As a high school and Little League baseball coach, I always had room on the roster for an eager younger brother. Often quiet and determined, their skills improved while practicing with older siblings and several of them became stars. It’s not an infallible path, as some get discouraged and move on to other pastimes. The ones who persevered were among my favorite players.
22-year-old Joe Ross $5000 is a right-handed pitcher, just like his talented 28-year-old brother Tyson. On a loaded Nationals staff, the rookie was called up to make three starts in June, improving each time out. When injured veterans returned, Joe was sent back to Triple-A Syracuse, where he’s stayed sharp in five starts, allowing just 15 hits in 24.2 IP. He returns to the Show tonight in a likely low-scoring duel against Jacob DeGrom $10900 — given the salary difference and the Mets’ trouble scoring, Ross is an excellent value play.
Brian Johnson $4500 makes his MLB debut tonight for Boston. He’s a big lefty without overpowering stuff, prompting scouts to compare him to Mark Buehrle $8100. A first-rounder in 2012, Johnson’s command and ability to change speeds held opponents to a .200 AVG through his minor league career, with success at every level. If you use him or Ross tonight, you can afford to spend big on another SP and some premium hitters.
Plays of the Day
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A third highly-touted rookie has zipped through the minors even faster than Johnson. Aaron Nola $5300 was drafted #7 overall by Philadelphia just last year and has been called up after just 164.2 IP as a pro. However, the Phillies don’t score many runs and Nola’s 1.44 WHIP in six Triple-A starts is a caution flag.
While DeGrom, Gerrit Cole $10500 and Danny Salazar $9900 are the highest-priced arms, I also like Michael Wacha $8700 and Kyle Gibson $8600 to put up decent numbers. Gibson is especially useful in Late contests (9:40 ET; 4 games) and Wacha in Turbo contests (8:10; 5 games) but our sample lineup and Short List cover the full schedule (7:05; 15 games.)
Once again, the Rangers and Rockies will trade thunder at Coors Field (it was 8-7 last night) although tonight the platoon edge goes to RH batters from Colorado and lefty swingers from Texas. Stacking is not a bad approach.
DH John Jaso $4200 is eligible only at catcher, and will probably lead off against Nola. 1B/C Buster Posey $4200 can be used at either position and any time C/OF Kyle Schwarber $3200 is in the lineup, he’s worth considering. If Schwarber does not start, lefty-mashing Josh Phegley $3200 is a solid substitute.
Paul Goldschmidt $5300 is the most consistent 1B, but he was walked twice last night and some teams pitch around him. We’re going mile high with Prince Fielder $5200 in a favorable matchup. 67 AB may be a small sample size to seamheads but it does matter to players; after 3 HR, 17 RBI and an .883 OPS, Billy Butler $3500 will be extra-confident vs. Buehrle.
I touted 2B/3B D.J. LeMahieu $4300 last night (RBI triple, SB 19 FPTS) and will stick with him in the probable slugfest. We also mentioned Robinson Cano $3900, who homered again on Monday — that’s three in as many games.
Nolan Arenado $5000 is still my pick at 3B although Josh Donaldson $5400 would love to have a big series in Oakland. We have also been following Adrian Beltre $4500 and he did not disappoint last night (3 H, 2 RBI.) 3B/SS Jung Ho Kang $3400 is good value at either position.
Troy Tulowitzki $4600 costs $600 less than he did yesterday, when he came through with flying colors (HR, 2 RBI.). Sensational rookie Carlos Correa $4900 is already the best SS in the American League — at age 20! — and as predicted, fellow freshman Francisco Lindor $3200 is beginning to hit almost as well as he fields.
Future Hall of Famer Mike Trout $5800 is deservedly the highest-salaried hitter and on a tremendous roll in July: 8 HR and a 1.232 OPS. A simple rule of thumb at DK is averaging 3 FPTS per $1000 of salary = 150 PTS, often good enough for first place and almost always for a prize. That means Trout has to score at least 18 (again) to be a “break-even” pick. Jose Bautista $5100 has homered in two straight, Adam Jones $5000 appears to be locked-in and we are not jumping off the Matt Kemp $4100 bandwagon after another HR last night. Christian Yelich $3900 is slightly more affordable and Drew Stubbs $2800 is a cheap speculative play any time he faces a southpaw.
| Pos | Premium | Bargain |
| SP1 | Jacob DeGrom $10900 | Joe Ross $5000 |
| SP2 | Michael Wacha $8700 | Brian Johnson $4500 |
| C | John Jaso $4200 | Kyle Schwarber $3200 |
| 1B | Prince Fielder $5200 | Billy Butler $3500 |
| 2B | D.J. LeMahieu $4300 | Robinson Cano $3900 |
| 3B | Nolan Arenado $5000 | Adrian Beltre $4300 |
| SS | Troy Tulowitzki $4600 | Jung Ho Kang $3300 |
| OF1 | Mike Trout $5800 | Matt Kemp $4100 |
| OF2 | Jose Bautista $5100 | Drew Stubbs $2800 |
| OF3 | Adam Jones $5000 | Christian Yelich $3700 |
The Fantasy Spin features DFS advice every day of the NBA season and we’re turning our attention to baseball for the summer. Follow Kent Williams @SheridanFantasy for updates.