Mike Trout (LAA) - Mike Trout was not in the lineup for the Angels on Wednesday night against Milwaukee and there's some skepticism whether or not his strained groin will improve enough in time for him to be in the lineup for the Angels against the Cubs on Friday per Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register. Trout has only played in 140 and 114 games, each of the last two seasons, and while it hasn't impacted his ability to post first overall numbers, it's something that doesn't get talked about much. His manager Brad Ausmus expects Trout to avoid the disabled list, so more than likely, he should be good to go by the weekend. Through 49 plate appearances this year, Trout has an unbelievable 3.25 batting EYE.
Edwin Jackson (OAK) - Edwin Jackson and the Athletics agreed to terms on a deal that would bring back the veteran after he played for the team in 2018. Through 17 starts in 2018, Jackson posted a 3.33 ERA (4.65 xFIP), 1.22 WHIP, but with an 18% strikeout rate and a 10% walk rate. Jackson benefitted from a higher than normal 13% infield fly ball rate and from the cavernous dimensions of The Oakland Coliseum. While it's easy to write off Jackson, there are some formats where he may be a worthy streaming option against some of the American League's lesser competition.
Tyler Glasnow (TB) - Tyler Glasnow was dealing on Wednesday as he struck out a career high 11 batters and held the White Sox to no runs on just 2 hits over 6 innings of work. Glasnow was an early riser in drafts this pre-season before falling back down after struggling with his command in Spring Training. He's been all systems go through his first 3 starts, however, posting an incredible 21:3 strikeout-to-walk ratio, which is easily the best of his career. Pair his better control with a continuation of the 11% swinging strike rate he posted in 2018 and its possible we're witnessing Glasnow's breakout.
Tommy Pham (TB) - Tommy Pham continued his bounceback season with 2 home runs against the White Sox on Wednesday, his first two of the year. Where Pham has really managed to separate himself in the easily season has been with his speed, stealing 5 stolen bases already while slashing .286/.419/.408. Pham was excellent in the second half after being dealt from the Cardinals last season, so this continuation is building upon his performance and isn't actually coming out of nowhere. He sure seems like the real deal.
Austin Meadows (TB) - Austin Meadows went 3-for-6 in the Rays' rout of the White Sox, improving Meadows' slash line to .341/.420/.659. Meadows is a special player, not just for his combination of power and speed, but because his massive improvement against left-handed pitching at the major league level makes his hit tool and associated plate approach his most attractive tool. In fact, he has hit left-handed pitching at a higher average than right-handed pitching each of the last two seasons. Look for Meadows to be one of the biggest profit centers from drafts this spring.
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