Marlins (Ryan Weathers, LHP) @ Braves (Bryce Elder, RHP)
Blue Jays (Yusei Kikuchi, LHP) @ Royals (Brady Singer, RHP)
White Sox (Jonathan Cannon, RHP) @ Twins (Chris Paddack, RHP)
D-backs (Brandon Pfaadt, RHP) @ Cardinals (Lance Lynn, RHP)
Padres (Dylan Cease, RHP) @ Rockies (Austin Gomber, LHP)
Orioles (Albert Suarez, RHP) @ Angels (Reid Detmers, LHP)
Mets (Jose Quintana, LHP) @ Giants (Keaton Winn, RHP)

Good Monday morning folks! I hope you all had great weekends. Truthfully, I did not! (Strictly baseball speaking). My Pirates got swept by the Boston Red Sox, who in 2024 are trotting out a lineup full of create-a-players. I guess if you’re going to hit rock bottom, get it out of the way early, right? Assuming this is rock bottom for the Pirates (it assuredly is not). Fandom is such a ridiculous concept. I wish I could remove my emotions from the outcomes of these contests but I simply cannot. I’ve accepted that, and the best I can do at this point is control just how much it affects the mood. Very silly stuff!

But I think this can relate to our fantasy games as well. I’m no stranger to tilting over results. I’ve gotten in my own head for days, even weeks at a time due to poor performance in the fantasy streets. Being able to control these thoughts and emotions is all part of the equation of what makes a good fantasy player though. Letting the losses get into your head and sway your process and decision making will only lead to more resentment. If you find that you’re constantly beating yourself over losses, let me offer some sage advice and simply say “don’t”. Don’t do that, actually. Easy enough! Just kidding, but really though – keep a clear head about this stuff. One thing I like to do is write down (similar to this blog) where my head is at on the slate, and how I would ideally like to approach it and execute. These thoughts can change as drafts go by and I notice the field isn’t doing what I expect, but at least it’s something you can look back on and have an easier time critiquing your own plan as opposed to just calling yourself names. At the end of the day, nothing matters, eat Arby’s, Go Bucs.

Favorite Teams

1. Padres
2. Braves
3. Rockies
4. Orioles
5. Angels
6. Royals
7. Blue Jays

Pitching Preferences

1. Brandon Pfaadt
2. Reid Detmers
3. Dylan Cease
4. Yusei Kikuchi
5. Brady Singer
6. Jose Quintana
7. Lance Lynn
8. Chris Paddack

Well hello, 70 degrees Coors day. There’s just no getting away from the Padres today. There’s no good pitching on the slate, but the right handed heavy Padres against Austin Gomber in Coors is going to be the center of attention in every lobby, and deservingly so. On the bump for the Friars is Dylan Cease too, who is the best pitcher on the slate but not the best play, IMO. That said, we’ve seen time and time again that good pitchers can have success in Coors against the Rockies. Hell, even Cal Quantrill with his Splitter had success against the Mariners in Coors. I’m not advocating reaching for Cease, but I don’t think he’s food by any means. There’s just not any good pitching matchups today that jump out.

The same can be said for the bats today! Everybody looks kind of fine? It seems like a day that I’ll be very, very flat outside of the Padres pieces I can manage to grab in every lobby. The Orioles face Reid Detmers who has been really strong to start the season but have some righty bats I’m very intrigued in. I’ll probably have a lot of Mountcastle and Westburg today.

The Royals have been one of the hottest teams in baseball to start the season. I love Yusei Kikuchi, but they’re targets for us today. Here’s how their best hitters have performed thus far –

Bobby Witt Jr. seems like a fun stance today, and how about a standing O for Salvy Perez? He’s scorching the ball right now. Good for Kansas City.

I haven’t mentioned the Braves, but yes. We like the Braves today. Ryan Weathers has gotten good results this season, but he is a lefty against this Braves team, and it’s tough for any lefty to keep Atlanta off the scoreboard. They’re part of the chalk fest along with San Diego today.

My “sneakiest” team to be on today is the Twins. They have a lot of names that nobody loves to click, and I think their offense is better than what they’ve shown thus far. As a team, they are bottom four in wRC+ as of writing this. Royce Lewis on the IL and Matt Wallner turning into a pumpkin has largely contributed to this, but I’m betting on them getting right today against Jonathan Cannon and the White Sox, who seem to be the remedy for all times finding their groove. If it’s any consolation, the Twins are second to last in BABIP. So maybe there is some regression headed their way.

That’s all I’ve got today, I’m juggling NBA Playoff drafts along with my MLB dailies so my plate is quite full. Best of luck today! Hope to see you at the top.

Nez