Here are the show notes from the Tuesday, June 15th episode:
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Trolling the Wire Pickup
Lyle Overbay, 1B, Toronto Blue Jays
If I told you that Aaron Hill had a .641 OPS, Adam Lind just .634 and Lyle Overbay an uninspiring .710 and then had you guess the Toronto Blue Jays record, what would you say? Probably something like 22-43. No, they’re 34-30 despite three of their more prominent hitters giving them next to nothing at the plate. Today’s trolling the wire focuses on the latter of those three, Lyle Overbay. Overbay isn’t a top level first base option by any stretch of the imagination. He has a career .806 OPS and averages 17 HR and 75 RBI while hitting .276. That makes him an AL-Only 1B and a mixed league corner/DH type. This year he has been waiver wire fodder, but that is slowly changing.
After an 0-for-4 on May 11th, Overbay’s average was down to .169 and he had hit just one homer. Since then, he is hitting .309 (34-for-110) with five home runs and 16 RBIs raising his average a whopping 66 points and his OPS an eye-popping 165 points in little over a month. Of course the composite numbers are still a little weak so he remains on many waiver wires. Even with his struggles, he is still outperforming Derrek Lee, Lance Berkman, Todd Helton and rookie favorite Justin Smoak on the player rater. His home run pace is back in line with his career norms at 18 and the 68 RBI pace is just off the career mark. If you are looking to fortify your corner infield in light of the position-wide underachievement, then Overbay is a nice option who is almost assuredly available for free in your league.
Articles of the Day
Featured Piece: F-Bomb 2.0: How close is Francisco Liriano to 2006? – by Aaron Gleeman
Others:
Assessing the Trade Market for Cliff Lee & Roy Oswalt – by Jon Heyman
Buzz from Around the Horn – by Ken Rosenthal
Cliff Lee Possibly Moving AGAIN – by Jeff Passan
Jason Hammel Returns After DL Stint – by Jason Grey (Insider required, but well worth it.)
The Anatomy of Galarraga’s Strong Start – by Joe Pawlikowski
Bet of the Day
Today was an easy pick for me. Any time I see Philadelphia as an underdog with Roy Halladay pitching, I’m automatically taking them. I realize their offense has been awful of late, but I can’t pass up the opportunity to get positive odds on a Halladay start. The Phils go to New York to face CC Sabathia and Yankees, but I’m going with the road team.
Pick: Phillies +110
Record: 1-1
Wednesday Spot Starts
Anibal Sanchez v. Texas Rangers – he’s become a must start across all formats at this point, yet he is still on plenty of waiver wires.
Zach Duke v. Chicago White Sox – this one is much more risky, but the Sox are awful against lefties so this could be a chance to pick up a solid start in DEEEEP leagues.
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