Matt Olson-Athletics-1B
Matt Olson was 2-3 with 1 R, 2 BB, and 1 SB against the Rangers. Olson is having a monster season hitting .302 with 20 HR, 49 R, 53 RBI, and 2 SB. The power has been there as expected but the batting average has been a pleasant surprise. The good news is that Olson isn't getting lucky in terms of batted balls (.273 BABIP) which makes the average even more believable. He has done it by drastically cutting his strikeout rate from 31% in 2020 to 16% this year. Olson has always had good control of the zone (career 11% BB). He is swinging at more balls in the zone than ever before while simultaneously making more contact on those pitches. This is shaping up to be a career year for Olson. He has also been red hot in June (.390/.443/.740).
Gary Sanchez-Yankees-C
Gary Sanchez was 2-5 with an HR (13), 2 R, and 3 RBI against the Royals. Sanchez is now hitting .240 with 13 HR, 27 R, 29 RBI, and 0 SB. Sanchez has done the majority of his damage this month (.305/.369/.712 with 6 HR). After a horrific start to the year (.190 AVG in April), he has been able to get back on track. Sanchez has cut his strikeout rate down to 27% while maintaining a double-digit walk rate (13% BB). He is also chasing fewer balls out of the zone (29%) than at any point in his career. This combined with his superior quality of contact (46% Hard and 14% Barrels) has Sanchez back on track and hitting in the middle of the Yankees lineup. It is unlikely that Sanchez ever lives up to the expectations of the fantasy community but he is still an above-average fantasy catcher just not top-five like has been drafted the past couple of seasons.
Cavan Biggio-Blue Jays-3B
Cavan Biggio was 0-3 with a walk and a run scored against the Orioles. Through 52 GP, Biggio is hitting .226 with 6 HR, 21 R, 15 RBI, and 2 SB in what has largely been a disappointing fantasy season. Early in the draft season, the thought was that Biggio was going to lead off but that quickly changed when they signed George Springer. This move sent Biggio down the lineup, hurting his counting stats potential. Biggio is showing his trademark plate skills (28% K and 14% BB) but struggled with quality of contact. His 34% Hard and 6% Barrels are not great and don't suggest that the power or batting average are going to come up. The good news is that since he came back from injury he has hit .316 AVG with 3 HR, 6 R, 4 RBI, and 0 SB. He has struck out as much as he has walked (17% K and 17% BB) over that same period of time. He appears to be healthy so a return to what he did in 2019 appears likely which is average power and a little speed with a bad batting average.
Jameson Taillon-Yankees-SP
Jameson Taillon went 6.1 IP and gave up 1 ER on 5 H, 2 BB, and 6 K's against the Royals. On the year, Taillon has a 5.18 ERA and 1.32 WHIP which is not what the Yankees nor fantasy managers expected coming into the year. There was going to be some regression given the move to Yankee Stadium and coming off a second Tommy John but an ERA north of five was an unlikely event. His 4.03 SIERA paints a different picture that is more in line with his underlying skills (25% K and 7% BB). The biggest issue for Taillon has been his home run rate (1.54 HR/9). His increased home run rate is not one single factor but a confluence of multiple reasons. The combination of moving to Yankee Stadium and giving up more fly balls (47% FB) has not been kind to his overall numbers. The reason for more fly balls comes down to a pitch mix change for Taillon. He is no longer throwing the two-seam from his time in Pittsburgh and has gone primarily to the four-seam. It has led to more strikeouts which is what he wanted but he now needs to learn how to use his new arsenal in a way that is effective in the American League East. The problem for fantasy managers is that might not be until next season but today was a step in the right direction.
Carlos Correa-Astros-SS
Carlos Correa was 3-4 with 1 R, 3 RBI, and 2 BB against the Tigers. Correa has been having a stellar June (.348/.458/.710). On the year, he is hitting .305 with 14 HR, 52 R, 44 RBI, and 0 SB. The stolen bases aren't coming back given his injury history and the Astros' lack of attempts. However, he has stayed healthy so far this year and has put up very good offensive numbers. Correa is controlling the strike zone (13% BB and 17% K) while making above-average hard contact (45% Hard and 9% Barrels). Most of this is fueled by a career-low chase rate (24% O-swing) which is a skill that is going to benefit him all year long. The Astros offense as a whole has been very strong and Correa has been and will be a major part of that going forward.
DraftKings Value Plays: OF Kyle Tucker ($4,200) and OF Max Kepler ($3,800)
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