Devon Travis (2B-TOR): Devon Travis (ribs) returned to the lineup with a vengeance, as the rookie hit his 4th homer of the year and stole his 1st base to lead the Jays' humbling of Ubaldo Jimenez. You have to love the 7% swinging strike rate and 85% contact rate out of the gates for a rookie. His speed off of bat and avg. HR distance are league average, so his HR/FB rate should regress to the 10% mark down from its 21% one. However, while I expect his HR pace to slow, I see his SB pace to pick up. And with him being a staple at or near the top of the lineup, look for the runs totals to be among the league leaders at 2B by year's end.
Micah Johnson (2B-CHW): Johnson went 2 for 4 with 1 R as he continues to gain confidence at the MLB level. Give credit to Robin Ventura for deciding last week to give the rookie some leash, letting him know that the job is his in an effort to relax him. While Johnson is only 2 for 4 in SB attempts, he is logging quality AB's and with that earning more job security. Look for the SB success rate to rise as he continues to learn to read MLB pitching. If he has been dropped or relegated to a bench spot in your league, attempt to acquire him.
Billy Butler (1B/DH-OAK): Butler hit is 3rd homer of the year and drove in 4 runs to lead the A's onslaught against the Angels. We all know Butler can hit and that he should post a solid AVG, but the question remains: can he eclipse the 20-homer mark again? The 20% HR/FB rate that he posted in 2012 appears to be the outlier, but he is tantalizing us once again by posting a similar mark in the early going in 2015. Butler actually averaged 417 feet on his homers in 2014, and has averaged nearly 410 feet on them in the early going. If you place the over under at 20, I'm taking the over on homers.
Evan Gattis (C/OF-HOU): Gattis went 0 for 4, but scored a minor "victory" by not striking out. The effort dropped his season line to .109/.155/.200 with 21 strikeouts in 61 AB's and only 1 homer. He has posted an 18% swinging strike rate and an abysmal 62% contact rate in the early going, although the .152 BABIP isn't helping either. Reports suggest that the position switch may be the culprit behind the struggles, which indicate a mental adjustment is needed. Look for Gattis to eventually settle in once he learns to navigate a game from this new vantage point. Bench, but hold.
Anibal Sanchez (SP-DET): A Thursday start against the Yankees and the hot Masahiro Tanaka doesn't look that appealing on the surface. Anibal has allowed 5 homers in his first 16 1/3 innings in 2015 and has posted an abysmal 7.71 ERA. But his xFIP sits at 3.82, his K and BB rates are where you want them to be, and his swinging strike rate is at a solid 11%. He posted a .243 wOBA at home in 2014 and makes for a nice SP2 pick.
DraftKings Price: $8100
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