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Happy Father's Day to all the fathers out there!! I hope you enjoy your day. I am a little late in getting to the Roundup today, as I was runnng errands all day yesterday with my mother, and then had a graduation party last night, and I couldn't keep my eyes open while checking out box scores last night.
Have any trade offers you need a second opinion on? Any add/drop or streaming pitcher choices you want to bounce off of us? Stop by our Fantasy Baseball Questions thread and ask away.
Fake Teams Podcast, Episode 9
Zack and Andrew hosted episode 9 of the Fake Teams podcast on Thursday night, discussing the call ups of Gerrit Cole and Mike Zunino, the Dodgers new closer (yay!), and some sabremetric stats. Make sure you check out the podcast.
Carlos Beltran slams two home runs
Carlos Beltran has to be one of the more underrated outfielders in fantasy baseball. When healthy, he is one of the more productive hitters in the game. Beltran went 3-6 with a triple, 2 HRs, 3 runs and 2 RBI in the Cardinals 13-7 win over the Marlins yesterday. Beltran raised his triple slash line to .311-.343-.546 with 16 HRs, 34 runs and 44 RBI IN 61 games this season. He doesn't steal bases for fantasy owners anymore, but continues to be very productive at the plate. He is on pace to hit 38 home runs and drive in over 100 runs. I don't see him hitting 38 home runs, but 30+ is definitely well within reach. The 37 year old outfielder will be one of the more sought after hitters in the free agent market next offseason, and would be a perfect fit for an American League team, which would allow him to DH.
B.J. Upton showing signs of a turnaround
When Braves outfielder B.J. Upton gets a hit, it is good news for his fantasy owners. When he gets two hits, it is even better news. When he hits two home runs in the same game, well, his owners start to have thoughts that maybe his season long slump is over. Upton went 2-4 with 2 HRs, 3 runs, 3 RBI and a stolen base in the Braves come from behind 6-5 win over the Giants yesterday. It is widely known that Upton has been one of the biggest disappointments for fantasy owners this season, but is a streaky hitter, so his two home run game yesterday could signal he is finally figuring things out at the plate. He will always be a hitter who strikes out more than we want, but has the talent to put up a 20-20 season, or better, by the end of the season. He is currently hitting just .166-.264-.312 with 8 HRs, 17 runs, 15 RBI and 5 stolen bases thus far in 2013.
Round'em Up
Nationals new second baseman Anthony Rendon is doing his best to make the decision very difficult for manage Davey Johnson when Danny Espinosa returns from the DL, as he has been hitting well since his recent call up. Rendon had his best day as a big leaguer yesterday as he went 3-5 with a double, a game winning home run, 2 runs and an RBI, and is now hitting .333-.406-.491 with a HR, 7 runs and 6 RBI in 57 at bats this season. He has hit in 9 straight games, going 15-32 over that stretch with five multiple hit games. I see Espinosa becoming trade bait, or used as a back up with Rendon playing full time at second base for the rest of the season. The Nationals have struggled to score runs this season and Rendon makes their lineup better.
Red Sox outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury may never duplicate his 32 home run 2011 season, but he might duplcate his 50 stolen base season back in 2008, or even his 70 stolen base season from 2009, if he can keep up his stolen base pace this season. Yesterday, he went 1-4 with a run scored and a stolen base, and now has 31 stolen bases on the season. He is on pace to eclipse his 70 stolen base effort in 2009, and is tied for the major league lead with Padres shortstop Everth Cabrera.
The Nationals activated starter Stephen Strasburg this morning. Am I the only one who thinks he needed a rehab start before being activated?
The Rangers activated Ian Kinlser yesterday and he started at second base, going 0-4 in the Rangers 6-1 loss to the Blue Jays. The big news here is that the Rangers did not send top prospect Jurickson Profar back to AAA, and it remains to be seen how they keep Profar in the lineup more than a few days per week. I see him playing shortstop and second base at least once per week, and possibly playing second with Kinsler DHing. At some point, probably in the offseason, the Rangers will either approach Kinsler about playing first base/outfield everyday, or just tell him he will be playing a new position in 2014.
Brewers starter Yovani Gallardo has stuggled for most of this season, but yesterday put up his second straight excellent start after three straight starts where he gave up four runs or more. Gallardo limited the Reds to just 3 hits, 2 walks and struck out 5 in 6 shutout innings yesterday. He is now 6-6 with a 4.41 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and a 69-30 strikeout to walk rate in 87.2 innings this season. His strikeout rate is down almost two strikeouts per nine innings, which is huge, but his walk rate is down, his HR/9 rate is down, and his ground ball rate is up, so owners should be optimistic that he can pitch better from here on out.
Tigers starter Anibal Sanchez struggled in his return to the Tigers rotation yesterday, giving up 2 runs on 5 hits, 4 walks and 3 strikeouts in just 3.2 innings yesterday. His missed his previous start due to stiffness in his right shoulder, and owners have to wonder if he is injured after this start.
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Low Level Prospect Review: Joey Gallo, 3B, Texas Rangers