Maikel Garcia (3B - KC) - Garcia hit his 4th HR of the year on Monday against Yusei Kikuchi and the Jays in a 5-3 defeat. He does have 4 SB to go along with the 4 HR.....and a 178/224/367 slash line. I will say this: if you liked Garcia a month ago, you should very much still like him. The chase and contact rates are both still well above average, the EV remains above average, and despite all of the poor outcomes (.188 BABIP?!?), he's still on pace for close to a 30/30 season. I am still very positive here, and I would happily take anyone's shares of Garcia that is frustrated. The Statcast xAVG/xSLG of 257/452 would, I think, please any of his owners when paired with the 4/4 HR/SB start. Patience.
Jared Jones (SP - PIT) - Jones was fantastic again on Monday, generating 25 swinging strikes on 91 pitches against the Brewers. That "only" resulted in 7 K's for the rookie, but he also only allowed 4 hits and a run over 6 innings in a 4-2 win. The control has been far better than advertised, and the schedule gets even easier with the Giants and Rockies (in PIT) coming up next. I'm not even really worried about an innings cap like you often would be for a rookie hurler, as he tossed 126 innings last year, so he's probably good for 150-160 in 2024. As I've seen mentioned lately, it's tough to find 12 SPs that you'd prefer right now.
Yusei Kikuchi (SP - TOR) - On a very difficult day for pitching in KC (the wind was blowing out at 20-25 mph), Kikuchi held the Royals mostly in check, giving up 2 runs on 5 hits over 6 innings, fanning 4 without walking a man. This is year 2 of improved control (and velocity) for Kikuchi, and that has made a tremendous difference in his value. That was his 3rd straight QS, something that's much more difficult to achieve with the higher pitch counts that come with poorer control, and although the Dodgers are next on tap for him, I think I'm probably still rolling with him. He honestly might be in my top 30 SPs right now.
Amed Rosario (2/S/O - TB) - One of the few Rays that aren't struggling offensively right now, Rosario singled twice on Monday to extend his hitting streak to 14 games. Honestly, he's a few more line drives and a couple fewer K's away from what he normally does. In 2019-2022 (not counting 2020) he averaged 12 HR, 17 SB, and a .285 AVG. He's not a star, but he's a useful player. Super aggressive and consequently doesn't make a ton of hard contact, but his bat-to-ball ability is good enough to minimize K's. Plus average, plus speed, below average power at multiple positions (trending toward 2B/SS/OF). Very useful player.
Bryce Elder (SP - ATL) - Repeat after me: I will not get too excited about one start against the Marlins. Elder scattered 8 hits over 6 2/3 shutout innings Monday night, striking out 4 without walking a batter. He did what he always does, giving up a lot of grounders, many of them hit hard, but missing a few more bats than normal. He did that in his 3 AAA starts as well, so it merits watching, but I'm still a bit skeptical. I think he's a 4.00 ERA guy, which has value, but I'm open to being proven wrong. Sterner tests are on tap with the Guardians and Dodgers (3rd and 4th in R this season respectively) coming up next. I expect that he's worth a claim in most formats, but he isn't worth what others are likely to pay, in my opinion.
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