Alek Manoah-Blue Jays-SP
Alek Manoah went 6 IP and gave up 0 ER on 4 H, 2 BB, and 6 K's against the Orioles. Manoah has now made six starts and has a 3.34 ERA with a 1.11 WHIP. He is missing bats (27% K) which is backed up by his swinging strike rate (12% SwStr). The one area that he has struggled with has been control (9% BB). This is something that he did not show in his limited time in the minors and should improve as the season goes along. He has also had an issue with home runs (2.12 HR/9) due to 19% HR/FB which is also going to regress over time. His 3.95 SIERA gives a good indication of what is possible for his ERA going forward. This is going to come with over a strikeout an inning which will be very useful from a fantasy perspective. He isn't going to dominate every start as he did in his debut but he has the potential to be an above-average fantasy starter.
Jorge Polanco-Twins-2B
Jorge Polanco was 1-4 with a caught stealing against the Indians. Polanco had been red hot in the month of June (.305/.356/.524 with 4 HR/3 SB). On the year, he is hitting .254 with 9 HR, 42 R, 30 RBI, and 6 SB. The batting average isn't what you expected or wanted coming into the year but he is providing both power and speed. His plate skills (16% K and 8% BB) give a good indication that his batting average will come up. His .275 BABIP is quite a bit lower than his career .309 BABIP. Polanco's batted ball profile (38% Hard and 9% Barrels) also suggests that he should see positive regression in his average. Once this happens, Polanco will become a true five-category performer.
D.J. LeMahieu-Yankees-2B
D.J. LeMahieu was 1-5 with 2 RBI against the Red Sox. LeMahieu is still disappointing fantasy managers due to his .261 AVG with 6 HR, 39 R, 27 RBI, and 2 SB. The power was going to come down due to regression and the new ball and that is exactly what has happened. The one factor that has been a total surprise is the drop in batting average. It was very unlikely he would replicate the .364 AVG from 2020 but .261 is well below his career .302 AVG. His plate skills (15% K and 10% BB) look in line with his career numbers. LeMaheiu's quality of contact is there (44% Hard and 109.9 maxEV). His .295 BABIP doesn't look that outrageous but it is low compared to his career .342 BABIP. He continues to lead off for the Yankees in a lineup that should perform better as everyone gets healthy. There isn't much to do with LeMahieu but wait for his luck to turn around.
Joey Wendle-Rays-3B
Joey Wendle was 1-4 with 4 LOB against the Angels. Wendle should go back to playing every day with Taylor Walls on the IL and Wander Franco taking over at shortstop. Wendle is hitting .283 with 7 HR, 41 R, 32 RBI, and 5 SB. He has been a pleasant surprise for fantasy managers. The concern going forward is that a lot of what he has done has been unsustainable. He doesn't hit the ball very hard (35% Hard and 6% Barrels) and chases out of the zone (35% ) O-swing. His plate skills are solid (21% K and 7% BB) but he is just average across the board which means playing time is extremely important for him to accumulate his fantasy value without elite tools. Playing time could dry up very quickly in Tampa Bay given their prospects in the minors and propensity to platoon at the major league level.
Trey Mancini-Orioles-1B
Trey Mancini was 0-5 with 1 R and 4 K against the Blue Jays. Mancini is hitting .260 with 14 HR, 42 R, and 52 RBI, and 0 SB. The power is legit given his quality of contact (42% Hard and 13% Barrels). His 21% HR/FB is right in line with his career numbers. He should also see a slight uptick in his batting average given his plate skills (21% K and 9% BB) and lower than average BABIP (.296). The weather is just now starting to warm up and Camden Yards will become even more of a hitter-friendly ballpark. Mancini is not going to contribute in stolen bases with just two stolen bases across five seasons but he will be a very solid four-category contributor.
DraftKings Value Plays: OF George Springer ($3,700) and SS Amed Rosario ($3,800)
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