Jake of All Trades
This was quite a magical week of fantasy streaming. Why? Because it was seven days of Coors. Anybody who has held on to Rockies players throughout the season was able to reap the rewards, as the runs came in bunches and everybody had their day in the sun. This includes our featured player, Jake McCarthy.
McCarthy has been really hot lately and has become a player worth looking at in your leagues. The month of June was impressive for him, as he hit .326/.361/.554. He’s continued that early on in July, as in yesterday’s blowout of the Giants, he put up a statline of 4-5, 2 HR, 2 R, 6 RBI, SB. It’s a combo meal, and a night of helping you in every category. This came against the great Logan Webb in one of his best stretches of baseball in a long time, which makes it pretty impressive even at Coors. McCarthy homered on the very first pitch any Rockies hitter saw in that game, a 92mph sinker down that just got a little too much plate. He later hit a grand slam in the 5th off a really poor four-seamer to officially break his MLB home run record, giving him 9 on the season.
So is he worth making a permanent hold? Probably not. The Coors games are great, and while he’s one of their better road performers, the slugging percentage takes a big .100 point drop at away stadiums compared to Coors. He’s a solid leadoff man, though, who is worth streaming in homestands or against bad pitching, as he provides solid speed and contact that you may need if some of your category values are down.
Jake McCarthy (COL): 4-5, 2 HR, 2 R, 6 RBI, SB.
Let’s see how the other hitters did Friday…
Kyle Stowers (MIA): 4-5, 2 HR, 3 R, 3 RBI.
I almost went with Kyle Stowers as my featured player because this was also an awesome game. He hit two home runs that were each out in all but one ballpark (the first at Fenway, the second at Oracle). This game was a bit of a rout, as the Marlins were able to take advantage of the West Sacramento hitting environment to score in bunches. Stowers was a major contributor to this, as his four hits were definitely demoralizing for his opponents. Stowers was one of the most exciting players last season. He was named to the All-Star game and could’ve gotten some down-ballot MVP votes. This year, the tough irony is that while his team has gotten better, he’s floundered a bit at the plate. Though it’s gotten better. His June was awesome, and he will look to continue to build off that. He’s still one of the more feared bats against righties.
Daylen Lile (WSN): 3-4, 2B, 2 HR, 2 R, 4 RBI.
Daylen Lile was a really fun breakout player last year who made everyone who picked him up off the waiver wire super happy. This season, he’s kind of been lost in the shuffle of the Nationals’ offensive resurgence, but he’s still producing days like this occasionally. Lile isn’t much of a power hitter, which is why it’s pretty shocking that he had a two-homer game. He also hit a double that was scorched at 107mph, giving him three barrels on the day for a player who only has a 6.5% barrel rate. Not a bad day’s work. Lile isn’t really that worth it as a pickup, as he’s streaky, bad against lefties, and doesn’t hit high in the lineup.
Luis García Jr. (WSN): 2-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, BB.
There may not be a single hitter who has been picked up off the waiver wire more recently than Washington’s Luis García Jr. This game is an example of why. He’s been dominant as of late. His two home runs give him 18 on the season, which already ties his career high. Garcia has always been more of a speedy slap-hitter type (even though he wasn’t ever very fast, he stole lots of bases), but he’s completely turned that around this season. He isn’t stealing anymore; he’s slugging. His bat speed is up a significant amount, which has led to him posting a slugging percentage above .500 for the first time in his career. His exit velocity on his line-driver homer in the first inning was 111.7, a mark that would be the best in many seasons of his career. Now, numbers like that have become somewhat of the norm. He’s a key cog now in a Nationals lineup that is firing on all cylinders, which is awesome to see.
Matt Olson (ATL): 2-3, 2 HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB.
What is there to say about Matt Olson that hasn’t already been said? If someone in the last four years or so said that he’s the best first baseman in the game, could you really fault them? He’s as consistent as they come and is just simply one of the best power hitters in the game. He’s shaved off a few home runs in the past few years for a more well-balanced approach, dropping the strikeout rate down a bit and raising the batting average. He’s elite, and you know it, but sometimes we have to look at outings like this to show you why you shouldn’t ever sleep on him.
Ezequiel Tovar (COL): 3-4, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI.
Another Rockies player who benefits from the Coors effect this week is Ezequiel Tovar. He hasn’t really benefited from the ballpark all that much this season, putting up rather putrid numbers with even worse expected stats. Not to worry, as Coors chaos can boost anybody at any given time, and this was an example of it. Tovar homered his first time up and was able to collect a couple more hits as part of the massive hit parade that his team went on. Realistically, he benefited from a very off night from the Giants’ pitching staff and a hitter-friendly environment, but it’s at least an environment he’s in often. Don’t pick up Tovar, as enticing as games like this may make him seem.
Masyn Winn (STL): 2-4, HR, 2 R, 4 RBI.
It was a shellacking in the Cardinals/Cubs game, with the Cardinals outscoring their rivals 17-1. This is pretty funny, considering the Cubs just put up 23 in their last game. It’s always difficult in these crazy offensive explosions to pinpoint a player who deserves to be featured, but how about the guy who plated four runs, including a three-run shot in the fourth to officially push this to blowout territory? Winn is in that territory of players who are more valuable in real life than in fantasy. He’s a fine enough hitter who makes up for it by putting up elite defense at a key position. He’s not going to help in many categories, though he certainly would’ve helped the few who started him yesterday.
Miguel Vargas (CHW): 2-3, HR, R, 3 RBI, BB.
The White Sox hitters have been on fire. It feels like a roulette wheel is spun to determine which one is going to be talked about in the daily hitter recap article. Well, how about the best one of the batch: Miguel Vargas. Now, this wasn’t an excellent game by his team, as they only scored three runs. Three runs that were, of course, plated by Vargas when he hit his 20th home run of the season. This is his first time breaking the 20-mark and is a benchmark of how far he’s come as a hitter. His decision-making ability is elite, and it combines well with great pop in the bat. He’s one of the best third basemen in the game, fantasy and real life.
Ivan Herrera (STL): 3-4, 3 R, 2 RBI, BB.
Ivan Herrera was one of my top draft sleepers this season, as he took some hits in aggregated rankings due to not catching in certain leagues and not playing in the most hitter-friendly environment or lineup. He hasn’t quite been as good on a rate basis as he was last season, but he’s on pace to play a lot more games and is still slugging away. He has a great combination of contact, discipline, and power, which you can see with his absurd on-base percentage, double-digit home runs, and great strikeout-to-walk ratio. He has also stolen five bases, which honestly isn’t bad at the catcher position in fantasy. I think he can have even better numbers, as the skillset is there and I’m excited to see if he builds off this and heats up as the season goes on.
Teoscar Hernández (LAD): 1-4, HR, R, 4 RBI.
Never say die. Teoscar Hernández is back after missing a month with a hamstring injury, and he got to show how valuable he is to the Dodgers’ lineup. Like the previous day, the Dodgers were down by a decent margin, down 3-0 going into the seventh. After a trio of baserunners made it on, Teoscar got his sole hit of the night, one that proved to be the difference as it put his team ahead, giving them a lead they wouldn’t cough up. By now, we know what to expect from Teoscar. He’s a bit streaky, doesn’t take many walks (though he’s just under 10% on the season), and can hurt you in leagues with strikeout penalties. However, he also hits plenty of home runs and is great at driving runners in, especially for a team that gets more baserunners than any other.
Otto Lopez (MIA): 2-5, R, SB.
Admittedly, there were some better performances yesterday that could’ve snagged the final spot in the article. However, I wanted to briefly congratulate Otto Lopez for breaking the Marlins’ record for most multi-hit games before the All-Star break with 37. I know, it does feel like a bit of a cherry-picked ESPN stat, but it also showcases how darn good Lopez has been. He’s been the savior of batting average categories and has really looked a lot like what Geraldo Perdomo was last year. You can question the sustainability of a run like this, and you may be valid in some regards, but he keeps proving the naysayers wrong. Also worth noting is that he stole his 17th base yesterday, which puts him on pace to shatter his personal steals record. Another area where he’s valuable.
