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Alex Rodriguez looks fantastic while off to a .316/.447/.711 start, and while it’s easy to say he’s going to regress, not all small samples are created equal when it comes to importance. It was fair to question whether Rodriguez was done as an impact hitter after missing all of last season thanks to a suspension, and he’ll turn 40 in July, so his hot start has certainly helped disprove that. ARod clearly worked hard during his time off (cue the jokes), and it’s been remarkable to see him turn on fastballs so well after slugging .430 in 2012 and .423 in 2013. In fact, there’s an argument the time off helped him heal, and this may be the first time Rodriguez has been truly healthy in years.
He’s already back hitting in the middle of the Yankees’ lineup, and a full-time DH role should help him stay healthy. Rodriguez currently sports a K% (35.7) that’s nearly twice his career mark to go along with a .438 BABIP, so there’s no question his hot start includes good fortune. But he’s also walking a ton (16.7 BB%) while hitting a bunch of line drives (25%) and fly balls (50%), and third base looks awfully thin right now in the fantasy landscape. Despite some glaring stats that all but ensure some regression, I’d hold Rodriguez as opposed to trying to “sell high. “ Plus, sometimes it’s more fun to root for the villain.*
This person was in a big hurry to get through a car wash.*
Here’s a 92-year-old crashing into nine cars while attempting to exit a parking lot.*
This guy in a high-speed chase with the cops picked the wrong soccer mom to mess with.*
Cole Hamels somehow has nine walks and has allowed a whopping seven homers over 18.0 innings (although still maintaining a 1.17 WHIP). His velocity isn’t down, and his SwStr% (11.7) remains more than healthy, but while we can chalk up all the long balls to some poor luck, I have no idea what to make of all the walks. It also doesn’t help him pitching for a Phillies offense that’s been the worst in baseball. Practically, there’s little else Hamels owners can do other than hold him and hope for the best.*
Headlines of the Week: Woman Blames Coffee-Drinking Parrot For Car Crash...32-Year-Old Woman Wakes Up Thinking She’s 15...Meet The Man Who Lives With Two Girlfriends – And Is Looking For A Third...Redhead Banned From School For Being Too Ginger...Earth’s Last Male Northern White Rhino Gets Personal Armed Bodyguards...Woman Gets Accused Of Sleeping With Entire Wu Tang Clan On ‘Divorce Court.’*
Jordan Zimmermann is another hurler off to a shaky start, and while one outing in which he gave up seven earned runs over 2.1 innings is almost entirely responsible for his ugly ERA (6.14), there are other causes for concern. Zimmermann’s velocity has been way down, as he’s averaged just 91.9 mph with his fastball after getting 93.8 last season and 93.9 the two years before that. The result has been an anemic 4.2 SwStr% that’s the third lowest among all pitchers, and while he’s never been a huge strikeout guy, his current 7:5 K:BB ratio over 14.2 innings is especially ugly. Zimmermann also has to deal with a poor Washington defense and a Nats offense that’s been worse than expected, although the latter will hopefully improve as the team gets healthier. Zimmermann has a long track record of success, and the one outing in which he was bombed came in Fenway against one of the better offenses in baseball. Most encouragingly, he showed increased velocity during his last start, even reaching 95+ mph a couple of times.*This could be a window to buy.
This might be the best ping-pong shot of all time.*
Here’s someone brilliantly giving his order at Starbucks as Karl from “Sling Blade.”*
This solved ‘Wheel Of Fortune’ puzzle was legit.*
Enough of the negativity regarding pitchers, as Danny Salazar is back! He struck out 10 over six innings during his first start after being recalled from the minors, featuring much better velocity than last year when he was dealing with an injury, so hopefully the Indians are finished messing with him. Salazar faces the Tigers in Detroit during his next start, so don’t worry if there’s a small hiccup soon, but over 168.0 career innings in the majors, he has a 27.5 K%, which is better than Clayton Kershaw’s career mark (26.4%). Of course his floor is low, but Salazar also has the upside to be a top-20 fantasy starter from here on out.
Police Blotter: Police Impersonator Pulls Over Detectives...Tulsa Roommates Stab Each Other Over Debate Between iPhone & Android...Shooting Suspect Wants ‘To Chill This Weekend,’ Will Turn Himself In Next Week...Man Arrested For Drunk Driving While On A Horse...Caged Puppies On Van Roof Trigger 911 Calls, Driver Unaware It’s Wrong...Florida Man High On Flakka Attacked Officer, Said He Was God, Had Sex With Tree.
Quick Hits: While Pablo Sandoval and Victor Martinez each produced their first extra-base hit of the year Sunday, Ryan Braun is still searching for his. I’m worried about Braun, and I’d sell him for 75 cents on the dollar right now...Devon Travis has a .356-9-3-12 line over 13 games (really 12, as he left Sunday after getting hit by a pitch in his first AB, an injury that hopefully proves minor after X-rays revealed no fractures). He’ll move back down in the lineup once Jose Reyes returns, but it’s crazy Travis is owned in just 55% of Yahoo leagues, as he should approach 15 homers with 10 steals this year, easy...Ian Desmond entered Sunday with eight errors on the season, more than 17 other teams in baseball (the Braves somehow have just one all season). Desmond has also botched more than a couple of would-be double plays, as he’s cost DFS owners of Nationals starting pitchers a countless amount of money early on...This is one of the worst baserunning mistakes you’ll ever see...Rookie pitchers are always risky, let alone ones who throw in a home park that’s increased run scoring (by 10%) more than any other than Coors Field over the past three years, but even while beginning in relief, Carlos Rodon should be owned in all fantasy leagues. His upside is worth it.
Longread of the Week: The Murder That Has Obsessed Italy.
Quick Hits Part Deux: Clayton Kershaw’s homer allowed to Charlie Blackmon on Friday matched the total he yielded against left-handers all of last season...Curtis Granderson currently sports a .340 OBP to go along with a .146 SLG. That’s not normal...Well, that’s one way for Jon Lester to work through his yips when throwing to first base...It’s safe to say fantasy owners expected more from Marcell Ozuna and Christian Yelich so far. The latter has hit two fly balls and 24 groundballs this year, which isn’t exactly conducive for home runs...This Bryce Harper homer was no joke...In the bottom of the ninth inning Sunday with runners on first and third in a tied game with one out, Austin Jackson took second base, which removed any option of an inning-ending double play and meant the middle infielders moved from playing in back to normal depth, yet the scorer ruled this “fielder’s indifference,” robbing Jackson owners of what should’ve been his first steal of the season. What an injustice...Neftali Feliz was left in to throw 47 pitches in this same game, which doesn’t exactly seem smart given his arm history...Sure, there’s no way he keeps this pace, but I can already safely say I was dead wrong about fading Nelson Cruz this season. He looks fantastic and is basically a must start in DFS against lefties. Cruz is going to approach 40 bombs once again, and I wanted no part of him in March.
Follow Dalton Del Don on Twitter.*
He’s already back hitting in the middle of the Yankees’ lineup, and a full-time DH role should help him stay healthy. Rodriguez currently sports a K% (35.7) that’s nearly twice his career mark to go along with a .438 BABIP, so there’s no question his hot start includes good fortune. But he’s also walking a ton (16.7 BB%) while hitting a bunch of line drives (25%) and fly balls (50%), and third base looks awfully thin right now in the fantasy landscape. Despite some glaring stats that all but ensure some regression, I’d hold Rodriguez as opposed to trying to “sell high. “ Plus, sometimes it’s more fun to root for the villain.*
This person was in a big hurry to get through a car wash.*
Here’s a 92-year-old crashing into nine cars while attempting to exit a parking lot.*
This guy in a high-speed chase with the cops picked the wrong soccer mom to mess with.*
Cole Hamels somehow has nine walks and has allowed a whopping seven homers over 18.0 innings (although still maintaining a 1.17 WHIP). His velocity isn’t down, and his SwStr% (11.7) remains more than healthy, but while we can chalk up all the long balls to some poor luck, I have no idea what to make of all the walks. It also doesn’t help him pitching for a Phillies offense that’s been the worst in baseball. Practically, there’s little else Hamels owners can do other than hold him and hope for the best.*
Headlines of the Week: Woman Blames Coffee-Drinking Parrot For Car Crash...32-Year-Old Woman Wakes Up Thinking She’s 15...Meet The Man Who Lives With Two Girlfriends – And Is Looking For A Third...Redhead Banned From School For Being Too Ginger...Earth’s Last Male Northern White Rhino Gets Personal Armed Bodyguards...Woman Gets Accused Of Sleeping With Entire Wu Tang Clan On ‘Divorce Court.’*
Jordan Zimmermann is another hurler off to a shaky start, and while one outing in which he gave up seven earned runs over 2.1 innings is almost entirely responsible for his ugly ERA (6.14), there are other causes for concern. Zimmermann’s velocity has been way down, as he’s averaged just 91.9 mph with his fastball after getting 93.8 last season and 93.9 the two years before that. The result has been an anemic 4.2 SwStr% that’s the third lowest among all pitchers, and while he’s never been a huge strikeout guy, his current 7:5 K:BB ratio over 14.2 innings is especially ugly. Zimmermann also has to deal with a poor Washington defense and a Nats offense that’s been worse than expected, although the latter will hopefully improve as the team gets healthier. Zimmermann has a long track record of success, and the one outing in which he was bombed came in Fenway against one of the better offenses in baseball. Most encouragingly, he showed increased velocity during his last start, even reaching 95+ mph a couple of times.*This could be a window to buy.
This might be the best ping-pong shot of all time.*
Here’s someone brilliantly giving his order at Starbucks as Karl from “Sling Blade.”*
This solved ‘Wheel Of Fortune’ puzzle was legit.*
Enough of the negativity regarding pitchers, as Danny Salazar is back! He struck out 10 over six innings during his first start after being recalled from the minors, featuring much better velocity than last year when he was dealing with an injury, so hopefully the Indians are finished messing with him. Salazar faces the Tigers in Detroit during his next start, so don’t worry if there’s a small hiccup soon, but over 168.0 career innings in the majors, he has a 27.5 K%, which is better than Clayton Kershaw’s career mark (26.4%). Of course his floor is low, but Salazar also has the upside to be a top-20 fantasy starter from here on out.
Police Blotter: Police Impersonator Pulls Over Detectives...Tulsa Roommates Stab Each Other Over Debate Between iPhone & Android...Shooting Suspect Wants ‘To Chill This Weekend,’ Will Turn Himself In Next Week...Man Arrested For Drunk Driving While On A Horse...Caged Puppies On Van Roof Trigger 911 Calls, Driver Unaware It’s Wrong...Florida Man High On Flakka Attacked Officer, Said He Was God, Had Sex With Tree.
Quick Hits: While Pablo Sandoval and Victor Martinez each produced their first extra-base hit of the year Sunday, Ryan Braun is still searching for his. I’m worried about Braun, and I’d sell him for 75 cents on the dollar right now...Devon Travis has a .356-9-3-12 line over 13 games (really 12, as he left Sunday after getting hit by a pitch in his first AB, an injury that hopefully proves minor after X-rays revealed no fractures). He’ll move back down in the lineup once Jose Reyes returns, but it’s crazy Travis is owned in just 55% of Yahoo leagues, as he should approach 15 homers with 10 steals this year, easy...Ian Desmond entered Sunday with eight errors on the season, more than 17 other teams in baseball (the Braves somehow have just one all season). Desmond has also botched more than a couple of would-be double plays, as he’s cost DFS owners of Nationals starting pitchers a countless amount of money early on...This is one of the worst baserunning mistakes you’ll ever see...Rookie pitchers are always risky, let alone ones who throw in a home park that’s increased run scoring (by 10%) more than any other than Coors Field over the past three years, but even while beginning in relief, Carlos Rodon should be owned in all fantasy leagues. His upside is worth it.
Longread of the Week: The Murder That Has Obsessed Italy.
Quick Hits Part Deux: Clayton Kershaw’s homer allowed to Charlie Blackmon on Friday matched the total he yielded against left-handers all of last season...Curtis Granderson currently sports a .340 OBP to go along with a .146 SLG. That’s not normal...Well, that’s one way for Jon Lester to work through his yips when throwing to first base...It’s safe to say fantasy owners expected more from Marcell Ozuna and Christian Yelich so far. The latter has hit two fly balls and 24 groundballs this year, which isn’t exactly conducive for home runs...This Bryce Harper homer was no joke...In the bottom of the ninth inning Sunday with runners on first and third in a tied game with one out, Austin Jackson took second base, which removed any option of an inning-ending double play and meant the middle infielders moved from playing in back to normal depth, yet the scorer ruled this “fielder’s indifference,” robbing Jackson owners of what should’ve been his first steal of the season. What an injustice...Neftali Feliz was left in to throw 47 pitches in this same game, which doesn’t exactly seem smart given his arm history...Sure, there’s no way he keeps this pace, but I can already safely say I was dead wrong about fading Nelson Cruz this season. He looks fantastic and is basically a must start in DFS against lefties. Cruz is going to approach 40 bombs once again, and I wanted no part of him in March.
Follow Dalton Del Don on Twitter.*