Aledmys Diaz (SS, StL): Aledmys Diaz, whose name will set off any spell check, had himself a night Friday in the Cardinals shellacking of the Reds, going 2-5 with a home run, two runs and three RBI from the eight hole. The 25 year old shortstop has got off to a very strong start in his first MLB action for the Cardinals, slashing .427/.429/.889 in 28 plate appearances. Certainly he'll come back to earth, but where does his true value lay? Digging into his minor league track record indicates very little power or speed. He's a contact first hitter with an aggressive approach at the plate, with few walks and few strikeouts. He'll be largely at the mercy of the BABIP gods to determine his batting average, but in what is of course a very small sample size, he's got a 25% line drive rate and a 40% hard hit rate, which indicates that he's making excellent contact with the ball and over the course of a full season that would drive a well above average BABIP. His window of opportunity will eventually close when Jhonny Peralta returns from his injury, but that's far enough away to take a flier on Diaz. His value hitting eighth is capped, but should Hazelbaker cool off, it could be Diaz hitting second for the Cardinals. He's only a deep league add for now, but keep a close eye on him.
Jonathan Villar (SS, Mil): Villar stole his first base of the season Friday against the Pirates. He went 3-6 with an RBI and two runs scored hitting in the two hole in his return from injury. He had been out since April 11th with an ankle injury, but with the successful swipe clearly his ankle is feeling ok. He's hitting .308/.438/.500 on the young season, and while the Brewers aren't going to be much of a powerhouse of an offense, he should be an excellent source of cheap speed while he's the starting shortstop, and runs while he's batting first or second. He may eventually get pushed off short by youngster Orlando Arcia, but if he keeps hitting, the Brewers will find somewhere to play him.
Michael Conforto (OF, NYM): Conforto batted third in the Mets lineup Friday, going 2-5 with his first home run of the season, scoring two runs with 1 RBI. It's a progressive move from the not-always-so-progressive Terry Collins, and hopefully one that sticks. Even if he doesn't hit third, he deserves to be hitting higher up in that lineup than he has been previously. Most of that offense has been ice cold, but Conforto now has an even 5:5 K:BB ratio with a .280/.419/.480 slash. If he continues to produce and bat in the heart of the order, Conforto will be one of the biggest steals based on his preseason ADP. Buy in.
Wei-Yin Chen (SP, Mia): Chen was pulled after only 83 pitches Friday night against the lowly Braves, finishing with a line of 6 1/3 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB and 6 K's. He left with a 3-2 lead but the Marlins bullpen didn't waste any time blowing the win for him, giving up four runs in relief. Chen should be a solid #3 starter this season, making half his starts in spacious Marlins Park and getting to pick on some weak NL East teams in the Braves and Phillies. To date, he's thrown 11 1/3 innings with a 9:1 K:BB ratio. Through two starts he holds a 5.56 ERA, but his FIP (3.04) and xFIP (3.20) point to more sunshiny outcomes.
Chad Bettis (SP, Col): Bettis found himself quite successful against the Cubs Friday afternoon, throwing six shutout innings while allowing only three hits and three walks, striking out four. He also won his second start in two tries, and carries a bit of streaming intrigue on his starts outside of Coors Field (or against the Padres) this season. His home/away splits from 2015 confirm such a strategy would be successful: at home in 2015 he had a 4.99 ERA in 61 1/3 IP, while on the road he was much more successful, posting a 3.35 ERA across 53 2/3 IP. He's no more than a streaming option even in leagues as deep as 15-team mixers, however.
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