Taj Bradley-Rays-SP
Taj Bradley went 4.2 IP and gave up 4 ER on 4 H, 3 BB, and 7 K's against the Twins. Bradley through 19 GS has a 5.56 ERA and 1.41 WHIP. His 3.75 SIERA paints a completely different picture than his traditional ERA says. He has shown good strikeout-to-walk skills (29% K and 9% BB) but has struggled with home runs (1.89 HR/9). Bradley has also been unfortunate when it comes to his BABIP (.322) and men left on base (67%). The real concern is that his fastball has not been good at the major league level. Batters have a .884 OPS and a 153 wRC+ against his fastball which he throws 44% of the time. Until he can figure out how to be more successful with his fastball, he will struggle despite the strong underlying skills. He gets two starts next week at home against the Angels and Blue Jays. He is someone that you need to start unless you are protecting ratios.
Logan Allen-Guardians-SP
Logan Allen went 5 IP and gave up 1 ER on 5 H, 3 BB, and 5 K's against the Giants. Allen has a 3.60 ERA and 1.35 WHIP through 122.1 IP at the major league level. He has demonstrated league-average skills (22% K and 9% BB) which is why his 4.41 SIERA is higher than his ERA. He is a lefty who has a four-pitch mix that is a better real-life pitcher than a fantasy option at this point. He doesn't have elite velocity (91.6 mph) nor an elite breaking ball which makes him a streamer in a good matchup. He is likely going to be over-drafted in 2024 because the Guardians have a reputation for churning out good starting pitchers and he is going to be lumped into that group despite having underwhelming stuff. Allen does have a good matchup next week against the Royals on the road in a pitcher's park.
Kyle Harrison-Giants-SP
Kyle Harrison went 4 IP and gave up 3 ER on 7 H, 1 BB, and 3 K's against the Guardians. Harrison has a 5.18 ERA and 1.40 WHIP through 24.1 IP. It is a small sample but it is encouraging that Harrison has shown better control (8% BB) at the major league level compared to the minors (16% BB). He has also shown the ability to miss bats (30% K) which is backed up by his 12% swinging strike rate. Harrison is someone to roster the rest of the way for strikeouts and the added benefit of pitching in a pitcher-friendly home park. He also gets two starts next week (@ARI and @LAD). He's thrown 91.1 IP this year after throwing 113 IP last year which should put him in line for 130-150 next year which would be valuable considering his strikeout ability.
Bo Naylor-Guardians-C
Bo Naylor was 1-4 against the Giants. Naylor is hitting .231 with 8 HR, 23 R, 24 RBI, and 3 SB. Overall, it is not a line that jumps out at you. Over the course of a full season, it would be a 20 HR/10 SB pace for a catcher with the potential for a higher batting average. His plate skills (12% BB and 24% K) suggest he will have a better batting average going forward. It's not going to be elite (.300+) but should be in the .250-.260 range which is more than good enough for a catcher. He's hit .348 with 1 HR, 4 R, 5 RBI, and 2 SB in September. Catching and hitting in your rookie year is very difficult. There is a nice ceiling for Naylor heading into 2024.
Spencer Strider-Braves-SP
Spencer Strider went 7 IP and gave up 1 ER on 4 H, 2 BB, and 9 K's against the Phillies. Strider has a 3.73 ERA and 1.08 WHIP through 169 IP. While the ratios haven't been what you expected given where you drafted him but he has still provided the strikeouts (38% K, 259 Ks in 169 IP). Strider has hit one of the first rough patches of his major league career (4.55 ERA in 2H) but that is mostly due to poor luck (.311 BABIP and 64% LOB) because the core skills are still elite (36% K, 8% BB, and 2.97 xFIP). He is still the top-earning SP this year and projects to be one of the top overall picks in next year's draft. The good news is that his owners get a two-start week next week (PHI and @WSH) which couldn't come at a better time for teams looking to move up in the standings.
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