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New rule: If you play for a franchise that has been around since before the first Grover Cleveland administration and you do something nobody has ever done, you are going to be the lead in this space.

Matthew Boyd struck out 13 Yankees Wednesday, and while that isn't as impressive as we might have assumed before the season, given the state of things in the Bronx these days, it did make Tigers' history. In a franchise that has featured, among others, Jack Morris, Justin Verlander, and Max Scherzer, Boyd became the first player in Tigers' history with 10-plus strikeouts in his first two starts of the season. That's impressive.

The question Fantasy players need to know is, "Is it for real?" Boyd has not been without his supporters  in the Fantasy community in recent years, but the results have never quite been there. From 2015 through 2018, he sported a 5.07 ERA and 1.36 WHIP, with 7.7 K/9. You could find glimmers of hope if you wanted, but overall, the 28-year-old didn't enter the season with big expectations.

It's just two starts, of course, but he's thrown 183 pitches and has a staggering 22.4 percent swinging strike rate, including 26 against the undermanned Yankees on Wednesday. And, he's not even throwing his fastball any harder than in years past; he's just making hitters look silly with heavy doses of his slider. He's thrown 67 of those through two starts, and is having great success with a somewhat slower, bigger-breaking version of the pitch.

Is it for real? It needs to be noted that his two starts have come against two teams who have combined for just 43 runs in 13 games, so it hasn't been the stiffest competition. It could just be the product  of running into the right matchups at the right time, without the proper scouting reports being out on this new version of his slider.

However, you can't ignore this kind of performance two starts in a row. And, at just 42 percent owned, you can probably find a spot for Boyd on your roster. Make it a priority.

Five players to add from Wednesday

  • Matt Shoemaker (44%) -- Last  night was the Shoemaker I've always wanted to see, as he racked up whiffs with his terrific splitter. If he can keep that up, he'll remain Fantasy relevant. 
  • Carlos Rodon (63%) -- One of the most noteworthy trends around baseball this season has seen a continued rise in slider usage league-wide. Maybe Rodon will be the  poster boy for that after he threw a whopping 49 of them Wednesday, with 14 swinging strikes. 
  • Willians Astudillo (61%) -- All this guy does when he gets the chance to play is produce. In 108 career plate appearances in the majors, Astudillo has hit .382/.398/.559 with just three strikeouts. No, I don't think he's actually the next Tony Gwynn, but he deserves more playing time, and I'd bet the Twins know it. 
  • Homer Bailey (3%) -- The most unexpected performance of Wednesday was undoubtedly from Bailey, who racked up 16 swinging strikes on 99 pitches, with eight strikeouts in five innings. He used his slider, curveball and splitter more than ever before, and that could help him find success. 
  • Christian Walker (27%) -- It's hard to know if Christian Walker is for real. He hit 50 homers in 217 games across his final two Triple-A seasons, but he did it as a 26- and 27-year-old in the PCL. However, with Jake Lamb suffering a quad injury Wednesday, Walker could get the playing time to find out. In Roto leagues, he's worth an add just to find out. 

Winners and Losers

Winners

  • Yoan Moncada -- This is the Moncada we've always wanted to see. He's laying off pitches he can't hit, avoiding strikeouts and hitting the ball hard all over the field. If the breakout is coming, this is what  it would look like. 
  • Luis Castillo -- When things are going well for Castillo, this is what it looks like: Nine strikeouts in seven one-hit innings. The most promising thing about this one? He had enough confidence in his slider to throw it nearly as often as his changeup.
  • Craig Kimbrel -- The NL East is going to be tight all year long, and Kimbrel has already been linked to two teams in that division, the Braves and Nationals. Both teams' bullpens have been a major issue so far, and the Phillies' hasn't helped them much, either. Kimbrel is going to benefit from some team getting desperate, and there could be three rivals on the verge of desperation already. 

Losers

  • Robbie Ray -- Ray is so inconsistent that it's hard to say whether a couple of poor starts  might have any impact on future expectations. However, for those of us hoping for a bounce-back, five walks in less than six innings in each of his first two starts sure isn't promising. 
  • Miles Mikolas -- We may not think of Mikolas as a guy who relies on velocity for success, but it's hard to ignore that his average fastball velocity is down nearly 1 mph from his first two starts last season right along with a disappointing start to the season. He has just five strikeouts to three walks in 10 innings, with four homers allowed. Don't panic yet, but given his pitch-to-contact approach, Mikolas isn't the kind of pitcher with a huge margin for error. 
  • Brandon Nimmo -- Nimmo struck out four times, and hopefully this ends up being the low point for him. Through six games, he has struck out in half of his 26 plate appearances, with just four walks and two singles to show for his troubles. Nimmo was terrific in a breakout 2018, but the track record isn't quite long enough that we can ignore an extended slump, so let's hope he pulls out of it soon.