Fantasy Baseball Live – June 14, 2026 – Time Tentatively will be 4:30 pm ET

Microsoft Teams
Segment 1 – Review of the weekend games

Segment 2 – Waiver Wire

Segment 3 – Closer Report

Close

The following players are discussed:
Kaelen Cullpepper (Min)
Jaison Chourio (Cle)
Zhyir Hope (LAD)
Eric Hartman (ATL)
Zach Root (LAD)

Fantasy Baseball Live – June 7, 2026 – 3 pm ET

Segments 1 and 2 – Review of the weekend games
Additional Notes:
1.Tanner Bibee with a great game on Saturday. They announced on the game that he was the least supported starter in baseball this season.

2.Imai with another good start on Saturday – 5 IP, 5 hits, 2 ER, 8K/3BB. That’s three in a row, including the no-hitter.
a.Is he turning the corner?

3.Sure it was the Angels, but Roki Sasaki looked great on Friday. 7 IP, 2 hits, 0 ER, 10K/2BB. He’s been particularly good over his past four starts.
a.Has he turned things around?
b.Who would you rather have the rest of the Season – Imai or Sasaki?

4.Royce Lewis is back in the Majors. I wrote last week that he was red hot and would likely see a return. Here’s what I wrote.
a.What are you thoughts on his return?
Royce Lewis is making a loud statement for a return to Minnesota. In 13 games, he’s hit 10 home runs and posted a .358 average. More importantly, his average exit velocity sits at 94.1 mph — a massive improvement over the woeful 87.9 mph he produced earlier with the Twins. He’s still expanding the strike zone a ton, so the approach hasn’t really changed. So why is he performing better?
Some of it is BABIP correction, but only to a point. His .250 mark in Triple-A is better than the .215 he ran in Minnesota, yet still well below league norms. The real driver is simple: he’s hitting the ball much harder. The caveat, of course, is that it’s a tiny sample, and when you hit 10 home runs in 13 games, your EV is going to look inflated.
Looking deeper, he’s become a dead-pull hitter, and his long injury history has likely contributed to a gradual decline in exit velocity over the years. Will the EV fully return? Maybe. But can he stay healthy long enough for that to matter? My best guess is that he normalizes around 89–90 mph. With his leveraged swing, that still makes him a 20-homer bat. Given the aggressive approach, a modest batting average — something around .250 — feels realistic.
I do think he’ll return as a viable MLB player, but the superstar trajectory he once flashed doesn’t look attainable anymore. At the same time, he wasn’t as bad as he looked in April and May with Minnesota. The encouraging news is that he’s hot, he’s motivated, and he’s forcing the issue. If the Twins wanted to see a spark before bringing him back, they’re getting it. They’ll surely say he “made an adjustment,” and maybe he did, but with samples this small, it’s nearly impossible to prove through the data.
5.Bryce Miller has been money since returning from the IL – 1.33 ERA, 29K/5BB in 29 innings.

6.Zebby wins again on Friday. Is he an every time starter now or are you holding your breath every time out?
a.Order these pitchers the rest of the season – Gage Jump, Zebby, David Sandlin, Christian Scott

7.We crushed Matt Chapman on Friday and that night he went 2 for 3 with 8 RBIs – a grand slam and a three-run home run.
a.Fantasy managers – You’re welcome!

Segment 3 – Waiver Wire


Segment 4 – Closer Report


Close

The following players are discussed:
1. Joshua Baez (STL)
2. Raudi Rodriguez (LAA)
3. Wehiwa Aloy (Bal)
4. Murf Gray (Pit)
5. Johan De Los Santos (Pit)
6. Karson Milbrant (Mia)
7. Kade Anderson (Sea)

Take 10 with Tim – June 5, 2026

1.Let’s take a look at the standings

2.FYI – Corbin Burnes hurt his shoulder during his rehab and now is unlikely to pitch this season.

3.Revisiting Sandlin vs. Jump. Both came up together, and Sandlin outpitched Jump in the first game, but Sandlin got it handed to him in game two, and Jump pitched 7 strong innings for the win.
a.Who do you take for Game 3?

4.Justin Verlander is expected back this weekend. He has a favorable matchup against the Mariners.
a.Do you dare?

5.TJ Friedl was taken as the 60th outfielder off the board and is now back in Triple-A after hitting .179 with two home runs. Noelvi Marte gets another shot.
a.What happened to Friedl?
b.Any interest in Marte?

6.What happened to these guys? Do you see them bouncing back over the next four months or was their 2025 an outlier
1)Michael Busch (CHC, 13th 1B) – 34 home runs in 2025, 6 so far this season
2)Jackson Merrill (SD, 14th OF) – He’s hitting .206 with five home runs and 10 SB. His runs scored are always down.
3)Bo Bichette (NYM, 10th SS) – The power is targeting 15 for the year, which was about what he did in 2026. But, he’s hitting .226 with a brutal .280 OBP. He’s still swinging at nearly every first pitch.
i.Plus, is this what $42 million annually gets you? Really? That’s the third highest on-field salary in 2026.
4)Masyn Winn (STL, #27 SS) – He was on a lot of sleeper list – 2 HR, 5 SB, and a .235 BA is not what was expected.
5)Matt Chapman (SF, #11 3B) – 21 HR and 9 SB in 2025. He has 2 home runs and 0 SB with a .236 BA. He did have three hits yesterday.
6)Steven Kwan (Cle, #37 OF) - .209 BA, 1 HR, 2 SB – BRUTAL!
7)Lawrence Butler (ATH, #36 OF) – 3 HR, 4 SB, and a .161 BA. I’m not sure why he’s still in the Major Leagues.
8)Geraldo Perdomo (AZ, #9 SS) – Breakout in 2025 with 20 HR, 27 SB, and a .290 BA. This season, he has 3 home runs and is hitting .223.

7.Believe it or not, we are 42% of the way through the season, and it feels like a good time to get your predictions on CY, MVP, and ROY. Mine are listed.
a.Please provide a pick for CY, MVP and ROY
i.AL: CY – Rich – Cam Schlitter; Tim – Gavin Williams
ii.AL MVP – Yordan or Witt Jr.; Tim – Ben Rice
iii.AL ROY – Should have been Murakami – Maybe Okamoto or you default to Kevin McGonigle; Tim - Okamoto
iv.NL: CY – Cristopher Sanchez; Tim - Sanchez
v.NL MVP – Shohei Ohtani; Tim - Same
vi.NL ROY – Konnor Griffin – might be a stretch and deserves to be below, I just think he flies by everyone; Tim – Carson Benge
b.Please provide a stretch pick for each category.
i.AL: CY – Parker Messick; Tim – Will Warren
ii.AL: MVP – Mike Trout; Tim – Miguel Vargas
iii.AL: ROY – Sam Basallo – I think he has a huge second half; Tim – Payton Tolle
iv.NL: CY – Shohei Ohtani – Braxton Ashcraft will get more votes than Paul Skenes; Tim – Chase Burns
v.NL: MVP – Oneil Cruz; Tim – Jordan Walker
vi.NL: ROY – Carson Benge – has a huge second half; Tim - JJ Wetherholt

8.What hitter are you targeting for this weekend’s FAAB?
a.Arroyo or Marte

9.What pitcher are you targeting for this weekend’s FAAB?
a.Alex Lange

Fantasy Baseball Live! – May 31, 2026

Segments 1 and 2 – Review this weekend’s games
Additional Discussion Points
1.Finally, Tatis gets on the board with his first home run.
a.Over/Under 20 home runs for the season

2.Kumar Rocker had a strong game on Saturday – 6.0 IP, 3 hits, 0 ER, 2K/3BB
a.He has a 3.54 ERA but his xERA is 4.55. He’s also only striking out 7.5 per nine. Is he anything more than a number four/five starter?

3.Lucas Erceg has been awful this week and not much better over the past two. He completely imploded yesterday – giving up five hits and 3 ER, taking a blown save and the loss.
a.There has to be someone better in Kansas City to grab for saves. Tell us who?

4.Mike Trout hit his 14th home run and has pushed his average to .241 with an impressive .412 OBP. Is there any chance he gets moved at the deadline to try be on a team that at least wins a playoff game?

Segment 3 – Waiver Wire

Segment 4 – Closer Report

Close

Take 10 with Tim – May 29, 2026 @ 9:15 am

1.David Sandlin and Gage Jump made their MLB debut this week.
a.Sandlin (RHP, CHW) – 6.0 IP, 1 hit, 1 ER, 4K/0BB; FB: 97.7 mph (T 99.3), CB: 29% whiff rate
b.Gage Jump (LHP, ATH) – 5.0 IP, 9 hits, 4 ER, 5K/1BB; FB: 95.9 mph (T 97.9); SL 45% whiff rate; sweeper 33% whiff rate
c.Jump is the more heralded as the Red Sox had moved Sandlin to the bullpen, but after the trade to the White Sox and moving back to the rotation, and had him throw his curveball more, he’s been better. Jump of course pitches half his games in Sacramento
d.Who will you make the larger bid this weekend?

2.Teoscar Hernandez pulls a hammy and will be lost for a few weeks. Tommy Edman is due back soon, and then there’s Alek Thomas or Ryan Ward. I’m guessing you’re not too interested, given the situation, or are you?
a.I’m assuming when Tommy Edman is ready to return, he’ll be the Dodgers' second baseman. Is that how you see it?
b.I got an interesting text from a Patreon member discussing all the potential bad contracts looming for the Dodgers. Let’s look at their roster and see if we can figure out what they will do in a few years.
i.Los Angeles Dodgers 2026 Financial Summary
ii.Here’s how I responded:
1.Question: We hold up the Dodgers as the exemplar org in baseball, but many of their big contracts are going to start looking very bad, as soon as next year. Is it possible that their model actually turns sour?
2.My Response: “I think that’s been their strategy. Play for today and worry about tomorrow some other day. Remember, they also have a bunch of deferred money kicking in with Ohtani, etc. one thought is as they deal with the bad contracts, they promote all their young kids as cheap alternatives as the Mookies of the world become backup players. So cheap everyday players and expensive backups. Besides Betts and Smith, freeman, Tucker, Teoscar all are done in three more years. The strategy might work. I will say that Smith’s contract looks the worse but he’s also the most reasonable. They might have to buy him out. Mookie should be ok for next 2 years and then, his will really look ugly”
3.Tatsuya Imai was involved in a no-hitter this week. He danced around four walks over six innings and then turned it over to the bullpen. It wasn’t pretty, but he’s in the history books.
a.I’m assuming you are still concerned?
b.How should I view him moving forward?

4.Let’s take a look at the standings

5.Top Ranked Fantasy Players according to Fantrax. WOW – no Judge, no Ohanti, no ANYBODY! The first two months have truly been unique this season.

a.Mason Miller – 23.2 IP, 16 saves, 47K, 0.76 ERS
b.James Wood – .276 BA, 15 HR, 10 SB, 37 RBI, and 50 runs! Second in runs scored is Brice Turang with 43.
c.Cam Schlitter – 72 IP, 7 wins, 81K, 1.50 ERA
d.Oneil Cruz – .260 BA, 11 HR, 17 SB, 38 runs, 35 RBI
e.Chris Sale – 62 IP, 7 wins, 72K, 1.89 ERA
f.Chase Burns – 64.1 IP, 7 wins, 72K, 1.96 ERA
g.Jordan Walker - .300 BA, 15 HR, 7 SB, 38 runs, 42 RBI
h.Jacob Misiorowski – 64 IP, 5 wins, 100K, 1.83 ERA – Sanchez is second in Ks with 95 and is number 13 on this list.
i.Andy Pages - .303 BA, 13 HR, 7 SB, 34 runs, 50 RBI
j.CJ Abrams - .294 BA, 12 HR, 8 SB, 34 runs, 47 RBI
k.Davis Martin – 61.2 IP, 7 wins, 66K, 2.04 ERA

6.Questions related to #5 above
a.Which two players do you think are the most securely locked in to a Top 25 rankings in fantasy baseball at the end of the season?
b.Which two player do you think will NOT finish in the Top 25 in fantasy baseball at the end of the season?
c.I got an email from a Patreon member during draft season – I’ve brought this up before, but it’s proved to be prescient. He asked of the young pitchers in that 45 to 55 pitcher range: Schlitter, Sheehan, Misio, Burns, Nolan McLean
i.Rank the order of these player for the rest of the season?
ii.Rank the order of these players over the next five years – time on the IL WILL be considered a factor.

7.What hitter are you targeting for this weekend’s FAAB?

8.What pitcher are you targeting for this weekend’s FAAB?

The following players were discussed:
1. Franklin Arias (Bos)
2. Jace LaViolette (Cle)
3. Jhonny Level (SF)
4. Steele Hall (Cin)
5. Karson Milbrandt (Mia)

Fantasy Baseball Live! – May 24, 2026

Segments 1 and 2 – Review the weekend games
Additional Notes:
1.With the struggles of Steven Kwan this season, Travis Bazzana has been moved to the leadoff spot.
a.What is your assessment of him so far this season?
b.When do we pull the trigger on Steven Kwan and throw him on the waiver wire – he’s hitting .199 with 1 home run and 2 SB. Granted, he also has a .224 BABIP, so I would expect a correction. But the xERA is still only .223. Yikes!

2.Kevin Alcantara is getting another shot. He can’t hit, but there is speed and power. Your thoughts.
a.BTW, quietly Spencer Jones was demoted last week. The fanfare of a demotion is never the same as that of a promotion.

3.So it’s not Franklin Arias at shortstop, the Red Sox are turning to Marcelo Mayer and his .216 batting average and .286 OBP.
a.I really missed on this one. The bat speed is clearly there – ranking in the top quartile of the leagues, but his 87 mph EV and 9% of loft is making him an easy out. Makes great contact, it’s just weak.
i.Your thoughts?

4.Gerrit Cole returned and the velo was spot on. The swing miss of his secondary stuff was not quite there but overall he looked good.
a.Your thoughts?

5.Cristopher Sanchez has pitched 37.2 of scoreless innings. How is that possible? He’s also pitching extremely deep into games. Just dominant.

6.Jonah Tong quietly got the call but it appears he will pitch out of the bullpen.
a.Any interest?

7.Taj Bradley is back, touching 100 mph and shoving it. On Saturday, he pitched 5 innings of one run ball, striking out 7.

8.Zack Wheeler has been dominant since returning from TOS. I thought pitchers didn’t come back very well from that?

Segment 3 – Waiver Wire

Segment 4 – Closer Report

Close

The following players are discussed:
1. Austin Overn (TB)
2. Devin Fitz-Gerald (Was)
3. Kane Kepley (CHC)
4. Ethan Holliday (Col)
5. Josuar Gonzalez (SF)
6. Seth Hernandez (Pit)