Yesterday’s news and notes from the Major League Baseball landscape sound similar to other days, in fact. Aaron Judge hit yet another homer, an MLB top prospect excelled at the game’s highest level, and the Los Angeles Dodgers simply cannot lose with Joey Gallo on the roster! Atlanta’s top prospect Vaughn Grissom made his Major League debut yesterday, and he became the youngest player in AL/NL history to hit a home run and steal a base in a debut. In a move that seemed like a long time coming, the Detroit Tigers fired general manager Al Avila as the team is staring down its sixth straight losing season. Despite having an underwhelming stat line for the year as a whole, Paul DeJong is currently one of the hotter hitters in the league and he deserves to be a top fantasy baseball waiver wire pickup at this point. Be sure to check out the August fantasy baseball player rankings and the rest-of-season MLB projections to set your own lineups. As we look ahead to Thursday’s baseball action, we have an MLB game at the Field of Dreams park tonight as the Cubs and Reds face off in Dyersville, Iowa. I’ll also give you my best MLB bet for the day. Let’s take now a look back at the notable news and notes from Wednesday’s action, and then look ahead to what is in store for Thursday’s Major League Baseball slate.

 

 

Fantasy Baseball MLB News

Vaughn Grissom’s Major League Debut

Impressive MLB debut for Vaughn Grissom, I must say, going 2-for-4 with a home run, two RBI, two runs scored, and a stolen base. Grissom, the Braves’ top prospect, figures to bridge the gap at second base until Ozzie Albies is healthy enough to return. From there, his playing time becomes a bit less clear as there aren’t many holes in this Atlanta lineup. Grissom's power really developed this year in the minors, as he hit 14 home runs between 96 games at High-A and Double-A. For his minor league career, he has a .315 batting average and .402 OBP with 24 home runs and 46 stolen bases. There could be some growing pains with Grissom, but the talent is there, and he can make a difference in most, if not all, categories.

Touki Toussaint Impressive in First Start for Los Angeles Angels

Toussaint was a former first-round pick who struggled during his time in Atlanta. He had moments where he showcased why he was an MLB top prospect and potential reliable rotation arm. However, after four years with a 5.46 ERA and 1.49 HR/9, his time in Atlanta was up. Toussaint had a 6.26 ERA across 41.2 innings of work at Atlanta’s Triple-A affiliate, but albeit a dearth of strikeouts, he posted a 3.38 ERA (7.14 FIP) in three starts in the Angels’ system.

With the big league club, thanks to last night’s impressive start, he has a 2.70 ERA on the year, and it would behoove the Angels to leave him in the rotation. His curveball and splitter both posted whiff rates north of 30% in yesterday’s contest, and he hardly allowed any hard contact. Toussaint needs his sinker to be effective in inducing ground balls to help him avoid the long ball, which has plagued him through his career. Aside from some command issues, he’s put together three good appearances for the Angels, so hopefully a fresh start is all the 26-year-old righty needed.

Is Joey Gallo a Good Luck Charm for Dodgers?

Gallo started his Los Angeles tenure going 2-for-10 with six strikeouts, but over the last two games, he has one home run, one double, three RBI, and two runs scored, while striking out only two times. He’s still hitting a putrid .165 on the year with a 39.6% strikeout rate. Still, the Dodgers will bury him in their talented order to hide some of his struggles and hopefully recapture glimpses of peak Joey Gallo. From a fantasy perspective, there isn’t much to say with Gallo really, but the impacts in reality are fun to discuss. Since the Gallo trade:

  • Yankees’ Record: 1-6
  • Dodgers’ Record: 7-0

Is there a Joey Gallo curse? This question could hold serious weight moving forward.

Detroit Tigers Fire GM Al Avila

The Tigers haven’t had a winning season since 2016 and since that 86-75 season, the team’s best winning percentage came in 2021 – when it was .475. Yikes! There were a litany of bad and questionable moves during the Avila era, but owner Chris Ilitch made sure that people knew it wasn’t him in control of the moves.

What a cop out! I mean, sure, it is the GM’s job but if the owner doesn’t have any say in moves that are made, then don’t give me this garbage that you are pleased with the team’s progress this year. The team still stinks and is nowhere near .500! Yes, there is young talent, but if you don’t pay to retain them, what does it matter?

Paul DeJong Heating Up for Cardinals

Paul DeJong had four hits last night to go with one RBI, and two runs scored. Yes, his four-hit game brought his average up to .191 on the year, but the streaky shortstop is in the middle of an impressive run, and fantasy baseball managers need to take note. He’s hit safely in five of his last six games, and during this run, he’s hitting .409 with a .909 slugging percentage, .588 wOBA, two home runs, five doubles, nine RBI, and six runs scored. Seven of his nine hits have gone for extra bases, and he has an average exit velocity of 97.8 miles per hour with an 18.8 percent barrel rate during this run.

He may only be fantasy relevant here for a good time but not a long time, however, that doesn’t mean that he isn’t a worthwhile addition while he’s crushing the baseball.

Other Notable MLB Performances:

  • Leody Taveras went 2-for-5 with a double, triple and five RBI yesterday against Houston. The Texas Rangers outfielder is only hitting .194 in the month of August, but hopefully this is the catalyst to busting out of this slump.
  • Brandon Drury hit his second home run as a member of the Padres yesterday, while also notching four RBI. Since joining San Diego, Drury has hit just .185 but a bad-luck .158 BABIP hasn’t done him any favors. To his credit, in eight games, he does have two home runs and 10 RBI.
  • Aaron Judge hit his 45th home run of the year and is at 99 RBI and 94 runs scored through 108 games.

Thursday’s Best Bet

White Sox -1.5 Run Line (+100 Bet MGM)

You don’t want to face Dylan Cease in your home park, it’s as simple as that. He’s 7-1 on the year with a 1.33 ERA and 1.29 WHIP on the road in 2022. In two starts against the Royals this season, he has a 1.54 ERA and 13.9 K/9 against them. The Chicago right-hander has gone 13 straight starts without allowing more than one earned run in a start, and across these 13 starts, he has a 0.59 ERA, .174 BAA, and 95 strikeouts over 76 innings pitched. The White Sox will face Zack Greinke this afternoon, and over the last two weeks, the White Sox have the ninth-highest batting average and 12th-highest OPS against right-handers. Greinke has pitched better at home this season to his credit, but this White Sox team can handle right-handed pitching, and Greinke doesn’t miss many bats at this stage of his career.

 

 

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