MLB sliding into the second half like:
This will never get old. pic.twitter.com/iZIeZu3Wzu
— MLB (@MLB) July 22, 2022
On the Agenda:
- Sleeper and the Bust DK Contest
- Podapallooza 2022!
- Closer Chaos
- Trades (and rumors)!
- Quick Hits
- Various News and Notes
- Streaming Pitchers
Sleeper and the Bust DK Contest
On most Tuesday’s and Friday’s and some other days, Paul Sporer and I will be doing a $5 draftkings game for anyone that is interested. Will add a link once available.
Podapallooza 2022!
This weekend I will be hosting a two-day fantasy baseball livestream to raise money for Big League Impact. From 10am-5pm EST, I will be joined by some of the biggest names in the fantasy industry talking about all the fantasy baseball information you need to in your leagues! For every dollar donated, you get a raffle ticket to win great prizes like t-shirts, subscriptions to fantasy baseball sites, bobbleheads, and much more! I also will be giving away an entry into TGFBI for every $1,000 raised! You can donate via paypal to justinmasonfantasy@gmail.com and via venmo to justin-salinger. All proceeds will be donated to Big League Impact. You can see the live stream at the following places:
Twitter: twitter.com/JustinMasonFWFB
YouTube: youtube.com/c/JustinMasonF
Twitch: twitch.tv/justinmasonfwfb
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JustinMasonFantasy
I may also put an embedded link here on RotoGraphs if there is interest.
Trades (and rumors)!
According to Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post, the Nationals are shopping Kyle Finnegan. Finnegan is the likely closer for the Nationals coming out of the break and while the Nationals aren’t competitive, they do have him under team control until 2025, so the Nationals reportedly would have to be blown away according to Dougherty.
According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Nationals have begun to listen to offers on Juan Soto. Soto reportedly turned down a $440 million extension that would have kept him in Washington for 15 years. The Nationals also reportedly would like to move Patrick Corbin’s deal as part of a trade. While there is now smoke, it seems unlikely that Soto would be moved this season since he still has two years of team control after 2022.
Quick Hits
Dom Smith was placed on the IL with an ankle sprain. The move is retroactive to July 17th and there is no timetable for his return.
Brad Miller was placed on the IL with a neck strain. The move is retroactive to July 18th and there is no timetable for his return.
The Giants signed Trevor Rosenthal to a one year contract. Rosenthal is an elite relief pitcher that is recovering from Thoracic Outlet surgery. He is expected to be out for at least a couple of weeks before making his debut with the Giants.
Various News and Notes
Darin Ruf went 1-for-3 with a grand slam in the loss to the Dodgers on Thursday.
Darin Ruf just silenced Dodger Stadium
🎥 @DannyEmerman
pic.twitter.com/l9aKQB8mjM— KNBR (@KNBR) July 22, 2022
Ruf entered the box as a pinch hitter earlier in the game and the Giants were down 5-1 when his home run tied the game. Ruf has struggled this season, but he has always hit lefties well. Coming into the game, he was hitting .269/.373/.527 versus southpaws with seven home runs in 110 plate appearances. He is a nice streaming option or DFS play against lefties and the Giants are scheduled to face four straight lefties over the next four days.
Adolis Garcia went 2-for-5 with a home run in the drubbing of the Marlins on Thursday.
The Marlins have not scored in 31 innings and are down 5-0 after this two-run nuke jobber by Adolis García. pic.twitter.com/Ntas2kcfbP
— Just Baseball (@JustBBMedia) July 21, 2022
Garcia is doubling down on his breakout season last year, hitting .239/.283/.447 with 16 home runs and 13 stolen bases in 374 plate appearances in spite of awful underlying numbers. He has a 75% zone contact rate which is 10% below the league average and his 17% swinging strike rate is 6% above league average. There is power and speed here, but the contact skills could mean the floor could fall out at any time.
Streaming Pitchers (Under 50% in CBS)
Pitcher for Today: Madison Bumgarner vs WAS
Kind of a risky play here, but MadBum has been a better pitcher this season at home and the Nationals have not been good against left handed pitching.
High Risk Options: James Kaprielian vs TEX, Mike Minor vs STL.
Pitcher for Tomorrow: None
Not many players qualify and the ones that do are not very intriguing.
High Risk Options: Chad Kuhl at MIL, Reid Detmers at ATL, Dean Kremer at NYY.
For those of you that would like to see how these picks play out, I have a doc I put together to track the stats from the recommended pitchers. It does not include the “High Risk Options.”