Notables From Opening Day
Opening Day!
Opening day was filled with amazing performances as well as breaking news from fantasyland, and I thought I’d highlight a few of the things that stood out to me! There was pitching dominance, hitting prowess, and some injury news and tons of closer shakeups. How did your players do? Here we go!
Batters of the Day
Alejandro De Aza – White Sox: How could I not lead off with the MLB home run leader? That’s right, with TWO home runs on opening day it looks like we have a new MVP coming this year! All kidding aside, De Aza was fabulous on opening day, and while 20-25 home runs remains his ceiling it certainly was a pleasant start for the White Sox and fantasy owners.
Neil Walker – Pirates: A walkoff home run in the tenth inning is definitely going to land you on this list! That was his only hit of the day, but it was the one that mattered, and a welcome sign for fantasy owners hoping for a bounceback after last year’s downer.
Jimmy Rollins – Philles: How about a grand salami for the old fella?! He did go 1/6, but seeing the pop in his bat, and getting some runs scored is what Philly fans will remember.
Other notables: Justin Smoak (SEA), Miguel Montero (ARZ), Mike Trout (LAA), Adam LaRoche (WSH), Nelson Cruz (BAL), Victor Martinez (DET), Alex Rios (TEX), Grady Sizemore (BOS), David Wright (NYM), Cody Asche (PHI), Ben Revere (PHI)
Pitchers of the Day
Adam Wainwright – Cardinals: 7 innings of dominating pitching including NINE strikeouts against one of the better lineups in the Reds. Wainwright was masterful, seemingly at ease and while he did walk 4 which is a little concerning, overall it was beautiful to watch.
Francisco Liriano – Pirates: Only 6 innings for Liriano, but 10 strikeouts is pretty hard to ignore in what was a pitching duel between him and Jeff Samardzija. Liriano didn’t get the win as it wasn’t until the aforementioned Neil Walker home run that the Pirates took it in extras, but the outing was exactly what fans of the Buccos and fantasy owners were looking for. If he stays healthy he should be excellent all season long!
Sonny Gray – Athletics: If you watched this game then you’d know how shaky Gray was in the first couple innings, taking 29 pitches just to get out of the first, but he didn’t allow a run through 6 and struck out 7. The nerves should be gone now and it is likely that Gray will improve on his next outings in terms of control. This kid could be a workhorse for years to come.
Jose Fernandez – Marlins: Watching the first few innings of this game was like watching an artist at work. 6 of his 9 strikeouts came in the first three innings including striking out the side in the 3rd. He would go 6 innings total, not walking a single batter, and had the Marlins not scored five runs in the 5th it is likely he could have gone on in the 7th. This could be your Cy Young with Kershaw injured, note it!
Other notables: Yovani Gallardo (MLW), Justin Masterson (CLE), Jeff Samardzija (CHC), Johnny Cueto (CIN), Felix Hernandez (SEA), Jon Lester (BOS), David Price (TB), Julio Teheran (ATL)
Closer Shuffle
Mets – Bobby Parnell has a partially torn MCL in his elbow and may require surgery, giving Jose Valverde the job at least for the time being. If you’ve played fantasy you know Valverde isn’t a great option, but if you passed on closers in the draft this is a guy who could hold on to the job. He won’t put up sexy numbers, but he could get 25-30 saves or so and no one would be shocked.
White Sox – Matt Lindstrom has been named the closer for the White Sox, a shock to Nate Jones owners, and to the fantasy baseball experts as well as even Ray Flowers was caught off guard. Who knows how long Lindstrom will hold the job, he is a ground ball pitcher and nothing much else. He can do the job, but if he struggles at all look for Jones to take, and hold, onto the role.
Brewers – Francisco Rodriguez, known in the past as K-Rod, has somehow acquired the closer role from the thought to be incumbent Jim Henderson. Rodriguez is known for plenty of strikeouts, but also some loose control and too many walks. Could he hold on to the job for the season? Yes. Could he just as easily blow up in multiple opportunities and never be heard from (in fantasy terms) the rest of the season? Absolutely. Proceed with caution.
Blue Jays & Reds – Injuries here have shuffled the closing situation up as Janssen (shoulder) and Chapman (face) have given way to Sergio Santos and J.J. Hoover for the time being. Santos is a guy with the stuff to hold onto that job all year long, and if he doesn’t struggle he might keep it regardless of when Janssen comes back. Hoover is a lesser option and not even the official closer for the Reds as they are going with a committee for now, and will lose the job when Chapman is good to go.
I hope you enjoyed Opening Day as much as I did and that your teams remain healthy, productive, and competitive! Good luck in fantasy and lets enjoy some regular season baseball tonight!
The Fantasy Devotee's Ramblings 