Luis Robert Jr., OF (CWS)
Robert had a pair of home runs as part of a three-hit, 5-RBI day on Friday. He has a five-game hitting streak with four home runs and nine RBI's during that stretch. Amazingly he hasn't drawn a walk yet as his overaggressive approach continues to lead to plenty of strikeouts and chasing at pitches outside the strike zone, but I don't think many fantasy owners will complain about his 1.011 OPS. The White Sox appear to be turning the page on last year's disaster, and Robert is at the forefront of the turnaround.
Sonny Gray, SP (MIN)
Gray was absolutely electric on Friday, holding the Astros to one run on four hits in seven innings while striking out a career-high 13 batters. Yes, the most strikeouts in a single game in his career. In Career Season No. 11. Interestingly, the 13 K's come six days after striking out only one batter in five innings at Kansas City. He continues to value his curveball above all, but his sinker/slider combination was particularly effective. His slider had a little extra velocity on Friday, and Astros hitters did not put a single slider in play. He threw it 22 times. No balls put in play. That would seem to be something Gray would note for future starts. Consider me cautiously intrigued.
Tylor Megill, SP (NYM)
After an almost equal split between slider and fastball usage in his first start, Megill relied much more on his heater on Friday. Despite a dip in velocity, the results were good. He threw six scoreless innings, allowing three hits and two walks while striking out three. Home runs have been an issue for Megill, but he is generating more ground balls through two starts, albeit both starts coming against an unpowerful Marlins lineup. Megill's role is still a question mark as Justin Verlander is expected to be back before the end of the month. Furthermore, Megill's quality of opponent will improve, but it's hard to dismiss the idea that he belongs in a major league rotation. Ultimately the Mets will make that decision.
Alec Bohm, 3B (PHI)
With Rhys Hoskins out for the year and Darick Hall facing an extended absence, Bohm may be the Phillies' best option at first base, and he made another brief appearance there Friday, switching from third to first in the 9th inning. He now has four appearances at first base and is on his way to qualifying at the position in fantasy leagues. At the plate Bohm was 1-for-4, breaking a modest two-game hitless streak. After going 3-for-4 with a home run and double in the season opener, Bohm only has one extra-base hit since. Hitting for power and extra bases has been a shortcoming for Bohm through his first three seasons, despite continually high hard-hit rates and average exit velocities. There are encouraging signs he is adjusting his launch angle to generate more extra-base hits, but it hasn't manifested in the box score over the past week.
Marcus Stroman, SP (CHC)
Stroman nearly replicated his first start of the season, tossing another six scoreless innings, striking out six batters and walking three. He only allowed two hits in Friday's win over Texas. He appears to have made improvements on his cutter, decreasing the velocity but generating far more swings and misses. Opposing hitters averaged 84.8-mph exit velocity on Friday. He's getting swings and misses but also generating weak contact, and most of that weak contact is on the ground. It's a great recipe for success, and that is why he is 2-0 with a pristine ERA and 14 strikeouts in 12 innings.
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