One of the deeper sleepers in the pre-season was Vincent Velasquez who came to the Phillies in the Ken Giles deal and earned himself a fifth spot to express his strikeout rate in the NL Easy. It was his first opportunity to prove his worth last night vs. the Mets and it was a pretty sight: 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 3 BBs, 9 Ks. I honestly don’t know why he wasn’t the streamer pick yesterday but he shouldn’t be a streamer pick moving forward simply because he should be rostered in all mixed leagues. Go grab him, enjoy his strikeout production with the upside to give you a better line than your stud ace.
Let’s see what every other SP did yesterday:
Clayton Kershaw – 8.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks. Speaking of which, Kershaw did well but not #4 overall pick well. Freakin’ Bumgarner and his solo shots. No, I’m not talking about his 2016 Calendar. I’d buy it though.
Ian Kennedy – 6.2 IP, 0 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 7 Ks. This is probably a Top 5 line for Kennedy all year. I don’t trust him to suppress the dingers and walks like this when he’s not playing the Twins. You know, like heading to Houston next time out.
Rich Hill – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 10 Ks. Well hot damn, didn’t think he’d keep that up. The Mariners aren’t the most difficult of opponents, but this is freakin’ sweet. It may be a bumpy road ahead – KC, NYY, DET are all ahead – but I’d be rolling down the Hill against the Royals and go from there.
Bartolo Colon – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 0 BBs, 7 Ks. The Big Apple got it done against the Phils. He’ll have outings like this from time to time, but also blow up in your face when he faces a tough opponent. Stream wisely and you’ll be rewarded. And let’s be honest, we’re all rewarded watching him be him.
Madison Bumgarner – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 8 Ks. Aces gonna ace. No, I’m not worried about his foot issues and slight velocity drop. It improved from the previous start and I see it ramping up as we go.
Kyle Hendricks – 6.2 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks. These are the numbers you were looking for from Hendricks. It could happen quite often this year with a great amount of Wins making Hendricks an excellent backend starter.
Cole Hamels – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 3 BBs, 4 Ks. Yeah, this isn’t exciting but you’ll take it.
Carlos Martinez – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 3 BBs, 5 Ks. I’m more worried about CMart having regular starts like this than Hamels given his walk tendencies.
Chris Sale – 7.0 IP, 3 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 6 Ks. I can hear owners collectively shouting COME ON SALE like gamers waiting for Steam to put up the deals on December 21st. It’ll get there guys, just be patient.
Drew Pomeranz – 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 3 BBs, 7 Ks. Gotta say I’m impressed with the Cheerleader in Colorado as he made his first start in the Padres rotation. Should you get your Pom Poms ready for his future outings? Ehhhh I’m not sold yet but roll with it til it stops.
Cody Anderson – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 2 Ks. I’ve heard some hype around Mr. Anderson like he’s The One and I’m not buying it. He just doesn’t have the strikeout ability to make him a solid play given his low floor.
Raisel Iglesias – 5.2 IP, 1 ER, 8 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks. Blegh. He’s so much better than this.
Garrett Richards – 6.2 IP, 2 ER, 8 Hits, 1 BBs, 6 Ks. Owners finally get a taste of low walks and get met with 8 hits. Fortunately, owners could get something out of a 1.50 WHIP start with a decent amount of Ks and a fine ERA, and I’m still worried that his starts will just be a collection of salvaged outings instead of dominance.
CC Sabathia – 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 4 Hits, 4 BBs, 3 Ks. CC is like the goat that we thought would have found its way into the pen by now, but is just chilling out in your home awkwardly. Why do they let him act like he’s one of the family?
Doug Fister – 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 6 Ks. Who is this and what have you done with Fister. Doesn’t matter, don’t want this new guy either.
Rick Porcello – 6.0 IP, 4 ER, 7 Hits, 1 BBs, 7 Ks. Soooo close Porcello, and here I was about to lower you significantly after having a very disappointing spring. There will probably be some dip, but that K/BB for the price of nada is more tantalizing than getting Five Guys after celebrating Rosh Hashanah.
Tommy Milone – 4.2 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks. Reading Milone’s starts every night should be the punishment for owners who don’t pay their league dues in time. It’s. Just. So. Boring.
Zack Greinke – 6.0 IP, 4 ER, 7 Hits, 3 BBs, 8 Ks. Okay so we expected a regression, but not like this. Not like this. I’d buy low if there is some paranoid owner.
Gerrit Cole – 4.2 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 3 BBs, 4 Ks. Soooo happy you’re back Cole! But seriously, he’ll be pretty solid this year, just not a dominating week saving kind of ace like the rest.
Nate Karns – 5.0 IP, 4 ER, 7 Hits, 1 BBs, 6 Ks. We can’t catch a break as our Call Boy performed on the K/BB side and didn’t pick up the slack elsewhere against the lame-o A’s. I still like him moving forward and I think he’s a great value guy at the end of your staff in deeper leagues.
R.A. Dickey – 5.0 IP, 6 ER, 8 Hits, 2 BBs, 9 Ks. Dickey told me he once danced in the streets with David Bowie. Later I was told he named his cat David Bowie. Don’t trust a knuckleballer.
Julio Teheran – 4.0 IP, 4 ER, 6 Hits, 4 BBs, 4 Ks. We all jumped off the wagon and burned it as we grabbed hands singing Kumbaya like two years ago, right?
Jorge De La Rosa – 4.0 IP, 7 ER, 7 Hits, 5 BBs, 3 Ks. De La Rosa has limited upside, pitches his home games at Coors Field, and doesn’t deserve a spot on your team. This should be the blurb for every Colorado starter.
Wily Peralta – 4.1 IP, 6 ER, 7 Hits, 4 BBs, 4 Ks. Has there been a time when someone has said “Oh man, I really want Wily Peralta on my fantasy team this year?”
Mike Pelfrey – 3.2 IP, 6 ER, 8 Hits, 1 BBs, 3 Ks. Yep, that’s Pelfrey.
Today’s Streamer
Josh Tomlin vs. Chicago White Sox – Tomlin had a great stretch at the end of the 2015 season and looked good enough in the spring to bump Trevor Bauer out of a rotation spot. The Chi Sox aren’t looking like a strong offense out of the gate, making Tomlin a decent streamer pick among a sea of studs.
Tomorrow’s Streamer
Nick Tropeano vs. Oakland Athletics – Nola’s ownership has soared since his last outing unsurprisingly and Finnegan gets the Cubs making Tropeano the best option available. He’ll be up for a bit and has a pair of good starts this week, so if the audition goes well you may want to keep him rostered.
Game of the Day
Joe Ross vs. Miami Marlins – Are you pumped to watch some Ross today? I’m pumped.