Gleyber Torres (SS - NYY) - Torres homered twice and walked 3 times Saturday and Sunday against Boston as he continues to show signs that he is breaking out of his season-long slump. I understand how bad he's been this year, and how bad he was in 2020 until the postseason. I also understand that he's a 24 year old that hit 38 HRs at age 22 (41 including the postseason), and that he has a postseason OPS of over 1.040 at ages 22 and 23. There's plenty of talent here, and with a better strikeout rate in July than he has shown in any month prior to this year plus the 2 homers in the last two games, it might be the time for that talent to start shining through again. I would love to make a run at his owner right now and see what the cost of acquisition might be.
Logan Gilbert (SP - SEA) - Gilbert was very solid on Sunday before tiring in the 6th, finishing with 9 K's while allowing 2 runs over 5 1/3 innings to the Angels. After 2 rough outings to start his Mariner career, the 24 year old has gone 4-0 over the 9 starts since, allowing 32 hits and 15 runs (14 earned) over 47 1/3 IP with 10 walks and 55 strikeouts. He already looks like a mid-rotation starter, and this is from a guy with 27 professional starts before being called up. The swinging strike rate and chase rate are firmly in the "good" category, and the control looks excellent.....the only wart right now is a bit more hard contact allowed than you'd prefer (exit velo of over 91). If he's somehow still available in your league, grab him immediately....he absolutely looks like a solid top-40 SP heading into next season.
Brandon Marsh (OF - LAA) - Brandon Marsh and his 80-grade beard made their big league debut on Sunday, batting 7th and playing CF against the Mariners. Marsh went 0-4 with a couple of K's, and despite his pedigree, I was a bit surprised by the call-up. Marsh hasn't produced a ton at the minor league level....he's been solid, but less spectacular than Jo Adell, for example. Plus, Mike Trout and Justin Upton are due back fairly soon, and the club just signed Adam Eaton. Tough to project a lot of playing time for him as the roster is likely to appear in a few weeks. As far as Marsh from a scouting perspective, he has a lot of speed and a good idea of the strike zone. The power is still much more projection than actuality, but his frame and swing do look like he should provide at least average pop down the road. He's only 23, and unless he starts off hot I don't believe he will continue to start once everyone is healthy, but there is upside here. He would be more of a speculative pickup for me right now in most formats, but there's a sizable ceiling here, so if you have a spot I would indeed use it. My expectation is for more of a 2022 impact for him, though.
Jameson Taillon (SP - NYY) - After such a lengthy layoff, we are getting to the point where for guys like Taillon where, if they've remained healthy, you should start to see more consistent levels of performance. He's been very good in 3 July starts: including Sunday's solid outing against Boston, he's 2-0 with an ERA slightly below 1.50 while allowing 11 hits and 5 walks in 18 1/3 IP with 16 K's. The velocity looks good, the control has been much better since May....really everything but the high FB rate looks solid. That FB rate might not be quite as negative for him coming up, as after another matchup with the Red Sox in Boston next week he gets the Marlins in Miami, the Orioles at home, and the Royals in KC. I've grabbed Taillon in a few leagues over the past month or so with the hopes that he'd be a solid performer for the stretch run, and I see nothing to disabuse me of that notion lately.
Ramon Urias (SS - BAL) - Urias had 2 singles and 2 RBI on Sunday, and believe it or not that's his 8th multi-hit game in the last 11. His already solid chase rate has gotten even better, the contact rate has improved to above average, and the exit velocity has remained above average (above 90 mph, and he has 8 HR between AAA and MLB in around a third of a season). I can squint and see a positive offensive player here: he can hit for contact with average power and solid plate discipline. I don't think there's a tremendous amount of upside here, but as an injury fill-in or a deep league MI, I can see the merit.
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