Bases Loaded Fantasy Baseball Podcast · Fantasy Baseball | Mike Kurland | Age of Radio

Ep. 196: Early trends you SHOULD be monitoring, hitter streamers, and more

·51 min·3 clips

Hunter Greene entered yesterday with a 47.6% hard-hit rate and the lowest ground-ball rate.

1. Bases Loaded Fantasy Baseball Podcast Ep. 196 focuses on early trends, hitter streamers, and pitching usage around the first week of the season. 2. Mike Curlin hosts the show, points listeners to youtube.com/@GTEFantasy and Twitter @Mike_underscore_Curlin, and uses the live YouTube chat to answer fantasy questions. 3. The episode is built to answer which early numbers are worth monitoring before changing roster decisions. 4. Dave Roberts telling reporters Saturday that Evan Phillips is “pretty much going to be the closer” settles the Dodgers' ninth-inning situation for now. 5. Jose Siri's IL stint creates playing-time openings, and Matt Vierling is described as the player with a clearer path against righties. 6. Luis Garcia's fastball velocity is down about 1.5 mph, his curveball usage is dropping, and he is allowing more fly balls. 7. Yusei Kikuchi's velocity is up 1.9 mph on the slider, 1.3 mph on the four-seam, and 2.6 mph on the changeup, but the host still calls him a watch-list arm. 8. Shane McClanahan is throwing harder and using fastballs around 50% of the time, which the host treats as a positive health and performance sign. 9. Aaron Nola's velo is a little down, but the host points to a 34% CSW rate against the Yankees and says the start was not as bad as it looked. 10. Pablo López gets the strongest pitching preview, with velocity up almost two miles per hour and a new sweeper becoming his second-most-used pitch. 11. Brad Keller is described as a complete arsenal revamp, with a new sweeper and a slider showing about six more inches of horizontal movement. 12. Hunter Greene is flagged for a 47.6% hard-hit rate, a very low ground-ball rate, and a heavy fastball profile that can still get hit hard. 13. Jack Flaherty's line is framed as misleading luck, with 13 walks in 10 innings, a 1.7 WHIP, and a negative 13.3 K-minus-walk rate despite better velocity. 14. Jordan Walker is producing two home runs and a 60% hard-hit rate, but his 64% ground-ball rate and aggressive chase profile are the bigger concern. 15. Spencer Torkelson is generating harder contact, but a 48% ground-ball rate and a weak pulled fly-ball profile keep the power in check. 16. Anthony Volpe is discussed as a young hitter with three stolen bases, a 13.8% walk rate, but also a 160 batting average and below-average contact. 17. James Outman draws a detailed breakdown because his 35.5% strikeout rate comes with 42.9% pulled fly balls and legitimate pull-side power. 18. Josh Jung and Oscar González are both treated as early-sample checks, with Jung's low ground-ball rate and González's weak contact profile used to explain their stat lines. 19. The tone stays conversational and live-reactive, with the host reading chat questions, checking splits on the fly, and revising player takes in real time. 20. Fantasy managers who want early-season roster clues and streamer context will get the most out of this episode, while listeners wanting a polished story or deep guest interview may skip it.

As heard by us

Practical early fantasy-baseball notes that turn small samples into lineup and streamer context.

This episode moves from bullpen news into playing-time notes, contact-rate data, and a few roster angles that matter for lineup calls. It keeps the focus on who is earning more plate appearances, who still profiles more as a platoon option, and which hitters have shown enough…

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Why you'd press play

Early-season fantasy baseball notes on roster movement, streamer names, and a few under-the-hood warning signs.

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