Mark Melancon (RP-PIT) - Melancon entered Tuesday's game against the Cubs with a two-run lead in the ninth inning, but due up were Anthony Rizzo, Jorge Soler, and Kris Bryant By the time those three were done, the bases were loaded with nobody out. Melancon allowed three runs in blowing his first save, and his ERA shot from 5.06 to 8.53. Melancon has now had two three-run outings sandwiched by five scoreless outings, but a 1.89 WHIP just isn't good. Melancon entered the game averaging just 88 mph on his fastball, a number that compares unfavorably to last year's 92.8. Time to worry and time to pick up Melancon's potential successor in deeper formats. Who is that? Jared Hughes and Tony Watson are two names to monitor. Hughes is the righty with a 1.00 ERA and 10:1 K:BB in nine innings and Watson has a 4.00 ERA, but he had a strong 2014. I really like a Hughes speculative pickup here.
Addison Russell (2B/SS-CHC) - In the event you've been living under a rock the past day or so, the Cubs have recalled yet another elite prospect in Russell. He'll slot in at second base, but in all likelihood qualify at shortstop only initially in most leagues - not that anyone is complaining. At 21, Russell supplants that "kid" Bryce Harper as the NL's youngest player, so some early struggles wouldn't be out of the question. In 44 Triple-A at-bats this year, Russell batted .318/.326/.477 with just one walk to seven K's. For his minor league career however, Russell is a .301/.377/.520 hitter with a solid 25.3 AB/HR rate. He can run a bit as well, presenting an enticing MI package in all fantasy leagues. He fanned in a reasonable 17.4% of his PA's last year, so this isn't some hack. Do whatever you can to get him if he's somehow still available. Also, if you're looking for the next great Cubs hitter, Kyle Schwarber (Double-A) should be on your radar now. Russell opens with a $3,600 Draft Kings salary, a number that is probably only going to go up. I'll probably use him in daily leagues this week.
Chase Anderson (SP-ARI) - Anderson had a solid start in a no-decision Tuesday against the Rangers, tossing seven innings of one-run ball while allowing just three hits and posting a 5:0 K:BB. Anderson's ERA sits at 3.00 after three starts, and in those 18 innings, he's put up an impressive 16:4 K:BB. Anderson averages 91.3 mph with his fastball, so he's not a soft-tosser, but he does generate a fair share of swings and misses. The key though for Anderson is to continue to drive down last year's 1.3 HR/9 rate. So far this year he's surrendered just one home run in 18 innings, so he's done good work so far in that area. Anderson is never going to be a top of the rotation type guy, but I've seen enough to feel comfortable that he's a solid #4 starter.
Kevin Plawecki (C-NYM) - NL catchers are dropping like flies, including the Mets' Travis d'Arnaud (hand). Plawecki was recalled and will probably get 60-70% of the starts with Anthony Recker picking up the remainder. Should Plawecki start strong though, that could push to 80% or more. He was batting just .216/.237/.324 in nine games for Triple-A Las Vegas, but given his career line of .292/.368/.435, that was probably just a slow start. Plawecki has swiped a grand total of one base in 296 minor league games, but he has double-digit power and he fanned in just 11.4% of his PA's last year, so .270 in terms of BA may be possible. He should be owned in all formats outside of probably 10 or 12-team one-catcher mixed leagues. Update: Plawecki was 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored Tuesday.
Kris Bryant (3B-CHC) - Bryant is still looking for his first home run, but after going 2-for-4 with his third double and a pair of RBI in a comeback win over the Pirates on Tuesday, Bryant is now batting a pretty solid .444/.583/.611. His K:BB is an impressive 4:5 K:BB in 18 at-bats, and though he's going to rack up some strikeouts, Bryant is going to hit for power and probably steal a base or two along the way. One could certainly make the argument that the strikeouts will make for a low BA eventually, so in theory a sell-high in redraft leagues makes some sense, but depending on the theoretical return, trading this guys could lead to regret. His $4,300 Draft Kings salary looks to be a bargain, particularly given that we know the home runs are on the way.
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