Blake Swihart (C-BOS): Blake Swihart went 2 for 4 with 2 runs and 1 RBI, hitting an inside-the-park homer to fuel the Red Sox to an extra-inning victory. While most catching prospects take several years to develop offensively, we may be looking at an exception in Swihart, who is carrying near league-average swinging strike and chase rates already while hitting linedrives 29% of the time! With continued development he could work his way into the picture in 1-catcher leagues as early as 2016.
Jackie Bradley (OF-BOS): The lightbulb continues to go off for Jackie Bradley, who after another 2-hit, 1-homer night, is posting a wOBA near .500 in the month of August. He is hitting for power and average while playing a very solid centerfield, giving the Red Sox much to think about in the offseason. In fact, his play--coupled with Hanley Ramirez's struggles--has compelled the Sox brass to commit to moving HanRam to first. JBJ has the track record in the minors, the pedigree, and the work ethic to continue to develop. Buy.
Junichi Tazawa (RP-BOS): Junichi Tazawa continued to struggle with handling the closer's duties, walking 4 batters and allowing a hit before the Sox pulled him after 2 outs. Tazawa recently said he feels different kinds of nerves when closing as opposed to setting up, and the numbers back him up--especially his BB-rate, which had been elite prior to his assuming the role. It's a mess in the Sox pen and I see a committee--headed by Machi and Breslow--moving forward.
R. A. Dickey (SP-TOR): Backed by the Blue Jays prolific offense, Dickey picked up the W after allowing 3 earned runs and striking out 6 in 6 and 2/3 innings. While Dickey has been quite a warrior in the second half, he still has been quite fortunate with a 4.26 ERA/4.85 xFIP. He's striking out batters at a 14% rate, as his velocity is down yet again and is now a full 3 MPH away from where it was during his CY Young season. He likes pitching at Rogers Centre (.284 wOBA allowed there vs. .368 on the road), so play the matchups carefully and only if going after wins.
Drew Hutchison (SP-TOR): The Blue Jays are set to call up Drew Hutchison to start at home against Detroit today; at $8000, he makes for a high-upside play for the early slate at DraftKings. The Hutch has allowed a .270 wOBA at home (as opposed to a .432 mark on the road). Given the K and win potential here, despite the dangers posed by the Detroit lineup, the $8000 price tag looks reasonable.
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