The trade deadline came and went.
Zack Greinke to the Astros was the biggest deal to fall. Other notables like Nicholas Castellanos, Aaron Sanchez, Jesus Aguilar, Scooter Gennett, and Zac Gallen all switched teams.
Not a ton of fantasy situations to worry about, but it did feel a little anti-climactic outside of the Greinke deal.
Tonight we continue into August with only 12 games for a Friday night, which seems a little odd.
I am OK with something smaller than a full slate, less to sift through, and not as much to consider to get you tripped up.
We do get a Boston/New York rivalry matchup, and games in Baltimore, Philly, Texas and Coors will be likely targets for many tonight.
Also, half of the schedule pitchers on this slate are lefties…that seems like a crazy, odd number for a big slate like this.
Let’s get to the tables, shall we?
PITCHER xFIP vs. LH
1. Joe Ross – 8.23
2. Glenn Sparkman – 6.15
3. Eric Lauer – 5.70
4. Dillon Peters – 5.67
5. Trevor Williams – 5.34
6. Ivan Nova – 5.10
7. Jason Vargas – 4.95
8. Aaron Brooks – 4.84
9. Yusei Kikuchi – 4.80
PITCHER xFIP vs. RH
1. Aaron Brooks – 5.45
2. Jason Vargas – 5.30
3. Yusei Kikuchi – 5.23
4. Dillon Peters – 5.17
5. Alex Wood – 5.10
6. Tyler Alexander – 4.96
7. Glenn Sparkman – 4.79
8. Kevin Gausman – 4.73
9. Martin Perez – 4.62
HITTER wOBA vs. LH
1. J.D. Martinez – Red Sox – .535
2. Jordan Luplow – Indians – .449
3. Cody Bellinger – Dodgers – .429
4. Ozzie Albies – Braves – .428
5. Anthony Rendon – Nationals – .419
6. DJ LeMahieu – Yankees – .415
7. Brian Dozier – Nationals – .407
8. Hunter Pence – Rangers – .405
9. Alex Bregman – Astros – .397
10. Edwin Encarnacion – Yankees – .391
Hitter wOBA vs. RH
1. Mike Trout – Angels – .450
2. Josh Bell – Pirates – .402
3. Fernando Tatis Jr. – Padres – .399
4. Bryan Reynolds – Pirates – .396
5. Jorge Polanco – Twins – .396
6. Austin Meadows – Rays – .394
7. Daniel Vogelbach – Mariners – .392
8. Michael Conforto – Mets – .390
9. Nelson Cruz – Twins – .389
10. Ketel Marte – Diamondbacks – .386
PITCHERS
Kevin Gausman – vs. Cincinnati Reds – $6,300
Analysis: It must be August baseball when Kevin Gausman enters the fray as a pitcher for me. He’s a guy I can never trust, but today’s temptation is far too elegant. Gausman draws the start against the Reds tonight and he’s just far too cheap on FanDuel against a busted Reds lineup. The strikeout upside is enormous and so is the potential for a win and quality start, as long as he can keep the damn ball in the park. Gausman has been very solid against lefties and righties, allowing a .335 wOBA to both sides of the plate while striking out lefties at an 11.34 K/9 and righties at an 8.14 K/9. The Reds strikeout 22% of the time as a team.
HITTERS
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. – 3B – Toronto Blue Jays – $3,300
Analysis: The dude is scorching right now, bellowing 2 home runs last night and draws another superb matchup for Friday. I don’t think it’s going to be long before Vlad Jr. is nearing the $4K mark on FanDuel. The Blue Jays are on my stack list against Aaron Brooks, who is quite possibly the worst pitcher on this slate, which is saying a lot considering Jason Vargas is pitching. Anyway, Brooks has been bad against both sides of the plate, but specifically against righties, he’s allowed a .342 wOBA with a 5.45 xFIP and a 1.71 HR/9. Vlad also should get a few cracks at this terrible bullpen, too.
