Kevin Pillar (OF-TOR): Kevin Pillar hit home run numbers 6 and 7 as part of a 3-for-5 night. Be careful about buying a second-half resurgence. While Pillar is on pace for a 15/15 season, his counting-stat upside is limited by his low on-base percentage and his spot near the bottom of the lineup. Add in a league-average hard hit rate and contact rate and his AVG upside is limited too. 15/15 is valuable in ROTO, and I don't see the HR's and SB's slowing down, but he makes for a prime sell-high if your league mates still buy the hype, especially in points formats.
Daniel Mengden (SP-OAK): While Colby Lewis gathered most of the headlines with his run at perfection, Daniel Mengden allowed 1 earned run and struck out 7 through 6 and 1/3 to continue establishing himself in the A's rotation. While many will look at his 4.00 xFIP and lack of prospect pedigree and write off his hot start, I see Mengden as a must-own in all 12-team+ mixed leagues. Mengden throws a quality 3-pitch mix that features a changeup with an 11 MPH delta from his 92 MPH fastball. Stream him at home and on the road against weak offenses and you can unearth significant value from DM the rest of the way.
Didi Gregorius (SS-NYY): continued his glorious offensive run, hitting his 6th homer as part of a 2-for-3 night that backed C.C. Sabathia over the Twins. While he continues to provide serviceable numbers to deeper mixed-league owners (especially those in points leagues), I don't see the hot stretch as a sign of things to come. Didi has increased his contact rate by 6%, but his hard hit rate has decreased by 5% while his groundball rate has increased by 3%. He has been strong against lefties this season, posting a .359 wOBA against them, which could enable those with daily transactions to unearth additional value. Otherwise, be careful with trusting him in standard leagues.
Whit Merrifield (2B/OF-KC): Whit Merrifield went 1 for 5 and scored a run in a losing effort against the Tigers, who may have lost J.D. Martinez for an extended period after he fractured his right elbow. Merrifield's surface stats should make his owners merry. And while his BABIP is sure to regress from the .390 mark, and his 2:21 BB:K ratio is sure to catch up with him, Merrifield still makes for a solid buy in all mixed leagues. His 40% hard hit rate would put him among the league's elite if he qualified, and while his EYE has been ugly so far, he posted a .50+ mark in the upper minors. With 20+ stolen-base potential and a spot atop the lineup secured, look for WM as a sneaky MI option in standard mixed leagues.
Matt Shoemaker (SP-LAA): Matt Shoemaker, priced at $8300 for his matchup at Oakland, fits as a comfy tournament play. Shoemaker has posted a 48:1 K:BB ratio in his last 5 starts and the changes he has made to his repertoire, combined with his velocity spike, look to be legit. He faces the 26th ranked offense against righties in a park ranked 25th in overall offense according to Park Factors. Wag the Dog and look to Old Shoe, who should free up some bucks for your offense.
