Jameson Taillon (SP-NYY) - The Taillon trade is looking like a big win for the Pirates at this point, with Roasney Contreras looking like a top-100 prospect and Taillon struggling. Tuesday, the right-hander was gifted with 11 runs, leading to the win, but he allowed five runs on nine hits (three homers) over 5.1 innings to take his ERA to 5.43. His ERA hasn't been under 5.00 since start #2, and he's allowed more hits than innings pitched while seeing his GB% plummet from last year's 49.6% to 32.6% entering Tuesday's action. Being in a division with an improved Red Sox team, the Rays, and Vlad and the Blue Jays doesn't help. He does have decent strikeout and walk rates (9.7 and 2.8 coming into Tuesday), so there is some hope, but the lack of consistency makes him a poor option in 12-team mixed leagues.
Shohei Ohtani (P/DH-LAA) - As is common practice these days, the Angels' pitching let them down again Tuesday in an 11-5 loss to the Yankees, but Ohtani did his part, hitting two more home runs and driving in three to give him 28 long balls along with a .278/.361/.688 slash line. At this rate, he could hit 50 home runs and notch 150 strikeouts as a pitcher, which is just incredible. Now what happens to this guy if he develops better plate discipline? Ohtani came into the game with a 29.3% K% (27.7% career), so that's obviously on the high side. He is walking in 10.8% of his PA's, and it would seem a 39% HR/FB rate is not sustainable, but with him, that sort of conventional statistical thinking is out the window. Not sure what else we can say here other than we hope he stays healthy.
Nick Pivetta (SP-BOS) - Pivetta again proved Tuesday that he can't be trusted to be any sort of consistent. Facing the now 33-45 Royals, Pivetta allowed six runs on nine hits, including three home runs, over 4.1 innings. He did fan five, but after tossing 6.2 inning of no-hit ball last time out, Pivetta allowed six runs for the second time in four starts. He does have 99 strikeouts in 85.2 innings, but walks and home runs seem to do him in on occasion. Too bad we never know when that will happen. Pivetta at times seems to have the stuff to turn into Kevin Gausman, but that seems unlikely to happen.
Julio Rodriguez (OF-SEA)- Rodriguez was promoted to Double-A this week after batting .325/.410/.581 in High-A. Normally this would point towards a 2022 debut, but the 20-year-old may be the best prospect still in the minors, and these sorts of talents tend to bypass Triple-A entirely or have their timelines accelerated. As usual, the Mariners don't appear to be a playoff team, so they don't have a lot of incentive to push Rodriguez to the big leagues this year, but perhaps he forces their hand. Of particular note to me is that he's pushed his BB% from 2019's 6.8% to 10.4% this year and he's yet to hit a wall. I'd stash him in redraft leagues.
Andrew Heaney (SP-LAA) - Imagine if the Angels had devoted the Anthony Rendon money to actual Major League pitchers. They are wasting the careers of Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout, both generational talents. Tuesday, Heaney surrendered seven runs on five hits with four walks and three home runs to push his ERA to 5.40. He had been pitching fairly well lately, posting a 3.75 ERA, 11.3 K/9, and 1.5 BB/90 in his previous four starts, and he entered with a career-best 14.2% swinging strike rate, but there's really no indication that he's ever going to be a consistent MLB pitcher. That all said, he's probably still one of the team's top three starting options, so he's not going anywhere.
