Ron Rigney shares his Consistency Triple Play each week. Ron tells you who he believes will turn it around and who won’t. Follow Ron on Twitter – @RonRigney
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Vinnie Pasquantino, 1B – KC
If we were giving Clutch Games for nicknames, Pasquantino would be one of our most consistent players. With monikers like “Pasquatch” and “The Italian Breakfast” it’s hard not to root for this guy. His real name is even fun to say. However, us fantasy owners want production and consistency, and Vinnie P. has delivered both. Heading into the 2023 season, he was a tough one for me to rank. The track record was there, but had I seen enough to feel comfortable taking him in drafts? I didn’t end up with any shares of the Royals 1B, but those who did have been rewarded with solid production. As I’m writing this, the “Pasquatch” is slashing .290/.373/.524 with 7 home runs, 19 RBI and 20 runs scored. He’s always been known for his patient approach at the plate, but he’s shown some decent pop along with it. After diving in a bit deeper, I’m happy to report there doesn’t seem to be much indication that he can’t keep his production going. He’s always been a low strikeout/high walk guy throughout his career. As long as health stays on his side, Vinnie P. should be one of the top 1B off the board heading into 2024.
Sandy Alcantara, SP – MIA
When you look at Alcantara’s overall body of work up to this point, it doesn’t match what you might think last year’s NL Cy Young winner would post. His 4.53 is up considerably from his stellar 2.28 from 2022. What’s led to the increase? There’s not a lot of difference, but there’s enough to make owners a bit uncomfortable with the output, especially at the ADP he was being drafted at. The first thing that stands out is the control. Alcantara is giving up about a half a walk per game more than his 1.97 total from 2022. Combine that with an elevated HR/FB% and a decreased strand rate, and it makes sense for his ERA to be up a bit. When you break him down on a game-by-game level, one start has done most of the ERA damage. Alcantara’s worst outing was a 10 hit, 9 earned run blow up at the hands of the Phillies. Beyond that, he hasn’t allowed more than three runs in any start. It’s always tough to trust a guy who had that good of a season to do it again, and there are a few that do. I think he will be fine, and since the Philly outing it’s been four straight starts with three earned runs or less. He may not give you a duplicate of the 2022 season, but he’s still going to be a consistent option from here on out.
Chris Taylor, UTIL – LAD
I am not a Chris Taylor fan, but when putting this article together, I couldn’t escape his name. For starters, he’s eligible at almost every position, but surprisingly he’s been rather consistent. He’s only ranked 50th in total points but has done just enough to post a Clutch Game in four out of six weeks. He’s also come alive as of late, raising a nasty .145 BA to .198 over the past week and a half. He’s not a guy I would want to depend on every day, but his modest power/speed combo should always net you at least double-digit homers and steals. He will find his way into the lineup, especially after the loss of Gavin Lux for the season. He’s currently available in 43% of Fantrax leagues and is a nice little Swiss Army Knife to have on your bench.
