Michael Saunders (TOR - OF) - Saunders is becoming an excellent DFS option in the leadoff spot for Toronto, and carries just a $3,700. Saunders' biggest issue over his career is health, and in DFS, you pretty much know whether he's starting or not, which completely eliminates that risk. He has an impressive wRC+ of 139 for the year so far, making him a great option tomorrow against Chris Tillman at Camden.
Rick Porcello (BOS - SP) - Maybe Porcello wasn't such a horrible signing for the Red Sox after all.. Okay it probably still wasn't a great signing, but his peripherals do look pretty solid. Coming into last night, Porcello sported a 5.11 ERA, but a 2.51 SIERA with a 10.95 K rate. Those are obviously some excellent numbers, it's just the longball has been the boon of Porcello's early season. The 2.92 HR/9 will come down, and when it does, so will his ERA, making him potentially a solid option in most formats. Wait and see, but things look good. Despite allowing another home run yesterday, Porcello was effective over 7 innings, allowing 3 ER with 9 Ks.
Nathan Eovaldi (NYY - SP) - Eovaldi had one poor inning, but nevertheless, 3 ER in the 4th inning were all that he allowed through six innings of work. He tallied 7 strikeouts, but did allow 9 base runners. Eovaldi throws absolute gas, but with an ERA over 6.50, we need to see some results before trusting him. His LOB rate of 63% is crazy low - particularly with an 11.5 K/9. His 2.66 SIERA (prior to yesterday) shows that he has the potential to be a #2 or #3 starter, but he needs to polish his game a bit before he gets there. Still, not a bad guy to buy low on.
Mookie Betts (BOS - OF) - Living in Boston, a buddy of mine asked me this weekend: Is Mookie Betts actually good, or do we just think he is because he's in Boston? With his .207 average coming into last night, it was a legitimate question. But last night, Mookie reached base four times, with two walks, a single, and a home run. He even added a stolen base for good measure along with three runs scored. It's been a slow start for Mookie, but at the very least he's tallying decent RBIs (9 in 13 games). The good thing is that even when he's not hitting, batting first in Boston will return value. But when he is hitting (like last night), it makes him a top 25, five tool player. Mookie certainly needs to walk more, so last night's two walks are a great sign. Start him confidently going forward.
Taijuan Walker (SEA - SP) - Walker threw 6 innings allowing 1 unearned run in a win against the Indians. He struck out 6 and didn't walk a batter. Walker has had some early season success in a way that I wouldn't have predicted - the groundball. He got half his batted balls out via the GB yesterday, and 59% for the season prior to that. This is a stark contrast from last year (38.6%) when he was more reliant on strikeouts. It's too early to draw conclusions, but it's good to see Walker generating ground balls, which could be his next step forward to becoming a higher end starter. At just 23, he has plenty of room to grow, as last night proved.
This is just a small sample our our daily analysis, join our member area for over 80 player updates daily: http://www.fantistics.com/
