Nick Kurtz, 1B, Oakland Athletics
Have mercy good sir! Kurtz went 6-6 with 4 homers, generating 6 R, 8 RBI on five hard hit balls. This might be the single greatetst offensive game of all time. I have one stat to give you. 526 xwOBACON as a 22 year old rookie and virtually no MiLB experience. You can't afford him anymore, but he's a hypothetical buy. And it's not a hyperbole to say he might one of the best hitters in the bigs. The future is here.
Zebby Matthews, SP, Minnesota Twins
Matthews was great tonight, spinning 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 K on only two hard hit balls along with a robust 35% CSW. Matthews profile is a bit of a mixed bag right now, but there is some upside. Striking out 29.8% of batters while only walking 8.7% is a great start. That being said, he's not a groundball getter (35.9%) and the quality of contact against is simply too good right now for us to overlook that. The 45.3% HH rate and .428 xwOBACON are concerning. The 25% Pull Air rate simply doesn't work, and he posted the same rate in 9 starts last year, so this is an issue for him. The stuff will always make him a breakout candidate but he needs to get the flyballs under control before he can be a reliable option.
Ryan McMahon, 3B, New York Yankees
McMahon was traded to the Yankees, as the Bronx Bombers attempt to fill some holes in the infield. McMahon's 94 EV and 50.4 HH% provide an excellent baseline, and he'll now receive a huge lineup upgrade. He is currently running a career high 18.8% Pull Air rate, which, as a lefty, will play excellent at Yankee Stadium. However, when you consider he is going from Coors to...not Coors...I'd say the homerun expectation is fairly unchanged to be honest. McMahon's 31.7% K rate makes him unreliable in points leagues, but if you're in a deep league, the counting stats should be much better.
Jarren Duran, OF, Boston Red Sox
Duran's trade stock didn't move much today as he went 1-3 with R, RBI, BB, and K on one hard hit ball. That being said, he is slashing .262/.375/.525 during the month of July, which should move the needle much more. And I know on the surface, Durran isn't producing as well as he did last year, but the underlying figures really tell a different story. This year, Duran is setting career highs in Barrel rate (9.8%). EV (92), Launch Angle (12.6). LA Sweet Spot % (tied at 33.8%), Hard Hit rate (46.6%), Walk Rate (7.6%), and Pull Air rate (14.8%). His 41.3% GB rate is a career low. I hope the Red Sox don't sell low!
Shota Imanaga, SP, Chicago Cubs
Imanaga had a night to forget, going 3 IP, 12 H, 7 ER, 0 BB, 2 K. He allowed 15 hard hit balls (my goodness brother). His ERA does balloon to 3.12. Imanaga had only given up more than 3 ER twice this season, and never allowed over 5, so this start is certainly an anomaly. Unfortunately, his ultra low 28.6% GB rate and very low 18.2% K rate means that he is prone to blowup games like this. There is too much contact against, and none of it is on the ground. That being said, he does a .345 xwOBACON on the year, which is superb, but I worry about the strikeout rate dipping 7% compared to last year. He's still talented and trustable moving forward.
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