Shane Baz two weeks ago, Robbie Ray last week, Jeffrey Springs this week. I know what you’re thinking, Kershaw next week, or Senga or Eduardo Rodriguez or some injured pitcher. No, this is it. I don’t have fantasy baseball Florence Nightingale syndrome. The dog days are not over! Wait, that’s Florence & the Machine. Well, I don’t have Florence & The Machine syndrome either. We don’t care because we want to nurse players back to health, John Irving. We care because Springs was a 2.46 ERA pitcher last time he pitched a full season. He’s a 10+ K/9 guy, a low 2 BB/9, and he’s about three to four weeks away. As the Rays sold Civale earlier this week, they will ship out Eflin, too. Can you stash Springs now so you have an ace in August and September? That’s just good planning ahead for this Midsommar. See, we have Florence Pugh Syndrome. (By the way, whatever happened to Eduardo Rodriguez? I didn’t imagine him, right?) Anyway, here’s some more players to Buy or Sell this week in fantasy baseball:
SIKE! This post was released on Wednesday for Patreon members. It will be released all year early for Patreons, so if people are getting a jump on you, it’s because they paid the $10. Anyway, the Fantasy Baseball Buy/Sell:
BUY
Hunter Goodman – This past Monday this gave me a jolt: My Goodman earned catcher eligibility. Suddenly, he’s not a very weak corner man fill-in but a possible top 20 catcher for two-catcher leagues. Bud Black finally did something helpful for fantasy in his miserable life. Has Goodman been good, man? No, my Goodman has not, but he’s in Coors, and have I mentioned catcher eligibility? On the 30-day Player Rater, Hunter Goodman was near-top 10 and Bo Naylor was barely near-top 25. I’m just saying before you write off Goodman. Chivalry is not dead.
Kyle Higashioka – When I was at the 30-day Player Rater, I noticed a few Padres were hitting very well in June, so I went to look at team stats, and the Padres are hitting well on the season. They’re easily a top five hitting team. Zoinks!
Andrew Vaughn – Really don’t like Vaughn, but he’s been hot. He’s also so boring. Okay, putting that in check because he has been hot. But also boring!
Juan Yepez – Was called up to replace the demoted Joey Meneses. Yepez hooray is a 15-homer, .230 hitter.
Brandon Lowe – All my exes live in Texas, but all my schmotatoes live in this post.
Rowdy Tellez – On the 7-day Player Rater, there’s the last seven days of stats, and I saw Tellez stole a bag last week and I once again cackled. A small howl. A tiny little “Oop!” Ya know what? I couldn’t resist, I sought out the replay, and it did not disappoint. He stole 2nd base uncontested! He didn’t even draw a throw! It wasn’t even close!
Spencer Horwitz – Caught myself applying The Joker makeup when I looked at Horwitz’s season-long numbers. Meh, if you need average, there’s worse guys I guess. Joey Gallo, for unstints. He’d be worse.
Jon Singleton – Trying not to hold it against Singleton that he’s prospblocking Loperfido. I’m chi, I’m light, I’m aura. My mellow cannot be harshed.
Jonathan India – All Reds are stealing bags, including Johnny India. (He suddenly sounds like a character Keanu would play.)
Gabriel Arias – Guards got so much going for them that Arias and Jhonk aren’t even starters and they have me piqued. Intrigued. Exploring my feels.
Brooks Lee – Here’s my Brooks Lee fantasy. Or rather, my fantasly. Hashtag nailed it!
Zach Neto – Ron Washington acknowledged Neto was one of his better hitters but said he couldn’t handle the top of the order. Ya know what helps a guy’s confidence? Not whatever that is Ron said.
Armando Alvarez – Here’s what Itch said the other day, “(Alvarez) called up to take the place of 3B Abraham Toro. He’s 29 years old, so he’s unlikely to become a core piece for Oakland’s build, but I think he’s got at least a chance to stick around in a Joey Meneses kind of way. His past three seasons have netted positive wRC+ scores of 117 in 2022, 125 in 2023, and 132 in 2024, all in Triple-A as he stalled out waiting for a major league opportunity with the Yankees, Giants and Athletics. Unlike Meneses and a lot of these late-stage DH types, Alvarez provides solid defense at the hot corner. Over his last 20 games, he’s slashing .388/.456/.663 with five home runs and one stolen base. If not now, when? If not my fist to Grey’s skull, what?” C’mon!
Jose Miranda – You have the right to remain a hot hitter! See what I did there? You should, it was pretty obvious.
Justyn-Henry Malloy – Little over a month ago, I gave you a Justyn-Henry Malloy fantasy. It’s still applicable!
Harrison Bader – After doing his best Doc Brown impersonation, Nimmo returned and Bader was moved back down the order, but he has been hitting.
Derek Hill – Here’s what I said after he hit three homers this past weekend, “(Derek Hill) sounds like Stereotypical 1980s Player, doesn’t he? Where was he when the wall came down? It’s not too far off the truth. His Razzball mentions date back years, and he started in the minors in 2014. He has (maybe it’s had by now) 50-steal speed, but he seems likely to hit .220 or lower and is likely Quad-A. With all that said, he’s clearly hot right now and should be grabbed just in case he’s figured something out.” And that’s me quoting me!
Parker Meadows – Was recalled, and went 8/19/.298 in only 47 games in Triple-A. Good news, he has 20-steal-in-a-half-season speed and some power. Bad news, he hasn’t shown he can hit above .200 in the majors.
Stuart Fairchild – Been filling in for Friedl and has been better than whatever it is Friedl’s been doing this year. His bad Royce Lewis impersonation.
Jake Meyers – Went to look at the Player Rater for how valuable Meyers has been this year. (He’s been hot recently, but I was just curious of his overall numbers.) Any hoo! I found him next to Tayler Scott, and that legitimately shocked me. Briefly I thought, “Is Tanner Scott typo’d?” He is not.
Tyrone Taylor – It’s star of the silver screen and another Mets hitter because they’ve been hot for a grim. (A ‘grim’ is the period time after you’ve been blessed by Grimace.)
Luis Matos – From an exam question at the Fantasy Baseball College of Charleston, “Giants are not stealing at all. Their manager is Bob Melvin, a former catcher. Does Melvin not steal because it makes catchers feel bad? Please answer in 12 words or less.”
Jhonkensy Noel – Gave you my Jhonkensy Noel fantasy. I gave it to you while pronouncing his name HONK-see.
Heston Kjerstad – Have given you many thoughts on Kjerstad, and about how great he can be for power, but the main thing here: Where does he play? Not saying I don’t like him, but you have to think about how deep your league is vs. how upsidey the upside’ing be upside’d.
Jose Siri – His end-of-the-season numbers will be 20/20 and Hugh Downs and Barbara Walters will rise from the soil and say, “I told you he was good for fantasy.”
James Wood – I just gave you my James Wood fantasy, before that I gave you another James Wood fantasy. Dan Pants just gave you his James Wood fantasy. Prospect Itch just gave you his James Wood fantasy.
DJ Herz – Just gave you my DJ Herz fantasy, and this is not a Streamonator call, like its call to the dog catcher.
Yariel Rodriguez – This is a Streamonator call. “Do you ever catch robot dogs? I’m looking for a friend.” Aw, Streamonator lonely!
Chad Green – Yimi has started to throw without pain, and that could lead him to return and save games. Or, more likely, he’ll have a setback with his elbow and Green will continue to get saves the rest of the year.
A.J. Puk – Tanner Scott is absolutely being shipped somewhere in the next few weeks, so the Marlins’ 9th inning will turn to [vomits] or Puk. The vomit was Nardi. Was that confusing?
Dylan Lee – Giving you a middle reliever, because you batted your eyelashes and asked so nicely. Nicely? Oh did you ask about Dylan Lee? He’s been courageous. Sorry, reading that wrong, it’s Braves’ Lee. Yeah, he’s been solid Lee.
SELL
Anthony Santander – If he didn’t appear in the top 50 overall on the Player Rater, I wouldn’t have even went here. I know there’s some guys that you can sell and there’s some guys who are over-performing that you can’t get back value for and are better off just riding them out. With Santander, I’m like a teamster with a cigarette and leaning on the latter. I wouldn’t be doing my job (is this a job? Feels more like a goof.) if I didn’t point out Santander is wildly over-performing his peripherals. He’s hitting everything in the air and has a near 20% soft contact rate. I’m kinda shocked his BABIP is even above .200, and it barely is. He is making some of the worst contact in the majors. Not to mention, I am on hold with 1-888-Voo-Doo to put a curse on him so he’s traded or benched for one of the O’s rookies. I wouldn’t trade Anthony Santander for a recurring nightmare involving Skibidi Toilet, but I would go to our Fantasy Baseball Trade Analyzer and explore options.
