Starlin Castro (2B, NYY) - The Yankees get righty Yovani Gallardo and his 5.04 road ERA Saturday. Gallardo also has a .297 BAA against righties so far. Castro is batting .313/.340/.500 against righties in 2017, and is even better at home with a .324/.362/.549 line at Yankee Stadium. The icing on the cake is that Castro has had huge success against Gallardo over his career with 16 hits in 45 at bats. At $2700, there is a lot to like here.
Jose Abreu (1B, CHW) - The White Sox veteran first baseman went 2 for 2 with a solo home run, as the Sox edged the Tigers 3-2. Abreu is posting another solid season, despite the lineup around him being shipped out of town in favor of youngsters. On the year, he is slashing .298/.349/.536 with 26 homers and 78 RBI. Most of Abreu's metrics are right in line with his career numbers, however, his hard contact rate is up 4% to 39.4%, which helps explain the 58-point jump in ISO. Abreu makes for a solid addition at first in drafts, because he has become a 30-home run 100 RBI player, and is a nice consolation prize if you miss out on the top tier names at the position.
Khris Davis (OF, OAK) - Davis brought the boomstick out Friday night, as the A's edged the Rangers 3-1. The Oakland slugger hit two home runs on the night, giving him 36 on the season. Overall his line reads .239/.325/.538 on the year, with the 36 home runs and 89 RBI, which put him near the top of the AL in both categories. While the numbers are nice, they are taken along with a 31.6% K%, which brings down both the average and OBP. On an interesting note, his .277 ISO, is identical to his .277 BABIP, which shows the power is off the charts. His pop ranks him as a top 25 outfielders, and should be drafted as such in 2018, but construct at team around him that can compensate for what he does not do well.
Francisco Lindor (SS, CLE) - The Indians shortstop went 2 for 4 Friday with a two-run homer as the Indians blanked the Royals 4-0. On the season, Lindor is slashing .267/.324/.475 with 23 home runs, 63 RBI and ten stolen bases. Currently, the 23-year-old is on pace for 29 home runs, 80 RBI and 13 steals, which is a nice season all around. While the counting stats are nice, the metrics tell the story of the average dipping nearly 30 points below his career mark. His .275 BABIP is the main culprit as it is nearly 40 points lower than his career mark. Overall, Lindor is a top ten shortstop, and is posting some nice totals, but owners hoped for a higher average and OBP. He is still just 23, so he has plenty of solid baseball in front of him. Draft him with confidence in 2018.
Trey Mancini (OF, BAL) - Mancini chipped in in a big way, as the Orioles smashed the Red Sox 16-3 Friday night. The youngster went 3 for 5 with four RBI on the night. For the season, Mancini is slashing .289/.342/.514 with 22 home runs and 69 RBI. Currently, he is on pace for 28 homers and 87 RBI in what is shaping up to be a nice first full season in the Majors for the 25-year-old. While most of the metrics are solid, I would like to see his 6.4% walk rate tick up a little, as well as the 34% hard contact. While the hard contact could rise a bit, the walk rate seems to be about where he will settle in for his career, if his minor league numbers are an indicator. Mancini has made for a nice waiver add, and figures to be a popular name heading into 2018 drafts.
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