Hey Razzfolx! Hoping y’all have a stellar fourth of July week if you’re stateside. If you’re not stateside, give us grace and forgiveness while we explode fireworks into the sky like it’s 1999. I was actually there in 1999. Nothing like Prince promised us. Mostly, it was filled with boy bands and tamagotchis. But hey, maybe you too can chill the heck out for a bit and get ready for the second half of the calendar year. I’ll have a barrel-aged stout for you this week (and there sure are a lot of you!).
That’s What I Like
Tyler Mahle, P, Rangers: Fast-backward to 2021. You can still afford a house if you abstain from avocado toast. The Avengers are still cool. And Tyler Mahle was your staff sleeper ace, racking up 13 wins with a 10.5 K/9 and 3.75 ERA. You did it, you won your league! And like clockwork, the Twins ruined Tyler. I mean, Minnesota ruined Mahle. No matter how you alphabetize it, Mahle stunk for the next couple years. And now? He’s…in a mystery situation right now. Formally, he’s on the IL for shoulder stuff, but reports coming out are indicating that he’s on the trade block. You know what the NBA does when they’re protecting a player’s trade value? They bench the player and wait for a deal. We don’t know what’s in store next for Mahle — some of the digital outlets are reporting that the Blue Jays are looking to acquire him. The AL East isn’t exactly a great landing spot, but Mahle’s turned more into a ground ball pitcher recently, with 40%+ rates over the last two years that have resulted in an uncanny skill to prevent homers. Imagine trying out for The Avengers and the Bruce Banner asks, “So what can you do”, and all you got to say is, “I keep the ball in the park and get us on the team bus by 9PM.” That’ll do. ENYWHEY. This series is about finding deep league value, and it ain’t hard to add a guy to your IL and see what happens. Available in 40% of leagues if you need a low-ceiling Win guy.
Eric Lauer, P, Blue Jays: Hey look, a Roleless Rob with a role! Lauer’s entered the starting rotation and done a perfectly adequate job starting games rather than coming in emergency long-relief. Over his last 6 outings — 3 starts, 3 long-relief appearances — he’s sporting a 1.48 ERA with 24.1 IP and 3 Wins. He’s notched a 9.25 K/9 along the way, which isn’t half bad for a freebie off the waiver wire. That said, as noted a couple hundred words ago in the Tyler Mahle blurb, the Blue Jays are looking for more starters. Who do you think gets kicked out of the rotation if the Jays acquire a starter? Probably not Max Scherzer is all I’m saying. Lauer could fill in pretty well through the next couple weeks, and he’s available in just about every league. What’s better is you might be able to sneak him into your RP slot depending on your site’s settings. We always love it when a Roleless Rob finds a home!
Otto Lopez, 2B/SS, Marlins: Sometimes this gig is really easy. Like, all you gotta do is find the good players who had a tough month and then tell people to “go add them again.” Lopez plummeted in ownership after a May that saw him batting .211. What’s he done over his last 50 plate appearances? .385 average, .568 slugging, 2 homers (each this weekend!), and 14 RBIs. Like, this ain’t hard. He’s not going to be the next Dustin Pedroia, but he demonstrated a fair contact skill in the minors, and he’s already on track to top his minor league bests in homers. With a touch of speed, he could finish the year 15/20 and a .270 average, which I wouldn’t kick out of bed. He’s available in 20% of leagues at the time of writing.
I’m the Problem, It’s Me
Bailey Ober, P, Twins: The thing about fantasy sports writing is that it’s really, really hard not to say “I told you so” over and over again. Ober’s never been one of my favs, but people in the fantasy community love him. So you gotta say, “OK boss, good luck with that” and let the subject turn to more important things, like how can a pub not have a dark beer on tap? ENYWHEY. Statistically speaking, it’s not good to allow 2 homers per 9. Starters in that range usually don’t last long. Ober’s HR/9 is [checks notes] 2.05. His ERA is north of 5.00, and he’s allowing barrels at a 10%+ rate. Nothing here is good. His walks are down in Tyler Mahle territory, and he’s taken 5 consecutive losses. Bee-tee-dubya, his ERA over that span is 9.00. Yeah, nothing here to like, and no trade value. His velocity looks OK (for him), but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him get a visit to the IL for “shoulder” reasons near the all-star break so he can rest and try to get a new perspective for the second half. That’s great for real life baseball, but not something you need to deal with on your fantasy team. Drop him and let somebody else wait until he gets his groove back.
