Welcome to the All-Star Break! With over half of the season in the books, we can take a deep breath, evaluate our teams, check into our process and see how we can be best honed in on the 2H. This is a time of the year where I actually take a nice break from Baseball, and try to recharge since I review players, stats, trends and lineups basically for 12 months since I love it. However, the season has a way of wearing us down. Try to get your spirit revitalized for the stretch run, where winners and losers are decided.
This is a good FAAB week to sneak guys in for a dollar, or to rejigger our hitter/pitcher split, or tack on a RP or 2 if you want to ensure you will get a stream of Ks. If you have more front-line SPs you won’t have as much as a need, so try to add a RP if you can, but DO NOT cut a legit talent just to hammer out that volume. It’s a great time to check your injured guys, whether you have IL spots or not, and maybe add a stash or 2 if you find you can afford. The best teams do continue adding all year long, so use this weekend to do so or risk falling behind.
Hot Commodities 🔥
| Dane Myers | MIA | 1B/OF | $1-$3 | Pop-up AAA guy who is hot, might catch on but I won’t be spending much to find out. |
| Mauricio Dubon | HOU | SS/2B/OF | $2-$6 | Getting more chances with Altuve hitting the shelf, a nifty swiss-army knife for real baseball and useable in 15s. |
| Nick Gonzales | PIT | 2B | $1 | Results are luck driven and I think he will be exposed so avoid him. |
| Colton Cowser | BAL | OF | $10-$45 | OBP darling, Cowser is a nice prospect entering a crowded situation and he hits a lot of worm-burners. I would throw a modest bid since he could provide a presence in all 5 cats, but keeping it sane here. |
| Jarren Duran | BOS | OF | $3-$7 | Adam Duvall being flipped at the deadline would open up chances for Duran, who’s alright somewhat useable if you need steals. |
| Oscar Colás | CWS | OF | $1 | Hit tool and approach have always been my concern, and he has done better so maybe he can stick but I am not a fan. |
| Tarik Skubal | DET | P | $14-$50+ | The chance to get an established SP on waivers in NFBC is very rare so spend if you have it and it’s a need, looks good again and could provide a boon of Ks. |
| Kenta Maeda | MIN | P | $7-$14 | Looks pretty solid again, but health is tenuous and velocity is light. |
| Alek Manoah | TOR | P | ? | Your guess is as good as mine in terms of his future, beating Detroit doesn’t really excite me that much. |
| Cristopher Sánchez | PHI | P | $2-$7 | I had overlooked him and he is pitching well enough to be rostered in most leagues against weaker teams. |
Spec Plays👓
| Blake Sabol | SFG | C/OF | $1 | If you need a catcher he is decent in the power dept. |
| Mike Ford | SEA | 1B | $3-$8 | Showing good in the power metrics and worth a stream in all 15s. |
| Mickey Moniak | LAA | OF | $1-$3 | Do not check his plate skills, but he is launching 55% FBs and hitting for monster power, worth a flyer. |
| Drew Waters | KC | OF | $1 | Showing power and will get more PT in the 2H, I do like him as a flyer. |
| Jose Urquidy | HOU | P | $1 | Won 13 out of 28 starts last year, I like this pitcher and will be chasing him this weekend before he comes back from IL. |
| Mason Miller | OAK | P | $1 | He should be back in their rotation before too long and has immense arm talent. |
| Nick Lodolo | CIN | P | $1 | If he is out there this is the best week to add him. |
| Carlos Hernandez | KC | P | $1 | Backup closer to Barlow who could be moved. Nice spec. |
If you have any questions about any drops or any questions in general, feel free to reach out to me directly at @lucasbiery33