Daily Slivers of the Fantasy Soapbox - Yesterday's Recap

Welcome to the Friday, June 28th 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 June 28th. Enjoy them. You can even respond with your own thoughts on Twitter @EllisCan2.

Daily Musings

• Giancarlo Stanton unlikely to return in July. Let's see if he becomes available in NFBC leagues. Thankfully, I already own him in 77.8% of my leagues. (Enter Grumpy-face here).
• Yordan Alvarez with knee discomfort…Kyle Tucker time close? Probably just run w/the replacements since Astros already got 28 games out of Tucker in 2018. Service time considerations.
• Sometimes the sequel is just as good as the original. Jean — not Claude Van Damme —Segura, back again in this action-packed thriller. Bottom of the ninth. Three-run bomb. Climax.
• Aaron Nola’s seven scoreless innings w/10K was wasted by the bullpen. Hector Neris (0.1IP, 3ER) probably the worst reliever of the day. (“Hold my beer” ~ Edwin Diaz). Thankfully, the Phillies brought in THE HAMMER! (JD Hammer) to close things out. Great name for a reliever.
• There is only one thing guaranteed in baseball. Unpredictability. If you had a strategy to buy the “elite” closers early in drafts, you are dancing by yourself as the closer does not share your dream. Treinen, gone. Edwin Diaz blows up again. 0.1IP, 5ER, 2BB. ERA now sits at 4.94.
• Craig Kimbrel walks onto the field for the first time this year. He gives everyone the ‘Its gonna be alright’ look. It was. SV#1.
• Maikel Franco heating up. 3HR, 7RBI, .371/last week. Season AVG up to .221 w/.206BABIP. Long road trip ahead.
• Joey Gallo back to business as usual. HR #18 & 19. Both Barrel%(27.6) & avg exit velo (96.2mph) are career-bests. Even K-rate is a career-low (35.4%). Amazing improvements this year.
• Shawn Kelley loves playing w/fire. Allowing two hits, but closed thing outs. Three K.
• Ever been through a CS gas chamber? It brings out every emotion combined w/plenty of snot and tears. That almost feels like a Brad Peacock start. (3IP, 6ER, 2K).
• You don’t ring the bell, the Bell rings you. Josh Bell w/22nd long distance call. Leading majors in doubles(29) & RBI(70). Cody Bellinger w/27HR. Leads majors in R(66) & AVG(.356).
• Starling Marte likes balance. Combo meal does that. 12th HR/12th SB. SwingStrike rate is one of the worst of his career(13.7%).
• Rollercoaster continues. Going up! Joe Musgrove silences Astros. Six scoreless innings, Five K. Cubs next.
• Every day the Braves feed the outfield crowd. Today Freddie Freeman(22) & Ozzie Albies(13) strut their stuff around bases.
• Bryse Wilson 4.1IP, 4ER, 6K. vs Cubs. It won’t get better w/PHI next.
• Orlando Arcia making developmental progress. Career-best Launch Angle (5.7-degrees), avg exit velo (87mph) & SwingStrike rate (11.1%). 11HR (four away from career-best).
• Two out of three ain't bad. Trea Turner w/two more steals. Tied for sixth in the league w/16 in nearly 100 fewer at-bats than most others.
• Victor Robles. Gotta pick it up if you want that RoY trophy. 12th HR w/nine SB is nice. DET, MIA, KC next. Lets Fire It Up!
• Matt Adams, you torment me with this power (12HR), but weak AVG (.205 last week). You get five righties this week to bust loose.
• Walker Buehler tries to solve Coors. Gets a black eye in the process (5.2IP, 7ER, 4K). Buehler owners, take some Dramamine & you should be good when the ARI matchup comes around.
• Alex Verdugo in Colorado = perfect match. Eighth HR. Three more games in thin air.
• Chris Taylor is top-10 player last two weeks (3HR, 15RBI, 2SB, .435AVG). Hang on tight.
• Jake Lamb not looking good. 0-for-6 w/four K. TIN ROOF! Rusted!
• Reyes Moronta w/31%K rate eagerly awaiting Will Smith trade. Don’t try to tell me Tony Watson, Mark Melancon or Sam Dyson are in his way.
• Carson Kelly steps out of shadows. Looking dapper. 9HR, 26RBI, .270AVG. Steady second catcher.
• Griffin Canning w/another solid outing. 6IP, 2ER, 6K. 3.88ERA/4.44FIP. 2.38BABIP is low, as is a .210AVG against. 19.3%K-BB w/15%SwingStrike rate is nice.
• Ramon Laureano took advantage of Cannings 47.7%fly ball rate. Power/speed plays. 13HR/9SB.
• Brendan McKay debut will be on Saturday. Just in time for FAAB Sunday. Ooooh-la-la.
• Keston Hiura is back as the cheap expense of Travis Shaw. Gonna be a fun year for Hiura owners.
• Enjoy your Friday baseball. Slide into the weekend the right way.
• No Fear, Just Fantasy.

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