With the season almost halfway done, it is important to look at some important storylines and aspects this week to be ahead of the curve and gain an edge on your league mates.

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20 Things To Watch

Schedule Notes

All teams have just three games due to the All-Star Break except the Phillies and the Padres, who have a doubleheader on Saturday.

The Future’s Game

It is an absolute shame that Major League Baseball buries the best part of the All-Star Break the way they do the Future’s game. However, if you love baseball or play in dynasty/keeper leagues, you are going to want to watch this game (or the replay of it.) On display are some of the top prospects in baseball, including Jackson Holliday, Jackson Chourio, Marcelo Mayer, James Wood, Kyle Harrison, Mick Abel, Jackson Merrill, Noelvi Marte, and Junior Caminero, among others.

The Home Run Derby

I dislike the All-Star Break mostly because MLB does a poor job of using it to promote the sport, but the Derby is a really fun event. While Seattle isn’t a great place for power, I think this will really separate the men from the boys, and getting to watch Pete Alonso and Vlad Guerrero Jr. hit dingers is always fun. My dark horse pick for the event is Adolis Garcia, but I think it is most likely that Alonso takes the crown.

The All-Star Game

Listen, I am not going to watch this, but I understand if you want to. It is filled with some of the biggest stars in baseball and likely will be a fun game. I wish we didn’t need to have full representation of every team so that guys like Brent Rooker and Michael Lorenzen didn’t take spots away from deserving players.

Anything Other Than The Celebrity Softball Game

Just don’t.

Your League’s Standings

I think a lot of people are like me and use the All-Star Break as a time to relax and not think about baseball for the most part. However, especially if you are in Roto leagues, you should be using some of your time to do a deep dive into your standings and figure out where you can gain ground and where you can lose it. If you don’t already have one, make a spreadsheet of your categories and come up with a plan to address your weaknesses before it is too late. Other people won’t do this.

NOT FOOTBALL

I know that a lot of fantasy analysts that cover both football and baseball are switching over to football at this point as the fantasy football draft season really ramps up. However, if you want to win fantasy baseball leagues, now is not the time to stop paying attention, even if your team hasn’t been good. As football gets going, a ton of people in your leagues will divert their attention, and others will just completely give up. If you stay vigilant and active, you will pick up ground. I love football and fantasy football, but I want to win my baseball leagues, so I am not taking my foot off the gas pedal. You shouldn’t either.

Hug Watch

Once the All-Star Break is over, we are going to see a lot of rumors and players potentially being moved from bad teams to better ones. This is the time to start stashing players that are available in your league that could have an increased role after a deal. Look for set-up men that may become closers if the team trades their established closers. For example, If the Royals trade Scott Barlow, Carlos Hernandez could move into the closer role. If the Padres trade Josh Hader, Nick Martinez could be the next man up. Don’t just look at who is being traded. Often the biggest bumps in value come from the hole that opens up playing time on the team that just traded the bigger name.

Rodon Returns

Carlos Rodon is finally back, and he lines up for a start after the break in Colorado versus the Rockies. While I wouldn’t start him here, I am watching his first few starts back very closely to see what his command and control look like and where his velocity is at.

Sir Lance A Lot?

Who is the real Lance Lynn? This is the question. Every time I get ready to drop him, he comes out with a gem. He faces a very tough Braves squad in his start this week, but if he pitches well, I am going to be sucked right back in.

You Don’t Know Jack

Speaking of players that are infuriating, Jack Flaherty has been one of the more difficult pitchers to figure out. He has a 4.27 ERA but also five shutout performances and only five games where he has allowed more than three runs. Even in his last six games, he has three shutouts and a one-earned run outing and two games where he allowed six earned runs.

Yankees Hitters

Over the last 30 days, the New York Yankees have struggled at the plate as a team, hitting .225/.293/.384 while scoring the fourth fewest runs in baseball. Things have gotten so bad they are relying upon guys like Billy McKinney and Jake Bauers (who they just lost to injury.) However, they start with a series in Colorado and could be an interesting streaming offense for the weekend.

Tigers Pitchers

The Tigers aren’t good, but they have some interesting pitching pieces that might be on the move or on the come-up. I will talk about E-Rod a bit later, but Michael Lorenzen has pitched well against bad teams and could be a cheap rotation piece for competitive teams. I don’t think they would trade Matt Manning or Tarik Skubal, but they are nice young pieces for the team to build upon. Skubal looked good in his debut, and Manning has talent in his arm. Keep an eye on this young rotation.

Need More Cowserbell

Colton Cowser has made his Major League debut. This is a top-tier prospect that tore up AAA this season, hitting .330/.459/.537 with ten home runs and seven stolen bases. He improved his strikeout and walk rates dramatically in AAA this year as well. There are still questions as to whether he can handle Major League pitching, and with the influx of talent, the Orioles have, he will need to hit to stay in the Majors.

Carroll All Sung Out?

For the second time in a week, Corbin Carroll left a game with a shoulder injury. The most recent occurrence was on Thursday when he appeared to be in a tremendous amount of pain. Early reports are that it seems structurally sound, but this is the same shoulder he got surgery on while in the minor leagues. I am pretty afraid this is going to end poorly for the Rookie of the Year frontrunner.

16-20. Streaming Options

Dean Kremer (BAL) vs MIA

Kremer has been up and down recently, but the underlying skills have been intriguing. His biggest issue is a home run problem. However, Camden Yards is one of the best parks to pitch in with their newer dimensions in the outfield, so he is a solid streaming option when at home.

Eduardo Rodriguez (DET) at SEA

I know that E-Rod’s first start back from the IL, but the Mariners have not been great versus left-handed pitching this season, and Seattle is a nice place to pitch in.

Taj Bradley (TB) at KC

Bradley has been up and down this year, but he has really good stuff and is facing a Royals team that has been the second-worst team in baseball offensively over the last 30 days.

Brayan Bello (BOS) at CHC

Bello has been unreal good since the beginning of May, posting a 2.39 ERA in 67.2 innings of work while keeping both his walk and home run rates low. He faces a bad Chicago team and should be picked up in any format he is still available in.

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