This year, The Dynasty Guru will provide a weekly report every Saturday. The weekly report will link to TDG articles for the past week, touch upon notable player developments, and preview upcoming TDG articles for the next week.

This Week at TDG

Baseball

TDG Weekly Report, April 7-13, 2018 – last week’s report

TDG’s THE BEST TWITTER FOLLOWS: DOUBLE-A AFFILIATES – EASTERN LEAGUE – providing a list of Twitter follows for information concerning the Pacific Coast League

Fresh Takes: Hold Steady on Chris Archer – urging fantasy owners to stay the course with Chris Archer, noting the only difference in poor performance against left-handed hitters

The Dynasty Guru’s Triple Play: The New York Mets! – analyzing Michael Conforto, Thomas Szapucki, and Robert Gsellman

TDG Podcast, Episode 31: “Xander… is… a pile of poo” – discussing recent MLB developments and notable MiLB performances

Prospect Update, Mid-April – detailing the good (and bad) early prospect performances

Checking in on the Late Signees – noting early performances of all big name late spring free agent signees

Have These Six Hitters Actually Changed? – analyzing one player with strong, possible breakout early performances from each division with lots of charts!

Dylan Bundy: The Ace We’ve Been Waiting For – assessing the continued progress of Dylan Bundy

Fresh Take: Jed Lowrie is A Mirage – examining Jed Lowrie’s early performance and home runs, and whether it is sustainable

Football

Pre-Draft Dynasty Football Rookie Quarterback Rankings – examining the top 6 quarterback draft prospects

Notable Player Developments

I am at an out-of-town wedding this week so notes are limited:

Major Leagues

• Patrick Corbin continued his early season dominance on Tuesday, throwing a complete game shutout. Notably, his fastball averaged close to 94 mph (touching nearly 96 mph), over 1 mph faster than normal. Further, Corbin threw his devastating slider 40 times, eliciting 12 whiffs (30%).
• Several big names (J.T. Realmuto, Anthony Rizzo, and Christian Yelich) as well as Johan Camargo and Mike Zunino return from the disabled list this week.
• Meanwhile, Delino DeShields began a rehab assignment this week.
• The Braves signed Jose Bautista and plan to utilize him at third base. He is unlikely to provide much value outside of the deepest leagues.
• The notable injuries: Taijuan Walker (torn UCL, scheduled for Tommy John surgery); Kevin Kiermaier (torn ligament in right thumb, out 8-12 weeks); Josh Harrison (fractured left hand, out 6 weeks); Rich Hill (finger inflammation); Byron Buxton (migraines).

Prospects

• The Athletics designed Renato Nunez for assignment and the Rangers promptly claimed him off waivers.
• The Brewers are calling up Josh Nottingham from Triple-A to replace Manny Pina who hits the disabled list.
• The Cardinals promoted barrel-chested, Popeye-armed, Tyler O’Neill this week. It is unclear how much playing time he will receive, but he is a decent power flier.
• The Blue Jays called up Lourdes Gurriel Jr. after a hot start in Double-A (.347/.382/.510) and likely in response to the slow start (.149/.216/.170) of Devon Travis.
• Victor Robles will not require surgery on his left elbow, but still likely out for several months.
• Several top prospects are returning from the disabled list this week, including Eloy Jimenez and Luiz Gohara.
• The Angels promoted Griffin Canning from High-A to Double-A. Canning is quickly moving up prospect lists, displaying electric mid-90s velocity and sharp secondaries.
• Other notable injuries: Ryan Cordell (broken collarbone, out 8 weeks); Jahmai Jones (back inflammation).

Next Week at TDG

Baseball

• TDG’s Triple Play
• Dr. Mike’s Injury Report
• The Neverending Strikeout Surge
• Holds The Door: Addison Reed & Bryan Shaw

Please feel free to post comments, questions, or your own observations!

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