Nick Gonzales, 2B, Pittsburgh Pirates
Gonzales made his return from the IL and played in only his second game of the season. He went 1-3 with a K and one hard hit ball. With 2B being so desolate, I consider Gonzales a savvy pre-emptive add. He went 7 HR and 5 SB in 387 PA's last year, but it was only his second year in the bigs, and as a 26 year old, you can speculate that he should still be taking steps forward. While the profile is incomplete, he did show flashes of offensive prowess last season. He posted a strong .370 xwOBACON, 20% Pull Air %, and 34.1 LA Sweet Spot %. Gonzales is a former 1st round draft pick (7th overall) with a strong offensive minor league track record. I have a gut feeling on this one.
Other Notes...
Hunter Greene, RHP, Cincinnati Reds
Greene put together a nice start, going 5 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 7 K. He allowed only five hard hit balls and posted a 33% CSW. That's now back-to-back 5 IP/ 2 ER starts for the flame thrower. Greene has one of the more robust profiles out there, as his 30.8 K% and 5.1 BB% are top of the line for a starter. The main knock on Greene is that he doesn't get a ton of groundballs (just 28.9%), so there is some decent quality of contact against (.368 xwOBACON). He's been able to navigate around the high quantity of flyballs hit against him by having them hit to the opposite field, evidenced by his low 12.6% Air Pull rate. That is the lowest of his career by a wide margin. Altogether, that means we can expect a slight regression, as his abnormally high number of balls hit to the opposite field is not sticky. That being said, It's tough to deny the strength of the other metrics, which still make him an elite fantasy option.
Ceddanne Rafaela, OF, Boston Red Sox
Rafaela went 3-5 with a R, HR, 2 RBI on three hard hit balls. In his last six games, he is 12-24 with 4 R, 3 HR, 4 RBI. While I appreciate what Rafaela brings to the table, he is very much an injury replacement type of player right now. His profile is mediocre, and his fantasy relevant skill sets are only "enough" but not really anything to help you win. His abysmal 4.8% BB rate puts ceiling on his premium speed, and his 11.7 Pull Air% limits the homerun upside. The .392 xwOBACON is nice, but it doesn't lead to homeruns. He'll fall in the 15-15 range with limited OBP, making him a backup in most league formats.
Michael Busch, 1B, Chicago Cubs
Busch had a strong day at the plate going 3-4 with 2 R, HR, 3 RBI, and BB on one hard hit ball. I'm all in on this one. Busch combines a strong 40.2 LA Sweet Spot % and a 48.8 Hard Hit % to generate a .466 xwOBACON. He's running a career high Barrel % (14.2) and has a solid 24.4/11.2 K/BB% ratio. The 22.2% Pull air rate means the homers should keep coming.
Heliot Ramos, OF, San Francisco Giants
Ramos went 1-5 with R, HR, 2 RBI on two hard hit balls. Ramos really turned it on in May, slashing .347/.407/.600. He's running a .423 xwOBACON, not far off from his mark last year, but his whiff rate is down 5.2%, which has contributed to a career low (and sustainable) 23.4 K%. These are encouraging steps forward for the 25 year-old, who is starting to look like a fantasy relevant player for a long time coming.
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