Some lesser known players who can help get you across the finish line, highlight this week’s Week That Was.
Abraham Almonte: AA had a big game Sunday going 3-for-4 with a pair of runs scored and a swipe in the Indians win. Yes, I know he missed half of the year on PED suspension but that was the first half and you are playing for a title in the second half! Over the last two weeks, AA has hit .290+ with 8 RBI, 6 runs and 2 SB. Do you think three more weeks of that kind of production can help? You bet it can. The Tribe are playing for a division title and will ride the hot hand. You should too. [Note, if you are into the advanced metrics, you will see that AA is hitting the ball harder than he did a year before so that supports the notion that his hot hitting can last the remaining season.]
Tyler Holt: The Reds outfielder had a big Sunday as he went 3-for-5 with three RBI and a run scored while hitting out of the leadoff spot. With Billy Hamilton down, there is opportunity for this 27 year old if Cincy does decide to give it to him. In this writer’s opinion, they should. Over the last two weeks, Holt has posted a gaudy 1.100+ OPS while showing good patience (5:5 K:BB). If you need to take risks to climb in the standings, this is a good place to look.
Jose Urena: The Marlins righty shut down the Dodgers on Sunday with 8.2 innings of shutout ball while allowing just four hits with no walks. With his next start coming up against the Phillies, there is little reason to doubt he can continue to pitch well. Over his last three starts, Urena has an ERA under 2.50 and a WHIP under 1.00. Bottom line – he is pitching well, averages 95mph on his fastball and has a weak opponent next up. Buy!
Chad Bettis: The Rockies righty went seven strong innings Sunday and gave up just two runs on five hits and a walk. I know, I know, no one gets rich relying on Colorado pitching. However, if you look deeper, you’ll see that over his last six starts, Bettis has a respectable 3.50 ERA and a WHIP under 1.20. Oh, and he actually pitches better at home than on the road so a home start against San Diego next does not scare me (especially because he has pushed his ground ball rate over 50-percent this year).
Adam Ottavino: Staying with Rockies pitching (why not?), the past and now current closer is Adam Ottavino. Yes, I know the Rockies do not win a lot. Yes, I know that Ottavino is just back from Tommy John surgery. However, saves are saves and he will get them for the Rockies over these last three weeks. For those worried about mile high, consider that Ottavino has picked up his ground ball ways he had pre-surgery and keeps the ball on the ground well over 60-percent of the time.
And now the moment you well, may or may not be waiting for, the Baron of Bottom of the Page pontificates -- a/k/a Schultz says: “With the football season about to start, hopefully The Overlord will indulge Schultz a little this week. Those who have been playing rotisserie baseball since it became the de rigeur pastime for baseball fans in the 1980-1990s will surely agree that although Major League Baseball has changed greatly since then, rotisserie baseball hasn't exactly kept pace. Although the Bill James statistical revolution has transformed how real-life GMs put together a team, baseball's fantastical counterpart has generally remained unchanged. Where baseball now places great emphasis on on-base percentages, slugging percentages and fielding independent pitching stats, rotisserie baseball still measures success on the basis of batting average, runs batted in and extremely fielding dependent pitching ratios. For the most part, this is purely an academic and moderately interesting observation. Except for the fact that Terry Francona may be ready to present rotisserie baseball with its biggest challenge yet.
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When the Indians acquired Andrew Miller, the prevailing wisdom was that he would take over as closer and push Cody Allen into a set-up role. From a roto-perspective, Miller's value increased exponentially, Allen's practically evaporated. However, Tito had different ideas of what should be done with a pitcher that could arguably be referred to as the league's best. Instead of giving Miller a defined role, Francona has taken to bringing him into the game when the game is on the line. While that could be the 9th inning, it more often happens in the 7th or 8th, sometimes the 6th. For Indians' fans, this strategy is phenomenal, Miller comes in to the save the game when the game needs saving instead of coming in to save the game when MLB decides that a save statistic can be registered. For rotisserie baseball fans though, this might be a nightmare. For a game where a non-starter's main value is his ability to rack up saves, there is now a situation where one of the game's best pitchers has minimal value and is worth less than Ryan Madson, Brandon Kintzler, Tony Cingrani and Andrew Bailey.
For 2016, the Miller situation is simply an anomaly. But what if it catches on? Will roto-baseball really have the same allure when it becomes common knowledge that the game's best pitchers lack value? Will a roto-revolution occur with new stats and categories invented to properly account for the game it seeks to mimic? Will Rob Manfred have to impose Draconian new rules to maintain the integrity of the save? These are things to think about while you realize that you totally botched your fantasy football draft.”
Response: Interesting on the Tito analysis from the Indian fan and funny about the football drafts! I am hoping that at least five or six of my football drafts proved to be well done but we will see. Adrian Peterson will have a lot to say about that!