Aroldis Chapman- RP- NYY- Injury Update- Chapman threw a perfect IP in his rehab appearance at AA Somerset yesterday. He threw 7 of 11 pitches and struck out a batter. It looks like Chapman passed his last test before returning to the Yankees. At least according to manager Aaron Boone, there will be no set closer when Chapman gets back and matchups will determine whether Clay Holmes or Chapman get the save opportunity. With the winning pace of the Yankees, there will probably be plenty of saves to spread around.
Jeremy Pena- SS- HOU- Rookie- Pena went 1-for-4 yesterday in his return from the IL. He had been out of action due to a thumb injury earlier this month. With a lot of pressure on him as the replacement for Carlos Correa, Pena has had a solid season, slashing .277/.332/.472 with 9 homers and 6 steals in 215 PAs. His EV of 89.1 and HardHIt% of 37.7% are solid, as are his GB% of 39.2% and FB% of 37.8%. Pena's SwStr% of 14.8% is a little high, but this is a player who is getting his first taste of MLB. His wRC+ of 132 is comparable to Correa's 135. Correa and Pena are 4 and 5, respectively, in that category among SSs with 210 or more PAs. Pena is delivering on what the Astros hoped for him and is not disappointing fantasy owners.
Steven Kwan- OF- CLE- Rookie- Kwan has been hot this month. He is slashing .362/.400/.406. He has been up and down this season, slashing .354/.459/.500 before May and .173/.271/.253 in May. It's his BABIP that has been the main driver as it went from .386 to .176, and then bounced back to .385.What really stands out about Kwan is his plate discipline. He has walked 23 times and struck out 17 in 221 PAs. He hasn't shown the power he had in 2021 when he hit 12 homers in 341 PAs across AA and AAA. His 85.0 EV and 23.6% HardHit% aren't conducive to long balls. However, he should be a solid source for decent average and OBP. His current .286/.367/.370 slash line can help a team with needs that fit Kwan's strengths.
Marco Gonzales- P- SEA- Hot- Gonzales picked up his 5th quality start in his last 6 outings and 9th in 15 starts for the season. Yesterday he allowed 2 runs on 5 hits and 4 walks while striking out 5 in 6 IP. He threw 60 of his 100 pitches for strikes. Gonzales has a 3.31 ERA but a 5.37 FIP. His 5.18 K/9 and 3.42 BB/9 with a 1.54 HR/9 make Gonzales look like an implosion ready to happen.
Jovani Moran- RP- MIN- Rise Value-Moran has been up and down between the Twins and AAA St.Paul this season. He is up again and will likely get more game action. The Twins have 12 games in the next 11 days and will need bullpen arms. Manager Rocco Baldelli has said he feels comfortable using Moran in just about any role, from long relief to more high-leverage situations. The challenge for Moran will be to increase his control enough to warrant continued increased playing time. He has a 1.74 ERA and 2.25 FIP with a 13.06 K/9 in 10.1 IP with Minnesota. His BB/9, though, is 6.10. Small sample size skews that somewhat. Moran walked 3 on 6/9 in 1 IP and walked 2 on 6/3 in another IP. In his other 8.1 IP across 6 appearances Moran issued a total of 2 walks. At AAA St. Paul his BB/9 was 7.20 and he walked at least 1 in 9 of his 13 appearances. Moran has potential as a sleeper and definitely can miss bats with the potential of challenging for a back end bullpen role. It's going to take some major improvement for the 25-year-old.
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