Miguel Sano (OF, Min): Sano homered twice as part of a 2-4 effort with four RBI. He's now got three home runs in his last three games, which couldn't have been timed better after coach Paul Molitor called him out last week for his lack of effort. It was implied that Sano could be on the brink of a demotion to Triple-A, but the Twins saw what they wanted to see out of Sano apparently and decided to option Byron Buxton instead with the reinstatement of Trevor Plouffe from the DL. Sano does have plenty of work to do, having not improved much from last years' 35.5% strikeout rate, sitting at 34.4% this season. He hasn't flashed the same power as he did a year ago either, with an ISO that is 33 points lower than his rookie season, and his batting average is 20 points lower as well, sitting at .249. He has managed to increase his contact rate by 5% though, and has cut 2.3% off his swinging strike rate. He really does have a great eye at the plate, so while he will always strike out a lot, he will work deep into counts on a consistent basis and draw plenty of walks.
Joe Musgrove (SP, Hou): Musgrove impressed in his first career start, holding the Rangers to one run on five hits in seven innings, walking none and striking out six. He relied primarily on his four seam fastball and slider, also working in a sinker, change, and curve. He's now got a nice 14:1 K:BB ratio in his first 11.1 innings, allowing only one run for a 0.79 ERA. He's worth a look in 12 team leagues and deeper, but don't expect these elite numbers to continue. He had a 2.74 ERA with 87 strikeouts in 85.1 minor league innings this year, so he could be a useful starter the rest of the way, but don't rely on him to be a game changer for your pitching staff.
Dylan Bundy (SP/RP, Bal): It's lined up so that I've had writing assignments on just about every night since Dylan Bundy has transitioned from the bullpen into the rotation, so if you've been reading every day you're getting sick of me gushing over him. Either that or you're grinning from ear to ear since you picked him up in your redraft league. He is still only owned in 50% of Yahoo! Leagues, so there's still time for a lot of shallow leaguers out there to pounce. Bundy was terrific once again, giving up two runs on four hits in six innings, walking only one batter with nine strikeouts. He struck out the side in the first inning on only 12 pitches, and as a starter he's got an even 3.00 ERA with a 33:6 K:BB ratio in 27 innings. He features an mid-nineties fastball with a curveball and changeup that are both very capable of making hitters look silly. Don't forget, this was an elite prospect not so long ago, before injuries sidetracked his career. His next start will be against the Giants at AT&T Park.
James Paxton (SP, Sea): Paxton was terrific against the Angels, limiting them to one unearned run on five hits across eight and a third innings with one walk and six strikeouts. He even struck out Mike Trout four times in the outing. He was pitching into the 9th inning with a count of 113 pitches when he was nailed right on the left elbow by a comebacker off the bat of Andrelton Simmons. No news just yet on whether the injury is severe, but he was lifted for Tom Wilhelmson as soon as he was hit. Keep an eye on his status moving forward, because if he's healthy he's proven that his mechanical change has made him a much better pitcher this season and he needs to be started in all formats moving forward. If he's healthy, he'll make his next scheduled start on the road against the A's in what would be a very nice matchup.
Evan Longoria (3B, TB): Longoria's only hit of the day was a solo home run, number 25 on the year. Despite his strong play this year, the Rays are arguably the worst team in baseball, which is evidenced in his stats in the form of only 55 runs and 61 RBI. He's played 107 games and has a .330 OBP, so you'd think those numbers would be higher with 25 homers. He's managed to substantially increase his hard contact rate over 8% from last year, to 38.9% this season, which has paired with an increased fly ball rate (up 6.3% from last year) to send more balls out of the park. His HR/FB isn't inflated either, still hovering around his career 15% mark, so this power is legitimate. Look for him to push 30 home runs by seasons' end.
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