Yordano Ventura-Royals-SP
If you have not seen Ventura throw yet this year, you definitely need to. He has an effortless delivery that routinely reaches into 100's with his fastball. Ventura is averaging 96.8 on his fastball. The real improvement that Ventura has made from last year, is his increased use of the changeup. Ventura used his changeup only 6% of the time last year, as opposed to 23% this year. Ventura's use of his fastball is down as well, which is a good sign because it does not matter how hard you throw, major league hitters can hit a fastball. Ventura also owns a healthy GB rate, which will help keep his ERA down and make it more realistic that he continues his success. Ventura is on his way to becoming one of the best and brightest pitchers in the game.
Kyle Gibson-Twins-SP
Kyle Gibson threw 6.2 innings and gave up five runs against the Dodgers. He managed to strike out two and walk two. Gibson has had some success in the early going. Gibson has posted a 4.34 ERA with only 15 K's. Gibson is due for some serious regression. He has posted a 13% K-rate and 11% BB-rate, which is awful. His xFIP is 4.70, which suggests that he is due for regression at any point.
Nick Castellanos- Tigers-3B
Nick Castellanos went 0-3 with an RBI and two strikeouts against the White Sox on Wednesday. Castellanos's batting average has dropped to .233. Castellanos was a favorite preseason sleeper for many. While he has not been terrible, he has not been good either. Castellanos has 15 strikeouts to only 4 walks. Castellanos problem has been that he has a tendency to chase too many pitches out of the zone (37.4%) and when the ball is in the zone, Castellanos is below average at making contact (79.8% Z-Swing%, 87% is league average). Castellanos does not steal bases, so most of his value will come from his power numbers. Until he adjusts to Major League pitching, he is better off on your bench.
Victor Martinez-Tigers-DH
Victor Martinez went 1-3 with a walk and two runs batted in. Martinez is enjoying a fine season so far. He is hitting .298 with 4 HR and 13 RBI. Martinez continues to hit in the middle of the Tigers lineup and could possibly get catcher eligibility this summer, which would be a tremendous boost to his value. The switch hitter is batting .271 from the left side and .364 from the right side in limited AB's. The good news is that Martinez is showing power from both sides of the plate. Martinez should continue to be a steady producer the rest of the way.
Josh Donaldson-Athletics-3B
Josh Donaldson went 2-5 with two RBI on Wednesday night. Donaldson has been on a tear lately. He absolutely crushes left-handed pitching to the tune of a .295 ISO. Donaldson is hitting .279 with 7 homeruns and 23 runs driven in. He has shown an increased ability to put the ball in the air in the early going and this has led to an elevated HR/FB% of 17.1%. The power is legit and so is his ability to drive in runs. He is not a one-year wonder and will continue to be one of the top 3B.
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