Fantasy Baseball June 22 Round Up: Isaac Paredes Rocks While Tony Gonsolin and Martin Perez Continue to Roll
Tuesday’s Major League Baseball action was highlighted by players I guarantee you didn’t draft on your fantasy teams back in the offseason. No matter how different your own ranks compared to ADP, players like Isaac Paredes, Tony Gonsolin, and Martín Pérez were likely not on your radar. We also had some usual suspects like Pete Alonso and Kyle Tucker go off in a head-to-head matchup. Nolan Gorman went deep twice. But we unfortunately also saw injuries to fantasy mainstays George Springer, Salvador Perez, and Dany Jiménez as well.
Before tonight’s fantasy baseball slate locks, don't forget to check out our updated June fantasy baseball player rankings, the fantasy baseball player spotlight series, and players trending up and down in the fantasy baseball stock watch. Check out DFS Alarm for much more help building daily fantasy baseball lineups, including our MLB projections, MLB lineups, and MLB weather report. Now let’s take a look back at the top MLB performances and key injuries from a wild night of baseball on Tuesday.
MLB Fantasy Baseball Top Performers for Tuesday
Isaac Paredes Blasts Three Homers Against Yankees
When you saw that Isaac Paredes hit three home runs on Tuesday, I know you thought one thing. “Does he even have three home runs in his entire career?” The answer is, yes. Barely. Paredes just bumped his career home run total from seven to 10 in one massive game on Tuesday and did something no Rays player had ever done before.
While we can never expect three home runs again, Paredes does have a little bit of pop and should have ample playing time with Manuel Margot and Kevin Keirmaier now hurt. He might be worth a look in very deep and AL-only leagues.
Martín Pérez and Tony Gonsolin’s Deal With the Devil Extended
Someday, Martín Pérez will have an ERA above 2.00 and someday, Tony Gonsolin will lose a game. But Tuesday was not that day as both were electric again in their respective starts.
Perez shut down a potent Philadelphia Phillies offense, allowing only three hits to the top five batters in the lineup. He continues to somehow shut down opponents, which has led to his 1.96 ERA, bested only bey Shane McClanahan in the American League.
Tony Gonsolin ran his record to 9-0 with a 1.58 ERA after allowing just two runs in a win against the Reds. Both of those marks are best in the National League and it may be time to start taking the Cy Young case for Gonsolin seriously. Books still only have him around +2000 to win.
Shohei Ohtani Drives In Everyone
Shohei Ohtani had a pair of three-run jacks, a pair of sacrifice flies, and three total hits en route to eight RBI against the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday. This was a game Ohtani desperately needed as he had not hit a homer or driven in a run in 10 days.
The Angels may have still lost and have fallen out of contention in the AL West, but Ohtani remains perhaps the most undeniably entertaining player in Major League Baseball. Those who have him in leagues where he can be either hitter or pitcher simply are in possession of a cheat code.
Nolan Gorman Also With a Double Dong
Just when fantasy managers were beginning to wonder where the power had gone for Nolan Gorman, he gifts us with a two home-run night against the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday. It was a welcome sight for those who roster Gorman as he only had two extra-base hits since June 3rd before the power outburst.
Granted, this was against Chi Chi González, who hasn’t had an effective outing since the Obama administration, but the two homers, four hits, and four RBI will hopefully jump-start what had become a prolonged slump for the talented rookie.
Pete Alonso Continues His MVP Push
On a night when the New York Mets otherwise looked putrid, Alonso still smashed. He went 3-for-3 with a home run, an RBI, and a walk against the Houston Astros. He is up to 20 home runs on the season, which puts him in pretty exclusive company in 2022.
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That’s also now 65 RBI in 75 games for Alonso, or a pace of 140 for the season. Major League Baseball hasn’t seen a player hit 140 RBI since Prince Fielder and Ryan Howard both had 141 in 2009. If Alonso finishes with 45 bombs, 135 RBI, and an average close to .300, how can MVP voters not give him the award?
Roansy Contreras Continues to Impress
While Oneil Cruz is getting the headlines the past couple days (another hit, walk, and stolen base tonight), Roansy Contreras is here to remind us that Cruz is not the only Pittsburgh prospect who is seeing their stock on the rise.
Contreras shut down the Cubs except for a Patrick Wisdom home run, and now has a pristine 2.89 ERA. He needs to get the K/9 back up to the 10 level after the last couple of starts, but this looks like a useful fantasy asset no matter what kind of league you are in.
MLB Injury Round-Up
Dany Jiménez Lands on the IL
Athletics closer Dany Jiménez avoided structural damage, but still winds up on the IL with a shoulder injury. He had become a solid source of saves this year, but now the closer role will likely be spilt between A.J. Puk and Zach Jackson.
George Springer Leaves with Elbow Injury
While we don’t know the extent of the injury at this point, George Springer left Tuesday’s game with an elbow injury of some kind. If he is to miss extended time, Cavan Biggio, who replaced Springer, would be in line for more secure playing time and would likely move up in the batting order.
Salvador Perez Aggravates Thumb Injury
In what is quickly becoming a lost season for Sal Perez after his monster 2021, the Royals’ catcher reaggravated his left thumb injury on Tuesday and was forced to leave the game in the third inning. He already missed a significant amount of time with the injury last month and it has certainly sapped his power this year after 48 homers last season. It’s worth running to your waiver wire today to see if MJ Melendez is still available in your league.
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Lucas Giolito recorded seven strikeouts and allowed three runs over six innings on Wednesday in his season debut against the Blue Jays.
Giolito retired 11 consecutive batters at one point during his long-awaited Boston debut before the Blue Jays finally got to him with two outs in the sixth when Alejandro Kirk and Daulton Varsho connected for back-to-back homers. He threw 61 of 90 pitches for strikes, finishing with a robust 33 percent CSW. He displayed some impressive precision and command of his arsenal, leaning heavily on his fastball/changeup combination. He’s worthy of a speculative roster spot in all fantasy formats. He’ll square off against the Rangers on Tuesday in his next outing.
Andrew McCutchen went 1-for-3 with a two-run double and walk in a 4-3 win over the Cubs on Wednesday.
McCutchen got the big hit in this one when he squeaked a ground ball up the middle that Dansby Swanson inadvertently kicked into shallow center field. That mishap allowed both Bryan Reynolds and Isiah Kiner-Falefa to score and give the Pirates a late lead that they wouldn’t relinquish. While McCutchen began the season in more of a part-time role, he’s started in 12 of Pittsburgh’s last 13 games and has slugged his way to an .826 OPS overall.
David Bednar allowed one hit and struck out a batter in an inning of work to earn the save against the Cubs on Wednesday.
Bednar has looked like his old self lately. His fastball got up to 99 mph and he was able to command both his splitter and curveball. He’s allowed just one run and five hits to go with eight strikeouts over his last six innings since being recalled from Triple-A. It seems like the Pirates have fully reasserted him as their closer and he’s running with the job.
Cameron Mlodzinski allowed six hits and two runs with one walk and four strikeouts over four-plus innings in a no-decision against the Cubs on Wednesday.
Mlodzinski just doesn’t have a good enough approach at this point to face a major league lineup for a third time. His fastball doesn’t miss many bats and he’s unwilling to mix his secondary pitches enough against left-handed hitters. So, it winds up being a lot of back-door sweepers against them and then hoping for the best. That’s how one winds up with a 6.58 ERA through six starts. His place in this rotation could become tenuous with some exciting pitching prospects in the Pirates’ system.
Dansby Swanson went 3-for-4 with a run scored on Wednesday against the Pirates.
Swanson has really struggled out of the gate this season, so it was nice to see him finally hit the ball well. This was his first three-hit game on the campaign and it raised his batting average by nearly 20 points to finally climb back above the Mendoza Line. He still has plenty of work to do though as one of the more disappointing players in the league to this point.
Matthew Boyd allowed six hits and two runs with three walks and six strikeouts over five innings in a no-decision against the Pirates on Wednesday.
Boyd rode his changeup to a solid start here. The Pirates packed their lineup with eight right-handed batters against the lefty Boyd and he responded by consistently dotting that changeup. It regularly fell down just below the zone and forced plenty of weak swings on pitches that were out of reach. In all, it earned six swings-and-misses and got him out of a few jams. He now has a 2.70 ERA in what was a solid first month of the season. He’s set for a two-start week coming up against the Giants and Mets.