Wander Franco-Rays-SS
Wander Franco was 1-2 with 2 R and 1 BB against the Orioles. Franco is now hitting .259 with 6 HR, 29 R, 26 RBI, and 2 SB as a 20-year-old in the major leagues. He struggled initially but has turned it on of late. Franco is hitting .288 with 4 HR, 19 R, 19 RBI, and 0 SB in the second half. It has also come with drastically better plate skills (14% K and 8% BB). This had led to a 134 wRC+ over that same time period which means he has been 34% better than league average which is quite astounding considering his age. He is still learning how to hit for power but the fact that he has a 109.6 maxEV and six balls hit harder than 107 mph is an awesome sign for his power going into the future. The part that you can't teach is the plate skills which are near-elite as a 20-year-old and he is likely going to grow into power. This is a fantasy superstar in the making but we already knew that as he was the top prospect in the game for a reason.
Cedric Mullins-Orioles-OF
Cedric Mullins was 1-4 with 1 K and 2 LOB against the Rays. Mullins is having an absolute monster fantasy season. He is hitting .314 with 21 HR, 69 R, 42 RBI, and 22 SB. The only category that he is lacking is runs batted in which is mostly no fault of his own but is more indicative of how bad the bottom of the Orioles lineup has been. Mullins has plus plate skills (18% K and 8% BB) to go along with the improved quality of contact metrics (40% Hard and 8% Barrels). His maxEV isn't higher but what he is doing is hitting the ball harder more consistently which can be traced back to his decision to drop switch-hitting this year.
Dylan Cease-White Sox-SP
Dylan Cease went 6 IP and gave up 3 ER on 4 H, 4 BB, and 5 K's against the Athletics. Cease has had his ups and downs this year but overall it has been a positive year for the right-hander. He has seen a significant jump in his strikeout rate (31% K) thanks in large part to changing his fastball to a true four-seamer that he can throw at the top of the zone which pairs nicely with his slider and curve down in the zone. He has also been able to command his pitches better which has resulted in a drop in his walk rate to a manageable 9% BB. His 3.62 SIERA shows that he should have better results than his traditional numbers but that is excluding the times in which his command escapes him. He might have improved his control but his command within the zone is not the greatest but his stuff is so good that he just needs to get it in the zone. The ups and downs like today can be frightening but the overall results (4.06 ERA and 1.26 WHIP) have been there for Cease and the elite strikeouts give him a nice boost to his overall value.
Aledmys Diaz-Astros-3B
Aledmys Diaz was 3-5 with 1 R and 2 RBI against the Royals. Diaz has upped his season line to a .302 AVG with 7 HR, 25 R, 36 RBI, and 0 SB. He doesn't have a great approach (4% BB) but he makes up for that with above-average contact (17% K). Diaz has also shown a propensity to hit the ball hard (43% Hard and 8% Barrels). Manager Dusty Baker said "no update" on 3B Alex Bregman which doesn't sound good which means that Diaz will continue to play regularly. He also should help out your fantasy team by having multiple eligibility (2B, 3B, OF) depending on your rules. He is a perfect deep league play that at this time of the year will help you weather the rash of injuries and people being put on the COVID IL.
Jameson Taillon-Yankees-SP
Jameson Taillon went 5.1 IP and gave up 3 ER on 5 H, 0 BB, and 5 K's against the Twins. Taillon has a 3.94 ERA and 1.21 WHIP through 24 GS. The good news is that Taillon has been healthy and has improved as the year has gone on. Overall, the skills are solid (23% K and 7% BB) and he has figured out a way to manage his shift to a fly ball pitcher (46% FB) in Yankee Stadium (3.22 ERA and 1.09 WHIP). Taillon had been great since the beginning of July (1.68 ERA and 1.01 WHIP). The improved results had mainly been fueled by batted ball luck (.240 BABIP and 84% LOB) because the core skills had not improved (22% K and 7% BB). This is just another example of the ebbs and flows of a season and that Taillon's true talent is closer to his 4.25 SIERA than his recent run of success.
DraftKings Value Plays: OF Robbie Grossman ($3,600) and OF Bryan Reynolds ($4,000)
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