Carlos Rodon (SP, CHW) - Rodon started game one of the Twins/White Sox doubleheader and was very good, striking out nine batters over six and one-third innings with two runs and three walks. He dropped his ERA to 3.88 over 10 starts since returning from the DL, and picked up his second win of the year. He is still walking more batters than you would like to see with a 4.03 BB/9, but he is at least making up for the ugly WHIP with a lot of strikeouts. He upped his strikeout rate to 10.14 K/9, a number backed by a steady 10.6% swinging strike rate. Most of those swings and misses come on his curveball, which netted 30% whiffs in this start. He relied heavily on his fourseam though, throwing it 59% of the time, but he continues to incorporate his changeup, which is very encouraging for his long-term success. He also got stronger as the game went on, gaining velocity with each inning and maxing out at 97.7 MPH with his 116th pitch. That tells us he's fully healthy and broken in, and he should be a high strikeout #3 fantasy starter the rest of the way.
Juan Minaya (RP, CHW) - Minaya notched his third save since the White Sox shipped off Tyler Clippard, and he appears to have the best shot at saves the rest of the way for the South Siders. It looked like Aaron Bummer was set to close out the 9th inning Sunday, but he walked a batter on four pitches and Minaya came in to finish the inning for the save. Minaya has the strikeout rate you like to see with a closer, striking out 11.25 batters per nine innings. That helps balance out the ugly 4.22 BB/9, which has paired poorly with a 1.69 HR/9 to give him a 4.50 ERA on the season. He is an extreme fly ball pitcher, which is a slightly frightening profile in Guaranteed Rate Field, and could continue to provide home run issues for him. I would still consider it a relatively fluid closer situation here and his profile is a flawed one, but if you're looking to take a stab at saves the rest of the way, Juan Minaya looks like your best bet.
Andrew Benintendi (OF, BOS) - Benintendi went 2-4 with his 18th home run of the year and two RBI batting third for the Red Sox. Benintendi is living up to his top prospect billing, slashing .279/.358/.449 with those 18 homers and 14 steals in 17 tries. His plate discipline is already impressive for a 23 year old, as he sits with a 10% walk rate and 16% strikeouts. He has the looks of a consistent 20/20 threat, with a 35% hard contact rate and 41% fly ball rate that should continue to lead to steady home runs. He's been hitting second or third in the lineup every game in August, which over the course of a full season would lead to a very high floor for R+RBI. Given his speed he could even stand to see some improvement on his .301 BABIP over the rest of the season, potentially pushing his average into the .280's. He will be a strong option in the outfield the rest of the season, and he is a terrific asset to own in dynasty/keeper leagues.
Yonder Alonso (1B, SEA) - Alonso went 3-5 with two doubles, scoring two runs and driving in three. He's nesled into the two hole against righties since being traded to Seattle, which is good news for his R+RBI totals moving forward. He has really fallen off since his hot start with Oakland, hitting for a .728 OPS in the second half compared to his impressive .934 OPS over the first half. He has also struggled against left-handed pitching, with a .684 OPS this season, leading to him being deployed in a platoon with Danny Valencia. The dropoff in power makes him more of a corner infielder in mixed leagues the rest of the way, but he has maintained a good average and OBP, keeping him in the mixed league relevant heap. His hard contact rate is back up to 43% in August after it fell to 25% in July, so there remains a possibility that his power will round back into form.
Jorge Polanco (SS, MIN) - Polanco homered in both games of the Twins doubleheader, once from each side of the plate. He finished with six RBI and three runs scored on the day. Polanco is now hitting a scorching .403 in August, which is very encouraging considering he hit .078 - yes, .078 - in July, and was essentially pushed to a backup role. His hard contact rate is up to 31% in August after having dipped to 17% in July, and he is hitting a whopping 35% line drives in this month as well. With just five home runs and eight steals on the year Polanco still isn't ready to be a mixed league asset, but he is just 24 years old so perhaps he has turned a corner and he can at least be a deep league asset the rest of the way. If you're needing a middle infielder you could do worse than riding the hot streak with Polanco right now.
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