliding over to third to cover for Escobar … Alex Bregman didn’t have a great week overall, but he did finally club his first home run of the season – a grand slam on Sunday versus the Yankees. Bregman has been batting eighth for the Astros, but his plate discipline has remained excellent even with his struggles and he’s a guy I’d be happy to buy low on …

Shortstop

Rank	Player	Tm	Pos	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	R	VAL
#1	Carlos Correa	HOU	SS	1.59423	3.79684	-0.45701	2.24763	2.47201	9.65
#2	Nick Ahmed	ARZ	SS	2.76289	0.38255	1.15837	0.99118	1.41003	6.71
#3	Elvis Andrus	TEX	SS	-0.74309	1.35806	1.15837	0.68393	1.41003	3.87
#4	Ryan Goins	TOR	SS	0.42557	0.87031	1.15837	0.94921	0.34804	3.75
#5	Corey Seager	LA	SS	0.42557	0.87031	-0.45701	0.16736	1.94102	2.95
#6	Orlando Arcia	MLW	SS	0.42557	1.35806	-0.45701	-0.06994	1.41003	2.67
#7	Xander Bogaerts	BOS	SS	-0.74309	0.38255	2.77375	0.94921	-0.71394	2.65
#8	Trea Turner	WAS	SS	1.59423	1.35806	-0.45701	-1.11708	0.87903	2.26
#9	Pat Valaika	COL	SS	1.59423	1.35806	-0.45701	-0.58652	0.34804	2.26
#10	Jorge Polanco	MIN	SS	0.42557	-0.10520	1.15837	-0.06994	0.34804	1.76

Carlos Correa’s batting line sunk to an embarrassing .196/.292/.250 after his fifth straight hitless game on April 22. Since then, the young shortstop has put up a blistering .363/.422/.638 pace with four home runs and 19 RBI across 20 games … Ryan Goins is filling in for Troy Tulowitzki (hamstring) at shortstop because of his defense, but he managed an .843 OPS with a homer and a stolen base this past week. No, the career .224/.272/.329 hitter won’t keep it up. Tulo is due back this week, anyway … Orlando Arcia remains a work in progress offensively and is stuck at the bottom of the Brewers’ lineup. However, he’s up to four home runs already and I expect the steals to come … Pat Valaika has started every game at shortstop for the Rockies since Trevor Story (shoulder) went down, and he cracked a pair of two-run homers in Sunday’s win over the Dodgers. Valaika produced an underwhelming .261/.311/.414 batting line in the minors, but he did show a little pop and speed. The 24-year-old is worth plugging into fantasy lineups when the Rockies are at home. Unfortunately, they’re beginning a 10-game road trip on Tuesday …

Outfield

Rank	Player	Tm	Pos	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	R	VAL
#1	Mookie Betts	BOS	OF	2.76289	4.28459	1.15837	1.46578	3.00300	12.67
#2	Keon Broxton	MLW	OF	1.59423	2.33357	2.77375	1.84971	3.00300	11.55
#3	Jose Bautista	TOR	OF	2.76289	2.82133	1.15837	-0.33522	1.94102	8.35
#4	Aaron Altherr	PHI	OF	3.93155	2.82133	-0.45701	0.57927	1.41003	8.29
#5	Bryce Harper	WAS	OF	2.76289	2.33357	-0.45701	1.98235	1.41003	8.03
#6	Mike Trout	LAA	OF	2.76289	1.35806	2.77375	0.47461	0.34804	7.72
#7	Lorenzo Cain	KC	OF	-0.74309	0.38255	4.38913	2.49893	0.87903	7.41
#8	Leury Garcia	CWS	OF	1.59423	1.84582	1.15837	1.36112	1.41003	7.37
#9	Kevin Pillar	TOR	OF	0.42557	-0.10520	2.77375	0.81657	3.00300	6.91
#10	Michael Conforto	NYM	OF	1.59423	0.87031	-0.45701	1.73106	3.00300	6.74

Keon Broxton was sent down to the minors last season after a rough start, and it was beginning to look like that might be a possibility again after he hit an ugly .119/.196/.214 with a 21/2 K/BB ratio over his first 46 plate appearances this season. However, he’s come on like gangbusters since then with a .362/.421/.652 line with three home runs, 10 RBI and seven stolen bases over his last 20 contests. He’ll continue piling up strikeouts, so slumps will occur, but Broxton remains an enticing power/speed guy … Jose Bautista put up a 1.075 OPS over the past week, smacking three homers and driving in eight runs. He’s got four longballs already in May after hitting just one in April … After posting an .877 OPS in April, Aaron Altherr has been otherworldly so far in May with a ridiculous 1.435 OPS, six home runs, 16 RBI, 10 runs and one stolen base. He’s also walked 10 times over that stretch, and the 26-year-old has made significant strides with his walk (13.1 percent) and strikeout (25.3 percent) rates this season. Howie Kendrick (oblique) is going to be back before long, but Altherr isn’t going anywhere … Leury Garcia has seized the White Sox’ center field job and has also batted leadoff for them each of the last three games. The 26-year-old’s four home runs certainly look like a fluke, as he’s never hit for power in the majors or minors. However, I will buy Garcia as a speed threat. He put up some gaudy stolen base totals in the minors and has swiped 24 bags in 440 plate appearances at the big league level …

Baseball Nicknames

Catfish, Mudcat, Ducky, Coot.
The Babe, The Barber, The Blade, The Brat.
Windy, Dummy, Gabby, Hoot.
Big Train, Big Six, Big Ed, Fat.

Greasy, Sandy, Muddy, Rocky.
Bunions, Twinkletoes, Footsie, The Hat.
Fuzzy, Dizzy, Buddy, Cocky.
The Bull, The Stork, The Weasle, The Cat.
Schoolboy, Sheriff,
Rajah, Duke,
General, Major,
Spaceman, Spook.

The Georgia Peach, The Fordham Flash,
The Flying Dutchman. Cot.
The People's Cherce, The Blazer. Crash.
The Staten Island Scot.
Skeeter, Scooter,
Pepper, Duster,
Ebba, Bama, Boomer, Buster.

The Little Professor, The Iron Horse. Cap.
Iron Man, Iron Mike, Iron Hands. Hutch.
Jap, The Mad Russian, Irish, Swede. Nap.
Germany, Frenchy, Big Serb, Dutch,
Turk. Tuck, Tug, Twig.
Spider, Birdy, Rabbit, Pig.

Fat Jack, Black Jack, Zeke, Zack. Bloop.
Peanuts, Candy, Chewing Gum, Pop.
Chicken, Cracker, Hot Potato, Soup.
Ding, Bingo.
Hippity-Hopp.

Three-Finger, No-Neck, The Knuck, The Lip.
Casey, Gavvy, Pumpsie, Zim.
Flit, Bad Henry. Fat Freddie, Flip.
Jolly Cholly, Sunny Jim.
Shag, Schnozz,
King Kong, Klu.
Boog, Buzz,
Boots, Bump, Boo.

King Carl, The Count. The Rope, The Whip.
Wee Willie, Wild Bill, Gloomy Gus. Cy.
Bobo, Bombo, Bozo. Skip.
Coco, Kiki, Yo-yo. Pie.
Dinty, Dooley,
Tuffy, Snuffy,
Stubby, Dazzy,
Daffy, Duffy.

Baby Doll, Angel Sleeves, Pep, Sliding Billy,
Buttercup, Bollicky, Boileryard, Juice.
Colby Jack, Dauntless Dave, Cheese,
Gentle Willie,
Trolley Line, Wagon Tongue, Rough,
What's the Use.

Ee-yah,
Poosh 'Em Up,
Skoonj, Slats, Ski.
Ding Dong,
Ding-a-Ling,
Dim Dom, Dee.

Famous Amos. Rosy, Rusty.
Handsome Ransom. Home Run, Huck.
Rapid Robert. Cactus, Dusty.
Rowdy Richard. Hot Rod, Truck.
Jo-Jo, Jumping Joe,
Little Looie,
Muggsy, Moe.

Old Folks, Old Pard, Oom Paul. Yaz.
Cowboy, Indian Bob, Chief, Ozark Ike.
Rawhide, Reindeer Bill. Motormouth. Maz.
Pistol Pete, Jungle Jim, Wahoo Sam. Spike.
The Mad Hungarian.
Mickey, Minnie.
Kitten, Bunny.
Big Dan, Moose.
Jumbo, Pee Wee; Chubby, Skinny.
Little Poison.
Crow, Hawk, Goose.

Marvelous Marv.
Oisk, Oats, Tookie.
Vinegar Bend.
Suds, Hooks, Hug.
Hammerin' Hank.
Cooch, Cod, Cookie.
Harry the Horse.
Speed, Stretch, Slug.

The Splendid Splinter. Pruschka. Sparky.
Chico, Choo Choo, Cha-Cha, Chub.
Dr. Strangeglove. Deacon. Arky.

Abba Dabba. Supersub.
Bubbles, Dimples, Cuddles, Pinky.
Poison Ivy, Vulture, Stinky.
Jigger, Jabbo
Jolting Joe
Blue Moon
Boom Boom
Bubba
Bo

Closers

When Zach Britton returned last week, I advised Brad Brach owners to “wait a few days before cutting him.” Hopefully you listened. Britton is back on the shelf for six to eight weeks. That time table smells aggressive to me. Based on similar injuries, I figure we're see him again around the end of July. Britton wasn't the only relief ace to hit the skids. Mark Melancon is down with a minor pronator injury. The Giants hope he'll return in 10 days. Meanwhile, Francisco Rodriguez melted down twice and lost his job. Say hello to Justin Wilson.

Over the last week, Edwin Diaz, Cody Allen, and Brach led the majors with three saves apiece. Greg Holland has a stranglehold atop the seasonal leaderboard with 13 saves. Craig Kimbrel has 10 saves. Allen is third with nine saves.

On the stolen base front, Billy Hamilton is a force for which there is no reckoning. He stole four bases in five attempts over the last seven days. Aaron Hicks, Lorenzo Cain, and Dee Gordon all swiped three bags. Hamilton now has 19 steals, a dominating lead over A.J. Pollock (11) and Gordon (10). For the curious among you, Stephen Piscotty is the worst base thief. He's gone 1-for-5.

Tier 1: The Elite (5)

Aroldis Chapman, New York Yankees
Kenley Jansen, Los Angeles Dodgers
Craig Kimbrel, Boston Red Sox
Cody Allen, Cleveland Indians
Wade Davis, Chicago Cubs



I've tinkered with the tiers once again. It's a work in progress. Rather than fitting closers into cookie cutter categories, I like to let the state of the position determine how I organize the rankings. Presently, we have very few good, reliable arms to call upon.

Chapman started the week in typical fashion. Then, on Sunday, he blew a three-run lead in what turned into an 18-inning game. That's a costly blown save.

Jansen allowed an unearned run in a tune up outing on Saturday. He received a hold and a plate appearance as part of the 10-2 win. Jansen pitched three innings total on the week. He recorded a win and eight strikeouts. He's yet to walk a batter. Kimbrel also picked a hold. What a weird week. He struck out all five batters he faced.

Allen continued to rack up the strikeouts with four in three innings. He also walked four batters. I'm not too concerned about the free passes, they represent 80 percent of his season total. He's sitting on a 0.69 ERA with 16.62 K/9 and 3.46 BB/9.

Davis has allowed one hit in his last 10 innings. That'll do pig, that'll do. He struck out five and earned one save in three innings of work.

Tier 2: The Core Performers (7)

Edwin Diaz, Seattle Mariners
Roberto Osuna, Toronto Blue Jays
Jeurys Familia, New York Mets
Alex Colome, Tampa Bay Rays
Kelvin Herrera, Kansas City Royals
David Robertson, Chicago White Sox
Ken Giles, Houston Astros

Herrera is marked as moving down because this is formerly Tier 3. The Nearly Elite tier completely vanished with two moving up, one moving down, and another hitting the disabled list.

Diaz had a great week despite kicking it off with a solo home run. He added three saves and seven strikeouts in four innings.

Osuna nearly matched Diaz. He nabbed two saves and seven strikeouts in four innings. His velocity has recovered most of its zip in recent appearances. It's still down about half a mph.

Familia tossed three perfect innings, good for a win and a save. He recorded precisely zero strikeouts. Addison Reed also pitched well in his setup role.

Herrera pitched four times in the last week, three of which went swimmingly. On Saturday, he coughed up a couple solo home runs to the Indians en route to a blown save loss. A small positive – his strikeout totals are edging upwards. He needs to do better than 7.62 K/9.

Giles was credited with a vulture win on Friday. He allowed a run via three hits, but the Astros offense bailed him out. He rebounded with a perfect two-strikeout save on Sunday.

Tier 3: Stable Hands (5)

Greg Holland, Colorado Rockies
Brad Brach, Baltimore Orioles
Seung Hwan Oh, St. Louis Cardinals
Tony Watson, Pittsburgh Pirates
Jim Johnson, Atlanta Braves

Restructuring the tiers can get confusing with regards to who gets an up or down arrow. This used to be the Questions tier. I'm not longer questioning their job security. You'll soon notice I made a brand new between the old Tier 4 and Tier 5. And to add to the confusion, I named it Questions. What? It's an appropriate title!

By results, Holland should probably rank somewhere around Diaz and Osuna. As I frequently state, this column is about future value. And there's just so little room for forgiveness at Coors Field. He added two saves and four strikeouts in two innings this week.

Brach allowed a couple runs while converting three of three save opportunities. After posting a massive strikeout rate through April 14, he's recorded just 5.68 K/9 over his last 12.2 innings. Keep an eye on Darren O'Day. He's also pitching well.

As much as I want Trevor Rosenthal to push Oh back out of the ninth inning, the Final Boss continues to do enough to feel secure in his role. Despite only 7.02 K/9, Oh's swinging strike rate suggests more strikeouts are ahead. He picked up two saves.

Watson blew a one-run lead against the Dodgers last night. Los Angeles eventually won in the 10th inning. Watson's only other appearance was a two-inning victory. Felipe Rivero is pitching very well if Watson falters.
Tier 4: Questions (5)

Matt Bush, Texas Rangers
Bud Norris, Los Angeles Angels
A.J. Ramos, Miami Marlins
Brandon Maurer, San Diego Padres
Raisel Iglesias, Cincinnati Reds

Bush has one save for the season despite earning the closer job over three weeks ago. Last year, the Blue Jays produced something like six save opportunities through the first three months. Thereafter, they generated a normal total of save chances. The Rangers will also turn into a normal team before long. And then we'll finally get to see Bush.

The down arrow doesn't do Norris justice. He's pitched superbly, but his long term job security is in serious doubt. As an Angel, it comes with the territory. Norris experienced a little bit of everything this week – a win, loss, and save.

Ramos was tagged with the loss on Tuesday after allowing an unearned run. He's not in this section because of his performance though. Rather, the Marlins have given every indication that they prefer to upgrade. Probably because he lacks the calling card fastball of a typical closer. With Miami looking for an excuse to move on, he always has a short leash.

The Padres produce few save opportunities, but there's no questioning Maurer's performance. Long viewed as baffling disappointing, Maurer is mixing strikeout stuff (12.83 K/9), a low walk rate (0.68 BB/9), and a solid 51.9 percent ground ball rate. It adds up to a believable 2.03 ERA. Too bad about the lack of opportunities.

Iglesias had a rare three appearance week. He usually has a couple long outings. He did toss a two-inning save on Tuesday. He's probably unavailable tonight. Look to Michael Lorenzen.

Tier 5: Roller Coasters (7)

Justin Wilson, Detroit Tigers
Hector Neris, Philadelphia Phillies
Derek Law, San Francisco Law
Neftali Feliz, Milwaukee Brewers
Brandon Kintzler, Minnesota Twins
Santiago Casilla, Oakland Athletics
UP Matt Albers, Enny Romero, Washington Nationals
Fernando Rodney, Arizona Diamondbacks

With K-Rod deposed, closing duties fall to Wilson. Since he's a southpaw, his job security is always iffy until he's fully established. He certainly has the numbers to support a good long look in the ninth – 14.11 K/9, 2.45 BB/9, and a 1.23 ERA in 14.2 innings.

Neris was saddled with a loss last night. Despite this, the outlook for him is improving. He's recommitted to his signature splitter. That should drive his strikeout rate north. In the meantime, don't be surprised if Joaquin Benoit is asked to save a game or two. Neris also netted a two-inning win on Sunday.

Law should be a solid closer until Melancon returns. He has a 2.40 ERA with 8.40 K/9 and 3.60 BB/9. He throws a 94 mph fastball and two breaking balls.

Kintzler has allowed four runs in his last three innings. Keep an eye on the Twins bullpen. Matt Belisle is the speculative target – not that he's a great asset.

With Sean Doolittle shelved, Casilla is the undisputed closer in Oakland. He was credited with the win for one of those K-Rod meltdowns. Be wary, his 2.77 ERA isn't supported by a 6.92 K/9 and 4.15 BB/9.

The Nationals bullpen is disaster time. Albers saved the day last Wednesday. Then he blew a save on Sunday. Enny Romero got a chance to close the door yesterday and failed. Luckily, Shawn Kelley is expected to return soon. Until then, it's a revolving door.

Rodney is still a closer. He even earned a two-out save in his only appearance. It was at Coors Field too.

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Injured

Cam Bedrosian, Los Angeles Angels (groin)
Zach Britton, Baltimore Orioles (forearm strain)
Mark Melancon, San Francisco Giants (pronator strain)
Shawn Kelley, Washington Nationals (back)

Bedrosian's throwing program has advanced beyond 120 feet. He'll be back on the bump soon.

Britton is said to be out six to eight weeks. Melancon hopes to return in 10 days. Kelley is also set to return soon. He's already throwing off a mound. The Nationals bullpen is a disaster. They'll be happy to have him back. Koda Glover is on the rehab trail too.

The Deposed

Jeanmar Gomez, Philadelphia Phillies
Blake Treinen, Washington Nationals
Ryan Madson, Oakland Athletics
Joaquin Benoit, Philadelphia Phillies
Sam Dyson, Texas Rangers
Francisco Rodriguez, Detroit Tigers

After two more blown save losses, the Tigers were forced to bump K-Rod from the ninth inning. He allowed five runs in one inning of work (two appearances).

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The Steals Department

The waiver wire is flush with power and bereft of stolen bases. Let's continue targeting specific pitchers and catchers. The Pirates are the team to watch. Now that Noah Syndergaard is on the shelf, Tyler Glasnow and Gerrit Cole are competing for top target status. Cole pitches on Thursday against the Diamondbacks. He'll also face the Nationals next week. Glasnow pitches Friday.

Arizona lacks freely available stolen base threats. If you have access to Chris Owings, use him. David Peralta, Brandon Drury, and Gregor Blanco are lesser threats for a stolen base. If you're looking ahead to the Nationals matchup, Jayson Werth and Michael Taylor are the guys to own for swipes. And more in the case of Werth.

Any time Miguel Montero is catching for the Cubs, it's green light day on the bases. He's allowed 11 steals in 11 attempts through just 87 innings. Willson Contreras catches the ever-exploitable Jon Lester. The Cardinals are the next team to face the Cubbies. Leadoff man Kolten Wong is the guy to try, followed by power hitter Randal Grichuk.

The Padres have had some trouble with stolen bases too, especially Trevor Cahill. He's next scheduled to pitch on Saturday versus the White Sox. Tyler Saladino, Tim Anderson, and Leury Garcia are the top baserunning threats in Chicago.

K Hill

The rebuilding Padres signed a host of veterans to cheap contracts over the winter to fill out their rotation. The deals haven’t worked out so far collectively, but one contract that’s paid off handsomely in the early going is the one Trevor Cahill signed.

Cahill continued his impressive start to the season on Monday versus the Rangers, striking out seven while allowing just one single across 5 1/3 shutout frames. The sinkerballer did issue five free passes and hit a batter, which led to an elevated pitch count and his removal in the sixth inning, but Brad Hand came in to put out the fire and keep a zero in Cahill’s runs allowed column.

In 35 1/3 innings this season, Cahill has recorded 44 strikeouts while posting a 3.06 ERA and 1.16 WHIP. He’s been prone to wildness, walking 16 batters, which isn’t anything new for a guy with a career 3.6 BB/9 rate. However, he’s been able to wiggle his way out of jams with all of those punchouts. Cahill ranks sixth in baseball with his 11.2 K/9 rate, trailing only Danny Salazar, Chris Sale, Jacob deGrom, Robbie Ray and Max Scherzer.

Cahill has already made more starts this season than he did over the last two campaigns combined in the majors, as he was used mostly in relief from 2015-16 after he flamed out as a starter with the Diamondbacks. He’s still just 29, though, and clearly enjoying pitching near his hometown of Oceanside, CA. Cahill has given up just one earned run while striking out 20 over 18 1/3 frames in his first three outings this year at Petco Park.

Trevor Cahill

The right-hander does have a 5.82 ERA in three road starts, although he’s also struck out 24 over 17 innings away from home. While Cahill might still be a guy to consider benching in difficult matchups, he’s certainly someone to be taken seriously in mixed leagues again after a few years pretty well off the fantasy radar.

E-Rod and others rising

E-Rod

E-Rod Rising

With the first month of the season behind us, I thought now would be a good time to focus on some early surprises among hitters. Brewers slugger Eric Thames is probably the obvious one. We all knew about his amazing numbers in the KBO, but there was understandably some question about whether his success would translate in his return to MLB. Well, he has answered that with authority. Speaking of authority, Aaron Judge hits baseballs very hard. The young slugger has the hardest-hit ball (this 119.4 mph rocket off Kevin Gausman) of the StatCast era and ranks fourth in the majors in average exit velocity.

Eric Thames

While Thames and Judge have wowed with their power exploits, the biggest surprise of the first month has been the remarkable resurgence of Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman. After posting a career-low .642 OPS last season, he was mostly off the radar in mixed leagues coming into the spring, yet here he is hitting .427/.462/.875 with 11 homers and 30 RBI through 26 games. He’s the top-ranked player in Yahoo leagues going into Thursday’s action.

How is Zimmerman doing it? Well, for one thing, he’s making plenty of hard contact. He ranks eighth in the majors in average exit velocity and 19th in hard-hit percentage. Zimmerman was actually among the league leaders in average exit velocity last season, but he didn’t see the results along with it. That makes sense since nearly half of his batted balls were ground balls, but this year we have seen an uptick in line drives and fly balls. He’s earning what he’s doing right now, though obviously it’s unfair to expect anyone to maintain a .469 BABIP and a 39.3 percent HR/FB rate.

If you took a flier on Zimmerman in your draft or picked him up early off waivers, you are probably sitting pretty in your league, but I still have major concerns about his health. The 32-year-old hasn’t appeared in more than 115 games since 2013. Other fantasy owners are aware of his injury history, so he’s a tough sell, but I’d at least look into the possibility of capitalizing on his molten lava-level start.

The Week Ahead

The first week of May is a good benchmark for fantasy owners to make tough drop’em decisions. One of those decisions in 12-plus team mixed leagues is what to do with Hisashi Iwakuma.

He’s coming off a career-worst 4.12 ERA and 1.33 WHIP last season, and the results early this season have been similar. The Mariners starter has a 4.35 ERA and 1.26 WHIP through six starts, contributing almost no mixed league value to this point.

More worrisome is Iwakuma’s command. He has an awful 4.6 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9, both by far the worst of his career. The numbers continue to look dire, with seven homers allowed in 31 innings and a horrendous 6.30 FIP.

So what’s the problem? Iwakuma has experienced extreme velocity loss over the last two seasons, and his drop from last season (87.8 mph) to this season (85.0 mph) is one of the biggest decreases in baseball. This is a major red flag for a pitcher who has experienced past shoulder issues. Remember, his contract with the Dodgers last off season was canceled due to a failed physical, and the A’s also failed to sign him in 2011 due to physical issues.

It sounds cruel to say that a ballplayer is “finished” but the warning signs here are rampant.

-I’ve already expressed my undying love for Charlie Morton in this spot earlier this season, and he’s recently been paying dividends for fantasy owners. The peripherals show a legitimate ace, with a 10.3 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9, though Morton hasn’t been the extreme ground ball pitcher that he was earlier in his career. The tradeoff has been a strong velocity increase, even above what he showed in Philadelphia last season. Morton has averaged 95.4 mph on his fastball, compared to 92 mph in 2015. He should be owned in all leagues at this point.

-Mike Clevinger could be worth a look in AL-only leagues, and even deep mixed leagues. He struggled in 17 appearances with Cleveland last season, posting a 5.26 ERA, but as usual, he’s been dominant at Triple-A Columbus early this year. He has a 9.6 K/9 and 1.50 ERA in six starts, and is set to take over Corey Kluber’s (back) rotation spot. Clevinger’s career 8.7 K/9 and 3.28 ERA in the minors, along with plus stuff, make him intriguing.

Corey Kluber

-It’s always a good week for hitting when the Rockies have seven games at Coors Field, as is the case next week. Of course, they’ll be facing NL powerhouses Chicago and Los Angeles, but it’s certainly a week you’ll want your Coors Field hitters in the lineup, regardless.

-Robbie Ray continues to be one of the most exciting pitchers in baseball, now leading the NL with a 12.1 K/9. Most importantly for fantasy owners, his ERA is back down this season through six starts (3.47), and his FIP (3.26) shows an even better performer. As usual, Ray is having some trouble with his control, but the early returns have been strong for a pitcher whose advanced metrics showed big upside last season.


The first week of May is a good benchmark for fantasy owners to make tough drop’em decisions. One of those decisions in 12-plus team mixed leagues is what to do with Hisashi Iwakuma.

He’s coming off a career-worst 4.12 ERA and 1.33 WHIP last season, and the results early this season have been similar. The Mariners starter has a 4.35 ERA and 1.26 WHIP through six starts, contributing almost no mixed league value to this point.

More worrisome is Iwakuma’s command. He has an awful 4.6 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9, both by far the worst of his career. The numbers continue to look dire, with seven homers allowed in 31 innings and a horrendous 6.30 FIP.

So what’s the problem? Iwakuma has experienced extreme velocity loss over the last two seasons, and his drop from last season (87.8 mph) to this season (85.0 mph) is one of the biggest decreases in baseball. This is a major red flag for a pitcher who has experienced past shoulder issues. Remember, his contract with the Dodgers last offseason was canceled due to a failed physical, and the A’s also failed to sign him in 2011 due to physical issues.

It sounds cruel to say that a ballplayer is “finished” but the warning signs here are rampant.

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-I’ve already expressed my undying love for Charlie Morton in this spot earlier this season, and he’s recently been paying dividends for fantasy owners. The peripherals show a legitimate ace, with a 10.3 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9, though Morton hasn’t been the extreme groundball pitcher that he was earlier in his career. The tradeoff has been a strong velocity increase, even above what he showed in Philadelphia last season. Morton has averaged 95.4 mph on his fastball, compared to 92 mph in 2015. He should be owned in all leagues at this point.

-Mike Clevinger could be worth a look in AL-only leagues, and even deep mixed leagues. He struggled in 17 appearances with Cleveland last season, posting a 5.26 ERA, but as usual, he’s been dominant at Triple-A Columbus early this year. He has a 9.6 K/9 and 1.50 ERA in six starts, and is set to take over Corey Kluber’s (back) rotation spot. Clevinger’s career 8.7 K/9 and 3.28 ERA in the minors, along with plus stuff, make him intriguing.

-It’s always a good week for hitting when the Rockies have seven games at Coors Field, as is the case next week. Of course, they’ll be facing NL powerhouses Chicago and Los Angeles, but it’s certainly a week you’ll want your Coors Field hitters in the lineup, regardless.

-Robbie Ray continues to be one of the most exciting pitchers in baseball, now leading the NL with a 12.1 K/9. Most importantly for fantasy owners, his ERA is back down this season through six starts (3.47), and his FIP (3.26) shows an even better performer. As usual, Ray is having some trouble with his control, but the early returns have been strong for a pitcher whose advanced metrics showed big upside last season.

-Steven Wright’s season-ending knee surgery holds significance for Drew Pomeranz, who will certainly keep his rotation spot when David Price returns. Pomeranz had elbow issues last season and flexor tendon problem this spring, but it appears he’s healthy now. He has a dominant 11.3 K/9 and 3.78 K/BB ratio through five starts, and his velocity has seen a slight rebound after decreasing as a starter last season.

Drew Pomernanz

-Steven Wright’s season-ending knee surgery holds significance for Drew Pomeranz, who will certainly keep his rotation spot when David Price returns. Pomeranz had elbow issues last season and flexor tendon problem this spring, but it appears he’s healthy now. He has a dominant 11.3 K/9 and 3.78 K/BB ratio through five starts, and his velocity has seen a slight rebound after decreasing as a starter last season.

David Price