Roster Update 8: A Preview of Possible Investments

It would be an understatement to say that this was a rather hard article to write. We haven’t had a Roster Update regarding hitting attributes in over 4 weeks now, so it is hard to decide which update period SDS will use to hand out updates. Nevertheless, let’s have a dive into the best investment opportunities for the upcoming update!

PLEASE NOTE : This article is based on current player performance, and none of the investments suggested in this article are guaranteed stubs.

Date: 8^th  of August, 2022

Author: @LouisAnalysis on Twitter / @LouisAnalysis on Instagram/ @LouisAnalysis on Patreon

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Hot Hitters : Highlights

These are the 5 highlighted batters for this week’s article. These are highlighted for their exceptional performances, and are the most likely to go up. Keep in mind that I can not see in to the future, and that any player can go cold at any time, for any reason. These are educated picks based of statistical analysis.

Freddie Freeman : Los Angeles Dodgers

Current Overall : 85

Predicted Overall : 86-88

Recommended Buy Now Price : – 3,000

A return in the article for Freddie Freeman, as he still hasn’t received his hitting attribute upgrade and he has not slowed down one bit. Depending on how SDS approaches this update, Freeman could be getting a major upgrade.

• AB : 56
• R : 10
• H : 18
• HR : 0
• RBI : 10
• AVG : .321
• OBP : .385
• SLG : .411
• OPS : .796

Francisco Lindor : New York Mets

Current Overall : 83

Predicted Overall : 84-85

Recommended Buy Price : -2,000

Francisco Lindor has been very good the last couple of weeks. Even though Lindor is a pretty inconsistent hitter, he is in fantastic form at the moment. Being a slightly more expensive investment means investing in Lindor holds more risk as well. I would definitely suggest selling Lindor in the hype to guarantee your profits.

• AB : 56
• R : 15
• H : 24
• HR : 3
• RBI : 11
• AVG : .429
• OBP : .500
• SLG : .679
• OPS : 1.098

Vlad. Jr – Toronto Blue Jays

Current Overall : 87

Predicted Overall : 88 – 91

Recommended Buy Price : – 4,500

Vlad. Jr. seems to have found his best form just in time for the playoffs and looks like a great investment to make for one main reason alone : He has the track record. We all know he’s a fantastic hitter. Combine this with an 18-game hitting streak which could massively bump up his contact, and investing in Guerrero Jr. at Quick Sell almost sounds like a no brainer. He would be a card to hold until the update is done to make your profit.

• AB : 60
• R : 12
• H : 24
• HR : 3
• RBI : 11
• AVG : .400
• OBP : .463
• SLG : .667
• OPS : 1.130

Pete Alonso : New York Mets

Current Overall : 86

Predicted Overall : 87 – 88

Recommended Buy Price : – 3,750

Pete Alonso has been in great form at the plate and looks like he could be another diamond worthy of an upgrade. He looks like a pretty reliable investment to make, and could get you some good return on your stubs. Alonso is another card I would suggest holding until after the update as he is a diamond.

• AB : 56
• R : 14
• H : 22
• HR : 5
• RBI : 17
• AVG : .393
• OBP : .495
• SLG : .768
• OPS : .1.253

Dansby Swanson – Atlanta Braves

Current Overall : 84

Predicted Overall : 85+

Recommended Buy Price : – 1,500

Probably one of the riskier investments, Dansby Swanson is a 50/50 play. He’s not hitting very well over his last 7, still has a few days to pull it up. I only recommend Swanson if you have some stubs laying around and you are willing to take a gamble with your stubs. The hype of him being an 84 rated card could be enough to push him over 2,500 stubs which is a nice profit margin!

• AB : 62
• R : 11
• H : 18
• HR : 1
• RBI : 5
• AVG : .290
• OBP : .323
• SLG : .371
• OPS : .694

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Performing Pitchers

Now let’s have a look at pitchers who are due an upgrade. Keep in mind that pitchers only need one bad performance to possibly lose their upgrade, so the risk of investing in pitchers is definitely higher than investing in batters. At the time of writing, most pitchers will have one more appearance before the Roster Update, so keep an eye on them. After some feedback, the stats of last 15 days will be used for the pitchers, similar to the batters.

Dylan Cease : Chicago White Sox

Current Overall : 83

Predicted Overall : 85+

Recommended Buy Price : -2,200

I just can’t leave Dylan Cease out. He’s been fantastic all season, and recently broke a record for ‘Most MLB games in a row where a Starting Pitcher gave up one or less runs in the game’ which speaks for itself. Cease has to be going diamond. If he doesn’t, I suggest we all riot. His only weakness is walks, which explains his high WHIP.

• ERA : 1.00
• R : 2
• H : 6
• HR : 0
• WHIP : 1.01
• SO : 12
• IP : 12.2

Emmanuel Clase : Cleveland Guardians

Current Overall : 84

Predicted Overall : 85+

Recommended Buy Price : -2,300

Emmanuel Clase has been great across the season. In one of his last outings, Clase did give up a run to the Houston Astros in the 9^th. This is something you should not worry about, as Clase still looks a fantastic investment as an 84 rated card. He has consistently been one of the best closers in the league. I would still advise to sell Clase in the hype leading up to the update to guarantee your profit.

• ERA : 0.60
• R : 1
• H : 6
• HR : 1
• WHIP : 0.53
• SO : 12
• IP : 15.0

Zack Wheeler : Phillies

Current Overall : 84

Predicted Overall : 85+

Recommended Buy Price : – 2,000

Zack Wheeler has always been on the verge of a diamond Live Series card, and could be going diamond with the following update. He’s been fairly consistent, which was previously lacking. The Phillies have improved considerably as well, which increases the amount of support he has as a pitcher. I’d still advise to sell Wheeler at the 3,000 stub mark to guarantee your profits.

• ERA : 1.00
• R : 1
• H : 5
• HR : 0
• WHIP : 0.85
• SO : 7
• IP : 7.0

Jason Adam : Tampa Bay Rays

Current Overall : 82

Predicted Overall : 84

Recommended Buy Price : – 900

Probably one of the most overlooked closers in the league, Jason Adam has been in great form for the Rays and could be getting another upgrade in the future. Because Adam is a closer, he is naturally overlooked and this makes him cheaper on the market. I would advise to sell Adam if his price goes over the 1,500 stubs mark. His WHIP is ridiculously low as well, which is a good indicator of how good he is.

• ERA : 1.29
• R : 2
• H : 7
• HR : 0
• WHIP : 0.50
• SO : 19
• IP : 14.0

Sonny Gray : Twins

Current Overall : 79

Predicted Overall : 80 – 82

Recommended Buy Price : – 150

Sonny Gray could be a great investment for people with a lower stub count or mass investors. In his last 3 games combined, Gray has given up two runs through 16 innings, striking out 17 batters, which is fantastic. Gray has a lot of potential to get a gold bump, but keep in mind that he doesn’t have the best track record to fall back, so he could be a slightly riskier investment.

• ERA : 0.85
• R : 1
• H : 6
• HR : 0
• WHIP : 0.92
• SO : 10
• IP : 10.0

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Honorable Mentions: Batters

These players will still be great investments, but hold slightly higher risk. I will add the most crucial stats in the following order : BA / OBP / SLG / Current OVR / Predicted OVR / Recommended Buy Price. This will give everyone a bigger pool of investments to pick from!

• Nolan Arenado : .345 / .422 / .727 / 89 / 90+ / – 7,000
• Andrew Vaughn : .409 / .480 / .636 / 78 / 79-81 / – 150
• Sean Murphy : .474 / .545 / .737 / 78 / 80+ / -200
• Rowdy Tellez : .368 / .478 / .737 / 75 / 77-78 / – 60
• Teoscar Hernandez : .348 / .423 / .739 / 79 / 81-83 / -350

Honorable Mentions: Pitchers

The same will be done for pitchers. These hold even higher risk as they are (lower level) pitchers who are performing well. Obviously, because of the risk connected to these investments, there is a bigger profit to be made if you pick the right investment. Stats will be in the following order : IP / ERA / WHIP / Current OVR / Predicted OVR / Recommended Buy Price

• Merill Kelly : 22.0 / 0.82 / 0.73 / 75 / 77-78 / – 75
• Ranger Suarez  : 16.1 / 1.65 / 1.10 / 73 / 74-75 / – 25
• Erik Swanson : 7.0 / 1.35 / 1.13 / 79 / 80-81 / – 166
• Graham Ashcraft : 20.2 / 1.74 / 1.02 / 71 / 73-75 / – 25
• Dane Dunning : 18.0 / 1.80 / 1.06 / 74 / 75 / – 25

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Sell tip : Sell all of your investments in the hype if they aren’t going diamond. Most of these players will be dumped after the Roster Update and decrease in price. Sell time can decide if you make profit or not!

This is it for this week’s investment update. Let’s hope these players keep performing the way they have. For any questions, make sure to reach out to us on Twitter @mlbtheshowzone or @LouisAnalysis.