DFS PLAYBOOK PRO – An exciting offering from the Alarm is the DFS Playbook Pro. I will be doing a daily breakdown of the hitters – Hitting Coach – while Howard Bender looks into the Pitchers (Pitching Coach). You can find the link to the Hitting and Pitching articles under the DFS Playbook pro tab at the top right of the screen.
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PLEASE EXPLAIN IT TO ME
Luis Severino became the first starter in Yankees history – ever – to allow two or fewer batters to reach base in his major league debut. Moreover, he became just the third hurler since 1900 to allow two or fewer hits, without walking a batter and striking out seven in his debut (Johnny Cueto in 2008 and Manny Banuelos in 2015).
Here are a few of the questions I’ve received on Twitter since 7 PM last night after that effort.
Severino over Aaron Nola? Collin McHugh?
Severino or John Lackey in a 10 team H2H?
Should I be kicking myself for trading Severino for Carlos Martinez?
Severino was impressive, dominating and flat out stupendous last night. He’s also the top pitching prospect in the Yankees organization and a top-20 prospect according to Baseball America. I get the excitement, especially after his historic first outing, and being a Yankee doesn’t hurt, but…
Did you see who is listed at #12 on the prospect list, five spots ahead of Severino? Try Nola.
Severino was great for one start. You let me know when he’s made 20 starts as good as Martinez (22 outings in total): 11-4, 2.57 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 9.12 K/9. You cannot argue that Severino has a better arm than Martinez.
McHugh has won 13 games with a solid 3.18 K/BB ratio. His ERA (4.27) and WHIP (1.32) are elevated and disappointing, but since the start of last season he’s hurled 293.2 innings going 24-14 with a 3.46 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 8.12 K/9, 2.30 BB/9. That’s not elite, but it’s damn good.
Lackey has a 2.85 ERA and 1.19 WHIP this season. Do you know how many hurlers can match both those numbers who also have thrown enough innings to qualify for the ERA title? Lackey is one of 16 men.
I get it. Severino was dominating/historic, he pitches for the Yankees and he has a great arm. At the same time I don’t get it at all. This is the perfect encapsulation of what is wrong with fantasy baseball, hell fantasy sports. The move to the daily game has caused everyone to adjust their outlook from the big picture to one day snippets of time. It’s caused folks to think merely about 24 hours and not what is really going on in front of them. Baseball is a long season. Things tend to even out if given time. Severino isn’t going to reinvent the art of pitching. Maybe he has a great run the final two months and helps lead the Yankees to the playoffs. Possible certainly. At the same time dropping guys like CMart or Lackey seems nuts to me. If you’re playing the ‘add a rookie game’ why would you be moving on from Nola a couple of weeks after you added him off waivers? Is there something wrong with two victories in three outings with a 7.23 K/9, 1.45 BB/9, 52 percent ground ball rate and 0.96 WHIP? Those are borderline elite numbers folks.
The grass isn’t always greener on the other side. It just ain’t.
PLEASE EXPLAIN TO ME, PART II
Look, I’m no fan of Yasiel Puig. He’s immature, a total punk and has no respect for the game. At the same time he’s an immense talent, something many in the fantasy game seem to have forgotten judged by some of the trade questions I’ve received regarding the Dodgers outfielder of late.
Nothing about his game is good.
He’s hitting .252 with a .325 OBP and .431 SLG.
His career numbers are .295, .375 and .489.
He stole 11 bases each of the last two seasons.
He has one theft right now.
He hit 35 homers the last two seasons.
This year he has eight.
But let me repeat, he’s an elite talent. You don’t trade him to get Curtis Granderson, Torii Hunter or David Peralta. Stop that nonsense. What you do is to trade a guy like that to get Puig. You should be adding him right now at a discount as he starts to turn things around (his last six games: .286-2-7-4 with a .395 wOBA). I can’t believe I’m defending Puig but he needs it at the moment.
THE RETURN IS NEAR
Stephen Strasburg will return from his oblique issue to pitch Saturday for the Nationals… we think. Manager Matt Williams isn’t going to make the official call to Friday but is seems a near certainty that Stephen will be on the bump. Would I be starting him? Nope. But that’s me. Over his last four outings – and we have to go back to May 29th to get four starts to discuss – Strasburg has a 1.62 ERA with a 9.72 K/9 and 2.70 BB/9. I just have no idea what to expect from him at this point.
If you have time, read this biography on Josh Gibson from SABR. One of the all-time greats.
WOWZAHS
Just a note.
Paul Goldschmidt is having a historic season. Goldy is batting .339 with a pace for 34 homers, 120 RBIs, 105 runs and 29 steals.
That is all.
BREWERS MAKE MOVE
It’s finally over. Finally.
After fooling batters for years with an assortment of less than elite pitches, Kyle Lohse had the bottom fall out this season with simply dreadful work (5-13, 6.31 ERA, 1.47 WHIP). It’s a profound mystery why the Brewers would wait until today to demoted him to the bullpen. In his stead Tyler Cravy will be inserted into the rotation and start Friday.
Cravy has all of 15 big league innings under his belt and is far from an elite talent (he was ranked as the 26th best prospect in the Brewers organization). He’s nothing other than an NL-only option. Now the next guy…
BREWERS RISING STAR?
Jimmy Nelson has had some bumps in the road this season, but right now he’s cruising on the track in overdrive 
at 160 mph in his Corvette. Over his last eight times on the bump Nelson has gone 6-1 with a 1.88 ERA. Oh yeah, he’s also gone 20.2 innings without allowing an earned run. That run of pitching has lowered Nelson’s ERA to 3.57 and his WHIP to 1.23 (Michael Pineda has marks of 3.97 and 1.22). Nelson has struck out 7.54 batters per nine while inducing a ground ball rate of 50 percent. Impressive. He could stand to cut the walk rate, 3.18 per nine is a bit steep, but overall this is a nice skill set pitching at optimal levels.
HAMILTON UPDATE
He has 51 steals. Stupendous.
His slash line is .222/.265/.281. Horrendous.
IN THE DUMPER
Finally, as of this writing, Joc Pederson is hitless in his last 21 at-bats. Don’t tell me that being unable to make consistent contact doesn’t matter. Domonic Brown is batting .333 with two homers and nine RBIs his last 40 plate appearances. Just rubbing salt in those wounds.
Player News
Ronald Acuña Jr. walloped his 19th home run of the season and walked three times, leading Atlanta to an 11-5 blowout win over the Nationals.
Acuña has caught fire down the home stretch following a prolonged slump coming out of the All-Star break, homering four times in his last 11 games. The 27-year-old generational talent took Nationals lefty MacKenzie Gore deep in the opening frame and wound up reaching base safely in four of his six plate appearances in the one-sided affair. He’s looked like a fantasy superstar again of late, batting an absurd .346 (18-for-52) with four homers, 13 RBI and two steals over his last 15 games.
Nasim Nuñez went 3-for-4 with a solo homer in Monday’s blowout loss to Atlanta.
Nuñez walloped his first career leadoff homer when he took Atlanta ace Chris Sale deep to right field. It was his fourth round-tripper since returning to the big leagues back in early September. He came a few feet shy of his second big fly on the night a couple frames later and finished the one-sided affair with a season-high three hits, reaching base safely in four of his five plate appearances. He’s shown enough down the home stretch to be considered a serious contender for an everyday role next spring.
Michael Harris II went 3-for-5 with three RBI and three stolen bases in Monday’s lopsided win over the Nationals.
Harris kicked off an impressive three-hit performance with a 109-mph line-drive to right field that brought home Ha-Seong Kim from second base in the second inning. He scorched a run-scoring single as part of Atlanta’s five-run outburst in the ensuing frame. He wasn’t done yet as he drove in another run on a fielder’s choice in the fourth before adding a sixth-inning single. The three steals matched his previous career-high mark set back on July 16, 2022 during his stellar rookie campaign. It also puts him one theft shy of reaching the 20-steal threshold for the third time in the last four seasons.
Chris Sale was charged with five runs over five innings on Monday in a win over the Nationals.
Sale received a touchdown and a two-point conversion worth of run support from Atlanta’s offense by the fifth inning and was cruising along, despite coughing up early solo homers to Nasim Nuñez and Dylan Crews, before Andrés Chaparro delivered a bases-clearing three-run single with two outs in the frame that slashed the deficit to three runs at the time. He managed to wriggle out of the jam without any further damage, finishing with six strikeouts and two walks in the shortened outing. He’ll close out the season on Sunday with a home matchup against the offensively challenged Pirates.
MacKenzie Gore was lit up for four runs over two innings on Monday in a loss to Atlanta.
Gore served up a first-inning solo homer to Ronald Acuña Jr. and things only went downhill from there in the abbreviated outing as Atlanta tacked on another run in the second before chasing him from the contest in the ensuing frame after just 71 pitches (48 strikes). The 26-year-old southpaw battled some serious control issues in this one, handing out four free passes, and only notched three strikeouts. The unexpected implosion breaks up a decent late-season stretch for Gore since returning from the injured list back in early September. He’ll attempt to close out the season on a high note when he faces the White Sox on Sunday afternoon.
Cubs released RHP Nate Pearson.
Pearson’s time in Chicago is over after he posted a lackluster 5.05 ERA across 41 innings of work in 30 appearances over the last two seasons. The 29-year-old former top pitching prospect was never able to make it work after converting to a full-time relief role. However, it’s possible there’s still an organization out there willing to bring him in this offseason as a reclamation project.