Kyle Manzardo (1B/DH - CLE) - Manzardo is expected to get the call to Cleveland on Monday with Stevan Kwan likely headed to the IL with a strained hamstring, and he'll jump right into a 7-game week, facing 6 RHP. He should be expected to split time with Josh Naylor at 1B/DH while Kwan is out, which makes him an immediate priority add in all formats. The 23 year old has bounced back well from a relatively rough 2023, hitting .303 with 9 HR in just 29 games at AAA thus far. His contact ability is superior to that of your average slugging 1B and he has great plate discipline, so he should be expected provide immediate help to your roster in every category but SB.
Garrett Crochet (SP - CWS) - Hopefully people jumped back onto Crochet after his rebound start last time out, because he was very solid against the shockingly weak Cardinal offense on Sunday, going 6 innings and allowing 3 hits and a run with 6 K's. He didn't walk a batter in picking up his 2nd win of the season. Much improved control, better than average quality of contact allowed, and superior bat-missing ability are all assets of Crochet's, and they combine to give him a 2.87 xFIP thus far in 2024. Unfortunately, his actual ERA is still 5.31 after Sunday's stellar outing, illustrating just how poor his luck has been to this point. I bid on him everywhere I could on Sunday evening, so hopefully I will have a few shares of him come Monday....I think that he could be a top-40 SP until he reaches whatever innings limit they've set for him.
Javier Assad (SP - CHC) - Assad shut out the Brewers over 6 innings on Sunday, scattering 4 hits and 3 walks while fanning 4 to move to 3-0 on the season. Assad hasn't allowed more than 2 earned runs in any of his 7 starts so far this year, which is a surprise because the underlying stats don't look all that impressive. He has improved his control to land under 3 walks per 9 for the first time, and his quality of contact allowed is a bit better than average. He just doesn't miss bats though, which will worry me once we move from the early season pitching-friendly environment in Wrigley to the mid-summer favorable hitting environment that we typically see. His schedule has been pretty favorable as well, without even accounting for the favorable pitching climate. That won't change soon, as a back-to-back with the Pirates is next up for Assad. I'd probably think strongly about shopping him during these next few weeks though, as the Braves, Brewers, and Reds line up for him after that, and the weather should be getting warmer all the time. I know that I keep harping on that, but Assad doesn't miss bats and allows a lot of flyballs.....that isn't necessarily a prescription for success in mid-season Wrigley.
Josh Rojas (2/3/O - SEA) - Rojas walked, singled, doubled, tripled, and stole a base on Sunday in the 5-4 win over the Astros. He's logged some time at 2B, 3B, and OF thus far, and he's displaying an even better version of his typical contact/speed approach. He's cut his chase rate by over 8% while increasing his zone-swing rate by over 6%, which is something that we love to see. He's always shown below average power, but he's on pace to be a 15/15 player so far, and he's hitting at the top of the lineup against RHP. The M's play 7 games this week, the first 6 of which are against RHP, so this is a great week to plug Rojas in while he's hot and going to play. I'd use him in most formats (12-team or larger) for the upcoming week.
Luis Garcia Jr (2B - WAS) - Garcia had a huge day on Sunday, going 4-4 with 2 R, 4 RBI, his 3rd HR of the year and his 6th SB. Since Opening Day, Garcia has hit in 23 of his 25 starts for the Nationals, posting a slash line of 337/381/510. The contact ability is above average, the exit velo has been above average, and he's obviously showing above average speed. (6/6 in steals) The .375 BABIP has been a bit favorable, but otherwise there's nothing here that looks out of whack....if anything, the EV and LA make it seem like a bit more slugging might actually be on the way. He's been more patient this year than any of the previous 4, and I think that's helping along this improvement. I've been a fan of his for a while now, and I absolutely think he's a starting 2B in standard formats.
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