Masahiro Tanaka
The Tanaka-saince is officially upon us. Tanaka had his third straight excellent start, allowing just one run over seven innings against the Blue Jays in Yankee Stadium on Monday. He struck out eight and allowed just six baserunners (one walk), nabbing his seventh win in the process. That make 22 strikeouts to just 19 baserunners and three runs over his past three starts, two of which came against pretty solid offenses (Texas and Toronto). There are a few signs that point to this recent success not just being a fluke or even positive regression, but a real, serious leap. Tanaka has thrown his fastball about five mph faster than his rough Oakland outing on June 17 in each of his past three starts. It looked pretty rough for Tanaka for a minute there, between the poor results and drop in velo, but all of that has changed in the past three starts, and given his previous seasons' successes, he's quickly (re-)climbing the SP rankings right now.
Aroldis Chapman
Chapman entered Monday's game in a non-save situation and while the Yankees still got the win, Chapman gave up three hits and two runs in his third-straight lackluster performance. Something is in the water with the Yankee bullpen right now, and the unhittable Chapman now has an ERA of 3.86 for the season. That would be a career-high and more than each of his past two seasons put together. Don't fret, though. Chapman still has a 1.21 FIP that is actually better than last season, and his 2.17 xFIP is still pretty darn elite. Right now he is suffering from an absurd .422 BABIP allowed. Chapman is still racking up whiffs (14.46 K/9) and his walk rate is right around where it was last season which was the best of his career. If for some reason the Chapman owner in your league is sweating, pounce all over that.
Dustin Pedroia
Pedroia had nearly as many RBI on Monday night as he ahd for the entirety of April, as he drove in four runs in a 3-for-5 effort (he had just five RBI total in April). Pedroia has begun to heat up a bit of late, with multi-hit games in four of his last seven starts. He has nine RBI in his past four games, with a steal and two runs thrown in there for good measure. He still has only two homers and three steals on the season, but his average is back up to .304, and his wRC+ is actually above league average (105 after Monday night). His approach is as great as ever (34 walks to just 23 strikeouts), and while the steals may be a thing of the past, he should start getting a bit luckier on fly balls in the not-too-distant future, as his 2.6 percent HR/FB rate in less than a quarter of what it has been the last two seasons, despite hitting the ball harder this season. He could be a nice buy-low option if his owner is still doubtful.
Brandon Kintzler
Despite a paltry 5.94 K/9 rate, Kintzler continues to excel at the end of games for Minnesota. His ERA is down to 2.48 on the season, and although his FIP (3.56) and xFIP (3.86) suggest he's been a bit lucky, I tend to believe his success. Kintzler was able to to beat his FIP last season, and his heavy sinker (which comes with a 50.0 percent ground ball rate) is the type of pitch which can lead to an ERA better than xFIP especially, as his HR/FB rate is even lower this season (10.7 percent). Kintzler may see his ERA creep up a bit in the upcoming months, but he has a steady hold on the closer's role in Minnesota (21-for-24 in save oppprtunities this season), and with the Twins back to winning games, he's a solid closer option for all fantasy leagues.
Daily Fantasy
Ben Revere ($7)
The replacement for Mike Trout's replacement, Revere has actually been pretty solid filling in for Eric Young Jr. Revere has two steals in his past three games, and while his 2017 has been pretty rough overall (wRC+ below 50), he is hitting the ball enough to get on base and scamper around right now. Getting a hit and a steal for seven bucks is the type of move that opens up plenty of cap space in other spots of the roster. Revere and the Angels have a primo matchup with Kyle Gibson and his 6.11 ERA/1.78 WHIP. Check to make sure Young Jr. hasn't returned from his hand injury, but if Revere is in the starting lineup, he's a nice cheap outfield option.
This is just a small sample our our daily analysis, join our member area for over 80 player updates daily. Click here for details:http://www.insiderbaseball.
