Mallex Smith (ATL - OF) - Mallex Smith, batting leadoff, stole his 10th base of the season, and his fourth in the last six games that he's started. He reached base twice and scored two runs. Smith certainly deserves an up arrow right now, as he's been playing quite well since he sputtered to start the year. His wRC+ in May was a respectable 110, and currently sits at 126 before yesterday. Smith should be rostered in all roto leagues during this hot streak - he'll never light up a scoreboard, but he has top 5 SB ability. If he continues to bat leadoff, his value is even higher.
Joey Votto (CIN - 1B) - Joey Votto had a Joey Votto day yesterday - 1 for 2 with two walks and a run scored. Votto is having his worst season yet, and unlike years past, it doesn't appear to be related to poor luck. Votto is still a tough out at the plate (.337 wOBA), but his approach is all screwed up - as we can see from his 25.8% K rate, more than 6% above his career rate. I think we see a better second half from Votto, but the potential loss of Jay Bruce will making that anemic offense even worse, which won't help Votto's counting stats. So overall, it looks like low-tier 1B production coming off last year's monster season.
Jerad Eickhoff (PHI - SP) - Jerad Eickoff pitched six scoreless innings in Toronto last night because of course he did. Eickhoff's start was a bit fortunate as he walked four and had a .188 BABIP, but it was an impressive start nonetheless. For the year, his SIERA was 3.82 prior to yesterday with a respectable 7.6 K rate. Eickhoff has loads of talent, but I'm hesitant to be all-in on him moving forward because the limited likelihood of wins (last night notwithstanding). He's having an impressive sophomore season though, and you can certainly do worse in your rotations. I'd anticipate slightly better than average production ROS, and even better than that if you play the matchups right.
Max Scherzer (WAS - SP) - Max Scherzer dominated the strike-out prone Cubbies last night, going 7 innings, one earned with 11 strikeouts. The lone run was via a HR by Addison Russell. Scherzer has had a few stinkers this year, but has also been unhittable on some nights. The likelihood is that he'll be unhittable more than he gives you a dud, but Scherzer has certainly taken a slight step back in 2016. His walk rate is up over one per 9, which limits his room for error. His SIERA is still an excellent 3.13, but not as attractive as last year's 2.63. Obviously Scherzer is still a stud, but it's worth noting that he's not likely to repeat last year's incredible season.
Odubel Herrera (PHI - OF) - One of the biggest surprises of 2016 for me continues to be Odubel Herrera, who was 2-for-5 with a HR and 3 RBI last night. Herrera is sporting an insane .370 wOBA, which is incredibly impressive based off his age (24) and last year's .333 wOBA. Herrera appears to be the real deal if he can maintain his current approach at the plate - he's walking 14.8% of the time, which is excellent for anyone, particularly a leadoff hitter. That would enable him to put up some solid run scoring numbers, but then again he's playing for the Phillies. He doesn't seem to be a sell high candidate for me; sure, some regression is likely, but even with that, he's putting out solid numbers.
