George Springer on epic roll and other fantasy nuggets in latest Mostly MLB Notes
Over his last 42 at bats, George Springer sports a .476/.511/1.000 line with seven homers, 14 runs scored and 13 RBI. Springer hasn’t quite lived up to expectations (he’s walked in just one game during this span), and he’s been caught on 12 of his last 21 stolen base attempts dating back to last season. But Springer is a 27-year-old on pace to finish with 122 runs scored, 46 homers and 105 RBI. He’s hitting first in a Houston lineup that’s scored the second most runs in all of baseball this season (and the Astros have won 10 games in a row and lead MLB in run differential). It’s too bad Springer isn’t running anymore, but he’s a top flight fantasy hitter regardless. And the Astros are the best team in baseball.
Headlines of the Week: Walmart Asks Employees To Deliver Packages On Their Way Home…Driver Swallows False Teeth Then Crashes Into Two Parked Cars, Sending One Crashing Into Tavern…Canadian Man Too Busy Mowing His Lawn To Worry About A Tornado…Bear Breaks Into Home, Plays Piano…Man On Run For 24 Years Caught Running A Red Light.
Quick Hits: Matt Kemp hasn’t hit .290 since 2012. He’s currently batting .335 (his best BA since 2007)…Dallas Keuchel hasn’t walked a left-handed batter this season. In fact, he’s held lefties to a .100/.118/.160 line with a 22:0 K:BB ratio over 52 batters faced. That’s pretty impressive…I went to Game 2 of the NBA Finals, which was pretty awesome. I’m now under the weird situation of rooting for a sweep or a Game 5 I can go to…Matt Harvey has a 46:32 K:BB ratio over 61.1 innings. He hasn’t struck out more than six batters in a game this season (and has served up 13 homers). He’s unusable in all formats at this point. What a shame…I recently made a case for Luis Severino as a top-10ish fantasy starter…Danny Valencia got a hit in nine straight plate appearances. That’s good…It’s crazy Mike Trout is just eight months older than Aaron Judge.
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Police Blotter: Man Accused Of Sixth DUI After Allegedly Passing Out On Lawnmower…Thieves Using Blowtorch To Steal From ATM Accidentally Set Cash On Fire…Man Arrested After Calling 911 For Conversation…Man Charged With Robbery After He Says He Was ‘Proving A Point Anyone Can Get Robbed.’
Quick Hits Part Deux: I thought Matt Moore would have his best season of his career in San Francisco in 2017. He currently sports a 5.22 ERA and a 1.49 WHIP with a career-worst .280 BAA. He hasn’t won a game since April 10…There are only three teams in the NL with ERAs under 4.0…Here’s my most recent “MLB Stock Watch”…This defensive play was legit…This one, not so much…Dansby Swanson is slugging .302 with a 51 wRC+. I’m beginning to think I might be wrong predicting him as the Rookie of the Year…Over his last five starts, Ariel Miranda has a 2.03 ERA with a 0.97 WHIP and 31 strikeouts over 31.0 innings. He’s somehow still available in 70 percent of Yahoo leagues. Go get him.
Songs of the Week: Frightened Rabbit – The Woodpile and Lump Street and The Twist and My Backwards Walk
Quick Hits Part Tres: Andrew Benintendi seems likes he’s having a disappointing season, but he’s on pace to finish with a line of 87-20-87-23. And he should only hit better from here on out…Here’s Jon Lester picking off someone at first base for the first time in more than two years…There were seven grand slams hit Saturday, setting an MLB record…Kenley Jansen has a 40:0 K:BB ratio over 23.0 innings. His FIP is 0.27. This is silly. He’s been the most dominant pitcher in baseball in 2017…Rick Porcello won the Cy Young last year. He currently sports a 1.48 WHIP…Tommy Kahnle has a 1.19 ERA and a 0.71 WHIP with 40 strikeouts over 22.2 innings. David Robertson remains the most likely trade candidate in baseball, and Nate Jones is on the DL. In other words, Kahnle is a dominant reliever who will help your ratios and could easily be a closer down the stretch and is available in 90 percent of Yahoo leagues.
Longread of the Week: Radiohead’s Rhapsody In Gloom: ‘OK Computer’ 20 Years Later
