This Week in Fantasy Baseball · Lee Keller, John Ke

TWF 119 - What's Fueling Gilbert's K Rate?

·1 hr 4 min·15 clips

Jonka opens the show by welcoming listeners back and wishing everyone a safe and happy July 4th. Patrick comes in with the kind of fantasy-season energy that follows a few frustrating roster spots. The two swap notes on the Orioles and on how their teams are feeling overall. Patrick says he is staring at a trio of Chris Sale, Spencer Schwellenbach, and Chase Burns and not loving what he sees. Jonka and Patrick pause on Burns after that rough outing against Boston. The tone stays easygoing, but the frustration is still there. From there the talk shifts to Gavin Sheets and what to make of a first baseman who has quietly become relevant. They note that Sheets was not a major draft-day target. They point out that he is batting .264 with a .785 OPS across 309 plate appearances. They also note that he is on pace to beat his previous high of 15 home runs. Jonka frames the issue the way fantasy managers feel it. First base has not offered much joy this season. The names at the top are familiar, but not all of them have been delivering the kind of dominance people expected. He contrasts Sheets with bigger names like Pete Alonzo, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Matt Olson, Cody Bellinger, Freddie Freeman, and Paul Goldschmidt. Patrick explains how Sheets fits into a real roster decision in a 12-team Yahoo league with OPS scoring. He says he has been juggling Alec Boehm, Alec Burleson, and Sheets and treating them as close enough to interchangeable. He also admits he dropped Yanni Diaz and still regrets it. The conversation stays practical instead of dramatic. Sheets is slumping a bit, and there is some regression risk. Still, he keeps batting fifth for San Diego almost every day. That gives him a workable floor even in a lineup that is good but not elite. The hosts lean into the idea that role and context can matter as much as raw skill in fantasy. They do not oversell him, but they make a clear case that Sheets is at least worth a look. The episode closes with the standard reminders to follow the show, send questions, and subscribe to the broader Pitchless feed. It feels like a normal fantasy baseball week in the best sense. The hosts are sorting through uncertainty in real time and trying to tell listeners where the edges still are.

As heard by us

A brisk fantasy check-in that turns a shallow first-base market into a real roster call.

This episode sits in the useful part of fantasy baseball: a holiday check-in, a few plainspoken roster frustrations, and a real argument over Gavin Sheets.

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Why you'd press play

You want a calm read on Gavin Sheets and whether a thin first-base pool makes him useful.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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