Chris Sale-Braves-SP
Chris Sale went 6 IP and gave up 0 ER on 2 H, 3 BB, and 8 K's against the Phillies. Through 11 starts, he holds a 3.06 ERA and 1.24 WHIP over 67.2 IP. Sale has been a strikeout machine (29.8% K and 11.4 K/9) while maintaining solid control (6.1% BB). His 2.91 FIP and 3.34 xERA suggest that his current ERA is a fair reflection of his performance. He has bounced back in May (1.37 ERA and 1.10 WHIP with 24% K:BB). Sale has been able to get back to his velocity (95 mph) from last season, which, along with better luck (.323 BABIP), has allowed him to return to form. His next start will come at home against the Diamondbacks. He will hold the platoon advantage against the Diamondbacks' best hitters (Carroll, Naylor, and Smith).
Matt Olson-Braves-1B
Matt Olson was 3-9 with 2 R and 1 BB against the Phillies. Olson is hitting .238 with 12 HR, 32 R, 29 RBI, and 0 SB. His plate skills look in line with his career numbers (24% K and 13% BB) but he has been hindered by a .268 BABIP. He posted a .302 BABIP in his monster 2023 season and .293 last year. Olson continues to hit the ball hard (19% Barrels and 57% Hardhit), so better days are ahead of him. The Braves' lineup in general hasn't hit its stride, but now that everyone is healthy, it should be one of the better lineups in the game. Olson plays every day with three straight seasons of 162 GP, which helps keep his counting stats high. He is someone to buy if one of your league mates is looking to sell low.
Jordan Romano-Phillies-RP
Jordan Romano picked up his eighth save of the year in the first game of the doubleheader. Romano has turned it around in May (2.79 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, and 36% K:BB). This is after a 12.19 ERA, 2.03 WHIP, and 8% K:BB in April. His velocity is still down 1.2 mph (95.2 mph), but he has made a pitch mix change to reflect that. Romano is throwing fewer fastballs and more sliders. It remains to be seen if this is a long-term solution, but it is hard to argue with the results right now.
Jacob Wilson-Athletics-SS
Jacob Wilson was 0-3 against the Blue Jays. Wilson came into the game hitting .387 with 4 HR, 14 R, 15 RBI, and 3 SB in the month of May. On the year, he is hitting .348 with 7 HR, 30 R, 30 RBI, and 4 SB. To date, he has been the 19th best hitter ahead of guys like Trea Turner, Francisco Lindor, and Mookie Betts in terms of auction dollars earned. The average is legit considering he rarely strikes out (5% K). The power looks unsustainable given his barrel rate (3%) and hard hit data (27% Hardhit), but he puts enough balls in play that he is going to run into some balls, and his home park should be favorable to home runs as the weather warms. Wilson is going to be one of the better values considering where he was taken in drafts.
Ryan Gusto-Astros-SP
Ryan Gusto went 3.2 IP and gave up 2 ER on 4 H, 3 BB, and 4 K's against the Rays. Through 13 appearances (7 starts), he holds a 4.62 ERA and 1.56 WHIP over 39 IP. Gusto has shown the ability to miss bats (23.8% K) but continues to struggle with control (10.0% BB). His 3.99 SIERA suggests that he could see regression based on his underlying skills. However, he doesn't have much other than a fastball. His fastball is the only pitch that he has a positive pitch value on. Gusto does have six pitches, but none of them grade out above-average, and most of them are below average. This will make it hard for him to survive at the major league level. A significant factor has been his high hard-hit rate (44.8%) and elevated average exit velocity (91.8 mph), indicating that hitters are making solid contact against him. Additionally, his .349 wOBA and .343 xwOBA suggest that he's allowing quality contact. His next start will come against the Pirates, which is a plus matchup given the ineptitude of their offense.
This is just a small sample our daily analysis, join our member area for tools that will help you win your fantasy championship. Click here for details: http://www.insiderbaseball.com/baseballsample.htm Click here to register: http://www.fantistics.com/salesbaseball.php3
