Can of Corncast with Andy Greenberg – Homering Harper and Super Syndergaard

This week, it’s all about the youngsters. Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper is continuing to mash the ball and while his homers this past week haven’t had much of an impact on the games they came in (the Nats had big leads in both already), he’s been a catalyst for a potent Washington offense.

Their division-rival Mets are bringing along a young star of their own, starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard, who made a stellar debut at Wrigley Field against the Cubs with five marvelously pitched innings before faltering in the 6th. He would leave after 5.1 having given up three runs. Start number two was a continuation of the top-notch stuff we’ve seen from the 22-year-old righty. He gave up only one run to the Brewers, struck out five and only walked one batter. He’s 60% owned and starts again on May 22 in Pittsburgh against the Pirates.

This week on the podcast, Andy also gives away some of his behind-the-scenes fantasy baseball secrets. One of which is paying close attention to “Batter vs. Pitcher” stats when it comes to setting his lineup. He has a bookmark for all of his players’ ESPN stats pages and will check them often to determine whether or not to start a batter against a specific starting pitcher. It’s extremely helpful if you carry any bench hitters and find yourself at an impasse comparing stats from the past week or two, trying to determine who to start at your UTIL.

Bonus Blog Free Agent: Freddy Galvis (SS,3B – Philadelphia) – Galvis is one of the top hitters in the NL, carrying a .347 batting average into the weekend. His power numbers are up — though they were small to begin with — plus he’s walking more and striking out less. Shortstop has been a minefield of below-average options so you might find success going for the guy with the high average.