A small sampling of our notes for our subscribers....
Billy Hamilton (OF-CIN) - Hamilton managed to go 2-for-5 with a pair of singles Thursday against the Padres and NOT steal a single base. Given that he's batting just .266/.302/.385, not scoring runs or stealing bases after getting on base does very little for Hamilton's fantasy owners. Not surprisingly, Hamilton has proven to be an exciting player with his 14 stolen bases and his mad dashes from second base on pop flies to shallow right, but I thought he had a legitimate shot at 80 steals, and barring a vastly improved ability to reach base, he's probably going to be more in the 50 range. Still lots of value there, but probably not as much value as his owners used in getting Hamilton on their roster. Edit: He did follow this up with a pair of steals in game two of the doubleheader, so there is that.
Matt Carpenter (2B-STL) - Carpenter looked a bit overvalued to me this year coming off a solid 2013. He's a better baseball player than fantasy player, as he has just one homer and one stolen base this year after 11 and three the year before, and after batting .318 in 2013, Carpenter is hitting just .256 this year. With 25 walks however, his OBP stands at a solid .356 and with 27 runs in 40 games, Carpenter should easily score 100+ batting at the top of the lineup. He led the league last year with 126 while garnering a few MVP votes, but he's taken a bit of a step back this year. The 26 year-old should get the average up near .300 by year's end, but I'm just not sure the power or SB ability will be there.
Tyson Ross (SP-SD) - Ross just isn't quite consistent enough for me to trust him yet, but Thursday's effort against the Reds was eye-opening - 7 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 5 BB, 8 K. Obviously the walks aren't what we like to see, but the 2.81 ERA certainly is. Ross has a 3.6 BB/9 and 8.3 K/9, so walks have been somewhat of an issue, though not alarmingly so. Ross now has allowed one earned run in each of his last three starts, all of which were seven inning outings, making him an intriguing streaming option in shallower formats and a must own in deeper ones.
Yonder Alonso (1B-SD) - At this point we simply have to consider Alonso a bust right? He did homer and single in one game of Thursday's doubleheader in Cincinnati, but even with that, Alonso is still batting a paltry .200/.238/.289 in 135 at-bats. The home run was his first of the year in 135 at-bats, and though his K:BB is respectable at 15:7, Alonso is 27 and should be further along in his career at this point. For his career, Alonso has just one home run per 56.4 at-bats, and while he'll run once in a while (3 steals in 2014), he's not a mixed league option right now and may never be. When I watch him, his bat just seems slow.
Anthony DeSclafani (SP-MIA) - DeSclafani will reportedly remain in the Miami rotation one day following his impressive debut (6 IP, 2 ER, 7 K) Wednesday against the Dodgers. DeSclafani isn't going to necessarily "replace" what Jose Fernandez brought to the table, but prior to 2014, he did have a solid 8.0 minor league K/9 to go with a 1.7 BB/9, so there may be at least No. 3 starter upside here. DeSclafani averaged 93.7 mph with his fastball against the Dodgers while missing in a slider and curve. He threw just one changeup, so that's probably a pitch he will need to develop at the big league level to be successful. Either way, it appears he has a solid career in front of him.
