TOUT WARS!

This week’s question is question is a four-parter, multiple choice style.

1. Who compiles the highest 5×5 earnings for the rest of the season

A. Ronald Acuna Jr.

B. Anyone else

2. Who ends the season with the most steals?

A. Jorge Mateo

B. Ji Hwan Bae

C. Starling Marte

3. Who ends the season with the most homers?

A. Matt Olson

B. Max Muncy

C. Jorge Soler

4. Who accrues more plate appearances for the rest of the season?

A. Mike Trout

B. Aaron Judge

C. Luis Robert

Doug Dennis (BaseballHQ, @dougdennis41): Crystal ball on health–I wish!! But! Nostradamus says (1) Acuna is just a force to behold this year and only injury can stop him from owning that top slot. I don’t even have a “close second” although I think Aaron Judge would probably be it. (2) Steals–who is going to get the PAs all season? Mateo–I hate his OBP and think he could (should!) lose PAs down the road. Marte seems to get hurt/wear down. I’ll guess Bae. But it is only a guess. Esteury Ruiz might end up with more than those three combined! (3) Olson should beat Muncy and Soler in HRs with a much more reliable bat and Muncy is nicked up already. (4) Judge will have more PAs than Trout or Robert, both of whom seem to lose PAs to injuries to a greater extent than Judge has, but really, this is just a question of health.

Matt Williams (The Game Day, @MattWi77iams): 1.) Ronald Acuña: He is playing on another level this season and picking anyone else would be contrarian for the sake of it. 2.) Starling Marte: I do not trust Mateo, and while Starling has injury concerns, I also believe the Mets will end up scoring significantly more runs than the Pirates. 3.)Matt Olson: He can go on a tear at a anytime and is protected in an elite lineup 4.) Aaron Judge: This question is a complete guess, I went with my gut.

Scott White (CBS Fantasy Sports, @CBSScottWhite): 1) Ronald Acuna. Even if Aaron Judge approaches 60 homers again (which is a very big if), Acuna is running way too much to be caught, I think. 2) Starling Marte. The “chalk” answer is probably Jorge Mateo, but he’s come crashing back down to earth as a hitter and may not have much job security. 3) Matt Olson. Easy call. He’s the best htiter of the three and the most likely to stay healthy, too, if history is any indication. 4) Aaron Judge. It’s mostly a health thing. I suspect Mike Trout’s back will require a stint on the IL at some point, and Luis Robert seems to be hurt as often as he’s healthy (if not more).

Andy Andres (BaseballHQ, @sabermetrics101): Here goes: 1) I think it is Judge for most value for the rest of the year, so I take the field against Acuna 2) The three are pretty equal, but I will go with Bae, bc he has the best road to the most playing time 3) Not Soler, due to playing time risk, I think it will be Olson — but I want it to be Muncy, bc it would return great value for all of the people who invested in him this year! (And I root for the Dodgers) 4) Trout, even with his injury risk, it looks like he is motivated to stay in the lineup this year bc it might be Ohtani’s last year with the Angels

Chris Blessing (BaseballHQ, @C_Blessing): 1. Acuña, with health, continues to run away for 5 by 5 earnings in the 2nd half. He’s on a mission to prove his doubters wrong. It’s Michael Jordon-esque motavation. Don’t bet against this man. 2. Marte’s bat looks shot. His legs look shot in the OF too. I’m not believing he can keep up his SB pace, even if the Mets play better in the 2nd half and he gets on base more. I hate Mateo’s profile but I’m betting on Mateo to outrun Marte and Bae. 3. I’m betting on the hit tool in this contest, leaning into Olson’s hit tool to outlast Soler and Muncy in the HR department this year. As a Muncy believer, it’s a stretch he can keep the HR total up with his BA failings. Soler gets traded at some point, right? He’ll lose ABs in the process. 4. I’m all-in on Aaron Judge with the most plate appearanced between these dudes. Robert is made of glass and Trout’s back is a big question mark holding up during the length of the season.

Michael Govier (FTN Fantasy, @mjgovier): Anyone else, Starling Marte, Matt Olson and Mike Trout. Brevity at its finest.

Phil Hertz (Baseball HQ, @prhz50): Same as Michael – my anyone else is Ohtani.

Shelly Verougstraete (NBC Sports EDGE Baseball, @ShellyV_643): 1) Ronald Acuña Jr. – He seems to be a man on a mission to get that 40/40 season. 2) Starling Marte – This one is a playing time bet. I think Mateo loses his spot in the O’s lineup soon because he has been as cold as ice for close to a month now. 3) Matt Olson – He was my pick to lead the NL in homers at the beginning of the season 4) Aaron Judge – This is a health bet. Luis Robert Jr. always misses time and Trout always has an IL stint or two during the year so I’ll go with the player who already took theirs.

Mike Sheets (ESPN, @MikeASheets): 1) The smart money is taking the field, but if pressed to pick one player, I’m still going with Acuna. 2) Give me Marte on the steals. Health is never a sure thing, but if he’s healthy, he’ll continue playing every day, which I can’t say confidently about Mateo or Bae. 3) Olson is the easy choice for me here. 4) I could go either way on Judge or Trout here, but I’ll take Judge over Trout, who likely still has an IL stint in him this year.

CJ Kaltenbach (Fantasy Guru, @TheSeigeDFS): 1) Given Acuna’s injury history I’m going to take the field but if he stays healthy he will be the #1 player 2) I trust Bae’s playing time the most of those three so I’ll go with him but I project them all within 1-2 steals of each other 3) Matt Olson hasn’t had the hot Atlanta summer to boost his HR total yet and that should be the difference 4) Aaron Judge is on the best team and has the best lineup slot so I’ll take him given all three players have equally checkered injury histories.

Fred Zinkie (Yahoo/Rotowire, @FredZinkieMLB): 1) Always smart to take the field over an individual. 2) I’ll take Marte. 3) Olson for sure. 4) I want to say Trout, but I’m picking Judge.

Adam Ronis (Fantasy Alarm, @AdamRonis): 1. It will be Acuna as long as he doesn’t miss a signicant amount of time. 2. Mateo had an awful May, but Marte hasn’t looked good and is likely to miss time with injury. 3. Olson is the pick. 4. Judge.

Dave Adler (BaseballHQ, @daveadler01): 1. Acuna going nuts, but…take the field. ALWAYS take the field in bets like this. 2. Mateo – he won’t be an Oriole much longer, and still won’t hit, but ends up running frequently wherever he goes. 3. Olson, by a hair; 4. Trout finds a way to stay healthy…

Rob Leibowitz (Rotoheaven, @rob_leibowitz): 1. Acuna has too much up and down playing time history issues to not take the field in that kind of bet. 2. Marte – Best bet at playing time. Baltimore has too many middle infield type prospects to let a sub .300 OBP guy keep the job for too long. 3. Olson is my guy. 4. Judge. He has less of a spector hanging over him than do Robert and Trout.

Scott Swanay (FantasyBaseballSherpa, @fantasy_sherpa): 1) I’ll go with the field (Judge again?) just to be a contrarian, but immense respect for Acuna and the trajectory he’s currently on – glad he’s been able to stay healthy. 2) I’ll go with Marte over Bae and Mateo just because I think his ROS playing time is a little more certain than it is for the other two – the adage about not being able to steal first base comes to mind. 3) Among these 3 I’ll go w/ Olson among these three, but still think it’s likely that Judge ends up lapping the field again in terms of who leads the league. 4) I’ll go with Judge over Robert (because NYY should have better offense than CWS ROS) and Trout (like Kershaw, he’s gotten to the point where I don’t really trust him to stay healthy for prolonged periods of time).

Dylan White (Baseball America, @the__arrival): (1) I mean, it’s gotta be ‘the field’. Looks like BATX (per my calcs) have FTJ and RAJ with the same ROS projection (under Main Event format). So, that’s enough for me to say the field. (2) I think Mateo’s playing time situation is the most up in the air (with Bae 2nd). Marte – if healthy (obviously a big if) – has the safest playing time situation. Marte for me. (3) my initial gut feel was Soler but BATX has Olson with 28 ROS and Muncy and Soler with 23 ROS. That’s a big enough difference for me to pick Olson. (4) Since 2021, Judge has accrued 1500+ PAs and Robert and Trout have both been below 1000 PAs. Judge for me for ROS.

Kev Mahserejian (Fox Sports, @RotoSurgeon): 1) Acuna has legitimately no flaws in his fantasy profile and after a torrid start like this, my bet is he remains #1 outside of injury. 2) Bae for the simple fact that he has an everyday role on an average team that will continue to allow him opportunities. Marte has his history of injury woes and Mateo is a play-time risk. 3) Olson because he will likely finish with the most plate appearances among this trio thanks to playing in the best offense. 4) Aaron Judge. His injury history is nowhwere near as severe as Trout or Robert’s where surgeries to correct major hip and foot issues came into play.

Jeff Boggis (Fantasy Football Empire, @JeffBoggis): 1. Acuna, but Freddie Freeman and Aaron Judge will give him competition. 2. Ji Hwan Bae as he has a higher on base percentage than Jorge Mateo. 3. Matt Olson as he will heat up even more like a summer in Atlanta. 4. Aaron Judge. All three have suffered injuries, but Judge’s injury is less prone to repeat.

Todd Zola (Mastersball, @toddzola): I agree with those saying if the question is Acuna or anyone else, it’s always right to take the field. That said, I suspect Acuna would be the near consensus top ranked player for the rest of the season. As for the rest, I’ll say Bae, Olson and Trout. I wish I included Buxton and not Robert Jr. as the third option. Anyway, Trout has been relatively healthy, but there have been seasons where he’s been hurt late, so he’s not out of the woods, not even close. That said, maybe I’m wish casting, or perhaps there is some recency bias after watching Aaron Judge survive his Bump Bailey moment.

It’s the first week of Period 3, and we’re all tied for first (and last).

Here are some players the Touts hope will break the tie.

Howard Bender (Fantasy Alarm, @RotoBuzzGuy)

Pitcher: Zac Gallen – If the 0.77 home ERA and the strikeout potential don’t lure you in, how about the fact that the Rockies suck, especially on the road?

Hitter: Eloy Jimenez – He’s been hot since coming back from his appendectomy, he’s facing a tomato can in Tyler Anderson and over his last 10 games played, Jimenez is hitting .425 with a 1.189 OPS.

Todd Zola (Mastersball, @toddzola)

Pitcher: Shane McClanahan – Only one blight on an otherwise stellar campaign. The Cubs will not make it two. At least I hope not.

Hitter: Emmanuel Rivera – Stacking Snakes against Kyle Freeland, Rivera batting second for 2.9 K. That works.

Rick Wolf (SiriusXM, @RickWolf1)

Pitcher: Bryce Elder – Facing Oakland. Been consistently getting better in each start. With a LHP facing him, the Braves should clean up.

Hitter: Royce Lewis – Almost a free square at $2000. Tough to pass up after 2-5 with a homer and 4 RBI yesterday. Stacking Braves, Mets and Twins.

Jeff Boggis (Fantasy Football Empire, @JeffBoggis)

Pitcher: Bryce Elder – The Elder Wand was one of three magical objects that made up the fabled Deathly Hallows, along with the Resurrection Stone and the Cloak of Invisibility. Tonight, I am recommending Bryce Elder and his cloak of invisibility against the Oakland Athletics tonight. I like his $9,300 slary compared to other higher priced options.

Hitter: Will Smith – Staying with the price theme, I’m going with the fresh price (Will Smith) as my top hitter tonight. I typically do not like to spend a $5,400 salary on a catcher, but I love the matchup against Washington’s Irvin.

It was a quiet week for pickups in the Tout Wars kingdom. If you’d like to check out the rosters, standings and transactions for any of the leagues, just click on the league header, and by the magic of jump links, you’ll be transported to the publicly accessible OnRoto site.

American League

Player	Team	Bid
BJoyce, LAA	Rob Leibowitz	16
CBiggio, Tor	Andy Andres	15
BStewart, Min	Jason Collette	12
WCalhoun, NYY	Rick Wolf/Glenn Colton	9
JScholtens, CWS	Rick Wolf/Glenn Colton	6
JoseDeLeon, Min	Jason Collette	6
SBachman, LAA	Rob Leibowitz	5
THeineman, Tor	Rob Leibowitz	3
JBradley, KC	Eric Samulski	3
HKjerstad, Bal	Eric Samulski	3
JBeeks, TB	Jeff Erickson	1
GSantos, CWS	Doug Dennis	0
RLopez, CWS	Patrick Davitt	0

National League

Player	Team	Bid
NJones, Col	Derek Carty	112
YGurriel, Mia	Phil Hertz	77
JonDavis, Mia	Ian Kahn	54
JTeheran, Mil	Ian Kahn	34
ATrejo, Col	Tristan H. Cockcroft	34
MMastrobuoni, ChC	Wilderman/Prior	24
DRuf, Mil	Todd Zola	23
RMauricio, NYM	Erik Halterman	21
DCovey, Phi	Rick Graham	19
DLamet, Col	Grey Albright	7
ZDavies, Ari	Phil Hertz	6
JDelay, Pit	Todd Zola	3
BWisely, SF	Rick Graham	1
JHerrera, Ari	Phil Hertz	0
DMoreta, Pit	Tristan H. Cockcroft	0

Mixed Salary Cap

Player	Team	Bid
RLewis, Min	Scott Swanay	159
JMcCarthy, Ari	Zach Steinhorn	88
NJones, Col	Scott Swanay	39
KGibson, Bal	Nick Pollack	36
LRaley, TB	CJ Kaltenbach	32
OMiller, Mil	Scott Engel	19
DLynch, KC	Garion Thorne	14
ABaddoo, Det	Kev Mahserejian	11
WCastro, Min	Scott Chu	11
BLively, Cin	Scott Engel	7
HHarvey, Was	Kev Mahserejian	2
LMedina, Oak	Brent Hershey	1
CEPerez, Oak	Kev Mahserejian	1
BNaylor, Cle	Justin Mason	1
TyRogers, SF	Scott Chu	1
JBeeks, TB	Scott Chu	1

Mixed Draft

Player	Team	Bid
JMcCarthy, Ari	Seth Trachtman	215
BBielak, Hou	Tim McCullough	202
MMoniak, LAA	Anthony Aniano	75
ZMcKinstry, Det	Ryan Bloomfield	32
RSuarez, Phi	Mike Gianella	14
CRea, Mil	Ray Murphy	11
RCastro, Pit	Dr, Roto	11
PBailey, SF	Shelly Verougstraete	6
AAbbott, Cin	Ryan Bloomfield	6
BLively, Cin	Dr, Roto	5
ABaddoo, Det	Adam Ronis	3
GWilliams, Cle	Scott White	1
RMauricio, NYM	Scott White	1
BAbreu, Hou	Scott White	0
JKaprielian, Oak	Mike Gianella	0

Head to Head

Player	Team	Bid
AHouser, Mil	Clay Link	64
MSoroka, Atl	Frank Stampfl	53
MOzuna, Atl	Sky Dombroske	41
MBoyd, Det	Ariel Cohen	38
ZMcKinstry, Det	Greg Jewett	36
NSenzel, Cin	Ariel Cohen	35
JBarria, LAA	Joe Gallina	29
RLewis, Min	Greg Jewett	27
PBailey, SF	Joe Gallina	23
ABaddoo, Det	Sky Dombroske	18
TyAnderson, LAA	Ariel Cohen	14
AFaedo, Det	Michael Govier	12
JSiri, TB	Lauren Auerbach	9
RWeathers, SD	Michael Govier	7
JCaballero, Sea	Joe Gallina	5
BBielak, Hou	Frank Ammirante	3

Mixed with IP & Saves+Holds

Player	Team	Bid
BMiller, LAD	Chris Towers	141
JSiri, TB	Chris Towers	74
ROdor, SD	Jennifer Piacenti	36
PDeJong, StL	Jennifer Piacenti	31
ZMcKinstry, Det	Andy Behrens	26
LRaley, TB	Matt Trussell	18
PMaton, Hou	Jennifer Piacenti	11
AHays, Bal	Dylan White	4
MLeiter, ChC	Dylan White	3
MSoroka, Atl	Sara Sanchez	2
MWacha, SD	Jeff Boggis	1
MMaldonado, Hou	Dylan White	0

Everyone likes choices. This week, we had some fun grouping three pitchers, and asking for a preference from each set. Take a moment to come up with your answers, then see if the Touts agree.

For the rest of the season, would you rather have Sandy Alcantara, Aaron Nola or Joe Ryan? Corbin Burnes, Zac Gallen or Kevin Gausman? Alek Manoah, Chris Sale or Bryce Miller? Mitch Keller, Eduardo Rodriguez or Nathan Eovaldi?

Fred Zinkie (Yahoo/Rotowire, @FredZinkieMLB): Nola, Gausman, Miller, Keller. I would love it if someone tallied all of these answers and posted them!

Doug Dennis (BaseballHQ, @dougdennis41): Nola/Ryan/Alcantara; Gausman/Gallen/Burnes; Sale/Miller/Manoah; Eovaldi/M.Keller/E.Rodriguez. I tried to tell y’all during AFL not to pay extra for “that dog” in Manoah!! 🙂

Brad Johnson (Patreon BaseballATeam, @BaseballATeam): Sandy A., Gallen, uhh… Sale?, and Keller. That third group is tough because I’m averse to all three. As far as I can tell, Sandy is having a normal season but with a bad strand rate. Seems like noise to me. Can’t really go wrong with the second group, though I can’t believe I prefer Burnes least.

Matt Williams (The Game Day, @MattWi77iams): Joe Ryan, Zac Gallen, Chris Sale, and Mitch Keller. My love for Joe Ryan runs too deep.

Michael Govier (FTN Fantasy, @mjgovier): Sandy is my guy and though he has let me down so far, the best of his season is yet to come. Gallen is the easy call for me in group two. Burnes was a guy I was completely out on coming into this year because of some unsubstantiated worries I heard about. Chris Sale is back baby! Though Manoah will improve from here on out, Sale is my choice. The last group is the most challenging because I know that Eduardo can’t be as dominant as he has been, but he also can still be really good. Plus the trade deadline factor may be playing a motivating factor as well. I’ve never been a part of Keller’s Krazies, but outside of his 1st start of the year where he gave up 4 ER, he has only surrendered 3 or less since in every start! Eovaldi has gone off lately, but can he stay healthy? I will go with the guy with the lowest SIERA of the three: Keller.

Rick Graham (Pitcher List, @IAmRickGraham): Alcantara/Gallen/Sale/Keller. I think Sandy was dealing with some bad luck early on, the stuff is still there. Gallen’s the real deal and Sale’s been great 5 of his last 6 starts.

Tim McLeod (PattonandCo, @RunTMcP361): Joe Ryan, Zac Gallen, Bryce Miller, and Mitch Keller.

Scott Swanay (FantasyBaseballSherpa, @fantasy_sherpa): Joe Ryan (best combo of home park and team context) > Sandy Alcantara > Aaron Nola; Gallen (most consistent; improving team context) > Gausman > Burnes; Sale (crapshoot) > Miller > Manoah; Keller (recency bias) > Eovaldi > Rodriguez

Ariel Cohen (CBS Sports, @ATCNY): Aaron Nola. This is a close one – but Nola takes the nod with a higher propensity to win, plenty of strikeouts and a nice floor of ratio production. The next set is also really close … even closer. I’ll go with Gausman, who has the highest likelihood of the three to hold down wins. If ratios were they key though, I’d take Burnes. The next question is Sale … I just see downside and lack of Ks with Manoah, and rookie card for Miller. Sale should be good if healthy. Finally, Eovaldi is an easy call here. Projections have him quite a bit higher, plays for a power offense team, lots of Ks, and high floor. Eovaldi easy.

Brad Johnson (Patreon BaseballATeam, @BaseballATeam): Something maybe everyone hasn’t noticed… since a mid-season adjustment last year, Keller now has a 2.59 ERA (3.21 FIP, 3.47 xFIP) over his last 25 starts. 9.21 K/9, 2.59 BB/9, 0.68 HR/9. Also limiting hard contact about as well as an SP can hope. Those are traits that make both arguments – it looks sustainable, or it could all regress.

Frank Stampfl (SportsGrid, RotoExperts, @Roto_Frank): I had Sandy Alcantara as a bust coming into the season but can’t help but think much better days are coming based on a career-high 14% swinging strike rate and an extremely unlucky 59% strand rate. This next group is very close, but I prefer Zac Gallen. He has the best control of his career and is throwing the curve and cutter more this season, which has led to more whiffs. Chris Sale leads this next group for me. Over his last six starts he has. 3.05 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 43 strikeouts over 38.1 innings. It’s very close between Mitch Keller and Nathan Eovaldi but give me Keller. He’s less of an injury risk and has finally put everything together thanks to this new cutter.

Chris Towers (CBS Fantasy, @CTowersCBS): I’m still at the point in the season where, absent truly compelling evidence, I’m not going to change my opinion about an elite Fantasy player yet, so I’m taking Alcantara and Nola ahead of Ryan, and I’m taking Burnes over Gallen and Gausman. Of course, the latter is closer, with Gallen and Gausman cracking my top 12 at SP, so I don’t think it’s unreasonable to say Gallen or Gausman have caught him. Sale vs. Manoah is incredibly close for me the rest of the way, though Manoah has certainly given us plenty of reason to change our opinions about him and has fallen considerably as a result. I’m still pretty skeptical of Miller, so that helps make that decision. The latter group is probably the toughest to choose from, but I’ll go with Keller, who deserves a ton of credit for tinkering his way to what looks like a true breakout.

Howard Bender (Fantasy Alarm, @RotoBuzzGuy): Aaron Nola — close with Ryan but I think Nola rights the ship and has a strong rest of the way; Zac Gallen — Save for one bad outing vs PIT, he’s been everything I though he would be before the forearm injury two years ago; Bryce Miller — probably good trade bair because he’ll probably have his innings capped, but I just can’t get behind the other two; Eduardo Rodriguez — here’s hoping he gets dealt to a winning team soon.

Patrick Davitt (BaseballHQ, @patrickdavitt): I’ll take: Ryan, who I think will be a Cy Young frontrunner (then Alcantara, Nola); Gausman, whose track record makes him the choice in the toughest of the four sets (Gallen, Burnes); Sale, whose clunker-gem pattern in the early going has eased into a gem-gem-gem-gem pattern, with a 2.30/0.70 line and 3 wins (Miller, Manoah, who looks lost); and Keller, whose cutter has been part of a comprehensive pitch-mix overhaul that has transformed his performance (Rodriguez, Eovaldi).

Vlad Sedler (FTN Fantasy, @rotogut): Nola, Gallen, Miller, Eovaldi. Should be close between Nola and Ryan from now until the end of the season. Same with Burnes, Gallen and Gausman. I’m not quite ready to put a pin in Burnes’ fantasy value.

Michael A. Stein (Fantasy Judgment, @FantasyJudgment): Alcantara/Gallen/Miller/Keller. The reigning NL Cy Young Award winner will right the ship as the Marlins contend for a wild card spot. Gallen has always been one of my favorite pitchers and he is someone I trust to be consistent. Manoah and Sale concern me, so I am going with rookie Bryce Miller. He has been tremendous thus far, and the Mariners have had a lot of success recently from their young starters that get called up (i.e., Gilbert and Kirby). Finally, Keller is my choice out of attrition because I do not have a lot of faith in Rodriguez or Eovaldi long-term.

Frank Ammirante (The GameDayHQ, @FAmmiranteTFJ): Ryan, Gausman, Sale, Keller. Ryan has taken his game to new heights and looks like an ace. Gausman is showing what he can do with a normalized BABIP. Sale has righted the ship and ahead of Miller due to likely more innings. Keller is the top choice due to improvements in K% and strong Stuff+.

Dave Adler (BaseballHQ, @daveadler01): trying not to project injuries…I see the following as the most likely to come out on top of these troikas – Nola, Gausman, Sale, Eovaldi.

Eric Samulski (Rotoballer, @SamskiNYC): I think the innings and poor defense behind Alcantara are catching up to him and I love Joe Ryan’s new pitch mix, so Ryan for me. Gausman seems the best bet of the next group, but I kinda like all of them. Sale for me in the third group. I’m benching Manoah everywhere now, and I like Bryce Miller but, come on, it’s a rookie with an 80% fastball usage or Chris Sale. And then I’ll take Keller in the last group. The cutter has been a game-changer for dealing with LHH and the sweeper he introduced mid-way through last year has been tremendous

Erik Halterman (Rotowire, @erik_halterman): Ryan is pitching like an ace; his 28.9 K% and 4.1 BB% look much more like Good Nola than the current version of Nola does. Gallen edges out Gausman on tiebreakers such as being five years younger and not pitching in the toughest division in MLB. Sale understandably needed a month but now close enough to himself, but if Miller handles a few stronger lineups like he handled Oakland’s, he could pass Sale and many more. I’m buying that Keller has finally arrived — he’s still top-5 in K-BB% even after a bad outing Friday — but I’m very encouraged by the other two as well.

Lauren Auerbach (Fantrax, @lkauerbach): Joe Ryan, Kevin Gausman, Chris Sale and Mitch Keller. All have K-BB% above 22% and the ERA estimators support their strong starts to the season. Given the unsteady pitching landscape this season, I’d happily roster any of these pitchers rest of season.

Jeff Boggis (Fantasy Football Empire, @JeffBoggis): Joe Ryan MIN, Kevin Gausman TOR, Bryce Miller SEA, and Nathan Eovaldi TEX – SP. I like to spot trends using stat splits at various time increments for the entire season, last 30 days, last 14 days, and last 7 days. Eovaldi has been the best pitcher of the group to date, and he continues to show stat split consistency. I like Kevin Gausman for the strikeouts (85), Bryce Miller for the WHIP (0.51), and Joe Ryan for the wins (7).

Glenn Colton (SiriusXM, @GlennColton1): Nola, Burnes, and Eovaldi are my picks largely because I believe in sticking with the guys with talent and track record. I break away from this pattern for Bryce Miller who just flat out has me convinced. 1.15 ERA and .51 WHIP are too lofty to ignore.

Joe Gallina (Fantasy Alarm, @joegallina): Joe Ryan, Zac Gallen, Bryce Miller and Nathan Eovaldi. I currently roster all four on my Tout squad. I drafted Ryan, Gallen and Eovaldi but the 30 plus percent of my FAAB budget that I spent on Miller has been well worth it and I love his ROS outlook. Miller’s ability to throw strikes, limit walks allowed and avoid giving up home runs has carried over to the major leagues. He pitches his home games in a pitchers ballpark and since he pitched 133 plus innings last season the Mariners aren’t likely to put any limits on his innings pitched this season.

Dylan White (Baseball America, @the__arrival): I think that Chris Sale over Bryce Miller is probably the correct play – who knows how many innings the M’s will let Miller throw this year. (And with respect to Manoah, his command is so shaky right now, it seems like he’s in a position where even if he were to right the ship, he might approach Sale and Miller’s per start production…and that’s only if he rights the ship. I had Eovaldi as a sleeper candidate this year so in the interest of confirmation bias, I continue to choose him over E Rod and Mitch Keller.

Peter Kreutzer (Rotoman.substack.com, @kroyte): I have Alcantara, Gausman, none, and Rodriguez on teams this year, and wish I had Bryce Miller, and that would be a fine foursome. But I have to give the edge to Aaron Nola in the first group, and will stick with Gausman (over Burnes, who I had rated higher in the preseason but who is not right), Miller, and Rodriguez in the other three.

Rudy Gamble (Razzball, @RudyGamble): Joe Ryan, Kevin Gausman, Bryce Miller, Nathan Eovaldi

Chris Clegg (Pitcher List, @RotoClegg): Joe Ryan, Zac Gallen, Chris Sale, Mitch Keller. Joe Ryan has taken his game to another level this season with the splitter and sweeper. Zac Gallen is as steady as they come and we have seen inconsistencies from Corbin Burnes. I would love to say Bryce Miller, but I have concerns about his innings this season, which makes me lean Chris Sale here. Mitch Keller looks like a pitcher I can finally buy into with his decreased four-seam usage and the addition of a cutter and sweeper.

Scott Chu (Pitcher List, @ifthechufits): I was getting a little worried about the limited strikeouts for Nola, but 17 over his last two starts gives me enough hope that this ship is being righted. Nola has been a high-level fantasy starter for four of the last six seasons, and while I really like what Joe Ryan is doing, it’s not easy for young starters to find consistency for extended periods. He struggled through the summer last season after a strong start, and though I don’t think that’s going to happen again, the fact we haven’t had much opportunity to see him string three or four consecutive strong months together has me leaning slightly towards Nola.

Zach Steinhorn (Steinhorn’s Universe on Substack, @zachsteinhorn): Nola, Gausman, Sale, Keller. Manoah was dropped in one of my 12-team mixed leagues and I couldn’t even bring myself to bid on him.

Shelly Verougstraete (NBC Sports EDGE Baseball, @ShellyV_643): 1) Joe Ryan – He has gone from highly deceptive fastball only guy to adding a wicked sweeper while keeping that wicked fastball pitcher. My love for Sandy runs deep but I think both Skip Schuamker and Sandy are thinking this is 2022 instead of 2023. Maybe it is okay if he doesn’t throw eight or nine innings? I have Nola on many fantasy teams and it seems like it one of “those” years for him. 2) Kevin Gausman – Gausman was my pick to win the AL Cy Young and he is helping me not look like idiot. Burnes seems to have lost that ‘edge’ and while I love Gallen…give me Gausman please. 3) Bryce Miller – Just watch all three of these pitchers and the answer is clear. It is amazing how great the Mariners pitching development system is. Sale has looked great but I trust that Miller will be more consistent. And…we don’t talk about Manoah (sadly it doesn’t have the same groove as the Encanto song “We Don’t Talk About Bruno”.) 4) Mitch Keller – This matchup was pretty hard for me to pick but Keller just beat Eovaldi in this matchup. I love how deep Eovaldi is going into games but where are those strikeouts? Keller seems to be the pitcher we all thought we were drafted in previous seasons. I also like what E-Rod is doing but he seems like he is walking on a tightrope at this point.

Phil Hertz (Baseball HQ, @prhz50): Ryan, Gausman, Sale, Keller. Keller was the easiest for me. He’s been excellent since last August. Only caveat is that wins might be elusive if the Buccos revert to pre-2023 form.

Alex Fast (Pitcher List, @AlexFast8): Ryan, Gausman, Miller, Keller. Some difficult (Alcantara / Nola / Ryan). Some easy (Keller / E-Rod / Eovaldi). I think Ryan still has some potential upside if he can figure out the potential slider/sweeper combo while I’m worried about Alcantara and the new shift rules and Nola’s odd year curse (half kidding). Miller has the best four-seamers of any of those guys with fewer injury concerns at the moment and a not-as-scary floor. Keller’s tweaks have proved sustainable and while Eovaldi is a close second, the injury bug is always looming

Todd Zola (Mastersball, @toddzola): Nola, Gausman, Sale, Keller

Hi – Todd Z. here. Chances are by now you’ve figured out I put this thing together. As part of the piece, I posted each poll on my Twitter account (@ToddZola). Here are the results, side by side with the Touts picks.

It’s the fourth week of Period 2, so by the end of the evening, three more entries into the championship tournament will be awarded. Here are some of the players the Touts hope deliver.

Jeff Boggis (Fantasy Football Empire, @JeffBoggis)

Pitcher: Spencer Strider – Spencer Strider is coming off a season low 7 strikeouts in his last outing. I’d like to see him go deeper than 5 innings tonight to be worth his $12,300 salary. He’s still averaging 26.4 fantasy points per game. Playing for pride tonight, but you never know.

Hitter: Aaron Judge – Aaron Judge has been on fire since returning from the IL. He’s produced double digit fantasy points in 7 out of his last 8 contests and has exceeded 30 fantasy points in 2 of these contests. At a salary of $6,300, he’s priced to perfection, but that’s what I need tonight.

Howard Bender (Fantasy Alarm, @RotoBuzzGuy)

Pitcher: Bobby Miller – Why wouldn’t you want to go with the rookie? Because he’s facing a tough Braves lineup? Pfffffft! Stare death in the face and laugh!

Hitter: Jorge Soler – In Coors against a lefty? Yum!

Phil Hertz (Baseball HQ, @prhz50)

Pitcher: Eduardo Rodriguez – With one exception, he’s been very good of late. Reasonable price versus Royals. Why not.

Hitter: Aaron Judge – 1.463 OPS over his last 10 games. Nuff said.

Erik Halterman (Rotowire, @erik_halterman)

Pitcher: Eduardo Rodriguez – To Bobby Miller or not to Bobby Miller is the question of the day for me. Count me as more scared of his opponent than excited by his price, so I’ll go with a boring, mid-priced veteran with a great matchup against the Royals instead.

Hitter: Eduardo Escobar – Gotta collect all the Eduardos. Escobar had a -5 wRC+ in his first 12 games, but his 178 wRC+ since then suggests he’s not totally cooked. I wouldn’t expect more than league-average performance going forward, but league-average from a $2,500 player who’s batting second for a good lineup is a steal.

Sara Sanchez (bleedcubbieblue.com, @BCB_Sara)

Pitcher: Gerrit Cole – He’s been so good this season, I went back and forth between him and Strider tonight but the extra few dollars allowed me to tweak my hitters in ways that I *think* will really help, so I’m going to roll with Cole tonight. Plus the Dodgers have some really hot hitters right now and it made me nervous, even though Strider rules and I’m starting him in every league I have him in this week.

Hitter: Jared Kelenic – Kelenic has had a great year, and starting Cole instead of Strider let me pick him up as an OF option. The Mariners face off against the As tonight, which is only slightly less good that hitting in Coors, so I went with Kelenic tonight.

Todd Zola (Mastersball, @toddzola)

Pitcher: Gerrit Cole – Cole and Strider and I’ll figure the rest out.

Hitter: Joge Soler – OK, Cole, Strider and Soler and I’ll figure the rest out. I should probably fade the chalk, but then I should also fade pizza. Though, it looks like Judge is getting attention, so fading Judge works, since I trust a platoon edge in Coors for a guy who is comfy vs. LHP over a non-predictive streak.

Steve Gardner (USA TODAY Sports, @SteveAGardner)

Pitcher: Yu Darvish – It hasn’t been a great season, but Darvish gets strikeouts even if he’s a little off his game. The Nats will help him get back in a groove.

Hitter: Nelson Cruz – A sneaky $3000 pick at first base, Cruz enjoys hitting against left-handers and you can’t discount the revenge factor (!) in his return to Washington.

Welcome to Matt McLain week. The new Reds shortstop was the hot commodity this week.

If you want to check out all the moves, not to mention the standings and rosters of any Tout Wars league, just click on the header above each set of pick-ups.

American League

Player	Team	Bid
JUrquidy, Hou	Larry Schechter	88
WCastro, Min	Jeff Erickson	73
GAllen, NYY	Jason Collette	43
TVavra, Bal	Patrick Davitt	13
JKelly, CWS	Doug Dennis	12
ROHearn, Bal	Jeff Erickson	11
GActon, Oak	Rob Leibowitz	8
CHernandez, KC	Joe Sheehan	8
RGonzalez, CWS	Mike Podhorzer	8
DLynch, KC	Rick Wolf/Glenn Colton	5
JBarlow, Tex	Jason Collette	5
JMalloy, Det	Patrick Davitt	5
BRortvedt, NYY	Joe Sheehan	2
KHigashioka, NYY	Rick Wolf/Glenn Colton	1

National League

Player	Team	Bid
MMcLain, Cin	Grey Albright	377
BMiller, LAD	Phil Hertz	132
KPillar, Atl	Peter Kreutzer	113
OMercado, StL	Wilderman/Prior	109
BWilliamson, Cin	Rick Graham	91
HCastro, Col	Wilderman/Prior	75
BLively, Cin	Ian Kahn	62
GSanchez, NYM	Brian Walton	53
MRojas, LAD	Derek Carty	52
LMaile, Cin	Todd Zola	47
PBurdick, Mia	Steve Gardner	36
PBailey, SF	Brian Walton	29
JHoffman, Phi	Ian Kahn	22
MTauchman, ChC	Ian Kahn	18
TMarcano, Pit	Rick Graham	17
JPayamps, Mil	Brian Walton	15
MToglia, Col	Rick Graham	13
RWeathers, SD	Peter Kreutzer	7
BSuter, Col	Steve Gardner	4
JIrvin, Was	Rick Graham	3
MBrosseau, Mil	Peter Kreutzer	3
RAdams, Was	Phil Hertz	3
AAbbott, Cin	Rick Graham	1
JBrigham, NYM	Phil Hertz	1

Mixed Salary Cap

Player	Team	Bid
MMcLain, Cin	Justin Mason	127
BSabol, SF	Zach Steinhorn	47
RWeathers, SD	Nick Pollack	38
OMercado, StL	CJ Kaltenbach	37
PBailey, SF	CJ Kaltenbach	37
MCastro, Ari	Garion Thorne	35
BDoyle, Col	Scott Engel	31
MVientos, NYM	Kev Mahserejian	30
JShuster, Atl	Brent Hershey	21
AFaedo, Det	Kev Mahserejian	18
BBielak, Hou	Jeff Zimmerman	11
DHall, Bal	Kev Mahserejian	8
BWilliamson, Cin	Scott Engel	7
GWilliams, Cle	Brent Hershey	6
HCastro, Col	Scott Chu	6
MGarcia, KC	Jeff Zimmerman	5
GSanchez, NYM	Kev Mahserejian	4
MDubon, Hou	Scott Chu	4
JCaballero, Sea	Scott Engel	4
KGraveman, CWS	Scott Swanay	4
GSheets, CWS	Justin Mason	3
RCastro, Pit	Scott Chu	3

Mixed Draft

Player	Team	Bid
BMiller, LAD	Shelly Verougstraete	76
JShuster, Atl	Dr, Roto	45
MOzuna, Atl	Tim McLeod	43
MVientos, NYM	Anthony Perri	43
BSinger, KC	Rudy Gamble	37
BDoyle, Col	Dr, Roto	35
MLorenzen, Det	Anthony Perri	34
EDeLaCruz, Cin	Rudy Gamble	33
PDeJong, StL	Ray Murphy	29
EJulien, Min	Scott White	28
AFaedo, Det	Anthony Perri	23
LMaile, Cin	Ryan Bloomfield	16
OMercado, StL	Dr, Roto	16
CVazquez, Min	Anthony Aniano	12
OMiller, Mil	Anthony Perri	12
JOviedo, Pit	AJ Mass	10
WCastro, Min	AJ Mass	10
OArcia, Atl	Scott White	8
JSegura, Mia	Adam Ronis	6
KWaldichuk, Oak	Mike Gianella	3
PBurdick, Mia	Rudy Gamble	3
RWeathers, SD	Adam Ronis	1
JPeterson, Oak	Scott White	0

Head to Head

Player	Team	Bid
MLiberatore, StL	Geoff Pontes	178
BMiller, LAD	Greg Jewett	54
MGonzales, Sea	Ariel Cohen	34
BSinger, KC	Paul Sporer	33
MMcLain, Cin	Michael Govier	32
BDeLaCruz, Mia	Greg Jewett	27
MStrahm, Phi	Paul Sporer	24
JShuster, Atl	Ryan Hallam	23
JBurger, CWS	Michael Govier	22
PDeJong, StL	Greg Jewett	18
CKimbrel, Phi	Ariel Cohen	14
MVientos, NYM	Sky Dombroske	14
LOrtiz, Pit	Michael Govier	9
AWood, SF	Sky Dombroske	9
MConforto, SF	Geoff Pontes	8
BWilliamson, Cin	Lauren Auerbach	7
HGaddis, Cle	Michael Govier	7
DFloro, Mia	Sky Dombroske	2
MMoniak, LAA	Joe Gallina	1
JCandelario, Was	Clay Link	0

Mixed with IP & Saves+Holds

Player	Team	Bid
MMcLain, Cin	Sara Sanchez	142
LGurriel, Ari	Chris Towers	68
YGomes, ChC	Jennifer Piacenti	56
GStone, LAD	Sara Sanchez	48
JPaxton, Bos	Sara Sanchez	46
JBurger, CWS	Brian Entrekin	17
BGraterol, LAD	Chris Towers	7
BBielak, Hou	Brian Entrekin	7
BDoyle, Col	Brian Entrekin	6
HNeris, Hou	Andy Behrens	4
MStrahm, Phi	Jeff Boggis	3
BSinger, KC	Matt Trussell	2
ACall, Was	John Laghezza	2

The Touts continue to knock it out of the park. Here is this week’s discussion:

Please share one step of your weekly free agent research which you find crucial to the process.

Dan Strafford (MoonshotsMLB, @DanStrafford): I read Vlad Sedler’s article.

Mike Podhorzer (Fangraphs, @MikePodhorzer): The first thing I always do is review my team and take note of all the injured guys, as there always are several! Make a list of the positions I need to pick up a replacement for and then cross my fingers my options aren’t vomit-inducing.

Jason Collette (Rotowire, @jasoncollette): For most of my leagues, it is the Rotowire league management tool which allows me to look at who is available and how they stack up against who I have. The service doesn’t work with Onroto, but it’s a huge help with the NFBC and CBS-based FAAB leagues I am in.

Scott Swanay (FantasyBaseballSherpa, @fantasy_sherpa): If there’s a guy I’m particularly interested in, I’ll go over my league mates’ rosters to see who might need to replace a player at the same position who recently went on the IL. Combining that information with recent winning bids for players of similar quality gives me at least a rough idea of how much I’ll need to bid to add that player to my roster.

D.J. Short (NBC Sports, @djshort): Step one for me is usually taking note of the players who were dropped in a league during the latest run of FAB. In some cases, they are logical and not relevant. But in others, it might have been a tough decision for some, which allows you to speculate on an underperforming and/or fringy player. If they were rostered in the first place, there’s likely some modicum of upside. In other words, the research begins before the week even begins.

Larry Schechter (Winning Fantasy Baseball, @LarrySchechter): This may sound simplistic but making sure every week I look at the report of players released, so I know who is now available. Once in a great while I forget to do this and didn’t know somebody, I would have wanted was available.

Ryan Bloomfield (BaseballHQ, @RyanBHQ): Look at schedules/matchups for the following week. It’s a good way to get ahead of any soft two-start SP or favorable hitter schedules at a fraction of the FAAB price.

Jeff Boggis (Fantasy Football Empire, @JeffBoggis): I look to see if there are any 2 start pitchers that won’t kill my ERA or WHIP that I can stream in weekly FAAB leagues. In daily drop/add leagues, I like to look at how a player is trending, along with weighing their last 14 days, 30 days, and season to date.

Scott White (CBS Fantasy Sports, @CBSScottWhite): Every week, I evaluate which five prospects are most deserving of stashing in redraft leagues, which changes more often than you might think. I do this as part of my editorial responsibilities for CBS, but it gives me such an advantage when entering my bids for the week. If you can anticipate which player is about to get the call rather than reacting to the one who just did, it’s pennies on the dollar as far as FAAB goes.

Matt Williams (The Game Day, @MattWi77iams): I research possible two-start pitchers for the following week in order to secure each player at a discount, if I have available bench space. The same goes for available hitters with a favorable schedule the following week (perhaps on the road in Colorado). This is an vital step to save valuable FAB.

Grey Albright (RazzBall, @razzball): Check the Hittertron or Streamonator on Razzball dot com, thank you for your patronage

Michael A. Stein (Fantasy Judgment, @FantasyJudgment): I check the +/- trends of seeing who has been added in case there is anyone I haven’t been paying close enough attention to. If someone appears to be an upgrade over a player on my roster, I do a deeper dive into my player to make sure it is the right call to cut bait with them. It has happened to everyone, but it is never a good feeling when you drop someone who gets hot right after or is scooped up by someone else and catches fire.

Tristan H. Cockcroft (ESPN, @SultanofStat): Deciding on your corresponding cuts can be as critical as evaluating your pickups. Never waste a bench spot, and knowing exactly how many spaces with which you have to play can help guide your pickups and, more importantly, your contingencies. There’s always someone out there worth speculating on, even for that $0 bid, but how much room to you have to do that?

Steve Gardner (USA TODAY Sports, @SteveAGardner): I have a weekly calendar reminder set a few hours before the first bids are due that I use as a notepad to add names I come across throughout the week. That way, when I see something that might have an impact on my FAAB bids, I have someplace I can keep it until I need to put that knowledge into action.

Patrick Davitt (BaseballHQ, @patrickdavitt): Review my team and try to make a reasonable realistic assessment of what (not whom) I need, what kind of player, position, category contribution, etc. Then I use the needs list to look through the FA list for matches.

Doug Anderson (Fantrax, @rotodaddy): One thing I do to find some temporary help in my deep NL- and AL-Only leagues is comb through the latest injury news and IL placements. Then I look at the players most likely to gain playing time because of those injuries. I’m not likely to hit it big on any long-term fantasy value (though it has happened) but it is a way to squeak out a bit of production when the alternatives on the mono league waiver wire are pretty bleak.

Todd Zola (Mastersball, @toddzola): I learned this from Friend of Tout Wars Rob Silver. At the start of the season, decide how much you need to spend each week for maintenance. That is, how much is needed to replace injured players and streaming each week. By means of example, in an NFBC league, that may be $20. If you spend $20 a week on general team management, that leaves around $480 for luxury items/upgrades. Each week, I adjust the ledger, based on how much I spend on needs and upgrades. For me, what this does is keep reckless bids in check. Anyone spending more than $500 this early on one player may not leave themselves with enough to make needed moves down the stretch.

Dr. Roto (DrRoto.com, @DrRoto): I go through the list of available free agents on Saturday and write down a few names of interest. I then go back Sunday to make sure I didn’t miss any key names on the first pass.

Doug Dennis (BaseballHQ, @dougdennis41): I keep a chart of who bid, on which players, and how much in every league. I keep track of which teams lost active players during the week and which teams are getting back players off the IL. I choose my targets (that is its own process–typically aimed at playing time) and compare to the chart/other teams’ needs.

Mike Gianella (Baseball Prospectus, @MikeGianella): This year I started diligently tracking who is dropped in all my leagues. When I used to only be in 1-2 leagues, this wasn’t necessary, but now that I’m in multiple (way too many) leagues it is easy to lose track of who got dropped, particularly if is a “surprising” drop who should be rostered in all formats. This step is particularly important in NFBC-style leagues with no IL and/or limited reserves. It is easy to lose track of a key IL drop who might be back in 6-8 weeks who “should” be picked up in 4-6 weeks. This step has allowed me to up my game this year and improved my process.

Michael Govier (FTN Fantasy, @mjgovier): I have to agree that Vlad’s article at FTN is the cornerstone for top notch free agency analysis. However, before I go there I review my roster for my team to see which injured players need a replacement. Then I look at my categories of need. If it’s roto, I want to add players that can improve the category where I need help. If it’s H2H, I am looking at the upcoming schedule for next week to see which teams have the friendliest schedules for streaming pitchers and hitters. For H2H I then look at which pitchers will have 2-start weeks because they give me a leg up in volume for a weekly matchup depending on the roster size and number of moves available within your league. Next I go to the free agent pool in each league to see which players are available based on rostership percentage. I start from the highest and peruse the lowest. That coincides with my needs and the upcoming schedule to form my list of free agent additions. I also rely heavily on my own Pallazzo Discord for prospect rumblings in anticipation of new arrivals who could help my team. Then, after I have formed my own opinions, I head over to FTN to read Vlad’s article to see where we agree and disagree. I make adjustments accordingly from there.

Sara Sanchez (bleedcubbieblue.com, @BCB_Sara): I have a notebook that is with me at almost all times (this is a trick I learned from Jenny Butler at FPAZ) and jot down the names I’m interested in as I listen to pods or come across them on Twitter. I also add names of drops each week. On Friday as I’m resetting my NFBC lineups I make note of what I need stats wise AND position wise, then I put in early bids at some point on Saturday to reflect those needs. I usually return to my lists to tweak a few times on Sunday (bumping amounts for guys who may have had great performances, triple checking I didn’t miss any injury news from late Saturday/Sunday). Then I sit anxiously on Twitter and wait for bids to run so I can kvetch with all of you about what worked and what didn’t, often while listening to Jeff & Scott on the Rotowire podcast on Sunday night.

Vlad Sedler (FTN Fantasy, @rotogut): Time management is of the essence. Especially if you have FAAB for multiple teams. One key part of my process is to make sure I have bids set at least one hour before the deadline, then STEP AWAY to a reset/brain refresh, then return to adjust dollar amounts.

Scott Chu (Pitcher List, @ifthechufits): I don’t have data for this, but I’m pretty sure April is the month with the craziest FAAB. The most important part of my early season process is to remember it’s early in the season. While it’s true that early season adds theoretically could provide the biggest lift, they can also be the biggest duds. 100 or 1000 is less than it feels early on.

Erik Halterman (Rotowire, @erik_halterman): Step one is always to set my lineup for the following week. That keeps me focused on the needs of this specific roster (important if you’re in a few too many leagues) and also helps determine whether this will be a FAAB period where I’m focused on filling immediate needs or one where I’m thinking more long-term. In many situations, you won’t have enough players you’re willing to drop to do both.

Dave Adler (BaseballHQ, @daveadler01): Keep regular track of AAA players to see who’s performing well – in particular K/BB and making sure that their BABIP is reasonable. That way, when a hitter goes down late in the week, you have a sense of who might come up to take his place. Targets who have had a cup of coffee in the majors are another plus. Pitchers, well, harder to judge, but track their progress and peripherals, too.

Anthony Aniano (Rotoballer, @AAnianoFantasy): For pitchers on the waiver wire I like to look at a few components. First is upcoming matchups. If you are pitching against Oakland, I am interested. Second is K rate and third is XFIP. Also, it is important with pitchers to look for an outlier. One bad outing can skew numbers so be sure to get a true picture of the player.

Sky Dombroske (Fantistics Insider Baseball, @SkyDombroske): I think making sure that you’re not treating FA pickups as “rest-of-season” adds is a critical step, which I think all of those mentioning checking upcoming schedules are alluding to. Whatever issues your team may have don’t all have to be solved for the year with every pickup.

Eric Samulski (Rotoballer, @SamskiNYC): I write a weekly FAAB-centric Substack called Samulski Sunday Tribune where I give the previous weeks stat leaders and provide context for their stats to determine if we should add them. So for that I’m always looking at SwStr%, hard hit data, plate appearances, minor league numbers etc. It’s probably too much work but it gives me a good sense of the pool. Check it out to see if it helps you. Otherwise, I look recent stats but then make sure to check plate appearances and also the rolling breakdowns on Statcast for batted ball trends

Chris Clegg (Pitcher List, @RotoClegg): I first go and set my lineups for the upcoming week to see where I may have holes or injured players. That is the start of my research. Then I hit the available player pool and start with positions of need or injury replacements. I look at speculation of prospects who could get the call and could contribute right away, even if I have to stash them for a week. I then check Vlad’s FAAB article to see recommended values as I know every player is reading that. If I really want a player I know I’ll have to spend 5-10% more than suggested.

Carlos Marcano (Triple Play Fantasy, @camarcano): I mostly works on a “per needs” basis, going through my priority leagues and down. It’s usually two things: underperforming players or injured players replacements (or temp subs). Then the process goes through checking advanced metrics and all the way to the cats needed for every particular metrics. A lot of discussion with my partner in crime, Mark. And then, more checking. Honestly, it’s a process that never ends, and it’s draining but extremely important for success.

Zach Steinhorn (Steinhorn’s Universe on Substack, @zachsteinhorn): During my daily perusal of the box scores, if I notice that a certain player who is available in my league had a great game, I write down their name on my notepad. By the weekend, I’d hopefully have a decent-sized list of players to take a closer look at when making final bidding decisions. I add more players to this list on Sunday when I sort by the various roto categories, usually focusing on the last two weeks, but I think it’s important to begin compiling a list of possible FAAB targets early in the week to lighten the weekend load.

Brian Entrekin (Fantasy Pros, BaseballHQ, @bdentrek): There are many steps to locking in your free agent bids for the week. One of my first things I do is look at the upcoming schedule for possible streamers. Then it’s about recent playing time trends and overall performances.

Peter Kreutzer (Rotoman.substack.com, @kroyte): We usually know who the big names to bid on are each week. How hard to go after them depends on a balance between their opportunity and your team’s needs. Many weeks, however, there are also under the radar names that don’t trigger that burst of excitement that real prospects do. Most of these aren’t going to be worth much, but it’s worth digging into their recent minor league record for clues about those who might help your team. A speedster or a guy who is making a lot of Triple-A contact (or even better a speedster who is making a lot of Triple-A contact) can be a cheap add if you have even a temporary hole. Don’t overvalue 28-year-olds having minor league success, but in many cases your opponents will be undervaluing them.

Tim McLeod (PattonandCo, @RunTMc59006473): I spend a lot of time scouting the Minors, looking for both breakout players, the “hot hand”, and top prospects likely to get called up. I’ll especially focus on teams where the incumbent is struggling and a callup becomes even more likely. I play an aggressive game, but over the years have found the rewards exceed the costs. The early bird can get more than just the worms!

Greg Jewett (The Athletic, @gjewett9): Tracking relievers so closely, noting their roles within their high-leverage ladder, seeing who warms up for a save chance, but does not receive it when the team pads its lead, and daily performances changing roles as the season ensues. This prevents overreacting when an injury presents itself or when roles change on the fly. Most make the mistake of adding a reliever for saves which happened when they were on the waiver wire, not ones in the future, creating a vicious cycle on one’s FAAB resources.

CJ Kaltenbach (Fantasy Guru, @TheSeigeDFS): Weekend playing time on teams with recently promoted prospects or 2nd chance guys; can get to a Nick Pratto type a week early by just checking PT before submitting bids

Glenn Colton (SiriusXM, @GlennColton1): Taking advantage of having a truly talented fantasy player as a partner (yes you Rick Wolf). They key to our free agent research is building a set of bids, and then each of us analyzing the players, prices, and team needs to continue to hone to the best possible result. If you find a good partner, use that person to make each of you better and most importantly in this context, your fantasy team better!

Phil Hertz (Baseball HQ, @prhz50): A lot depends on the depth of the league that you’re looking at. In Tout, for example, the pickings are slim, so you have to be careful about cutting someone who’s been in a deep slump because any replacement might turn out worse. This is especially so given the Tour requirement that any pick-up has to be active for a week. In more typical 15-team leagues with a significant reserve list, I tend to look for guys who have some upside. In keeper leagues, what I do depends on lot on whether I’m looking for the future or the time is now.

It’s the third week of the second period of Tout Daily with a close battle for the next three Golden Tickets. Here are some of the picks in tonight’s DFS lineups.

Howard Bender (Fantasy Alarm, @RotoBuzzGuy)

Pitcher: Clayton Kershaw – Dude’s mom passed away on Saturday and he chose to stay with the team to make this start. He’s pitching for her against a team that has the second-lowest wOBA vs LHP this season

Hitter: Lourdes Gurriel Jr. – Batting .441 with five home runs, 10 RBI and 12 runs scored during this 13-game hitting streak, owns a .378 wOBA vs LHP and stands in the box against a tomato can like Kyle Muller? As Mona Lisa Saperstein says, “Money, please!”

Jeff Boggis (Fantasy Football Empire, @JeffBoggis)

Pitcher: Kevin Gausman – It’s feast or famine with Kevin Gausman, but mostly feast. He’s had 2 outings this season where he had 1.1 and -7.1 FPPG. On the other hand, he’s had great performances of 20+ FPPG in 7 outings this season. He’s topped 30+ FPPG 3 times and the last time he faces the Yankees, he had 40.0 FP. I like him at home tonight against the Yankees at a salary of $10,700.

Hitter: Jarred Kelenic – Jarred Kelenic is averaging 8.7 FPPG and his salary of $4,700 makes him a decent option tonight at the Boston Red Sox. He’s batting cleanup tonight and facing left-handed pitcher Nick Pivetta, who is sporting a 6.23 ERA going into tonight’s contest.

Todd Zola (Mastersball, @toddzola)

Pitcher: Zack Wheeler – THE FUNGO has Wheeler right behind Kershaw, If I can only find a cheap shortstop to use them both.

Hitter: Matt McLain – Only a donkey would use a guy in his second MLB game, even if he’s 2K, batting second in Coors Field. Call me Eeyore.

Sara Sanchez (bleedcubbieblue.com, @BCB_Sara)

Pitcher: Jordan Montgomery – Looking for one cost effective starter and the Brewers are abysmal against lefties. Team wRC+ of 70 v. southpaws this season.

Hitter: Lars Nootbaar – The Cardinals offense seems to have fixed whatever was broken earlier in the season and Noot has been at the center of it. He’s leading off, cost effective and slashing .380/.475/.520 over the last two weeks. Oh and he gets to face Wade Miley tonight.

Jeff Erickson (Rotowire, @Jeff_Erickson)

Pitcher: Zack Wheeler – Wheeler should get well against the team with the second-highest K% in baseball, in a good pitcher’s park.

Hitter: Josh Naylor – Riding a little hot hand here, against a pitcher with the second-most homers allowed this season, most of them against lefties.