Avisail Garcia (OF-CHW) - If All-Star selections were made today, I'd have to think Garcia would be the White Sox lone representative. The best Chicago Garcia singled and hit a three-run homer in four at-bats against Jake Odorizzi and the Rays on Thursday. Garcia is now batting .330/.368/.553. if you see that little separation between AVG and OBP, you shouldn't be surprised to see that the player has a 3.9% as Garcia does. His career rate is 5.9%, so this is nothing new, but it does give one pause when trying to consider how Garcia will perform the rest of the way. Garcia had just a .692 OPS last year and is at .722 for his career thanks to this year, but is this this anywhere close to the new baseline? I tend to think not, but then again, Todd Frazier and Tim Anderson aren't doing much behind Garcia in the order, so it's not like he's being fed a steady diet of fastballs because he's hitting in front of Babe Ruth here. Garcia was once considered a five-tool prospect and he made his big league debut at age-21, so perhaps there's something here involving tools turning into performance.
David Price (SP-BOS) - I only caught the very beginning of the Red Sox-Yankees game, but I did see a 95 mph fastball at one point, which is a good sign. What wasn't good was the final stat line for Price: 5 IP, 8 H, 6 ER, 4 BB, 4 K, 2 HR. Gary Sanchez did most of the damage off Price with three-run and two-run home runs. Price now has a 5.29 ERA in three starts with a 15:7 K:BB in 17 innings. He has held hitters to a .206 BAA which is solid but the walks and four home runs could just be him working off the rust. The fact that the velocity is there is a good sign, but I just can't envision a scenario any time soon when he's nearly as good as the other starting pitchers with a $30MM+ annual salary - Clayton Kershaw and Max Scherzer.
Michael Pineda (SP-NYY) - I wasn't sure about using Pineda in a couple mixed leagues Thursday against the Red Sox, but I'm glad I did. The sometimes erratic righty allowed just one unearned run over seven four-hit innings with an 8:2 K:BB to improve to 7-3 with a 3.39 ERA. His 75:17 K:BB In 71.2 innings supports an ERA in the low-3s, and with the way the offense is clicking, he should continue to get plenty of run support. Pineda avoided the long ball, his nemesis this year, on Thursday, and as long as the shoulder holds up, he should be a top-30 or better fantasy starter the rest of the way.
Frances Martes (P-HOU) - Usually performance dictates whether a player gets a big league promotion, but in this case, it's more based on Martes' stuff and reputation. The Houston prospect had his contract purchased on Thursday and will presumably work out of the bullpen, at least initially. Martes has been pretty awful in Triple-A, posting a 5.29 ERA and 38:28 K:BB in 32.1 innings. The 21-year-old has a mid-90s fastball and solid slider, but you don't need us to tell you that a 7.8 BB/9 isn't good. Martes posted a 9.4 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 last year, so perhaps they feel the big league coaches will be able to notice something in his delivery that will help with his erratic control. The Astros' bullpen has seen a heavy workload lately, so maybe this is just a case of needing a fresh arm and giving Martes a few days of big league exposure. I'm not too optimistic on him for now, but maybe later in the year if he gets some things fixed.
Eric Young Jr. (OF-LAA) - Never say never on a guy's short-term potential I guess. In a year in which multiple seemingly so-so veterans have had a power surge, Young is looking for a surge (or at least an opportunity to play) of his own. Subbing in for the injured Mike Trout (thumb), Young was 3-for-5 with a double and three runs scored on Thursday to raise him to .333/.436/.515 with a homer and three stolen bases in just 10 games (33 at-bats). Young seems like he has to be at least 40, but he just turned 32 last month, so perhaps there's some life in his legs (and bat?) yet. Young hit seventh in this one, but perhaps if he has another couple solid games, he'll move to the top spot in the lineup where Andrelton Simmons (.339 OBP) has played mostly. Young isn't a great long-term option in most leagues, but if you need steals, it looks like he's going to play.
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