Chris Archer (TB) - Chris Archer tossed an excellent game against the Toronto Blue Jays, but his bullpen let him down despite going 6 IP, 4H, 3ER, 11K and 1BB. Friday's outing gives Archer 48 strikeouts in 45.1 innings pitched and he has managed to keep his ratios at a respectable 3.57 ERA and 1.21 WHIP. With 3 straight seasons of consistent BABIP's allowed around .295 and hard hit rates consistently hovering north of 30%, this is about Chris Archer's baseline. His double-digit strikeout games are enticing, but he has volatility and blow-up potential, which does prevent him from taking a big leap forward into the tier of elite starting pitching. Nonetheless, he holds 250K upside and can help carry you in the strikeout categories.
Kendrys Morales (TOR) - Kendrys Morales hit homeruns in both the 7th and 8th innings to fuel a comeback victory over the Tampa Bay Rays in Florida. Morales also added a double on the night. For the season, Morales is now sitting with 6 home runs, 20 RBI and a slash line of .243/.293/.435. The counting categories are decent, but due to his below average 14% K%-BB%, his overall OBP upside is limited. He's a great corner infield option, but he's a substantially better hitter against left-handed pitching than right-handed pitching, despite being a switch hitter.
Danny Salazar (CLE) - Salazar had an inefficient outing on Friday night, racking up 98 pitches in just over 4 innings of work and took the loss. The Kansas City offense grinded 8 hits off the right-hander, but just 2 went for extra-bases. His final line was 4.2IP, 8H, 2ER, 2BB, and 7K. Salazar has one of the best arms in the big leagues, but until he can learn how to pitch, he's never going to be able to go deep into games. His fastball is electric, but by continually trying to strike out opposing batters, his pitch counts rise and he has difficulty getting through a lineup more than 2 times. He remains a work in progress with dynasty appeal, but mixed league caution.
Chris Davis (BAL) - Chris Davis went 3-for-3 and raised his slash line to .250/.354/.427. His .377 BABIP is fueling the high batting average (for him), which is a number that sticks out even more when you consider he has a hard hit rate of 30%. Look for his batting average to continue its downward trend unless he starts making better quality contact. Chris Davis remains in a great spot tomorrow when he faces Dylan Covey and his price remains a depressed $3,300 on FanDuel. He's a solid cash game or tournaments play.
Brett Gardner (NYY) - Brett Gardner's hot week continued on Friday when he hit a go-ahead 3-run home run off Hector Rondon in the top of the 9th inning. Gardner has 5 home runs, 17 runs scored, 10 RBI and a slash line of .247/.356/.461. He's pulling the ball more this season, something that should help lead to more home runs if he continues to get consistent lift on the ball (36% FB rate in 2017 vs 32% in career). Unfortunately, the fact remains that he still has just an average hard hit rate, so his overall power upside is limited.
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