MLB: Cleveland Indians at Tampa Bay Rays
Kim Klement / USA TODAY Sports

We knew this Fantasy season was going to be unpredictable, but if the first weekend of MLB action was any indication, get ready for quite the roller-coaster ride. There's just so much to digest from the first batch of games. We already have injuries to big names, big velocity fluctuations, wacky lineups, and on top of that, a COVID-19 outbreak among the Marlins that has already led to two postponed games Monday. 

So here's what we're going to do: Every day this season, I'll have the latest news from a Fantasy perspective plus a few of the notable winners and losers from the night before (Mondays will recap the weekend). 

THE LATEST IN THE WORLD OF FANTASY BASEBALL

  • The Marlins are dealing with a full-on outbreak,  as they have had 11 players test positive and had their game against the Orioles postponed Monday while they try to control the outbreak; the Yankees-Phillies game in Philadelphia Monday was also postponed due to concerns about the safety of the visiting clubhouse. This is going to be a real test of MLB's protocols around playing through the pandemic, especially given this quote from commissioner Rob Manfred last month: "If we have a team or two that's really decimated with a number of people who had the virus and can't play for any significant period of time, it could have a real impact on the competition and we'd have to think think very, very hard about what we're doing." It might be best to avoid players on the Marlins, Orioles, Phillies and Yankees for Week 2, given this uncertainty. 
  • Justin Verlander is dealing with a forearm strain and will be re-evaluated in two weeks. Obviously you can't replace his level of production, but Chris Towers offered the top waiver wire options at starting pitcher, headlined by Ross Stripling and Sandy Alcantara. 
  • These random relievers all picked up at least one save over the weekend: Trevor Gott, Greg Holland, Taylor Williams, Cole Sulser and Oliver Drake. Gott and Holland top the list in terms of priority if you need saves. I almost made Gott a winner after picking up his second save Sunday night, but then I remembered Gabe Kapler is his manager.
  • Here's the list of starting pitchers whose velocity was down this weekend: Charlie Morton, Zack Greinke, James Paxton, Madison Bumgarner, Mitch Keller. Outside of Morton and Greinke, you might want to consider benching the others to see how their second start goes. (Editor's Note: It's worth noting that MLB is implementing a new version of the hardware behind the Statcast system, which could lead to some fluctuations in their data readings, so we'll want to see how these pitchers' numbers look the next time out.)
  • Here's the list of starting pitchers whose velocity was up this weekend: Chris Paddack, Jose Berrios, Dinelson Lamet, Sandy Alcantara. If anybody in your league is freaking out over Berrios' first start, send a buy-low offer.
  • Surprise! Stephen Strasburg and Rich Hill were both scratched from their respective starts this weekend. Strasburg is dealing with numbness in his hand, while Hill is being Hill. Neither sounds too serious yet. 
  • Ken Giles imploded Sunday, leaving his outing with right elbow soreness. My best guess as to the next man up is Anthony Bass. He pitched the eighth inning Sunday and did save five games for the Blue Jays in 2019.
  • According to multiple reports, Phillies top pitching prospect Spencer Howard appears lined up to make his MLB debut this Friday, July 31. I'd imagine we'll soon see the likes of Nate Pearson and Dylan Carlson as well. 

Five Biggest Winners

  1. There is no bigger winner than Carlos Carrasco. After battling his way back from leukemia late last season, he returned to the rotation in absolutely dominant form Sunday against the Royals. He finished with 10 strikeouts (17 swinging strikes), allowing just two earned runs over six innings pitched.
  2. Tommy Pham already has four steals in just three games. It appears that under new skipper Jayce Tingler, the San Diego Padres have the green light. The team stole three more bases Sunday afternoon. Pham could be in for a massive stolen-base output. 
  3. Maybe Joey Votto isn't done yet. He hit two home runs over the weekend, including one off lefty Matthew Boyd on Friday. His lineup context is still premier as he bats second with one of the best home ballparks in all of baseball.
  4. Saturday was arguably the best I've seen Steven Matz. Not only did he shut down one of the best lineups in baseball in the Braves (6 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K), but his 94.9 mph average fastball velocity is the highest we've ever seen it. 
  5. Yes, Kyle Lewis still struck out six times this weekend but he also homered off  Verlander and Lance McCullers. He added two more hits and two RBI Sunday. The batting average should be pedestrian, but the power and playing time will be there.

Five Biggest Losers

  1. So what exactly is the plan for Blake Snell? He's had a ton of elbow concerns and essentially acted as an opener on Sunday, tossing just 46 pitches over two innings. You hate to see it, especially considering you likely spent a top-50 pick on him. 
  2. It's only one start so we don't want to overreact, but there was some buzz surrounding Robbie Ray entering the season because of new mechanics. Well, Saturday night we saw classic Ray as he allowed three earned runs with three walks over just 3.2 innings pitched.
  3. If anybody has an answer on why the Houston Astros hate Kyle Tucker, please let us know. Even with Yordan Alvarez on the shelf, Tucker started just one of three games this weekend. Instead, they opted for Taylor Jones on Sunday. If you need production now and can't afford to stash Tucker, I would drop him for somebody like Ian Happ or Lewis.
  4. Corey Knebel has made two appearances thus far: one in the seventh inning down 2-0 and the other in the fourth inning down 2-0. He doesn't appear to be in the mix for high-leverage situations yet. 
  5. Like Tucker, we had hope that Carter Kieboom would be an everyday player in 2020. We thought wrong. He started just one of three games over the weekend with the start coming against southpaw James Paxton. He appears to be on the short-side of a platoon at third base.