Gerrit Cole
It was an unsuccessful return for Gerrit Cole on Monday, as he lasted just two innings, allowing five runs on four hits and four walks while striking out three. Cole had only missed a couple starts, and had excellent career numbers against the Phillies, but the Phils had his number. Cole now has a 3.88 ERA this season, and is simply not trustworthy enough to roster in mixed leagues down the stretch. Cole has a somewhat favorable start against Cincinnati on Saturday, but after what he did in a favorable matchup Monday, that's no guarantee. The lone bit of good news for Cole is that it wasn't a velocity issue on Monday - he averaged between 95 and 96 miles per hour on his fastball. However, with a strikeout rate that has gone from solid to below average over the course of the last three years, Cole is no longer a stud who demands to be started. If you trust the bigger picture, go ahead and start him Saturday against the Reds, if you're a believer in how a pitcher looks right now, I'd cut bait with Cole and go ahead and stream other options.
Freddy Galvis
Unless you're in a nice deep league in which you have Freddy Galvis on your roster, or are a diehard Phillies fan, I'm guessing you didn't know that the 26-year-old shortstop has over 30 HR+SB. Galvis hit his 18th home run of 2016 on Monday, and when added to his 13 steals gives him plenty of value in deeper leagues. Granted, Galvis is hitting .236 with a paltry .270 OBP, but the home runs and steals are hard to ignore in NL-Only leagues. And really, Galvis is more of a symbol of a moment that fantasy baseball is having than highly relevant as an individual. Production is no longer hard to find at the 2B and SS positions, as there are 22 players with 2B/SS eligibility who have at least 30 HR+SB his season, meaning two for every team in a ten-team league. And we still have a few weeks to go. Personally, I'm looking to snag an outfielder earlier than a middle infielder next season, unless I'm in a shallow, three OF league. There's simply more depth at the middle infield positions than there has been in years past, and it's time to make the adjustment in 2017 drafts. I'd avoid Galvis, as I don't love his plate discipline and think the power has been a bit fluky, but the point remains.
Justin Turner
Turner hit his 27th home run of 2016, and is slugging over .500 in his expanded role in 2016. Turner showed promise in a limited role last season, and has maintained his power, while slipping a bit in his BA and OBP. Turner is 31 years old, but his career trajectory is, by all appearances, headed in the right direction. His HR/FB rate has gone up four straight seasons, and it hasn't just been a fluke. This season has seen Turner's highest hard hit ball rate (39.0 percent), and he is hitting more fly balls than ever (41.0 percent). In fact, Turner has gotten a bit unlucky if anything, as his .285 BABIP is well below both his career rate (.313), as well as where the projection systems say he should end up (.308). Turner is tough to project for 2017 because of his later-than-most breakout, but I'm buying in, personally. From a non-fantasy perspective Turner has been outstanding the last two seasons (9.0 fWAR combined), so the Dodgers aren't going to cut bait with him if he struggles ever. In what has become a potent lineup, Turner should have plenty of value still in 2017 as his floor, and could even keep improving as he has done the past four years.
Adonis Garcia
The Braves continued their streak of burning me when I decide to stream a pitcher against them, and have actually been hitting the ball relatively well recently. The Braves are the number five offense in baseball, per wRC+, over the past 14 days, and even stretching that back to the entire second half of the season, they are sixth. Part of the success has been from Garcia, who went 1-for-5 with a run and RBI in the Braves 12-7 win over Miami Monday. Garcia has a hit in 12 of his 13 games, and has been hitting well in the second half of the season. To choose a completely arbitrary end point, Garcia is hitting .302 with a .498 slugging percentage in his past 54 games, with tons of production (66 RuBIns) during that time. Garcia showed flashes during his 58-game sample in 2015, and this recent hot streak makes him carry plenty of intrigue into 2017. One number to watch is his elevated ground ball rate. Garcia is carrying a groundball rate of 53.2 percent this season, and that number has been just as high during his successful stretch. It's hard to have much power potential with a ground ball rate that high, but if he can start to get a bit more lift off the bat, he could be a real contributor on an offense that has quietly had some nice success in the second half of 2016.
Daily Fantasy Leagues
Ivan Nova
Nova will be a popular pick Tuesday, but with good reason. In seven starts with the Pirates he has 32 strikeouts to just two walks. It hasn't just been his immaculate control, as he is getting results across the board, as the ex-Yankee is 5-0 with a 2.53 ERA in said Pirates starts, with his best stuff coming of late. Nova has complete games in two of his last four starts, and has allowed a combined five runs in his last four starts (30 IP). The numbers truly support the Ray Searage magic, as well, as he is sporting a 3.08 FIP, and is chewing up the National League. His curveball is once again becoming an elite weapon, and we're once again seeing the potential the 6' 5" righty has flashed at times in his career. A match up with the lowly Phillies is a prime one, as well, making the price tag surprisingly low.
Yahoo: $35
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Follow Jim Turvey on Twitter @Fantistics_Turv as he has just started using this handle again. Follow for relevant fantasy baseball advice, interesting daily lineup plays, and irrelevant MLB gifs.
