As we head into the weekend it’s always a good idea to check some of these leaderboards for hidden gems or vulnerabilities that we can exploit in order to select players to fill out our lineups or help us lean towards using one-hitter over another.
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Hit Streak Leaders
There are some unfamiliar names on this list, which I think is particularly helpful since these might be some cheaper options that have some momentum on their side:
- Justin Turner (BOS: 1B/3B) – 15 games (Update: Turner went hitless Friday)
- Jared Triolo (PIT: 3B) – 12 (Update: Triolo extended his streak to 13 Friday)
- Mickey Moniak (LAA: OF) – 11 (Update: Moniak extended his streak to 12 Friday)
- Gleyber Torres (NYY: 2B) – 10 (Update: Torres extended his streak to 11 on Friday)
- Travis Jankowski (TEX: OF) – 9 (Update: Jankowski went hitless Friday)
While Triolo is a surprise here, be aware that since his services were called upon only 2 of his 19 hits on the season have gone for extra bases and he has yet to hit a HR. I like Moniak and Torres, especially Friday per my “Targets” article, but Jankowski can be a sneaky RBI and run production play hitting in the potent Rangers lineup, but also can steal you a base — he’s got 14 on the year and 6 have come in July.
Most Hits Since All-Star Break
- Mickey Moniak (12)Â (Update: Moniak collected 2 more hits Friday)
- Edouard Julien (12)Â (Update: Julien collected 1 more hit Friday)
- Gleyber Torres (11)Â (Update: Torres collected 1 more hit Friday)
- Cody Bellinger (11)Â (Update: Bellinger collected 3 more hits Friday)
- Chas McCormick (11) (Update: McCormick collected 1 more hit Friday)
I’ve covered the top 4 in some form or another this week, but McCormick is a name that hasn’t come up yet this season. It’s not every day you get to talk about a fellow Lancaster native with McCormick having gone to college at Millersville University, but here he is. McCormick actually had a good June (.308, 20-for-65) and he’s following it up with an even better July so far. He’s batting .400 (18-for-45) in July and it’s not all singles — he’s got a pair of doubles, a triple, and 5 home runs to go along with 14 RBI and 11 runs scored, even chipping in a couple of stolen bases.Â
July Stolen Base Leaders
We all know Ronald Acuna Jr. Esteury Ruiz, and Elly de la Cruz are swiping a ton of bags this season, but who is doing it lately? Here are the July stolen bases leaders, and remember, in order to steal bases you have to get on base, so these guys must be doing that at a decent clip too and that’s what we need in our little game:
- CJ Abrams (9) (Update: Abrams stole his 10th base since the AS break on Friday)
- Elly de la Cruz (8)
- Willi Castro (7)
- Ronald Acuna Jr.(7)
- Andres Gimenez (7)
Wasn’t expecting to see CJ Abrams, Willi Castro, or Andres Gimenez here. Abrams and Gimenez appear to be having better offensive production in July though, so context helps, but here are all 3 of their slash lines for July:
- CJ Abrams: .373/.593/1.015
- Willi Castro: .214/.286/.639
- Andres Gimenez: .268/.482/.842
Worst Bullpens
AL ERA:
- OAK – 5.64
- KC – 5.14
- CHW – 4.66
NL ERA:
- WAS – 5.54
- COL – 4.68
- STL – 4.41
AL WHIP:
- OAK – 1.54
- KC – 1.49
- LAA – 1.40
NL WHIP:
- WAS – 1.51
- COL – 1.46
- STL – 1.41
Why is this important? Well, we only know who the batters will face beginning a game and even then we can only expect them to get a couple of at-bats against the starters. So maybe you have a couple of hitters you’ve narrowed it down to but you’re still unsure who to use, perhaps a beaten-down bullpen can be your deciding factor. And these bullpens have been beaten down the hardest.
Betting Angle
- CJ Abrams to steal a base:
- Andres Gimenez to steal a base:
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