Francisco Lindor-Mets-SS
Francisco Lindor was 1-4 with an HR (22), 1 R, and 2 RBI against the Royals. Lindor is hitting .234 with 21 HR, 66 R, 65 RBI, and 17 SB. His plate skills are still above-average (21% K and 10% BB) but his fly ball rate has surged (46% FB) which is going to lead to a lower BABIP (.254) and batting average (.234). He is hitting the ball hard (12% Barrels, 46% Hardhit, and 111 mph maxEV), so he is likely to return for 30+ HR's for the first time since 2019. While his batting average hasn't been great, he is on pace for 30 HR, 90 R, 90 RBI, and 20 SB which is a very nice fantasy season.
Bobby Witt Jr.-Royals-SS
Bobby Witt Jr. was 3-4 with an HR (19), 2 R, 2 RBI, and 1 SB against the Mets. Witt Jr. is hitting .269 with 19 HR, 58 R, 64 RBI, and 31 SB. He is having a better season than his rookie year. Witt Jr. is on pace for a 25 HR, 80 R, 90 RBI, and 40 SB season with a respectable .265 AVG. He makes enough contact (20% K) and hits the ball hard enough (11% Barrel and 43% Hardhit) to overcome a poor approach (5% BB and 12% SwStr). Either way, Witt Jr. is an elite five-category performer.
Sonny Gray-Twins-SP
Sonny Gray went 7 IP and gave up 2 ER on 5 H, 0 BB, and 8 K's against the Cardinals. Gray has a 3.18 ERA and 1.24 WHIP through 22 GS. His ERA doesn't match his WHIP which is why his SIERA (4.21) is much higher than his traditional ERA. His underlying skills are average at best (23% K and 9% BB) which is one of the reasons for his 4.21 SIERA. He has been very fortunate in terms of home runs (0.36 HR/9). Gray has seen his ERA increase each month (April 0.77, May 3.91, June 3.95, and July 4.85). He has also seen his strikeout rate go from 29%->26%->17%->21%. His overall numbers suggest that he should be a set-and-forget starter but that may no longer be the case given his recent struggle. However, he has a two-start week coming up with one matchup against the Tigers which is more than enough to keep him in your starting lineup for another week.
Tim Anderson-White Sox-SS
Tim Anderson was 2-5 with 1 R and 2 K's against the Rangers. Anderson is hitting .243 with 1 HR, 37 R, 19 RBI, and 11 SB in 84 GP. It has been a disappointing season for fantasy managers. He was coming off a .301 AVG with 6 HR, 50 R, 25 RBI, and 13 SB in 79 GP last year. The concerning part of his game this year has been the spike in his already alarming ground ball rate (64% GB). He still hits the ball hard (41% Hardhit%) but doesn't elevate which saps his power and overall production. The only hope is that he continues his hot second half (.324 AVG with 1 HR, 8 R, 6 RBI, and 2 SB in 17 GP). However, the only change has been a .396 BABIP compared to .284. The future looks bleak for the once-promising shortstop unless he is able to get the ball off the ground.
Michael Lorenzen-Phillies-SP
Michael Lorenzen went 8 IP and gave up 2 ER on 6 H, 1 BB, and 5 K's against the Marlins in his first start in a Phillies uniform. Lorenzen has been great from a ratio (3.48 ERA and 1.08 WHIP) and a real-life perspective. The issue for fantasy is that most of his overall value is tied to his ratios due to the lack of strikeouts (20% K) and wins (6). He is also moving from a pitcher-friendly park to a more hitter-friendly environment in Philadelphia. Weirdly enough, Lorenzen was better on the road so far (3.17 ERA) but it is a small sample without much meaning. He is able to have success despite the low strikeout rate because of his ability to mix four pitches (FB, SI, SL, and CH) with three of them producing above-average results (FB, SL, and CH). He does not have an elite upside but is a strong back-end starter in mixed-league formats. Lorenzen gets a nice matchup against the Nationals at home next week.
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