Tuesday night’s most important performances
Fantasy baseball analyst Dalton Del Don sheds light on Tuesday’s headlines. For his breakdown of Joc PedersonIt’s a huge night Click here.
Hitters make a good impression, good or bad
• Vladimir Guerrero Jr. entered Tuesday with just .200 (.523 OPS) over his last 15 games, but eventually earned his first extra hit since May 5 by going deep. It was only his second multi-hit match in the past month. Guerrero’s rushing percentage is back this season and his throwing angle is at a career low, but hopefully Tuesday was the beginning of the end of his cold streak.
• Guillaume Contreras was used at DH and hit the second Tuesday, as Atlanta continues to find ways to keep their bat in the lineup. He played in left field on Monday, and the backup catcher has a 188 wRC+ in his 47 plate appearances this year. Contreras is available in 80% of Yahoo leagues, which is way too high considering his hitting ability, new expanded role, and dire receiver situation league-wide.
• Less than three weeks ago, Mookie Bets had a .710 OPS. He now leads the National League with 12 home runs (and sports a .963 OPS). He’s suddenly on pace to finish with 46 home runs, 170 runs scored, 116 RBIs and 12 steals while batting .292 (and is 2B eligible!). It will work.
• Meanwhile, Marcus Semien went without a hit on Tuesday and is still without a homer on 158 at-bats this season. He turned 45 last year.
• christian walker has the most anticipated third homers this season, while Seiya Suzuki was baseball‘s unluckiest hitter with respect to yarding, having the largest gap between expected home runs and actual home runs (Ronald Acuna Jr. is right behind him).
The kids are fine
• Roansy Contreras pitched five scoreless innings in his first start of the season on Tuesday and is one of the few intriguing pitchers to be added to the fantasy leagues.
• The Marlins have not yet saved a save in May.
• Cal Mitchell had five home runs and six interceptions in 34 games in Triple-A and is expected to get regular playing time in the Pittsburgh outfield after being called up Tuesday. Given his power/speed potential, the former second-round pick can be added in deep fantasy formats. Mitchell is available in 99% of Yahoo leagues.
• Kyle Lewis is listed in just 27% of Yahoo leagues and is worth adding after making its season debut on Tuesday night. Back from knee surgery, Lewis remains an injury risk but has a real advantage.
Meanwhile, teammate Julio Rodriguez settled in well in the Seattle cleanup spot, deep again on Tuesday. the 21 years old leads baseball in stolen bases and currently sports the same wRC+ career as Manny Machado (and beat other big names). Rodríguez will be one of the top 10 fantasy picks in 2023.
• Bobby Witt Jr. leads MLB in sprint speed. Meanwhile, Ozzie Albies was caught stealing an MLB-high fifth time on Tuesday night.
Two veterinary pitchers going in opposite directions
• Nick Pivette entered Tuesday with a 0.82 ERA and 0.50 WHIP with a 20:1 K:BB ratio in his three previous outings and recorded his fourth straight quality start. Pivetta remains available in over 60% of Yahoo leagues, and it’s possible the bulb has ultimately alight.
• Tyler Mahle was lit for eight earned runs on Tuesday as he continues to be one of the biggest disappointments for pitching this season. Peripherals haven’t been as strong as last year, and it’s not easy to pitch into the league’s best hitting park in 2022, but Mahle’s ERA will normalize soon enough. He did not see quite the level of unlucky as Alex Cobbbut Mahle’s ERA is 6.32 compared to his FIP of 3.83, so the best thing to do is to remain patient.
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