With a rather uninspiring night slate to watch, I thought tonight would just be as good a time as any to take a little stroll around the league and share some thoughts on what’s happening in MLB right about now. Well, other than the fact that everyone and their grandma is either day-to-day or sitting on the disabled list, that is. Maybe we can call it, “Random Fantasy Baseball Thoughts by Howard Bender.”
Funny, actually, as this is how it all started for me roughly 20 years ago. I was sitting there reading articles on CBS Sportsline where my primary league was housed and I remember thinking what a sick job it would be to just write about fantasy baseball. I started up a random blog and began writing random thoughts about the day’s news; offering my thoughts on players and the game of fantasy baseball. Pretty sure both people who read it were extremely impressed.
From there it was free articles on a site called Addict Fantasy Sports, a blog on Blogspot called Rotobuzz, a gig blogging about the White Sox for Fanball, Rotowire player notes, FanGraphs, the creation of Rotobuzzguy.com and finally, Fantasy Alarm. Kept up with those last four simultaneously for more than just a few years and here we are. Call me nostalgic, but as I sit here and type, I feel like I am right back where I was 20 years ago – writing random thoughts about fantasy baseball.
I hope you both like it.
Allow me to set the mood. Tonight’s Daily Bender will be accompanied by Phish’s 4.4.98 show from Providence, Rhode Island where my friend Molly helped negotiate a trade between me and my friend Jon. I sent him Pedro Martinez straight up for Alex Rodriguez. We made a sick trade, saw a sick show and the bond between Phish and fantasy baseball was officially forged.
With that level of enthusiasm, I bring you thoughts from today’s action…
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Looks like Ian Desmond is trying his best to make up for lost time with his fantasy owners. Another two hits today puts him at .368 with two home runs, three RBI, five runs scored and a stolen base over the four games he’s played and looks exactly like the guy we all spent a fourth-round pick to acquire. Of course, who knows what happens in a week, so if someone out there is offering you something for THAT guy, take it. He could very well turn out to be that guy, but if the deal is right and it’s money-in-hand, I’d rather have the sure-thing than the upside/potential, no matter how good some people might think.
The rest of the game was trash to me. I did appreciate Kyle Freeland’s effort, but after Mark Reynolds popped three hits for my bench, Ryan Hanigan hit Daniel Garneau’s homer and Carlos Gonzalez left hurt, I might be giving the Rockies a time out. OK, maybe after the homestand this weekend.
There’s a pitcher for the Angels named Brooks Pounders who, with a strangely appropriate 9.82 ERA, was just sent down to Triple-A. Not fantasy relevant, but still funny in the altered state.
So today John Lackey served up his eighth home run in five games. I’m guessing he’s going to now go out and get shit-faced with pitching coach Chris Bosio as the two clamor for more piss tests around the league. Surely they couldn’t possibly be legally hitting home runs off Lackey, could they? Hmmmm. The fastball velocity is down a bit and he’s doubled the use of his changeup? Sounds like someone, deep down, doesn’t trust his stuff anymore and is finding it impossible to out-think his opposition given the number of brain cells he’s drank away. Things may level out for a bit, but you might be able to stick a fork in this guy unless he goes and gets another round of Tommy John.
Speaking of the Cubs, they’re getting a visit from the Yankees this weekend and with it comes the return of power-hitting catcher Gary Sanchez. It will be his first game back since suffering a biceps strain back on April 8 and the excitement level for this Yankees lineup is at a serious high. The whole team should take piss tests ahead of time and leave them in front of the Cubs clubhouse right before they open up a serious can of whup-ass at Wrigley. If you play DFS, the Yankees stacks this weekend will be nothing short of, as my boy Raph says…majestic.
Man, if anyone needs a piss test (I really just think I like typing out the word ‘piss’ at this point) it’s Marwin Gonzalez. Four-straight games with a home run? Six in his last six games? Nine on the year? Obviously the .426 ISO and 47.1-percent HR/FB rate are completely unsustainable, but the guy is just six homers away from setting a new career-high. His plate discipline numbers look great on their own, but when you match them up to his career rates, you’re literally sitting there scratching your head. I think this is just one of those random early-season anomalies you just have to enjoy for what it is. It is not a sign of things to come and he’ll be ice cold the moment you pick him up.
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This Phillies closer situation is a nightmare. So manager Pete Mackanin says he wants to leave Hector Neris in a set-up role until he rights himself but then he goes and uses Joaquin Benoit in the eighth inning today. Who was he going to in the ninth? Was he going to use Benoit for a two-inning save after he threw a 14-pitch inning the night before in a non-save situation? Pat Neshek? Edubray Ramos? I mean, it wasn’t going to be Neris, was it? What’s that, Pete? Sorry, man. Can’t hear you with your head shoved so far up your ass.
Looks like the baseball gods finally forced Bob Melvin to take his out by throwing down more shoulder problems for Sean Doolittle. The A’s put the southpaw on the 10-day DL with a left shoulder strain and will leave Santiago Casilla as the closer. That’s not to say, Melvin won’t do something stupid, but Casilla, who grabbed the save today, now has back-to-0back saves and scoreless innings. I know, it doesn’t sound all that exciting right now, but those who have been sitting there holding onto this guy are pretty darn psyched right now.
Remember when people were asking what was wrong with Jose Abreu like three weeks ago? Yeah. He just hit his fourth home run of the season during his seventh multi-hit performance in his last 10 games. I’d day you want to hold onto him.
I want to write something nice about Ivan Nova right now even though today was a rough outing, but there’s a guy in one of my leagues who might be reading this and that would spoil my whole trade negotiation. I’m looking to acquire the Pirates right-hander if that tells you anything you might want to hear about him.
And finally, I was all set to congratulate Max Scherzer for his 11-strikeout performance and thank him for getting his injury out of the way during the spring, but then I noticed the two-hit performance by Michael Taylor and realized he’s now 9-for-18 (.500) with a double, a triple, two RBI, four runs scored and three walks in the five games since Adam Eaton got hurt. Not gonna lie. I got a little choked up. For the first time in the three years I’ve had this guy on my fantasy rosters, he’s finally performing the way he should at the right time. **sniff** They grow up so fast.
OK, one more – if you’re appreciating the soundtrack to tonight’s blog entry and are a Star Wars nerd like me, go check out the Set 1 closing Run Like an Antelope from 12.9.94 in Mesa, Arizona. Sick Antelope with an even sicker Theme from Star Wars tease. So good.
Player News
Willi Castro (oblique) could return to the Twins’ lineup this weekend.
Castro has been sidelined with an oblique injury since April 16th and was finally placed on the IL late last week. He has been swinging the bat right-handed and plans to swing left-handed on Tuesday. If his body responds well to that, the Twins could bring him back for this weekend’s series against Boston, which could cut into the playing time for Brooks Lee or Edouard Julien.
Royce Lewis (hamstring) will play 10 innings in a doubleheader on Tuesday and could return to Minnesota on May 6th.
Lewis will play 10 innings as the team’s designated hitter during a doubleheader for Triple-A St. Paul on Tuesday and then play a full game at third base on Wednesday, assuming Tuesday goes well. Even though that could mean Lewis returns this weekend, The Athletic’s Dan Hayes suggests “it’s likelier Lewis will play several more games over the weekend and return when the Twins open a homestand on May 6.”
Matt Wallner (hamstring) just started jogging on the treadmill on Monday.
Wallner has been out with a Grade 3 hamstring strain since April 15th. He has yet to swing a bat and will be re-evaluated by the Twins when they return home next week. We won’t have a firm timeline for Wallner’s return until he starts swinging, but it sounds like there’s a chance we don’t see him back until late May or early June.
Twins trainer Nick Paparesta said Luke Keaschall (forearm) will rest and won’t be re-evaluated “for at least a month.”
Keaschall suffered a non-displaced fracture in his right forearm, which halted his impressive MLB debut. The injury won’t require surgery, but the Twins will take time to allow it to heal on its own. “It’s probably going to be a couple of months before he’s back into playing games,” Paparesta said. When he does come back, there’s no guarantee he slots right back into the Minnesota lineup, so we may not see Keaschall back in the big leagues until the end of the summer.
Shane Bieber (elbow) is set to throw simulated games in the Arizona Complex League.
Bieber has said that he’s feeling healthy but is being deliberate in his rehab to ensure that he doesn’t come back too soon. The veteran’s target date had always been sometime around the All-Star break, so this would keep him on schedule. After Bieber throws simulated games, he would likely make a few rehab starts before returning to Cleveland. If all goes well, he could be back by the end of June.
Tony Gonsolin (back) will return from the injured list and start for the Dodgers on Wednesday against the Marlins.
Gonsolin missed the entire 2024 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery and was then sidelined by a back injury in spring after just three innings. The 30-year-old had a great season in 2022 and has been a solid starter for the Dodgers over his career. His lack of strikeouts limits his fantasy value a bit, but his velocity has been up in his rehab outings, so he could be worth a stash in deeper formats while he remains in the Dodgers’ rotation.