Khris Davis, Milwaukee Brewers - Davis left the game Tuesday after injuring his shoulder sliding into second base. He was replaced by Elian Herrera and it has not yet been determined how much time Davis might miss if any at all. Davis has been on an impressive tear since his slow start to the season in which some owners, myself included, may have cut ties with the young outfielder and come to regret it. He's now triple slashing .260/.308/.490 on the year with 14 homers and a wRC+ of 119. That 119 puts him just outside of the top 25 among qualified outfielders for the season and his .346 wOBA has him right in the same area as well. His wOBA has him ranked above Shin Soo Choo (43.7 ADP ESPN), Matt Holliday (69.5), Jacoby Ellsbury (11.7), and Jason Heyward (81.8) among others who were taken well before Davis (189.7 ADP). He's provided great value for owners and is well on his way to following up his semi-breakout 2013 campaign.
Stephen Strasburg, Washington Nationals - After three straight sub-par starts (when comparing to normal Strasburg starts), he was dominant against the Rockies and he was rewarded with his seventh win of the season. The Rockies have been poor as of late, and Strasburg took advantage of a lineup without Troy Tulowitzki tossing 7.2 innings allowing just five hits and striking out eight. His ERA (3.54) is almost a full run higher than his FIP of 2.78. His BABIP is up at .348 which is in part caused by his slightly higher LD rate (22%, 2% higher than career average), but that won't completely account for a BABIP that's almost 50 points higher than his career average. He's already having a great season, but he could close in on the elite end of the starting pitcher rankings.
Mike Minor, Atlanta Braves - Minor had a terrible start against the Mets, only lasting just 4.1 innings while throwing 101 pitches. After a breakout 2013 Minor has had trouble in 2014, posting a 4.49 FIP in 70.1 innings but there is some reason for optimism and it could make Minor an intriguing trade target. He currently has a HR/FB rate of 16.7%, with a career rate hovering around 10%. This may cause concern but the intrigue comes from Minor actually having the lowest FB rate of his entire career at 34.5% (Career average is 40%). With a similar K/9 as last season (8.8), Minor is actually on pace to have his best xFIP of his career at 3.51. I'd throw a trade offer out there if you are in need of pitching as Minor's season (based on the numbers) looks like it could turn around any moment, and after Tuesday's start his owners may sell low on him.
Josh Beckett, Los Angeles Dodgers - Beckett was the first of many Dodgers pitchers to get roughed up Tuesday allowing five runs (four earned) in five innings to take home his fifth loss of the season. After throwing at least six innings in four straight starts and allowing no runs in three of those four, Beckett didn't have his best stuff with him. Even with the poor start, his ERA still is a miniscule 2.37 but his FIP is 3.79 meaning that Tuesday could be the beginning of some regression for Beckett. A large reason for his success is his strand rate which is at 85% and tops in the league, but that rate is also 13% more than his career average. He pitches at Coors Field in his next start, but while the Rockies are struggling that park can make any team come alive.
Chris Johnson, Atlanta Braves - Johnson has began to turn around his season and just completed a red hit month of June where he hit .327 and brought his average up 30 points. That batting average spike was helped by a ridiculous .427 BABIP, which is 60 points higher than any other month this season for BABIP. Johnson won't provide too much to a team besides his average, as he has just three homers this season and has driven in just 24 runs. He has virtually no power with a .079 ISO and his OBP is completely dependent on his average. He's worth a look in NL leagues as when he gets hot, he can streak for a long time as evidenced by his 2013 season for the Braves.
Josh Sperry - @jsperry1991
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