Published by Rich Wilson
Rich Wilson of Prospect361.com brings you the best live Fantasy Baseball show on the Internet. Join Rich and legendary industry expert Tim McLeod every Sunday night at 9:00 p.m. ET as they bring you the best Fantasy Baseball discussion in the industry.
Listen on Apple PodcastsFantasy Baseball Live – August 2, 2026 @ 2pm ET Segment 1 – We have some trades •The Dodgers acquire Tarik Skubal from the Tigers for RHP River Ryan, OF Zyhir Hope and RHP Brady Smith •The White Sox acquire Luis Castillo from the Mariners and pay his entire 2027 salary, the rest of 2026 and if he pitches 180 innings in 2027, his vested 2028 option. In return, the Mariners receive reliever Seranthony Dominguez, OF Nolan Jones, and Double-A catcher Boston Smith •The Braves acquired OF Lane Thomas, LHP Baily Falter from the Royals for minor league lefty pitcher Carter Holton and Triple-A right-handed pitcher Lucas Braun. •The Guardians and Brewers swapped players Saturday afternoon, with Cleveland acquiring OF Blake Perkins and RP Craig Yoho, and Milwaukee receiving catcher Bo Naylor and RP Codi Heuer. •The Pirates acquired Camilo Doval from the Yankees in exchange for Double A catcher Omar Alfonzo and 18 year old outfielder Luis Cruz. Segment 2 – Review games of the Weekend Additional Topics 1.Max Clark – Pretty good, ehh. 2.Quinn Mathews had a decent start – 5.0 IP, 6 hits, 2 ER, 3K/3BB. Enough to make you want to start him? 3.Ryan O’Hearn hits the IL with quad strain and might be done for the season – 6 to 8 weeks. Ugh! Segment 3 – Waiver Wire Segment 4 – Closer Report
Take 10 with Tim – July 31, 2026 @ 9:15 am Max Clark getting the call. 1.Let’s take a look at the standings. We will also talk about whether they are buyers or sellers and if sellers, who might get traded. a.American League b.National League 2.Trades so far a.Curtis Mead for Connelly Early – Well, that didn’t work out too well the Red Sox. He had two at-bats and then got hit in the wrist and will miss the rest of the season. The Nationals are still hopeful that Connelly gets back of the mound as soon as next week in a rehab start. i.Comments? b.The Rangers acquired Chase Silseth and Logan O’Hoppe for 19-year-old, 3B Angel Arredondo. i.Last year this might have been a big deal, but Logan O’Hoppe has been terrible this season – unrestorable. What happened? ii.What do you think of the deal? iii.I’m assuming the Angels are going to part with a lot of player. Your thoughts? 3.More players hit the IL a.Byron Buxton is hurt again. He just came back from the IL. Who gets his at-bats? b.Casey Schmitt is done for the season with a meniscus tear. Who gets his at-bats? c.Vinnie P is hurt again and it’s looking like a lost season for him. Who gets his at-bats? 4.You don’t typically hear managers tell the press that a Closer is out, but that’s what Torey Lovullo did on Wednesday. Who gets the save chances in Arizona and are you interested? 5.Spencer Jones with a big night on Wednesday – home run and stolen base. Nice timing and it makes me wonder if he gets moved for a piece at the deadline. a.Give me three young prominent players/prospects that get moved in deals by Monday – my three i.Zyhir Hope and River Ryan for Tarik Skubal ii.Jett Williams in Milwaukee – down season but the data still looks great on this guy. There’s so much excess that he can be moved. iii.Ryan Pepiot – If the Rays are serious, move an injured player for a healthy one. 6.What hitter are you targeting for this weekend’s FAAB? 7.What pitcher are you targeting for this weekend’s FAAB?
Fantasy Baseball Live – July 26, 2026 @ 3 pm. Segment 1 and 2 – Review the weekend games Additional Questions/Topics 1.Hunter Greene had a bad start on Saturday, and his velocity was a bit down as well. 5.1 IP, 6 ER, 3K/2BB – now with a 7.06 ERA. Not what we wanted! 2.Dylan Cease with another gem. A lot has been made about Cam Schlitter winning the CY Young, but Dylan Cease is right there. His wins are bit down because the Blue Jays can’t score runs, but your thoughts on his season. 3.Juan Soto hits the IL with a grade 2 calf strain. He might be out for a while. Thoughts on who gets his at-bats? 4.Bobby Witt Jr. is also out – any thoughts on who might be a waiver wire pickup for him? 5.There was a report out from Ken Rosenthal that American League teams are still not ready to make deals as many know there teams aren’t very good, but they say they are still in it. a.I think that’s true – is this good for baseball or not? 6.Jose Ramirez and Nick Kurtz are both back. Yay! Segment 3 – Waiver Wire Segment 4 – Closer Report Close
Fantasy Baseball Live – July 19, 2026 @ 2 pm ET Segments 1 and 2 – Review the Weekend Games Additional Questions/Notes 1.Shane Bieber – 6.0 IP, 3 hits, 0 ER, 6K/2BB. Still not throwing hard, but ok. He did pitch better in his last outing as well. Maybe, he’s improving??? What do you do here? 2.Esmerlyn Valdez with another home run – also Jared Jones looked great in his Saturday afternoon win against the Guards. You have to bear in mind the competition, but he did look very good. Thoughts on him for the ROS and long-term. a.Speaking of the Pirates, they promoted Khristian Curtis to be the bulk guy on Saturday night’s DH game. He was great and while his minor league season was a bit uneven – great in Double-A, so-so in Triple-A, he’s got good stuff. i.Does he get more chances this season? 3.Brandon Woodruff is undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery. This is not good as he’s had multiple shoulder surgeries over the past few years and just can’t seem to get healthy. In response, the Brewers acquired Lance McCullers from the Astros. Talk about somebody who can’t stay healthy. a.Thoughts on the McCullers? b.Do you think this is the Brewers “Big Move”, or will they do something else? 4.Stud updates a.Jose Ramirez is getting close and might skip a rehab assignment. b.Ronald Acuna should be ready to return sometime this upcoming week. c.Max Fried will have a rehab start this week d.Aaron Judge doesn’t appear close e.Will Smith might be back sometime late next month. Segment 3 – Waiver Wire Segment 4 – Closer Report
Fantasy Baseball Live! – July 12, 2026 Segments 1 and 2 – Review game of the Weekend Additional Topic/Questions: 1.Konnor Griffin is out with a torn tendon in his ring finger. Total bummer as he just got back from the IL and was playing well. a.In response, the Pirates, believe it or not made a quick trade – acquiring Jacob Gonzalez from the White Sox for the 34th slot in yesterday’s draft. They also received RHP Brandon Eisert. i.Any interest in Gonzalez? ii.Eisert pitched yesterday but I didn’t see a box score for Gonzalez. 2.Vlad hit a home run – No. 6! 3.Edwin Diaz went on a rehab on Saturday and should be back shortly after the All Star break. 4.Zack Wheeler got pissed that he wasn’t originally named as an All Star and when he was announced he was a replacement, he told MLB to go pound sand. a.Were you embarrassed by the action of Wheeler or kind of proud that he pushed back? b.Justin Wrobleski was added. I always liked that guy and I’m happy for his success. Of course, I don’t have him on any league. As a PSA, his xERA is 1.5 runs higher than his ERA at 4.10. Be careful everyone. 5.I’ve been buried working on the Top 500 and now draft stuff and haven’t paid much attention to the day-to-day of MLB, but I had the Pirates game on yesterday, and Esmerlyn Valdez hit his 10th home run in just 100 plate appearances. WOW, that was fast! 6.Kyle Harrison hits the IL. Any thoughts on who gets his starts? Segment 3 – Waiver Wire Segment 4 – Closer Report
Tim interviews Rich about his Top 500 Prospects in baseball.
Fantasy Baseball Live – July 5, 2026 @ 3pm Segments 1 and 2 – Review of weekend games Additional Questions/Topics 1. All star rosters – Any surprises - Full All-Star rosters unveiled, including 26 first-timers 2. Hunter Greene – Well, that didn’t go well. 3. Ian Seymour looks like the latest pop-up guy with the Rays. Great outing on Thursday night and now with a 3.32 xERA and over a strikeout an inning. a. Thoughts? 4. Josh Bell is hot – you know what that means. 5. Murakami – took batting practice yesterday and Mike Trout says he’ll be back next week (yeah, right) Segment 3 – Waiver Wire Segment 4 – Closer Report
Take 10 with Tim – July 3, 2025 – Reviewing the first half and looking to the second half 1.We are at the halfway point of the season. What three lessons have you learned or were reminded when reflecting on the first half? a.Which player did you get wrong at the draft table – not injury, but you just thought he would be better? i.Jacob Marsee – for me. b.Which player did you get right and wish you had more shares? 2.First half MVPs – Mine are listed. a.Your personal MVP i.Tim – Sal Stewart ii.Ben Rice – 23 home runs, 57 runs, 54 RBI and a .269 BA. He has slowed a bit since Judge has been out – he was also hurt a bit. b.Catcher i.Tim – Liam Hicks ii.Dillon Dingler – He has 19 home runs! You could have gotten him in the 16th round. c.First base i.Tim – Ryan O’Hearn ii.Miguel Vagas – 19 HR and 11 SB. He was the 34th 1B off the board. d.Second base i.Tim – Luis Garcia Jr. ii.Casey Schmidt – 16 HR, 7 SB, and a .283 BA. His runs and RBIs are a bit suppressed because he plays for the Giants. e.Shortstop i.Tim – Otto Lopez ii.Bryan Rocchio – Partly, because I thought he was done – maybe a utility guy because of the defense. But, 5 HR, 14 SB and .270 BA. For a waiver wire guy as your middle infielder, not bad. f.Third base i.Tim – Kaz Okamoto ii.Curtis Mead – A guy I always liked, but if I’m being honest, I would have bet Asia over what he’s doing this season – by a wide margin. 14 HR, 4 SB, but only a .227 BA g.Outfield (3) i.Tim – James Wood, Andy Pages, Carson Benge ii.PCA – I know he was a second round pick, but he’s on pace for a 40-40 season and if that happens, he’s a Top 3 pick. iii.Jordan Walker – 18 HR, 10 SB, 58 RBIs, and a .288 average. As a reminder, he was the 87th outfielder off the board. iv.Angel Martinez – He’s on the IL, but 11 HR and 9 SB for the 270th outfielder off the board. h.Starting Pitcher (3) i.Tim – Foster Griffin, Eduardo Rodriguez, Jacob Misiowroski ii.Kyle Harrison – 2.57 ERA, 8 wins, 96 Ks. You could have gotten him in the 29th round. iii.Davis Martin – 3.00 ERA, 9 win, 90 Ks. Great waiver wire pickup. i.Reliever i.Tim – Louis Varland ii.I hate them all, but I’ll take Jacob Latz 3.Give me a player or two that you think will improve significantly in the second half. a.Vlad Jr. and Tatis Jr. – Easy ones. b.Riley Green c.Kyle Stowers – he’ll get to 20+ home runs and 80+ 4.What’s your #1 Closer in waiting in preparing for the trade deadline. a.Garrett Whitlock b.Luke Weaver 5.What hitter are you targeting for this weekend’s FAAB? a.Didn’t get to 6.What pitcher are you targeting for this weekend’s FAAB? a.Didn’t get to
Fantasy Baseball Live – June 28, 2026 @ 3 pm ET Segments 1 and 2 – Review of the Weekend Games Additional questions and topics 1.You mentioned Sean Keys last week, and he gets the call. Nice job. 2.Max Meyer – We have talked much about him, but 9 wins, a 2.60 ERA (x3.61) with over a strikeout per inning. The xERA suggests a correction is coming, but is it enough for you to sell high? 3.Trevor Rogers has been pitching better of late – 2 wins in a row with one run over 13.1 IP. Last five games – 2.05 ERA, but still not striking out many – 6.75 per nine. Keep or move? 4.Gerrit Cole with another clinker yesterday. He did get mad in the fourth inning and threw something in the dugout or yelled – couldn’t tell and pitched better. Touched 100 too. Any concerns or just two tough outings? 5.Mike Trout says he’ll sit out the HR Derby – Hey, how about getting back on the field first – sorry, that was an annoying comment. 6.Kyle Tucker finally hit a home run yesterday. In my 2025 Draft Targets, I urged a passed on Tucker and was wrong. Perhaps I was just a year earlier. The data doesn’t look good on him and has been trending down for a while. Thoughts? Segment 3 – Waiver Report Segment 4 – Closer Report
Take 10 with Tim – June 26, 2026 @ 9:15 am. 1.We had a trade on Wednesday night with the Cubs acquiring David Peterson from the Mets for minor leaguer Cole Mathis – Cole Mathis profile is at the end of the notes. a.Is this the first sign of the Mets throwing in the towel? b.If so, give me the top 3 players the Mets will trade before the deadline? c.Will Lindor or Soto be one of those players? d.Good move for the Cubs? e.Who gets Peterson’s starts in New York? Tong? f.Kodai Senga – Yuk – moved to the bullpen. 2.It’s been a month since Dylan Crews returned. He’s hitting .212 with five home runs and two stolen bases. Remarkably, he’s walked twice in 124 plate appearances and is sporting a .250 OBP. a.We will look at his baseballsavant data as well. b.What do Dynasty League managers do and are you still all-in or starting to lose confidence in him? 3.Related. I started with my Draft Preview yesterday and wrote up the first 15 players I would take in a FYPD. Roch Cholowsky, the long-time favorite of everyone to go #1 in FYPD (and by MLB teams as well) reminds me a bit of Crews. Can’t miss college hitter with power – but unlike Crews, he doesn’t have much speed. When I was writing up my notes, I kept thinking of Crews, and maybe a little of Corey Seager. If you’re picking #1 in a FYPD, do you pick the safe guy in Cholowsky, or do you go with somebody with more explosive tools but with more risk? 4.The discussion of Shane Bieber was on our list last week but we talked to much and never got to him. I asked, would you start Shane Bieber given the drop in velo he was showing in his rehab. Now, we have a game under his belt and it wasn’t great = 3.2 IP, 9 hits, 4 ER, 3 HR, 2K/0BB. His fastball wasn’t any better at 91.9 mph and he’s throwing his cutter more to try and compensate. a.How are you treating him for the next few starts? Starting him because he’s Shane Bieber, looking at matchups, or on the bench? He has Texas at home on Sunday. 5.One of our Pateron members reach out about Jakob Marsee and whether he should be a keeper for next season. I did a full breakdown on him and will share, but wanted to get your take on what has to be a disappointing season for where you had to take him in fantasy leagues. 6.A few Rookies starting to show their stuff – Fact of Fiction a.Jac Caglianone – 14 home runs, but striking out a lot and a .352 BABIP is propping up his .275 BA b.TJ Rumfield – 12 HR, .275 BA, and a 47K/28BB, 15% K-Rate c.Bryce Eldridge – 130 AB, 6 HR, .285 BA, 34K/21BB – 22% K-Rate d.Foster Griffin – 91.1 IP, 3.15 ER, 4.09 xERA e.Gage Jump – 35.1 IP, 2.04 ERA, 35K/10BB. 3.71 ERA at home, 0.49 away. Overall, 2.94 xERA 7.What hitter are you targeting for this weekend’s FAAB? 8.What pitcher are you targeting for this weekend’s FAAB? Cole Mathis (3B/1B) Highest Level: High-A ETA: 2028 Fantasy Ceiling: Corner Infielder Last Updated: 06/25/2026 Tools Summary: Polished power bat whose real test begins at Double A. Cole Mathis, the Cubs’ second round pick in 2024, lost most of his first professional season to Tommy John surgery and was limited to just 25 games in 2025. Chicago sent him back to Low A to open 2026, and while he’s older than the competition, he’s performed exactly as a polished college bat should. The approach is mature, the power is real, and he’s made a clear effort to elevate — sometimes a bit too intentionally — but the results speak for themselves as fly balls continue turning into home runs. After 14 games, he earned a promotion to High A, where the home run output dipped but the underlying metrics remained strong. The Mets saw enough and acquired him in late June in exchange for David Peterson. From a development standpoint, it’s essentially a wash — both organizations do a solid job with hitters. The pedigree and strength have always been part of the projection, but fantasy managers should stay measured. Given his age and the level, he should be producing. The real test comes once he reaches Double A, where we’ll learn whether the contact skills and swing decisions hold up against better sequencing and velocity. If they do, the power will play.
Fantasy Baseball Live – June 21, 2026 @ 3 pm. Microsoft Teams: Segments 1 and 2 – Review the games of the day Additional Observations/Questions: 1.I know Zac Gallen was once a pretty good pitcher, but last year was tough. After a few good starts at the beginning of the season, his ERA in May and June is 7.76, with 35 strikeouts in 51 innings. Why are people still holding on to him? His name? 2.Elmer Rodriguez gets a spot start against the Tigers tomorrow with Cole’s start being pushed back. Are you going to start him if you have him? I’m assuming you will not be picking up? 3.Jackson Holliday leaves Saturday’s game with a groin. I’m assuming you need to grab someone in case he hits the IL. a.Were we wrong on Holliday this season or has the hamate injury be at the root of his problem? .200/.286/.388 slash line with 4 home runs and 3 SB. 4.Got a note from a Patreon member who was surprised at the power that Travis Bazzana is showing. I always thought he was a 15 home run guy and I’m sticking with that – 89.1 mph EV and 12 degrees of leverage is supportive of that – maybe he can grow into a bit more. Good speed and can really hit. I think he’s a very good player – high floor. 15-20 type of player with a .280+ BA and .350 OBP. BTW, the defensive metrics do not look very good with him. a.What say you? 5. Manny Machado – 13 HR, 1 SB, .178 BA or Tatis Jr. – 2 HR, 18 SB, .282 BA. Who would you rather have for the ROS. 6.Jordan Lawlar – I just don’t know what to say. It’s just not happening. He’s joining the Buxton/Acuna camp of not being able to stay healthy. Although they are great players, and Lawlar has never played enough to know. Segment 3 – Waiver Report Segment 4 – Closer Report Close
Take 10 with Tim – June 19, 2026 Microsoft Teams: 1.We are approaching the halfway mark of the season (45% completed), so let’s draft the first round of the 2027 Draft based on what we know today. 1)Bobby Witt Jr. (Tim) 2)Shohei Ohtani (Rich) 3)Juan Soto (Tim) 4)James Wood (Rich) 5)Aaron Judge (Tim) 6)Elly De La Cruz (Rich) 7)Jacob Misiorowski (Tim) 8)Pete Crow-Armstrong (Rich) 9)Yordan Alvarez (Tim) 10)Nick Kurtz (Rich) 11)Jose Ramirez (Tim) 12)O’Neil Cruz (Rich) 13)Paul Skenes (Tim) 14)Tarik Skubal (Rich) 15)Corbin Carroll (Tim) 16)Julio Rodriguez (Rich) 2.Andrew Painter was optioned back to the minor leagues. The performance was pretty awful with a 7.20 ERA and only two more strikeouts than runs earned runs – Yikes. a.For Dynasty League managers, are you still all-in? He still has minor league eligibility in some leagues. Does that play a role in whether you cut him or not? 3.It’s been a month since Dylan Crews returned. He’s hitting .189 with four home runs and two stolen bases. Remarkably, he’s walked twice in 100 plate appearances and is sporting a .230 OBP. a.We will look at his baseballsavant data as well. b.Similar to Painter, what do Dynasty League managers do and you still all-in or starting to lose confidence in him? 4.There’s no timeline for Ronald Acuna returning to game action, except Walt Weiss saying – “he’s a long from returning”. Let’s look at his injury history. a.82 games played in 2021, 119 in 2022, 159 in 2023, 49 in 2024, and 95 in 2025. That’s 64 games a year or 40% of the games – in 5 years. Why are people still taking this guy in the first round? I get the potential, but this run makes Byron Buxton look Ripken-esque. What am I missing? 5.Shane Bieber looks ready to go, although his fastball only averaged 91.8 (T 93). He’s never thrown hard, but he’s also soon to be 32. Are you starting him immediately after his activated from the IL? 6.The Mariners are supposedly going to a piggyback scenario. If I have it right, they will take their six starters and stick to a five man rotation, but players will take turns starting innings (1 – 4) and (5 – 8). I guess, sometimes the starter will go 5, but who knows. If you have Mariners’ pitchers, what do you do? a.Two of the best pitchers in the minor leagues are Ryan Sloan and Kade Anderson. Both are shoving it in Double-A and look nearly ready. How on earth do they get a shot? 7.What hitter are you targeting for this weekend’s FAAB? a.Cooper Pratt 8.What pitcher are you targeting for this weekend’s FAAB? a.Shane Drohan
Fantasy Baseball Live – June 14, 2026 – Time Tentatively will be 4:30 pm ET Microsoft Teams Segment 1 – Review of the weekend games Segment 2 – Waiver Wire Segment 3 – Closer Report Close
The following players are discussed: Kaelen Cullpepper (Min) Jaison Chourio (Cle) Zhyir Hope (LAD) Eric Hartman (ATL) Zach Root (LAD)
Fantasy Baseball Live – June 7, 2026 – 3 pm ET Segments 1 and 2 – Review of the weekend games Additional Notes: 1.Tanner Bibee with a great game on Saturday. They announced on the game that he was the least supported starter in baseball this season. 2.Imai with another good start on Saturday – 5 IP, 5 hits, 2 ER, 8K/3BB. That’s three in a row, including the no-hitter. a.Is he turning the corner? 3.Sure it was the Angels, but Roki Sasaki looked great on Friday. 7 IP, 2 hits, 0 ER, 10K/2BB. He’s been particularly good over his past four starts. a.Has he turned things around? b.Who would you rather have the rest of the Season – Imai or Sasaki? 4.Royce Lewis is back in the Majors. I wrote last week that he was red hot and would likely see a return. Here’s what I wrote. a.What are you thoughts on his return? Royce Lewis is making a loud statement for a return to Minnesota. In 13 games, he’s hit 10 home runs and posted a .358 average. More importantly, his average exit velocity sits at 94.1 mph — a massive improvement over the woeful 87.9 mph he produced earlier with the Twins. He’s still expanding the strike zone a ton, so the approach hasn’t really changed. So why is he performing better? Some of it is BABIP correction, but only to a point. His .250 mark in Triple-A is better than the .215 he ran in Minnesota, yet still well below league norms. The real driver is simple: he’s hitting the ball much harder. The caveat, of course, is that it’s a tiny sample, and when you hit 10 home runs in 13 games, your EV is going to look inflated. Looking deeper, he’s become a dead-pull hitter, and his long injury history has likely contributed to a gradual decline in exit velocity over the years. Will the EV fully return? Maybe. But can he stay healthy long enough for that to matter? My best guess is that he normalizes around 89–90 mph. With his leveraged swing, that still makes him a 20-homer bat. Given the aggressive approach, a modest batting average — something around .250 — feels realistic. I do think he’ll return as a viable MLB player, but the superstar trajectory he once flashed doesn’t look attainable anymore. At the same time, he wasn’t as bad as he looked in April and May with Minnesota. The encouraging news is that he’s hot, he’s motivated, and he’s forcing the issue. If the Twins wanted to see a spark before bringing him back, they’re getting it. They’ll surely say he “made an adjustment,” and maybe he did, but with samples this small, it’s nearly impossible to prove through the data. 5.Bryce Miller has been money since returning from the IL – 1.33 ERA, 29K/5BB in 29 innings. 6.Zebby wins again on Friday. Is he an every time starter now or are you holding your breath every time out? a.Order these pitchers the rest of the season – Gage Jump, Zebby, David Sandlin, Christian Scott 7.We crushed Matt Chapman on Friday and that night he went 2 for 3 with 8 RBIs – a grand slam and a three-run home run. a.Fantasy managers – You’re welcome! Segment 3 – Waiver Wire Segment 4 – Closer Report Close
The following players are discussed: 1. Joshua Baez (STL) 2. Raudi Rodriguez (LAA) 3. Wehiwa Aloy (Bal) 4. Murf Gray (Pit) 5. Johan De Los Santos (Pit) 6. Karson Milbrant (Mia) 7. Kade Anderson (Sea)
Take 10 with Tim – June 5, 2026 1.Let’s take a look at the standings 2.FYI – Corbin Burnes hurt his shoulder during his rehab and now is unlikely to pitch this season. 3.Revisiting Sandlin vs. Jump. Both came up together, and Sandlin outpitched Jump in the first game, but Sandlin got it handed to him in game two, and Jump pitched 7 strong innings for the win. a.Who do you take for Game 3? 4.Justin Verlander is expected back this weekend. He has a favorable matchup against the Mariners. a.Do you dare? 5.TJ Friedl was taken as the 60th outfielder off the board and is now back in Triple-A after hitting .179 with two home runs. Noelvi Marte gets another shot. a.What happened to Friedl? b.Any interest in Marte? 6.What happened to these guys? Do you see them bouncing back over the next four months or was their 2025 an outlier 1)Michael Busch (CHC, 13th 1B) – 34 home runs in 2025, 6 so far this season 2)Jackson Merrill (SD, 14th OF) – He’s hitting .206 with five home runs and 10 SB. His runs scored are always down. 3)Bo Bichette (NYM, 10th SS) – The power is targeting 15 for the year, which was about what he did in 2026. But, he’s hitting .226 with a brutal .280 OBP. He’s still swinging at nearly every first pitch. i.Plus, is this what $42 million annually gets you? Really? That’s the third highest on-field salary in 2026. 4)Masyn Winn (STL, #27 SS) – He was on a lot of sleeper list – 2 HR, 5 SB, and a .235 BA is not what was expected. 5)Matt Chapman (SF, #11 3B) – 21 HR and 9 SB in 2025. He has 2 home runs and 0 SB with a .236 BA. He did have three hits yesterday. 6)Steven Kwan (Cle, #37 OF) - .209 BA, 1 HR, 2 SB – BRUTAL! 7)Lawrence Butler (ATH, #36 OF) – 3 HR, 4 SB, and a .161 BA. I’m not sure why he’s still in the Major Leagues. 8)Geraldo Perdomo (AZ, #9 SS) – Breakout in 2025 with 20 HR, 27 SB, and a .290 BA. This season, he has 3 home runs and is hitting .223. 7.Believe it or not, we are 42% of the way through the season, and it feels like a good time to get your predictions on CY, MVP, and ROY. Mine are listed. a.Please provide a pick for CY, MVP and ROY i.AL: CY – Rich – Cam Schlitter; Tim – Gavin Williams ii.AL MVP – Yordan or Witt Jr.; Tim – Ben Rice iii.AL ROY – Should have been Murakami – Maybe Okamoto or you default to Kevin McGonigle; Tim - Okamoto iv.NL: CY – Cristopher Sanchez; Tim - Sanchez v.NL MVP – Shohei Ohtani; Tim - Same vi.NL ROY – Konnor Griffin – might be a stretch and deserves to be below, I just think he flies by everyone; Tim – Carson Benge b.Please provide a stretch pick for each category. i.AL: CY – Parker Messick; Tim – Will Warren ii.AL: MVP – Mike Trout; Tim – Miguel Vargas iii.AL: ROY – Sam Basallo – I think he has a huge second half; Tim – Payton Tolle iv.NL: CY – Shohei Ohtani – Braxton Ashcraft will get more votes than Paul Skenes; Tim – Chase Burns v.NL: MVP – Oneil Cruz; Tim – Jordan Walker vi.NL: ROY – Carson Benge – has a huge second half; Tim - JJ Wetherholt 8.What hitter are you targeting for this weekend’s FAAB? a.Arroyo or Marte 9.What pitcher are you targeting for this weekend’s FAAB? a.Alex Lange
Fantasy Baseball Live! – May 31, 2026 Segments 1 and 2 – Review this weekend’s games Additional Discussion Points 1.Finally, Tatis gets on the board with his first home run. a.Over/Under 20 home runs for the season 2.Kumar Rocker had a strong game on Saturday – 6.0 IP, 3 hits, 0 ER, 2K/3BB a.He has a 3.54 ERA but his xERA is 4.55. He’s also only striking out 7.5 per nine. Is he anything more than a number four/five starter? 3.Lucas Erceg has been awful this week and not much better over the past two. He completely imploded yesterday – giving up five hits and 3 ER, taking a blown save and the loss. a.There has to be someone better in Kansas City to grab for saves. Tell us who? 4.Mike Trout hit his 14th home run and has pushed his average to .241 with an impressive .412 OBP. Is there any chance he gets moved at the deadline to try be on a team that at least wins a playoff game? Segment 3 – Waiver Wire Segment 4 – Closer Report Close
Take 10 with Tim – May 29, 2026 @ 9:15 am 1.David Sandlin and Gage Jump made their MLB debut this week. a.Sandlin (RHP, CHW) – 6.0 IP, 1 hit, 1 ER, 4K/0BB; FB: 97.7 mph (T 99.3), CB: 29% whiff rate b.Gage Jump (LHP, ATH) – 5.0 IP, 9 hits, 4 ER, 5K/1BB; FB: 95.9 mph (T 97.9); SL 45% whiff rate; sweeper 33% whiff rate c.Jump is the more heralded as the Red Sox had moved Sandlin to the bullpen, but after the trade to the White Sox and moving back to the rotation, and had him throw his curveball more, he’s been better. Jump of course pitches half his games in Sacramento d.Who will you make the larger bid this weekend? 2.Teoscar Hernandez pulls a hammy and will be lost for a few weeks. Tommy Edman is due back soon, and then there’s Alek Thomas or Ryan Ward. I’m guessing you’re not too interested, given the situation, or are you? a.I’m assuming when Tommy Edman is ready to return, he’ll be the Dodgers' second baseman. Is that how you see it? b.I got an interesting text from a Patreon member discussing all the potential bad contracts looming for the Dodgers. Let’s look at their roster and see if we can figure out what they will do in a few years. i.Los Angeles Dodgers 2026 Financial Summary ii.Here’s how I responded: 1.Question: We hold up the Dodgers as the exemplar org in baseball, but many of their big contracts are going to start looking very bad, as soon as next year. Is it possible that their model actually turns sour? 2.My Response: “I think that’s been their strategy. Play for today and worry about tomorrow some other day. Remember, they also have a bunch of deferred money kicking in with Ohtani, etc. one thought is as they deal with the bad contracts, they promote all their young kids as cheap alternatives as the Mookies of the world become backup players. So cheap everyday players and expensive backups. Besides Betts and Smith, freeman, Tucker, Teoscar all are done in three more years. The strategy might work. I will say that Smith’s contract looks the worse but he’s also the most reasonable. They might have to buy him out. Mookie should be ok for next 2 years and then, his will really look ugly” 3.Tatsuya Imai was involved in a no-hitter this week. He danced around four walks over six innings and then turned it over to the bullpen. It wasn’t pretty, but he’s in the history books. a.I’m assuming you are still concerned? b.How should I view him moving forward? 4.Let’s take a look at the standings 5.Top Ranked Fantasy Players according to Fantrax. WOW – no Judge, no Ohanti, no ANYBODY! The first two months have truly been unique this season. a.Mason Miller – 23.2 IP, 16 saves, 47K, 0.76 ERS b.James Wood – .276 BA, 15 HR, 10 SB, 37 RBI, and 50 runs! Second in runs scored is Brice Turang with 43. c.Cam Schlitter – 72 IP, 7 wins, 81K, 1.50 ERA d.Oneil Cruz – .260 BA, 11 HR, 17 SB, 38 runs, 35 RBI e.Chris Sale – 62 IP, 7 wins, 72K, 1.89 ERA f.Chase Burns – 64.1 IP, 7 wins, 72K, 1.96 ERA g.Jordan Walker - .300 BA, 15 HR, 7 SB, 38 runs, 42 RBI h.Jacob Misiorowski – 64 IP, 5 wins, 100K, 1.83 ERA – Sanchez is second in Ks with 95 and is number 13 on this list. i.Andy Pages - .303 BA, 13 HR, 7 SB, 34 runs, 50 RBI j.CJ Abrams - .294 BA, 12 HR, 8 SB, 34 runs, 47 RBI k.Davis Martin – 61.2 IP, 7 wins, 66K, 2.04 ERA 6.Questions related to #5 above a.Which two players do you think are the most securely locked in to a Top 25 rankings in fantasy baseball at the end of the season? b.Which two player do you think will NOT finish in the Top 25 in fantasy baseball at the end of the season? c.I got an email from a Patreon member during draft season – I’ve brought this up before, but it’s proved to be prescient. He asked of the young pitchers in that 45 to 55 pitcher range: Schlitter, Sheehan, Misio, Burns, Nolan McLean i.Rank the order of these player for the rest of the season? ii.Rank the order of these players over the next five years – time on the IL WILL be considered a factor. 7.What hitter are you targeting for this weekend’s FAAB? 8.What pitcher are you targeting for this weekend’s FAAB?
The following players were discussed: 1. Franklin Arias (Bos) 2. Jace LaViolette (Cle) 3. Jhonny Level (SF) 4. Steele Hall (Cin) 5. Karson Milbrandt (Mia)
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