Marcus Stroman Demands Your Attention - Fantasy Baseball

Marcus Stroman has been the #2 prospect in the Blue Jays’ system and got the call yesterday not long after Brandon Morrow was placed on the DL. The time to stash, especially in deep leagues, is now!

The @BlueJays select the contract of MARCUS STROMAN from @BuffaloBisons. A corresponding move will be announced tomorrow.
— Blue Jays-Official (@BlueJays) May 4, 2014

Stroman started 5 games this year for the AAA Buffalo Bisons and brings a tiny 1.69 ERA and 1.08 WHIP to the Great White North. In his carry-on bag he has 36 strikeouts and just 7 walks over 26.2 innings.

Even though he’s a starter, the Jays will stick him in the ‘pen, at least for the time being. If or when Dustin McGowan falters again, it would be silly not to give the kid Marcus a chance. I believe the Jays brought him up to be a starter, and they may be easing him into it by way of middle relief.

His size is unconventional (5’ 9”), but players under six feet have had success. I’m not about to compare the kid to Pedro, but Sonny Gray with the Oakland Athletics is a great example, and he’s their ace.

Stroman throws heat in the mid-90s and has a nasty slider that’ll make your knees buckle. He has tremendous strikeout potential and will likely maintain a low WHIP, but the ERA may suffer at times. His home park isn’t pitcher-friendly and he’ll live in the AL East. An ERA in the mid-3s is a reasonable expectation.

I plan to pick my spots, i.e. whenever he gets a road start or friendly opponent at home. I’ve added him in mixed leagues and let go of Trevor Bauer. I have no idea what the Indians are thinking leaving him in the minors in favor of Josh Tomlin.

3 Reasons It’s Time to Stash Gregory Polanco – Fantasy Baseball

If you want to win your fantasy league(s), you absolutely have to grab somebody that will produce beyond their expected value. I’ve never won my league without guessing right on a guy outperforming his value. Prospects are harder to predict because we haven’t seen them face MLB talent, but we don’t want to miss out on the next Trout or Puig.

If you’re in a 12-team mixed league or deeper and have more than three bench spots, here are three reasons you should stash Gregory Polanco.

Gregory Polanco lurks behind Victory Field walls

1. Polanco is crushing minor league pitching.

Through 17 games, Polanco is slashing a gaudy .406/.446/.609 in AAA for the Indianapolis Indians. With a 6’4”, 220 lb frame he can hit for power, but more impressive is his knack for stealing bases, swiping 78 the last two years. Last year he struck out just once every six at bats, respectable for a guy who can crank it. This year his offensive prowess has been off the charts, hitting for incredible average against both lefties and righties, and .550 with runners in scoring position to put icing on the cake. Bring ‘em on home!

2. The outfield platoon of Tabata/Snider isn’t working.

Jose Tabata has given the Bucs nothing, slashing a putrid .222/.271/.267. In 19 games he’s scored 4 runs and driven in 4. That’s it. No steals or homers, the latter of which isn’t a surprise, but he came up in the Pirates’ system with a threat of speed. After averaging 17.5 steals his first two seasons, he managed just 3 stolen bases in 4 attempts in 106 games last year. Yawn.

Travis Snider, the other side of Jekyll and Hyde, cannot and will not hit lefties, and has hit a pedestrian .250 in 18 games. We all know what we’re getting with Snider… and it’s not much, other than his perfect fielding percentage, tops in the NL. If only fielding percentage mattered in fantasy...

Tabata has more upside with his speed and could probably benefit from regular at bats, but it appears the Bucs are treating this as a true platoon for the time being.

3. The Pirates are under .500, 6 games back in the NL Central.

The Pirates are 20 games into the young season – and yes, it’s early – but they trail the NL Central- and MLB-leading Brewers and sit in a competitive division (STL, CIN, MIL). Sorry, Cubs.

Pittsburgh is hitting just .238 as a team and could use a boost to say the least. No longer in rebuild mode, there is no time to waste. In the past, the club didn’t bring up previous talents (Andrew McCutchen in 2009) because there wasn’t a need and they simply weren’t in contention. Polanco would fill an immediate need in the outfield with a power/speed combo similar to that of George Springer, who finally got the call for the Astros this year.

The Curious Case of Mark Buehrle - Fantasy Baseball

Mark Buehrle, league leader in wins

First of all, if you can even spell Mark Buehrle, then I tip my cap to you. He doesn't care though, since he's been Mr. Burly to start the season instead. Believe it or not, he's your MLB leader in wins along with a 0.86 ERA.

To begin the year, Buehrle nearly went the distance at Tropicana - 8.2 innings, 4 hits, 0 ER, and dominated in unexpected fashion with 11 Ks. No one saw this coming, and I went straight to the wire to grab him as he was due to face the lowly Astros his next turn. He got the win as I hoped, and I dropped him shortly thereafter in anticipation of a shellacking at Camden.

Earlier today, Buehrle threw 7 innings of 1-run ball on 5 hits against one of the most potent lineups in baseball, the Orioles. And he did it in Camden Yards to boot, where last year Camden had the 4th highest park factor for home runs, according to ESPN. Getting himself in a jam in the first, he got Adam Jones to ground out to short, bringing in a run, but settled in nicely the rest of the way. If you had him in your lineup, I tip my cap to you again. OK, no more tipping! That's two days in a row now after getting Chinese food yesterday.

Now for the dicey part. Buehrle hasn't had an ERA under 3.50 since 2005, so there is some regression to obviously be expected here. He's a fly ball pitcher who doesn't get strikeouts and is prone to homers. And he's slated to face the Indians next, who are 5th in runs scored and they don't strike out much. His next start after that? The Red Sox. Tread lightly, my friends.