Articles
Yandy Diaz Takes Gerrit Cole Deep Friday
Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Yandy Diaz drilled a 420-foot homer off Gerrit Cole in the Rays win over the Houston Astros on Friday. Diaz hit out of the cleanup spot in this one and took advantage of it. Unfortunately, there was nobody on base, but this is a good start for the 27-year-old, as […]
Zach Alexander 6 years agoJose Alvarado First Up For Saves In Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay Rays reliever Jose Alvarado was called upon to close out the game against the Houston Astros on Friday. Alvarado had been suspected to be the primary closer for the Rays, and this puts those questions at ease for the time being. With the Rays up by two runs in the ninth, Alvarado came […]
Zach Alexander 6 years agoBlake Snell Roughed Up In Opening Day Loss
Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Blake Snell was tagged for five earned runs on six hits over six innings Thursday in the home opener against the Houston Astros. He only managed three strikeouts and walked two on the day. There's no need to panic at this point, as the Astros have one of the best […]
Zach Alexander 6 years agoAustin Meadows Hits Leadoff Homer In Opener
Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Austin Meadows hit a home run off Justin Verlander to open the season on Thursday. He went 1-for-4 on the day, with the homer being his only hit. Later in the game he also made a nice sliding catch in the field. Batting leadoff for the Rays combined with his power […]
Zach Alexander 6 years agoAustin Meadows Leading Off, Brandon Lowe Batting Cleanup
The Tampa Bay Rays have released their Opening Day lineup for the game Thursday against Justin Verlander and the Houston Astros. Outfielder Austin Meadows will hit in the leadoff spot. After a blistering spring campaign and a new contract, second baseman Brandon Lowe earns the cleanup spot and will serve as the designated hitter. This is […]
Zach Alexander 6 years agoThree NL Pitchers Set To Break Out in 2019
We're always looking for the next breakout. Cody Bellinger or Chris Taylor in 2017. Trevor Bauer or Aldaberto Mondesi in 2018. These are the kind of guys who can make a good fantasy team great or boost an average team into a playoff spot. How do we find these players before they break out? They […]
Zach Alexander 6 years agoMatt Duffy May Start Season On Injured List
Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Matt Duffy (hamstring) was scratched from the lineup Saturday and could open the season on the injured list. Although Duffy can be left off of fantasy rosters, there are a few promising candidates for at-bats behind him. Yandy Diaz and Brandon Lowe have both impressed this spring training and could […]
Zach Alexander 6 years agoBlake Snell And Rays Agree To Five-Year Extension
Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Blake Snell has come to an agreement with the club on a five-year, $50 million guaranteed contract. The extension comes in the wake of scrutiny of the Rays for a very small raise after his Cy Young season. There will be no options on the contract and it will buy […]
Zach Alexander 6 years agoBrandon Lowe and Rays Agree To Contract Extension
Tampa Bay Rays utilityman Brandon Lowe agreed to a six-year, $24 million contract extension with the club on Tuesday. He was ranked as the 93rd-best prospect by Baseball America after the 2018 season, in which he slashed .233/.324/.450 with six home runs (148 at-bats). The contract extension comes in the midst of an outstanding spring […]
Zach Alexander 6 years agoTyler Glasnow Roughed Up In Spring Start
Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow allowed five runs on four hits in his spring training start against the Yankees on Tuesday. Glasnow struggled with his command, walking four. He managed to strike out four but was pulled after 3 2/3 innings and 81 pitches. It's not surprising that the damage was mainly done […]
Zach Alexander 6 years agoTommy Pham Back In Left Field Monday
Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Tommy Pham (shoulder) returned to left field on Monday against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He hit second and went 0-for-1 with a walk. The shoulder injury doesn't seem to be a big concern going into the season, putting fantasy owners at ease. He's having a great spring, hitting .324/.395/.405 in 37 at-bats. […]
Zach Alexander 6 years agoCharlie Morton Looks Sharp In Spring Outing
Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Charlie Morton threw five strong innings in the Rays spring training game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday. Morton used his full arsenal of pitches in this one and fired four strikeouts and allowed two walks. The 35-year-old will look to replicate his career-best 2018 season in which he posted […]
Zach Alexander 6 years agoYandy Diaz Smacks Three-Run Homer
Tampa Bay Rays first baseman Yandy Diaz went 2-for-2 with a three-run home run, four RBI and played impressive defense in Wednesday's spring training game against the Detroit Tigers. Diaz is quietly putting together a nice spring, hitting .290/.389/.516 with two home runs in 31 at-bats. His versatility will help him push for playing time, […]
Zach Alexander 6 years agoAvisail Garcia Showing Off Power This Spring
Tampa Bay Rays outfielder and designated hitter Avisail Garcia hit his third bomb of the spring off pitcher Jerad Eickhoff of the Philadelphia Phillies. Through 23 spring training at-bats, Garcia is hitting .304/.370/.739 with the three home runs, a double and 10 RBI. In 2017 and 2018 his power came when facing right-handed pitchers, however, […]
Zach Alexander 6 years agoBlake Snell Geared Up For Season
Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Blake Snell will pitch on Opening Day on March 28 against the Houston Astros. No surprise here for the reigning American League Cy Young award winner. He posted a 21-5 record with a stunning 1.89 ERA and 31.6 percent strikeout rate in 2018. Snell hasn't been touched so far this […]
Zach Alexander 6 years agoTyler Glasnow Throwing Gas
Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow drew praise from manager Kevin Cash as he was hitting 98-101 mph heat in his minor league appearance Wednesday. His spring with the big-league club has not gone great so far, as he's allowed six earned runs in only 5 1/3 innings pitched with seven strikeouts. The expectation […]
Zach Alexander 6 years agoTommy Pham Begins Throwing Program
Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Tommy Pham (shoulder) has started throwing again on Thursday. Manager Kevin Cash is expecting him back in the outfield in the middle of next week. This is continued good news, as Pham is being taken as the 17th outfielder in fantasy drafts, according to NFBC's average draft position. A clean bill of […]
Zach Alexander 6 years agoCesar Hernandez Is the Bargain 20/20 Player You're Looking For
The Philadelphia Phillies second baseman Cesar Hernandez has produced solid fantasy results in his last few seasons and it’s time to start taking him seriously in drafts. Second base can be a tricky position to get good value after the first few rounds; Hernandez can help owners later in the draft with a quality option […]
Zach Alexander 6 years agoAustin Meadows to See At-Bats Against Righties
Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Austin Meadows is expected to hit at the top of the order against right-handed pitchers. This spring, he has hit them to the tune of .333/.391/.762 and two home runs. However, he will be battling Brandon Lowe, Ji-Man Choi and Joey Wendle for a lineup spot against lefties. If he can produce […]
Zach Alexander 6 years agoTommy Pham Back in Rays Lineup
Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Tommy Pham (shoulder) re-entered the Rays lineup as the designated hitter, batting second on Wednesday. The outfielder was scratched from the lineup on Sunday due to shoulder soreness. The Rays are hoping some rest will clear up the issue and expect that he’ll be back in the outfield sometime this week. […]
Zach Alexander 6 years agoTyler Glasnow (SP, TB) - Fantasy Baseball Draft Values
BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~pick 150 CURRENT ADP: ~175 overall ANALYSIS: The Rays acquired Tyler Glasnow at the end of July in the Chris Archer trade. Glasnow was only used out of the bullpen for Pittsburgh, racking up 56 innings before the trade. Despite his below average ERA of 4.34 pre-trade, he managed to strike out […]
Zach Alexander 6 years agoScooter Gennett (2B, CIN) - Fantasy Baseball Draft Sleepers
BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~pick 75 CURRENT ADP: ~85 overall ANALYSIS: In 2018, Cincinnati Reds second baseman Scooter Gennett slashed .310/.357/.490 with 23 HRs, 86 R, and 92 RBI, the best full season of his career. But let’s not just focus on last year. Gennett has begun to surge since he joined the Reds in […]
Zach Alexander 6 years agoChris Archer - 2019 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper
From stud to bust to, if you can believe it, sleeper. Chris Archer put together a below-average campaign in 2018 posting a 4.31 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, and 9.83 K/9. His past few seasons have been disappointing at best as evidenced by his 4.07 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, and 11.15 K/9 in 2017. He’s left fantasy owners with […]
Zach Alexander 6 years agoScooter Gennett - 2019 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper
Sleepers typically have one or more of some certain characteristics that make them seem undesirable. That may include playing for a bad team, old age, lack of the “big name” or “big prospect,” or the “too good to be true” factor. Scooter Gennett is safely in his prime at age 28, but he plays for […]
Zach Alexander 6 years agoTyler Glasnow - 2019 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper
The Rays acquired Tyler Glasnow at the end of July in the Chris Archer trade. Glasnow was only used out of the bullpen for Pittsburgh, racking up 56 innings before the trade. Despite his below average ERA of 4.34 pre-trade, he managed to strike out 11.6 batters per nine innings. Walks were the main issue, […]
Zach Alexander 6 years agoJed Lowrie Signing Pushes Mets Prospects Aside (For Now)
The New York Mets recently added Jed Lowrie to their already-packed infield. In his age 33 and 34 seasons, he impressed with slash lines of .277/.360/.448 and .267/.353/.448, respectively. He also added a career-high 23 home runs in 2018, his first career All-Star season. Lowrie did show some regression in the second half of 2018 […]
Zach Alexander 6 years ago