2024 MLB Week 17 FAAB Insights

Did you enjoy the few days without baseball? Or did your Thursday afternoon drag the same way mine did as there were no afternoon baseball games for the first time since March? I thought so. It was a long week, but the All-Star Game was fun, the Home Run Derby was electric and don’t forget about all the buzz surrounding the MLB Draft! It was a great week for baseball, even in the absence of actual baseball games, so we can’t complain too much.

Between the time writing this column and publishing the last, there have only been two completed days of baseball, meaning that there’s not a ton of new information to go off of for this week’s FAAB Insights. However, we’ll do our best to mine the news and find opportunities for players that will benefit our fantasy squads and make us look like the intelligent, well-informed managers that we are.

As a reminder, we’re focusing on players who are between 20-25% rostered in most 12-team leagues and/or 25-50% rostered in 15-teamers. Every league is different, so we won’t be labeling player bids with any sort of recommended dollar amount but instead will use a four-tier investment rating system, ranging from a minimal spend to a potential difference-maker (or LEAGUE-WINNER, if you will).

 

Investment Rating System

 

Schedule notes

SEVEN GAMES: ATL, CLE, CWS, DET, LAA, LAD, HOU, MIA, NYM, SFG, TBR, TEX

 

Batters

 

Outfielders

 

Lawrence Butler ($$$$): All Butler did the Sunday evening after he was the headliner of last week’s column was to go out and homer THREE TIMES on Sunday afternoon against the Boston Red Sox. He’s batting .333 with seven home runs since July 1, with a 1.242 OPS during that span. Not only is he hitting the ball hard, he’s running when he gets the chance, swiping six bags, including three since June 1. The floor is low – Butler batted just .158 in May and June combined, but the ceiling is really high too.

Pete Crow-Armstrong ($$): Still only rostered in 75% of 15-team leagues, PCA is a stolen base maven. Crow-Armstrong is averaging one stolen base in just over every 10 plate appearances. That clip ranks third in the MLB among players with at least 100 plate appearances behind only Elly De La Cruz and David Hamilton.

Matt Wallner ($$): I think Wallner might be tired of the flight back and forth between Minneapolis and Rochester, N.Y. He’s doing all he can to prove he belongs in the MLB, with a .333 clip and two home runs in 21 at-bats since being called back up. The power is very real, and if he reduces the swing and miss in his game, he’ll be a solid contributor in the second half.

Angel Martínez ($$): The Guardians have seemingly turned Martinez into an everyday outfielder, playing him ahead of Tyler Freeman on a near permanent basis. As long as he continues to get the playing time, I want the bat in front of Jose Ramirez in the order, regardless of who it belongs to. Though he’s only middle infield eligible this week, he’ll likely gain outfield eligibility within the coming days.

Joshua Palacios ($): The Pittsburgh Pirates seem to have moved Palacios ahead of both Connor Joe and Michael A. Taylor on the outfield depth chart, and at 28 years old, he’s primed for a breakout this second half. Batting .281 with two home runs through 40 plate appearances, Palacios could make an impact for the Bucs in the second half.

 

Infielders

 

Jacob Wilson ($$$): Another exciting Oakland hitter, Wilson was hitting a ridiculous .401 batting average across 72 minor league games since being drafted. He did tweak his hamstring after recording a hit in his debut so he may be sent to the injured list before this is published (he’s currently awaiting results of an MRI). However, if the injury isn’t serious he may be worth stashing. It’s not every day you see a prospect with his kind of contact profile.

Xavier Edwards ($$$): Edwards is batting .345 through his first 60 major league at-bats and has looked pretty darn comfortable at the plate. He’ll likely get everyday at-bats in Miami the rest of the season and is just 38.0% rostered in most 15-team leagues. Average and speed numbers will be boosted, but his runs and RBI may be a little light in a poor Miami lineup.

Jose Iglesias ($): Jose Iglesias is going to play every day in New York until the Mets find an alternative. Currently with no infielders on the bench, the Mets could rotate McNeil into the infield but Iglesias has earned his playing time by batting over .350 so far this year. He’s not flashy but he’ll boost average and help with runs scored as long as the Mets stay hot.

Nick Senzel ($): The White Sox gave Senzel a contract after he was released by the Nationals. It sounds like he will be a major part of their second half, manning second base for the pale hose on a regular basis. Batting .205 in Washington wasn’t exactly inspiring, but maybe he’ll improve with regular playing time?

Anthony Rendon ($): Like him or not, Rendon is going to play (as frequently as he feels like) in the Angels lineup. The problem with rostering Rendon is that fantasy baseball is a place where you roster the guys you like. And Rendon is just not likeable.

Eduoard Julien ($): Julien was called back up to the big league squad as Carlos Correa was placed on the IL. His swing and miss problems are what sent him down in the first place, so he’ll need to make more contact this time around if he wants to stick.

 

Catchers/UT

 

JT Realmuto ($$$$): So in TGFBI, Realmuto is available in 2% of leagues. If you happen to have a similar situation where Realmuto’s owner lost patience or made an oopsie, swoop in and grab him IMMEDIATELY!

Alejandro Kirk ($): We’re still waiting on the Blue Jays to sell at the deadline, and now with Bo Bichette on the IL, the time may be approaching. If Kirk or Jansen are dealt, whoever remains is likely to see an increase in playing time. Here’s hoping it’s Jansen on the move.

 

 

Pitchers

 

Starting Pitchers

 

Jeffrey Springs ($$$): We discussed this in last week’s column, but Springs is close to returning and will be a valued commodity when he does. Assuming he’s back to nearly 100%, he’ll be a second-half contributor for fantasy teams. He’s a guy I want in just about every format where I can take a little risk.

Jonathan Cannon ($$): The White Sox have some pitching prospects that haven’t been that bad, including Cannon. He’s gone six innings deep in each of his last two starts, which is enough to make me consider him even if he pitches for a bad team. With his next start coming against the struggling Rangers, I don’t mind taking a chance here.

Andre Pallante ($): With two starts this week, both coming against offenses that I don’t fear at all (@PIT, WAS), Pallante could be a spot starter for teams still waiting for their guys to come back from injury.

Tyler Mahle ($): Mahle is a really fascinating arm. Now with the Rangers, he’s being sent to Round Rock for a rehab assignment and will likely join the big league club in the coming weeks. He could  join the rotation as a fifth or sixth starter if the Rangers decide to sell at the deadline, which is projected at the moment.

Jackson Jobe ($): An optimistic speculation – the Tigers lost Reese Olson to right shoulder soreness this weekend, so maybe, just maybe, they’ll give Jobe a chance at the major league level. If you’ve been listening to Nick Pollack at all this season, you’ll know that this is one of the few remaining big name pitching prospects that we’re excited for this season. Hopefully, we see him sooner than later.

 

Relief Pitchers

 

Devin Williams ($$$$): Williams is another guy who is owned in almost every league… but NOT every league. He was just sent on a rehab assignment and should be rejoining the Brewers in the near future. It’s absolutely viable for him to take back his ninth inning role in Milwaukee immediately, given how good he was before the injury.

Yimi García ($): The Blue Jays activated Garcia from the IL, giving him a chance to potentially take over in the ninth inning as Chad Green has done just enough to potentially get traded. This is a speculative saves add.

Joe Kelly ($): Kelly is back from the 60-day IL in the Dodgers bullpen. Though he might not get save opportunities on the regular, he could get a few here and there in a bullpen that doesn’t seem set in stone.