Few fantasy analysts can take the heat – and deliver it – like Dalton Del Don. He’ll bring his fantastic, blazing baseball takes here every week, to help keep the fire burning in your leagues. And speaking of fire…
Go get Ben Brown now
Ben Brown had a dominant performance on the road Tuesday when he recorded 10 strikeouts while holding a top-three Brewers offense (114 wRC+) to no hits through seven innings; Shota Imanaga allowed more earned runs (seven) to Milwaukee the next day than he had in his previous nine starts (five) to start his MLB career.
Brown recorded an impressive number of strikeouts in the minors and became one of the most intriguing pitchers in baseball.
Brown has a 1.80 ERA (2.49 FIP) and 0.90 WHIP over 30.0 innings as a starter this season with the Cubs, compared to a 4.41 ERA and 1.35 WHIP as a reliever. Brown’s 19.3 K-BB% off the start would rank top 25 among qualifying SPs, and his CSW would rank top 10. Brown’s control needs work like most young pitchers, but his ball% has shown real improvement and he ranks second in SwStr% over the past month.
Brown only throws two pitches, but his knuckle curve might legitimately be the best pitch in baseball right now. This induced a ridiculous 50.4 Whiff% and a whopping 27% SwStr% while limiting both righties and lefties.
Brown remains available in 68% of Yahoo leagues, in part because there’s no guarantee he’ll remain in Chicago’s rotation once Jordan Wicks returns from the IL. But Brown will get another chance to impress in a favorable home start against the Reds this weekend, and he would be worth a shot in every fantasy league if his stay in the rotation becomes permanent. The Cubs have a terrible defense, so a pitcher who misses bats is needed in Chicago.
Brown has far more fantasy upside than most pitchers available on waiver wires.
Don’t lose hope for Michael King
Michael King had a strange year transitioning into a full-time starting role. He posted a 5.06 ERA and 1.39 WHIP at home, compared to a 3.43 ERA and 1.19 WHIP on the road – including starts at Coors Field and Cincinnati and an appearance in a game in Korea that totaled 26 points. Petco Park remains very pitcher-friendly, and King’s K% has jumped to 31.4 at home, so his splits seem particularly random.
The matchups were also unpredictable regardless of venue, as King became one of three pitchers to hold MLB’s best Dodgers offense scoreless over seven dominant innings (10 K) while on many fantastic benches during a departure earlier this month; he got blown up for six points against the lowly Rockies offense at Petco in his next outing.
In summary, King’s transition to the starting job ultimately appears to be a success, even if his stats don’t fully reflect it. His ERA (2.40) actually improved significantly against lineups a third time this season compared to his first (3.94) and second (4.29). And while his K% and BB% have taken hits with the move to the rotation, King’s CSW (31.4) ranks seventh among all qualified starters this season.
King has had no luck at Petco Park and remains a breakout candidate.
Hunter Brown’s resurgence seems real
Hunter Brown was passed over in most fantasy leagues after finishing April with a 9.78 ERA and 2.22 WHIP, but he has lived up to his preseason expectations since the introduction of ‘a lead in May. Brown has posted a 3.42 ERA and 1.14 WHIP with 29 Ks in five starts (26.1 innings) this month, and his new pitch is receiving more ground balls. Brown’s 6.39 ERA comes with an MLB-high .353 BABIP and 3.96 SIERA, and his once-tenuous spot in Houston’s rotation is safe with Christian Javier (forearm) on the IL.
Brown looks like a different pitcher in May and is available in two-thirds of Yahoo leagues.
Patience Could Be a Virtue with Blake Snell
Blake Snell has been a fantasy disaster thus far, owning a 10.42 ERA and 2.00 WHIP with no wins in five starts. He definitely struggled without the benefit of spring training, posting a career-low CSW (25.7%). But Snell’s speed has been good, and his inflated ERA is accompanied by a SIERA of 4.04 and a BABIP of .414, more than 60 points higher than any qualified starter this season. His career BABIP is .292, and the Giants field one of the best defenses in the league (including the game’s leading pitcher), so Snell has been particularly unlucky with balls in play.
Snell has always had streaks and should improve once he finally gets back into a regular routine — he spent time on the injured and paternity lists following his delayed signing in San Francisco. He caused plenty of chases in his last outing against an elite Phillies offense, but Snell could become an even better candidate after his next start against a Yankees team that leads MLB in wRC+ (122). Oracle Park is absolutely destroying power this season, slashing home runs at an MLB-high 34%, but Snell’s HR/FB percentage (15.0) has been higher than his career mark (11.6%).
Regression is coming and fantasy managers are probably sick of him.
Snell may be a roller coaster, but he still has fantastic top-10 starter potential moving forward.
MacKenzie Gore gradually becomes an ace
MacKenzie Gore has a 2.19 ERA and 1.01 WHIP with a 30:6 K:BB ratio over his last four starts (24.2 innings). Three of those four outings took place on the road in Philadelphia, Atlanta and Fenway Park, so his escape became official. Gore somehow has a 2.91 ERA despite the highest BABIP (.353) among all qualified starters, and his 3.07 SIERA ranks in the top 15, ahead of Cole Ragans, Zack Wheeler and Shota Imanaga . Pitching for the Nationals won’t help Gore rack up wins, but the former top-three pick is becoming an ace in his own right despite a tough schedule.
Gore is emerging as one of the best starters in fantasy, but he’s somehow available in 45% of Yahoo leagues.
BONUS — TV/Cinema Discussion: “3 Body Problem” is worth checking out if you like science fiction. It comes from the same show creators as “Game of Thrones”… “Hacks” just finished a strong third season, as it remains one of the best comedies on television… “Tires” has a hilarious (and predictable) gap between its critics (43%) and audience (91%) scores from Rotten Tomatoes. It’s not exactly “Louie”, but I side more with the plebeians… Speaking of pleasing the audience, The beekeeper delivered exactly as promised.