Sterling Archer

Astros recalled OF Kyle Tucker from Triple-A Round Rock. Tucker will join the Astros ahead of Monday's series opener against the Brewers. The 22-year-old top outfield prospect put up 34 home runs, 97 RBI, 30 stolen bases, and 92 runs scored in 125 games this season at the Triple-A level, alongside a .909 OPS, but it's unclear how much he is going to play down the stretch in Houston. He's much more of a dynasty league asset than a redraft league asset in fantasy.

Per RotoWorld: "His ERAs the last three years were 6.65, 6.43 and 6.09 from 2016 to 2018. If he can keep his ERA under 5.00 this year it will be the first time since 2014 that he's been able to do that." Yeeeeah...I don't see Bailey holding anybody back.

Yet another voice heard from in the "Is-Asher-Wojciechowski-a-legitimate-thing" debate, this time by Matt Wallach from Pitcherlist.com. https://www.pitcherlist.com/going-deep-wojo-has-found-his-mojo/ It's a long piece with a lot of data to digest but the short answer seems to be... yes, he probably is. A couple of interesting quotes: "While in the Indians organization, Wojciechowski used data produced by Edgertronic cameras to help him refine his pitches. He says that the pitch that gets classified as a slider is more of a slurve and that the cutter he throws is intended to look more like a slider. With the Indians, the team looked at the Edgertronic data and suggested he add a pitch to complement the slurve, which is where the cutter came from. He never threw a cutter in the majors before this season, but the pitch has been a big part of his success thus far." "The next layer of his pitch mix is that he manipulates the slurve depending on the game situation. He says he likes to use the slurve as curveball early in the count and then turn to the slider-type movement for whiffs. He also adds that he changes the way the cutter moves in the same way and that he increases the movement of the pitch when he needs a whiff. Whatever the technical specifications of the pitch are, it is good to see that the success can be traced back to adjustments and that it looks less like he is just lucking his way into a short run of strong performances." "While it may still be too premature to call Asher Wojciechowski a success story, there is a lot to like about what he’s done in a small sample for the Orioles this year. Using technology and data, Wojciechowski has redefined his pitch mix, offering a new platter of breaking balls that confuses both analysts and hitters alike. With this new ability to change speeds comes with a new ability to generate whiffs, with rates that put him in good company with some of the best pitchers in baseball. He also has redefined how he has used his fastball and it is currently getting the best results it has in his career. Add all that up and you get a pitcher that should be a more-than-serviceable piece in a big-league rotation, and hopefully a bright spot on an Orioles team that is trying to get through some lean years." I strongly encourage the read.

The link below is to a new FanTrax article written by Mike Kurland about whether Laureano's recent production is a mirage or the legitimate break-out of a stud. https://www.fantraxhq.com/deep-dive-is-the-ramon-laureano-breakout-for-real/ The piece includes Statcast data charting of and evaluation of splits, batted ball data, plate discipline, etc. Dig in.

I found this little blurb on Rotographs this morning about our favorite enigma: Asher Wojciechowski (Baltimore Orioles, 3%) – Few owners have jumped at Wojciechowski and it doesn’t quite add up, possibly because they’ve misspelled his name searching on the wire. It would explain overlooking an arm that made the Red Sox look silly over the weekend, fanning ten with a phenomenal curveball and dotting heaters on the edge. His new cutter this year is an effective strike-earner and among a wire of little upside, chasing Woj seems like worth the risk against the Angels Thursday evening. We could be off the ride soon, but you may want to pick him up before the game. If it’s more of the same tonight, he’ll be flying off waivers tomorrow.

Wojciechowski has a pedigree. He was a 1st round pick of the Blue Jays in 2010 so it's not like he's coming entirely out of nowhere even though his track to possible relevancy has taken a long and circuitous route. From Baseball Reference.com: June 7, 2010: Drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 1st round (41st pick) of the 2010 amateur draft. Player signed June 16, 2010. July 20, 2012: Traded by the Toronto Blue Jays with a player to be named later, Francisco Cordero, Ben Francisco, Joe Musgrove, Carlos Perez and David Rollins to the Houston Astros for David Carpenter, J.A. Happ and Brandon Lyon. The Toronto Blue Jays sent Kevin Comer (minors) (August 16, 2012) to the Houston Astros to complete the trade. May 24, 2016: Selected off waivers by the Miami Marlins from the Houston Astros. November 7, 2016: Granted Free Agency. December 9, 2016: Signed as a Free Agent with the Arizona Diamondbacks. March 28, 2017: Released by the Arizona Diamondbacks. April 21, 2017: Signed as a Free Agent with the Cincinnati Reds. October 6, 2017: Granted Free Agency. December 1, 2017: Signed as a Free Agent with the Baltimore Orioles. July 18, 2018: Released by the Baltimore Orioles. July 25, 2018: Signed as a Free Agent with the Chicago White Sox. November 2, 2018: Granted Free Agency. February 14, 2019: Signed as a Free Agent with the Cleveland Indians. July 1, 2019: Purchased by the Baltimore Orioles from the Cleveland Indians. All of this means precisely nothing, of course... Maybe he's a late bloomer that's "found something" and can be a nice "lightning-in-a-bottle" find OR maybe he's a well travelled journeyman who's had a nice run of decent results this season and 1 fantastic start. Personally I have no clue either way but if I have the room on a roster, I'm always willing to take a chance.

Here's a thorough (read: long) article by Michael Ajeto on the Pitcherlist site that breaks down J.P. in depth and discusses if he's for real. Lotsa charts and videos but well worth the read IMO. https://www.pitcherlist.com/going-deep-j-p-crawford-made-the-jean-segura-adjustment/

I think there's more to his recent success than opponent. As per Roto Professor writer Ray Kuhn: Crawford Has a Day We might be two or three seasons too late, but what we saw from JP Crawford on Sunday, is exactly what we have been waiting for from the top prospect. The fact that the Mariners are rebuilding, means they have the latitude to give Crawford playing time, as he was batting second on Sunday. And that shortstop certainly produced as he went 4 for 4 with four RBI and two runs scored as he hit his second home run of the season. In 100 at bats so far this season, Crawford is now hitting .300 with 16 RBI as the former first round pick is fast approaching his career high in at bats (117). Crawford hit .214 in each of his last two major league seasons, but with the ability always being there (just not present), I wouldn’t write this off as a fluke. Instead, the shortstop is finally healthy, and the change of scenery to Seattle has also worked for him.

Unknown? 😖

Actually the Yankees are notorious for having trouble with pitchers they've never seen before. Doesn't mean Plesac will breeze today but the chances may be better than most people think for a pretty good start.

Has anyone else noticed that Fresno is playing J.D. Davis in LF a couple times a week and he's hitting .383? It may mean nothing or...

Rondon hasn't been all that good EVER