LAB REPORTS

Our trip around MLB's glorified scrap heap takes us to the National League Central. This division has a few teams that might leave you reaching for that diamond in the rough, but also has a couple of teams that excite me and may even have some contributors you can commit to on a long term basis. Let's jump in...

Chicago Cubs

I wish I could start off with a team more rich in Tersh, but I write alphabetically so the Cubs are first, and the Tersh cupboard is relatively bare. Their hitters are basically all heavily rostered, and after last season, it’s easy to see why.  Carson Kelly  (10% rostered) might be worth your time based on his position and lineup location. The Cubs tend to mix in both catchers, so you’ll have to check the lineup card daily. Kelly has bat cleanup a few times in recent games, so that helps. He can provide decent counting stats, with 30 Runs and 30 RBIs and he hits .280. In a 2 catcher league he might be worth a shot. Michael Conforto (1% rostered) has seen more run in recent weeks and plays strictly vs RHP. He has put together a solid two week stretch hitting .345 in that time with 3 HR and 17 Runs/RBIs. When he's hot and righties are on the menu, go ahead and take a shot.  Javier Assad (17% rostered) is a player I had to use today to get over my innings threshold in one league, because he was the best of the Tersh available. He is usable and when he is on, his ratios can help your rotation. Over the past month, Assad his collected 3 Ws to go along with a respectable ERA of 3.16 and WHIP below 1. He won’t get you a lot of Ks but most Tersh won’t fill 5 categories, so he can be helpful in the right matchups. 

Cincinnati Reds

If there was an award for Tersh potential, the Reds might take it. Everyone on this list has red flags but they’ve all shown the tools to be great at times, and these names have been fun at times over the past few seasons. Spencer Steer (35% rostered) has always been streaky and he has had sustained success in chunks throughout his career, including the beginning of this season. He does have 49 Runs, which will help, and he has power with 13 HR. The RBIs won’t kill you (34) but I feel like that total should be higher. He still ranks inside the Yahoo top 200 so if he gets it going again, pick him up and ride the wave. Noelvi Marte (31% rostered) has always been a fun player to monitor because the 24 year old has shown the elite power/speed combo we as fantasy managers always seek. The numbers have not played out yet and he has not been the player we expected when he arrived on the scene a few years back. His 3B/OF eligibility is nice and he has seen more consistent playing time recently. He’s an upside guy to monitor if he gets it going because the tools are there. Fantasy managers fell in love with JJ Bleday (29% rostered) through May. In that time he hit over .300 with 9 HR, 18 Runs and 26 RBIs. His Statcast page was bloody and everything was peaches and roses. Unfortunately, the calendar turned to June and Bleday has not been able to sustain his early success. Slumps happen and when I look at Tersh, I choose to look at what a player can do when he is on. Leave him on the wire for now, but if that hard hitting stroke starts to return, pounce, because several managers in season long leagues will win because of his month long contribution, so hopefully there is another month in there somewhere.  Brady Singer (17% rostered) has pitched very well since June started. 5 of his last 6 starts have been strong and he seems to have put his tough start behind him. He has a 3.16 ERA over the past month and has registered over a K per inning in that time. He has always had good stuff so he may be able to give your rotation a boost if needed. 

Milwaukee Brewers

Okay, now let’s have some fun with Tersh. I love the Brewers. They maximize Tersh like no other. Andrew Vaughn (26% rostered) is a lefty destroyer. He hits over .400 against them and gets some ABs vs righties too. Milwaukee unlocked something late last summer and Vaughn has kept hitting since. On the season he is hitting .328 with solid contributions in Runs and RBIs. The Garrett Mitchell (11% rostered) breakout seems to be happening. The at bats have been regular and over the past month he has been a top 100 Yahoo performer without even taking a bag in that time, which is unusual. He has hit .333 in that period with 5 HR, 15 Runs and 14 RBIs. He has found himself in the middle of the order on a regular basis, and has an .828 OPS to justify this. He is a former first round pick whose career has been derailed by injuries, but it looks like the post hype breakout is upon us. I am completely on board for the ride. A similar player is Sal Frelick (9% rostered), who contributes a little bit to various categories here and there. He doesn’t hit much for power and the average has been down a bit, but remember, he finished just outside the Yahoo top 100 last season with a .288 average, 76 Runs, 63 RBIs and 19 bags. He even contributed 12 long balls, so the multi-category contribution potential is there. Logan Henderson (43% rostered) probably won’t be on this list for long as he returns from the IL this week. Always trust the Brewers pitching lab. In just 23 innings prior to a back injury, he registered 30 Ks with low ratios. The stuff is electric. Grab him immediately. The last of the Brewers Tersh list is a unique combo package. Shane Drohan (19% rostered) and Chad Patrick (9% rostered) have often seen the same game this season. Drohan has been very solid as he has been stretched out. On the season he has more than a K per inning to go along with a 3.12 ERA and 1.23 WHIP. I usually don’t touch on relievers but Patrick is more of a bulk guy for the most part. He has 5 Ws and his ratios (3.54 ERA and 1.24 WHIP) are almost identical to last season’s numbers. He has been consistent in his career and again, I will always trust the Brewers pitching lab. 

Pittsburgh Pirates

I am also a big fan of some of the Tersh in Pittsburgh. If you’re into magic, Esmerlyn Valdez (49% rostered) might just be your guy. He just made the list with his roster percentage and he has been mashing. He has hit close to .500 over the past two weeks with 4 HR, 10 Runs and 12 RBIs in that time and has been hitting cleanup in a solid lineup. He hits the ball hard. He will K in bunches but ride the hot stretch and hope it sticks for a while. Endy Rodriguez (3% rostered) is another masher who should definitely have a home in 2 catcher leagues. In 100 ABs he has 15 Runs, 16 RBIs and an OPS of .858. I am surprised his roster percentage is so low.

If you are in the market for batting average and stolen bases, Jake Mangum (6% rostered) can help give your squad a jolt. He is hitting over .300 and has taken 17 bags without permission. I started to fall in love with him last season in Tampa and I still have strong feelings in Pittsburgh. Guys like this are tremendous in category leagues with the right supporting cast of power hitters around him. Jared Jones (22% rostered) is the arm I am watching closely in Pittsburgh. There is no question of his stuff and he is slowly but surely shaking off the rust from the time off with injury. The innings are not quite there yet but over his past 3 starts he has an ERA of 3.86 a WHIP of 1.00 and over a K per inning. When it finally clicks, he will be the must own pitcher he was in 2024 before going down with the elbow. 

St. Louis Cardinals

The Red Birds round out the NL Central with some lower tier Tersh. The bats aren’t extremely exciting, but this can be a streaky bunch and might help you fill some categories.  Masyn Winn (34% rostered) has been the best of the bunch, especially over the past month. In that time he sits just outside Yahoo’s top 100 hitting .284 with 17 Runs and 16 RBIs in less than 100 at bats. You won’t do much better than that in the counting stats department on the Tersh heap. He also has 7 SBs on the season, but I was promised a ton of steals when he first came up, and am still waiting. The speed is there though and he will chip in a bit in that category. Lars Nootbar (5% rostered) has hit relatively well since returning to the lineup. He has played regularly and hit in decent pockets of the lineup. He has a .286 average with a couple of long balls and 13 Runs in 84 ABs entering Sunday. The Statcast numbers are better though, indicating production could soon be on the horizon. He hits the ball hard. If you are religious, Nathan Church (2% rostered) might be worth a look. He also contributes a little across categories and showed in the beginning of the season that he is capable of torrid few game stretches. The overall numbers are solid but not spectacular. Andre Pallante (36% rostered) has been a great surprise and has 10 Ws already on the season. We all expected that I’m sure. In addition to the Ws, his ratios are solid, with an ERA of 3.60 and WHIP of 1.22 on the season, with both ratio categories even stronger over the past month. Just don’t expect him to help boost your Ks. He pitches to contact. 

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