Daily Slivers of the Fantasy Soapbox - Yesterday's Recap

Ellis Canady reviews last night's MLB box scores (8/21) and provides fun opinions on a variety of topics to help fantasy baseball owners with their lineups.

Welcome to the August 22nd edition of Daily Slivers of the Fantasy Soapbox.

Discussing baseball is as fun as the game itself. It has a way of bringing people together to share different opinions about the sport we all love. A similar action can be done with fantasy baseball where we not only discuss topics but also look to improve our teams as well as the teams of our fellow fantasy baseball enthusiasts. Everyone has their own perspectives which are not to be cast off as frivolous. They should be used as a method of expanding our own knowledge.

In this article, I review the previous day's boxscores and provide my opinion on a variety of topics. Some will be random, some will be fun, and some will be stat-driven. It's a soapbox so I may rant from time to time as well. So without any further delay, below are my thoughts on August 21st games. Enjoy them. You can even respond with your own thoughts on Twitter @EllisCan2.

• Fantasy baseball trade analyzer
• BvP matchups data (Batter vs. Pitcher)
• PvB matchups data (Pitcher vs. Batter)
• Who should I start? Fantasy baseball comparisons
• Daily MLB starting lineups
• Fantasy baseball closer depth charts
• Fantasy Baseball live scoreboard
• Fantasy baseball injury reports

Daily Musings

• Everyone get your silly hat so we can sing Happy Birthday to J.D. Martinez. Now hit this ball 431 feet to make a wish. YAYYY!!!!
• Such a high demand of excellence when Aaron Nola is pulled after 2.2 IP for allowing four runs.
• Of course Trea Turner has some pop (five). He’s got a better FB/LD exit velo (93mph) than George Springer, Nolan Arenado, Rafael Devers, Paul Goldschmidt, Alex Bregman, Austin Meadows, Yoan Moncada, and Rhys Hoskins. That ladies & gents is what we call cherry-picked information. It's the truth, though.
• You expect this Brandon Lowe train to slow down?! You either already have a seat or are standing in the aisle. We’ll send postcards.
• Tanner Rainey’s slider…38.2% Swing Strike. HOT DAMN!
• Elieser Hernandez out-pitched Patrick Corbin for the Victory! **Hey! It doesn’t work that way.
• No. No. No. Don’t look at him. He's shy If you don’t watch him, he will scorch a HR (115.0 mph exit velo). Guerrero Jr. (four).
• Danny Jansen batting third. (Insert wildly confused look here)
• Hitters are gonna hit. Bryan Reynolds 3-for-4, second HR, four RBI.
• Christian Yelich gets his groove back. 6 HR, 26 R+RBI, .288 AVG in last 15 games.
• Yes, Chad Kuhl got a W. 2.85 ERA is tasty. 5.01 FIP is that bad aftertaste.
• .256 AVG is much improved from 2019. But why isn’t Cole Tucker setting bases on fire (one SB)?
• It wasn’t me, but someone got hit by the 3.1 IP, 7 ER “gift” that Adam Plutko offered. I understand.
• Come sit at the big-boy table, young man. Here’s a hearty* Grand Slam breakfast. You deserve it, Isaac Paredes. *hearty is used very, very loosely.
• Jonathan Schoop recoils so tightly and unwinds explosively. 113.6 mph exit velo. 431-foot souvenir for those that drove down from Detroit.
• BOOM! Eloy Jimenez w/ 466-foot cannon fire (nine).
• No, I didn’t have a chance to roster him. Yes, this is why I wanted Franmil Reyes (6th HR) on my team.
• It seems the Yonny Chirinos concert has been put on hold due to TJ.
• Mr. Underperformer of 2019, Marcell Ozuna's two homers w/ 430-foot minimum is fine in my book.
• Max Fried (4-0) is better than that Hot apple pie McDonalds used to have. So good. The key is to stay out of the zone.
• If you were gonna sell Rafael Devers’ 2019 as a fluky career year, the time has passed. Two HR, seven RBI, .387 AVG last week.
• Chance Sisco drops the bass again (four). Your roster can feel it.
• Don’t party like a rock star just yet. Danny Duffy did perform well vs watered-down Twins lineup.
• Jorge Soler Flare (six) is too hot to handle.
• Jake Odorizzi must have been on a pitch count. He quickly gave up five ER in three IP.
• That’s what he does, Jon Lester reels you in. Four decent outings get you thinking. Thirteen ER in the last 9.2 IP. Ouch! Hope you were smart.
• Hi, my name is Ellis & I was wrong on Dallas Keuchel (8 IP, 1 ER, 3 K). 2.65 ERA (3.41 FIP)
• With authority, Jose Abreu vindicates his faithful…twice (seven). He dropped the hammer w/ a 452-foot shot.
• Maybe we should be thankful Lance McCullers walked away with only four ER in five IP.
• Another multi-hit game for Jose Altuve. Confidence grows.
• Keep an eye on the waiver. Danny Santana bats second & has one HR/SB in last two games.
• When you say it, get it right. Nick Margevicius w/ the W. (mar-GAV-a-chiss).
• You suckered me, didn’t you? Daniel Murphy w/ 0 HR, .115 AVG in last week.
• Attention all discount shoppers, the Walker Buehler special is now closed. 6 IP, 1 ER, 11 K.
• C’mon Trevor Story (seven HR/five SB), you’ve got this. Keep pushing…all the way. Don’t stop. 10/10 club is within reach.
• Do you see what all this suspension talk has done to Ramon Laureano (0 HR, 0 SB, .120 in last seven games)?
• Tomahawk CHOP! You get the ball within 10 feet of the plate, David Fletcher is going to hit it.
• -The child that cries when their friend has to go home at the end of the day. They only just met recently but they've gotten so close. They're best friends. Even though they live across the street, will they ever see them again? Austin Slater, we hope to see you soon.
• Ok, let me see if it finally sinks in…stop streaming against SF. Is that right? Oh, just stop using Robbie Ray. I get it.
• Wilmer Flores w/ seventh tater. Southpaw fetish, remember?
• The Angles left 26 men on base. Damn that’s sad. Gotta bring your men home…looking at you, Brian Goodwin.

• SwingStrike “Leaders"
  • Luis Robert 26.2%
  • Keston Hiura 23%
  • Javier Baez 18.5%
  • Willson Contreras 18.3%
  • Adalberto Mondesi 18.3%
  • Miguel Sano 17.9%
  • Nick Castellanos 17.9%
  • Josh Bell 17.9%
  • Stephen Piscotty 17.6%
  • Evan White 17.1%
  • Teoscar Hernandez 16.8%
  • Avisail Garcia 16.8%
  • Luke Voit 16.7%
  • Joey Gallo 16.6%
  • Franmil Reyes 16.5%
  • Brian Anderson 16.2%
  • Ryan McMahon 15.9%
  • Jonathan Schoop 15.9%
  • Kole Calhoun 15.6%

• Endgame
  • Brandon Kintzler (four).
  • Jordan Romano (one). Now it’s time for the payoff. All you had to do was basically flip your pitch usage. 40% fastball vs 60% slider.
  • Keone Kela’s forearm tightness might limit trade possibilities & fantasy value. Richard Rodriguez time?
  • Matt Barnes (one). The competition is gone. Only your inner "Wild Thang" can get in your way.
  • Raisel Iglesias (three) comes bearing gifts to apologize for the other day. Be grateful.
  • Emilio Pagan (one). Everyone will forget about early performance. His role will attract hundreds of people.
  • Taylor Williams (five).
  • Liam Hendriks (nine).
• The weekend has begun. You've got the day off from your regular job, hopefully. Don't let it go to waste. Get your seven to eight hours of sleep and then get some activities done that not only bring joy to your life but are good for your body. Have a great Saturday.
• (No Fear, Just Fantasy)

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