Justin Steele, SP, Cubs
Justin Steele went the distance on Friday, allowing one run on two hits and a walk while striking out seven in a complete-game victory over the Angels. It was his fifth consecutive quality start, and he hasn't given up more than 3 earned runs in an outing since May 22nd. He has a K/9 of only 8.94 and a middling hard-hit rate of 39.5%, but it has become the norm for Steele to overperform his underlying metrics thanks to his unique fastball that contributes to his 6% barrel rate on the season. His ERA now sits at 2.95, and he'll look to keep things rolling in his next start which is currently lined up to be against a tough Baltimore offense. He looks to be back to matchup-proof at this point, so I would still trust him in your fantasy lineups.
Jose Miranda, 1B/3B, Twins
Jose Miranda went 4 for 4 with three runs, two RBI, a double, and a homer on Friday. Including his 5 for 5 performance on Thursday and his last at-bat on Wednesday, it makes him 10 for his last 10. To call him hot would be an understatement, and he is now slashing .324/.364/.529 with 35 R, 9 HR, and 42 RBI in 71 games. It's easy to forget that Miranda was one of the most hyped prospects coming into 2022, and he's still only 26 years old. While it's impossible to keep up his pace as of late, it's entirely possible that this is the breakout season everyone was expecting two years ago. His strikeout rate has always been excellent, as his 13.6% K% ranks in the 91st percentile, but he is now hitting the ball harder than he ever has before in his career. While not elite numbers by any means, an 89.8 mph average exit velocity and 41.1% hard-hit rate can lead to great production from someone who puts the ball in play as much as Miranda.
Kevin Gausman, SP, Blue Jays
Kevin Gausman had a nice bounce-back outing against the Mariners on Friday, striking out ten over six innings while allowing two runs, six hits, and two walks. Seattle is one of the most strikeout-prone teams in the majors, but it was still nice to see Gausman take advantage of the matchup and strike out 10 on 21 whiffs (39% whiff rate). This start brought his ERA down to 4.64, so he clearly still has a lot more work to do to turn his season around. He has given up way too much hard contact this season, as can be seen by his 90.4 mph average exit velocity (15th percentile), 11.3% barrel rate (7th percentile), and 43.6% hard-hit rate (17th percentile). It's certainly not what fantasy managers signed up for when they drafted him so early, and his volatility still places him outside of the top 30 starting pitchers for fantasy.
Shane Baz, SP, Rays
Shane Baz finally made his season debut on Friday, allowing three runs on seven hits and one walk while striking out six over six innings against the Rangers. It's great to see a quality start in his long-awaited return to the majors, especially against a great Texas offense. Although he only induced 9 whiffs on the night, he had 16 called strikes which brought his CSW% up to 27%. Although Tommy John put a halt to his career, he was still clearly the best pitching prospect in the minors at the time of his promotion, and he still possesses upside that not many others do. He should be rostered in all fantasy leagues and has the potential to be a real difference-maker in the second half.
Sonny Gray, SP, Cardinals
Sonny Gray had a rough outing on Friday, giving up five runs on eight hits and one walk with six strikeouts over five innings against the Nationals. This was his second bad start in a row, as he gave up 6 runs (3 earned) over 4.2 innings in his last time out. His ERA on the season now sits at 3.30 to go along with an elite 11.17 K/9. The opposition clearly struggles to make contact against him, but when they do, it tends to be a problem for Gray. His 89.6 mph average exit velocity against, 8.5% barrel rate, and 39.4% hard-hit rate are all well below the league average. He'll look to turn things around in his next time out, which is tentatively scheduled to be against the Royals.
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