Daily Slivers of the Fantasy Soapbox (5/28/19)

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

Daily Musings

• Bienvenido al Mercado. Welcome to the Market, where you get a free HR taste-test; if you like the first sampling, feel free to HR again. Oscar helps J.D. Martinez by pushing the ball over the wall in 6th. Martinez liked it so much he did it again in the 8th. That’s how you respect your elders. That kind of service is unparalleled. Deserves a 5-star review.
• Another Josh Bell HR (17)! He owns a 95.8 mph average exit velocity, second only to Joey Gallo. Bell’s 12.6% Brls/PA ranks top-10. Enjoy the ride; it looks like it's gonna be a long one.
• Starling Marte (HR) and Bryan Reynolds (two RBI) gets your eight-game week started right.
• Yasiel Puig has always had the power/speed skills, but he’s streaky. It’s streaking hot right now with three HR in the last four games.
• In today’s episode of Extreme Launch Angle, we see Derek Dietrich unsatisfied w/15.7 of 2018. He pushed the envelope to 20.1-degree LA. Wow. That’s a swing with one goal in mind. Result: 14 HR, .237AVG. No, the .178 BABIP isn’t indicative of an improvement, especially when you have a 52% fly ball rate. You own him if you need power. Count yourself lucky if he gets back to career .253 AVG.
• Sometimes you see stuff and you make the face your dog does when you eat a steak in front of him without sharing. Somewhere between bewilderment and intrigue. That stank face is the result of Max Scherzer vs Marlins. In 2019, he’s 0-1 in 11.1IP w/ 5.56ERA. Huh?! Playing down to competition, I guess. Reds next.
• Sergio Romo has 10 saves. Marlins wins games sometimes too.
• Clint Frazier gives you a month-long hiatus. Then two wks of four HR, 10 RBI, one SB, .268AVG. I’ll take that.
• Hot streaks are real. Who has the most HR in last week? Renato Nunez (five). He’s got six in eight games. Yep, we’ve said his name before due to favorable situations. Back in Camden for a week. Have a plan for AVG (.237). Sound like Deja vu? Power(13 HR) w/ crap AVG. See Dietrich above. 19.5-degree LA & 47% fly ball similar as well.
• Frazier homers, Austin Meadows homers, & raises you a SB (six). He ranks second with a .351 AVG. Not empty either with 11HR, 30RBI from the leadoff spot. Try to buy-high in dynasty leagues.
• Tyler White still plays despite a .228 AVG. Good thing he plays for a good team that will already win their division. Better players waiting in wings (Yordan Alvarez anyone?)
• Albert Almora is a hidden gem. Six HR in last month w/ usually solid AVG (career .284).
• Brendan Rodgers, we’re still waiting on your first bomb. Don’t worry, take your time, you still have six more home games; then you travel to Wrigley
• David Dahl lifts one into the wind for his fourth homer. He needs it as his 87.1 mph avg exit velo doesn’t promise many this year without it.
• Andrew Benintendi will evidently steal his way to your heart (seven SB). *Whispering into the wind* “If you follow the Devers, the HR will come.”
• You put Oscar Mercado on the bench? Good, cause he wasn’t giving you hardly anything. But damn, you missed out on three R, two SB though.
• Well, Matt Chapman, a promise is a promise. You go deep again (14), so here’s your song.
  • “Hit us a homer, you’re the power-man,
  • Hit us a homer tonight;
  • cause we’re all in the mood for some moonshots.
  • and you’ve got us feelin' alright."
  • **Another bomb tonight, another song tomorrow.
• Catcher is still putrid & Josh Phegley is still an asset with seven bombs.
• Golf clap for you Orlando Arcia. You got one over the wall despite your 85.6mph avg exit velo. You play in a great lineup, get a ton of AB. You could rack up many more stats if you didn’t pound the ball in the ground 51% of the time.
• Clayton Kershaw picking on the Mets. The poor Metropolitans. Ah, memories of your three-flavored ice cream. Chocolate was the best. Yes, I know it is Neapolitan but it is better than talking about the Mets.
• Cody Bellinger. Stat monster. For whom the Bell…, that one's taken? You can ring my Bell…taken? Saved by the Belling…Taken?! Hells Bells…taken?!? Damn, ok, he homered. Still MLB leader in R(48), RBI(49), AVG(.383). second in HR (19). Impressive to say the least.
• Who gave up on Mallex Smith? A lot of you did since he’s only 30% owned. Well, he stole four bases last night (2nd base, 3rd base, & home)! I imagine the ownership level will rise now.
• Daniel Vogelbach, there is a melody dedicated to your gravity-defying bombs. Well done on the 15 HR start that nobody saw coming.

More Fantasy Baseball Analysis