Daily Slivers of the Fantasy Soapbox (6/18/19)

Welcome to the Tuesday, June 18th 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 18th. Enjoy them. You can even respond with your own thoughts on Twitter @EllisCan2.

Daily Musings

• Masahiro Tanaka 10-4 in 17 starts w/3.06ERA, 0.91WHIP vs TB. Yep. Domination.
• When I move, you move. Just like that. When I HR, you HR. Just like that. Mike Trout(20) & Shohei Ohtani(9). Fifth game this year they’ve HR in same game.
• Edwin Encarnacion w/o beard is like….....baby smooth.
• Cavan Biggio w/two HR. Let’s look under the hood. .233AVG. 28%K Ugh. .378OBP, .517SLG, 19%BB. Ok. looking good. 51.3%FB. OH YEAH!! Drank that fly-ball kool-aid. 18.6-degree launch angle. 92mph avg exit velo. Oooh-Weee. He ain’t gonna run after you (11.9% chase). He doesn’t swing & miss (7.6%). Plus, Biggio Loves The Lefties (.294); keeps it on the ground (50%). Vs righties, all five HR, 66.7%FB leading to .182BABIP. Short story long, me likes.
• Michael Brantley batting .185 over last week. Everyone has dry spells.
• Yonny concert was beautiful (6IP, 3ER, 6K vs NYY). Yonny Chirinos gets OAK next.
• Why is Tyler White getting at-bats?! Two HR, .196AVG last 30 days. And you say there’s no room for Kyle Tucker.
• Luis Castillo (7-1) must love Derek Johnson about now.
• Ever notice how people say they were totally right about something and they told everyone so. Like the FAABpocalypse, everyone’s coming out of woodworks saying they said Brendan Rodgers, Nicky Lopez, Keston Hiura, etc were a waste of money. Nobody knows for certain what’s going to happen. That’s why we love baseball. I’m sure the story of validity would be the same if the opposite players had performed well.
• Speaking of, Yordan Alvarez. People love him. No one down on him, at all. Anywhere. Are these truthers gonna show up if the 63% contact, 13.7% swinging strike, and 28%K leads to some dry periods? People don’t always have to be right or wrong. Enjoy the game as it is, both real and fantasy.
• Aren’t we glad the Ronald Acuna-as-a-cleanup-hitter plan didn’t last? At leadoff, 10HR, 27RBI, 7SB, .323AVG in only 16 more plate appearances than the four-hole (7HR, 21RBI, 2SB, .278AVG).
• Oscar Mercado is a breath of fresh air in Cleveland. 4HR, 4SB, .304AVG. Only 24% owned. Good add. In Texas now & vs. DET next.
• Mike Clevinger stumbles in first outing back (4.2IP, 5ER, 7K). DET next, at home. All-in.
• Hunter Pence on IL and Nomar Mazara hobbled, Danny Santana is poised to excel w/a week at home followed by series in DET. He chases ALOT 40.6% w/13.6%swinging strikes. Despite that, he has 5HR, 8SB, .305AVG (.402BABIP). Santana only 11% owned.
• Carlos? Carlos Carrasco? Are you here?
• Elieser Hernandez (6IP, 1ER, 6K, 0BB vs STL). I’ll save a couple of dollars for you this weekend. Keep your head down in Philly.
• Matt Chapman w/only one HR in last two weeks. 29%K in June. C’mon Matty boy.
• Ian Kennedy is the closer in KC? *palm to forehead*
• Manny Machado. You were born in July. Can’t celebrate in June(4HR, .448AVG last week). Trying to double the first couple of months of production.
• Joey Lucchesi, you mesmerize me. Seven scoreless w/five K vs MIL. Should I just mark you down for a W in PIT?
• Flock to Joc when he's hitting HR. Avoid otherwise. We are in Avoid Joc Pederson mode now, except he has six righties in the next nine days. Damn.
• Yes, bad teams do get saves. Shane Greene(20) & Will Smith(19).
• Dust off Giancarlo Stanton shares. Back today. Maybe he'll match Justin Upton's return output (2-for-4, HR).
• That sideways look my dog gives me. He must have heard Tyler Beede beat Kenta Maeda.
• Enjoy your Tuesday baseball, maybe even with some tacos.

More Fantasy Baseball Analysis