Happy Friday, sports fans. It’s the homestretch of Week 8, and today I’m going to identify 5 guys to help your offense from the under-25% ownership group, and recommend a nice craft beer to go along with it. Let’s hop to it!
Adam Frazier (again), OF (PIT) – 20.7% owned
If you read my last post, you might have taken out a flier on Frazier, and if you did, kudos. In the past two games, Frazier has gone 3/7, scoring 4 Runs and mashing 2 HR to the tune of 6 RBI, and adding 1 SB in there to boot. His ownership has doubled since I recommended him on 5/23, so snap him up while you can. Best of all, he figures to continue this prodigious production for the foreseeable future, as his wOBA supports the numbers we are seeing now, and do not indicate that we will see any regression.
Hunter Renfroe, OF (SD) – 14.5% owned
Current 4 game hit streak: 8/16, 4 R, 2 RBI, 1 HR, and 10 BB over past 15 days
After an dismal start to the year, Renfroe is finally looking comfortable at the plate. Despite his unseemly .232 BA and .288 OBP, Renfroe is heating up like crazy. In the past two weeks, he’s collected 15 hits and 10 walks, with only 25 hits and 4 walks from the start of the season to May 11th.
The key to his improvement is in the improved plate discipline, not chasing balls outside the zone and being more selective in his approach. This has paid off, as Renfroe has batted .312 with a .431 OBP and 4 HR during since May 11th. Look for this success to continue, especially with Renfroe batting cleanup for a poor Padres offense.
Whit Merrifield, 2B (KC) – 1.5% owned
Current 10 game hit streak: .357 AVG, .400 OBP 5 R, 4 RBI, 2 HR, 1 SB
Merrifield is hot right now, and could be a good streamer option in a year where bats are thin at the keystone. His pedestrian .290 wOBA and .304 BABIP suggests regression is not coming for the Royals second baseman, and that what you see is what you get. The time to hop on the Merri-go-round is here, so grab him while he’s on a tear.
With his upcoming games matched up against three poor Indians starters, including rookie hurler Clevelinger, Salazar (5.55 ERA) and Tomlin (6.70 ERA), Merrifield figures to continue his success.
Tim Anderson, SS (CWS) – 15.7% owned
Current streak over past 15 days: .390 AVG, .405 OBP, 7 R, 3 HR, 5 RBI, 1 SB
Anderson has hit safely in 7 of last 9 games, including 5 multi-hit performances in that span. Anderson is feast or famine at the plate, only walking once since May 11th, and striking out 25% of the time this season. But when he makes contact, it’s good, getting the ball out of the infield 95% of the time he makes contact with a miniscule 4.7% IFFB percentage. Batting leadoff for the White Sox, Anderson figures to continue to get a good share of PA, and can be a nice addition to teams in need of AVG from the SS position.
Mitch Moreland, 1B (BOS) – 24.1% owned
Current streak over past 7 games: .392 AVG, .429 OBP, 7 R, 3 HR, 9 RBI
It never hurts to pick up a Red Sox player, especially one hitting in the heart of the order in the 5-spot. Over his 7 game hitting streak, Moreland has posted 4 multi-hit games while collecting 9 RBI and launching three home runs. With Freddie Freeman out for several weeks, look to Moreland for production at 1B if you need help with power numbers.
The Beer
Today I’m going to talk about Sierra Nevada’s Hoptimum Triple IPA, a hop-lover’s dream out of the California-based brewery.
This beer is one of the better IPA’s I’ve had, it’s just straight up delicious. It pours a deep Lannister gold and has a huge foamy head (pour slowly!) and looks pretty darn good in a snifter, with delicate lace indicating high quality beer.
I smell notes of pine and citrus, but over all of it is hops. The taste is similar to the smell, and by that, I mean hoppy as hell (hey, that rhymes!). It’s dank, piney, resinous, and deeply hoppy without being overwhelming. I get notes of caramel, grapefruit, orange, and general citrus that pair nicely but subtly with the resinous, piney, hoppyness that we expect out of a great triple IPA.
Overall, it’s awesome. And at 9.6% ABV with a low price-point, it’s a bargain to boot.
So go hop on the waiver wire with Sierra Nevada’s dank, hoppy triple!
Cheers!
Baseball and Brews 