Daily Slivers of the Fantasy Soapbox - Yesterday's Recap

April 18, 2021

Ellis Canady reviews last night's MLB box scores (4/17) and provides fun opinions on a variety of topics to help fantasy baseball owners with their lineups.

Welcome to the April 18th 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 the April 17th games. Enjoy them. You can even respond with your own thoughts on Twitter @EllisCan2.

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Daily Musings

• Trea Turner casually goes 3-for-5 with third SB. Effortless.
• Eduardo Escobar continues to shine & amaze. Sixth magic trick. .189 BABIP keeping the AVG low (.232).
• Jacob deGrom (W, 6 IP, 14 K). hoists you to a higher elevation for fresh air.
• This can't be. Tim Locastro was caught stealing...and now finds himself on the IL. More playing time for Josh Rojas. What will he do with it?
• Glasnow's line looked good (5 IP, 1 ER, 7 K), but there were some wild times (four BB).
• Rougned Odor could be enticing if he's producing 443-ft scoops of joy. Will his 39% chase rate keep him from serving too often?
• Erick Fedde (5 IP, 1 ER, 9 K). No action necessary.
• Anyone else think the Yankees offense is lost?
• Huascar Ynoa dominated earlier in the week and people were running towards him...after yesterday, they're trying to jog it off.
• Let's take a moment to appreciate the contribution to the game from Jonathan Davis. Would you like Diablo sauce with that chicken quesadilla combo meal?
• Vladimir Guerrero Jr. opening a new fireworks stand. Fourth rocket. (LA analysts: 34 degrees)
• Steven Matz (6 IP, 1 ER, 5 K) making me look silly because I didn't believe. Thankfully, I did invest in one league.
• FORE! Raimel Tapia (two) gets his nine-iron out.
• Javier Baez keeps things in balance. Fourth HR to go with four SB.
• Catchella has arrived!! Willson Contreras (five) & Yadier Molina (four) w/ two performances (five) ...Salvador Perez (four)(459-foot reach)...Francisco Mejia will make his first appearance.
• Kris Bryant (five) with two shots of "Do you remember me?"
• Wasn't Nolan Arenado (four) supposed to be stripped of his power? I'm confused.
• Paul DeJong captains a third deep sea fishing expedition.
• Tim Anderson (one) is back. Don't be so controlling. If he wants to run around with Luis Robert (two), let him.
• Dylan Cease (4.2 IP, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 K) is probably looking forward to TEX next to clean up a 9.5% K-BB and 4.67 xFIP.
• Matt Olson (three) unleashed the dogs again.
• Mark Canha grabs a Guacamole Angus Bacon Burger combo meal from Carls Jr. & heads down to the San Jose boardwalk. (third HR, second SB) Easy day.
• Wait, who leads CLE in stolen bases? Yep, Eddie Rosario (four). Run, Eddie, Run. Jose Ramirez (three) trying to keep up.
• Andres Gimenez w/chicken & waffles breakfast. Ok, ok. We’ll call it a combo meal. (second HR/second SB)
• Tejay Antone is so dreamy. Make him a starter, please.
• Triston McKenzie with 42% Whiff rate, even with 69% four-seamer usage.
• Eugenio Suarez, how can people have faith, faith, faith ahhh...if you're leaving them behind (eight).
• See all those people squirming in the corner. Those are Trevor Story investors (zero HR, one SB). Well, maybe there are some Francisco Lindor investors mixed in too.
• German Marquez enjoys a Coors light from time to time. (7 IP, 2 ER, 6 K)
• How Michael Conforto got his groove back? It's a mystery we want to know ahead of time.
• Corey Dickerson goes 4-for-6. Little respect had.
• A gift basket from Maikel Franco (two).
• Christian Yelich goes to the IL. More SP will take advantage of MIL.
• Someone call Janet Reno, we're gonna have a dance party for Justin Turner (fifth HR).
• You're telling me the longest batted ball of the HOU/SEA game was 327 feet?!
• Two hits & no SB for Myles Straw. Hmmm.

Swing & Misses

• Jacob deGrom 27
• Clayton Kershaw 17
• Sandy Alcantara 17
• Yu Darvish 14
• Triston McKenzie 14
• Tyler Glasnow 13
• Dane Dunning 12
• Joey Lucchesi 12
• Jordan Montgomery 11
• Dylan Cease 11 (56% four-seamer; 27% slider)
• Casey Mize 11 (mixes 4 pitches to 32% CSW)
• Sonny Gray 10
• Dean Kremer 10

Endgame

• Diego Castillo (four)
• Edwin Diaz (one)
• Victor Gonzalez (one)
• Ryan Pressly (one)
• Alex Reyes hands out a couple of walks in non-save chance. Keep Jordan Hicks & Giovanny Gallegos on the watch list.
• Jake McGee (BS, 1 IP, 2 ER). They can't all be winners.

Closing Thoughts

• It's still the weekend so don't start stressing about next week. Enjoy the day. Get out. Get some fresh air. Clear your mind. Find something that makes you smile. Call/text an old friend. I'm sure it will make them smile.
• Take a moment to look at your FAB business for today. Don't wait until the last minute. That will cause stress and impulsive moves.
• Have a great Sunday.
• (No Fear, Just Fantasy)

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