Clint Frazier (OF, NYY) - The stud prospect carried the Yanks on Saturday in their 5-3 win over the Brewers at Yankee Stadium. Frazier went 3 for 4, with a triple, and four RBI. Three of those RBI came on a walk off three run shot to put an end to the contest. After today's showing, he is slashing .300/.318/.850, with two home runs and 6 RBI in his first 20 at-bats. Interestingly enough, four of Frazier's six hits have been either home runs or triples. The metrics figure to normalize a bit with a larger sample size as the .375 ISO will be impossible to keep up. The .182 BABIP will need to climb a bit, as it shows he's either hitting the ball out, and that is about it. As the ISO would hint at, Frazier is tallying a whopping 41.7% hard contact, with will be hard to sustain as well. With the crowded outfield in New York, he figures to get sent back to Triple -A upon the return of Aaron Hicks from the DL. Expect him to be down until the Yanks figure out who to trade out of town, or how they will handle the rotation.
Josh Donaldson (3B, TOR) - Donaldson chipped in with a three-run homer in the Jays 7-2 win over the Astros on Saturday. The home run was his ninth of the season, and the RBI gave him 25 for the season. The veteran is slashing .252/.374/.478 on the season as well. All of the metrics point to the slugger having another strong season, even though they are down a bit from his career marks. His K% is up nearly six percent from his career mark, and currently sits at 24.2%. His wRC+ of 117 shows that he is helping create offense, and he is getting on base at a .374 clip. Donaldson has been the subject of trade rumors, and with Toronto underachieving, Donaldson changing addresses in the coming weeks would not be a huge surprise. No matter where he ends up, Donaldson is an elite slugger.
Marcus Stroman (SP, TOR) - Stroman recorded his second quality start out of his last three outings in the Blue Jays 7-2 win over the Astros Saturday. The righty went seven innings, allowing just one earned run on six hits, striking out six, while walking three. With the win, Stroman matched his total of nine on the season. His ERA sits at 3.28, and his WHIP is currently at 1.26. His xFIP currently sits at 3.52, with a FIP of 3.97, which show he is able to get outs by throwing strikes. One key difference between his 2016 and 2017 seasons is his strand rate of 80%, which is up nearly 22%, and helps offset his .313 BABIP. Stroman is enjoying his finest season as a pro, however, it is on a team that has underachieved offensively so far, which makes his nine wins all the more impressive. Stroman is ranking right around the top 25 starters, and is a starter who will start in your lineup no matter the matchup.
Jonathan Schoop (2B, BAL) - Schoop continued his massive breakout season Saturday, by helping the Orioles beat the Twins 5-1. The 25-year-old notched his 18th home run on the season. So far in 2017, he is slashing .296/.349/.541 with the 18 homers, and also 54 RBI. Schoop was a nice late round power target in drafts, but him performing as a top five second baseman is a pleasant surprise. His .371 wOBA and the 130 wRC+ show how important he is to the Baltimore lineup, and your fantasy lineup. Schoop is making hard contact at a 33.6% rate, which is up 7% from his 2016 total. He has gone from a player to use in the right matchups, to an everyday fantasy fixture at second base. His pop would be valuable at any position, but the fact it comes from a middle infield spot, especially from a later round pick is a huge plus for fantasy owners.
Mike Clevinger (SP, CLE) - Clevinger posted his fifth win of the season, and his third straight quality start in the Indians 4-0 win over the Tigers on Saturday. Clevinger went six innings, giving up no runs, and just three hits, while striking out four, and walking two. On the season, he owns a 3.00 ERA, with a 1.15 WHIP, and has pitched his way into the top 50. When looking at his numbers, the BB/9 of 4.83 stands out as the main negative. However, the 81.9% strand rate helps make it tolerable. The 10.33 K/9 is a solid number for a pitcher who is most likely a waiver pickup, and is still just 30% owned in most formats. Teams are hitting just .187 against him, and have just a .237 BABIP. The 32% hard contact rate needs to come down a bit, and could begin to get him in trouble. However, he is pitching way too good to be on waivers in most leagues. Add him if he is available, just do it with caution.
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