It is indeed the Memorial Day Weekend, and we take stock of our teams, our rosters, and the standings and try to determine whether our teams have a chance to finish in the money. In my meager opinion, that means between now and July 1, owners should take a fearless look at their teams, what realistic points can be earned, what that means, and adjust accordingly.
For example, in LABR my team is simply languishing. Part of the problem are injuries (between five and nine guys on the DL since Week 1) but mostly bad drafting, planning, and financial allocations. The reality is that my team is not going to win no matter what I do or how lucky I get. But, I can indeed work to improve my squad as much as possible simply because I cannot abide being at the bottom.
But, LABR, like Tout, is a throw-back league so trading becomes tough when four months worth of stats is all that hangs in the balance. And my Tout team is actually in pretty good shape, among the top five and in total striking distance of the top. What is interesting is that there are nine players common to both my Tout and LABR teams, including J.D. Martinez, Craig Kimbrel, Khris Davis, Daniel Mengden, and Ryon Healy. Clearly, the other slots were make or break.
But, in the XFL, despite my efforts year-after-year, I struggle at the bottom of the standings and this year is no different (despite again, the presence of Martinez, Davis, and Mengden). Since that is a Dynasty format, I will spend June trying to adjust, awaiting the return of Jimmy Nelson, Ervin Santana and Kevin Kiermaier, setting up to see what kind of run, if any, is possible. If not, yard sale for the future is appropriate.
In the here and now, however, there really are two spots that just scream for help this season: catcher and pitcher. Since catching is pretty much universally bad, we will mostly focus on the latest cluster of arms that got some spotlight this past week. That, and a couple of position players.
As for the holiday, enjoy your BBQ, enjoy time with your family and loved ones, and thanks so much to all of you who served, like our Elaine Corales and my Tout Wars Hour mate, Justin Mason.
Adam Plutko (P, Indians): Of all the hurlers making a mark this past week, Plutko looks to be the one to grab, at least for now. An 11th round pick in 2013, Plutko managed a 40-40, 3.81 record over 657 innings and 112 starts. Plutko bagged 549 strikeouts over that span and posted a 1.17 WHIP and at Triple-A this year — 4-3, 2.25 over 44 innings with 35 whiffs and an 0.82 WHIP. And the 26-year-old is 2-0, 2.03 over 13.3 innings this year with the Tribe, making him an attractive pickup in a deep or AL-only format and worth keeping an eye on elsewhere.
David Hess (P, Orioles): If I need one thing at the moment in Tout Wars, it is a starting pitcher, and though I set my sights on Adam Plutko this past week, I majorly lost out on FAAB-wise. Last week I grabbed Sam Gavliogo as a fifth starter, and so this week I reserved the Jay and wound up with the Orioles newest starter.
For the archives, Hess has a 30-28, 4.04 line and just 395 whiffs over 488 frames to go with a 1.31 WHIP. But Hess’s 2018 at Triple-A Rochester is much better than the career line, with a 2-0, 2.12 record over 29.3 innings with 29 strikeouts. The 24-year-old was a fourth-round pick in 2014 and has climbed the ladder quite efficiently. That said, and despite his good start the other day, I am not expecting him to last on my team, however. If I can get a couple of good starts, more the better.
Frankie Montas (P, Athletics): If I would want Plutko ideally for the near future of my fantasy team, Montas is the guy I would want for the long term. The 25-year-old came to Oakland via the Josh Reddick/Rich Hill swap that also netted Jharel Cotton for the Green and Gold, and has logged 469 minor league innings but with 482 strikeouts. He tossed six very good frames against the Mariners (seven whiffs, one run, two walks, three hits), and Montas could slide right in among Daniel Mengden and Sean Manaea.
Joe Musgrove (P, Pirates): With 178 innings in the bigs, Musgrove is hardly a rookie, but he has been both hittable and hurtable at that level since debuting in August of 2016. ln the minors Musgrove was a fantastic 30-13 with 344 strikeouts over 362 innings. The hurler has had his struggles in the majors (12-12, 4.34), though based upon his solid start Friday (seven innings, seven whiffs, five hits, and nothing else) Musgrove makes a potentially good arm acquisition that could also really pay, even in the near term.
John Gant (P, Cardinals): The Cards have been doing well bringing forth hurlers, and Gant, a 21st-round pick of the Mets in 2011, did OK Friday with 5.3 frames along with seven strikeouts, although with three runs allowed. Gant has 25 strikeouts over 22.6 innings this year with a decent 1.27 WHP, but the return of Alex Reyes portends a pitching glut in St. Louis, making Gant superfluous for fantasy purposes.
Amir Garrett (P, Reds): Just a hunch, but I like Garrett to end up closing in Cincy for a while, just as Josh Hader got the job in Milwaukee. And I see Tyler Clippard holding the closer job in Toronto, despite the hiccoughs, simply because he has held the gig before and managers like that. I expect Clippard — or whoever does wind up closing — keeps the job for the rest of the season, as I don’t expect to see a return of Roberto Osuna. Somehow, the fact that very little has been released around the “incident” does not bode well.
Willy Adames (SS, Rays) Finishing up quickly with a couple of position spots, The Rays advanced their shortstop of the future and, though he only lasted a week in the majors (.167-1-1), if your league allows you to claim a player once he appears at the Show, grab Adames. If you are in a dynasty league, the infielder is probably not available, but in throw-backs and other circumstances where you can grab Adames and reserve him, do so. He will be back this year and could contribute. By next year the 22-year-old should be a starter.
Chris Herrmann (C, Mariners): A final shot in this year of pathetic backstops, the Mariners brought up Herman, 30, to spell Mike Zunino. Hermann has had his agony (.146-2-10 in 2015) and the ecstasy (.284-6-28) in the life of a back-up backstop. He is worth a buck in an AL only format. At least he will be to me in my leagues next Sunday.
Have a great holiday.
