It's crazy that the season is already a 1/3 of the way finished. I never want the season to end; half of the year is so damned boring without baseball. Maybe if I find enough waiver gems, I can put them into that strange door that wouldn't crumble when they tore down the old Yankee Stadium.
It still stands there - sleek, imposing, and ornate; a marble-eqsue oddity, and the city of NY has no idea what to do with it. There's just a few suspicious indentations that are strangely gem-shaped, chizzled masterfully into the seemingly indestructible stone. One has to wonder what kind of tool was even used to etch and carve this thing, since nothing else seems harm it. Despite all attempts at opening the "door", apathetic city workers continue to come up empty-handed. Rumor has it that it's a door to a baseball-cemtric dimension where humans are Isekaied into becoming an actual MLB baseball, "I died and became Luis Gil's baseball: Surviving As A 98 MPH Fastball In The Strike Zone." The only hint we have is the singular phrase engraved into it, oddly enough in the oldest of Latin: "God Bless Me."
Hitters
*ADDED: Jake Meyers I didn't even think to check his rostered % until a redditor mentioned him and I decided to check out if he's still been scorching hot. Apparently he's only 30% owned, which I didn't even think was a possibility. I was under the impression he would be 60% rostered at this point. That speaks for itself.
Heliot Ramos
Making his return to the list, Heliot Ramos continues to impress even as the Luis Matos hype fades into the distance. With an incredible 76 MPH average bat speed and impressve 20% blast contact rate, it's little surprise his peripherals look so good. His barrel, hard-hit, and sweet spot percentiles all clock in at the 85th percentile or better across now 72 at-bats. I like him in this young, on-the-rise Giants lineup and I expect him to finish with an .800+ OPS. He has 4 RBIs over the last week - expect more to come.
Nick Gonzales
Another player making his return, and most certainly his final appearance on the blog, Nick Gonzales has been nothing short of incredible for my fantasy team. This guy just continues to square up baseballs and put them into play, and seemingly always with RISP. He's extremely toolsy, as is evidenced by his 85th percentile sprint speed to go along with top-tier barrel AND sweet-spot percentiles. He can handle both lhp and rhp while having eligiblity at both 2B and SS. Put in your waiver claim and be generous with your FAAB. Patrick Bailey Patrick "Sweet-Spot" Bailey was the nickname the ladies gave him, and he's certainly lived up to the moniker. He's making his return to the list this week after a concussion took him off the shelf almost immediately after his appearance on the blog two weeks ago. It was extremely unfortunate timing, and i was worried he'd suffer from post-concussion smptoms like Rizzo did last year. Fortunately, everything is okay with Patrick Star, and he looks better than ever. There's not much to say about a guy who rocks a 100th percentile sweet-spot% on top of a 90th percntile average exit velocity, except that there's enormous bat potential here for a C that will see a lot of ABs due to his excellent defense making him a must-start for the Giants.
Jonathan Aranda
Aranda may not have the OPS or BA to show for it, but he's swinging a good bat right now. He's extremely disciplined at the plate, boasting the type of whiff and chase rates you love to see. On top of that, he's sporting a 99th percentile barrel rate through 38 ABs this season to go alongside a steller .292 xBA and .539 xSLG. The counting stats have begun to accumulate for Aranda in a Rays lineup that is desperate for production from just about anyone, and I expect them to only improve when the inevitable HRs arrive. Aranda will get hot eventually with these types of peripherals - the only question is whether or not he'll be on your roster when it happens.
Matt Vierling The night before the double-header, this guy was my waiver add. I was dropping Lamonte Wade Jr. for one bat that could help my team, ideally a 3B or 1B, and Vierling was the choice up until 11:30 PM when I decided "Man, I want Vierling but with Alec Bohm being the only 1B on my roster, I think I have to go with DJ LeMahieu." I don't necessarily regret it - I think DJ has looked excellent at the plate so far - in his first game back, he went hitless yet sent three flyballs straight to outfielders at over 90 mph each. But still, damn does it suck to have missed out on his spectacular performance yesterday, especially while going against the 1st place team in the league. But anyway, yeah, grab Vierling. His sweet spot % remains unbelievably high to go along with an elite hard-hit% and slightly above barrel %. He's swinging an excellent bat in a Tigers lineup that can generate a bunch of runs depending on how Riley Greene is going. With Colt Keith playing much better baseball, and a possible Torkelson home-run tear yet to come, Vierling could have a very productive rest-of-season.
DJ LeMahieu Yes, he's only had 8 plate appearances, but we still want to see these types of peripherals right off the bat for DJ, who has seen injuries sap his perfromance for several years. We know DJ is capable of being a great, pure-hitter when he's healthy, which makes DJ extremely enticing with his 1B, 2B, and 3B eligibility. And even if he doesn't set the world on fire, he's still batting #9 for the Yankees - this means he has Volpe, Soto, and Judge behind him. Expect DJ to be a run-machine for as long as he remains healthy. If you need runs, he's worth grabbing.
Brett Wisely
Before being called up to the MLB for his second stint (131 PAs in 2023), Wiseley was absolutely dominating AAA to a tune of a .311 BA and .890 OPS. When a player gets called up, you really want to see that they were killing it in the minors, and not beint called up off some bullshit like a .250 BA. So right away, he passes the first test. Wisely hasn't missed a beat through 26 MLB PAs, slashing a wild .400 boasting a .945 OPS. This guy swings with remarkable confidence, as is evidenced by his awful whiff, chase, and BB rates - but are they actually awful he he's absolutely destroying the baseball? If you're feeling cheeky in a deep league, try playing Patrick Bailey, Heliot Ramos, and Wisely together. Then turn on a Giants game and enjoy - or curse me to the high heavens for featuring so many damned Giants players. But they really have so many fun, young prospects arriving this year and some of them are bound to be hits. And with 2B, SS, and OF elgiblity, this guy can be a fantastic utility option to cover for days off.
Brendan Rodgers Yet another returning player to the blog, Rodgers continues to be a hitting a machine and is finally living up to his top prospect billing. It's happening a bit late, but it's happening nonetheless. I don't have much to say at this point except that Rodgers is an absolute stud at Coors and should be streamed with certainty whenever the Rockies play at home.
Keibert Ruiz Keibert has been a multi-hit machine since May 19th, with 6 multi-hit contests across 9 games. His sweet-spot % continues to climb towards the elite 93rd percentile number he boasted in 2023. Expect him to once again finish the season with elite K, whiff, and sweet-spot percentiles while hitting a few cheap HRs. I think Patrick Bailey is the clear add at C, but you can settle for Keibert if he's not available.
Hitters to watch: Dylan Moore: He's been fantastic and his peripherals have been strong. But he's 50% owned and can only hit LHP, so not necessarily a hidden gem at this point. I currently roster him as a platoon bat. Miguel Andujar: I never thought i'd be typing this in 2024, but here we are. Andujar may actually be healthy and is swinging a good bat.
Blake Perkins: Featured on the blog earlier in the season, Perkins went through a cold stretch where he struggle to lift the ball. But i've kept an eye on him due to extremely promising blast rates, alongside other secret peripherals I use when finding players. Yes, I do not only use the basic data I provide. We all have secrets. Colt Keith: After an extremely miserable start to the season, Colt Keith has been racking up hits throughout May. Unfortunately, we're still waiting on the power. Jesse Winker: It's one thing that Winker always toys with our emotions and shows potential bat talent. But stealing 4 bases over his last 5 games? Shame on you Jesse. Why do you do this to us?
Pitchers
Jose Soriano This guy will be on my list every week until he's 50% owned or starts sucking, but he only continues to impress. Seriously, just watch this guy pitch. He has top 10 stuff in baseball and if it weren't for an umpire bailing out Jose Ramirez on a clear swing for a K (he hit a HR on the very next pitch), he would have turned in an 8 K quality start. He reminds me a lot of Luis Gil, in that he has the type of stuff you want to fill the strikezone with because it's nearly unhittable - but he has control issues that sometimes hold him back. Personally, I will continue to take what he has to offer and enjoy watching him pitch, because let me reiterate, this guy is filthy,
.195 BA aginst a sinker that sits 99 mph. .204 BA against a curveball that has a 39% whiff rate. .182 BA against a 91 mph splitter that has a 34% whiff rate. Someone tell this dude to just stop throwing his 4-seam.
How does his stuff move this much? It seems unfair.
Ryan Weathers I get downvoted everytime I say this in the daily thread, and I don't care: Ryan Weathers is on his way to becoming an ace. It's a pleasure to watch him pitch, and he's just not the same pitcher. He's become an absolutely power pitcher with his fastball consistently sitting 96-97, and I expect his fastball velo percentile to reach the 85th percentile or so. In 2023, he only sat at the 68th percentile in fastball velo. However, it's not the velocity that makes it special - it's the insane 12.6 inches of horizontal movement coming out of a very unique arm slot. If there's one thing that indicates a pitcher can be special, it's a power fastball that has ride. But beyond the fastball, all of his other pitches have been excellent over this stretch in which he has 5 straight quality starts. And this shows with exactly zero of his pitches having a negative run value, which is extemely impressive and quite rare. I've personally watched his last three starts, and I can tell you his sweeper is unbelievable potent against right-handed hitters alonside his fastball. It's deceptive and often fools umps into giving him an extra one or two inches outside to righties due to its framability. THAT IS NOT ME SAYING HE NEEDS UMPS TO HELP HIM, REDDITORS. Don't twist my words. Even when it's in the zone, righties have had an impossibly difficult time with it, because it looks exactly like his fastball coming out. Thus the absolutely ridiculous 55% whiff rate on it. Then you have a fantastic, flat changeup, that has below-league average horizontal movement, so when pitchers expect that power fastball OR sweeper, they're met with an 86 mph pitch that just dies on them. His fastball sits 96-97. His sweeper sits 82. His changeup sits 86. Now that's a nice pitch mix. Weathers ability to destroy right-handed pitching, as a lefty, is remarkable and is the stuff aces are made of. Just watch him pitch and you'll see there's a fun pitcher here. After a terrible start to the season, Weathers' peripherals continue to climb alongside his performance.
Streaming Options: Ben Brown: I like this guy a lot, which is why his name is super big. He's one of those pitchers that has great extension and velocity, and I love perceived velocity in a pitcher. It always indicates excellent potential. Unfortunately, his spot in the rotation is up in the air with Wicks coming back - even if I think he's better.
Cal Quantrill: Showing up in the D tier of my tier-list, Cal continues to perplex hitters with a seemingly normal splitter and an aresenal of pitches that have below-average movement. I don't think he can keep this up and his .260 BABIP kind of confirms this, but at this point, who knows.
JP Sears: He's inconsistent, and you never know whether you're going to get a QS or stinker. But if you're desperate for a QS, he's a guy to go to.
Miles Mikolas: I'm actually pretty high on Mikolas as of late, and I'm beginning to consider adding him to my priority add list. I watched him touch 96 mph on his fastball and introduce a pitch that seemed like a splitter. He has three quality starts across his last 5 contests.
Gavin Stone: Another pitcher who is close to being a hold after a tremendous 7k QS against the mets. We wanted to see this kind of strikeout performance and we got it. I'm just waiting for more consistency.
Spencer Schwellenbach: He pitched fairly Schwell in his fist start, all things considered. We'd like to see better command of his off-speed and breaking pitches, as he was often well outside the strikezone. Blake Walston: Recently called up by the D-backs, Walston had a fairly good first start, albeit short - 4.2 innings pitched, no runs allowed, and a 4 K/BB. He has a nice changeup.
Jose Urena: His most recent outing was rough for ERA and WHIP, but he still managed 6 Ks in 5 innings even though he's a GB pitcher. Inconsistent, but puts up good performances here and there.
btw
I'm currently in 4th place, and still clinging to 1st place in our roto standings. I'm currently up against the #1 team in the league, who is 3rd in roto standings. It's going pretty well, but I'm dispapointed Singer's start got canceled today. I need everything I can get. Wish me luck! Here's my current roster for those interested:
I really like Brandon Marsh. He's excellent against RHP, his peripherals are crazy good, and he puts up counting stats. He's totally rosterable if you have room for a platoon, which I do thanks to ditching relievers.
I'm Bing Bong Bombers.
My strategy of forgoing relievers and throwing the SV+H category has worked well for me so far. I love having a deep bench that can platoon based on matchups and a nice long rotation that can rack up QS every week. And sorry about my Luis Gil bullshit, I just got some remarkably dank Golden Pineapple.
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