One of the toughest things for fantasy baseball owners is trying to determine what is real.
Take the case of Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Marco Estrada. He has allowed just three hits and one earned run over his past 15.2 innings, but his history and propensity for allowing home runs provide reasons why his recent performance could be an outlier.
However, Estrada has been one of the most added starting pitchers in fantasy baseball, while the most logical Blue Jays pitcher to target in fantasy baseball (Roberto Osuna) remains readily-available on the waiver wire.
See where Osuna ranks in this week’s edition of Three Up, Three Down:
THREE UP
Yovani Gallardo, Texas Rangers 
It’s incredible that Gallardo is still available in almost 40 percent of Yahoo! leagues. The Rangers right-hander has been unhittable over the last month, allowing a total of just two earned runs (0.54 ERA) in his past 33.0 innings combined with 25 strikeouts, nine walks, and no home runs allowed. Most of that stretch has come in hitters’ parks (his last two starts were on the road in Toronto and Chicago) so there’s plenty of reason to believe that his performance is somewhat sustainable.
Roberto Osuna, Toronto Blue Jays 
It’s difficult to predict the future of the Blue Jays’ bullpen, but Osuna is the only option worth riding in fantasy baseball barring a trade. He has racked up two saves over his last three appearances and frankly has been reliable for quite some time, allowing just three earned runs with a 13-to-3 strikeout-to-walk ratio since June 9. Osuna is still only 25 percent owned in Yahoo! leagues so he should be available if your team needs bullpen help.
Matt Duffy, San Francisco Giants 
Yes, his numbers are inflated from a weekend series at Coors Field, but Duffy offers some fantasy value. One of his best assets is his versatility as the Giants infielder qualifies at second base, shortstop, and third base, much like Justin Turner of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Duffy’s quietly been hitting well since the beginning of June, registering a .326 average and a .994 OPS over his last 92 at-bats with six doubles, five home runs, and 15 RBI.
THREE DOWN
Alexei Ramirez, Chicago White Sox 
If you don’t own Troy Tulowitzki, Jose Reyes, Carlos Correa or Hanley Ramirez, it’s tough to find a worthy fantasy shortstop this season. However, it’s still tough to understand why fantasy owners continue to trot out Alexei Ramirez. The White Sox starter, still 60 percent owned in Yahoo! leagues, has offered next to no production over the past 14 days, slashing .135/.182/.154 since June 14 with no runs, no home runs and just two RBI. There must be better options available on the waiver wire because there’s no reason why he should be rostered at this point. Don’t live in the past.
Trevor Bauer, Cleveland Indians 
Bauer is a high-risk, high-reward type of player, but the Indians right-hander has been trending in the wrong direction, allowing 17 earned runs with 13 walks over his last four starts. The 24-year-old was one of the most dropped fantasy pitchers this past weekend.
Joey Gallo, Texas Rangers Gallo has been struggling at the plate after a hot start in the big leagues. The 21-year-old has not homered since June 17 and has not recorded a multi-hit game in almost two weeks (his last was June 10). While the prospect offers plenty of promise, he’s going to have rough stretches as he adjusts to MLB pitching. At this point, he’s worth keeping on your bench until he proves otherwise.
